Well, EA really screwed up this launch across the board. I still think the 1.5 gig texture pack and 170 meg day-one patch thing is absurdly ridiculous. What a stupendously unprepared launch.

Also, can Alex just write all the site's news from now on? He's a great writer and seems to avoid typos quite well.

While playing 99% of my games on PC, this does not effect me, but I feel kind of duped regarding the much hyped and number one marketted feature for Battlefield 3 largely being abscent from anything other than scripted events. That of course being destruction. After Bad Company 1 & 2 I expected destruction to the same level, but it seems substantially reduced. After the terrible PC release for Dead Space (with no patch to remedy any issue) and the copy/paste nature of Dragon Age II, I think my time preordering EA games is at an end. I'll take a wait and see approach as I find I'm being sold a lot of hot air. I mean, enough to shrink my fucking clothes.

All right, I now feel comfortable saying FUCK BF3.

maybe it's because I wasn't planning on picking up the ps3 version, but I had completely forgotten that 1943 was supposed to be included, even if they felt like they had never announced it officially because no one from EA had said anything about it, they still needed to be more clear about it.

all of the problems would be very upsetting to me if the game itself wasn't so fun to play.

Thank you Alex, fucking nuts.

I always thought giving away 1943 seemed kind of stupid, why would you want to play that when you had BF3? Still, that is possibly the shittiest thing I've seen a developer do yet, right up there with what EA pulled with Tiger Woods on the PC this year.

I can't understand how they could want to go head on with MW3 and fuck up so many integral parts of a software launch. "When you come at the king, you best not miss." And BF3 slipped on a banana peel and landed face first into cow shit even before entering the ring.

I..what? I only held off on getting BF3 because The Goddamn Batman was out. But really? Come on, EA, you can do waaay better than this.

Man EA please to botch up Mass Effect 3 release with this garbage

I was running out of room on my PS3 hard drive so i deleted 1943 because i thought id be getting it wiith BF3. God damnit EA.

I wonder if this has anythgin to do with Microsofts anti-competitive anti-consumer bullying tactics.

http://www.eurogamer.net/articles/2011-08-24-why-microsoft-wont-publish-psn-firsts

""Microsoft also demands publishers release games with at least the same content "on-disc" across platforms.""

I woudl not be suprised if Microsoft threatened EA over adding extra content to the PS3 version, as Microsoft have a long sordid past of questionable buisness tactics.

That maniacal laughter you hear is Bobby Kotick.

I own both consoles but bought BF3 on 360 and I don't understand this solution. They mess up and make PS3 owners of the game mad and their solution is to turn around and punish 360 owners for a mistake they made? That just sounds stupid to me.

So in essence, EA is saying "we decided to get exclusivity release rights for early DLC instead of giving you guys a free copy of 1943"? Isn't this something that everyone kinda knew a few weeks ago, except without the part that says "...and you aren't getting 1943"?

*ugh* This launch isn't a disaster. It's a fiasco! A FIASCO!

Geez I didn't even realize I was supposed to be getting that... YOU'RE DAMN RIGHT IM PISSED OFF!

Suddenly Activision doesn't seem so bad...

@xbob42 said:

"It doesn't affect me, so it isn't news and you most definitely shouldn't report blatant lies that just add to the other blatant lies."

Listen to yourself, you sound like a 12-year old defending his very first game purchase. If it has nothing to do with you, shut the fuck up and move on, because it is relevant to anyone buying the PS3 version.

In an attempt to try and keep this civil, I'll attack the argument and not the person.

This is something incredibly trivial compared to the actual product here. This is a 2 year old, downloadable game, inferior in every way to the product PS3 owners purchased. I should know, I already own BF1943 on the PS3. Step back and think about it, and then really consider if this is significant or not. It's not like 360 owners were getting it for free, and there was never even a PC version to begin with. Even the sentiment is lost here, because EA goes back on their word all the time, and this isn't new... but people love to bitch, so here we are, ignoring the reality of the situation and instead getting up in arms over something not worth anyone's time or notice. At least in Canada, BF1943 isn't even mentioned on the box.

This is a waste of Alex Navarro's time, every reader's time, because it barely fucking matters to anyone. As someone who paid to support WM, this kind of story sucks because it's just shallow pandering to EA and BF3 hate.

I'm done talking to you, anyone who resorts to using ad hominem clearly doesn't have much of anything else to say.

@sopranosfan:It has nothing to do with the players. It's purely them making an offer to Sony.

After a short phone call to EA customer support, the reason I got was because BF1943 "doesn't work on PS3" which he continued to say even after I told him I could go buy it on the store right now and that PS3 members get the "privilege to take part in the DLC beta a week early"

So basically a load of bullshit on the customer support end

That gif was hilarious, that can actually happen in game? I want to like EA so much, especially because of how much I generally dislike Activision, but they make it so hard. This is such bullshit.

