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Much like it did with Bad Company 2, EA will temporarily upgrade your Crysis 2 copy to a better version if you invest close to launch. The Limited Edition awards bonus multiplayer experience, as well as in-game items such as a SCAR Hologram Decoy, a SCAR Weapon Skin, and a Platinum Dog Tag. If the free upgrade doesn’t have enough spunk for you, grab the Nano Edition as a pre-order directly from EA for $150. With this bundle you’ll get the Limited Edition, a steel case, an 11″ statue, and an art book crammed into a backpack.

Xbox 360 gamers will be able to play a closed beta available later this year, and the retail release is scheduled for March 22, 2011. Gamescom yielded a little more Crysis 2 intel, which you’ll find below.

GAME MODES

Crash Site
Crash Site is a team-based game mode where 2 sides compete for control of Ceph Drop Pods launched periodically into the map by drop ships patrolling overhead. Teams score points by guarding the pods and keeping enemies at bay.

Team Instant Action
Team Instant Action is a standard game mode pitting 2 teams against each other. Kill as many opponents as possible, whilst attempting to minimize your own deaths. Use the Nanosuit to sneak up on enemies in Stealth mode, or charge in and gun them down in Armor.

NANOSUIT MODULES

Weapons Specialist Module
With the Weapons Specialist ability, the player can reload his weapons both more efficiently and quicker.

Proximity Alarm Module
With the Proximity Alarm module attached, the Nanosuit gives audio feedback whenever an enemy approaches. This allows the player to sneak up on or evade their attacker, depending on their preferred tactics.

Enhanced Visor Module
With the Enhanced Visor module attached, the Nanosuit prominently highlights all enemies whenever they are detected through digital scopes.

EA started off with its presser in Cologne, Germany today. A little old, a little new. Fans of FIFA should be stoked, though.

David Beckham is joining EA Sports Active 2 team, but no one really knows just yet whether he’ll simply appear in promos or weigh in on the game development. Total Body Tracking includes heart rate monitor. Online connected environment will share and track data. Launches November 19th.

FIFA 11 save replays and highlights locally. Custom audio allows stored audio to be used in the game. Personality + factored into visual, animations, and attributes so each player feels and looks unique. 360 degree fight for possession and better AI mean for a more competitive game. Creation Center lets you create players, right down to attributes and accessories, which can then be published online. Finally, 11 vs. 11 online play is new to the game, topping off the heap of fanservice delivered in the game. The demo comes September 16th.

Dead Space 2 shows off some improvements. Isaac is bringing more speed and more tools. Isaac now speaks, and his new jetboots facilitate zero-G movement.

Bulletstorm is still a storm of bullets. During the gameplay video, loads of violence, bloodshed, and chatter assaulted the eyes and ears. New enemies called Burnouts are covered in pustules that serve as a weakness; during an attack on these foes we hear the line “Yum, yum! Blister juice!” Definitely not a family game.

Kinect control for Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part One was confirmed by the Weasley brothers (!). What seemed to be a competitive co-op exhibited arm-waving that resulting in spell-casting. Due out in November.

Crysis 2 demands flexibility, as “you will have to defend from above and below” is demonstrated in multiplayer. The Rooftops map demonstrates Team Instant Action mode with loads of Y axis fun. Bring your climbing gear.

On March 8th, EA wants you to “think like a general and fight like a spartan” in Dragon Age 2.

Attention, soldiers! NeoGAF users have spied the Ultimate Edition of Bad Company 2, a repackaging of the hit FPS that includes a little lagniappe for the typical $60 price tag. If you’ve not yet invested in the multiplayer shooter that is considered an alternative (read: superior) to Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2, this is the edition you’ll want to grab.

Amazon lists the new package with an August 31st release date, so you have about two weeks until you can squad up and move out with buckets of lead, blood, and f-bombs! The Ultimate Edition will feature the newish Onslaught Mode (videos), Limited Edition Unlocks, VIP downloads, and a copy of Battlefield 1943.

Rumor has it that the upcoming Vietnam expansion for Bad Company 2 didn’t make the cut because it’s due to be packaged with a Game of the Year Edition release of the title in early 2011. Why wait that long? You’ll want to rank up and practice your demolition skills before then anyway!

Just tweeted by @medalofhonor: Xbox 360 fans rejoice — the Medal of Honor beta is now available on Xbox Live! Step up to Tier 1!

Go get it!

Medal of Honor’s Limited Edition is a curious, bearded fellow. Though certain Limited Editions of the past were simply the regular game with a few freebies tacked on for pre-ordering, the LE of Medal of Honor carries a different SKU, differentiating it from the normal version in retailers’ inventory. The funny thing is, there’s no price difference between the amped up version and the mundane copy. So aside from making gamers feel like MVPs thanks to the snazzy title, what else comes with the promotion?

Guns, duh. With LE, savvy buyers will have early access to shotguns, for one. Everybody loves shotguns. On top of that, LE owners will have exclusive access to the MP7. Executive producer Greg Goodrich tempts that “Access to a weapon like the MP7 will allow players to experience a tool developed with the Special Operations Community in mind. With its light weight, high rate of fire and its ability to penetrate body armor, the MP7 handles like a pistol yet allows targets to be engaged like a rifle.”

