DICE is aiming to finally topple the FPS champion Call of Duty series this year with the highly-anticipated Battlefield 3. With the impressive Frostbite 2 Engine wowing Battlefield fans and the first gameplay trailer releasing to rave reviews, pre-orders are likely going to be at an all-time high for the series. This is just as well as pre-ordering Battlefield 3 will be the way to go if you want the most complete experience. Those who do so will receive the Battlefield 3 Limited Edition version, which supplies gamers with the “Back to Karkand” DLC map pack for free. Today, we learned specifically which maps this DLC will provide.

As we previously reported, the free map pack would include four maps from Battlefield 2 that would be recreated with the Frostbite 2 Engine. However, DICE did not immediately release the names of the maps that would be included in this pack. On the DICE forums, a poster going by the handle, Gnoblar, asked what maps would be included in the free DLC and got others speculating by stating which maps he would prefer to see. DICE Community Manager, Daniel Matros aka zh1nt0, then officially responded that the maps would consist of Strike at Karkand, Wake Island, Gulf of Oman, and Sharqi Peninsula.

Battlefield fans were probably not that surprised that Wake Island made the cut, as this map has been seen in almost every iteration of the series. Whether familiarity breeds contempt or makes players feel right at home is up for debate.

Matros was also asked whether DICE would convert other Battlefield 2 maps at some point and whether the Battlefield 2 weapons would import to Battlefield 3. He wrote that he could not comment at this time, but we expect that if the game sells well, DICE would certainly look to release some of the more popular maps. Based upon past comments, additional maps would be free, so long as the lure of raking in Call of Duty DLC ka-ching doesn’t cause EA to consider a change in policy.

So Battlefield fans, what do you think of the “Back to Karkand” maps? Are there any other maps you would like to see converted with the Frostbite 2 engine?

Battlefield 3 is scheduled to release in Fall 2011 for the PC, PlayStation 3, and Xbox 360.

Source: DICE Forums