Joined: Dec 16, 2009
Posts: 1091
Location: North Carolina
GameStop pre-orders only to get it for first 30 days
With all of the hoopla surrounding the release of both the Battlefield Bad Company 2 demo on the Xbox 360 and the beta of the PC version, some may find it interesting that while both the demo and beta introduce the “Squad Rush” game play mode, you may not be able to play it for the first 30 days after the title is launched.
Yes, that is correct: unless you pre-order the Xbox 360 or the PlayStation 3 version of Battlefield Bad Company 2 from GameStop prior to its launch date in North America on March 2nd, you will have to wait 30 days to play the “Squad Rush” multiplayer mode. However, those that pre-order will get a chance to enjoy the “Squad Rush” mode for 30 days before it is released for everyone to play. Those that have “Squad Rush” access due to their pre-order status will be able to invite friends that didn’t pre-order to play the “Squad Rush” mode during the exclusive 30-day access period. And, pre-orderers from GameStop will also enjoy access to the AKS-74 assault rifle regardless of the platform they place a pre-order for.
Apparently, however, things are less confusing for those planning to buy the PC version of the game. The PC version of the game, which is also slated for arrival on March 2nd, will have no such restriction; PC players will be able to play the “Squad Rush” mode right out of the box from day one, regardless of whether they pre-order.
As for those in Europe, it would appear that the Xbox 360, PlayStation 3 and PC version of the game will have no restriction, meaning that players outside of North America will be able to play the “Squad Rush” mode from the March 5th onward.
The decision to provide these exclusives is part of an effort to encourage pre-orders of titles prior to release, and the bonuses do help. The advantage of pre-order bonuses is not lost on retailers who are demanding that publishers offer special bonuses to go with the title that are exclusive to a retailer. What makes things even more interesting is that the bonuses or incentives for a particular title may not be the same or may be different, depending on which retailer you choose to purchase from. Publishers are also using the bonuses or incentives for titles to encourage retailers to order more copies of titles that might not otherwise sell well out of the gate.
Some will suggest that the decision to offer bonuses, incentives or extras to get customers to pre-order a title or to choose the special or limited edition version of a title might look like nothing more than a cash grab. The reality does seem to be that these extras are becoming more valuable in many cases, and are starting to make those that didn’t pre-order or select the special/limited edition of a title regretful that they did not choose to do so. We don’t see this trend ending anytime soon; and we expect retailers to continue to use their leverage with publishers to get them to offer better incentives to make sure that you choose to pre-order or buy from them.
Sounds like Wake Island is back again?
When looking at the recently published Battlefield: Bad Company 2 ratings certificate, one thing caught our eye that was more than a bit unexpected, which is the mention of “players conduct missions on an unnamed Japanese island during World War II and then move into the modern day.” When this revolution started to make its way around the Internet, it seems that speculation is ripe that the unnamed island is none other than Wake Island, which has been a long-time Battlefield favorite and has been reproduced for just about all of the Battlefield titles over the years.
What we do know is that some of the weapons from the download-only Battlefield 1943 will be available within Battlefield: Bad Company 2. Some in the community are speculating that the decision to add this map might be a way for the company to test the waters on an updated WWII offering that would be a more in-depth revival of the original Battlefield 1942 than the download-only 1943 was. DICE, along with Electronic Arts, is said to have been very surprised and pleased with the sales of the 1943 download release and are wondering in which direction to move with this data in planning their upcoming release strategy.
Still, some are suggesting that the Japanese island level could be nothing more than a flashback; but we tend to think it might be something more to establish some interest for a possible future release. Still, if it is that Wake Island were included with the game that would be a very good place to play, from what we have seen in the beta and the demo with the modern weapons provided within the BFBC2 game.
As the release inches closer, it should be noted that the ratings board rated the title “M” for Mature for blood, strong language and violence. There is no surprise in that as the Battlefield has been delivering blood, strong language, and violence with every release. After checking again over the weekend, we continue to hear that the title is still on track for a March 2nd release in North America, with a March 5th release in Europe for the Xbox 360, PlayStation 3 and PC platforms.
Im GLAD im not on those silly consoles xD but then again after playing rush this WHOLE time i doubt id play it the first month anyways lol
New Siggy; What do you think?
