The EA Play press conference brought us a variety of games, sports and YouTubers’ attempting to present — It soon became clear the latter was super cringey! Using influencers doesn’t always work to your advantage EA…stick to actual presenters next time. Overall, I don’t think it was a bad conference, but only a few games peaked my interest. As the dust settles, I thought I’d run down the games I’ll be keeping my eyes on.
A Way Out
The first to catch my eye was the new game by the writer of Brothers: A Tale of Two Sons, “A Way Out”. It looked really cool with its Prison Break story, but I was put off by the co-op only gameplay. Sure, not every game has to be single player, but sometimes I just enjoy experiencing a game on my own. Look, I’m anti-social sometimes! At least the director has realised A Way Out shouldn’t just be couch co-op, and they’ll be adding online play too — a wise move. This said, there won’t be any online matchmaking.
Ignoring the co-op aspect, the unique approach to story telling, and its setting drew me in; I’m always one for a gritty crime related game, especially if it involves puzzles. In some parts, one player will be watching a cut scene, while the other plays. I hope this won’t detract from the story and turn into a gimmick, especially if there’s a lot going on audio wise. A Way Out is currently coined for an early 2018 release, but I’m sure you’ll hear me talking about it more closer to the time.
Anthem
Not much was shown for Anthem; BioWare just teased their new IP, and a promise of more at Microsofts conference. Even though I couldn’t get into Mass Effect and never picked up Dragon Age, Anthem’s teaser seemed to do something for me. I’m not exactly sure what; maybe it was the run down Sci-Fi aesthetic? Some people have been speculating that Anthem is going to be EA’s answer to Destiny. Either way, I’m interested in hearing more!
Star Wars: Battlefront II (2017)
<rant> Let’s get this out of the way first, we need to stop using the same number system for rebooted games, Battlefront II came out in 2005. Call it something else damn it!! </rant>
EA decided to give DICE's Battlefront II the spotlight this year, showing off 12 minutes of gameplay. While the original Battlefront (I mean the 2015 reboot, not the 2004 game) didn’t hold my attention for long, Battlefront II (2017) might scratch my Star Wars itch.
Firstly, it’s getting a campaign, with a unique story. This will be set between Return of the Jedi and The Force Awakens — this excites me way more than the multiplayer. The Dark Forces games were a big part of my childhood, so I’m hoping Battlefront II (2017) will fill the void. Despite mentioning single player though, EA only showed off multiplayer — which was a shame.
EA showed a Map based on the planet Naboo, where the clone army fights against droids from Episode I. Two new Heroes, Darth Maul, from Episode I; and Rey from Episode VII made an appearance too. The game, much like the last, looked visually stunning. Unlike the last game though, Battlefront II (2017) will offer classes, more like those in the Battlefield games. They will be:
- The officer (a medic/support class);
- The robotic assault trooper (the medium-to-close range all purpose attacker);
- The heavy trooper; and
- A sniper-oriented specialist class.
I’m just hoping DICE change vehicles along the same lines, allowing players to jump in and go. I believe I’m going to be disappointed though!
On the multiplayer side, EA has decided to throw Season Passes in the bin! At least for Battlefront II (2017). Good move EA! DLC maps have always been a pain as they fracture the player base more and more. I thought Ubisoft’s season pass for Rainbow Six: Siege worked well (paying gave you new operators and maps early, before their general, free, release) and I’m glad EA is following suit. They didn’t mention how, if at all, they will try and monetise the game. Hopefully nothing dickish will ensue!
Need for Speed Payback
While I did pick up the last Need for Speed, I didn’t get around to playing much. I quite enjoyed the cheesy FMV’s, but I think I was in a minority. Payback seems to have a Fast and Furious vibe, which will probably work out well for the game. Its story mode will focus on three different characters in an open world; the last part at least is nothing new. While it didn’t raise my attention as much as the three above, the fact that Payback will have old bangers to find and do up seemed like a cool feature. I may look into Payback some more.
The rest
I wasn’t too fussed about the other games, but I thought I’d at least give them a mention! Battlefield 1 is getting eight new maps, two night maps and six more with the expansion “In the Name of the Tsar” which will also expand the Operations mode with new conflicts and assignments.
As usual the next FIFA game was announced, along with Madden NFL ‘18 and NBA Live ‘18. Madden and NBA both looked like they’re both getting a story mode a la FIFA ‘17, but I can’t say I payed much attention to them. Sorry. I just don’t do sports games. All I will say is, please EA, run the sports section elsewhere, it just detracts from your conferences!
As I said before, EA’s conference wasn’t bad, but I hope the others are a bit more interesting. At the very least, I’m looking forward to seeing more of Anthem at Microsoft’s conference tonight! Did anyone else watch the event? If you did, let me know what you thought about the games!
