EA is about to take the stage at E3 2013; so join me as I live-blog all the highlights, then follow up with a recap and all the latest trailers shown throughout the presentation. We’re expecting to see the latest footage of Battlefield 4 multiplayer (rumor has it the multiplayer will feature 64-man online play,) as well as details about Dragon Age 3: Inquisition and a new Mass Effect project. Of course, EA Sports will have something to show off as well. Plus, now that EA is the exclusive publisher of Star Wars games, we just might hear some news about that good ‘ol galaxy far, far away.
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Opens with a debut trailer of Plant Vs. Zombies: Garden Warefare
John Vechey comes on stage to discuss the game.
- Third-person action title from PopCap Games. (It’s a mix of shooting and close-combat.)
- Coming first to Xbox One, than Xbox 360
- Creative team comes on stage to show off gameplay footage
- 4-player cooperative survival mode
- All the charm and humor of PvZ is intact
- Different plant types equate to different class types (Healer, ranged, melee tank)
PopCap has also announced Peggle 2 coming later this year
Respawn Entertainment takes the stage to show off more Titanfall footage with a new trailer.
- Titanfall is an exclusively-multiplayer game, but the team wanted to keep the feel of a single-player experience
- Mechs are “agile and fun.” The Titans don’t feel like they slow the action down.
- Wall-running and jetpacks create a very mobile sense of locomotion and freedom
Frank Gibeau comes on stage to discuss the new software engines that EA can create on next-gen platforms.
- EA Sports Ignite and Frostbite 3 will be the flagship engines for all AAA EA titles for the foreseeable future
- A reveal trailer shown for Star Wars: Battlefront (Holy amazeballs it’s happening!!) being developed by DICE
- Trailer shown for Need for Speed: Rivals
- Ghost Games is the newly created studio handling NFS: Rivals
- Single-player, coop, and multiplayer is all seamlessly integrated into one persistent world
- Gameplay demo shown onstage features a race that starts in single-player and transitions into multiplayer without breaking the action
Aaron Paul comes on stage to discuss some behind-the-scenes details of an upcoming Need for Speed movie and present a behind-the-scenes featurette. The film is due out in Spring 2014.
BioWare takes the stage to present Dragon Age III: Inquisition with some gameplay footage
- “You’ll need an Inquisition to restore order to a world in turmoil”
- Introducing new characters while bringing back some fans will recognize
- Releasing Fall 2014
Time for the EA Sports segment
Andrew Wilson discusses the exclusive Xbox One and PS4 (next-gen) sports titles coming to next-gen consoles.
Gameplay trailer featuring NBA Live 14:
- “Redefining the dribble” with a new technology called “BounceTek” that mimics real-world situations
- The ball is separated from the hand in every dribbling animation, giving the player better control and “self-expression”
- NBA Live World delivers relevant player data within an hour of it happening. Stats, injuries, etc.
Cam Weber discusses Madden 25 on Xbox One and PS4
- “The smoothest and most authentic gameplay to date.”
- Precise footwork leads to better control and greater realism
- Adaptive AI will change secondary teammate tactics based on individual play scenarios. (Linemen will shift or avoid fallen players.)
- The Ignite engine combines stunning visuals and improved new AI
- Adrian Peterson will be on the cover for Madden 25
- Gameplay trailer shown
Gameplay trailer for upcoming Fifa 14, followed by an onstage appearance by musical performer Drake
- Discusses the popularity of Fifa before presenting a gameplay demo of the game in action
- “The most authentic football game in history.”
- Ignite can bring stadiums to life, so the crowd will react like never before with lifelike responses
- Updated AI allows players to adapt to situations so teammates think intelligently
- Coming this Fall to next-gen consoles
Bruce Buffer literally grabs a mic to introduce Andrew Wilson, and UFC fighters Jon Jones and Benson Henderson
- The founder of UFC is also onstage to discuss the popularity of UFC because “fighting is in our DNA”
- Groundbreaking new features include the “MMAI” fighting system allowing for fighters to improvise during a fight and adapt to the opponent’s playstyle
- “Full-body defamation” offers a new level of intensity that shows off real-time damage during fights
- A new gameplay trailer is presented
- UFC releases in Spring 2014
DICE heads to the stage to show off Battlefield 4 footage
- Confirms 64-player online battles
- Air, land, and sea battles are all playable
- “Commander Mode” allows play from either the console or the mobile space on tablets. Players can interact with matches and provide players on the battlefield with key information
- A live demo is shown running with all 64 players at once
- Commander can issue strategic commands such as “Attack point A,” or let teammates know where enemies are attacking from
- Players can ride speedboats across water
- The Commander can identify enemy tanks and call in a missile airstrike (no details on how often this is available.)
DICE shows off a reveal trailer for Mirror’s Edge 2, coming “when it’s ready.”
Peter Moore closes out the show by announcing the playable demos available on the show floor; including Battlefield 4, Need for Speed: Rivals, and the EA Sports titles running on the Ignite engine.
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EA just wrapped their press event, and while there weren’t too many surprise, they showed a strong lineup of titles coming to next-gen. The unusual-yet-adorable Plants vs Zombies: Garden Warefare looks very promising, and was actually one of the highlights of the event, especially for folks tired of the constant sequelitis. Yes PvZ is not a new IP, but this totally out-of-genre experience keeps things fresh.
Obviously, the biggest news of the announcement is that DICE is in fact making a new Star Wars: Battlefront game. (Which I totally called, by the way.) No news on a release date or features were provided, and it’s unlikely the game will debut before 2015, but it’s nice to know that we’ll finally see an authentic Battlefront experience coming to next-gen, running on Frostbite 3 to boot.
EA had a great event, showing off just a tease of anticipated titles such as Dragon Age III: Inquisition and Mirror’s Edge 2. While there weren’t any jaw-dropping surprises, it’s nice to know that EA is creating a mix of strong sequels and quality new products.
Keep it here at IGXPro, as we still have presentations coming from both Ubisoft and Sony. E3 hasn’t even officially begun yet, so there’s still plenty of news to come all week long. If you want to keep up with all of the action on the go, be sure to like IGXPro on Facebook, follow us on Twitter, or give us the ‘ol +1 on Google+.
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