It's in the game
Electronic Arts was all about the existing IPs during its E3 2014 press conference--and given the publisher's pedigree, that's not such a bad thing. We got glimpses of more Mass Effect, the triumphant return of Mirror's Edge 2, and a ton of Battlefield Hardline gameplay. But let's be real--the highlight was the absolutely bonkers PGA Tour trailer, complete with full-blown Levolution.
If you're a fan of BioWare RPGs or realistic sports games, EA's E3 2014 press conference will have you jumping for joy. Just in case you missed it, here's a complete play-by-play of everything that was shown off on-stage.
Star Wars: Battlefront 3 has AT-STs, snowspeeders
EA began its press conference with another tantalizing look at one of its most-anticipated titles, DICE's new entry in the Star Wars: Battlefront series. In what became a trend for the press conference, the presentation was actually just a video with some of the developers discussing their vision for the new title with precious little gameplay footage.
Of course, as is expected from a Frostbite 3 game, the environmental footage that was shown was absolutely gorgeous, giving us a little taste of the obligatory Hoth level, complete with snow speeders. In addition to that, some very impressive footage from an Endor level with speeder bikes was shown, along with some AT-STs. In short: Lots of known Star Wars quantities with a beautiful coat of paint.
Dragon Age: Inquisition trailer shows off your party members
Two CG trailers and a brief live gameplay demo with an immense dragon fight reminded everybody why we all love BioWare. Dragon Age: Inquisition looks extremely good on a visual level, and its heady gameplay concepts merited a lengthy presentation.
Dragon Age looks to be delivering what fans want out of a new fantasy RPG from the studio. Gorgeous fantasy environments with huge scale, and some dark, brooding heroes. EA even made mention of the game's Baldur's Gate-style "tactical camera" to assure everyone that BioWare hasn't forgotten its roots.
BioWare teases a new Mass Effect with tech demo
Bioware showed the new conceptual footage of the next Mass Effect and promised to take players to new locations in their critically acclaimed series. Bioware's Montreal studio is currently working on the next Mass Effect title, the developer also announced that it is working on a brand new IP.
The reveal was incredibly vague and didn't bring to light any concrete details on either of the projects Bioware is working on. But simply knowing that there is an new open-world waiting for us to explore in the near future, has us incredibly excited.
The Sims 4 lets your Sims laugh themselves to death
The "new generation" of Sims will commence this September with The Sims 4. In this new Sims game, you'll be able to tweak the personalities of your various simulated humans, giving them specific traits like perfectionists, hotheads, and eccentrics.
These personality tweaks allow for deeper stories, despite the complete absence of non-Simlish dialogue. Chuck had a really tough day at the gym, over-exerting himself due to his poetry being shot down by the elderly Gladys. To blow off steam, he threw a party that was crashed by a newly created tattooed rocker named Princess. Princess played the piano with such aplomb that Chuck straight up died and was visited by the Grim Reaper. Also, Obama was there. You can make your equally nonsensical stories in just three months time.
Bruce Lee lives again in UFC
A brief inspirational speech from Bruce Lee kicked off a presentation about EA's new UFC title, preceding some impressive footage and discussion about the game from UFC fighters as well as UFC owner Dana White. After the brief video, one of the game's developers came out on stage to give a demo of the game.
The focus of the demo was a fight between Bruce Lee, who is playable in the game, and BJ Penn. The demo put on display the game's excellent character models and brutal animations, along with some of the new HUD elements. As expected, Bruce Lee took out his opponent within seconds. Not exactly a fair fight.
NHL 15 shoulder-checks onto the scene
Along with EA's upcoming lineup of sports titles, the developers unveiled its newest trailer for EA Sports NHL 15. EA promises that the new title will introduce a "new generation" of digital hockey player, one that will show plenty of emotion and make every confrontation on the ice even more realistic.
NHL 15 will feature a new physics engine to make the puck control incredibly dynamic and unpredictable. The trailer showed incredibly detailed visuals and impressive player physics. We can't wait to see more.
