This week during GDC 2015, Electronic Arts and Visceral Games announced that a "Premium" membership for Battlefield Hardline will be available when the game launches on March 17, 2015 for the PC, the two Xbox consoles, and the two PlayStation consoles. This membership program will come packed with extra goodies that require a one-time $50 on top of the game's retail cost.
"The game delivers a fresh and stylish new entry to the critically-acclaimed Battlefield franchise as players take to the gritty streets of Los Angeles and Miami in a crime-fueled showdown between cops and criminals," the press release stated. "A new class of weapons, vehicles, and gadgets pushes players to approach the gameplay in entirely new ways."
According to the two companies, members of Battlefield Hardline Premium will receive new themed player masks that provide "unique benefits." Players will also receive a gun bench that allows them customize weapons and track the stats of each. They'll even be able to participate in Premium ladders and tournaments, and replay the entire progression system.
In addition to those features, Premium members will have access to the expansion packs two weeks earlier than standard players. These expansion packs include new multiplayer maps, new vehicles, new game modes and new in-game content. The DLC packs include Criminal Activity, Robbery, Getaway and Betrayal.
Finally, the Premium membership will include twelve Gold Battlepacks and a place at the front of the line during server queues. Also included is access to Premium events like double-XP and in-game sessions, as well as new personalization options such as ammo skins, gun cameos and more.
So what will PC gamers need to run Battlefield Hardline? The minimum list includes an AMD Athlon II / Phenom II clocked at 2.8 GHz or an Intel Core i3 or i5 clocked at 2.4 GHz. They'll also need an AMD Radeon HD 5770 (1 GB VRAM) or an Nvidia GeForce GTX 260 (896 MB) GPU. Other minimum requirements include DirectX 11, 60 GB of free space on the hard drive, 4 GB of RAM and the 64-bit of Windows Vista SP2 at the very least.
As for the recommended specifications, PC gamers will need an Intel-based quad-core CPU or an AMD-based six-core CPU. They will also need an AMD Radeon R9 290 or an Nvidia GeForce GTX 760 GPU with 3 GB of VRAM, 8 GB of RAM, DirectX 11, 60 GB of free space on the hard drive and a 64-bit copy of Windows 8.1.
Given that the game's launch isn't that far away, gamers may want to pre-purchase Battlefield Hardline. The base game costs $59.99, but for $10 more, PC gamers can get the Digital Deluxe version that includes ten Gold Battlepacks, a Suppression Battlepack, a Precision Battlepack and a Versatility Battlepack.
EA is also throwing in a guarantee: don't like Battlefield Frontline? Just return it!
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