LOS ANGELES — EA took the stage at their press conference yesterday and, among many other things, featured a live 12-on-12 demo of Medal of Honor’s multiplayer component which looks to be challenging Call of Duty for the title of top reality-based military shooter. The demo went off without a hitch and word is that it offers a very nice mix of what was good from both Modern Warfare 2 and Battlefield: Bad Company 2.The multiplayer component is actually developed by DICE, the studio who made BC2. While the games will have obvious similarities, the focus in MOH is not nearly as vehicle-heavy.

Medal of Honor takes place in modern-day Afghanistan and focuses on a little-known group of military men called Tier-1 Operators. According to the website (where you can also find the E3 trailer), “The Tier 1 Operator functions on a plane of existence above and beyond even the most highly trained Special Operations Forces. Their exact numbers, while classified, hover in the low hundreds. They are living, breathing, precision instruments of war. They are experts in the application of violence. The new Medal of Honor is inspired by and has been developed with Tier 1 Operators from this elite community.”

If you decide to pre-order the game at participating retailers, you will get a Beta key for June 21st for all available platforms: 360,Ps3 and PC. The beta version has two maps: Helmand Valley and Kabul City Ruins, and can be played by 24 players with two game modes: Team Assault mode and Combat Mission. Team Assault is basically Team Deathmatch, while Combat Mission is objective based. VIP members of the Battlefield: Bad Company 2 will gain access to this beta version earlier on June 17. You can find out all the details on the Beta here.

On the heels of yesterday’s “we sold 5  million units,” Electronic Arts and developer DICE today announced a new gameplay mode for Battlefield: Bad Company 2 coming to Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 in the near future.

‘Onslaught’ mode brings cooperative play to the Battlefield series for the first time putting you and up to three friends in battle against AI enemies on freshly redesigned maps that include Valparaiso, Atacama Desert, Isla Inocentes and Nelson Bay.

The new environments feature “lighting, time of day, added vehicles and other effects,” according to Electronic Arts.

Senior Producer Patrick Bach really digs the new gameplay mode.

"We want to consistently support the fans playing the game with new ways to get into multiplayer and also challenge the elite players with new experiences to improve their performance online. Effective squad play is the key to success in Battlefield: Bad Company 2 multiplayer and this new mode will provide players with a dedicated environment to test their team skills and rank against the competition," Bach said.

Of note: no mention was made in the announcement of whether ‘Onslaught’ mode is part of the game’s VIP program (free for purchasers of a new copy of the game) or if it will be the game’s first paid DLC. We’ve reached out to EA for comment and will update when/if we hear back.

In a company financial earnings report given today, Electronic Arts revealed sales statistics for its  modern shooter Battlefield: Bad Company 2, revealing the title has sold over 5 million units in its first 2.5 months on the market.

The title, rated M, available for PS3, Xbox 360 and PC, and developed by EA DICE, a Swedish studio well-known for mastery in the multiplayer department (see every Battlefield game to date), sold 2.3 million units in two weeks, and ballooned to 5 million this month.

Bad Co. 2

Some might chalk up the success to BC2‘s incorporation of dedicated servers for PC gamers, a department that Infinity Ward and Activision skipped, in favor of IWnet.

Next for EA DICE is the multiplayer component of EA’s Medal of Honor reboot, due out in October.

Electronic Arts and Battlefield: Bad Company 2 took another swipe at Activision and Modern Warfare 2 today with the release of a trailer titled “Friends Really Against Grenade Spam.”

For those unfamiliar, Activision released a trailer, with Phillies pitcher Cole Hamels in it, titled “Friends Against Grenade Spam” or F.A.G.S.

This is EA attempting, with the help of a stoned-sounding CC Sabathia, to parody that effort and, in my opinion, succeeds masterfully.

Electronic Arts is primed and ready to take on the Modern Warfare 2 market with next week’s Battlefield: Bad Company 2 coming to PC, PS3 and Xbox 360. But what’s a AAA release without a fierce marketing campaign as only EA can provide?

The publisher unleashed a 30-second television spot for the game today. Expected to see it all over TV in the days leading up to and following the game’s release next week.

With its heaps of free day-one downloadable content are you picking up a new copy of it on Tuesday?

Anyone purchasing a used copy of next week’s “Battlefield: Bad Company 2″ will miss out on a heaping amount of content, as publisher Electronic Arts today said it’ll bundle maps with new copies of the game.

Oh, it'll be fun.

When you purchase a new copy of the game next week for PS3 or Xbox 360, inside the packaging you’ll find a code good for downloading Laguna Alta for Conquest mode and Nelson Bay for Rush mode. Moreover, later in the month, that same code will get you Arica Harbor for Conquest and Laguna Presa for Rush.

