Unfortunately the review is coming from ars technica and not from Teckh. EA hasn’t sent us our beta keys yet (wishful thinking). If you aren’t familiar with Battlefield Heroes it is a free game that EA is releasing in the very near future. Watch the video below to get the full feel for the game.
The game is currently in a closed beta which ars techinca was invited to participate in and they had the following to say:
It’s important to get the misinformation out of the way: the game will have ads on both the official website and the game’s launcher. The good news is that there will be no ads in the actual game, and the ads in the various front-ends are unobstrusive. The other way EA is hoping to make money from the game is microtransactions: selling in-game items for a few dollars each. We were once led to believe players would only be able to purchase visual upgrades for their characters—new hats or glasses or similar items—but EA has now told us the item store will also allow you to “catch-up with your hardcore free-playing buddies with time-saving convenience items.” That doesn’t sound promising.
The game play has its own feel and pace, and strategy is much more important here than it is in other shooters. Heroes does the casual thing well, while also giving hardcore gamers some depth, and I can see how leveling up your character and chasing the achievements can become addictive. EA and DICE are also promising constant updates with more content, so the game will be a living being, much like Team Fortress 2. Will Battlefield: Heroes find an audience? Hard to say, but the game won’t cost you anything to play, so it will at least be worth a try when it receives a wider release. The big question is what EA will choose to sell you, and what gamers will find themselves willing to pay for.
