* Note: Pre-order promotion for the free game is only valid through the month of August 2011. You must pre-order through EA's Origin.

EA is trying very hard to sell gamers on a service they don't seem to want, at least judging by comments online. The publisher has been offering sales on past games, early access to the Battlefield 3 beta for those who pre-order, and now we know that you'll be using EA's Origin service even if you buy the game at a physical retail location. The latest weapon is a simple one: if you pre-order Battlefield 3, you get a free game from a list of three.

A friend who had already pre-ordered the game was pleasantly surprised to receive the following e-mail, which he forwarded:

"As a special thank you for pre-ordering Battlefield 3 early at Origin, we're offering you a bonus PC digital download game. Please apply the code below at the shopping cart to redeem one PC Digital version of one of our recommended shooter titles: Mass Effect 2, Dead Space 2 or Medal of Honor. The price will be reduced to $0 after applying the code at your shopping cart. Hurry—this offer is only good for the month of August, and is exclusive to Origin customers only. See below for more details."

That's not a bad deal, and it's my professional recommendation that you pick up Mass Effect 2 if you haven't already played it (although Medal of Honor is severely underrated if you're into military shooters). On the other hand, EA is beginning to sound like a pitch man on late-night television, screaming "but wait, there's more!" in an effort get you to take out your credit card and buy their game... through their service.

Source: http://arstechnica.com/gaming/news/2011/08/pre-order-battlefield-3-on-origin-get-a-free-game.ars