You might recall that many PC fans of Call of Duty (specifically Modern Warfare) got very upset when Infinity Ward announced that they were not going to support dedicated servers for Modern Warfare 2. As something that is a core part of the PC gaming experience, a petition was signed by many people requesting that the decision be reversed. Although Infinity Ward declined, DICE, the developers of the excellent Battlefield series, soon announced that their next game, Battlefield: Bad Company 2, would definitely have support for dedicated servers.

In thanks for this, a fan of PC gaming has sent the money he would have spent on Modern Warfare 2 to DICE and requested that the money be spent on the features he desires- because he couldn’t send them a cake, he decided this would do. I should mention that I think this is a great way to show your support for a developer, but I’d recommend that you don’t do this unless you’re rich or really, really like dedicated servers.

In the latest effort to secure more preorders, GameStop posted Battlefield: Bad Company 2 promotional copy on their site promising:

“free overnight shipping, plus access to the Battlefield: Bad Company 2 Beta beginning November 19th, 11PM PST.”

GameStop later pulled the page down, surely after being contacted by EA, and BFBC2 developer DICE was quick to add the following via the Official BFBC2 Twitter: Read more…

Need for Speed: Shift is somewhat of a return to form for the NFS series. Unlike the last few games that had you open-world cruising the city while running from cops in your nitrous-infused, mostly illegal street racer, Shift is all about real racing on actual tracks and stuff. You know, the kind of racing that doesn’t involve any slutty girlfriends. Read more…

EA has announced a limited edition version of Battlefield: Bad Company 2 and outside of the box looking different, the limited edition will grant those who purchase it access to six “special gameplay” perks right from the start.

How much more will this run you? Not a cent! EA promises that the limited edition retail price will be the same as the standard edition. The catch is that supplies are apparently “limited” and both versions hit stores on the same date.

Battlefield: Bad Company 2 is a 2010 release scheduled to hit stores in the United States on March 2nd and Europe on the 5th. And remember, cool guys don’t look at explosions. Full press release below. Read more…

It’s not often you get a demo that’s packed with content, but EA have announced that the PC demo for their attempt at a serious racing game has been released and can be downloaded here. The demo includes a lot (for a demo) of cars, and even an unlockable Zonda:

• BMW M3 (E46)
• 2008 Dodge Viper SRT10
• 2006 Lotus Elise 111R
• 2008 Nissan GT-R
• 2006 Pagani Zonda F (unlockable)

A PS3 and Xbox 360 demo is also coming early October, or of course you could just go out and buy the game, if you’re made of money.

In case you didn’t know, Rocktober is coming up soon. If nothing else, that means that you should be playing Brutal Legend in the very near future. Actually, you could play it tomorrow if you happen to win one of our 4 demo codes (and you have an Xbox 360 and Xbox Live, that is). All you have to do is register with a valid email address and leave a comment below (bonus points for making us laugh), or just email us some pictures of your girlfriend with awesome 80’s hair (editors@ripten.com).  Either way, we’re getting your email address and we will totally spam you.

You can also pre-order now at Gamestop for early access.  The demo will be available with all pre-orders, and the codes will be handed out on 9/17.  The demo will also be free to download for all Xbox Live Gold Members on 9/24 and Xbox Live Silver and PSN members on 10/1/09.

***UPDATE: Winners have been notified, and all codes have been sent out.  If you didn’t win, that’s because Jack Black doesn’t like you, and therefore we don’t like you either.  Sorry.

Hot off the heels of the well-received-but-largely-ignored Skate 2, EA has announced today that there will indeed be a sequel. In a stroke of genius and innovation, the title will officially be “Skate 3″. I’m in awe, I can tell you.

The game will add more of a social aspect, EA says. “Whether online or offline, players can now team up to build the ultimate skate crew in the definitive skateboarding co-op experience,” they say. There’s a new mode, too, “Where teammates can complete challenges together while advancing each other’s careers.” The game arrives on the PS3 and Xbox 360 in May 2010.

If you’re at all interested in attending a Need For Speed press event in Chicago tomorrow, let us know! Email editors@ripten.com, tell us why we should pick you, and we’ll chose 4 lucky readers to go (though you have to get to Chicago on your own).  Good luck!

EA Sports today revealed the cover athletes for the North American version of FIFA 10. The three cover athletes include Cuauhtémoc Blanco of the Chicago Fire, Sacha Kljestan of Chivas USA and Chelsea’s Frank Lampard. Okay, I’m familiar with Frank Lampard, but the two MLS players, not so much. But I bet your ass I’m not the only one left in the dark.

