There’s no doubting DICE’s expertise when it comes to multiplayer shooters. Its unique style with maps and vehicles puts it amongst the very best of the best, with the likes of Infinity Ward and Bungie amongst its peers. Unlike Halo and Call of Duty though, the Battlefield series is yet to wow us with a genre defining single-player experience. While Battlefield 2: Modern Combat (on previous-gen machines) and the original Bad Company both featured standalone single-player campaigns, both fell well short of the kind of gameplay we’ve come to expect of the Master Chief or Sergeant ‘Soap’ MacTavish.

The plot of Battlefield: Bad Company 2 has the same squad of misfits within “Bad Company” attempting to prevent a nasty Russian (who bears a striking resemblance to Lazarevic from Uncharted 2) from acquiring a long-lost superweapon. I’m actually a bit sad that it’s so straightforward this time, unlike the previous game’s “Three Kings: The Video Game” approach. But it’s a serviceable story along the same lines as Predator, Commando, or The Rock. If you think too hard about plot holes and leaps of logic, then you’ll get annoyed, but if you just accept the spectacle the moment-to-moment firefights bring, then you should be fine.

Combat has a sandbox sensibility to it. The terrain deformation and destructible buildings combine with some very large spaces to present you with a host of options for each battle, resulting in a great sense of unpredictability. Enemies in Battlefield: Bad Company 2 can (and will) destroy cover and buildings just as willingly as you and your squadmates, and on normal difficulty presented a good challenge that seems as though it’s been toned down from the machine-like precision players complained about in the first game.

Get now Battlefield: Bad Company 2 for US $56.99, ready and armed!

EA Sports let out a few random pieces of information about Madden NFL 11 at their Season Opener event tonight in San Francisco. During a lengthy presentation about sports franchises the sports conglomerate made it very clear that they’re listening to fans, both on forums and through online data tracking services when constructing this year’s flock of titles. The most interesting points in the slew of information had to do with the length of games in Madden NFL 10 and how the company is going to try and make this year’s game a “simpler, quicker and deeper experience.” While I won’t try to decipher how they’ll go about making football both simpler and deeper, it’s clear that they’re going to try and speed up the traditional game of football for Madden NFL 11.

The average game took 63 minutes in Madden NFL 10, despite the fact that players were only playing football for 17 of those minutes. EA Sports promised that they’ll deliver a faster experience in Madden NFL 11 for those who want to sit down and play for a few minutes and then get up and move on to the next activity. They gave no indication of how this would be accomplished, but if I was a betting man, I’d wager that they’ll be adding a “hurry up” option to the list of presentation settings similar to what we see in this year’s crop of MLB titles.

Another interesting factoid had to do with playcalling. Madden NFL 10 included 330 plays. The average user used 13 of them. I’m not exactly sure how they’re going to get people to explore the playbook, but some sort of simplification is clearly needed.

Pre order now Madden NFL 11 here!

In Dante’s Inferno, players assume the role of Dante as he travels on an epic descent through Dante Alighieri’s nine circles of Hell – limbo, lust, gluttony, greed, anger, heresy, violence, fraud and treachery. Players assume the role of Dante, who descends into Hell after returning home to find his beloved Beatrice murdered, with Lucifer seducing her soul into the underworld. His mission is to save Beatrice, but he soon realizes he is also in Hell to face his own demons and ultimately to redeem himself.

To take down the demons of Hell, Dante is outfitted with two primary weapons: the Scythe he takes from Death and the Holy Cross given to him by Beatrice, which has spiritual powers that will help Dante collect souls and spells from the creatures he defeats on his journey. The game also features a deep upgrade system so gamers can customize their abilities to their specific gameplay style. Each circle showcases its own distinct look, with demons, monsters, damned and geography that are crafted straight from the poem’s vivid descriptions.

Key Game Features

• Epic story adapted from the first book of the Medieval Italian classic The Divine Comedy, by Dante Alighieri.
• Nonstop action as you fight through Dante’s allegorical nine circles of hell.
• Wield the power of Death’s soul-reaping scythe.
• Beautiful fast-paced action and intense combat rendered at 60 frames-per-second.
• Choice-based finishes with enemies that allow players to punish the damned, or absolve them as they are defeated.
• Over 60 weapons, magic and combo upgrades and modifications.
• Huge destructive, ridable mounts that can be taken from defeated enemies.

Dante’s Inferno is available now for $56.99 (order quickly and save 5% with FREE Super Saver Shipping).