Excited over Battlefield Bad Company 2? I know I am and so are the folks over at Official Xbox Magazine, Playstation: The Official Magazine and Game Informer as well. Check out the following gameplay trailer, highlighting some really great kills along with early review scores from the above mentioned publications.

Also, here’s something cool if you have a blog, check out the following countdown timer to the Battlefield Bad Company 2 launch date:

With Battlefield Bad Company 2′s launch just around the corner, you’ll find ramped up coverage of the game on Nine Over Ten 9/10. Today we’ll take a look at how the game is like for the PC, with Producer Anders Gyllenberg giving an overview of the PC version in a walkthrough trailer.

Among the features found on the PC version, that are not found in the console versions are PC-specific graphical enhancement options (including Direct X11 soft shadows support), keyboard/mouse centric server selection tools and an integrated friend system which allows you to find and squad up with your friends on the fly.

Check out the HD trailer below for more details:

Here’s a bunch of interesting facts regarding the Battlefield Bad Company 2 demo and the game hasn’t even shipped yet!

• It has hit the 3.5 million download mark
• 500 million kills
• 100 million vehicle kills
• 15 million knife kills
• 30 million destroyed vehicles
• 10 million head shots
• 25 million revives

It’s utterly amazing and if you have not downloaded the demo yet, you have 3 more days to do so before the 25th of February. After that, DICE servers will be shutdown in anticipation for the game launch on the 2nd of March!

Also, in order to get a leg up on the game, the Battlefield Ultimate Prestige site is now accepting new recruits and everyone regardless of skill level can now access. Originally locked by a unique skill gate for only experienced MW2/BF players, the Ultimate Prestige site is a tactical field manual that contains insider vehicle, weapon, and map information, as well as strategies to hit the ground running on Day 1.

You can access the site over here: www.ultimateprestige.com

It would seem that the Batman: Gotham Knight animated anthology spawned a spiritual successor in the form of Halo Legends. The similarities are hard to deny, a bunch of animated shorts done by the best in the business and the stories revolve around a central theme, and this time it’s the Master Chief and the Halo universe.

Halo Legends has 7 animated shorts, compared to 6 in Gotham Knight,  and my favourite one would be the Toei Studio creation (and Dragonball Z inspired)  Odd One Out. It’s a pretty crazy/funny mess, which fortunately unlike  the rest of the shorts, is non-canon.

My second favourite would be the last short “The Package”. Done fully in CGI by Casio Entertainment, it wouldn’t give Advent Children a run for its money, but it’s still a pretty sight with an all-action plot. The Japanese water colour inspired “The Duel” can be a pretty tedious affair to those not accustomed to animation being a higher medium of art.

The other stories are pretty good themselves. Halo  fans who  are interested in the Forerunner backstory would be delighted with the “Origins” short, while Homecoming is a recollection of a Spartan’s training program, her escape, and her subsequent return with the knowledge that the program IS home.

Overall, Halo Legends is a keeper, and it does for Halo what Gotham Knight did for the Dark Knight. I highly recommend this anthology. Halo Legends will be going on sale on Play-Asia on the 26th of February. Click here for the Blu-ray version, or here for the DVD version.

Good news for all you conscripts who decided to pre-order Battlefield Bad Company 2. You superior officers at EA have decided to upgrade you automatically to Battlefield Bad Company 2 Limited Edition.Think of it as a battlefield promotion! Hur hur..

You’ll hit the ground running with not one, not two, but SIX early weapon upgrades unlocked on launch day. Pay attention now soldier, as they are listed below:

4 Vehicle Warfare Unlocks

1. Improved Vehicle Armor – An Up-Armor package mounted on all vehicle types decreases the effect of both explosive and penetrating warheads, significantly improving vehicle survivability.
2. Vehicle Alternate Fire – Additional weapon packages mounted for the driver of all armored vehicles, greatly expands the range of targets the vehicle can successfully engage and destroy.
3. Vehicle Motion Sensor – Upgraded Sensor to locate enemy units in direct proximity to the vehicle.
4. Tracer Dart Pistol – Launched by compressed air, this magnetic dart attaches to any vehicle surface, allows friendly shoulder launched rockets to lock on to and track moving targets even beyond line of sight.

2 Classic Battlefield 1943 Weapons

1. M1A1 Submachine Gun – Popular with Paratrooper and Commando units in WW2 for its rate of fire and stopping power the M1A1 is still seen in the hands of paramilitaries today.  Reliable but heavy this classic weapon is still a powerful force in the hands of a Battlefield Veteran.
2. M1911 Pistol – Adopted in 1911 by the US Army the M1911 saw heavy service in WW1, WW2, Korea and Vietnam.  Highly customized M1911 are still favored by Special Operations forces for its reliability and the power of its large .45 caliber round.

