EA starts the biggest convention of the year with a pretty decent start.
Showcases:
Electronic Arts
Cozy Pre-Show - The show was logged for starting at 1PM but it is still in a pre-show state. I am typing this now listening to Gamespot’s pre-show (1:12PM) since EA’s Twitch channel has a countdown and I can tell you personally, this is extremely disconcerting. One guy literally is saying he hates everything unless it is Final Fantasy 7. They are also ranting about topics and titles we have been talking about for months. The EA line ups like Anthem, Battlefield V and generic triple A title like Assassin's Creed, Splinter Cell and Death Stranding. The amount of un-inventive discussion in this show hurts me. There are going to be so many surprises this year and the fact that they are not trying to throw out some personal wishes is why I hate these pre-shows to begin with. Too much attention to main show presentations that we have already been talking about this past year. Like Beyond Good and Evil? Last of Us 2? Death Stranding? Nobody knows what these games have in store and it is the same questions… Game-play? What is it? What can it be? Their is nothing constructive to leave food for thought and there is no attempt at trying to at least theorize of what we could expect.
They did do a history of E3 segment though which was pretty nifty. Pretty straightforward information and large jumps of the timeline but nonetheless, an nice touch.
I just came back after getting lunch and I hear more of these Gamespot people talking about Bioware games and saying how lifeless Inquisition is. Evidence? They did not say anything. I think I am done listening to these people for awhile.
It Begins:
The show begins with fancy presentation of a Freelancer from Anthem lighting up a giant monster and flying off screen. Unfortunately, I did not record my screen properly and cannot recall some of the hosts. I will make sure tomorrow has this issue resolved but regardless, all the juicy game details are here. I will be going through the details in as much depth as these hosts provided and within the order they announced them. Here is a table of contents of content that was announced if you wish to just jump through the announcements.
Battlefield V
Fifa 19
NBA 19
Madden 19
Respawn Entertainment: Jedi Fallen Order
Battlefront 2 - Clone Wars Expansion
Unravel Two
EA Originals
Command and Conquer: Rivals
Anthem
Enjoy!
Battlefield V - The first game on the line up is Battlefield V. We have already seen the initial game-play/reveal(?) trailer for this title and they have brought it into the fray once more. The hosts come out and begin laying out the new unique steps Battlefield V will be taking for the title. The dynamic destruction system seems to continue to push out it's boundaries by taking more restrictions out from previous titles. Windows can now be jumped through "dynamically", houses are even more destructible than they were before and a new feature, which I think is pretty cool, is that stationary artillery and turrets can now be moved around at the extent of the player. I can definitely admit that is dynamic and adds a unique layer of depth into the conquest advantage game-play. Either side being able to use it to their interests and from any angle. Pretty sweet direction.
Then they continue to go into the players and their monetization choices in this game. Though not much was revealed on pricing or microtransaction choices, they confirmed on stage that there will be absolutely no loot boxes nor premium passes, which is a first for Battlefield titles in a really long time. I am sure that the new cosmetics they are bringing in are going to compensate for this since player soldiers, vehicles and weapons can be kitted out. If I had to guess, the success of Battlefront 2's new economy may be the direction they are going. Small earnable premium currency with a dash of currency packs to get stuff you want early.
The most interesting Battlefield game to date. For many reasons.
For core game-play features, the single-player is continuing to follow suit in the "War Stories" chapters that provide scenarios for players to play in and experience. "Ground Operations" which will be a dense conquest game mode and of course, most importantly, "Battlefield Royale". Yup. It is a god damn thing. They got booed for this and they really deserved it. Besides that giant hiccup, that was about it for Battlefield V.
For this next section, I am just going to put all the sports games together. There was not really any huge announcements for these games besides they will be in the EA Vault and that they are coming out soon.
Fifa 19 - Ultimate Team still present. September 28th. Fifa 18 World Cup celebration. Free trial on all platforms for Fifa 18.
NBA 19 - A basic trailer with not much direction towards a story mode. Just raw gameplay.
Madden 19 - A dynamic Madden trailer enters the stage and shortly after... A player from the Pittsburgh Steelers and a prop Madden player named Young Kev enter the front stage. This segment was so stupid and Young Kev was the most egotistical co-host that they could have added to this show. I wanted it to end so quickly it was most embarrassing moment of today's presentation I believe. No reason to have him here. Like I mentioned prior, I do not remember the names of everyone but that Pittsburgh player was full of energy and he really should have just talked about the game himself instead of glorifying that ass hat of a player who is so proud of skipping his graduation to go play pro. Kev literally said this on stage and I was asking myself... "Why? Just get off the stage no one cares".
