As fun as Battlefield 1943 is, EA severely underestimated the amount of individuals who would enlist for battle in the Pacific yesterday on XBLA. If you tried to play, you likely spent a great deal of time staring at menus and found it a real pain to hook up and play with friends. According to a post made by Gordon Van Dyke on the official EA forums, developer DICE is doing all it can to increase the server count for both Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 versions.

In the latest update, Van Dyke writes, "We have full support of EA to add as many servers as takes and then some so that everyone can play. This work has already started and servers will be added around the clock with teams working to cover this 24 hours a day so not a moment is wasted. You will be able to play this game and play it lag free!"

While the prospect of a lag-free experience is something we can support, our problem was more with our inability to find matches and join our friends' games yesterday, even when multiple slots were open. But hey, at least the price was fixed! [It appears that the 90000 pricing "glitch" was a temporary workaround to dissuade Xbox Live Silver users from purchasing the online multiplayer–only game. Currently, the game is blocked from Silver account purchasing altogether and has been designated a "Gold Exclusive."]

[Via Edge; thanks to VIP0R, Roger, Ian & Alan for pricing glitch pics!]

After EA DICE loosed the official release date for Battlefield 1943 early today, we set to scouring the interweb for more information on the upcoming digitally distributed title. Wouldn't you know it, the first thing we found was the game's somewhat less-than-thrilling Achievements over on Inside MGC, detailing how many flag caps you'll need before hearing the glorious cheevo noise and snagging 10Gs for yourself, among other things. If you're one of those folks a bit more concerned than they should be with points (aren't we all?), check out the full list to see exactly how you'll be playing BF1943 when it hits next week.

Hey, remember when we gave away all those codes of Battlefield 1943 just after E3 and there was a bit of confusion surrounding when you could use them -- er, ya know, actually play the game? Don't worry, we were confused too, but according to June's official EA Newsletter, the long awaited online shooter from DICE will be hitting your digital store shelves on July 9th.

Interestingly, the game description no longer lists a PC version, making the delayed iteration of Battlefield 1943 that much less of a possibility -- a strange one at that, considering the franchise's PC roots. Either way, those of you that snagged codes for the game back in early June should start getting ready for battle by talking to our friends in the JPAG and setting up a game night. Talk about two tastes that taste great together.

Update: DICE producer Gordon Van Dyke said today on EA's UK forums that "We are close to confirming our dates (Xbox 360 date & PS3 date), but still need to settle a few minor things." Looks as though the release date listed in the newsletter is still unconfirmed, unfortunately. Sorry, folks -- and thanks to everyone who sent this in!

[Thanks, Iain!]

We're so excited that we can finally share our love of Battlefield Heroes with the whole world. The casual, free-to-play shooter has (finally) gone live, and you can start outfitting your soldier right now.

While the game itself is free, if you want to level up faster, get special emotes and exclusive weapons, you're going to need to shell out some cash. But there's no need to worry about that at the moment -- just go, start up an account and feel free to swap your usernames below.

[Via BD]

During a William Blair Growth Stock Conference presentation, EA's COO (John Pleasants, FYI) noted the existence of two unannounced titles -- neither of them particularly surprising if you've been keeping up on your spurious internet rumors. The first, Battlefield 3, is said to be in good shape and, even better, in good hands over at developer DICE. Unfortunately, it appears fans of frenzied first-person shootery will have to wait until the next fiscal year before returning to the field.

According to G4TV's Patrick Klepek, the second title is yet another Need for Speed game, this one developed by the team behind Burnout. Pleasants allegedly praised the team for being "online-centric and notably high-quality game developers that we have out at Criterion." There's little else to go on at the moment, but we're certainly intrigued by the collision of those two racing franchises. There will be collisions, right?

Source -- Need for Speed
Source -- Battlefield 3

EA's downloadable Battlefield 1943 will take a Noby Noby Boy-esque -- albeit more violent -- cooperative approach to the release of its "Coral Sea" map. The bonus battlefield will unlock when the player communities on both Xbox and PS3 reach 43,000,000 kills each. To be clear: that's individually on each platform and not an accumulated total. So, if there's disproportionate player-base on one console, it's going to hold everyone back.

Coral Sea is allegedly designed to "showcase the intense battle in the skies, offering an all-new Air Superiority game mode." Battlefield will release "this summer" according to the latest press release. Last we were told it would release in June for $15, and the PC version is still scheduled for September. (There's no word on if PC players will have to complete a similar challenge to unlock Coral Sea, but we're looking into it.)

Update: An EA representative got back to us and said, "Yes, Coral Sea will release with the PC version."

It took 45 minutes to peel myself out of the chair, ears ringing, and come back into the space where EA was hosting a recent preview event in Los Angeles. I'd finally pried myself away from an intense Battlefield: Bad Company 2 multiplayer session where I'd joined three other attendees and eight remote EA staffers in a characteristically chaotic, 12-on-12 battle. It was the most fun I'd had playing an online, multiplayer FPS in a long while.

The destructible environments, of course, are the returning gameplay gimmick, but it's still just as satisfying as in the first game to pulverize the foundation of a enemy's refuge, bringing the building down and a pesky sniper with it. I turned every building in site into piles of sheet rock and debris. It's not as much fun when your opponents aren't hiding inside, but I really didn't need much of an excuse to launch another mortar shell from inside my tank. No structure was safe.

