We Just Played Battlefield Heroes

[EDIT: Blog post updated on 20 April to correct the section on mission rewards--they grant valor point bonuses, not experience bonuses.] The upcoming Battlefield Heroes will be a free-to-play online shooter from EA and our Swedish friends at Digital Illusions CE, better known as DICE, the creator...

[EDIT: Blog post updated on 20 April to correct the section on mission rewards--they grant valor point bonuses, not experience bonuses.]

The upcoming Battlefield Heroes will be a free-to-play online shooter from EA and our Swedish friends at Digital Illusions CE, better known as DICE, the creator of Battlefield 2. The game is already in a closed beta test state and is planned to go open beta this summer. We had a chance to jump in ourselves and have a few new details to report.

Battlefield Heroes currently has some 300,000 people signed up to play in the beta and already has more than 150,000 players in and playing. You'll start your new life in the game by going to the game's official Web site and registering, while the game downloads and installs itself on your computer. The site has various sections for your characters, including "my stuff" for your character's items, a mission listing for available missions for your character (such as "kill a certain number of enemies," which, when completed, will net your character a valor-point bonus), and the in-game store, where you can purchase "microtransaction" items. Your character may collect two different kind of points to purchase items; valor points, which can be earned from playing the game, and battle points, which you can purchase.

The game's saleable items will include vanity apparel items, like a parrot your character can wear on his shoulder, as well as "boost" items that will let you temporarily gain more experience points while used (to help players who don't have a lot of time to devote to playing). There won't be any powerful weapons, armor, or anything that will make any players more powerful than any others added to the store, otherwise.

Currently, the test version of the game has about three maps with at least one additional map planned to be added before the game launches. Battlefield Heroes has three different character classes, the soldier (which can heal nearby teammates), the gunner (the heavy weapons class), and the commando (the stealth/sniper class). The game will try to make sure players get matched with players of equal skill levels using the "ELO" matchmaking system used for chess tournaments, and the game will eventually have some kind of group or clan system to help you find regular matches with people you know.

The actual gameplay is fast-paced and streamlined down from the previous Battlefield games, so there's no lying prone, no minimap, and when you die, you won't drop your kit's items (so other players can't grab your items and change class). Whichever character you're playing will have to be one of the game's three classes; if you wish to change, you need to hop out of the game and create a new character of that different class if you don't have one already. The map we played on as a commando was a very intimate one with flag capture points in and around small country villages with a few regularly spawning vehicles, like jeeps and tanks. The commando class has several useful, easy-to-understand skills like a stealth ability that hides him from view. He also carries stealth weapons, such as a sniper rifle with zooming scope, and a knife used for melee kills. Aside from being humiliating, melee kills also let you get nice and close to your fallen enemy to leave him with a parting gesture. Battlefield Heroes will have a handful of different animation gestures, and since the game will have a Call of Duty-like "killcam" that immediately changes your view to the person who just fragged you, you'll be able to put them to good use. Politely.


Battlefield Heroes looks like an interesting new direction for the Battlefield series, and with this, and Battlefield 1943, DICE and EA seem to be positioning its next Battlefield games to appeal to more-casual users.

144 Comments

  • slimco

    Posted Dec 5, 2009 10:16 am PT

    just tried it, its awesome.. i have a feeling i'm gonna get hooked to this real bad

  • BigNalive

    Posted Oct 2, 2009 4:56 pm PT

    I play this game as a commando, and it's awesome.

  • LtBladeKAW

    Posted Jun 3, 2009 11:41 am PT

    Great game, a bit of lag here and there but still solid.

  • keltoncapuchina

    Posted May 13, 2009 9:00 am PT

    Its a good game but it too much like a cartoon version of Warhawks. The two are very similar.

  • filmboy85

    Posted May 1, 2009 6:17 pm PT

    Tried the beta today-it's fun, although I wish that they hadn't made some of the control changes from the original battlefields

  • Lukemaneiro

    Posted Apr 29, 2009 1:52 pm PT

    I've been playing, it's a fun game. But the microtransactions are INCREDIBLY OVERPRICED, so you shouldn't think about customizing your character a lot.

    Basically, you spend 5 dollars so your character can have one or two pieces of cloth per month. If you want to keep a character customizable all the time, you need to spend 15 bucks per month just for the clothing part. Customizing in this game is worse than paying for WoW.

  • teddytiger

    Posted Apr 28, 2009 12:48 pm PT

    this game is really good, graphics are etremly good even for a retail price game

  • quadraleap

    Posted Apr 27, 2009 6:42 pm PT

    Looks good to me! =D

  • redline09

    Posted Apr 26, 2009 11:26 am PT

    cool cool, i just orded my key

    i missed the first round of beta testing but deff gonna play now!!

    ( google battlefield 1943, go to there website and click "sign up for beta" )

  • skater738

    Posted Apr 25, 2009 9:02 pm PT

    hey guys can i get a key from gamespot?

