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Tag: Dice

  • Megalodon Shark Found in Battlefield 4 DLC

    Before the launch of Battlefield 4 DICE and EA coined the term “Levolution.” The made-up word encompassed all of the interactive map elements that promised to make Battlefield 4 a dynamic and realistic multiplayer combat experience.

    Of course, many of the promises made about Battlefield 4, and Levolution in particular, were a wreck when the game launched last fall. Most infamously, the collapsing skyscraper promised for the “Siege of Shanghai” map caused some versions of the game to crash when activated.

    This, in addition to a host of other broken features that led DICE to vow to fix the game before finishing planned DLC map packs for the latest Battlefield. That, in turn, led to EA being sued by investors who had expected the publisher to stick to its original DLC release plan.

    Despite these difficulties, Battlefield 4 is now in a mostly playable state on all platforms. The game has also managed to maintain a dedicated fan base. This week those fans proved just how dedicated they are by finding a hidden Easter egg in the latest Battlefield 4 DLC.

    The “Naval Strike” DLC was released recently, bringing larger naval combat to the game (and a hovercraft). In addition to the new maps and vehicles DICE also managed to pack in an extinct prehistoric terror of the seas.

    Since the release of “Naval Strike” DICE developers had been teasing Battlefield 4 fans about content hidden in the latest update. The game’s community banded together to solve the riddles and this weekend a giant Megalodon was coaxed out of hiding.

    Evidently gathering several players around a certain spot on the “Nansha Strike” map included with the new DLC triggers the event. The massive shark will then leap out of the water, crushing everyone unlucky enough to be beneath it.

    Sure, it’s a bit pointless. But dedicated Battlefield 4 players deserve a bit of levity for enduring one of the worst triple-A game launches in recent memory.

    Image via AllGamesBeta

  • Battlefield 4 Naval Strike Has Weaponized Hovercraft

    Hovercraft are inherently silly. It’s a boat that’s trying to be a land vehicle. They aren’t intimidating at all, but you can try to make them fearsome in the latest DLC for Battlefield 4.

    EA and DICE announced today that the latest DLC to hit Battlefield 4 is called Naval Strike. As its name implies, it will feature large scale naval battles between battleships, pontoons, helicopters and the aforementioned hovercraft. In fact, the hovercraft seem to present some interesting strategies as the vehicles can move on land and sea.

    Interestingly enough, one of the maps takes place at an old naval fort with 19th century cannons stationed on the walls. Players can actually use these cannons to take down enemy aircraft and even get more points for doing so. The new weapon has potential for loads of great YouTube moments.

    Of course, the new DLC brings up a most pressing question – is Battlefield 4 fixed yet? EA and DICE were the subject of a lot of criticism at Battlefield 4’s launch due to the game’s multiplayer component being nigh unplayable for some people. DICE responded by saying that it would put all of its DLC plans on hold to fix the main game back in December. It’s been four months since then and some would probably argue that the game still isn’t flawless. It has even attracted a class action lawsuit from EA’s investors.

    In related news, EA is in the running for the Consumerist’s Worst Company in America Competition for the third year in a row. The company has won the golden poo for the past two years. Will it be able to avoid a third or will EA suffer humiliation yet again?

    Image via Battlefield/YouTube

  • DICE Is Dedicated To Fixing Battlefield 4, Won’t Work On DLC Until It Does

    Were you one of the people who bought Battlefield 4 at launch only to find the game wasn’t exactly up to snuff? There have been countless complaints about the game since launch from players all over the world, yet EA is already releasing DLC for it. That’s gotta sting, right? Well, EA wants you to know that it’s not taking the issue lying down, and that fixing the game will now be its top priority.

    In a statement released by EA today, the publisher says that the current problems plaguing Battlefield 4 players are unacceptable. In a show of goodwill, the publisher vows to fix all the problems in the main game before it releases any other extra content.

