Battlefield: Bad Company beta (offered here free)

Fans of the upcoming Battlefield: Bad Company will probably be excited to learn that EA is going to launch a multiplayer beta testfor the title starting on March 25. What they might not be thrilled tolearn about, however, are the beta requirements. Players will need toown an Xbox 360 with a Gold Membership to Live (PS3 players are leftout in the cold), be a member of the IGN Founders Club, or have pre-ordered the game through GameStop.
There are only 5,000 beta keys available through GameStop, so playerslooking to get in on the action (but who don't feel like paying $20 foran annual membership for the Founders Club) should pre-order a copy ofthe game soon and get a beta key here.No limit on the number of beta keys for those members of the IGNFounders Club has been announced, but again, we'd move sooner, ratherthan later.
The beta consists of two multiplayer maps and the "Goldrush" mode,and will run through April 25. While developers and publishers are wellwithin their rights to set the terms for entering a beta test, this isshady; making it so that players can only get into the beta by spendingmoney (even though it isn't that much) just doesn't seem right. Thepurpose of a beta test is to help the developer tweak aspects of gameplay. EA seems to be aware of this, since the press release about the beta states,
"the feedback coming back from something like this is crucial for us asdevelopers and will help us with the final changes and polish in thegame."

So, essentially, EA is asking that players pay for the opportunity to help out the development process of Battlefield: Bad Company. Of course, its almost guaranteed that gamers willpay without any complaints, given the popularity of the franchise. But,for those of us who remember the golden days of free beta tests, thiswill take some getting used to.

To play the multiplayer beta, you have to access a key at IGN'sfileplanet or have preordered the game for the Xbox 360 at Gamestopwith only 5000 keys. "In addition, keys will also be available throughIGN Entertainment’s gaming Web sites including IGN.com, GameSpy, TeamXbox, Planet Battlefield and Voodoo Extreme." There are two maps playable on the beta, Ascension and Oasis and the multiplayer mode will be Gold Rush.