  • djgari_23

    Posted Apr 25, 2009 9:59 am PT

    I'm still waiting for my beta key to play.. But base from the videos and feedback, I know it's going to be worth the wait.

  • princesmarty

    Posted Apr 25, 2009 8:24 am PT

    played for couple of times and fell in love with it.....really very gud game.....

  • Gezquester

    Posted Apr 25, 2009 3:31 am PT

    This game is awesome!

  • killerbott1

    Posted Apr 24, 2009 10:10 am PT

    i love this game

  • jamacian123

    Posted Apr 23, 2009 9:00 pm PT

    how do u get a beta

  • nitsud_19

    Posted Apr 23, 2009 6:16 am PT

    Got my key this morning, but i'm at work atm. Looking forward to playing tonight!

  • hamm101

    Posted Apr 22, 2009 3:26 pm PT

    it looks like a good game, and ive been following it since last summer, but i haven't gotten a key yet. 37 weeks and counting

  • XploadBG

    Posted Apr 22, 2009 3:19 am PT

    Strange, I signed up for beta and got my key in a few days ;p

  • Pook78

    Posted Apr 22, 2009 3:18 am PT

    it´s really funny! But what it needs is more maps. i think i has only three or maybe four small maps. I really hope and i know that they can do this whit more maps. and for the sniper more wepons to buy in the shop. not only a pistol and a another rifle. some granades would be nice.i have played the beta for only 2-3 weeks and i already find things to complain about! but i´ts nice if this is a start of many more fre games online!

  • 4Brko

    Posted Apr 22, 2009 1:08 am PT

    I play this game and games is cool. but i wait beta key for 2 months

  • semirrrrrrrrrrr

    Posted Apr 22, 2009 12:00 am PT

    I play th beta for a while but the main menu lags like hell in every version
    any ideas???

  • shani_boy101

    Posted Apr 21, 2009 8:11 pm PT

    i'm in the beta and the game's great, although the sniper rifle needs some fixing (its a tad inaccurate).

    One thing that is downright stupid is the pricing for these ""micro""transaction items you can buy. theres a total of about 4 permanent clothing items you can buy, and each piece of that clothing is 400 BF or Battlefunds. You buy BF in lots of 700 at minimum and i did the converting and it ends up with ONE piece of apparel costing $4.50 Australian. Full DLC costs around that much! and the rest of the clothing costs about the same but its NOT permanent! EA sucks.

    I'll still be playing for free but i'm not giving a cent to those ---holes.

  • MidniteShadow

    Posted Apr 20, 2009 10:37 pm PT

    Looks like their using the same engine as Team Fortress 2 sweeeeeet!!

  • The_Free-Man

    Posted Apr 20, 2009 9:12 pm PT

    in the beta everyone spams with the commando and stealthily snipes you. and the game cannot run smoothly

    yet it does have some fun combat features including assasination and vehicles

  • KillerOttsel

    Posted Apr 20, 2009 6:27 pm PT

    June, sweet! I cant wait to download this.

  • jazzyrider

    Posted Apr 20, 2009 1:30 pm PT

    Looks fun!

  • bredeyabo

    Posted Apr 20, 2009 12:26 pm PT

    lol the premium things kinda ruined it.
    not its kinda just like gunz online

  • elgrantimmy

    Posted Apr 20, 2009 7:42 am PT

    It should have been out since last year, I don't think I'm interested enough to give it a try anymore.

  • graydon20_basic

    Posted Apr 20, 2009 7:14 am PT

    I'm in the closed beta right now. I'll try to put this as lightly as possible, take Battlefield 1942, rip the idea of TF2, and implement the game as if it were on Wii, (ie. dumb it down as much as possible). I must also stress that this is arcade to the extreme, there are no iron-sights or first person cameras at all, spray n' pray at it's finest.

    If you're a fan of the Battlefield series, you will probably dislike this game. If you're a fan of simpleton shooters that are extremely slow paced with no flow, you might enjoy this game, but probably won't play this long, as the 4 maps don't offer much replay value.

    I'll agree, before I was in the beta, it looked like a decent idea. But the bottomline is, you get what you pay for, and this is a free-to-play game fueled on the presumption of micro-transaction sales.

    This game won't last past the initial hoopla and novelty factor it provides, because trust me, that's about the only thing it provides.

  • slick3d

    Posted Apr 20, 2009 4:12 am PT

    awesome !!!

  • kuwakcai

    Posted Apr 20, 2009 2:02 am PT

    this game is like Team Fortress 2 + Battlefield = Battlefield Heroes . EA games rock...

  • warcry08

    Posted Apr 19, 2009 11:04 pm PT

    It reminds me TF2 because its cartoonlike. However i cant wait untill its released.

  • TheJackal_basic

    Posted Apr 19, 2009 10:34 pm PT

    "such as "kill a certain number of enemies," which, when completed, will net your character an experience bonus"
    I'd like to point out that GameSpot has made an error in their reporting.
    You do NOT get an XP bonus from finishing missions, I repeat DO NOT.
    You get Valor Points, which are used to buy weapons etc., NOT to level up!