    First, we want to thank the fans out there that are playing and supporting us with Battlefield 4. We know we still have a ways to go with fixing the game – it is absolutely our #1 priority. The team at DICE is working non-stop to update the game. Since Battlefield 4 China Rising expansion pack was already in the final stages of development by the time issues began withBattlefield 4, we decided to fulfill our promise to deliver it this week, but we’re not moving onto future projects or expansions until we sort out all the issues with Battlefield 4. We know many of our players are frustrated, and we feel your pain. We will not stop until this is right.

    The DLC EA refers to – China Rising – launched yesterday to those who purchased Battlefield 4 Premium – an extra $50 on top of the $60 base game. The DLC pack will be available to everybody else on December 17 for $15. Players undoubtedly felt insulted that EA and DICE would already be releasing extra paid content when the original $60 product wasn’t playable for some. By vowing to focus on the main game first, EA is sending a reassuring message to gamers that it’s taking their concerns into account before the well-being of their shareholders.

    As Kotaku points out, the only downside to this focus on fixing the main game is that extra content may be pushed further back. Most players will be satisfied with this situation, but some players aren’t having many problems with the game. For those players, they will have to be patient as everybody gets the same stable experience that they’ve been experiencing.

    To keep tabs on the status of Battlefield 4 as DICE works through all the problems, you can follow the official Battlefield 4 blog here.

    [h/t: Kotaku]
    [Image: Battlefield/YouTube]

  • Battlefield 4: China Rising Gets A Launch Trailer

    Battlefield 4 fans who decided to fork over an extra $50 for a year’s worth of downloadable content are finally being rewarded today with the release of the first DLC pack for DICE’s new shooter. The pack – China Rising – includes four new maps that take place in – you guessed it – China.

    For those getting China Rising today, you will get the following four maps – Silk Road, Altai Range, Guilin Peaks and Dragon Pass. The maps, like all of Battlefield 4’s maps, promise to be expansive, destructible and feature a levolution event that will drastically alter how players maneuver through the map.

    Aside from the new maps, the China Rising DLC pack also includes five new weapons, two new vehicles and two new gadgets. Of particular interest are the two new vehicles – one is the dirt bike from Battlefield 3 while another is an aerial bomber that can be deployed when players take control of a map’s control center. As for gadgets, support-class players can now deploy unmanned combat aerial vehicles while recon-class players can deploy small, unmanned aerial vehicles.

    Here’s the first trailer that shows the new maps in action:

    China Rising is available today on all platforms for those who purchased Battlefield Premium. It will be available to everybody else on December 17 and retail for $15.

    [Image: Official EA UK/YouTube]

  • ‘Battlefield 4’ Out Today, Launch Trailer Previews Multiplayer

    After months of previews and pushing the oddly-named “Levolution” feature, EA and DICE have finally released Battlefield 4. The game is out today on PC, PlayStation 3, and Xbox 360.

    Though the Battlefield franchise has historically been focused on massive multiplayer battles, EA strongly pushed the single-player campaign during the run-up to launch. Battlefield 4‘s campaign will have an in-depth military story, presumably to bring it closer to its goal of competing directly with the current kind of console shooters, the Call of Duty franchise.

    For launch, however, EA is going back to what it knows fans want. The launch trailer for Battlefield 4 focuses exclusively on the massive online battles that players will be jumping into today – especially the various vehicles they will be able to command:

    Battlefield 4 will also be coming to PlayStation4 and Xbox One consoles when they are released next month. Reviews for those next-gen versions were also released today, and comparisons between the new consoles are already being made. Though other third-party titles could be different, the PlayStation 4 version of Battlefield 4 will run at a higher resolution and is reported to have a more consistent framerate than the Xbox One version.

