Battlefield 3

[GamerMan316]

According to Joystiq, everything seen so far is PC footage, the console versions won't look as good but will look bloody stunning no doubt!

[Windedprism]

Yeah that ''Faultline'' trailer is no doubt from a very high end pc,but the streaming data from disc technique should make the console versions look very sweet indeed.

[GamerMan316]

EA: Battlefield 3 "flat out superior" to COD

EA has ramped up the saber rattling ahead of this year's Battlefield vs Call of Duty showdown, arguing its game is "superior" to Activision's franchise in every way.

CEO John Riccitiello told investors earlier today that the publisher aims to put a significant dent in Call of Duty's FPS market domination with the DICE-developed Battlefield 3.

"We know we have a big competitor," he stated. "But head-to-head with Call of Duty in Q3, we have the superior game engine, a superior development studio, and a flat out superior game. Our goal is to significantly gain share in the huge FPS category and to put the other team on defense."

It seems that they're already on the right track. According to Riccitiello, Battlefield 3 pre-orders are up 700 per cent "versus the same period before the launch of Battlefield: Bad Company 2."

"A lot of people are telling us they want to play this game on day one," he insisted.

Earlier this year, Riccitiello claimed that EA and Activision would be spending a combined total of around $200 million on marketing their respective shooters later this year.

"This game is designed to take that game down," he explained, referring to Battlefield 3. "If you're looking for a battle of the titans – Red Sox vs Yankees... Microsoft or Google - and what the tip-off point is for this holiday season, this is it."

Activision still hasn't announced its plans for the 2011 entry into the Call of Duty franchise.

[nCogNeato]

Win or lose, you have to love the balls on EA and DICE.  They have their own gravitational pull.

[Windedprism]

No no no,why EA why.Medal of honor was hyped as the returning king coming back to take the crown! just let BF3 do the talking,and besides it a bit silly when Activision have 3 companies working on this new Cod title they might just surprise us .Anyyyywaayy, its bethesda that will be laughing in November.Between gow3 and Activision its been a game of cat and mouse marketing wise and an rpg takes the biscuit and shakes them up.Gotta love it though.Sept 20th GEARRRRSS,then bam and bam in november Bf3 followed by Skyrim and poor ME3 where will that end up,massive changes back to the rpg heavy elements.Last spot is October or hope to ride the christmas train!!the last great year for gaming? hard to top the finish at least.

[GamerMan316]

Naughty Dog are the ones to watch this November with Uncharted 3, guaranteed awesomeness right there. No doubt Skyrim will be good but Uncharted 3 is the game i'm most looking forward too towards the end of the year, Last Guardian too if it's released in time. :-)

[Windedprism]

Yeah but thats not coming to 360 so its kinda off to the side.UC3 does look good though.Lets just hope psn has recovered by then

[sambo]

Amid a player revolt over pre-order bonuses, EA has insisted Battlefield 3 downloadable weapons are not designed to be overpowered or imbalanced.

This morning it emerged that nearly two thousand fans had voted to express their dissatisfaction at exclusive weapons and maps to be given away to people who pre-order the Limited Edition: Physical Warfare Pack. They claim it provides an unfair advantage.

The Limited Edition: Physical Warfare Pack features exclusive "powerful weapons and items": Type 88 light machine gun with bi-pod, SKS sniper rifle flash suppressor, armour-piercing flechette ammo for the DAO-12 semi-automatic shotgun and day-one access to the DAO-12 semi-automatic shotgun. Also included is the Back to Karkand add-on, which offers four re-created maps from Battlefield 2.

EA this afternoon defended the offer.

"The three exclusive items in the Physical Warfare Pack were specifically chosen not to be overpowered or imbalance or break the game in any way," the publisher said.

"Owning these items will give you a more varied arsenal, but it will not give you a significant advantage on the battlefield."

So why offer pre-order bonus items?

"Because we believe in rewarding our core fanbase with special offers - such as giving them the Back to Karkand expansion pack at no extra charge."

[sambo]

Battlefield 3's co-op campaign will feature support for two players over 10 different maps, developer DICE has confirmed via PSM3 magazine.

Sure, it's a slim morsel of news, but the first real details the studio has let slip about the feature.

Eurogamer's Martin Robinson took a close look at the keenly-anticipated shooter's standard multiplayer mode in his Battlefield 3 hands-on preview earlier this week.