If you can’t understand what I just said, just watch the following trailer:

Just when I thought I would be getting my “Ferrari-fix”  from Outrun Arcade on the PS3, here comes Need for Speed: SHIFT and it’s upcoming Xbox 360 exclusive Ferrari Racing Series DLC which is jammed pack with nothing else but Ferrari cars.

The Ferrari Racing Series DLC marks a triumphant return to the NFS series for the marque with the Prancing Horse ever since Hot Pursuit 2. Scheduled to be available from February 18th for a price of USD 10, the DLC is loaded with a full range of 10 supercars, including the California, F430 GTC and the ultra rare F50 GT.

In addition to 10 new cars, the Ferrari Racing Series will also extend SHIFT’s career mode with 46 new challenges designed for the Ferrari cars to participate in including hot laps, eliminators, endurance races and a world tour.

Completing the perfect Ferrari package are an additional 125 Gamerpoints as a reward for undertaking various exciting challenges. All Ferrari cars can also be taken online where players can prove who has the skills to master these high-performance Italian racing machines.

The full list of Ferrari cars is as follows:

1. 1996 Ferrari F50 GT
2. 2005 Ferrari F430 Spider
3. 2005 Ferrari FXX
4. 2005 Ferrari Superamerica
5. 2006 Ferrari 599 GTB Fiorano
6. 2006 Ferrari F430 Challenge (Online/Quick event only)
7. 2006 Ferrari F430 GTC (Online/Quick event only)
8. 2007 Ferrari 430 Scuderia
9. 2008 Ferrari California
10. 2008 Ferrari 16M Scuderia Spider

You’ve got slightly more than 2 days to take advantage of these PS3, Xbox 360 and Nintendo DS bargains on Play-Asia. Check out the following games on discount:

Playstation 3

• Final Fantasy XIII (Japanese Language Version) ~ USD 49.90 (Click here for details)
• DJ Hero with Turn Table Bundle ~ USD 99 (Click here for details)
• Ryu ga Gotoku 3 (Yakuza 3) ~ USD 49.90 (Click here for details)
• The Chronicles of Riddick: Assault on Dark Athena ~ USD 24.90 (Click here for details)
• Mercenaries 2: World in Flames ~ USD  19.90 (Click here for details)

Xbox 360 (All Region Free unless stated otherwise)

• Lost Planet: Extreme Condition (Collector’s Edition) ~ USD 24.90 (Click here for details)
• Halo Wars ~ USD 29.90 (Click here for details)
• You’re in the Movies ~ USD 29.90 (Click here for details)
• Command and Conquer: Red Alert 3 ~ USD 18.90 (Click here for details)
• Far Cry 2 ~ USD 19.90 (Click here for details)
• BlazBlue Calamity Trigger (Limited Edition)~ USD 59.90 (Click here for details)

Nintendo DS

• Grand Theft Auto: Chinatown Wars ~ USD 19.90 (Click here for details)
• Advance Wars: Days of Ruin ~ USD 24.90 (Click here for details)
• Hoshi no Kirby: Ultra Super Deluxe ~ USD  19.90 (Click here for details)
• Lego Star Wars The Complete Saga ~ USD 19.90 (Click here for details)
• Prince of Persia: The Fallen King ~ USD 9.90 (Click here for details)
• Bangai-O Spirits ~ USD 14.90 (Click here for details)
• Bleach: The Blade of Fate ~ USD 14.90 (Click here for details)
• K-1 World GP ~ USD 19.90 (Click here for details)

This must be an achievement of sorts as behold, the Paewang Revolution Arcade Stick. This arcade stick supports the PC, PS3 and Xbox 360 platforms right out of the box! Aside for native support for the three popular platforms, the arcade stick from Joytron has multi-speed programmable Turbo Rapid fire, high quality OMRON switches, rugged metal stick and a metal base to withstand punishment.

Play-Asia is now selling this multi-platform fighting stick at a price of USD 64.90, click here for more purchase information.

I don’t know about you but I’ve noticed that the Final Fantasy games of recent memory (starting from VII, discounting XI and X-2) tend to use slightly effeminate, if not emo-looking men as main protaganists.

But with the latest iteration in the series, Final Fantasy has somewhat of a manly looking woman as the lead and with a  little beat more muscle, she would look as if she eats effeminate men like Vaan (FF XII) for breakfast. Even the name, Lightning, sounds macho.

A tomboy as the lead for a change? That’s pretty cool in my books. Trust Japan to come up with this kind of role reversal to spit at traditional Western RPG stereotypes. What do you think?

If you’re the type who doesn’t want to waste time collecting the FFXIII Potion Elixir can by can, you can get the entire Volume 1 & 2 in the Final Fantasy XIII Potion Elixir Premium Complete Box Set.

This means a total of 16 cans, each featuring a character from the game, and 1 special item, the Final Fantasy XIII Tumbler! The Elixir Premium Complete Box Set from Suntory is now available for a price of USD 99.90. Click here for detalis.