DICE, an Electronic Arts Inc. studio (NASDAQ:ERTS), today announced that Battlefield 1943™ will kick off a worldwide community challenge that, when achieved, will reward players by unlocking a fourth map called Coral Sea. The WWII Coral Sea map will be unlocked when the multiplayer community achieves 43M kills on Xbox Live and the same number on PlayStation®Network. When it ships this summer, Battlefield 1943 will include three maps (Iwo Jima, Guadalcanal, and Wake Island) plus this fourth bonus map, all for $15.

Coral Sea is designed to showcase the intense battle in the skies, offering an all-new Air superiority game mode. The legendary WWII action this map provides will have players dog fighting in this airplanes-only map, proving once again DICE delivers on a first class online vehicle warfare experience better than anyone else! Players will be able to track the progress of their respective console communities at www.battlefield.com/1943.

Battlefield 1943 is a premium arcade title that delivers endless hours of 24-player First-Person Shooter (FPS) action on popular maps inspired by Battlefield 1942™. In addition to Coral Sea, Battlefield 1943 will also have players battling over three tropic locations: Wake Island, Guadalcanal and Iwo Jima. These maps have now been updated with the DICE Frostbite™ engine, providing destructibility to the battlefield and leaving players with almost nowhere to hide. Gamers play as the US Marines or the Imperial Japanese Navy, competing by land, air and sea. They have the freedom to pick their path in battle - be it as a rifleman crawling through the trenches, a steel fisted tank commander, or a dog fighting ace pilot that rules the skies!

All four maps will be playable at the Electronic Entertainment Expo (E3 Expo) at the intersection of West Hall & Concourse Walkway.

Battlefield 1943, this highly anticipated FPS game, will be available on Xbox LIVE™ Marketplace (1200 MS Points) and PlayStation®Store ($14.99) this summer, and in September on PC.

Let me first start by saying a personal thank you to Gordon, Patrick and Kelly (I think was his name the exe producer of all the BF nice guy) for being such outstanding hosts. As a consumer I went in with a well see attitude, but was converted almost instantly. Gordon and crew went out there way to the fans and it was great! Hats off to you sir! Now on to the review, I’m not a console player, I’m a PC player. It’s a personal choice for me, but that being said I’m rethinking that option. I played 1943 for about 20 to 30 mins I played almost 3 games I gave it up to a kid because I knew he wanted to play and I suck as well
 
The game is just that damn good that all that needs to be said the environment it great! The clarity of the game is amazing. I hate to sound like I’m kissing the north end of south bound mule, but I speak the truth. I watched Patrick shoot a tree in half with his rifle. I drove a tank threw a building, fence line, and drove over a wall in my tank! I was like nothing I’ve ever seen. I didn’t not fly, I watched and seen how Patrick took down Gordon, which it would seem flying is a skill that will need to be mastered. I watched a lot guy’s try to master flying; it’s not going to be something you just pick right up it will take practice although once you’re air born your target the other team’s plane is light up in red circle so it’s not hard to see them while flying in front of you. The regen health was not a problem (one I died like a noob a lot) 2nd the action was so intense during game play you never really noticed. Plus, I was really focused in on not being the worst player there! Ammo was not a problem either, I depleted my ammo on purpose to see how long it would take, and it’s just like any other game. What I liked best was I didn’t have to run around asking for ammo. I just had to wait before taking action against the other team it was not long before I had 1 clip back and I started to fighting and dieing
 
Also for the vets that played 42, BFNam, bf2 and 2142 if you think you’re going to go in and just own the maps you’re wrong. They might look similar, but they are like brand new maps different ways of getting around and the terrain is much stepper on Guadal canal and it’s much larger or so it seem to me. I also played Iwo Jima man that map is outstanding well done, again it’s hilly and if you’re a lalalala and punch and hold down the jeep you will pull a Evel Knievel and go flying alt
 
Game play the players moved well and the recoil from the weapons was normal if you hold down the trigger the gun it will climb up with you. The sniper rifle by far is the most powerful gun in the game, but it’s a single shot, single round bolt action! So you have to pick you shots you can’t be a Rambo! I watched Patrick take a guy out from about 400 yds out, I took 2 shots which I don’t think is unreasonable given it’s an arcade game. I watched another player get taken out at closer range with one shot so it makes up in balance. I could not tell if there was bullet drop. The Anti tank class works well in both class inf and rifle men. While I was in the tank I got some kills and even tried to spawn rape that didn’t happen. One I think, they have some kind of protection in spawn also you GET NO POINTS FOR SPAWN RAPING THE CARRIER! Not 100% sure about the protectio so don’t quote me, given I was being hit with AT rockets left and right, it only took about 3 rounds I was dead! I drove the tank a lot and it was not able to just kill at will! A couple of factors one I suck at the game and can admit, second it really seem balanced.
 
The riflemen class Semi-automatic rifle worked well had some recoil; I really sucked with this class so I can’t write much about it. Although I can say the Rifle grenades where not as effective vs. the tank as the Infantryman Bazooka was. They work, yes, but seemed the Zooka is king and it does not work like 42 with the arching drop seems to fire straight then drop, just an FYI.The planes didn’t own the sky I shot one down with the AA gun, although it is hard to say how much of a factor the planes will play given most players like myself where on one hell of a learning curve they just walked you up to the console and said here sit down and start playing! So please bear that in mind and you read the review.
 
Over all anyone spitting venom about this game is a fool. For 15 or 20 bucks you’d be out your freaking mind not to have this game. I personally can’t wait for the PC version, if GVD is in charge that for dam sure I will do anything to help promote the game. Not only did GVD and Patrick make me feel like I was important, they over all care about the franchise and that people is not something you will find in a lot of games. I would not hesitate to say that will be game of the year.