They were called boring. They had little to show other than prototypes and Dragon Age. They needed to show something this year. Did Electronic Arts do it? Let’s find out.
We begin with the next installment in Mass Effect, complete with a trailer filled with backing music from Johnny Cash. It appears this new game will be in a new galaxy, Andromeda. You can expect to see Mass Effect: Andromeda Holiday 2016.
Next up, we get the next Need for Speed. Fun stuff will ensue, I think. The guy on the stage just sort of droned on for longer than he should’ve. Need for Speed will launch on November 3rd.
Following that riveting experience is Star Wars: The Old Republic. A new expansion called Knights of the Fallen Empire will feature BioWare-style storytelling. Knights of the Fallen Empire will launch free for all subscribers of The Old Republic.
Up next is a new IP called Unravel. This is a platformer developed by Coldwood Studios and features a yarn character named Yarny. The trailer for it looked quite beautiful. No release date was given.
Next up is the guys from PopCap Games with Plants vs. Zombies: Garden Warfare 2, complete with a superhero zombie on hand named Super Brains. One of the important things about this game is that the plants will be on the attack for the first time in the series. Also, gamers can now play the game in single player against AI. The game will launch Spring 2016. EA also promises to bring free content updates post-launch.
Following this is EA Sports. They start with NHL 16, with the focus this year being team, which includes the EA Sport Hockey League. For the rest of team sports, NBA Live 16 will feature a lot of self-expression, including some facial construction just by taking your picture with your phone through an app called Game Face HD. The game will also feature a new physics engine called Live Motion, allowing your players to run freely and realistically. Also covered by EA Sports is Rory McIlroy’s PGA Tour. After that, EA talked about Ultimate Team for every team game, ensuring that it will be fun and fair for everyone.
We now move over to mobile. New this year will be Star Wars: Galaxy of Heroes, a game that will feature a vast array of characters from the Star Wars universe. Also coming to mobile is Minions Paradise, a game that will feature the Minions from Despicable Me, starring a minion named Phil. This game will focus on building an island paradise after accidentally crashing a cruise ship.
Following talk about mobile is talk about FIFA, featuring an appearance from soccer legend Pelé (and for those that are mad that I typed soccer instead of football, Pelé called it soccer; I win). For fans of the sport, it was an interesting moment as Pele talked about things like why he called the sport “The Beautiful Game” and what his favorite moments were. For those looking for insight on any improvements in the game, the game promises to be more balanced with better defensive agility and shape, better passing in the midfield, and more skills and creativity as you close in on the goal. Also, women’s teams will be added in the game for the first time.
Following that is the latest look at Mirror’s Edge, now known as Mirror’s Edge: Catalyst. The subtitle comes from Faith being a catalyst to the entire city opening its eyes towards the corruption around them. The game will be free of levels and loading screens, allowing for free-roaming in the game. And while Faith doesn’t use a gun or most any weapon, she’s more than capable to take on those shooting her. The game will release February 23rd, 2016.
Next is a look at Madden 16. A new mode called Draft Champions was revealed, which will feature you drafting a fantasy team. The game will also feature changes that will adjust how you pass and defend the pass.
Finally, we get a look at Star Wars Battlefront. The game will feature 8 different modes as well as items modeled as close as possible to those of the original trilogy (thanks in part to help from LucasArts). Gameplay shown today comes from a mode inspired by the battle at Hoth.
And that’s it from EA. What did you think? Were you more excited by what you saw this time around? Are you kind of shocked that there wasn’t anything Battlefield related? Let us know in the comments.
