Get ready to move out as BFBC2 has gone Gold!

The moment is here, Battlefield Bad Company 2 has finally gone Gold as lead designer David Goldfrab for BFBC2 tweeted:

“Gentleman and women start your engines, we are gold!”

Although the game isn’t perfected yet, they will still tweak any minor issues before the release date. Battlefield Bad Company 2 is set to ship out on March 2th.

Worthplaying.com recently obtained a very special interview with some developers from DICE, the creators of the addictive multiplayer, those of us who have played the demo, have come to know as Battlefield Bad Company 2. You can check out the full interview by clicking here, or checking it out on our site after the page break.

WP: Who has the honor to speak with us? State your name, rank and occupation!

I’m Patrick Bach, and I’m a senior producer for Battlefield: Bad Company 2.

WP: Did you also work on the first Bad Company title?

PB: Yes, I worked on the first one as well.

WP: One of the things that people either loved or hated about the original title was the humor. Some people really got into it and others didn’t. In your presentation, you said that the second game is a little more serious. Is that referring to the gameplay or the story line?

PB: It’s actually referring to both the gameplay and the story line, but that doesn’t change the characters. They still have the same personalities, and there will still be the bantering between the squad members. There will still be elements of humor within the characters, of course, but the whole story line and the settings they are put into are quite more serious.

WP: What about the level design? Not to start off on a negative note, but again, one of the complaints that people had with the first game was that things felt a little too forced or too narrow. Have you tried to open things up at all to make things a little more organic?

PB: What we found from the first game, based on our personal biggest problem and a lot of feedback, was that the game was a bit bland. It felt more or less the same all the time, and like you said, it felt a bit forced when it came to gameplay. Of course, we put a lot of energy into making sure not only the missions were varied but also the gameplay elements, that it feels more natural to go from A to B to C. We also have sandbox elements and driving sections and tried to get more variation into the gameplay.

WP: In the presentation, you described the game as stretching from Alaska down to South America, so that’s one snow level and one jungle level. Are there any levels set in North America, or after Alaska, does it occur solely in South America?

PB: Not that much. I can’t go into detail exactly, but the main part of the game will be set in South America.

WP: Another story question. It’s been quite a while since game developers have used the America-versus-Russia theme. What made you guys decide to go back for an old ’80s Cold War classic rather than pulling from current events? So many games today deal with the Middle East and terrorism. It’s almost like an ’80s flashback, but in a good way.

PB: The idea is that Russia never really died away; they just kind of went to sleep and now they’re starting to get bigger again. It’s a classic drama if you have the fight between Russia and the U.S., but also the point that Russia is negotiating with the South American countries and building more and more military bases on South American soil. It’s like during the Cold War, when the U.S. started to build military bases and missile ramps pointing from Poland into Russia. Russia’s now doing the same thing but in South America. If you spin on that idea, you can easily see that, looking at how the economy looks today, things could easily go sideways and turn into a situation like this.

WP: In terms of straight gameplay, how is it going to play out in terms of which character you play for Bad Company 2? Do you get to choose? Does the game follow you? Do you go from one squad member to another based on the story line?

PB: No, you will only play as one character throughout the whole game. We want the game to focus on you being this character instead of jumping between characters and getting all confused. You want the classic storytelling arc throughout the game where you play as one character and you have the other characters around you that you get to know better and better as you go through the game.

WP: From a creative standpoint, on the character side, you obviously got the base of the characters from the first game. When you’re bringing the squad back, how did you decide that this is how they’re going to react, this is what they’re going to do, and these are the weapons that they’re going to carry?

PB: In the first game, we already had character descriptions that were quite deep. For different reasons, that didn’t always show. One thing that we did now is that by putting them in other situations where they get more stressed and pushed to the edge, you will get other reactions out of the squad members that you might not have guessed when you saw them in the first game. By twisting the situations, you’ll get more interesting personal reactions from the squad members.

WP: You’ve described Bad Company and Bad Company 2 as “sandbox” games, but every developer has a different idea of what that means. What does “sandbox” mean to DICE?

PB: To DICE, it’s a classic Battlefield expression. To most people, sandbox means that you provide the playground and then you provide the toys. By having specific gameplay physics on top of that, you can build your own gameplay depending on how you see it. It’s more a set of rules rather than a linear way of playing a game. To DICE, I would say that it’s a combination of the open environments, vehicles and infantry and on top of that, destruction that would actually change how the world looks and plays over the period of the map session. That’s kind of what the Battlefield recipe’s all about.

