EA has made inroads with free-to-play games in other markets, but  Battlefield: Heroes will be the company's first attempt to make that business model work in North America with a big-name title. While we knew a lot about the game, like the art style and character classes that will be available at launch, EA has recently sent Ars Technica a beta key, and after a few hours of play time we're confident in saying that there is much in this title to look forward to.

It's important to get the misinformation out of the way: the game will have ads on both the official website and the game's launcher. The good news is that there will be no ads in the actual game, and the ads in the various front-ends are unobstrusive. The other way EA is hoping to make money from the game is microtransactions: selling in-game items for a few dollars each. We were once led to believe players would only be able to purchase visual upgrades for their characters-new hats or glasses or similar items-but EA has now told us the item store will also allow you to "catch-up with your hardcore free-playing buddies with time-saving convenience items." That doesn't sound promising.

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The big question is what EA will choose to sell you, and what gamers will find themselves willing to pay for. 

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