LADYDRAGON.COM - BATTLEFIELD 1942 FOR THE PC AND XBOX

Friday April 12, 2002

BATTLEFIELD 1942 FOR THE PC AND XBOX

Take to the land, sea and air in the ultimate multi-player World War II experience. Electronic Arts reveals details on Battlefield 1942, a robust first-person mutiplayer game where players can affect the outcome of key World War II battles.

The game is currently under development for PC and Xbox(tm) video game system from Microsoft, and will ship late summer and fall 2002, respectively.

Battlefield 1942 puts players at the heart of World War II combat, allowing them to choose from 16 famous battle sites, including Omaha Beach, Stalingrad and Wake Island, from the four main theaters of World War II including the Pacific, Eastern and Western Europe and Northern Africa. With the ability to control more than 35 authentic Axis and Allied vehicles and select from five distinct character classes, players are faced with incredible choices in their plan of action.

The game will deliver dramatic moments of World War II, such as heroically storming or defending the beaches of Normandy as well as commanding a battleship or dive bomber at Guadalcanal and taking charge of a tank or an artillery vehicle in Tobruk.

The PC version will feature a unique, robust multi-player component that will support up to 64 players on certain maps. Playing as several infantry classes, gamers will also be able to use many of the hand weapons used in World War II while commanding numerous land, sea and air vehicles. Gamers will be able to join forces and fight as a team with select vehicles, such as the bomber or battleship. For example, the B-17 bomber will offer a pilot/bombardier station and two separate gunner positions.

Though the multiplayer experience will be the focus for the PC version, the game will also feature single player action. These levels will feature unscripted, advanced artificial intelligence, allowing players a completely different experience each time they play.

Both versions are being developed by Sweden-based, Digital Illusions. EA will publish and distribute Battlefield 1942 for the PC and Xbox under the EA GAMES(tm) brand.