Game Announce: Battlefield Heroes

http://kotaku.com/assets/resources/2...ieldheroes.jpg

EA and DICE are releasing a new addition to the award winning Battlefield series.
But instead of the high end graphics of the previous two games, EA are releasing a game with low system requirements with cartoony looking graphics (TF2?). Oh and VERY strange for EA, it will be free. Although there were references to "micro-transactions" as part of the business model which also includes heavy advertising (Remember that intel map in BF2 which was a flat plain of nothing except intel billboards, UH OH), probably like buying guns etc will cost money.

It seems like they want to tap into the huge PC market realising that not everyone wants to pay or has a good enough PC.

Remember though that they will still be releasing Battlefield 3 (Previewed in PCGAMER although partially) using the next gen frostbite engine... hopefully this wont distract them.

Out in the summer as a download.

Quote from Press release

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BATTLEFIELD HEROES LEADS THE WAY FOR EA'S NEW 'PLAY 4 FREE' BUSINESS MODEL
Unique Cartoon Shooter Introduces a New Way to Play Battlefield

Chertsey, UK January 21, 2008 - At the Digital, Life, Design Conference (DLD) in Munich, Electronic Arts Inc., (NASDAQ: ERTS) today unveiled Battlefield Heroes™, an all-new Play 4 Free cartoon-style shooter that will bring classic Battlefield gameplay to an all new mass audience. Available for download at www.battlefield-heroes.com this summer, Battlefield Heroes is EA's first title that is offered completely for free, and features a built-in matchmaking system to ensure that players of equal skill are paired together for fair play. Developed by DICE in Stockholm, Battlefield Heroes is leading EA's new web-focused free to download, free to play business model which generates revenue through advertising and micro-transactions. With zero barriers to entry, now anyone can be a hero on the battlefield!

"Online gaming garners a massive audience," said Gerhard Florin, EVP Publishing Americas-Europe at EA. "People want to play games in new ways, with easier access that is quick to the fun. With Battlefield Heroes, EA brings its first major franchise to North America and Europe with a new distribution model and pricing structure adapted to the evolving way that people play."

Battlefield Heroes is a brand new game from the team behind Battlefield 1942™ and Battlefield 2™. It's fun cartoon-style graphics and gameplay caters to players of all skill levels. It is easy to pick up and play but with robust character customization and a deep online meta-game, gamers can spend hours building up their characters and conquering the world.

"We put a different twist on this Battlefield game going with the cartoon-style graphics and gameplay," added Ben Cousins, Senior Producer at EA DICE. "There's something here for all types of players -- be it our core Battlefield fans or casual gamers. With the new online model, we will continually add new content to keep the game fresh and keep players engaged, while integrating player feedback in real time. As a game developer, it is such a cool new way to make games."

Battlefield Heroes will be released for the PC as a free download in summer 2008. This product is not yet rated by PEGI or ESRB. For more information on EA DICE, please visit www.dice.se or www.ea.com.
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looks good unless you have to pay for guns and shit

it seems like a good idea, but as we all know the vast majoritory of free games are crap. though i am impressed that battlefield is making this game, and i will at least try it out first

Note that I got this story on here before Filefront's Gaming Today news got to it, pretty good going seeing as it was office hours there and they basically crawl the internet for gaming stuff and are very popular (Kotaku is better)

Kudos to me.

I'll be getting it definitely, will be good as another game the whole community can play, if some people don't want to subscribe for W:AR.

News:

Here are some Screenshots just released:

http://kotaku.com/assets/images/gall...c9f2530b_o.png

http://kotaku.com/assets/images/gall...8a6e84ba_o.png

http://kotaku.com/assets/images/gall...f249cea2_o.png

http://kotaku.com/assets/images/gall...713188c6_o.png

http://kotaku.com/assets/images/gall...1364c616_o.png

And a Video for your Sins :http://www.battlefield-heroes.com/video

The two factions it seems are the Nazi Germans, and an allied force, BUT the allied force seems at the moment to be incredibly British (its called the royal army), and the only american thing i've seen is a star on a tank.

Looks awesome.

Is it FPS or RTS?

Says above, its a shooter, and its free to play.

The game focuses on:

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Not getting shot in the face repeatedly by a swearing, ultra-skilled 15 year old boy who plays the game every day for 8 hours.

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LOL. Amusing that the game developers actually put that in a promo video :) . Other than that, it looks like a fun game that could be good (if EA doesn't ruin it first).