  • giant11

    Posted Apr 19, 2009 9:52 pm PT

    I was in the beta and I was really disappointed. I think this game is for kids. The cartoony style is not well done like Team Fortress 2 and is simply annoying. All the music and some gunfire sounds (like firing a tank cannon) are incredibly annoying.

    The game feels like it has no depth. No one uses the mic. Almost no teamwork.. the game hardly lends itself to it.

    I have nothing good to say about this except that the game runs WELL and I hope more and better games will follow this advertisment-supported model.

  • amo_lang123

    Posted Apr 19, 2009 8:17 pm PT

    i am in the beta, and i have to say that the game is really fun, it is so worth playing especially cause its free. its a lot of fun to play with friends. i love the style and sounds...

  • johnfrusciantex

    Posted Apr 19, 2009 6:15 pm PT

    What the hell is up with games now adays? This is crap!

  • steelhorse02

    Posted Apr 19, 2009 5:48 pm PT

    cartoony but fun.. curently playing closed beta... really fun game

  • halofreak500

    Posted Apr 19, 2009 4:51 pm PT

    it looks cool but i have a xbox360

  • Nihmmoh

    Posted Apr 19, 2009 4:33 pm PT

    i like how tf2 kinda looked cartoony but this is TOO cartoony, but its free so w/e

  • athenian29

    Posted Apr 19, 2009 3:42 pm PT

    I'm in the closed beta; this game is amazing. I love it. Also, it feels so good to be with a game right from the start.

  • Destr0y666

    Posted Apr 19, 2009 2:39 pm PT

    I like this game, it's a bit too RPG-like but it's fun

  • dhopfgartner

    Posted Apr 19, 2009 2:16 pm PT

    I've gotten my Beta-Key 2-3 weeks ago. I have a gunner (lvl12) and a soldier (lvl8 ). I did never play any pro-gamer shooter online, cause I never liked it to be head-snipered by some 8-16 year old kiddys playing all day long. I just wanted to play some short, fast-paced, easy understandable shooter for people who always loved Wolfenstein, Doom, Quake, Battlefield, CoD and so on and: I foung my game with BF Heroes. I love it. Thanks god it isn't a pro-gamer shooter. It's a fun cartoon shooter for anybody who plays this as a game, not as a serious job. Shooting and talking politely to people you know is a lot of fun with this game ; )

  • Obliteraser

    Posted Apr 19, 2009 11:27 am PT

    i played it. im lvl 10 and it still tinkles my interest. the idea of abilities are wellmade and they are well performed, and varied too. it is true that it takes a gruesome lot of time to take down an enemy, which can be kinda annoying for a heavy, but otherwise this wouldnt be quite the same fun... and for the record, to all you who dont get the point system of conquer: you start out with fifty points, and uncap base and four capturable bases. taking them gives you a lot of exp FYI. whenever a killed has been made, the enemy team looses a point (or officially "Ticket"). if a team manages to "conquer" the map, by holding all 4 capturable bases, the enemy team trebles, which courses them to loose these ticket, even though they are not being killed. so if you own 3 bases, you wont conquer. thats pretty much how this one goes... its problematic though, that theres only 50 points, finishing a match way too quick (can range from 10 to 30 minuttes)
    instead of the titan maps in bf2142 where they could go on for about an hour!

  • IXIWhistIXI

    Posted Apr 19, 2009 11:11 am PT

    IT's an amusing game but it gets old pretty quickly. 3 maps and an insane exp curve (once you hit ten it starts getting crazy).
    It's a good casual game though which I guess was the intent.

  • elovirote

    Posted Apr 19, 2009 10:47 am PT

    i play the beta and is a funny game.
    if you do not want to play this game... well no play and shut up

  • sasmflop

    Posted Apr 19, 2009 10:45 am PT

    I have been beta testing on this for the last couple of weeks. Not much to keep you coming back. I played bf1942 for years and still play Bf2 to this day. But this game? The game is way too simplified and I HATE that it forces the 3rd person perspective ! No option at all to do 1st person , which annoyed the crap out of me. I would not recommend this game to anyone over 12 years old.

  • zero9167

    Posted Apr 19, 2009 10:34 am PT

    I dont think i'd ever be able to play this game with those sounds effects (ALL of them, they all suck)

  • kieronl

    Posted Apr 19, 2009 9:40 am PT

    w8 ignore my last comment i just watched part saying it free.

  • kieronl

    Posted Apr 19, 2009 9:01 am PT

    i think dice should stick to real war games an not kid games.

  • mrbo69jangles

    Posted Apr 19, 2009 8:49 am PT

    bf 2142 is loads of fun bad company helped introduce frostbite and vietnam and 2 were also great you need to learn how to actually have fun with good games

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