Buy Battlefield 3 Get Mass Effect 3 Demo

[Update: Mass Effect 3 Deal was immediately canceled by EA Origin.]

Over the last few weeks, there's been a growing movement from Battlefield 3 fans aiming towards getting DICE to improve their communication regarding updates for the game. It certainly didn't help the situation that the oft-rumored Battlefield 3 DLC wasn't announced last week at an EA event as hinted at by Peter C. Ausnit, Vice President of Investor Relations.

So, while we still await word on DLC, DICE is still focusing on their anti-cheat movement - a growing issue that resulted in the developer hiring an "anti-cheat administrator" - and they're still work of course, working away on updates, including a minor one for today. If you don't yet own Battlefield 3, Electronic Arts also has a special deal for you...

First, a few details on the latest BF3 update which went live this morning via the Origin client. It's not the option for larger squads or in-game video recording, but it's something:

  • Support for Intel’s new Ivy Bridge product line (as yet unreleased)
  • Fixes for two reproducible client crashes:
    • Operation Firestorm- Conquest Large — Fixed a client crash when users spawn in certain vehicles.
    • Canals - Rush — Fixed a client crash at the 2nd set of mcoms if the player drives a vehicle into the vicinity of the exploding rocket battery.

  • AMD Radeon 7xxx series performance improvements

If you're a gamer, then it's very likely your attention on this romantic occasion is fixated on another Electronic Arts product: Mass Effect 3. The demo went live today (read our ME3 demo impressions) and with it, some incredible news for PC gamers looking forward to it who don't yet own Battlefield 3.

If you pre-order Mass Effect 3 through Origin, not only will you get access to the M55 Argus Assault Rifle and Origin Exclusive AT12 Raider Shotgun, but you'll get Battlefield 3 for free. Battlefield 3 gave early access to the Mass Effect 3 demo so it's time to return the favor - Deals do not get better than this so take advantage. Battlefield 3 is an online shooter experience that must be enjoyed on PC where battles can include up to 64 players and the full capabilities of the Frostbite 2 engine can be enjoyed.

With the Back to Karkand classic maps already available, a series of patches already released for the game and a community eager for more, it's a great time to join in.

As for the community outcry, Daniel Matros, DICE's global community manager admitted a week ago that the studio needs to be more transparent and open with the community in relaying what the plans are for the game.

"We need to be more open with our anti-cheat efforts and our updates regarding the game."

"...read through tons of posts, talked to some people. Tomorrow I’m going to present it all in-house. Lots of things need improvement."

It won't be too long before Battlefield 3 DLC is announced and we are holding onto hope that DICE will keep working out some of the bugs while putting an end to the evil hacker threat. And yes, we still want jeeps that have horns, video recording and larger squads, but what we really need is stability and more polish for the game, which still is subject to crashes and disconnects in competitive multiplayer or frequent broken elements and AI in co-op.

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Follow me on Twitter @rob_keyes.

Sources: BattlelogEA, Daniel Matros