E3 is here again, and the Electronic Arts Press Conference was easily one of the best received events of the first day. Here’s our point-by-point breakdown and analysis of the show:
The entirety of EA’s E3 2013 Press Conference is available here.
Plenty of Wub-Wub. Good, we were worried. Peter Moore looking dapper, still something of an awkward doofus, but he’s not giving up any douche-points to Phil Spencer.
If there were an award for From Furthest Out of Left Field, Plants vs. Zombies: Garden Warfare would have cinched it this year. A third-person shooter title in the Plants vs. Zombies universe is . . . a choice that was made. It’s hard to even mock something this ridiculous. I can’t believe that this was their lead-off title, but it certainly was, and it seems to have a tremendous amount of money and effort behind it. Maybe the scariest thing about this title is that it doesn’t look half bad.
[youtube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ShMootQvl_0[/youtube]
And then they dropped the Peggle 2 bomb. Thanks, EA. Thanks. I didn’t need to do anything productive this year.
Titanfall: This was something of a surprise, not because of any intrinsic element, but rather because Microsoft did SUCH a good job in their press conference of painting this as an exclusive. It is NOT an exclusive in the traditional sense, as it will be on both of the Xbox platforms as well as PC (presumably via Origin). It’s every bit as impressive the second time around, and it looks to have a really interesting take on combining multi-player and single-player. Also, does anyone ever not like mechs? If so, you can stop reading now.
[youtube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=THoUG308iuw[/youtube]
Frank Gibeau – Engine Focus for EA Sports Ignite and DICE’s Frostbyte 3: Does this mean we won’t see any more incredibly entertaining animation freakouts in FIFA? Say it ain’t so, Frank.
This is quite possibly the single most important announcement of the show. A phenomenal new reveal trailer from the acclaimed developer of the Battlefield Franchise, DICE:
[youtube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vx4JQf8qR-k&oref=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.youtube.com%2Fwatch%3Fv%3DVx4JQf8qR-k&has_verified=1[/youtube]
Good lord. The internet, it was nearly won tonight in a single volley. DICE, responsible for what is commonly considered to be the best rock/paper/scissors infantry/vehicle combat franchise in the history of gaming, is officially developing Star Wars: Battlefront. It’s over, guys, you can go home. Nothing else from E3 will top this news. If that crack of blaster fire 23 seconds in didn’t make your heart skip a beat, I want your nerd card on my desk, now. The explosive roar in the crowd was the most authentic I’ve ever heard.
The trailer for Need for Speed: Rivals might contain some of the worst banter in recent history, but you can safely ignore that. There is absolutely no doubt that the franchise is on the upswing. Since the acquisition of Criterion studios, the storied franchise has regained it’s luster, and this title certainly looks gorgeous, and will no doubt be another positive mark in EA’s roster. The blending of single- and multi-player seems to be a theme of the show thus far, and the continuation of the seamless open-world design aesthetic that is both a trademark of Criterion and a continuation of the trend from Need for Speed: Most Wanted is a welcome one. Time will tell whether or not the tablet integration is a feature of a similar quality.
[youtube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=79QsNYEJxLs[/youtube]
As entertaining as it seems, I can’t decide which is less realistic: the physics, or the idea of a Bugatti cop car. Or the idea that it was worth what it cost to get Aaron Paul onstage for this show. Or that there is a market for a Need For Speed movie.
Dragon Age III: Inquisition: Yes, EA you SHOULD have Morrigan (Claudia Black) do the voice-over for the Dragon Age III trailer. You did not do wrong at all. This could not be bad, it will be excellent. This seems to be presented as a conclusion to the current arc, and seems to be riding the mid-point between the art style of the first and second titles.
[youtube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rh8v3Et4tGE&oref=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.youtube.com%2Fwatch%3Fv%3Drh8v3Et4tGE&has_verified=1[/youtube]
Obligatory EA Sports Montage: No disrespect intended, these are always good – usually better than good, usually the best in category, and I am sure that they are completely vital to the financial integrity of the company. I even buy Madden every once in a while. It’s just hard to pretend to care.
NBA LIVE 14: Beat poetry meets basketball, good fit. Who knew? The return of EA to the pro basketball market is something of a surprise, but I suppose that a generation shift is as good a time as any. The fixation on ball physics was a bizarrely arcane choice, but not one that I suspect will garner a sizable return.
[youtube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ws_N0_2KLfE[/youtube]
Madden 25: Proving the point yet again that the degree of specificity of technical additions in briefings on sports titles is always, always too high, and that there is never enough depth-of-field. The animation, however, it outrageously good, and there is some very, very impressive texture work. Sports games don’t get a lot of love, but there is something to be said for the degree of brilliant technical work that goes on in titles like this, and this trailer does a great job of showcasing that detail.
[youtube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pbDi1dnga8g[/youtube]
As always, FIFA looks amazing. The player detail, the animation work, the sum total is just a phenomenal tribute to the sport. The sheer dedication to authenticity, to the spirit, and to the rabidity of the fans is incredible. So out of the entire world of soccer personalities, who does EA turn to best represent the ins and outs of the world’s most popular sport, to present the nuances and details of the footy, to exemplify the entire world of Football?
Drake. Wait, Drake? What?
Yep.
[youtube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4u1bw50MmX8[/youtube]
One would think with such a long shot, that they would have spent more time on his intro monologue. Not so, I say. Not so.
Solidifying the UFC Contract is just terrifyingly huge. UFC is one of the fastest growing sports categories in the world, and gaining exclusivity to it is not far short of the coup that is NFL exclusivity. This may not be something on most gamers’ radar, but it will certainly pay for many, many titles that are.
[youtube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QuWwU_xQGFA[/youtube]
I’m a little tired of EA CGI Trailers at this point. If you don’t have gameplay 45 minutes into a show, don’t show your damn game.
THEN CAME BATTLEFIELD 4, who 46 minutes into the conference, brought game-play. And here it is, speaking for itself, with it’s 32 on 32 gameplay and re-introduction of the fan-favorite Commander gameplay from BF2 and BF2142.
[youtube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZjSykcTGrNc[/youtube]
The combination of DICE announcing Battlefront, and the sheer bloody brilliance of this game-play sequence, coupled with the Angry Sea demo from earlier today likely means that DICE has won E3 this year. Well done, you charming scandanavian scallywags. Well done. Levolution indeed.
[youtube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IEZhbV9s1Ag[/youtube]
So, EA, after absolutely brutalizing E3 with the single best conference in the history of your company, what else could you possibly have in store for us?
[youtube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u6PXba8X6N8[/youtube]
Well, ok. We’ll take that.