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In what's becoming the rule rather than the exception for EA games, Battlefield: Bad Company 2 will receive day one DLC. Speaking to Worthplaying, senior producer Patrick Bach said, "We have an in-game store where you get free content or you can buy new content to the game, so it's a very integral part of the game that we will have a long post-launch campaign. I think people will be thrilled to see what's in that already. On day one, you will get some really cool stuff."

It's still not clear if that "really cool" stuff will be free, for-pay or both -- in the case of EA's usual in-the-box DLC strategy, it would be free to new buyers and sold separately for used copies of the game. You'll remember that during the release of the first Bad Company, EA was actually threatened with a boycott for its (soon abandoned) strategy that would have created an in-game gap between players that spent extra money and those who didn't. Hopefully EA and DICE will be a bit smarter about things this time around.

The original Bad Company spinoff in the Battlefield series kept the franchise's setting firmly in modern times, but if the Bad Company 2 ESRB description is true, you'll be seeing a return to WWII in the sequel. At the very least, the game's opening will bring players back to the Pacific side of the war, with the ESRB description saying, "In single-player mode, players conduct missions on an unnamed Japanese island during World War II and then move into the modern day through jungles, deserts, and snowy terrain."

Just like we've discovered in our way too many hours with the game's multiplayer demo, the description details the inclusion of "melee attacks with a power drill" (yes, seriously) and the characters use of profanity "during cutscenes and in the heat of battle." And yes, we're just as excited by the former as you might imagine.
[Via BigDownload]

This week's PSN update is all about PS3 demos. The Battlefield: Bad Company 2 and Aliens vs. Predator demos bring online multiplayer slaughter by the buckets of blood, acid and ... whatever blood-esque fluorescent compound Predators have coursing through their veins. PSP owners don't get very much this week in terms of games, but there are plenty of comics to download. Check out the full PSN update after the break.

Hey, look at you, Europe! You finally got your hands on Final Fantasy VIII! Try not to get too jealous about the fact that we've been playing that jam for a couple of months now -- after all, you guys already got Vagrant Story. You jerks.

There are tons of other noteworthy items in this week's update, including a demo for Alien Vs. Predator and Battlefield Bad Company 2. You'll also find a few packs of downloadable souls for Dante's Inferno, some of which require real-life money to obtain. Basically, you purchase souls without having to actually play the game. As far as we're concerned, that's straight-up sloth.

It's time for the masses to try out Battlefield: Bad Company 2's multiplayer, as EA has seen fit to deploy a demo on the Xbox Live Marketplace. The 1.4GB download will see fierce fighting on the Port Valdez map in "Rush Mode." Access to the demo ends February 25, 2010, a week before launch.

For those interested in learning more about the single-player campaign, check out our hands-on of the solo experience with Preston, Sweetwater and the rest of B company.

Update: PlayStation 3 users will receive the demo on PSN February 4 in Europe and February 11 in North America.

Add Battlefield: Bad Company 2 – Demo to your download queue

EA must be feeling pretty good that it's got the top three best-selling games currently on Steam. It must feel even better that said games haven't even been released yet, but gamers have already paid in full to pre-load them onto their PCs ASAP.

Specifically, this week's highest grossing title on Valve's digital distribution service is Battlefield: Bad Company 2, which doesn't release until March. Mass Effect 2, which hits tomorrow, occupies the number two and three slots -- the Digital Deluxe and Standard editions, respectively. Modern Warfare 2 and Company of Heroes Complete Pack round out the top five. The latter came out last October and is certainly in some pretty good company.

Just missing the cut? BioShock 2, which is currently on sale for $5 off the $49.99 (virtual) sticker price.

[Via BigDownload]

We've had extensive hands-on time with the multiplayer component of DICE's upcoming Battlefield: Bad Company sequel, but only just recently had a chance to try out the single-player campaign.

Our demo encompassed two fairly brief levels -- a jungle encampment and a battle through snow-covered mountains -- which were both set in South America. Short as they were, they gave us a taste of the ramped-up action, more challenging AI and a little bit of classic B-Company banter.

Finally, EA understands what it is we want out of our limited edition game bundles. Some extremely loseable keychains? Nope. A cat head-sized helmet which is awesome for roughly 23 minutes, then an eyesore shortly thereafter? Nope. In-game weapons and equipment which are useful as all-get-out, which also have the benefit of not taking up space in our real-life humble abodes? Ahh, now that's the ticket.

That's exactly what the limited edition of Battlefield: Bad Company 2 -- which is now available to pre-order through Steam -- is bringing to the table. The bundle includes six pieces of equipment, ranging from improved armor on the player's vehicles, to a magnetic dart gun which helps the player track targets. We've contacted DICE to find out if these bonuses will be available during the game's multiplayer portion. We'd hate to have a repeat of the original Bad Company's boycott shenanigans.

Update: The pre-order offer is also available from Direct2Drive!

