DICE has announced a new DLC for Bad Company 2, which includes a new mode called “Onslaught”. However, the announcement is only for the console versions of Bad Company 2, and the new mode and DLC will not find its way to the PC. The reason? As DICE’s Barry Tingle says:
“The problem we have on PC is that all our servers are dedicated with providers. Changing a server from Conquest 32 players to Onslaught 4 players cuts out 28 player slots from the total amount available. This could have a dramatic affect on the PC online environment if enough servers changed to Onslaught.”
Tingle added that they’re looking into bringing the new mode to PC without affecting how many player slots are available. They do face a legitimate problem: if enough servers converted from 32 players to 4 player onslaught modes, there simply wouldn’t be enough lots for everyone to play.
According to the official stats of Bad Company 2, a new weapon has come up, the M1 Bayonette, which is listed as a “gadget”, with a description as “Special Unlock: WWII Weapon”. This might indicate a new gadget unlock to be released in the future, perhaps as a part of a DLC with new WW2 maps.
DICE has revealed that the kit upgrade DLC is coming to Xbox 360 tomorrow. The codes for the DLC can be found on certain Dr. Pepper products in the US, while Europeans will have to buy the DLC. PC and PS3 versions of the DLC are expected to be released next month.
The new kits include new uniforms for each class, which feature more camouflage and camouflage for guns as well, including the M95 sniper. The DLC also includes 4 new achievements and 12 new awards.
We know this kinda sounds like a mess — there has been very little official info of the DLC from DICE’s side, and it’s even more difficult to figure out how to get it. But we’ll try and simplify it here:
If you’re in the US, you can only get the DLC through codes on Dr. Pepper products. If you’re in Europe, you’ll have to pay $5 for the DLC for all kits, or $2 for each kit upgrade.
A few players on the EA UK forums spotted the new Rush maps Laguna Presa (which was previously available as conquest) on Russian servers. The maps are set for release on March 30, and appear that they were already part of the game files, which leads us to believe that the maps were already present in the retail version of the game, but were locked out.
Game publishers — including EA — have been doing this for a while, locking out content already available and then offering it as DLC, or rather, unlock codes. We previously reported that there were a number of map files which didn’t correspond to DICE’s official map count, which further adds to the notion that some content was locked out.
On a lighter note, the upcoming DLC doesn’t include completely new maps, but rather, includes variations of two already available maps. Also, keep in mind that the DLC will be for free for those who purchased a new copy of the game, while those who bought it used will have to pony up.
Having said that, the DLC still doesn’t appear as “DLC”, but rather, just an unlock for content already present.
On the same day that Modern Warfare 2 is set to receive a map pack DLC, DICE has announced that Bad Company 2 will be receiving a “VIP map pack 2″ on the same day. Or actually, it’s not really a map pack, since both maps are already available, instead, the Conquest mode will be added to the map Africa Harbor and a Rush mode to the map Laguna Presa.
The “map pack” will be released for free to all who bought the game at retail, those who purchased it used will have to pay.
EA has announced that day-one DLC will be available for Bad Company 2, which will include two new maps, a Rush map called Nelson Bay and a Conquest map called Laguna Alta. If you buy the game used, you’ll have to spend $5 on the two maps. A second map pack is planned for March, which will likewise be free to those who bought the game.
EA has been experimenting with ways of getting gamers to buy new instead of used games, one of the perks seems to be DLC, where gamers who buy a new boxed version of the game will have a VIP code which gives them access to downloadable content throughout the life of the game.
This has now been confirmed for Bad Company 2 as well, as the game will ship with a such VIP code, and DLC will be available from day one, with more to come later on. The VIP code is connected to your EA account.
According to Bad Company 2 producer Patrick Bach, Bad Company 2 will include an online store within the game, where players can purchase items.
“We have an in-game store where you get free content or you can buy new content to the game, so it’s a very integral part of the game that we will have a long post-launch campaign. I think people will be thrilled to see what’s in that already. On day one, you will get some really cool stuff.”
This might be seen as bad news for some, as in game DLC, particularly the notion of buying guns and upgrades, has gotten a bit out of hand in the recent years, and players generally resent this kind of action. We’ll have to wait and see if the BC2 “online store” is a valuable addition to the game, or a nickle-and-dime deal from EA’s side.
According to ESRB rating’s description of Bad Company 2 seems to include World War 2 levels, like the ones present in Battlefield 1943. Here’s what the ESRB certificate said, in part:
“…players conduct missions on an unnamed Japanese island during World War II and then move into the modern day.”
Since ESRB gets to review the complete and final game, it’s quite possible that we’ll see one or more maps imported from Battlefield 1943 — BC2 already has several of the weapons available from BF 1943. You can read the full ratings description here.
According to Bad Company 2 producer Patrick Bach, Bad Company 2 will include an online store within the game, where players can 