Per EA’s forums:

“We’re excited that we can finally share the Onslaught add-on to Battlefield: Bad Company 2 with you! Playstation3 gamers can jump straight into Bad Company 2’s four-player co-op mode today and test their mettle across four specially enhanced multiplayer maps. By land, by sea, by air… enemies will challenge your squad’s ability to work together and hold the line at every capture point.

Xbox 360 owners will be able to purchase Onslaught mode in the very near future, follow us on Twitter (or find us on Facebook) for the latest news as it happens.

Onslaught is available for purchase for the Playstation 3 on the PSN Store for $9.99, and will soon be available for purchase for the Xbox 360 for 800 MS Points on Xbox Live Marketplace.”

Now that we know we have a little more time before the Onslaught, prepare yourself by viewing our gameplay videos at our YouTube channel.

·         EA

o   Battlefield: Bad Company 2

§  Vietnam expansion

o   Bulletstorm

§  February 22

o   Dead Space 2

§  January 25

o   EA Sports Active 2.0

o   EA Sports MMA

§  October 19

§  Randy and Fedor share cover

o   Gun Club

§  Player rewards for shooting games from Dead Space to Battlefield

·         Purchasing and playing the games will unlock new weapons, early beta and demo access, and news

o   Medal o f Honor Beta

§  Recruiting begins on June 21^st

§  Early access to two maps

·         Helmand Valley

·         Kabul City Ruins

§  24-man Team Assault and Combat Mission modes

§  Bad Company 2 VIPs who pre-order Medal of Honor will have multiplayer beta access starting June 17th

§  Beta distribution details are at http://ww.medalofhonor.com/

o   Need for Speed Hot Pursuit

o   Sims 3 hitting consoles this fall

Tired of the same old maps (that were already installed on the disc)? DICE has set a date for the upcoming Onslaught mode for Battlefield: Bad Company 2. Save up your points, because on June 22nd you should be ready to drop 800 of them for a pick-me-update. It’s going to be the same ol’ Valparaiso, Atacama Desert, Isla Inocentes, and Nelson Bay maps, but Onslaught will bring new co-op, objective-based mission play for up to four players. Kit Shortcuts will also become available on June 16th, granting players the option to unlock a kit’s weapons, gadgets, and specializations for about $7 per kit (or $20 for all four). Or, you know, you could just do the work, lazy.

June 15th brings a Massload of space RPG content. On this day, Mass Effect 2 will not only unleash its demo upon the Marketplace, but it will also publish the Overlord DLC. Those new to the title will become (re)acquainted with the cast of Mass Effect 2, while the savvy may explore the expansion’s five new areas as they check out an ominously silent Cerberus research base.

In an unexpected turn of events, Fallout: New Vegas will come with four different bonus packs, each one exclusive to its own specific retail chain. GameStop will bestow upon its customers the Classic Pack, which includes an Armored Vault 13 Suit, a Vault 13 Canteen, a Weathered 10mm Pistol, and four Stimpaks. Amazon is packed with the Tribal version, which includes Tribal Raiding Armor, a Broad Machete, five Bleak Venom doses, and 10 Throwing Spears. For Steam/Walmart loyalists, the Caravan Pack is for you; this bundle is composed of Lightweight Leather Armor, a Sturdy Caravan Shotgun, four Repair Kits, and a pair of Binoculars. Finally, Best Buy gifts consumers with the Mercenary Pack, a collection of Lightweight Metal Armor, the Mercenary’s Grenade Rifle, three Super Stimpaks, and three Doctor’s Bags. While it’s nice to see GameStop’s iron grip on add-on bonuses loosened a little, this bonus pack versatility is sure to rub some collectors the wrong way.

Remember the Dreamcast? Sega has announced that they will begin porting the throwback console’s classic titles to XBLA and PSN later in the year. Sonic Adventure and Crazy Taxi are slated to lead the rereleases, which will be outfitted with better sound, quality, and the Achievement/Trophy system. Maybe E3 will fill in a few more details?

Kmart‘s in-store deals (June 13-19)

• Mass Effect 2 — $19.99 (Save $20)
• Battlefield Bad Company 2 — $39.99 (Save $20)
• Skate 3 — $44.99 (Save $15)
• FIFA World Cup 2010 South Africa — $44.99 (Save $15)
• Backbreaker — $34.99 (Save $15)
• BioShock 2 — $34.99 (Save $15)
• BioShock — $14.99 (Save $5)

E3 2010 is almost here, which means anxiety levels are high over at 360 Rant Rave. Do we have everything we need? What are we wearing? Can we get to each appointment on time? Should we stop in and check out Leonard Nimoy? These and many more questions run through our heads, but perhaps chief amongst all these queries, is how we will pay for it all.

Don’t you fret, for we’ll figure it all out somehow. We’ve got a gameplan set up on the new forum (which should go live once the diligent Jolly gets the style and chat in place), so we’ll not be spending our first E3 looking like chocobos with no heads. The funding, however…well, we won’t turn down donations

Here’s a list of who is bringing what to the video game potluck going down in just a few days:

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