PGA Tour 15 has Levolution
A far cry from the typical video game golf trailer, the presentation for the next Tiger Woods PGA Tour game from EA Sports looked more like a Battlefield game, with the golfer's swing prompting an explosion upon ball impact. We saw some beautiful environments, in all their Frostbite 3 glory. And then a huge tanker plowed through the entire golf course.
Of course, the trailer's bombast was just a means to say that it's running on the Battlefield engine. We probably shouldn't expect explosions and destructibility and Levolution in the next Tiger Woods game. But, man, switching off between a 3-iron and a rocket launcher sounds pretty appealing.
Untitled Criterion Games project looks insane
Criterion Games showed a "really early" in development version of their next game. This new IP will include raceable vehicles of almost every stripe. The first-person racer will include helicopters, ATVs, wingsuits as they go WAY off-road onto desert and arctic locales (amongst other places).
This is all possible due to Criterion's new engine, which will allow for changes to be made on the fly and implemented almost immediately. It may not be a new Burnout, and we're sad to see the team that revitalized Need for Speed move away from arcade racing, but this creative new endeavor could be the reinvention of racing.
Madden 15 is...Madden
Madden keeps on running, and this year's football sim will give you more options for tackling to make defense a bit more managable. Varying degrees of tackling power, from drastic crashes to conservative hits to slow down a more opponent
An NFL Films-like approach will be taken when it comes to the game's presentation. Sure, button prompts still appear over the top of passers heads, but there will be an orchestral score and intense narration accompanying the action. As per usual, a new season for Madden will commence this August, with Madden NFL 15.
Dawngate is EA's foray into MOBA territory
EA showed off their upcoming MOBA title, called Dawngate. The title promises not to be the copycat of the major MOBA titles out there--even if it does have all of the standard MOBA gameplay any hardcore player would expect--allowing you to craft your preferred playstyle of your character.
Dawngate is currently in beta. So if you are eager to check out a new battle arena, go check out the community and get in on the 5-v-5 action.
New Mirror's Edge shows Faith for a new generation
For Mirror's Edge 2, DICE hired experienced parkour-ists to wear GoPros and do their thing, to try and get a more realistic look for the game. But judging from the presentation, it looks like they're just getting started. The documentary-style video EA put up on the screen had developers talking about the game interspersed with early footage emblazoned with "conceptual prototype" labels.
DICE says it has gone back to the drawing board with the new title, rethinking the character, the combat, and the controls. But, from the snippets of footage that was shown, it certainly looks like it'll please fans of the first game, with extremely similar environments and animations.
FIFA 15 delivers even more memorable moments
This year's FIFA iteration will include "Emotional Intelligence," as players on the pitch will remember previous actions during that game and will act accordingly. Don't expect to get away with a yellow-card slide-tackle without comeuppance this year! The field will remember too; slide tackles leave permanent marks on the field and flags will move when balls or ballplayers hit it.
One-on-one encounters on the field will be far more dramatic; expect your opponent to tussle and grab your uniform pretty much any legal method to steal the soccer ball and score a GOOOAL! With more time to make an impact on new-gen consoles, the pitch and players should be prettier than ever.
Battlefield Hardline is full of urban chaos and cops-vs-robbers shootouts
Visceral Games took to the stage to introduce Battlefield Hardline, and new entry in the franchise. The game puts you in the role of either police officers or criminals--instead of a soldier--as you participate in matches to steal money from armored cars as a robber or prevent the thieves from escaping with the loot.
Players will be able to use new gadgets such as taser guns, blunt melee weapons, and ziplines as well as jump into machine gun armored trucks, patrol cars, and motorcycles. The closed beta for the game starts today, so if you want to get in on the hectic combat, be sure to check out the official site and sign up.
What's new?
That was it for EA's press conference at E3 2014! Check back on GamesRadar for hands-on coverage; until then, let us know what you think of the trailers EA had to offer.
And if you're interested in more, check out our most anticipated E3 2014 games and our E3 predictions.
