Today DICE is very excited to release the Battlefield: Bad Company 2 Multiplayer Demo on the PlayStation Store. Before getting into some details about the demo the team at DICE wanted to thank SCEA for helping us get the demo out a week early for North America. So, thank you to all those at SCEA that helped make this happen, you guys seriously rock!

The PS3 community has played a special role in the pending success of BFBC2, so thanks to all the participants we had in the beta last November. From that beta, more than 130 gameplay changes were made and almost all of them made it into this demo. As a gift for your support in the beta, all participants will be awarded another point in the BF Veteran rank that will apply to special perks in the final game.

In the demo you’ll be playing the “Rush” game mode on a very snowy map set in Port Valdez of Alaska with the US defending Russian attacks. As an attacker, you start the map as the Russian Army parachuting from the back of Russian An-124 variants, pushing your way through four bases defended by the US Army to win the battle. Both teams will have plenty of vehicles to man from ATVs, tanks, jeeps, and helicopters for an insane dose of Battlefield tactical vehicle-based warfare like no other. Now go enjoy the demo! :-)

I’m Gordon Van Dyke and I’m the Associate Producer for Battlefield: Bad Company 2 here at EA’s DICE studio in Stockholm.

Today we’re excited to announce that our forthcoming multiplayer beta is coming exclusively to PS3, so you’ll have a chance to experience all the action, destruction and vehicular warfare ahead of our full release in March 2010.

Starting on November 19, the beta will feature the huge ‘Arica Harbour’ map where up to 24 players compete to secure valuable crates in the ‘Rush’ game mode as the action moves across a variety of different locations. From an initial vehicle assault on a military outpost the war winds through streets of a deserted town to an intense final fire-fight in an industrial harbour.

Check out our announcement video here.

For a preview on the beta itself click here.

Getting access to the beta will differ from country to country, but here are a few specific ways of getting hold of a key:

• We’ll be holding a special limited giveaway right here on the PlayStation Blog (details TBA)
• Pre-ordering the game at participating retailer
• Checking out selected gaming sites such as IGN or GameSpot in North America.

That’s it for now…although if you have any questions then let me know. Be sure to check back here tomorrow when we have a brand Battlefield: Bad Company 2 new trailer.

Battlefield 1943 is back again on the PlayStation.Blog and we’re proud to announce a community challenge for YOU to unlock a 4th location, Coral Sea. That’s right, there are actually 4 destructible battlegrounds in Battlefield 1943 and Coral Sea comes with a new game mode, Air Superiority!

Here are the details for the battle plan: this summer when Battlefield 1943 launches, every kill recorded by a PLAYSTATION 3 will go towards the total, community objective of 43 million kills! The more time you spend putting lead in the bodies of your sworn enemies, the quicker everyone will be able to play Coral Sea. To find out more and keep track of the progress, keep constant surveillance of the Battlefield 1943 website to get real time updates of how you and your fellow soldiers are progressing towards the goal of 43,000,000.

Coral Sea is the ultimate online multiplayer dog fighting map! Two aircraft carriers supply your team with all the F4U Corsair and Zero fighters you’ll need as your conquest to control the skies, and secure your name in history as an Ace pilot of Battlefield 1943. Prepare to fire your questions at DICE’s own Red Baron, Gordon Van Dyke, one more time – he’s got his guns pointed your way!

Today is a really exciting day, first it’s Walpurgis Night here in Sweden celebrating the start of summer’s approach with bonfires, yes I said bonfires, and this is done all over the country. It is quite the sight to see from atop the DICE studio. Another really exciting thing for me today is the release of the Battlefield 1943 trailer for the first time on PSN (later today) and seeing it in full glory on my PS3.

Now before you watch the video, imagine with me flying your Corsair airplane over the tropical Wake Island engaged in a dogfight with a Japanese Zero, you take him down and notice your squad mate’s tank about to be flanked by the enemy in another tank. You quickly bank to the left, swoop down, and drop two bombs perfectly on the enemy, saving your friend and helping him capture a critical control point.

After watching the video, I’m sure you will have a lot of questions about the game so instead of guessing, fire away! I’ll be around for as long as I can to answer them in the comment section. Thanks for taking the time to read this, now write your questions or just give a shout out! :-)

I can beat up Ashton, follow me on Twitter.