Subscription Services and the Future - Soon after, Andrew Wilson, the CEO of EA, took the plate. Andrew opened up his segment with EA's current subscription service plan. The subscription service, EA Vault, is upgrading to a, "Premier" status. This upgrade will allow players not only access to a large assortment of games as usually stated in the EA Vault benefits but will get access to recently released titles day one instead of buying them outright. Not just a trial but full access guaranteed. I do not know the full details on this complete Premier upgrade but when more information is released I shall cover the details. It definitely seems like gaming subscription services are proving to be profitable and it is no surprise to find EA innovating the idea further. After the subscription service was exemplified, Andrew teased a future of general gaming that will be available to all in the future once all the specifics are ready to be confidential released to the public. This general gaming statement is related to the compatibility of playing games on the go. Whenever, wherever. The only console that can do this is Nintendo Switch. Not a portable DS or PSVita but an actual console. EA for some reason are the ones to introduce this concept and I should have expected that something like this was bound to happen after the success of the Switch. It seems like we have a long ways to go before we see more of this in the works but the idea is out there and in development.
Respawn Entertainment - This is a quick segment but it was a really awesome announcement as well. Respawn Entertainment, the creators behind Titanfall, are making a new Star Wars game. The title is: Jedi Fallen Order. It is aiming for a release in holiday 2019 and is emphasized to take place between "dark times" in the canonical episodes of 3-4 of the Star Wars legacy. I personally am excited to see what Respawn does with the IP and what it's core game-play standard will revolve around. Giant titans to Jedi? Definitely a leap for the company in terms of it's creative thinking!
Battlefront 2 - After Respawn's elusive and exciting tease, Battlefront 2 chimes in to continue lighting the way for Star War's news. If you are a fan of the new Battlefront (after all the updates of course), then you will be very happy to hear what comes next. EA goes on to say that this summer is going to be filled to the brim with a handful of content that has been long requested by players. Game-play wise, an expansion to squad systems will be implemented to make grouping up easier and a new conquest like game mode will be on it's way. It seems like it will play out with objectives current players are familiar with on pushing objectives but expand it to the point of both forces bringing down major targets. Star Cruisers and bases were mentioned points so it seems like the formula is going to get a really nice addition to break the current formula and pacing of the current conquest formula.
Teaser splash art featuring the upcoming hero, "General Grievous".
Lastly, the content this is all being bundled around. New heroes and Star Wars chapter expansions are on the way as well. The introduction of the new chapter gave me chills and made me so excited to tell some of my friends what was coming. Clone Wars. The Clone Wars chapter is on the way and the new heroes are as follows; General Grievous, Obi-Wan Kenobi, Count Dooku and Anakin Skywalker. This was a legitimately amazing announcement and I am hyped to see what these characters are going to look like and what battles the Clone Wars are going to tackle in the Star Wars: Battlefront 2 universe. The host acknowledged the horrendous start this game had and is promising it's players that they are consistently working harder to make the best gaming experience possible for this title.
Unravel Two - This was my favorite reveal of the whole damn day. Please watch the trailer. When I tell you I got emotional, I truly mean that. I was literally in tears. Pretty much crying happy tears at my desk. When I watched this I did not know what came over me but this reveal touched my heart in more ways than one.
The lovely and adorable trailer for Yarny's second adventure.
I am not sure if it was just me getting over emotional, not expecting Unravel to even get a sequel or what but this was the most heart warming surprise I could have asked for. When I saw the second blue Yarny I knew exactly where the game was going and I could not help it. So if you watched the trailer (which you better have), you can see that the game is going in a cooperative direction. Unravel was a 2.5D platformer featuring an adorable yarn like protagonist to collect the memories of those who weaved him together. With his spirit now lost, he must reclaim it with the help of this amazing new aqua Yarny here. The game is always going to be involved with both Yarny's since many of the puzzles will be involved with the intricacy intended for multiple players.
Solo players are also taken into consideration and the game will be completable from start to finish with a friend or alone if you so chose. This was played live and an interesting piece they showed with the solo player perspective is how one Yarny can curl up inside the other. This was implemented so that for faster paced sections, the single-player campaign can play as flawlessly as it would be with another player. A really nice touch of convenience than making it dual stick and awkward to control. There also seemed to be wall jumping so the level complexity, in theory, should be three times as diverse as it was to the original. I absolutely adored the first one even if it was pretty straightforward. With this new addition of an extra player, I believe Unravel Two will be an upstanding sequel for the IP. What was even more crazy was that they announced it was released today.
I bought it. That is all.
