Battlefield Heroes - Free multiplayer FPS

[impar]

Greetings!

EA to Release Free "Battlefield Heroes" Multiplayer FPS

Micro-transactions and advertising will fund titles in EA's "Play 4 Free" family

Most gamers are used to the idea of downloadable content, as shown by the massively popular Guitar Hero and Rock Band titles. However, full-version downloadable games usually come with a "caveat emptor" byline -- be it monthly subscription fees for MMORPGs, in-game items that can only be purchased with real money, or the widely-disliked ad-supported flavor.

EA is now trying out the latter business model with their variant dubbed "Play 4 Free" and is hoping that the Battlefield franchise will help them gain a foothold in the form of Battlefield Heroes.

Battlefield Heroes is a cartoon-styled game from DICE, best known for being the team behind Battlefield 1942 and Battlefield 2. Heavy emphasis is being placed on the "easy to learn" aspect of the game, but hardcore players worried that this will lead to a mediocre experience have been promised "robust character customization" and a "deep online meta-game" to hold long-term interest as well. As part of this system, the matching system in Battlefield Heroes will attempt to pair players of equal skill against each other.

[impar]

Greetings!

[nForcer]

"Battlefield: Heroes should be ready for public download later this year or in early 2009."
Battlefield: Heroes Preview - PC @VideoGameMedia

This is one game I could [maybe] tolerate playing with my kids.

[impar]

Greetings!

You tried Team Fortress 2?

[nForcer]

No, but thanks for the suggestion, Imp. I'd have to buy 4x TF2 for a family LAN party (to install it on each of their rigs) whereas BF:Heroes is free and easy to pick up & play so their mates can have a go too.

[impar]

Greetings!

Just mentioned it because the game play seems similar.
If free is what interests you, might want to also check Quake Live:
http://www.quakelive.com/
http://www.gametrailers.com/game/9224.html

PS: Dont have the Orange Box?

[nForcer]

Thanks for those, Imp. Yeah, BF:Heroes certainly looks like some kind of TF2 mod, doesn't it?

Orange Box, no. I do have HL2 though, just didn't ever get around to finishing it.

After kicking my addiction to MOHAA freeze tag I was looking for a replacement with a bit more depth. I'm currently getting to grips with BF:2142 (wow, what a steep learning curve!).

[impar]

Greetings!