During tonight's season premiere of Gametrailers TV, EA's Battlefield: Bad Company 2 was at center stage with first footage and details of the game's single-player experience. The episode revealed the original B Company would return, with players reprising their role as Private Preston Marlowe. The single-player story, which takes players from Alaska to South America, sees the rambunctious squad attempt to locate a devastating weapon system the Russians have uncovered.

Of course, destruction once again plays a major role in the game, but sadly the smooth soundtrack that accompanied the original game seems to have been replaced by a generic "epic" score. Hopefully it'll be the least of our concerns when the estimated "10 hour" experience lands on consoles and on PC on March 2, 2010.

According to the episode, a new multiplayer demo will land some time in February (perhaps the rumored demo date is accurate?) When contacted for an actual date for the new demo, an EA representative told Joystiq details would be revealed soon. Check out the single-player trailer after the break.

This Thursday at 12:30am ET, the new season of GameTrailers TV is set to debut with a look at Battlefield: Bad Company 2. Specifically, the trailer for this week's episode promises that the show will display the first footage of the game's single-player campaign (we've seen multiplayer already, after all). Beyond the Bad Company 2 footage, GTTV will also have a clip from the upcoming Halo Legends anime collection. This might be a stretch, but we're guessing there will be Spartans in it.

As always, expect any juicy details to wind up here on Joystiq once the episode airs.

UK retailer Game has listed the Battlefield: Bad Company 2 demo as starting on February 4, 2010. The demo will apparently run for three weeks on both Xbox Live and PlayStation Network. Although these details have yet to be confirmed by EA or DICE, the information seems rather specific and comes from a major retailer.

While we await a response from EA, we're going to keep watching footage of the stuff we hope to do in Battefield: Bad Company 2. Look for it on shelves in March.

[Thanks, J.Diffin]

One of the many volleys in DICE's Battlefield Bad Company 2 marketing campaign meant to sway Modern Warfare 2 loyalists towards its upcoming shooter was the promise of dedicated servers for PC players. That said, when the Swedish game development house recently announced a rental service for those interested in using said dedicated servers, some folks were less than thrilled.

According to producer Gordon Van Dyke in an interview with Eurogamer, the reasoning doesn't have to do with profits so much as protecting "the game's integrity on PC." Van Dyke also indicates that DICE's "authorized hosts" have already been chosen worldwide, though he notes that the studio "will see where the game goes and support it post-launch." At very least, PC gamers will get a chance to find out if the rental fee is worth it when the game goes into PC beta on January 28.

The PS3 community got a chance to get its hands on the multiplayer beta for Battlefield: Bad Company 2 in November -- today, we learned that the PC community will get its chance to try out the shooter in a few short weeks. According to a recent post on the Battlefield blog, the beta for the PC version of the game will kick off January 28, and will be available until February 25. To get on board, just reserve the game at participating retailers and ... "e-Tailers."

For more details about downloading the beta, and to find out about the map participants will be riddling with bullets, check out the Battlefield blog post.

Electronic Arts is really pushing to gain ground in the battle for FPS multiplayer popularity. Speaking with MCV, EA Europe senior VP Jens Uwe Intat proclaimed that March's launch of Battlefield: Bad Company 2 will be the publisher's "first strong attack" launched on Call of Duty. By that stream of logic, we're guessing the Medal of Honor reboot would be the second?

Intat believes that if any studio can take on Modern Warfare, it's DICE. He reiterates that the "shooter" genre is important to the publisher and that EA is "certainly working on how [it] can get that crown back." Meanwhile, Bungie sips a mocha and buffs Halo 3 on the mantel.

[Via CVG]

Fiction: Wow, so, we were totally on the back of this ATV, bullets going everywhere and then jumped this ramp. Oh yeah, and then when we landed I went right up to this tank's butt and blew it up with an RPG, it was awesome! Then we ran into this factory, and we were like "woah," cause there were all these bullets whizzing by. Then we captured the zone, ran down some stairs and were staring down the barrel of another tank, but we were lucky 'cause our chopper blew it up from the sky. I totally didn't get hit by any bullets, it was like playing with nOObs!

Reality: F*ck, man! I bet you it's some 12-year-old who keeps sniping us every time we get on these vehicles. Gawd, hold on, waiting to respawn. Oh, there's a tank over there, let me run up to it with this RPG. DAMN! Got too close, stupid proximity from blast killed me. Yup, I'll respawn with you guys in a sec. WHOA, whoa, whoa, what's with all the shooting, where'd those ... dead. Wait up, one sec. OK, let's get this other tank. Why isn't that helicopter helping us? Down here, helicopter! Come on, down -- dead.

Rebuttal: Perhaps Battlefield: Bad Company 2 won't be like the "reality" described and it'll be more like the video. Or, just maybe, we're being shown in the video what the game will look like once the Modern Warfare 2 hacking community starts playing it.