Does it say that it us included on the box? If not, then I'm not sure how big of a deal this is. You should not just take one person's word once as a promise especially when you never hear anything else about it.

That is some funny shit.

Emphasis on Shit.

So first we have the Dark Souls map, making of, and soundtrack being relegated to a digital release instead of a physical one.

Then we have the Catwoman content being DLC instead of on the disc.

Now 1943 is removed from Battlefield 3 without anyone saying anything.

Anyone agree that "Broken Pre-Order Promises" should be the Worst Trend of the Year for 2011?

@Giantstalker:

Outright lies should not be tolerated by the gaming community. This makes EA, DICE, and Sony all look terrible. If the publisher promised a finished product as an addition to the current product they are selling, then there is no excuse for it to not be there. The most pathetic thing about this whole fiasco is how they flat out did not later come out and admit that it would not be there. They simply kept they're mouths shut and apparently acted as though no one would notice. That is lying to the consumer. Period. It's stupid and idiotic to argue otherwise. Why should I trust EA? I hate Activision, but they have never objectively outright lied to this extent that I can personally think of. And if anyone can think of an example I'd love to hear it because this is the most blatant lie I have heard from any publisher ever.

I have BF1943 and I can honestly say it is garbage, so PS3 owners duped into buying this version for that bonus can take some solace in the fact that they are not missing anything, but I still sympathize with their frustrations. And if you wanna burn down EA headquarters, I'll bring the kerosene. ;)

Personally, I won't be buying BF3 unless I get some playtime with it that convinces me it is worth the $60 investment. It needs to be the multiplayer game I want to keep playing over Gears 3, MW3, and UC3 even though I desperately want it to live up to that as I LOVE the multiplayer destructability concept. But if I do buy it, this is just further evidence the 360 version is the right version to get for a console gamer, broken servers be damned. That will be or already is fixed (hell if I know) and as always it has a bigger, stonger player base. Also, there's no mouse or move support that I'm aware of so controller's as good as it gets for console gamers.

Finally, Giantstalker, just admit that this was a colossul fuck up that is inexcusable. You just sound like a blind zealot defending your first purchase you ever made with your own allowance on the only system you have. I'm not saying it's true, but that is exactly what you sound like. Also note that this has nothing to do with my argument, or the proof of why you are inarguably wrong, but that I think for you to save face you should just admit it was a fuck up.

Paraphrasing Mr. Matthew Rorie here but...

How do you function in a society these days when lying and marketing/PR overstatement upset you so much?

Like...really...

And regardless of all that shit, a ton of people will still buy the game, so EA doesn't care. 
 
@Giantstalker: Regardless of what you think of the quality of the extra product that was promised here, this is something that should not be tolerated. Do you honestly believe that this is not something EA should be chastised for? From what you said, it doesn't seem that way, more rather that you think we should accept this because there's nothing we can do about it, which I would disagree with. Don't buy the damn game, ya know?
 
And I don't think you can claim this matters to no one, I'm not sure how you would know that. And if even that was the case that no one cares, I believe that people should care. Informing consumers about a slight against them by a company seems neither shallow nor a waste of time.
 
Also, why would they put that on the box? I saw you and a couple other people mention that. I'm sure they knew a long time ago that this wasn't going to be included, so why would they advertise the discrepancy between the final product and their previous promise by indicating it on the box?

 
 

@Giantstalker:

read alex's article again. he really does a good job explaining it all. if you still don't understand it. then you should probably go buy BF3 on 360.

im not saying this wasn't a shitty move by EA, but come on guys. we all laughed when we found out 1943 was the BIG PS3 exclusive. a game (barely) anyone plays anymore and game that is a little shallow in comparison to the main game you just bought. look at this way. now PS3 gets early maps and have become a thorn in the PC community's side.

It is shitty but regardless,
 

SeductiveMoose needs to do an Alex/Mugato shoop.

In Australia, promising something as part of the paand then not delivering on that is false advertising. Unless EA makes good on their promise (or had informed prior to launch that the bonus wasn't included) than they could have a lawsuit on their hands. I wasn't going to purchase this game anyway, but Im sure there are more than a few people out there who would feel gypped.

@Giantstalker said:

@xbob42 said:

"It doesn't affect me, so it isn't news and you most definitely shouldn't report blatant lies that just add to the other blatant lies."

Listen to yourself, you sound like a 12-year old defending his very first game purchase. If it has nothing to do with you, shut the fuck up and move on, because it is relevant to anyone buying the PS3 version.

In an attempt to try and keep this civil, I'll attack the argument and not the person.

This is something incredibly trivial compared to the actual product here. This is a 2 year old, downloadable game, inferior in every way to the product PS3 owners purchased. I should know, I already own BF1943 on the PS3. Step back and think about it, and then really consider if this is significant or not. It's not like 360 owners were getting it for free, and there was never even a PC version to begin with. Even the sentiment is lost here, because EA goes back on their word all the time, and this isn't new... but people love to bitch, so here we are, ignoring the reality of the situation and instead getting up in arms over something not worth anyone's time or notice. At least in Canada, BF1943 isn't even mentioned on the box.