DICE recently opened up the Battlefield Heroes forums to suggestions for the title of the map you see above. The winner, Noobilator, ended up dubbing this particular area Coastal Clash, and it stuck. The map is still in the development process, and needs more play testing before being deployed into battle, but fans of Battlefield Heroes can look forward to destroying this peaceful little village sometime soon.

If you're trying to experience Battlefield Heroes for yourself, and don't have a beta invite, hit up the site. DICE is handing out codes to everyone.

[Via Big Download]

After revealing that the PC version of Battlefield 1943 would release over two months after the XBLA release, DICE is attempting to cool the heads of angry PC fans on the EA forums. Producer Gordon Van Dyke explains that Battlefield 1943 will be the first PC game to use DICE's Frostbite Engine, which was already used to create the console exclusive Battlefield: Bad Company.

Van Dyke states that the PC's open nature requires more features and support and adds that the game "can't just be thrown out there using copy/paste." DICE was aware that there might be backlash from PC gamers, but Van Dyke notes, "We feel once you play the first Frostbite PC game ever from DICE you'll see why we put this extra time and care in on the development making all right again in the universe."

We'll find out in September.

[Via Big Download]

Update: EA has sent us a new trailer for the game showing off Wake Island. Enjoy!

When the first trailer for Battlefield 1943 released, we were instantly pumped for the game. Multiplayer shooters are fun, but DICE made the right call by including tons of explosions and dudes getting shot in the face in the game's debut trailer. Now, we're happy to report that the game will arrive on XBLA and PSN (1200/$15) sometime this June (PC gamers get it in September).

Battlefield 1943 features three different tropical locales: Wake Island, Guadalcanal and Iwo Jima, and gamers can play as either the US Marines or Imperial Japanese Navy in matches supporting up to 24 players.

Essential reading: NYCC 09: Battlefield 1943 Pacific hands-on

Light on gameplay but heavy on murder the first trailer for Battlefield: Bad Company 2 got "world exclusive" status on this week's GameTrailers TV (after the break).

Showcasing the cycle of "smoke a cigarette, kill a dude, get killed yourself" in a MadWorld-esque aesthetic, we can't help but wish for actual gameplay footage from the game -- the first Bad Company 2 screen was madness! We'll expect to hear more from publisher EA and developer DICE as we near E3 2009 in June. More on murder, that is.

Lars Gustavsson is no stranger to risk. After last year's first-person parkour-based action/platformer Mirror's Edge stumbled off shelves during the holiday season, you'd think DICE's creative director might be dissuaded from continuing to push the envelope. However, speaking at the Design Innovate Communicate Entertertain Summit (conveniently shortened to D.I.C.E.) last week, he told the crowd "the games industry has come to a crossroads."

According to him, the situation is multi-faceted -- the poor economy is forcing lower overhead costs on developers and people are less willing to spend their money while consumers are also less likely to invest in new intellectual properties (such as the aforementioned Mirror's Edge). Should developers play it safe with proven IPs or take risks in hopes of breaking in?

He pontificates that "more customization offerings, new business models, data-driven development and the active tuning of the games" will drive innovation and allay risk going forward. "It's totally different from anything we've done," Gustavsson noted when referencing upcoming online-only multiplayer shooter Battlefield 1943. And he seems to be putting the development costs where his mouth is, as Battlefield 1943 sticks to his plan (on paper at least) to a tee. It remains to be seen whether they'll work out. After all, we're still waiting on that other Battlefield game.

Battlefield 1943 Pacific is just like ... well, other Battlefields. That's a compliment, by the way. 1943 is no janky spinoff. It's small in scope, sure, but it offers (and even improves upon -- read: no more health packs!) the core experience of its disc-based brethren. This is visible -- even playable -- in a pre-alpha build (XBLA version) on the New York Comic Con show floor.

We got our hands on the Wake Island map, one of three in the downloadable game, which is modeled on the actual geographic location with a few gameplay-enhancing improvements. 1943's color palette is distinctly vibrant, clashing against the epic destruction that ensues once a match begins. As featured in Bad Company last year, the Frostbite game engine's destructible environments are exploding and imploding in 1943 as well, with buildings reduced to mere foundations as players carelessly toss grenades, launch rockets and even bomb from the skies (bombers can be somewhat controlled from within specially-marked, protected bombing HQs). Destruction is a gimmick -- but a good one.

If you're hoping to hone your Battlefield skills before the Bad Company returns later this year, you'll get your chance this summer when the series goes back to WWII with Battlefield 1943, a multiplayer game coming to XBLA, PSN [updated: and PC!]. Built on the same engine as Bad Company, the downloadable game will offer 24 players the chance to battle it out across Wake Island, Guadalcanal and Iwo Jima.

Listen, we try to be skeptical of newly announced titles until they've proven themselves, but holy crap are we ever excited about this.

Oh yeah, and in other Battlefield news, the first screenshot of Bad Company 2 has been revealed. Check it out after the break.

Gallery: Battlefield 1943

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After announcing a delay last Summer (and missing the planned '08 release), then closing and subsequently re-opening the beta, EA has informed us that its ready to bring the online-exclusive Battlefield Heroes to the gaming masses ... relatively soon.

According to a supplement (PDF) included in EA's latest investor report, Battlefield Heroes should be released by quarter's end. That means if EA and DICE can keep development on track, we'll be blasting cartoonified soldiers in Heroes by March, at the latest.