EA Conference – Our Verdict

The third party pressers are never as interesting as the first party conferences, but this year we knew EA had a lot to show us. Did they manage to live up to the potential of Mass Effect 4, Star Wars: Battlefront and a brand new Mirror’s Edge? Our staff pass their verdict.

Mat Growcott

The games we came to see were barely shown, but that doesn’t mean the reminder of a new Mirror’s Edge or a hint at the return of Star Wars: Battlefront was unwelcome. They chose to show off actual development instead of a random CGI clip which, I suppose, is to be congratulated. It’s just a shame that what they did show ended up being either very familiar or underwhelming. Hardline looks as good as Battlefield 4, and The Sims 4 will probably be worth looking into eventually… there were no new IPs to get excited about and Mass Effect might as well not have been mentioned. A lot of games to play while nothing else is available, and not much else.

Allison Hill

Todd Awbrey

I was pretty underwhelmed with EA’s press conference. Most of the titles they showed outside of Dragon Age: Inquisition and the EA Sports titles were very early in development. I thought Mirror’s Edge and Star Wars: Battlefront would be further along since they were announced last E3. The Sims 4 didn’t look to do anything really different than Sims 3. The Criterion game looked interesting but also very early as we spent half the time talking about the studio itself and not the game. I would have liked more from Bioware about the next chapter in the Mass Effect universe. That looked like they were still in very early development. I do like the direction they went with Battlefield Hardline. I have military shooter fatigue and the new direction did interest me. EA seems like they are in a time of transition but at least they have Dragon Age, which I can’t wait to play!

Rob Heek

Adam Roffel

EA is predictable, but this isn’t bad. I have always been a fan of all EA sports titles and they look like they will deliver again. All their sporting franchises are getting nice updates over previous titles, which has not always been the case. Good on EA for not choosing to settle with previous game mechanics. They could have easily just slapped better graphics on their already stellar game play mechanics. Criterion’s new game has me excited. I’ve always been a fan of that developer. Overall, very few surprises for me, but they delivered.

John Clements

‘Gamers first’ was the theme of the EA conference, and, in the end, it made me want more. I was hoping for game play footage on Battlefront, Mass Effect 4, and Mirrors Edge however, I left their conference unsatisfied after the teaser trailers. These franchises offer some of the most unique experiences for console gamers and game play footage is everything. Instead, we got Bruce Lee in a MMA match, which was announced months ago. There was Madden and Fifa as always, which looked amazing of course, and after Battlefied 4, I am weary to jump into Battlefield Hardline. As a gamer, I just wanted something more to care about from EA. Oh and where are the Wii U games EA?