As news of retailer pre-order bonuses for Battlefield 3 began to spread, publisher Electronic Arts quickly asserted itself as the pre-purchase destination of choice with this little gem: pick up BF3 on EA's Origin and earn early access to the game's September beta.

Everyone that pre-orders DICE's upcoming FPS -- regardless of where you buy -- will be upgraded to the "Limited Edition" version of the game, which includes the Back to Karkand map pack, featuring Frostbite 2-powered versions of four of the franchise's most popular battlegrounds.


Pre-order Battlefield 3 at the following retailers, and you'll also receive these exclusive bonuses:
GameStop -- Physical Warfare Pack, which includes the Type 88 LMG with bipod, DAO-12 Shotgun, Flechette Ammo for the DAO-12, and a Flash Suppressor for the SKS Sniper Rifle. GameStop will also throw in a free copy of the BF3 Prima Strategy Guide for members of its PowerUp Rewards program.

Best Buy -- SPECACT Kit, which features eight uniform and weapon skins to transform the look of your soldier. Details not provided.

Amazon -- Dog Tag Pack, featuring an assortment of multiplayer Dog Tags to outfit your soldier with. Details not provided.
As if to say, "Oh yeah?" EA quickly upped the ante with its own Battlefield 3 pre-order bonus on its new digital distribution platform, Origin. The Origin pre-order already included the Physical Warfare Pack and items for Battlefield Play4Free, and now it includes early access to the BF3 beta, which goes live in September.

Specifics on the beta launch and early access are not provided. EA has stipulated that all exclusive pre-order bonuses are timed, meaning they will eventually be available to all -- most likely as paid DLC -- at some point after release.

Battlefield 3 is in development for Windows PCs, Xbox 360, and PlayStation 3. The game is set for launch on October 25.


Spy Guy says: Tough to pass up EA's Origin offer if you plan on pre-ordering Battlefield 3, particularly if you're a PC gamer and recognize the FPS most likely won't be available on Steam. EA has a chance to make a strong first impression with Origin this fall, and BF3 will be a good barometer of where the service is in the build-up to Star Wars: The Old Republic. The risk, of course, is that the publisher isn't prepared to handle the deluge of Steam users who are begrudgingly using Origin. We'll find out in October. So, where do you plan on picking up BF3.