  • Single Player Story For Battlefield 4 Gets A Trailer, Too

    Believe it or not, modern combat-based first-person shooters still have single player stories and gameplay options available. Well, at least these developer houses play lip service to the option, with varying results. In fact, one of the bigger criticisms about Battlefield 3 focuses on the solo offering. Basically, the online play was great, the single player option a little less so. Considering that the Battlefield franchise was created with its focus on the online multiplayer aspect, with the single player serving as little more than a familiarity ground, perhaps this should have been understood.

    Whatever the case, perhaps the criticisms resonated because members of the creative team indicate more attention will be paid to the single player experience in BF4.

    Perhaps eager to silence the critics–something good content normally does–Dice and EA even went out of their way to focus one of their lavishly-produced trailers on the single player storyline, which leads this post. The game’s cinematics look fantastic, and Battlefield’s gameplay is usually tight–something the recent multiplayer beta confirmed–but the plot probably isn’t anything new. Create reasons to move troops around various hotspots around the globe and let the battle commence. Rinse, repeat. That isn’t a bad thing, either, especially if the action and gameplay is fast, furious, and really responsive.

    Considering Dice’s track record with creating fantastic combat-based gameplay, the single player should be fine. It might even be really good, if it’s as important to the developers as they indicate it is. Regarding the trailer, be on the look out for the dog-punching scene

    It’s nice to see Dice’s penchant for poking fun at the Call of Duty series remains intact. Oh, and the fact that Michael K. Williams voices the single player story’s lead character, SSgt Graves, is a significant positive regarding fan reception.

    [Lead image courtesy of EA]

  • Battlefield 4 Gets A Minute-Long TV Spot

    Battlefield 4 Gets A Minute-Long TV Spot

    Video game TV spots are rarely over 30 seconds long. Air time is super expensive after all. That doesn’t matter to EA though as it wants its latest shooter, Battlefield 4, to finally beat Call of Duty this holiday season.

    EA revealed its Battlefield 4 TV spot today, and it’s a little different. Unlike Activision’s hilarious colonoscopy ad for Call of Duty: Ghosts, EA decided to gather Battlefield focus group testers to talk about their experience with the game. It’s a refreshing take on the video game ad as it focuses on what it’s like to actually play the game instead of the usual method of making a film trailer.

    If you prefer your ads to be a bit more traditional, check out some of the recent gameplay trailers for DICE’s latest shooter. As expected, it’s all very impressive.

    Battlefield 4 launches October 29 for Xbox 360, PS3 and PC. It will be out on November 15 for PS4 and November 22 for the Xbox One. The Xbox 360 and Xbox One versions will be getting timed exclusive DLC.

    [Image: eavision/YouTube]

  • Check Out Some Battlefield 4 Multiplayer Footage From The Beta

    The long wait is over Battlefield 4 fans – the closed beta for those who preordered the title began yesterday. Those who can navigate through the driver and connectivity issues are finding themselves in Battlefield bliss as they push their rigs to the limit on one of the game’s 10 launch maps.

    For the rest of us, we have to wait until October 4 for the beta to open to the public. Until then, you can check out some fresh new gameplay taken straight from the beta. What you’ll see is footage from Siege of Shanghai – a map that pits American forces against the Chinese military. American forces will attempt to defend the city from Chinese forces attempting to capture the city.

    In the below video, you’ll get to see one of the most impressive examples of the game’s new “levolution” system. On this map, players can take down the central skyscraper to immediately alter the map by making it harder for either team to gain a tactical advantage.

    The Battlefield 4 beta is only available on the PC, PS3 and Xbox 360. Obviously, there will be no beta on the PS4 or Xbox One as Battlefield 4 will launch alongside those respective consoles. Current-gen and PC players will be able to pick up the final game on October 29.

    [Image: eavision/YouTube]

  • Watch Some Battlefield 4 “Levolution” In Action

    One of the more impressive aspects of Battlefield 4’s multiplayer is a new feature called “levolution.” It allows players to drastically change the map by destroying a landmark that then opens up new areas of play while restricting others.

