Los Angeles: EA CEO Andrew Wilson unveiled a slew of upcoming games at the publisher’s E3 press conference. Most games were expected, including previews for Dragon Age: Inquisition, Mirror’s Edge 2, Star Wars Battlefront, Sims 4, the new Battlefield Hardline, and several sports-themed games. However, the big surprise came with the confirmation that a new Mass Effect game is indeed being developed by BioWare.
It was during the middle of the conference that EA revealed a video montage of very early development for the new Mass Effect game. The preview emphasized new experiences instead of sticking with the old characters and places in the Mass Effect universe, even stating, “New places. New characters. New people to fall in love with.” Though a release date has not been announced yet, this press conference does confirm that gamers will indeed be getting a new Mass Effect game sometime in the future.
The biggest title of the conference was Battlefield Hardline. Taking the Battlefield franchise into a new twist of cops versus criminals, the preview looked fast-paced with a chaotic, alterable environment and classic Battlefield gameplay. Fans were delighted when the beta version of the game went live right at the end of the conference.
Dragon Age: Inquisition was also highlighted during the conference with a live cellist playing to game footage. Aaryn Flynn, General Manager for BioWare’s Edmonton and Montreal studios, introduced an in-game battle sequence and discussed the two different styles players can choose in the new Dragon Age. “One way to approach combat puts you into the heat of the action,” Flynn said, highlighting a quick, action-based real-time fighting style for the game where the party was fighting a dragon. “Another way to approach combat is to use the tactical camera,” he said, demonstrating a fighting approach that removes time from the battle and allows the player to more thoughtfully engage the enemy. Dragon Age: Inquisition comes out October 7, 2014.
Another much-anticipated game that the conference highlighted was Sims 4. The release date was finally announced for September 2, 2014. Rachel Franklin, executive producer for Sims 4, described the game as having, “Smarter Sims. Sims with personalities…You define your Sim’s personality.” Two major changes that were highlighted in the newest installment of the Sims include the ability to play with a Sim’s emotions and a gallery where players can easily add Sims created by other players into the game.
Besides the new Mass Effect, there were three other early teasers of games still in the beginning stages of developments included a new Star Wars Battlefront game that has been inspired from the look and feel of the three original movies. Another early look was for an unnamed Criterion Software game that allows players to drive or fly many different extreme sports vehicles. Mirror’s Edge 2 was also given a small nod, highlighting a few Parkour-like shots from the new game.
EA previewed five different sports games, including EA Sports UFC, EA Sports PGA Tour, EA Sports NHL 15, Madden NFL 15, and FIFA 15. Each game preview highlighted newer graphics, more emotions from the players, and better game play handling.
For MOBA fans (Multiplayer Online Battle Arena), EA gave a preview of Dawngate, a team-oriented game that looks to give players a lot of options for characters and tactics.
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