News: With the PC version set for September.
Electric Arts has announced that Battlefield 1943, the sequel to the popular World War II game Battlefield 1942, will be released on Xbox Live and the PlayStation Network next week. The game (which weighs in at a mere 560 MB) will be available to download on Xbox Live for 1200 Microsoft Points ($15) on Wednesday, July 8 and on the PlayStation Network on Thursday, July 9 (also for $15).
Battlefield 1943 will bring gamers four first person shooter maps based on classic Battlefield 1942 locations: Wake Island, Guadalcanal, Iwo Jima and Coral Sea. All of the maps have been recreated using DICE's new Frostbite engine, which includes destructible environments such as walls, blockades and cover spots (which will "[leave] players with almost nowhere to hide").
EA also plans to challenge the Battlefield 1943 community by unlocking the Corel Sea map and asking gamers to rack up 43 million kills on both Xbox Live and the PlayStation Network:
The Coral Sea map which is included in the game will be unlocked as part of a worldwide community challenge, where players will work together to reach 43 million kills on both Xbox Live and the PlayStation Network. To help gamers reach that goal, up to 24 players can play together online in countless matches. They will have the freedom to compete by land, air and sea as either the US Marines or the Imperial Japanese Navy. Whether they choose to play the role of a rifleman crawling through the trenches, a steel-fisted tank commander, or a dog fighting ace pilot, gamers will have the power to rule the Battlefield.
Finally, EA revealed that the PC version of Battlefield 1943 would be released in September.