“Battlefield: Bad Company 2 will redefine online modern warfare on March 2. We are deeply committed to the FPS community and Battlefield fans worldwide,” said Patrick Bach, Senior Producer for Battlefield: Bad Company 2. “These first two map packs are just the beginning. We’re planning ongoing support for the community by always keeping the experience fresh and ensuring the best possible gameplay experience.”

This moves come as a continued effort by EA to influence gamers to purchase new copies of its games. “Mass Effect 2″ and “The Saboteur” offered similar ploys and we can’t blame them, publishers and developers don’t see money from used game sales.

Look for our “Battlefield: Bad Company 2″ review next week.

Electronic Arts recently released a video walkthrough trailer for the PC version of next week’s “Battlefield: Bad Company 2,” showing off all the reasons why PC gamers have major edges over the console faithful.

The PC version of the game trumps the console iteration in many ways, as the video points out. It has tabbed menus, supports dual monitors, its UI has been built “from the ground up” for mouse navigation and its multiplayer extends to 32 players (24 on the console) and allows for some very slick lighting effects provided you’ve got DirectX11.

Good to see DICE staying true to its PC origins. I’ve always wanted a capable PC gaming rig and might seriously consider it for my next purchase. Prices are coming down(ish), right?

Electronic Arts today announced the demo for its upcoming first-person-shooter, Battlefield: Bad Company 2, has been downloaded over 3.5 million times across Xbox Live and the PlayStation Network.

Bad Company 2

The demo has been on the market for only 23 days, meaning on average, the demo was downloaded about 152,174 times per day.

The demo ends Feb. 25, just a week before the game releases March 2, so if you’ve yet to get in on the action, do so today. Trust me, it’s too much fun.

Some quick, fun facts about the demo.

• 3.5 million downloads
• 500 million kills
• 100 million vehicle kills
• 15 million knife kills
• 30 million destroyed vehicles
• 10 million head shots
• 25 million revives

Limited Editions are great. They often come bundled with tons of extra goodies and the like. But they also cost more.

Not true with EA’s upcoming Battlefield: Bad Company 2, as the publisher today announced that all pre-orders of the game have been bumped up to Limited Edition status, at no extra charge.

Oh the savings!!

The LE comes with 6 weapon upgrades, detailed below. Battlefield: Bad Company 2 releases March 2 for PC, PS3 and Xbox 360. Expect a review soon.

4 Vehicle Warfare Unlocks

1. Improved Vehicle Armor — An Up-Armor package mounted on all vehicle types decreases the effect of both explosive and penetrating warheads, significantly improving vehicle survivability.

2. Vehicle Alternate Fire - Additional weapon packages mounted for the driver of all armored vehicles, greatly expands the range of targets the vehicle can successfully engage and destroy.

3. Vehicle Motion Sensor — Upgraded Sensor to locate enemy units in direct proximity to the vehicle.

4. Tracer Dart Pistol – Launched by compressed air, this magnetic dart attaches to any vehicle surface, allows friendly shoulder launched rockets to lock on to and track moving targets even beyond line of sight.

2 Classic Battlefield 1943 Weapons

5. M1A1 Submachine Gun – Popular with Paratrooper and Commando units in WW2 for its rate of fire and stopping power the M1A1 is still seen in the hands of paramilitaries today.  Reliable but heavy this classic weapon is still a powerful force in the hands of a Battlefield Veteran.

6. M1911 Pistol — Adopted in 1911 by the US Army the M1911 saw heavy service in WW1, WW2, Korea and Vietnam.  Highly customized M1911 are still favored by Special Operations forces for its reliability and the power of its large .45 caliber round.

To the entire world’s surprise, a multiplayer demo for EA’s upcoming shooter Battlefield: Bad Company 2 came to Xbox Live today and with it high expectations.

Get in on the action...today!

The demo is multiplayer only and like the PS3 version we covered last month, features only one game-mode played on one large environment, Port Valdez in this instance.

Snag the demo on Xbox Live today and if this version is different enough to warrant another hands-on preview, we’ll have that live on the site later today.

Happy hunting!

EA released its first single player trailer for Battlefield: Bad Company 2 this morning and it makes us foam at the mouth for this hotly anticipated shooter from DICE.

Here’s a breakdown of the plot for anyone who is unfamiliar with the series:

The campaign is said to pick up as “B Company” is patrolling the Russian-American demarcation line when they discover the Russian military transporting a scalar generator prototype to build fully functional weapons near American soil. B Company travels the world in order to put an end to the threat.

The game looks like it can take on Modern Warfare 2 in terms of combat and weaponry and its multiplayer component, with its massively-scaled battles, might have enough to steal a bit of Modern Warfare 2′s thunder.

Check out the trailer below in order to get a better idea of what is going on.

Battlefield: Bad Company 2 will be available on March 2, 2010 in North America for the Xbox 360, PS3 and the PC.

