LOS ANGELES — During the pre-E3 presentation, EA revealed an orgy of games, though only one seemed to be truly original IP: a cute puzzle platformer called Untangle.
During the 90-minute presentation, a few games stood out. Need for speed, powered by Frostbite 3, looked truly sensational. In the words of an EA exec, “Frostbite will make you question whether it’s real or in-game,” and we have to admit there was one sequence that actually looked live-action actors, despite the fact that it was apparently “pre-alpha images.” Need for speed arrives on November 3.
EA also announced a new expansion for the free-to-play MMO Star Wars The Old Republicdubbed Knights of the Fallen Empire. It comes out on October 27 and is free for subscribers.
If you liked it Plants VS Zombies garden war, the sequel – due out Spring 2016 – looks like it will be a solid iteration. New weapons, new skills, new game modes (you can now play in single player mode against AI, and split-screen local multiplayer is possible). EA is committed to free content updates “long after launch” and unlocked characters GW1 can be transferred to GW2.
Mirror’s Edge Catalyst also got its first public showing. The prequel will focus on the origin story of the franchise’s main character, Faith. “There are no levels, no loading screens, you’re truly free-roaming. Running free in a huge city, experiencing the rise of Faith,” said the EA executive. The due date is February 23, 2016.
In the end, of course, EA had to stay true to its roots and focus on the real meat of its presentation: the sports games. You will be very surprised to hear that NHL 16, NBA Live 16, Madden NFL 16and FIFA 16 will all be released in the next six months or so. Without going into too much detail, it sounds like EA is mainly focused on both making the games easier for newcomers, as well as raising the skill cap so serious gamers can improve their game even further. For instance, NBA Live 16 now has a new “shot control” system, which allows you to control how high the player jumps before releasing the ball.
For some mind-boggling reason, before the announcement of FIFA 16, EA even got Pele on stage to talk about when he was the best footballer in the world – about 40 years ago. The most notable change in FIFA 16 is the highly anticipated inclusion of female football players and teams.
Star Wars Battlefront also had its world premiere. It looked pretty good (see video below). It will be released on November 17 on the PS4, Xbox One and PC. The demo video below is from a PS4. EA also announced another one Star Wars called game Galaxy of heroesa collectible card game (CCG) for mobile devices.
And finally the original IP! Untangle is a puzzle platformer where you play a character named Yarny, who is made of red yarn. As you run along, the yarn unravels and you can do things with the unraveled yarn. “The yarn represents love and the bonds we make,” explains Martin Sahlin of Coldwood, the Swedish studio behind the game. “And it unravels, because that’s what happens when we’re separated from the ones we love.”
Sentimental things aside, Untangle is a physics-based platform game, where you have to use yarn to solve puzzles, to find the right path through the levels. We loved the art style of the game and personally I can’t wait to buy the game when it releases, but unfortunately it doesn’t have a release date for now.