"It strikes a middle ground that's likely to offend as many as it appeases," he wrote, "stopping a little short of Battlefield 2's nuance, while offering a more intricate game than that seen on the hyper-caffeinated killing fields of Modern Warfare."

[nCogNeato]

Interest raising.

[GamerMan316]

BF3 pre-orders on a par with Black Ops

Battlefield 3's pre-order numbers are "roughly comparable" with those of Call of Duty: Black Ops, according to industry analyst firm Cowen & Company.

As a result, the firm has decided to increase its first year sales estimate for DICE's FPS sequel from eight million to 11 million.

Black Ops has sold around 20 million copies in its first nine months on sale.

Battlefield 3 might be keeping up with Black Ops, but it seems it's a way off matching the retail buzz for Modern Warfare 3 â€" which it goes head-to-head with later this year.

Earlier this week UK vendor Game announced that this year's COD release is "already tracking significantly ahead of Call of Duty: Black Ops at the same time last year."

[Windedprism]

When you consider the unique market juggernaut that COD is EA should be pleased, COD is so big its almost become the consoles themselves. Of course the PC arena is a different ball game. I don't get the buzz for MW3 when you look at the gameplay footage going through the buildings and it says :'' in the interest of time'', what happened in that time frame that they cut? not a lot I suspect.'

The boat and the sub section look railed, the weapons have very little movement, compare against Battlefield 3 where it looks like the player is actually holding a gun not a toy. Oh well, I guess it's a new game though, cuz it says MW3!

[GamerMan316]

Battlefield 3 online pass "probable"

Battlefield 3 will likely feature some kind of online pass, developer DICE has announced.

The game's executive producer Patrick Bach told GamerZines that players will "probably" have to register a code included with new copies of the game to access multiplayer modes.

However, he then added, "but I don't think it's an online pass, I think it's our own backend. I'm not sure I want to call our system an online pass."

When asked directly whether it was demanding anyone buying the game second-hand to pay to play online, Bach responded, "I think we are."

Bach went on to defend the move, explaining that enabling online play was an expensive process, and one that players picking up a used copy of the game should be expected to contribute towards.

"The whole idea is that we're paying for servers and if you create a new account there is a big process on how that is being handled in the backend. We would rather have you buy a new game than a used game because buying a used game is only a cost to us; we don't get a single dime from a used game, but we still need to create server space and everything for you.

"We want people to at least pay us something to create this because we're paying for it. It was actually a loss for us to have new players.

"Hopefully people understand why. It's not to punish people. To us it's compensation."

[Failed]

I'll be buying it new i suppose, so it doesn't matter too much. I bought BC2 last time for £30 and still had to buy the code for £10... might as well just bought the whole game for £40 and not gave all that profit to Lamestation.

[sambo]

Battlefield 3 UK shop pre-order deals

Varying Battlefield 3 goodies await, depending on which shop you place a UK pre-order with.

The choice is this: eight new multiplayer costumes, dog tags or two rare powerful weapons and some armour piercing ammo?

Game and Gamestation offer the latter, which is officially known as the Physical Warfare Pack. Inside is a type 88 light machine gun with bi-pod, the SKS sniper rifle flash suppressor and the armour-piercing flechette ammo for the DAO-12 semi-automatic shotgun. You'll unlock instant access to the latter, too.

These goodies will be exclusive to pre-order customers for a limited time. They'll "later" be offered to all players.

The eight multiplayer costumes belong to Amazon and make up the Specact Kit. Images are below.

The dog tags belong to Play.com. These dog tags are your in-game signature and display on screen when you take an enemy down or claim their dog tag.

Alongside the Standard Edition of Battlefield 3 will be the Limited Edition, which offers the expansion pack Back to Karkand for free. Back to Karkand offers four maps from Battlefield 2, including Strike at Karkand, Gulf of Oman and the Shaqi Peninsula. They've all be spruced up by the Frostbite 2.0 engine that powers BF3.

On PC, fans have the option to pre-order Battlefield 3 at EA's digital store Origin. Do so and you'll get the Physical Warfare Pack, Back to Karkand expansion and a pair of Battlefield Play4Free items for free. You'll even get early access to the Battlefield 3 beta test, which starts in September.