With all of the hoopla surrounding the release of both the Battlefield Bad Company 2 demo on the Xbox 360 and the beta of the PC version, some may find it interesting that while both the demo and beta introduce the “Squad Rush” game play mode, you may not be able to play it for the first 30 days after the title is launched.
Yes, that is correct: unless you pre-order the Xbox 360 or the PlayStation 3 version of Battlefield Bad Company 2 from GameStop prior to its launch date in North America on March 2nd, you will have to wait 30 days to play the “Squad Rush” multiplayer mode. However, those that pre-order will get a chance to enjoy the “Squad Rush” mode for 30 days before it is released for everyone to play. Those that have “Squad Rush” access due to their pre-order status will be able to invite friends that didn’t pre-order to play the “Squad Rush” mode during the exclusive 30-day access period. And, pre-orderers from GameStop will also enjoy access to the AKS-74 assault rifle regardless of the platform they place a pre-order for.
Apparently, however, things are less confusing for those planning to buy the PC version of the game. The PC version of the game, which is also slated for arrival on March 2nd, will have no such restriction; PC players will be able to play the “Squad Rush” mode right out of the box from day one, regardless of whether they pre-order.
As for those in Europe, it would appear that the Xbox 360, PlayStation 3 and PC version of the game will have no restriction, meaning that players outside of North America will be able to play the “Squad Rush” mode from the March 5th onward.
The decision to provide these exclusives is part of an effort to encourage pre-orders of titles prior to release, and the bonuses do help. The advantage of pre-order bonuses is not lost on retailers who are demanding that publishers offer special bonuses to go with the title that are exclusive to a retailer. What makes things even more interesting is that the bonuses or incentives for a particular title may not be the same or may be different, depending on which retailer you choose to purchase from. Publishers are also using the bonuses or incentives for titles to encourage retailers to order more copies of titles that might not otherwise sell well out of the gate.
Some will suggest that the decision to offer bonuses, incentives or extras to get customers to pre-order a title or to choose the special or limited edition version of a title might look like nothing more than a cash grab. The reality does seem to be that these extras are becoming more valuable in many cases, and are starting to make those that didn’t pre-order or select the special/limited edition of a title regretful that they did not choose to do so. We don’t see this trend ending anytime soon; and we expect retailers to continue to use their leverage with publishers to get them to offer better incentives to make sure that you choose to pre-order or buy from them.
Sounds like Wake Island is back again?
When looking at the recently published Battlefield: Bad Company 2 ratings certificate, one thing caught our eye that was more than a bit unexpected, which is the mention of “players conduct missions on an unnamed Japanese island during World War II and then move into the modern day.” When this revolution started to make its way around the Internet, it seems that speculation is ripe that the unnamed island is none other than Wake Island, which has been a long-time Battlefield favorite and has been reproduced for just about all of the Battlefield titles over the years.
What we do know is that some of the weapons from the download-only Battlefield 1943 will be available within Battlefield: Bad Company 2. Some in the community are speculating that the decision to add this map might be a way for the company to test the waters on an updated WWII offering that would be a more in-depth revival of the original Battlefield 1942 than the download-only 1943 was. DICE, along with Electronic Arts, is said to have been very surprised and pleased with the sales of the 1943 download release and are wondering in which direction to move with this data in planning their upcoming release strategy.
Still, some are suggesting that the Japanese island level could be nothing more than a flashback; but we tend to think it might be something more to establish some interest for a possible future release. Still, if it is that Wake Island were included with the game that would be a very good place to play, from what we have seen in the beta and the demo with the modern weapons provided within the BFBC2 game.
As the release inches closer, it should be noted that the ratings board rated the title “M” for Mature for blood, strong language and violence. There is no surprise in that as the Battlefield has been delivering blood, strong language, and violence with every release. After checking again over the weekend, we continue to hear that the title is still on track for a March 2nd release in North America, with a March 5th release in Europe for the Xbox 360, PlayStation 3 and PC platforms.
Im GLAD im not on those silly consoles xD but then again after playing rush this WHOLE time i doubt id play it the first month anyways lol
New Siggy; What do you think?
