Dice

We Americans sure do love our shooters, and this fall, DICE and Infinity Ward are competing for your hard-earned $60. Separated by a mere two weeks, Battlefield 3 and Modern Warfare 3 represent a significant chunk of the already-crowded holiday gaming season.

Of course the question on everyone's mind is, "Which one is better?" We don't think it's fair to say either one at this early juncture, especially since we've only had limited time with Modern Warfare's single-player campaign, and practically none with the multiplayer mode.

So while it's too early to crown either title as the winner, you'll just have to settle for our look at Battlefield 3 to start things off.

Jeff: I first saw Battlefield 3 in action late last year at a behind-closed-doors event in New York. The game was running on a very high-end PC, and the gameplay I witnessed was nothing short of remarkable.

The console version (I'm playing it on Xbox 360) of Battlefield 3 sure has its own polish (I highly recommend installing the optional texture pack the first time you boot it up), but in terms of graphics it barely compares with how amazing this game can look on PC. Let me get that out of the way first; if you've got the hardware to run it, make sure you check Battlefield 3 out on a souped-up PC.… Read more

Ever wished you could win money--big money--for playing video games?

While that dream may never come true for most of us, there is a chance for anyone with an Xbox 360 or PlayStation 3 to become a gaming god. Virgin Gaming, EA, and DICE are teaming up to host a Battlefield 3 Worldwide Conquest tournament with $1.6 million in cash and prizes on the line.

Potential fraggers must be 18 years or older to register for the online tourney, which begins in 2012 and which Virgin is calling the "largest online console game tournament ever." Unfortunately, the contest is not available for PC gamers, who make up a huge portion of the fan base for the series. In some aspects, I can see why Virgin Gaming may want to avoid integrating PC gamers, as cheating has soured FPS games for many years on the platform.

Nonetheless, Virgin's official response to PC gamers being excluded was rather disappointing. "Our technology is only set up to integrate with console games at this phase in our life. We're still new and trying to create a unique service that resolves a lot of the challenges in the competitive gaming space today," a Virgin rep said. "We have much love for gamers on all platforms, and as we grow we'll try to bring everyone under the tent." … Read more

An open beta for Battlefield 3 arrives on September 29 for PC, Xbox 360, and PS3.

The beta of the highly anticipated FPS will be available to play until October 10, giving gamers more than a week of intense multiplayer combat that utilizes all-new maps, weapons, jets, and an updated graphics engine. Those who preordered the PC digital download of Battlefield 3 (through Origin), or purchased the limited/Tier 1 edition of Medal of Honor will enjoy even earlier access to the BF3 beta on September 27.

Downloading the free beta will be simple. You'll just need to access the PlayStation Network store, Xbox 360 marketplace, or Origin on PC. You must use Origin to download the beta on PC.

To keep things fair, stats accumulated during the beta will not transition over when the game goes live, but you will be able to keep the name you used when registering. EA/DICE noted that the open beta is limited to residents of North America, South America, Europe, South Africa, Australia, and New Zealand.

Are you going to play the BF3 open beta? Here's a cool scene from the BF3 single-player mission Operation Guillotine, a joint operation to capture key members of the PLR leadership:… Read more

A new official trailer and some unofficial video for Battlefield 3's multiplayer mode has emerged over the last several days.

The 1-minute trailer reveals a frenzied firefight in the new map Operation Metro (located in Paris). After flashing between a few locations within the area, the video kicks off with a squad rushing forward while a tank fires at an unknown number of enemies ahead.

DICE/EA waste no time in promoting the hype surrounding the game by flashing a graphic that shows 80 E3 2011 award nominations and then a few seconds later shows that the anticipated FPS won 47 awards during the massive gaming convention. … Read more

DICE took the stage during EA's E3 2011 press conference in Los Angeles today to reveal lots of new goodies for gamers to gush about regarding Battlefield 3.

After three years of development, the release date for the latest game in the hit franchise has been confirmed for October 25 for PC, Xbox 360, and PS3. For those of you who can't wait much longer, there will be a multiplatform open beta in September.

The Swedish gaming studio also announced Battlelog, a social-oriented addition to the game that enables players to manage their friends list; create squads and platoons; or check out in-depth real-time statistics. Battlelog will be free, which is a slight jab at the similarly featured Call of Duty Elite paid service. … Read more

A significant number of IT professionals say they'd take a salary cut for the chance to work from home full time, according to a survey from techie job site Dice.

Thirty-five percent of 937 IT pros surveyed in mid-March said they would accept up to a 10 percent pay cut to telecommute in light of soaring gas prices,

A 10 percent slice in the average technology professional's salary would translate into $7,800 less earned per year, according to Dice.

Thirty-six percent responded no, insisting on the same pay for the same work. Another 9 percent said they … Read more

Lying Liar's Dice is a simple but addictive game that lets you play the old barroom standby, Liar's Dice, on your iPhone. The interface is sparse, but it offers all the information you need to play Liar's Dice with your friends on one phone, or against a surprisingly savvy AI. Along with the classic version of the game, you also get a number of features in Lying Liar's Dice you can tweak to make the game more interesting such as wild dice, and single-die showdowns, among many variations.

For those who have never played, Liar's … Read more

Farkle is an old dice game in which two or more players each roll five or six dice, with various scoring methods determining the winner. Tam11's Farkle is a free software version of the venerable game, which also goes by many other names. You can play Farkle alone or online via the developer's free Lobby application. Since you don't need the Lobby to play Farkle, we opted just to install the game.

The Farkle interface is a simple, colorful affair displaying virtual dice, a scoreboard for up to six players, scoring rules, and a chat screen that … Read more

This week on preGAME, hosts Jeff Bakalar and Mark Licea take a sneak peek at the online multiplayer component of Battlefield: Bad Company 2. Watch as Mark hops into a game on Xbox Live during the show!

But before we get into the live game demo, we'll discuss the new downloadable content (DLC) for some very notable titles. Resident Evil 5, Borderlands, and BioShock 2 all have extra content coming your way, so tune in to see when they'll each be available and how much they'll cost. This news story leads us to our featured discussion of the week: whether or not DLC is here to stay. We'll touch on the good, the bad, and the annoying.

All this plus a DICE 2010 awards recap and all of the week's top headlines and releases on preGAME!

Want to be a part of our live taping? Make sure you head to http://cnet.com/live/pregame every Tuesday at 4 p.m. Eastern. If you missed any of the stories we talk about on today's preGAME, make sure to check out our links below.