a single click. All you need is Adobe Reader.
For use with either a modern browser, or an RSS program.
Why DICE can beat Infinity Ward
We suggest how EA can ensure that Battlefield Bad Company 2 surpasses Modern Warfare 2, but it isn't going to be easy
Written by Andy Griffiths, 08 January 2010
According to EA's senior VP in Europe, Jens Uwe Intat, Battlefield Bad Company 2 has the lofty target of taking the premier shooting franchise crown from Call of Duty. "If any of our studios can take on Modern Warfare then it's DICE," explained the experienced figure.
Surely this would have to be one of the most dramatic turnarounds in recent history, but it may not be impossible. We take a look at what EA must do in order to shoot down gaming's biggest franchise:
Launch a Fantastic Beta -
This worked with the original Modern Warfare and even though Battlefield Bad Company was a great critical success, it didn't get into the hands of as many people as perhaps it should have. A multiplayer beta is a great way to remedy this. Especially as a fresh bout of Modern Warfare 2 fatigue is currently circulating Xbox Live and PSN.
Talk about Single Player -
360Zine Issue 40
For our latest Battlefield coverage, click here to download 360Zine Issue 40 for free.Making this point for a Battlefield game seems completely ludicrous, but the original Bad Company had a brilliant single player campaign and millions of fans are absolutely clamouring to hear more about the sequel's. When we talked to Producer Gordon Van Dyke last month, he hinted that it was just as good as the original so why keep it under wraps for any longer?
Play Up Dedicated Servers -
The controversy surrounding dedicated servers never went away, so EA need to mention Bad Company 2's dedicated server support as much as possibly. There are plenty of angry PC gamers out there who are more than willing to make a statement with their purchasing power, that is if we aren't too busy playing Team Fortress 2.
Marketing -
Could anyone get away from Modern Warfare 2 last November? It was absolutely everywhere and if your product is good enough, market presence always translates into huge amounts of sales. Obviously this is the hardest thing to accomplish, due to the amount of money required to sponsor energy drinks and buy TV time. But if there's an intelligently driven campaign, for instance Saints Row 2's tirade against GTA 4, then there's no reason why EA can't gain favour.
Heritage -
DICE are one of the most consistently brilliant multiplayer developers in gaming today and the Battlefield name inspires fantastic online memories for millions of gamers the world over. EA need to take advantage of that, show us all how Bad Company 2 is worthy of the Battlefield name and we'll be more than happy to fork over the price of admission.
Battlefield coverage available in 360Zine Issue 40 - click here to download it for free!
»View more Battlefield features...