EA Originals - After I recovered from my emotional bliss, EA continued the show into giving their program of housing indies some spotlight. The developers of "A Way Out" were mentioned and now this small studio has gotten their own office and are already hard at work on their next IP. The next company that got to show off their game was Jo Mei (Yo-My) Studios straight out of Berlin. I swear EA pulled out some emotional roller-coaster in their last stretch because this upcoming indie title is drenched in such dark themes of the human psyche. Sea of Solitude follows a female protagonist who seems adrift in this submerged world and possessed by a monstrous being of literal loneliness, depression and loss of humanity. The game seeks to find said humanity with dark emotions fighting against her every step of the way. It seems like it will be a 3D platformer and I am interested to see where this game goes. The artistic direction seems very much present but I would love to get my hands on experiencing a few moments of this title.
Command and Conquer: Rivals - Here comes the second most perplexing announcement of the day. A mobile real time strategy game under the Command and Conquer IP. This section was hosted by shout-casters and I can say confidently, this will make the E3 cringe compilation highlights for sure. Two RTS pros got up on stage and proceeded to show off game-play of the title. It has a pretty simple formula of, capture the points and fire a rocket into the enemy base twice. You get the rocket by capturing and holding three preset areas for a certain amount of time. Players can mine resources to spawn troops and they are diverse amount of troops to counter one another. That is pretty much about it. That is as much as I want to cover because it was... something else.
Andrew Wilson CEO - With the last bit of information to trickle out, Andrew Wilson returns to make a small speech on the business actions that were taken this year. Andrew solemnly stated that he knew that they made many mistakes throughout the year and with the feedback we have provided, they are doing everything to provide the best experiences once more. Putting fun back into their games and not making it all about the monetization. With Anthem, Battlefield V and Battlefront 2's update, you can tell the company has veered off from ever approaching loot boxes again and find better ways to profit their content. Andrew also closed out saying that EA has put one million dollars into charity towards causes that prevent bullying and encourage equality. The foundations he mentioned were He for She, National Bullying Prevention Center and Ditch the Label. Play to Give was his closing quote.
Anthem - Last but not least at EA's showcase, Anthem. The highly anticipated and sketchy new IP coming from Bioware. There was plenty of more game-play, clarification and definitive classification of what Anthem truly is. Check out the game-play below to get an idea of what is in development for Anthem. This was the longest presented show and I tried to condense down as much information as possible. I am skeptical about this game and provide only the information below as I try to comb out more information about what was shown today.
Four minutes of new Anthem Game-play featuring the Colossus.
Q&A (Not all answers are word for word but a quick breakdown of the discussion):
What is evolution of Bioware games? Specifically, Anthem? - New world, new story and new characters. A whole new universe entirely. Dynamic world that seems to have optional multiplayer.
New world challenges? - World left by the gods. The Anthem of Creation with chaos fighting out mutated creatures, a suit or armor to explore with how dangerous the world is.
Monetization? - Cosmetics and vanity items are purchasable. No loot boxes. Ongoing service to consistently provide story content for years to come.
Multiplayer? - Varying classes to make for varying amounts of teamwork and whatnot. Playing with others is a choice.
What Else is Going on in Anthem?:
Stories - My Story. a personal story experience that can be shared with others online. Open world offers missions which opens up multiplayer. The base is for all singleplayer with your choices and agency refined. DLC is hinted.
Lore - You play a Freelancer who can use the exo suits called Javelin Suits. Dominion, your homebase, can weaponize the Anthem of Creation to protect Tarsus, the planet. The Ranger, Colossus, Interceptor and Storm classes have very specifically designed Javelin Suits and provide different playstyles. All interchangeable. Ranger excels in close combat, Colossus has heavy weaponry, Interceptor is agile and Storm possess powerful energy.
Game-play - Two weapons and three abilities. Diverse traversal, air and underwater but all with flying involved. Scars are the primary enemies utilizing the The Anthem of Creation for evil. Storm class looks sick. And that is about it so far! There was also a confirmed release date being early 2019, February 22nd. Anthem will be available on all platforms.
I thought today's E3 kicked off pretty strongly. Other than the excessive sports game and awkward presentations for a mobile game and battle royale feature, the rest of the announcements were pretty great to learn about. It is cool hearing that portable consoles are being tinkered with for all platforms and seeing Unravel lit me up like a Christmas tree. This has got my blood going and am looking forward to seeing the onslaught of news and other reveals from the other handful of showcases coming up in the next few days. Make sure to stay tuned and check out the other days I cover!
This news was gathered off of EA's live-stream during the E3 2018 Showcase. Note, all images provided were taken from official press releases advertising "Battlefield V, Fifa 19, NBA 19, Madden 19, Anthem, Unravel Two, Command and Conquer: Rivals, Sea of Solitude, Star Wars: Battlefront 2" or recorded with the live version of the current live-stream.
Disclaimer: I was not paid nor offered any incentives to write this review by the accompanying publisher, developer or any outside force. This is solely for personal production and interest. My opinions and recommendations are based off my personal interpretation of the product and it's design.