This is a waste of Alex Navarro's time, every reader's time, because it barely fucking matters to anyone. As someone who paid to support WM, this kind of story sucks because it's just shallow pandering to EA and BF3 hate.

I'm done talking to you, anyone who resorts to using ad hominem clearly doesn't have much of anything else to say.

I'll keep this to a single line, because clearly the universe revolves around your opinion, : YOU DON'T FUCKING TELL ME WHAT MATTERS TO ME.

The fact that no one apologized for the mix up and instead they offer...literally nothing of value in return...that's just shocking. If people continue to buy EA products after this, I will be amazed. I pre ordered BF3, even without high expectations, and I will still not be buying Old Republic, which makes me sad since I wanted to play :(

@Seppli said:

@Harkat said:

@imsh_pl said:

@Stingraymond said:

Disappointment of the year and it just gets worse.

You should really play Duke Nukem Forever.

Difference was, people knew Duke was going to be shit months in advance. BF was going to be, even to a lot of people who Know Their Shit, the greatest thing ever.

You guys are fucking nuts. Do you think any of this shit matters to me, when I'm sitting in my A-10 raining death on the beaches of Kharg Island? Nuh-uh. BF3 is going to be WICKED!

As for this BF1943 SNAFU. Who gives a shit? Poor communication from both EA and Sony. It was a stupid bonus to begin with. It's a shame such shit gets in the way of what seems to me like the multiplayer game to beat this season.

So ignorant. Don't even think about the people affected by all these problems, just give your opinion using big boy swear words as if anyone cares.

@Chibi_Gaara said:

I would consider buying another cowadooty ONLY if they make something ridiculous like this

EA ruins another franchise. No surprise there.

Is there even anyone still playing 1943?

what a load of shit.

@Alex - I've been on your balls about being snarky and unpleasant to read, so I gotta give you props for reining it in here. You kept attempts at comedy and petty insults to a minimum and let the reader think, only opining in places where it's bloody obvious.

In short, excellent article, and you should use this as a model for all future writings.

As to EA, just WOW. So they made a super-buggy game, mishandled pretty much everything, and this is what's going to be their CoD killer? Good luck to them, but I know I won't be buying.

@Sacerdos87 said:

EA ruins another franchise. No surprise there.

This, pretty much. I can't believe anyone expected anything else after Medal of Honor.

BF3 multiplayer is still the best around, but EA is seriously some dumbasses that lack any grace. Welp, time to fly a jet into a tank and remember why I play battlefield.

edit: and thinking more about it, Yeah y'all really bought BF3 to play battlefield 1943 (the worst battlefield game), sure. It's still stupid but if this is your "breaking point" you weren't gonna buy the game already sooooooooo

I'm not even that interested in Battlefield 3 but it's infuriating to see that EA think they can botch all that stuff surrounding one of their biggest games of the year so badly, make a huge cock up like this and then have the nerve to tell people that their compensation is they get to give them more money for things faster. It's shit like this EA...

@BigChief said:

EA has gotten so weird lately. Like, everything they do is surrounded by an air of creepy desperation, not to mention PR disasters like this. It's getting kind of offputting.

I have that same feeling! How does a company this large, with a generally awesome pedigree, get so... what you said. Sure, they've been stinking up the industry in the last 5 years, but even with a few flops and negatively received business decisions, this whole deal-ie is just laughable... Why do they feel inclined to have all these pre-order/new/Origin/platorm based incentives when everyone and their brother will buy this game as is? Hell, I'd buy the game for $80 if I didn't need to deal with the damn web browser menu interface and Origin install on PC :P

This is fucked up,

I never even heard about this deal. When did EA say this?

I cannot stop laughing at this link in Alex's post.

That link is awesome.

@MadMagyar92 said:

@BigChief said:

EA has gotten so weird lately. Like, everything they do is surrounded by an air of creepy desperation, not to mention PR disasters like this. It's getting kind of offputting.

I have that same feeling! How does a company this large, with a generally awesome pedigree, get so... what you said. Sure, they've been stinking up the industry in the last 5 years, but even with a few flops and negatively received business decisions, this whole deal-ie is just laughable... Why do they feel inclined to have all these pre-order/new/Origin/platorm based incentives when everyone and their brother will buy this game as is? Hell, I'd buy the game for $80 if I didn't need to deal with the damn web browser menu interface and Origin install on PC :P

This isn't just desperate. This is pulling every dirty trick in the book to accrue more sales than the "competition." I wouldn't be surprised if DICE was left in the dust if this doesn't work out.

EA have been particularly shit with this game.

Uhhhhh, yeah, that's... ah... That's pretty bad...