    To give players a glimpse of how this feature works, EA recently interviewed DICE’s Thomas Andersson to get a behind the scenes look at a level called Flood Zone. In this map, there’s a broken levee that’s leaking water. If players destroy that levee, the streets are then flooded with water making it impossible for land vehicles to traverse the map. From there, the map becomes an aquatic battlefield with players able to either swim into buildings to find sniper areas or they can commandeer boats to patrol the now flooded streets.

    Over the weekend, EA announced all 10 multiplayer maps that will ship with Battlefield 4. Of course, Flood Zone is included, but EA also announced a the final 10th map that will ship with the game – Zavod 311. This particular map takes place in a run down Soviet era tank factory that houses an undetonated warhead. If players detonate it, a large chimney will fall and make it much more difficult for vehicles to move in the area.

    If you want to see some levolution for yourself, those who got into the Battlefield 4 multiplayer beta can start preloading it now. It will go live on October 1 for all those who preordered the game. A public open beta will then begin on October 4.

    [Image: eavision/YouTube]

  • Battlefield 4 Open Beta Is Now Available For Preloading

    The holiday shopping season is a time to shine for the video game industry, especially 2013. Because of the overwhelming hubbub generated by such things as releases as GTA V and the impending launch of the Xbox One and the PS4, it’s important to stand out as much as possible, even if you have a well known commodity. Generating any kind of news or buzz for your upcoming product only helps, especially when discussing the act of anticipation building. Getting people excited about something that’s about to come out is obviously extremely beneficial, and of course, social media plays a huge role in the process.

    That’s why the following tweet by Origin concerning preloading files for the Battlefield 4 beta test is considered a newsworthy item for those that follow the video game industry:


    In the grand scheme of things, preloading a few hundred megabytes worth of information is no big thing. However, add the keywords “Battlefield 4” and “open beta test” to it, and you have the ingredients to generate consumer excitement. Giving people an extended preview of a popular title is a good way to stoke their interest, and adding to this anticipation with terms like “preloading” is the Pavlovian thing to do. The details about the beta are available at official BF4 website, and it indicates those who have pre-ordered the game will be allowed to play around in the beta starting tomorrow, October 1.

    On October 4, the Battlefield 4 beta will be open to whoever would like to take part. The game launches on October 29 for the PS3, Xbox 360, and the PC. It will also re-launch when the next-gen consoles hit the stores.

    [Lead image courtesy of EA]

  • Battlefield 4 Will Have 10 Multiplayer Maps At Launch

    Map variety is perhaps one of the most important aspects of any multiplayer shooter. Sure, gameplay still reigns supreme, but a limited selection of maps would ensure that things get boring very fast. That’s why it’s reassuring to learn that DICE is launching Battlefield 4 with plenty of maps.

    On Friday, DICE announced that Battlefield 4 will have 10 multiplayer maps when it ships on October 29. That’s already a lot of maps, but it’s even more impressive when you take the size of Battlefield maps into consideration. These are maps intended for 64 players on PC and next-gen consoles. It’s going to take players weeks, if not months, to find all the hidden nooks and crannies in such large maps.

    As part of the announcement, DICE announced the final map – Zavod 311 – and released a list of the 10 maps players will have access to at launch.

    Starting with the new map, DICE says that Zavod 311 is set in a Soviet tank factory from the Cold War era that has been overrun with foliage. What makes the map interesting is that it contains an undetonated warhead that can be activated to destroy part of the map to open up new areas.

    Here’s the first image of the map (courtesy of the Battlefield blog):

    BF4 Will Have 10 Multiplayer maps at launch

    As for the rest, here’s all 10 maps that will be available at launch:

  • Siege of Shanghai
  • Paracel Storm
  • Zavod 311
  • Lancang Dam
  • Flood Zone
  • Rogue Transmission
  • Hainan Resort
  • Dawnbreaker
  • Operation Locker
  • Golmud Railway

    • Of course, more maps will be added to the game over the course of its lifetime. EA and DICE have already announced Battlefield 4 Premium – a season pass that will net you each of the game’s planned DLC expansions two weeks before they launch for everybody else.

