My fellow fanatics, E3 2019 is upon us, and now that the prerequisite leaks and early announcements are out of the way, the actual announcements of the show are upon us.
And what better way to start the show than with the company known for…some controversy, Electronic Arts. Overall, EA’s showcase wasn’t exactly mindblowing, but there is some stuff worth mentioning. Starting with….
Gameplay For Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order
Starting off strong, EA showed off a solid thirteen-minute long gameplay demo for Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order. A lot of handwringing has happened around this title over the years. Changing hands and visions across three different developers and being everything from a multiplayer-focused live service game to an open-world sandbox RPG then finally to a single-player third-person action game. Naturally, this game had a lot to prove.
The demo showed off some pretty standard Star Wars swashbuckling action. Climbing on walls, hacking things with a droid buddy, and occasionally whipping out your lightsaber and using the Force against The Empire. Not a whole lot of amazing spectacle, but nothing truly terrible. Here’s hoping Respawn sticks the landing.
Season 2 of Apex Legends is Coming
On the topic of Respawn, They also showed some love to their competing Battle Royale game, Apex Legends. The upcoming Season 2 showed off the inclusion of a new laser weapon, the L-Star, and the introduction of a new playable Legend: the electrically charged Wattson.
Battlefield V’s New Pacific Theater
Yes, it appears that DICE has also been busy with bringing new content to Battlefield V. Specifically the introduction of the new Pacific Theater expansion. Get ready to retake Normandy Beach again, preferably with a vehicle covered in explosive mines as is Battlefield tradition. This new chapter of content is scheduled to come out some time this Fall.
More FIFA, Madden, and Sims 4 Content
It just wouldn’t be an EA conference without confirming yet another installment in their annual sports titles. This year is no exception as the conference moved like clockwork to showing off FIFA 20 and Madden NFL 20. Aside from the usual bevy of content such as the story mode, Ultimate Team, and the introduction of new players to the roster, not much else was really discussed in-depth.
Also it appears that The Sims 4 is getting tropical with a brand new Island Living expansion. Just make sure you don’t have any of your Sims jump into an active volcano. Or do. We won’t judge you…you monster.
Brand New EA Originals Confirmed
They were very briefly mentioned during the conference, but it appears that EA is continuing its indie game producing branch of EA Originals with three brand new announcements. First is Lost in Random, developed by Zoink Studios, the creative geniuses behind quirky puzzle-platformers Flipping Death and Stick It To The Man. There’s not much to gleam from what was shown in the trailer but it appears to be a much more atmosphere-centric experience compared to its more comedic outings. Second is RustHeart by Glowmade studios, a sci-fi co-op action game where you and a robot buddy explore an alien multiverse together. An EA spokesperson even described that gameplay as “a compelling mix of tactical action-roleplay gameplay, player invention and spray paint.” Finally, there is the follow-up project from Hazelight Studios, the developers behind the co-op narrative game A Way Out. No real name was given or any real details. Not much else is known about release dates for these titles but they are slated to come out on PC and certain consoles.
All in all, EA’s offerings weren’t exactly stellar, but there appears to be some promise with its offerings. Personally I think Fallen Order looks alright and I’m glad the EA Originals brand is going strong after the critically acclaimed A Way Out.
E3 2019 has just started though and there is still plenty more to come. So stay tuned here and we’ll keep you up to date!