EA DICE, makers of the upcoming massively-scaled and ultimately addictive first-person-shooter Battlefield Bad Company 2, today revealed, in video form, the “Panama Canal” multiplayer environment.

EA says it will feature a “tight battle with abandoned industrial buildings, vehicles, large ships, and piles of debris everywhere with billowing smoke off in the distance as the surround forest rages of fire while the surrounding city is bombarded by enemy ballistics.”

Battlefield Bad Company 2 comes to PC, PS3, and Xbox 360 March 2, 2010.

EA DICE, makers of the beloved Battlefield franchise are at it again. This time developing a sequel to 2008′s original Bad Company, and this time focusing its efforts on something we all love; multiplayer!

Battlefield: Bad Company 2 is due out in March of 2010, but if you threw down $5 to reserve the game at GameStop or Best Buy, or snagged a code from Sony directly, you’ve got access to the shooter today, three months before it hits shelves.

In the beta there’s one massively scaled multiplayer map to enjoy dubbed "Arica." This environment consists of a series of attack/defend points littered with tall structures, claustrophobia-inducing buildings and alleyways, and the always enjoyable Abrams tanks to have fun with. The game supports a maximum of 12 on 12 multiplayer mayhem, and really, when you’ve got a full match, with 24 players having at it, you’ll wonder why more games don’t go this route.

The game runs on the famous Frostbite Engine. This game backbone allows for the total destruction of nearly everything on your screen.

See a cluster of enemies camping out in one room? Easy, launch a rocket into the room and they’re all dead. Not to mention the demolished walls don’t come back, keeping those pesky bad guys at bay for the entire length of the game session.

This game mechanic creates a "never-safe" type mentality when playing that’s extremely refreshing when considering not every game (Modern Warfare 2), does this yet.

In the beta you can play as one of four classes each with varying weapon load-outs. There’s the sniper, assault attacker, and a few more. As you rack up kills and earn points for doing so, you’ll eventually unlock weapon upgrades, the ability to carry more grenades, and a few more tweaks.

Apart from weapons, there are Abrams tanks and the newly added jeep, which eerily resembles the Mongoose found in the Halo franchise. This fast little bugger is helpful when you need to race across the vast environment to get to a strategic position before someone else does. And on the funny side of things, in a match I played the other day, I saw a jeep racing in from afar and tossed a grenade where I thought he might be in a few seconds. Luckily he drove over my frag just as it exploded, killing him and sending the vehicle soaring through the air at rocket speed.

The beta’s one map, Arica, is huge. It spans multiple attack/defend zones comprised of very varied means of cover. If you’re attacking and you capture both points you’ll push on to the next series of objectives and with it comes an entirely new plan of attack. Do I play a little recon, take enemies out from afar with the sniper and let my teammates push through on the ground? Or do I go straight up the gut and attack full on? Your strategy should change from point to point, and this keeps gameplay fun, engaging, and never boring.

Based on how impressive the beta’s one map is, I can’t even begin to fathom what DICE has in stock for us when the full game hits in March. Rest assured it’ll be amazing.

Unlike another war game out there today, Modern Warfare 2, matches in BC2 last around thirty minutes, depending on if your buddies know what they’re doing or not. Sure, it demands more time and effort than an all-out frenzied fragfest (again, looking at you MW2), but this is its strong part, and why I’ll likely end up playing this one more.

Blast Factor: With its uber-massive masterfully designed map, very varied weapon loadouts and a clear addicting nature, Bad Company 2 feels like one hell of a game already, and that’s based on impressions from one map of the multiplayer. We haven’t even seen single player yet! If you’re contemplating a purchase, throwing down $5 to play the beta is the easiest choice you’ll make today. Go do it; you’ll be glad you did. And while you’re at it, add me, EddieNotEddy on the PlayStation Network and we’ll game together.

The Battlefield series, long synonymous with PC gaming, expands with Battlefield: Bad Company 2 in March, and developer EA DICE today gushed details on its hardware requirements.

"I need a new graphics card. Oh the humanity!"

As you know, the game runs on the Frostbite Engine, one that allows for the total destruction of nearly everything on any given map, and thus, as you might expect, can be quite a taxing biiatch on your gaming rig.

The minimum requirements are too bad, but we know you PC gamers, you’ll settle for nothing but the best, and will want to take a look at the recommend, and much more hefty settings.

Luckily, the title releases after Christmas, so maybe Santa will drop down your chimney and grace you with a new graphics card!!