WP: Engine-wise, what’s been going on behind the scenes since the first game? What kind of tweaks can we expect to see in the visuals and physics?

PB: We’re using the Frostbite Engine, which is DICE’s own engine. We’ve been fiddling with, more or less, all systems, so looking at the graphics, it’s obvious that we improved that quite a lot. Physics-wise, the vehicles will handle better. There’s a more detailed physics model. The game will sound better than ever before. Of course, it’s not only the engine but the work put into creating the assets, and those two things in combination will make a huge difference when it comes to the quality from the first game to the second game.

WP: Aside from the obvious “We have to ship it” deadline, how do you decide internally at DICE when the game is done? What is that moment when internally, the team decides that it’s done?

PB: We tried to set that quite early. You have a lot of different milestones on the project where you lock down the scope of the game. It’s also based on the routine from the actual developers, that you know how much you can build. When you have the scope, you can easily say that, “We can get to this quality level based on this scope with this set of talent that we have in the company.” It’s hard to give a specific date that, 50 days before launch, you make this decision. It’s more of a gut feeling from all the talent that you have in the game, whether you’ll be able to pull it off. Yes or no? If you get a “yes” and you have a lot of trust in those talents, you just go.

WP: Getting that intuition, knowing that talent, how much of that is knowing the systems themselves? It’s 2010, the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 are almost pushing five years. Are your developers still pulling more out of the systems, or do they know what they can do and there aren’t a lot of questions or last-minute surprises?

PB: I think both. If you look at the console platforms, the PS3 and X360, if we had another go in making a new game on the same platform, we could probably make it feel almost as much more as this game looks to the previous one. There are a lot of small tricks and quirks that you can take advantage of in both systems, so there’s still a lot of gold to be found in the consoles.

WP: Looking at console versus PC, since the advent of digital distribution with Steam and broadband becoming more common, it’s almost like we’re seeing a resurgence in PC gaming. As a developer, is console versus PC really an either-or question, or has it gotten back to the point where you need to develop for all of them?

PB: At DICE, we never really let go of the PC. Bad Company 1 was an exception because we initially designed it to be a console-only game. We got a lot of negative comments about that when we released the game because people asked, “Hey, this is a real Battlefield game. Why aren’t you releasing it for PC?” This time around, we decided, yes, let’s make Bad Company 2 for the PC so that the audience can enjoy the game as well. We’re not taking it lightly and just making a port. We actually have a big PC-focused team just working on the PC version of the game. I think the PC gamers will be amazed with the quality that we get out of the PC. We have DirectX 11 support, we support all the latest sound and graphics, and we even have support for nVidia’s 3-D screens, so there’s a lot of cool stuff going on when it comes to the PC version.

WP: You mentioned a new multiplayer mode and a new hardcore mode in your presentation. Can you briefly expand on both of those?

PB: Well, first of all, the squad rush game mode is a very competitive game mode that is more or less squad versus squad. It’s designed to have you and your friends meet another group of people and have these quick and fast game sessions. It’s a very quick and aggressive game mode.

We also have the setting that you can use for all game modes, and it’s called hardcore. Hardcore means that we double the damage of the weapons so it’s more or less one shot, one kill. We remove most of the hub elements, so there’s no reticle, no ammo counter, so in that way, it turns into a more visceral and realistic experience.

WP: Is that a per-user experience? When you create a multiplayer game, if I want to, can I play on hardcore and get that experience? Or does everyone have to be on hardcore?

PB: It’s a server setting so everyone has to be in on it, so you can choose whether you want to play hardcore or not in any of the game modes: conquest, rush, squad deathmatch or squad rush. It turns the game into something that is a lot more fast-paced and dangerous. You change your play style immediately when you get into it.

WP: If you had to sum it up in two to three sentences, what really makes Battlefield: Bad Company 2 a game that’s worth playing?

PB: If you like a very deep and long multiplayer experience that competitive, easy-to-use and high quality, then this is the game for you. If you want a single-player that is dramatic and varied, with cool storytelling and cool characters and all these cool environments, it’s all part of the same package. I don’t see a reason why you shouldn’t pick it up.

WP: Is there anything about the game that we haven’t talked about that you wanted to add?

PB: One thing that’s also very interesting is how we see our customers. We see the game as the first step to a longer experience. 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.

WP: We saw the launch of Battlefield 1943 on Xbox Live Arcade, and that went well. Has there been any more talk at DICE about going back to those older PC properties for PSN and Xbox Live? Were you happy with what happened, or was it an experiment that didn’t work out?

