Every year, E3 seems to start earlier and earlier. The 2017 show is no exception, with EA being the first to hold their press conference on Saturday, June 10. The conference opened with a short montage of games. Titles both familiar and new made an appearance, setting the stage for what was a fairly decent event.
Note: EA mixed up their presentation in a very interesting way this year. More than anything, it seemed a bit disjointed, so I’ve grouped everything that was showcased into categories below.
Sports
As always, EA is releasing its line of popular sports titles for another year. Among the lineup is Madden 18, Fifa 18, and NBA Live 18. Fans of sports games will be impressed with all of the new features EA is cramming into each title. This year, Madden and Fifa seem to get their own single-player story modes, while NBA Live gets a game mode called “The One”. This mode allows players to create a character and play in “street” and “league” games.
Expansions
Battlefield 1 was wildly successful, so EA plans to support the title with new content. Night maps will soon be making an appearance. And, later this fall, an expansion called “In the Name of the Tsar” will be released. It will feature winter maps, the Russian Army (and their signature cavalry), the Women’s Battalion of Death, and all this along with extra weapons.
This should be a fantastic addition to a game that’s been highly entertaining, so far.
New Games
EA had a trio of new games to show off this year. They started with the most complete – and familiar – game of the trio: Need for Speed Payback.
The gameplay debuted during the conference was nothing really new. Fans of the series and people who have played similar titles like The Crew, will be familiar with what the latest game in the series will offer.
The second game is part of their EA Originals label. Titled “A Way Out”, the game tells the story of two men who try and escape prison together.
The concept looks very fresh and interesting. According to the developer, A Way Out is played exclusively in split screen, so expect to play it with a friend via local co-op or online.
Definitely one to keep an eye on!
Finally, EA teased a new IP from Bioware called Anthem.
They only showed the short trailer linked above, and said that more information would be available during the Microsoft E3 press conference tomorrow.
Star Wars
Considering EA is the sole purveyor of Star Wars games these days, I was fairly disappointed with their offering at this year’s press conference. Unless their holding a few big name announcements for Microsoft or Sony, the only game talked about during their press conference was Star Wars Battlefront 2.
But even with this being the only Star Wars game on display, EA’s commitment to the franchise is inspiring. The new game will include a single player campaign and feature more than three times as much content as the first game. Further, all add-on content for the game will be delivered via seasons and will be free to every player that owns the game!
Considering how much they’ve expanded the Battlefront universe with this title, it looks like something worth watching as the year progresses.
Free Stuff
Near the end of the show, EA’s CEO announced that, for the next week, EA Access/Origin Access would be free to all. Make sure to take a look at everything available and play a few games if you have the chance!
The Verdict
EA ended their one and a half hour show with a thirty minute mash of gameplay from some of the above titles. And while being able to see these games in action was a treat (for a few minutes, anyway), I can’t help but feel a bit underwhelmed with their press conference when comparing it to what was shown last year. It’s perfectly possible that EA is saving some thunder for the big Microsoft and Sony press conferences happening over the next few days, but I can’t help but feeling that I wanted a bit more. Especially with regards to Star Wars content.
And I can’t help but feel that the audience felt much the same way. The mood from the stream I watched felt fairly subdued, and many of the pauses obviously meant for applause were met with awkward silence.
Either way, the content EA did show during the press conference was decent. And a good way to whet E3 attendee’s appetites for what is to come.