Minimum Frostbite PC Specifications for BFBC2 & BF1943
Processor: Core 2 Duo @ 2.0GHz
Main memory: 2GB
Graphics card: GeForce 7800 GT  / ATI X1900
Graphics memory: 256MB
OS: Windows XP
Free HDD space: 15GB for Digital Version, 10GB for Disc Version (BFBC2)
10GB for Digital Version, 4GB for Disc Version (BF1943)
Recommended Frostbite PC Specifications for BFBC2 & BF1943
Processor: Quadcore
Main memory: 2GB
Graphics card: GeForce GTX 260
Graphics memory: 512MB
OS: Windows Vista or Windows 7
Free HDD space: 15GB for Digital Version, 10GB for Disc Version (BFBC2)
10GB for Digital Version, 4GB for Disc Version (BF1943)

As seen on the Battlefield Blog

Battlefield Bad Company 2, more multiplayer-oriented than the first, doesn’t hit shelves until March, but a beta  for the title came exclusively to the PlayStation Network today and Electronic Arts released this oh so glorious multiplayer video also today.

Now, to join in the fraggin’ mayhem, you had to reserve the title, but anyone, anywhere, can revel in the awesomeness of this trailer. Have a look, and excuse me as I bolt over to GameStop to throw $5 down.

We just told you that the multiplayer demo for Battlefield Bad Company 2 would be available to Playstation 3 owners in two weeks, but now we’ve also got something shiny and pretty for you stare at whilst you consider your eventual downloading of said demo.

The trailer doesn’t show gameplay in motion, but instead is a series of frozen moments from multiplayer, with voice overs and music playing in the background. While you don’t see it as it happens, it’s cool to see what is essentially an animated screenshot of multiplayer–the game also gives you a good sense of some of the destruction and squad elements, despite the lack of footage. It’s worth a look.

The original Bad Company is a fun and different Battlefield title, and the second looks to continue that by focusing very strongly on the multiplayer component. That’s why it’s no surprise that the demo for multiplayer in this squad-based shooter will be available for PS3 owners on November 19, assuming you reserve the game at Gamestop, either in stores or online.

“With Battlefield: Bad Company 2 we’re looking to raise the bar across all aspects of our multiplayer experience, setting a new standard for online play,” says Patrick Bach, Senior Producer on Battlefield: Bad Company 2. “From the graphics to the vehicles, weapons and destruction, we are delivering the best online multiplayer game next year, and we want gamers to experience it themselves by playing the beta and demo.”

If you were thinking about getting the game anyways, I suggest you plop the $5 down for the reserve in order to secure the code, as I haven’t been able to pull myself away from the demo whenever I see it at a convention or press event. DICE looks like they may have a winning multiplayer component on their hands–dare I say–one that is more intriguing than Modern Warfare 2. See for yourself in a few weeks when the demo hits–you’ll be able to compare apples to apples for free.

For those of you sans PS3, don’t worry, as demos will hit the PC and Xbox 360 in the future. This is just a timed-exclusive demo for PS3 owners.

EA DICE, makers of Battlefield Bad Company 2, the sequel to the original, today unleashed this visually stunning and jaw-droppingly powerful multiplayer video for their upcoming shooter.

Bad Company 2 features massively-scaled warzones and this time around multiplayer has not only been improved upon, DICE has stated that it’s the main focus of the entire game in case you’re using the original as a point of reference.

We’re not afraid to say it. BC2 looks very impressive, to the point of direct competition with Modern Warfare 2, but you watch the video and be the judge.

Battlefield Bad Company 2 hits PC, Xbox 360, and PS3 March 2, 2009.

EA DICE, makers of Battlefield Bad Company and it’s impending sequel, released a four pack of screenshots for their war-based shooter today, and they’re hazy, but in a good way.

Our time spent chatting with BC2 developers at Comic-Con and PAX have told us this sequel, while still dedicated to it’s campaign, will have a significantly better multiplayer component; something fans of the series will surely love.

For now, enjoy these screens, and look for our continued coverage of Battlefield Bad Company 2 before it releases in March of next year.

Electronic Arts and developer DICE today released a cinematic trailer for the upcoming Battlefield Bad Company 2, and my oh my, do we like what we see.

Dubbed the “Squad Story” trailer, the video shows a group, Bad Company we presume, as they infiltrate an enemy encampment and proceed to…well you should just watch it.

Battlefield Bad Company 2, from our hands-on experience, is shaping up incredibly well. And with more emphasis placed on multiplayer this time around, fans of the famed Battlefield series, will need to play this one.

Are you ready for a level of destruction, vehicular warfare, squad play and open world environments never before experienced in a modern warfare action game? You better be. Battlefield: Bad Company 2 will be available March 2nd, 2010. With a selection of 46 weapons which can be customized into 200 different, high powered firearms the possibilities of character specialization are endless.‚  Eith the DICE signature Frostbite engine delivering Destruction 2.0, a new layer of strategy is brought to the table which will all players to chip away at their surroundings bit by bit or blow whole buildings straight to hell. The game will be available for PC, Xbox 360, and PS3.