PB: It started as an experiment, but it turned out to be much bigger than anyone could have anticipated. I think we’re the best-selling Xbox Live title ever produced, and we got pretty good reviews. The customer feedback has been extremely good. From that perspective, it’s a complete success, and you never know what will happen in the future. It’s definitely something that we got a good taste from, so you’ll never know what happens.

Click here to view the embedded video.

So, you can’t just wait any longer on Battlefield Bad Company 2? Well do we have some awesome video to show you. Above is purely gameplay footage of the new title in action and it looks amazing. Could it be the Modern Warfare 2 killer? Give us a shout in the comments. Also, this video isn’t for kids under the age of 18. Enjoy!

Your in Bad Company now

Posted on the PlayStation Blog, DICE’s Gordan Van Dyke has just posted interesting info regarding the Battlefield Bad Company 2 Beta. It will be exclusive to PlayStation 3 and the only way to get in is by one of the following:

• Special limited giveaway on the PlayStation Blog (details TBA)
• Pre-ordering the game at participating retailer
• Checking out selected gaming sites such as IGN or GameSpot in North America.

The game looks awesome so far, hopefully we can snag a couple beta keys you our readers.

A-Ten Hut! The Long awaited Battlefield: 1943 has finally hit the PSN and many are playing this really good download.

DICE is back at it again using the Frostbite Engine to create World War II as they saw it in the Pacific. There is no story in this game so that just leaves multiplayer and you know what that means, kill, kill, kill, why do you ask? Because DICE put a twist into the game, not only is it just a multiplayer game with many people online with PSN, this game is a community battle to unlock a totally new game mode and map. What does that mean?, it’s a battle between PSN and XBOX Live to see who can reach 43 Million Kills, once that’s achieved the community that wins get’s the 4th map unlocked with the game mode Air Superiority with means nothing but dogfights and alot more mayhem.

Battlefield: 1943 is a Downloadable game for the PSN and yes it’s another First Person Shooter involved in the WWII era but it’s set in the pacific area of operations and we haven’t seen alot of those. But, the game is really simple as other Battlefield Games are, simply capture a point on the map and try to weaken the enemy reinforcements so your team can win the game and move on to the next map. There aren’t a whole lot of maps in the game though but their really big and when your in the action you’ll want to respawn asap to capture the next point. You also choose from three diffrent classes which are infantryman, rifleman, and scout. You cannot customize them which is troublesome but it show which class your good as and how we’ll you know the tatics behind the class. Vehicles also are in the game, and their put to good use throughout your entire play through of the game.

Graphics in the game are real good, areas look like they have been look through thoroughly, as the ocean is so clear you can actually see the bottom floor. Animations however can be better as they can sometimes look slow and clunky. Sounds, are just a reminder of Battlefield: Bad Company, in my terms they sound great, from aerial bombings to gun fires and to your characters ears almost being blown out, it all sounds amazlingly realistic. Only issues I found were that sometimes games can’t be found even though you were connected online and that there are some barrell placements around the maps which means that not everything is fully destructible but you can still do alot of damage.

Ok, I told you about the game and you seriously need to go download this game off the PSN Store, everything in there is well worth $15 dollars but you just feel like you got a whole lot more just by playing it. DICe has produced a great game that is worth the money and your playtime. Also trophies are easy as pie (just pointing that out).

Scores:

Presentation: 8.5

Though only multiplayer, you’ll still have a blast a good use of the Frostbite engine.

Graphics: 8.0

The maps look great but not the animations of the characters

Sound: 9.0

Seriously good and realistic.

Gameplay: 8.5

It’s another FPS, but there is a whole lot to do.

Replay Value: 8.5

Like I said trophies are really easy but the action is even better although there are only three maps.

Final Score: 8.5

From The PlayStation Blog here is your PSN Update for this week:

Downloadable Games

Buzz Jr. Robo Jam ($4.99)
Blast off to a whole new galaxy of fun! Buzz! Junior: RoboJam takes you to a futuristic world where mischievous robots are sent to Robot Boot camp. Now for the PLAYSTATION 3 system, BUZZ! Junior: RoboJam provides 4-way mischievous action. So what are you waiting for? Join in the mechanical mayhem. Compatible with BUZZ! buzzers or PLAYSTATION 3 system controllers.
ESRB Rated E
File size: 385 MB