    If you want more Battlefield 4 multiplayer goodness, check out the latest trailer that was released earlier this month.

    [Image: Battlefield Blog]

  • Battlefield 4 Might Support Kinect on Xbox One

    On the Xbox 360, Microsoft encouraged developers to integrate Kinect into traditional games where it made little sense. Sure, the voice commands in Mass Effect 3 might have seemed cool, but the motion controls in Ghost Recon Advanced Warfighter were just unnecessary. Now it appears that unnecessary Kinect support may be popping up on the Xbox One as well.

    In a recent interview with Patrick Bach, Executive Producer on Battlefield 4, Microsoft asked him if the hardware included in the Xbox One will “impact/change/revolutionize the future of [his] title.” In response, he said that Xbox One features like SmartGlass will be integrated into the Battlefield 4 experience while Kinect support is being investigated:

    In “Battlefield 4,” we’re pushing in every way that we can. Through SmartGlass, Xbox players will be able to view the overhead map during multiplayer matches and take advantage of the second screen. Also, with Kinect, we’re looking into features that enhance the controls including peeking and leaning and tracking head movement as well as incorporating voice commands.

    The SmartGlass support makes sense considering the return of Commander mode from Battlefield 2. What about Kinect though? What benefit could head tracking bring to the table? Unfortunately, Bach didn’t go into details, but it sounds like it’s merely experimental at this stage. It’s not like it would be required either as the Kinect doesn’t have to be connected for games not built around the peripheral.

    Still, the fact that DICE is investigating Kinect support makes it appear that Microsoft is continuing to encourage developers to integrate Kinect wherever they can. That could be a good or bad thing depending on how it’s used, but many core gamers will agree that it’s use in core games on the Xbox 360 was unnecessary, even if it let you control dragon shouts with your voice.

    Battlefield 4 will be a launch title for Xbox One on November 22.

    [Image: Xbox Wire]

  • Check Out Battlefield 4’s Multiplayer In New Trailer

    Battlefield 4 and Call of Duty: Ghosts will go head-to-head later this year on next-gen consoles. At this point, I think we can all agree that Battlefield 4 will take the visuals crown, but gameplay is king no matter how you slice it. It’s with that in mind that both EA and Activision are starting to sell their respective shooter’s multiplayer modes to the public.

    In the latest trailer for Battlefield 4, DICE shows off what kind of multiplayer mayhem players can expect from its latest title. Everything on display here has already been shown before, but that doesn’t make it any less impressive. In fact, it makes it even harder to wait for the full transition to next-generation consoles so the talented developers at DICE won’t be held back by the aging hardware of the PS3 and Xbox 360.

    The end of the trailer also serves to remind gamers that EA is taking part in a transition program where those players who buy a physical copy of Battlefield 4 for the Xbox 360 or PS3 can upgrade to the digital version of the same game on the Xbox One or PS4. You can find more details about that here.

    If you’re more of a Call of Duty fan, you’ll want to check out the new Call of Duty: Ghosts trailer. It may look as pretty as Battlefield 4, but it has space battles and dogs jumping into helicopters. Remember folks – visuals aren’t everything. Sometimes all it takes is a dog to make the entire gaming world fall in your lap.

  • Celebrating Mirror’s Edge 2 With POV Parkour

    So this is pretty awesome. What we have is a short film shot with a point-of-view camera, with the actor doing some pretty slick Parkour around the city of Cambridge in the United Kingdom. While Parkour and POV cameras go together like peas and carrots, when you add the some themes from the game Mirror’s Edge, the result is something that’s, well, pretty damn awesome. Just ask Scott Bass and Neil Cointet, who created and posted a video of Cointet running around jumping over walls, buildings, and any other obstacle that gets in his way.