EA also revealed that the North American release date would indeed be October 20, a few weeks after the Euro release date of October 2. Hit the jump for a new video of FIFA 10. Read more…

In a short four weeks after its release, Battlefield Heroes has managed to get one million players, which isn’t surprising, considering the positive impressions of the game during the beta. EA & DICE’s stylistic Battlefield sequel is also free, which I can only assume helped to entice said one million players.

If you still haven’t signed up for the game, you should probably go do so now- maybe you can be a part of the second million. We got a chance to play the game during the beta, and even with its numerous delays, it was a lot of fun. The game’s multi-player only, so don’t count on a gripping story line or emotionally connected characters- but if you’re all about blowing stuff up and shooting foreigners, this is so the game for you.

DICE is currently performing maintenance on the soldier profiles in the recently released Battlefield 1943, so you may have noticed that your stats have been reset. Not to worry, my friends, as this is temporary. Read more…

Battlefield 1943 hit XBLA and PSN this past Wednesday with three maps – Iwo Jima, Guadalcanal, and Wake Island. When the global kill count on one of the services reaches 43 million, a fourth map, Coral Sea, will be unlocked for that service. While 43 million is quite a bit of kills, it’s coming faster than you think. Read more…

For those of you who have played Fight Night Round 4, you probably noticed (and were surprised) that there wasn’t an option to change the control scheme and use the face buttons to play like in previous Fight Night games. Well EA is about to fix that with an update coming later this summer to add the face button control scheme for those who have been complaining about it, and don’t worry, it’s free. I just wonder why EA Sports didn’t just include the option in the first place. Weird.

Along with this update, a new DLC will be arriving before hand containing a new training gym, new gameplay sliders and new equipment to use on your boxer. The 360 version will also be receiving an alternate, Pizza-Hut sponsored version of Sugar Ray Leonard. And all of this DLC will be free too. Sweet, huh?

Source: Joystiq

Battlefield Heroes, EA’s new browser-based cartoony MMOFPS, has made the transition from closed beta to open beta. Read more…

Yesterday I reported that Left 4 Dead 2 seemed to be coming to PS3, as the console was listed on the game’s EA products page. Now, however, it looks like that was simply an error. The product page has been updated and now it only lists “Xbox 360, PC, PC Download.” Sorry to get your hopes up, Sony fans.

Valve may be opposed to porting its games to the PlayStation 3, but their publisher Electronic Arts sure the hell isn’t. A PS3 version of Left 4 Dead 2 is listed on its EA Games page, leading the internet to assume that EA will port it to the console, just as they did with Team Fortress 2. Let’s hope they do a better job this time.

Digital Battle

EA and Crytek announced today that Crysis 2 will be coming to Xbox 360, PS3, and of course the PC. No release date or additional info was announced, but since Crysis was actually a great game hidden under hype about graphical prowess, I’m looking forward to this. Console fans should rejoice too, since the game is damn sure to be fantastic looking. Get your HDMI TV and cable ready for this one, folks. You’ll thank me when Crysis 2 comes out.

We don’t know much about The Saboteur right now, but EA’s WWII era shooter seems a bit more interesting with this new trailer. The video features the protagonist, as he makes his way to a rooftop, and gets poised to shoot some Nazis.

The end of the video also gives us a loose date of Fall/Winter of this year, which is good, because it means that we’ll definitely be seeing more of the game soon, probably at E3 this week. Until then, we can look forward to the game when it comes out later this year for the PS3, Xbox 360, and PC.

If you go to the official website for The Beatles: Rock Band, you’ll be treated with two new suprises. One is a entrance section to the preorder club, for those who preordered the game, and the other is a brand new site backdrop, with the sounds of a million screaming fans in the background. But what is that background? Why, it’s the set for the Ed Sullivan Show, of course!

Beatles fans out there surely know just how popular and frequent the Beatles were on Ed Sullivan’s show, so it only makes sense that this stage would appear in the game in some form. Though we don’t have a surefire confirmation, it’s pretty safe to say that the Ed Sullivan Show set will indeed be a stage/arena for you to play in in The Beatles: Rock Band. Click the image above to see the full image.

Fight Night Round 4 is the first game in over 21 years to feature Mike Tyson, and let me answer your first question right now: No, you can’t bite someone’s ear off.  EA goes to great lengths to capture the devastating power of the late 80’s-early 90’s Tyson rather than the hot mess that was ear-biting, post-prison Tyson.  The roster of over 40 boxers is also the first in 17 years to feature “Big” George Foreman, again, not the smiley grill salesman but the cinderblock-fisted monster who almost ended Joe Frazier’s career in the 70’s. I recently got my hands on the newest entry in EA’s successful franchise to see exactly how the skull busting will be going down.  Read more…