Battlefield: 1943 (Limited Time Offer: Bundled with Theme) ($14.99)
Pick your path – be it as a rifleman, a steel fisted tank commander, or ace fighter pilot dog fighting to protect the skies. Play as a lone wolf or with your friends, coordinating to turn the tide of battle. Whatever you choose, in Battlefield 1943 you get to enjoy the thrill of a fully featured online shooter.
ESRB Rated T
File size: 565 MB

PSone Classics PS3 / PSP

Spec Ops: Stealth Patrol ($5.99)
Immerse yourself in one of the first realistic military tactical combat simulators to be released. Choose your two-man team from a squad of five highly trained specialists: machine gunner, grenadier, rifleman, close quarters specialist, and sniper. Choose to complete your mission through stealth or all-out assault as you’re in control of an elite team of U.S. Army Rangers.
ESRB Rated T
File size: 160 MB

XS Junior League Soccer ($5.99)
GOOOOOAAAAAALLLLL!!! Go back to basics with XS Junior League Soccer. Everybody can really play as you select from 16 individual players to create your own 5 on 5 match up combos, each with their own bag of special tricks. Play at four real world fields including the baseball field at Sandlot Central, or the black top in Soho Parking.
ESRB Rated E
File size: 43 MB

Game Demos

Battlefield 1943 Demo
Pick your path – be it as a rifleman, a steel fisted tank commander, or ace fighter pilot dog fighting to protect the skies. Play as a lone wolf or with your friends, coordinating to turn the tide of battle. Get a taste of the full action in this trial version of Battlefield 1943 and enjoy the thrill of a fully featured online shooter.
Rated T
File size: 565 MB

Ghostbusters Demo
Who Ya Gonna Call? The Ghostbusters are back for an all new adventure!
Rated T
File size: 616 MB

Add-on Game Content

MotorStorm Pacific Rift Adrenaline Expansion ($9.99)
Download the Adrenaline Expansion Pack to get 3 brand new tracks for MotorStorm Pacific Rift, playable in all online modes, and offline in Time Attack, Free Play, and Split Screen.
File size: 405 MB

Cross Edge New Costume Set 2 ($3.99)
Expand your wardrobe along with your power with this clothing pack!
File size: 218 MB

Cross Edge Additional Dungeon 3 (free)
Extend your adventure with this bonus dungeon!
File size: 111 KB

Cross Edge Fresh Heart Pack (free)
Add a few extra items to your inventory with this free pack!
File size: 111 KB

Cross Edge Power Up Pack + (free)
Add a few extra items to your inventory with this free pack!
File size: 111 KB

Cross Edge Stone SP Synth Pack (free)
Add a few extra items to your inventory with this free pack!
File size: 111 KB

Dynasty Warriors 6 Empires Additional Music Set 1 (free)
Add these additional “Dynasty Warriors” music tracks to the game’s BGM Select screen.
File size: 18 MB

Dynasty Warriors 6 Empires Artemis Armor Set (women) (free)
Artemis Armor Set (for women) – Get this new set of attire to customize your character’s appearance in Edit Mode.
File size: 3.40 MB

Dynasty Warriors 6 Empires Kempo Armor Set (men) (free)
Kempo Armor Set (for men) – Get this new set of attire to customize your character’s appearance in Edit Mode.
File size: 3.34 MB

Dynasty Warriors 6 Empires Queen Armor Set (women) (free)
Queen Armor Set (for women) – Get this new set of attire to customize your character’s appearance in Edit Mode.
File size: 3.44 MB

Dynasty Warriors 6 Empires Royal Armor Set (men) (free)
Royal Armor Set (for men) – Get this new set of attire to customize your character’s appearance in Edit Mode.
File size: 4.53 MB

Midnight Club Los Angeles South Central Ultimate Content Pack ($12.50)
The South Central Ultimate Content Pack combines the South Central Premium Upgrade and the 2 South Central Vehicle Packs. Download the South Central Ultimate Content Pack for 16 new vehicles, 26 new races, 12 new battle maps, 10 new delivery missions, over 100 new red light race challenges, new vinyl packs, new parts and new music.
File size: 5.11 MB

Skate 2 Maloof Money Cup Pack ($2.99)
Hit the course of one of skateboarding’s biggest contests, then battle some of skating’s heaviest hitters for some serious Maloof loot.
File size: 68 MB

Guitar Hero World Tour
For all song credits please visit www.guitarhero.com.