    As indicated, Cointet has a POV camera on his head, and the clothes he’s wearing looks awfully similar to the items worn by the Mirror’s Edge protagonist, Faith. Have a look for yourself:


    Of course, the big difference between Mirror’s Edge and this video is Cointet is really doing these stunts, which, despite the popularity for ME, the edge goes to actor with the POV camera on. Over at the video’s page, the crew makes sure to profess their love for Mirror’s Edge, saying the sequel announcement was all the motivation they needed to make their video:

    We’re massive fans of Mirror’s Edge, and are always getting comments and comments saying ‘Wow this is like real life Mirrors Edge’. Well EA/DICE recently announced Mirrors Edge 2, and out of excitement we decided to put together this POV video! If it does well, we’ve got some plans for a second one!

    Concerning the video’s performance, while it’s viral legs are still growing, making it to the front page of reddit’s Gaming section should help a great deal, provided it stays long enough to catch everyone’s attention.

    For those who like counting anomalies, by YouTube’s count, the video has only amassed 1071 views as of this writing. There are, however, over 1300 likes for it (as opposed to only 7 dislikes), meaning YouTube’s counter still doesn’t update in real time.

    [Lead image via the Mirror’s Edge official site]

  • Frostbite 3 Engine Brings Beautiful Destruction to Battlefield 4

    At the recent Gamescom 2013, the folks at VG247.com had a chance to sit down with the creative director for DICE, Lars Gustavsson to discuss some of the concept of Levolution in the upcoming Battlefield 4. During the interview, Gustavsson could hardly contain his excitement while discussing how the Frostbite 3 engine will impact players, thanks to dynamic environments that allows the development team to add more environmental destruction “than ever,” something that was teased during the Siege of Shanghai launch trailer that hit at E3.

    While destructive environments have been apart of the Battlefield legacy, especially in the Bad Company series, player actions can now change the layout of a map. For instance, a once-dry land assault can turn into an amphibious mission, all because the attacking team destroyed the levy, flooding the very streets the battles are being fought on. Another source of pride for Gustavsson is the ability to include dynamic waters in the maps.

    During one of the missions, a calm sea is struck by a vicious storm, producing turbulent waves players will have to negotiate, some of which is teased in the following video:


    Clearly, Gustavvson is incredibly excited about the potential of the Frostbite 3 engine, and judging by the footage–which was run on an extremely high-end PC, no doubt–his excitement is justified. The gameplay shows some really intense firefights with lots of debris and leftover destruction flying around. According to the VG247 article, some of the footage seen in the video is from the new Obliteration Mode, which tasks teams with destroying enemy bases that randomly spawn around the map. Apparently, teams win by destroying three enemy bases, which sounds a little bit like the Rush gameplay option.

    Battlefield 4 will be available on October 29 for the PC, Xbox 360, and the PS3. It will also be available on the next-gen consoles after they launch.

    [Lead image via EA]

  • Battlefield 4 Premium Announced, New Multiplayer Trailer Revealed

    Last week, Activision revealed the long-anticipated multiplayer trailer for Call of Duty: Ghosts. Today at Gamescom, EA countered by releasing even more multiplayer gameplay footage from its own annualized shooter franchise.

    The new Battlefield 4 multiplayer trailer shows a massive battle on the shores of an island. The map, titled “Paracel Storm” features naval battles, aerial dogfights, and old-fashioned gunplay on the island’s destructible environment. The map is large enough for 64 players, though EA has not announced whether next-generation consoles will support that number of players.

    In addition to the gameplay footage, EA and DICE today announced “Battlefield 4 Premium.” Like Battlefield 3 Premium, the new service is a subscription that gives players early access to new content.

    Battlefield 4 Premium subscribers will get two weeks of early access to five newly announced Battlefield 4 expansions – Second Assault, China Rising, Naval Strike, Dragon’s Teeth, and Final Stand. Subscribers also get free access to items such as skins, dogtags, and emblems, which DICE has promised to release more of on a weekly basis.

