Electronic Arts was the first company to kick off the E3 conference madness. Of course, we knew what we could expect and games like Battlefield V, Fifa 19, and Anthem were all part of the conference but it didn’t stop there. Read all about the conference and my opinion in this article.
I must admit, seconds before the EA Play show started, I was getting pretty hyped. I’m not a huge EA fan but I was wondering what the company had in store for us. EA has been pushing a lot of great games out lately but the big ‘loot box issue’ overshadowed most of those experiences, surely the company had to come back as strong as possible, right?
Starting with an impressive 3D video of Anthem, it really looked like EA wanted to spice things up, giving the gamers what they want. Too bad they promoted the fan fest before jumping straight back into the crazy action we just saw. EA will be EA, I guess?
So instead of starting with Anthem, they decided to focus on the Battlefield V (briefly) as the first game on the big stage. Battlefield V is without a doubt one of the most anticipated games on the EA roster but they didn’t really show us everything yet. Fun little things like jumping through windows and moving weapons over the field were great, but the biggest reveals were the inclusion of a Royale Mode and confirmation that the game won’t have any Loot Boxes or Game Pass support. I must say, this really caught me off guard. Of course, including a Royale Mode is to be expected since I’m guessing everybody will jump on that bandwagon sooner or later. What I really appreciated the most was the lack of Loot Boxes and a Game Pass, already showing the gamers that the company does listen to them and they are willing to change their ways. In the end, they still do it to sell as many copies as possible but if they can do so while keeping the gamers happy, why not, right? I think the Battlefield V section was too short but it seemed like they wanted to save most for the Xbox conference tomorrow.
The next game that took the stage was Fifa 19, another high-anticipated game. The biggest news here was the inclusion of the UEFA Champions League. I get that a lot of fans were asking for this feature to be included for years but I didn’t really care. Fifa is just not my kind of game so for me personally, this bit of the conference was something I could easily go without. What I did notice during this presentation was the fact that the developers tried to give gamers what they really want. My feeling of a more personal approach continued to grow throughout the presentation. It really looks like EA wants to be loved again, which is great news but I’m not sure they will succeed with a conference like this.
An interesting feature they teased after a couple of games was a Cloud-based streaming service comparable to Netflix. With a subscription, you would be able to stream EA games in HD on smartphones, television, and PCs near you. This seems like an interesting new piece of technology since you don’t need to own a dedicated gaming console in order to play some great games. This was perhaps one of the most interesting things they showed until that point. Is this the future of gaming? Will consoles eventually disappear? It seems like EA is definitely preparing for the future.
Some Star Wars news came from Respawn Studios. No new trailer just a name being Star Wars: Jedi Fallen Order, set between Star Wars 3 and 4. It looks like it will be a dark and action-packed game but it’s slated for a Holiday 2019 release so pretty early to talk about it just yet. That being said, I think it’s great to have an other Star Wars game than Battlefront and if anyone can make it, I think it’s Respawn Studios. Of course, Battlefront II took the stage after that reveal but I think it’s a bit too late to rescue that game. The developer did admit they handled things wrong and they want to improve the base game a lot. I think it can eventually become great but I lost my interest in the game months ago, it’s a little too late for this one but perhaps there are gamers out there who want to give it another shot. Well, seems like the coming month might be the perfect time to get into the action.
And then, out of nowhere came Unravel two. The first trailer was a lot darker than the first game, taking away the yarn and spark from our cute main character. I’m a big fan of the first Unravel game and this second one really looks interesting. Since the red yarn was cut off, there’s a new blue character, connecting with your character. Unravel isn’t as dark as it first looked, instead, it’s far more playful and colorful than it was before. What I like most about it, is the fact that you can play in both in co-op as alone. If you play on your own, you can simply pick the other character up for the fast-paced segments or you can split up to complete the puzzles. I like the way they solved this problem the way they did. Playing together looked like a lot of fun and I simply can’t wait to play this one together with my friends. One of the best reveals for me, without a doubt, oh and it’s out today!
Since this is clearly the Indie Showcase segment of the conference. EA showed off a new EA Originals game called Sea of Solitude. Before I saw something, I was charmed by the extremely nervous developer, wanting to show the game for the first time. The game picks important themes and seems like it dares to innovate. It’s about people being lonely. The idea here is that people turn into a monster when they are alone. I haven’t seen a lot of the game just yet but there’s something about the atmosphere that really touched my heart. It combines colorful cartoony worlds with a dark and tormented/haunted protagonist. I think this might be the next hidden gem in the EA Originals library, I strongly have the feeling that this might be a very emotional ride.
After such a strong first trailer, I couldn’t care less about the two new trailers of the new EA Sports trailers but they were part of the conference too. They kept going on about the Sports games and a new mobile game but I lost my attention during those segments. Those games are great for the fans but I didn’t like it at all. But seriously, why would you spend this much time on a mobile game instead of focussing on the big guns? Surprisingly this was the new Command & Conquer game, but still… Not impressed.
The last game to take the big stage was, no surprise there, Anthem. After an impressive new trailer, the team of BioWare entered the stage to show the game off a little more in-depth. Anthem seems to be an impressive project that can’t be labeled as a singleplayer or multiplayer game. The world is created by you and your actions although others can see your character and your actions. Gamers share the same world much like an MMORPG game. I think it’s a lot of great PR talk but what I saw on the stage did remind me of a classic MMO game. I’m not really sure how to feel about Anthem. The trailer looked amazing but the small gameplay bits seemed rather strange and maybe even generic. Perhaps it’s one of those games that ‘click’ once you start playing this so I’m definitely giving it my benefit of the doubt. For now, I label it as a Destiny-esque game with a better story and some great looking mechs. Might be the next big thing but I was a bit disappointed, to say the least.
Conclusion:
The EA conference wasn’t the best way to kick off the E3 conference madness. They had great games on the roster but the company decided to spend way too much time on the Command & Conquer demo. Besides that, the Anthem gameplay really was underwhelming and the countless Sports game couldn’t grab my attention. I did like the streaming service and both Unravel Two as Sea of Solitude have my attention and I simply can’t wait to try those out as soon as possible! It’s a bit of a shame that I got most excited about two Indie games during an EA showcase but sadly, that’s the case. I’m just hoping we’ll see more great EA games showing up in the other big conferences because I’m really not that hyped at this moment.
