The recent PC update for Team Fortress 2 was a welcome addition to the already excellent gameplay, and it looks like our friends on the Xbox 360 will be able to enjoy the same delights soon enough.

The PC downloadable content included the new game type ‘Payload’: this tasks the attacking team to move a mine cart containing a huge bomb through the level and into the defending teams base, where it goes boom.

According to Valve’s marketing director Doug Lombardi:

We’re looking at bringing the Goldrush and the new achievements and stuff out to the 360. How and when is still sort of being determined, on pricing and that kind of stuff. On the PC it’s sort of wide open, you can release stuff whenever you want. On the console there’s a little bit more of a pathway.

What we’ve been waiting for is until we had a critical mass of new content to put out, so we feel like we’re kind of there now. We’ll probably be making some announcements pretty soon on what will happen with the 360 stuff. I don’t know that–unfortunately I don’t know that any of that will make it to the PS3.

The PC pack also included new maps and the first slew of unlockable weapons, which is sure to change TF2’s gameplay dramatically. Hopefully more news will be rushing towards us for both the 360 and PS3 DLC plans.

Source: Shack News

Games for Windows Editor Shawn Elliott has been alluding to a game in the past few editions of the GFW Radio podcast, a game he stated may change PC gaming as we know it. The game he was referring to is a joint production between EA and DICE– Battlefield Heroes.

Not much is known, other than it’ll be online-only, freely available for download during summer, and that it’ll support itself much like any other free service does – with advertising and microtransactions. Let’s just hope we don’t get raped by either.

The only screenshot available (pictured above) is from the cover of next month’s Games for Windows issue and from what I can decipher it seems to be shaping up of somewhat of a Battlefield spin on WWII with Team Fortress 2’s aesthetic stamped on it. Hell, at first glance I thought it was Team Fortress 2.

Although in this case I approve of EA and DICE playing copycat. It was an intelligent decision. Team Fortress 2 garners much more interest from passers-by than a Half-Life 2 does. Simply because of the way it looks, it appeals to a wider demographic. It’s even gotten attention from NY Times and BBC News, and what was the last gaming item to receive such mainstream attention? Wii? Or was it the DS? Go take a look at their sales figures.

This has the potential to become monstrous, so I’m pulling for them.

And for those that love corporate speak, here’s the press release from the official site:

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

Munich, Germany, 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.

Keep an eye out for the March issue of the Games for Windows magazine that contains exclusive information.

Source: 1UP.com and Battlefield Heroes Official Website.

In response to a barrage of vitriol from one less than happy chap on the Steam forums, a Valve rep had this to say:

I am sorry that you are unsatisfied with your game. I hope that we will be able to correct any major issues in the future.

A prelude to Valve forcing EA London – who were responsible for developing the PS3 port – to pull their finger out and release a patch perhaps? It looks more likely when, in another thread over on Steam about The Orange Box’s poor audio, a second Valve rep weighs in with:

We’re working on getting the optical cable support into an update. I’ll post when I have details.

No details as to what ‘an update’ means as yet, but improving those Half Life framerates and actually letting us into the Team Fortress 2 lobby, certainly would be a good way to enter the New Year.

Check out the rant and the other thread.