Bad Company 2 Demo Hits 3.5 Million Downloads

It reached 2 million downloads in its first five days available -- now, says Electronic Arts, the demo for Battlefield: Bad Company 2 has passed 3.5 million downloads, six days ahead of its expiration. Developer DICE will close the demo servers after that in preparation for the game's March 2 launch. For now, the demo's been offering players early access to the Port Valdez multiplayer map and to the Rush Multiplayer mode. The commercial game has eight maps and four modes in total. Somewhat controversially, only those who pre-order Battlefield: Bad Company 2 at GameStop will be able to access the fourth multiplayer mode, titled Squad Rush, at launch -- all others will have to wait 30 days for it to unlock. PC copies of Bad Company 2, which share a March 2 release date with the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 versions, have no such multiplayer restrictions, nor do any of the European SKUs launching three days later. Retailer-specific and preorder-specific bonuses are becoming increasingly common in game publishing. Even digital distribution outlets like Steam and Impulse frequently attach exclusive in-game items to copies of particular games purchased through their storefronts. Bad Company 2 also comes in a "Limited Edition" version, which gives players early access to six unlockable items -- for example, better vehicle armor and special weapons. It's priced the same way as the regular version, simply in lower supply.