    Premium members also get priority in server queues and will receive 12 “Battlefield 4 Battlepacks.” Battlepacks are new, randomized packs of stuff EA will be offering for sale this fall. The packs can come with items (camo, dog tags, etc.) XP boosts, and gun attachments. The retail price of Battlepacks has not been announced.

  • New Battlefield 4 Teaser Shows Not All Gamers Are Teenage Boys

    With the October 29th release date creeping ever closer, it’s time for EA and Dice to start their marketing push for Battlefield 4, and while the game impressed at E3, competing titles–did someone sayCall of Duty: Ghosts?–to contend with, making your product stand out before it hits is never a bad thing. In their latest teaser, which was created for the Gamescom 2013 convention, EA and Dice have taken a different approach. Instead of focusing on 45 seconds of gameplay cuts–like I said, it’s a teaser–the video introduces us to a gamer who is said to have over 8000 hours logged with the Battlefield series.

    While that alone deserves something of a “wow,” as the lead image indicates, the gamer in question does not fit the traditional stereotype, unless a 74-year old man is the first thing you think of when descriptions of gamers are being discussed.


    With such an extended exposure to violence, it’s a wonder Heiner hasn’t opened fire in a public setting, at least according to those who like to blame video games for society’s ills. Moving on. It’s apparent you don’t need the twitch response rate of a young male to be successful at video games, because, let’s face it, if Heiner wasn’t that good at playing Battlefield, it’s doubtful his hours logged count would be as high as it is.

    With that in mind, he probably has a better KDR than you or I do, as well.

    For those who don’t know, the Gamescom event mentioned in the video is a yearly convention that takes place in Cologne, Germany. This year, it’s scheduled for August 21st through the 25th. It would be wise to expect some shiny new content from the big Q4 releases in the next few days.

    [Hat-tip to Polygon]

  • Battlefield 4 to be Heavily Merchandised With Clothes, a Novel, and More

    As publishers struggle with ever-growing budgets for what they hope will be blockbuster next-generation, many of them are looking for new revenue models. Some are turning to mobile, where a growing segment of casual gamers have proven willing to spend money on free-to-play titles and inexpensive, easy-to-develop games. EA, however, has revealed that its plans for Battlefield 4 will take a more traditional route.

    EA today announced that it will heavily merchandise Battlefield 4, as if it were a blockbuster movie. In addition to the requisite strategy guides and art book (which will come with both standard and collector’s editions), Battlefield 4-branded Razer gaming mice, keyboards, headsets, and messenger bags will also go on sale this fall. Battlefield 4 PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 controllers and mouse pads will also be manufactured. Moreover, t-shirts, hoodies, hats, keychains, dog tags, wall decals, and cases for smartphones and tablets are on the way. A Battlefield 4 novel written by Peter Grimsdale will compliment the campaign story of the game.

    This level of merchandising isn’t quite to the level that Angry Birds developer Rovio has reached (toys, soda, a theme park, a Star Wars tie-in, and basically the entire country of Finland), but it does show the direction EA wants to take its ‘AAA’ games in.

  • Battlefield 4 Engine Preview Trailer Released

    Back during E3, Activision and Infinity Ward were showing off Call of Duty: Ghosts‘ graphics, touting motion-captured dogs and a few new graphical techniques. It was EA and DICE, however, that stole the show with Battlefield 4’s obviously next-gen graphics. A sinking aircraft carrier has never looked so good.

    Of course, Battlefield 4 isn’t likely to look like that on a PlayStation 4 or an Xbox One. Only gamers with a nicely-appointed gaming PC will be able to run the game and have it look that shiny. That doesn’t mean that next-gen consoles won’t look good, though.

