Guide Note

The next installment in the popular Battlefield first-person shooter series, Battlefield: Bad Company, contains 38 available infantry firearms in the Beta version, including two handguns. Most likely, all of these will be included in the final release, with possible additions. The Beta version contains 20 locked guns, ten of which can be unlocked through gameplay, while an additional five will be unlocked in free promotions before and after the game's release. The remaining five unlockable weapons were originally going to be available solely with the purchase of the Battlefield: Bad Company Gold Edition. Due to vehement backlash from angry gamers, including the organization of a boycott of sorts by fan site Sarcastic Gamer, those weapons will instead be unlocked once players reach level 25. Those who purchase the Gold Edition for an additional $10 will have the additional five weapons unlocked at the start of the game.

Fast Facts

1. Developer: Digital Illusions CE(DICE)
2. Publisher: Electronic Arts
3. Genre: First-person shooter
4. Modes: Single player, online multiplayer
5. Platform: PlayStation 3, Xbox 360
6. First Next-Gen Battlefield in the series.
7. ESRB rating: Pending
8. Release date: June 23, 2008
9. Storyline strongly influenced by Kelly's Heroes and Three Kings

1. MG3: Upgrade of the World War II German MG42
2. AN94: High-tech version of a standard Russian rifle
3. XM8C: Lightweight compact version of the XM8 rifle
4. VSS Vintores: Short, lightweight, quiet sniper rifle, similar to the XM8C
5. SPAS-15: Traditional semi-automatic shotgun