• “I Am The Arsonist” by Silverstein ($1.99)
• “Bomb The World” by The Sleeping ($1.99)
• “NJ Legion Iced Tea” by A Day To Remember ($1.99)
• Victory Track Pack ($5.49) – Downloadable Track Pack for Guitar Hero World Tour featuring “NJ Legion Iced Tea” by A Day to Remember, “Bomb The World” by The Sleeping and “I Am The Arsonist” by Silverstein. Please Note: Many songs are available both as singles and as part of a Track Pack, so please carefully consider your purchases before downloading.

File sizes: 33 MB – 42 MB (singles), 111 MB (track pack)

Rock Band
Build your Rock Band library by purchasing these song game tracks. For song credits, visit www.RockBand.com.

• “21 Guns”— Green Day ($1.99)
• “East Jesus Nowhere”— Green Day ($1.99)
• “Know Your Enemy”— Green Day ($1.99)
• Green Day Pack 01 ($5.49) – Build your Rock Band library by purchasing this song game track pack: Green Day Pack 01. This pack includes: “Know Your Enemy,” “East Jesus Nowhere,” and “21 Guns” by Green Day.
• “Black Magic”— Slayer ($1.99)
• “Conquer All”— Behemoth ($1.99)
• “Disposable Teens”— Marilyn Manson ($1.99)
• “Embedded”— Job for a Cowboy ($1.99)
• “Empire of the Gun”— God Forbid ($1.99)
• “Hammer Smashed Face”— Cannibal Corpse ($1.99)
• “This Is Exile”— Whitechapel ($1.99)
• “What a Horrible Night to Have a Curse”— Black Dahlia Murder ($1.99)
• Mayhem Tour 2009 Pack 01 ($13.49) – Build your Rock Band library by purchasing this song game track pack: Mayhem Tour 2009 Pack 01. This pack includes “Disposable Teens” by Marilyn Manson, “Empire of the Gun” by God Forbid, “Black Magic” by Slayer, “Hammer Smashed Face” by Cannibal Corpse, “This Is Exile” by Machine Head, “Embedded” by Job for a Cowboy, “Conquer All” by Behemoth and “What a Horrible Night…” by Black Dahlia Murder.

File sizes: 26 MB – 41 MB (singles), 95 MB – 239 MB (track packs)

Game Videos (free)

MAG Dev Diary 1
File size: 155 MB (HD) 263 MB (1080)

MAG Dev Diary 2
File size: 186 MB (HD)

PAIN: Museum Trailer
File size: 53 MB (HD)

Battlefield: 1943 Guadalcanal Trailer
File size: 49 MB (HD)

The King of Fighters XII Trailer
File size: 39 MB (HD)

Monster Hunter Freedom Unite Tutorial Video 2
File size: 57 MB (SD)

Monster Hunter Freedom Unite Tutorial Video 3
File size: 51 MB (SD)

Monster Hunter Freedom Unite Tutorial Video 4
File size: 48 MB (SD)

Wallpaper (free)

Battlefield 1943 Wallpaper 1
File size: 233 KB (SD) 1.2 MB (HD)

Battlefield 1943 Wallpaper 2
File size: 224 KB (SD) 1.38 MB (HD)

PlayStation Store for PSP

Downloadable Games

Samurai Warriors: State of War ($14.99) (also available from PS3 storefront)
It’s War! Arm yourself with classic Japanese weaponry and face relentless forces in massive combat. Set amidst Japan’s most volatile era, Samurai Warriors: State of War gives you control of famous samurai and legendary ninjas, and engages you in an ever unfolding war. Comes complete with a dynamic, full screen display, new stories, competitive Vs. challenges for up to 4 players and more.
ESRB Rated T
File size: 184 MBUltimate Board Game Collection ($9.99) (also available from PS3 storefront)
Play against a computer controlled opponent, or up to five others through Wi-Fi or on one system. Includes the ability to share 5 games with Game Share support and full tutorials for each game. The Ultimate Board Game Collection will keep you and your friends entertained for a long time.
ESRB Rated E
File size: 44 MB

Add-on Game Content

Rock Band Unplugged (also available from PS3 storefront)
Build your Rock Band Unplugged library by purchasing these song game tracks. For song credits, visit www.RockBand.com.

• “Here Comes Your Man”— Pixies ($1.99)
• “Pride and Joy”— Stevie Ray Vaughn ($1.99)
• “Still Alive”— GLaDOS and Jonathan Coulton (free)

File sizes: 15 MB – 17 MB

Game Videos (free)

Monster Hunter Freedom Unite Tutorial Video 2
File size: 27 MB

Monster Hunter Freedom Unite Tutorial Video 3
File size: 24 MB

Monster Hunter Freedom Unite Tutorial Video 4
File size: 22 MB