Burnout Crash, DAII DLC announced at EA showcase
EA announced Burnout Crash from Criterion Games and the first major post-release DLC for Dragon Age II, but there was no announcement, as predicted, of Crysis 1 for the consoles.
Crash, announced just before the showcase and shown during it, is the first downloadable game from Criterion, based on a top down version of Crash Mode that was introduced in Burnout 3: Takedown. It'll launch on PSN and XBLA this fall, with the latter featuring Kinect support. It'll also use Autolog, the social feature that the studio introduced for Need for Speed: Hot Pursuit, which has been used in the Need for Speed series.
"Burnout Crash is a crazy mix of pinball and game shows,” said Richard Franke, Creative Director on the game in the press release EA sent out. “We’ve evolved the core gameplay which everyone loved about Crash Mode, and expanded the whole experience using music, style and Autolog to create what we feel is the most mindless fun you can have on any gaming platform.”
The first three screens have been released, which you can get below. The game was first spotted as far back as April.
First Dragon Age II post-release content coming this month
Near the end, BioWare showed up, but not for Mass Effect 3. Fernando Melo from the studio started talking about the release of Dragon Age II back in March, before announcing the first major post-release DLC for the RPG, called Legacy.
The story is based on the story of Hawke's father. It'll include new creatures and new Darkspawn. A live demo was then shown from halfway through the content, where Hawke and his followers are in the Grey Warden prison in a fight with a creature called the Pride Demon.
It'll launch on PC, XBLMP and PSN on July 26.
Secret World appears for EA Partners, but Crysis 1 for consoles is no-show
EA Partners boss Brian Neider came on stage to talk about the group and introduce The Secret World. Lead content designer Joles Bylos was on stage from Funcom.
The MMO will feature no level caps, no classes, no restriction on how you can customise your characters. Bylos added that PVE and PVP will be dynamic.
It then showed the video that was released earlier this morning. Still no date.
However, the much-expected announcement of the original Crysis for PS3 and Xbox 360 failed to materalise, as it had been thought before tonight. The game was originally released for PC only back in 2007. The sequel from Crytek and EAP came to consoles and PC earlier this year.
NHL and NCAA Football '12 get big showings for EA Sports
Andrew Wilson of EA Sports was the first to appear on stage during the showcase to talk about its products. NCAA, NHL, NBA Jam: On Fire are playable to journalists at the event, with FIFA 12 and SSX missing out.
However, more on those two will appear in Cologne next month for gamescom. The company's presser will take place on August 16.
EA Tiberon has taken feedback for NCAA Football 12 and put it in the game, giving it more content and more fun.
Wilson says the studio has given the best college football experience to date. Team builder for the game with web access will be available from its first day on sale in the US on Tuesday.
"Burnout Crash is a crazy mix of pinball and game shows."
After a trailer on the game was shown, Madden NFL 12 was briefly touched upon. It's only 50 days away from its release, and that it has depth that EA has not had in the series in a long time.
Next up: NHL 12. Senior producer David Litman came on stage to show a "hat-trick" of three main features for the game: anticipation AI, full contact physics and, for the first time, dynamic goalies.
Anticipation AI will have every player have a mind of their own, basically anticipating where the puck will go.
Full contact physics will let you push players out of the way, while dynamic goalies are no long immovable objects and will cause penalties.
Game's out on September 13 for PS3 and 360.
Details on NBA Jam: On Fire emerged after the presser. It'll feature enhanced gameplay and real AI. Tim Kitzrow will return to commentate the action.
It's out this fall for PSN and XBLA. First screens are below.
EA goes big on Origin and Facebook
Interactive stuff was one of the biggest parts, if not the biggest during the event, most especially regarding Origin.
It showed off for the first time Origin Mobile. The basis from it is that it shows one user ID to connect through all platforms - iOS, Android, PC or Mac. You'll be able to connect through all normal social mechanics to find friends as well. it'll also show what your friends are playing on Origin Mobile, like Battlefield and Need for Speed for example.
The Secret World video that was released
this morning and shown during the showcase.
Need for Speed: Shift on iPad was then shown to see how Origin's social features worked. It first showed some of the cars, the helmet camera from Shift 2, showed detailed dashboards and more.
What the player does within the game posts to the Origin news feed for that player's friends to read. Extra race tracks can be unlocked through Origin, and you can get extra cash too.
NFS is coming soon to iPad and iPhone.
Next shown is FIFA for iOS. A magic, and quite frankly awesome, feature was shown, where the game was running on iPad, but it was controlled through iPhone via Bluetooth.
Details on how this year's game will integrate with Origin will be announced closed to the launch.
Next came the Facebook stuff. First game shown was the unveil of RISK Factions for the social network. It's coming soon, but a closed beta is currently ongoing right now. Spencer Brooks, producer on the game, said that it had the best PvP system of any socal game out there with this.
Finally, for that section of the show, it showed a version of Scrabble that was running on iPad, iOS, Facebook and Android at the same time. It'll also have an exclusive teacher mode, whilst chat with all the players across the platforms.
The Android version will launch next week as a free-to-play game. The other versions will follow subsequently.
The Sims: Medieval: Pirates and Nobles announced
Next up was The Sims, where a new Adventure Pack was announced for The Sims: Medieval, called Pirates and Nobles. It'll feature more variety and new choices within every aspect of the game. Basically, pirates are causing havok and the nobles come in and make it worse or better, depending how you play it.
Treasure hunting is new with rare maps and special shovels, they can be decorative - peragrin falcons can help hunt treasure or "plagues enemies"
A torture chair was also shown, but it was made clear to not be an interrogation chair. You strap an enemy in and tickle them with a feather.
"This first adventure pack to The Sims Medieval gives players more freedom to play as they want, which is the earmark of the Sims brand," said Sims studio GM, Scott Evans.
"For our players that want more guided gameplay, they will find new quests and one new Kingdom Ambition, and for those who prefer the sandbox world of The Sims, they will find more time to explore life in the Middle Ages."
The pack's out on August 30.
As part of what's playable for journalists at the showcase, the latest from Chillingo and Battlefield 3 multiplayer is available to go hands on with, as well as all of the above from the main conference.