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12 minutes of upholding the law in Battlefield: Hardline's single-player
EA showed 12 minutes of Battlefield: Hardline's single player campaign at its Gamescom 2014 presentation, but you can watch the same demonstration in the above video. EA's snippet follows protagonist Nick Mendoza as he hunts down someone from his past, a motivation that aligns with story details we heard previously from San-Diego Comic Con. Since Hardline stars a cop, players don't have to default to shredding enemies and environments to bits with bullets and explosions: in the demo, Mendoza subdues threats with a taser and a "Freeze" mechanic, brandishing his badge and conducting proper arrests to eliminate the threat posed by some criminals.
Battlefield Hardline gets car, hostage multiplayer modes
Battlefield Hardline comes with two new multiplayer modes, Hotwire and Rescue, EA announced at its Gamescom press conference today. Guess which one involves cars and which is about a hostage situation? Hotwire has cops and criminals riding around in shiny, fast cars, attempting to capture and incapacitate marked vehicles. Rescue is an eSports mode where five police officers must save a hostage from a group of five bad guys. It emphasizes the planning phase and trap-laying, rather than the more spontaneous, explosive vibe of Ubisoft's hostage game, Rainbow Six: Siege.
BioWare debuts original 4-on-1 action RPG, Shadow Realms
BioWare Austin shared a tease of Shadow Realms, its new IP at EA's Gamescom 2014 presentation. It's a 4 vs. 1 online action RPG arriving on PC next year. Players can manipulate the environment as the above shadow lord, or align with friends against it. Group General Manager Matthew Bromberg explained that Shadow Realms' overarching story will develop "like a great TV series," with each episode being "experienced together, by the community, as it's released." Bromberg says that Shadow Realms began as a "quest to recapture the feeling" of a D&D table adventure, with parties facing a foe capable of guiding the challenges they're faced with. Those interested in an early, alpha-flavored taste can head to official site to sign up, as the first round of closed testing will happen next month.
EA Gamescom '14 Liveblog on Joystiq
The EA presentation at this year's E3 reflected an unexpected turn for the publisher, almost as if the powers that be had hit the reset button on multiple projects. Star Wars: Battlefront, Mirror's Edge and Mass Effect were shown only in early stages – far from being completed. The snippets and behind-the-scenes framed EA's claims of rethinking development to be more active, playtested and considered. At Gamescom this week, we'll see whether EA sticks to that message, and whether its teams at BioWare and DICE are ready to show more of their upcoming projects. Follow the news and announcements with u, right here, this Wednesday at 10AM CEST (4AM ET, 1AM PT, 9AM UK).
Sims 4 'Create a Sim' demo is live now [Update]
The Sims 4's Create a Sim demo is available right now, this very second, currently and immediately via TheSims.com. EA showed off the Create a Sim feature during its Gamescom press conference this morning. Be on the lookout for our own hands-on preview of The Sims 4 later today. Update: Here's our Sims 4 preview, and check out the trailer for Create a Sim below.
Warm up NHL 15's ice with an August demo
You can break in your skates early in an incoming demo for NHL 15, announced today during EA's Gamescom 2014 presentation. The rink will open early on Xbox One and PS4 on August 26.
Titanfall's third and final DLC pack, IMC Rising
The third DLC pack for Titanfall is titled IMC Rising, Respawn announced at EA's Gamescom press conference. It's due out in the fall and it contains three new multiplayer maps. This is the last planned DLC pack for Titanfall, capping the number of maps released post-launch at nine. The previous maps are Frontier's Edge and Expedition. Yesterday, we learned that this announcement would appear at EA's show. Viola!
Gamescom trip day 3: EA conference, Quantum Break
Unstoppable reporter meets immovable object on day three of Joystiq's wild German adventure – but it's officially day one of Gamescom 2014, and we're kicking it off with a press conference from EA at 10AM CEST (4AM ET, 1AM PT, 9AM UK). We're looking forward to potential new information regarding Star Wars Battlefront, Mirror's Edge, Mass Effect and the mysterious Shadow Realms that BioWare has been teasing. Don't worry if you're not awake for the show or our liveblog (or the publishing of this post, as it would go): All of the cool news is front and center on the site. After EA, we have a day packed with interviews and hands-on playtime with Devolver Digital, Warner Bros, EA, Activision, Deep Silver, Ubisoft and more. We're also getting a look at Quantum Break. Tonight, we have Paradox Interactive, Deep Silver and Devolver Digital on the Super Joystiq Podcast Special: Gamescom 2014. See all of the news from yesterday's Sony and Microsoft press conferences, plus glimpses from GDC Europe, right here.