    DICE today released a video touting the new game engine behind Battlefield 4, the Frostbite 3 engine. In particular, the developers are most focused on more “dynamic” and “living” environments, though the capability to interact with the game through supplemental devices (such as tablets) is also mentioned. The highly-destructible environments seen in Battlefield 4 are also a big emphasis, with a good example being the collapse of a skyscraper as seen in one recent multiplayer trailer.

    Even those who aren’t fans of modern military shooters should take a look at the video, reminding themselves throughout that this is the same engine being used to develop Dragon Age: Inquisition and the new Star Wars: Battlefront game.

  • E3 2013: Star Wars Battlefront Is In Good Hands

    It was revealed a few months ago that EA had secured the exclusive license to make Star Wars games on consoles going forward. The publisher said that it would be putting three of its best teams on said Star Wars games. The first of those three games was revealed this week during E3.

    During its E3 press conference, EA revealed that DICE is working on Star Wars Battlefront. The title will be the latest in the super popular Star Wars Battlefront franchise that was originally handled by Pandemic on the PS2, Xbox and PC. Here’s a short teaser trailer:

    So, who at DICE is making Star Wars Battlefront? EA’s Patrick Söderlund says that Battlefield executive producer Patrick Bach and DICE General Manager Karl-Magnus Troedsson both jumped on the chance to apply their specific talents to the popular franchise.

    The game is now in development at DICE Stockholm by a team that was begging for the chance to work on the game. Söderlund says that the folks at DICE were saying things like “we would kill to make this game” and “please give us this game” when they were made privy to the talks between EA and Disney.

    Söderlund goes onto say that this was a rare occurrence as DICE tends to work on either new IP or their own franchises like Battlefield or Mirror’s Edge. Of course, working on a new entry in what is arguably the most beloved Star Wars franchise ever made definitely has its appeal. If they can pull it off, DICE will be seen by many Star Wars fans as the savior of the franchise that has been on the verge of death for the past few years.

    Beyond DICE’s Star Wars Battlefront, we actually don’t know what the other Star Wars games in development are. All we know is that Visceral and Bioware will be making Star Wars games as well, but those are probably too early in development to even tease at this point.

    [h/t: CVG]

  • E3 2013: Here’s All The Battlefield 4 Footage You’ll Ever Need

    E3 has once again become a showdown of sorts for the big shooters of the year. Battlefield and Call of Duty are vying for attention as usual, but they’ve been joined by two major competitors this year – Destiny and Titanfall. Which one’s the best? Well, EA obviously thinks it’s Battlefield 4 and it has mountains of gameplay footage to back it up.

    First up is the single player campaign mission called “Angry Sea” that was shown at the Xbox One press conference. For those just joining us, Battlefield 4 will be the first game released this year to be powered by DICE’s impressive Frostbite 3 game engine. The scripted actions of single player campaigns are excellent canvases from which to display the might of a game engine, and DICE does just that with the below demo:

    All of the above is scripted and predictable. What happens when you’re in the middle of an unscripted and unpredictable multiplayer match? It’s business as usual for Frostbite 3 as it powers massive maps with support for up to 64 players. I’m not usually a fan of multiplayer shooters, but even I’m impressed by what we’re seeing of Battlefield 4.

    DICE has also brought back the Commander Mode to Battlefield 4. In its newest iteration, players will get a top-down view of the action from a tablet. From there, they can direct players on the map to certain locations to take out targets and perform other actions. Of course, nothing is preventing players from disregarding the commander, but team players will be awarded with bonus XP and presumably more victories. Having a commander ally is only a good thing, especially in 64 player maps:

    On a final note, Microsoft announced that the second DLC pack for Battlefield 4 – Second Assault – will be a timed exclusive for the Xbox One. The first DLC pack is available for free to all those who pre-order the game on the platform of their choice.

    Battlefield 4 will be available later this year for the Xbox 360, PS3, Xbox One, PS4 and PC. As for a Wii U version – it’s not happening.