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What EA learned from 'Mass Effect' will shape its future
When I spoke to Electronic Arts Executive Vice President Patrick Soderlund last week, Kotaku's report about why Mass Effect: Andromeda turned out so poorly hadn't been published yet. Nonetheless, when I asked him about the flawed game's development cycle, he was incredibly candid -- just as he had been in 2013 when I'd interviewed him about his company's move from myriad game-design toolkits to just two. Here are his thoughts on several key topics.
'Madden 18' may follow 'FIFA 17' with a story mode of its own
It looks like American football is taking something from soccer beyond the sport's name. Well, as far as Electronic Arts' virtual versions go, that is. This year's Madden will feature a full-fledged story mode akin to what FIFA '17 had. In the very evocative trailer below, a young man stares out at the Indianapolis Colts' Lucas Oil Stadium, dreaming of either a burrito or being on the cover of a video game. It's hard to tell which considering all we can see is the unnamed protagonist's expression in the reflection of a hotel window.
ICYMI: DARPA Bots doing chores, VR fight action and more
#fivemin-widget-blogsmith-image-293926{display:none;} .cke_show_borders #fivemin-widget-blogsmith-image-293926, #postcontentcontainer #fivemin-widget-blogsmith-image-293926{width:570px;display:block;} try{document.getElementById("fivemin-widget-blogsmith-image-293926").style.display="none";}catch(e){}Today on In Case You Missed It: A team that placed in the most recent DARPA challenge is still testing its robot, only now the tasks are more house-related. The IHMC has found that they can best tell whether their bot is responding well to new software by seeing how it handles common chores around the garage.
EA's Facebreaker trailer makes its debut, lacks gameplay
We've been entranced with EA's Facebreaker since they announced it a little over a week ago. With its lighthearted attitude and Fight Night Round 3 meets Team Fortress 2 visuals, we can't help but hearken back to long summer nights spent playing Ready 2 Rumble Boxing on the Dreamcast. However, we shouldn't get our hopes up without knowing anything about the gameplay, which, unfortunately, this "world premier" from GameTrailers doesn't really shed much light on. I guess we'll have to wait until the game is fully detailed in the March issue of EGM before we'll know if we can ever relive our Days of Afro Thunder.
EA reveals 'Facebreaker,' a tooned-up Fight Night
Are you Ready 2 Rumble? "No," says EA's newly announced boxing game, Facebreaker. "But I do feature real-time facial deformation and a lighthearted approach to pugilistic pummeling! So really, I'm more like a Fight Night cel-out." According to the folks at 1UP, Facebreaker is being developed by EA Canada for release on the Xbox 360, PlayStation 3 and Wii. Says EA's Peter Moore: "Arcade boxing takes me back to my roots in this industry, and this game signals our shift to adding more approachable fun to our product lineup."Those approaching the fun will find an inevitably "colorful" cast of playable caricatures to choose from, including "Latin lover" Romeo and "an oversized Russian demolitions expert" called Molotov. If you'd prefer to have your own face broken, you can either integrate a personal photo via Game Face technology or simply wear your Tingle costume when buying the game from the store.More Facebreaker details can be found in the March 2008 issue of EGM.
EA to stop online support for six PSP games
Starting September 1st, EA will officially shut down servers for the following online-enabled PSP titles: FIFA Soccer 06 FIFA World Cup 2006 Fight Night Round 3 Madden NFL 06 NBA Live 06 In addition, Need for Speed Most Wanted will go offline starting November 1st. It looks like those of you that need an online racing fix might need to consider an alternative (like Test Drive Unlimited?). Unfortunately, it's commonplace for games to lose online support after a few years. Considering EA's love of making their franchises annual, it seems like they're really urging you to buy a new version of one of their products. [Via PlayStation boards]
Fight Night elbowing its way onto the Wii?
While it's still in the discussion stages -- don't listen when your buddy runs up, throws a left hook, and dances around your prone form crowing about Fight Night -- it does seem that there's a good chance that EA's boxing game will make an appearance on the Wii. In an interview with Doghouseboxing.com, producer Michael Blank focused on the need to tailor the controls and the foundation laid in Wii Sports to accommodate the level of detail and realism in Fight Night. We don't think it'll take as much work as they insinuate (Blank is trying hard to distance his boxing sim from the simplistic play in Wii Sports), but at the same time, it's heartening to hear an EA rep say that they're not going to port a game unless they can do it right.Of course, that doesn't mean that's what's going to happen. After all, Fight Night Round 3 went to the PSP. But a girl can dream, can't she?
Assassin's Creed nominated for Visual Effects Society awards
Come February 11 Assassin's Creed could be taking home two Visual Effects Society awards, for 'Outstanding Real Time Visuals in a Video Game' and 'Outstanding Pre-Rendered Visuals in a Video Game', as the visual effects organization hosts its fifth annual awards ceremony at the Kodak Grand Ballroom in Hollywood, CA. A pair of impressive accolades would certainly look good on the retail box, but how can a game with an unconfirmed release date be considered for a real time visuals award next month?We suppose nominating Assassin's Creed for pre-rendered kudos (based on the trailer?) is admissible (as long as the game doesn't win), but don't go heralding Ubisoft's title as a real time effects masterpiece when a playable demo isn't even publicly available. Why not consider Assassin's Creed for a VES award next year; and give credit to current games instead? As it stands, the PlayStation 3 version of Fight Night Round 3 is the only other title nominated in this year's 'Real Time Visuals' category.
HDTV Game of the Week: Fight Night Round 3
This is a game I've been waiting for since the impressive demo Sony used to advertise their PS3 at E3 last year, and EA's Fight Night Round 3 has not failed to impress. Every bone cracking punch, every drop of sweat and blood, almost every boxer you could ever want to fight is ready in glistening 720p. If you were waiting for the "next generation" feeling to hit you, put your gloves on and find your mouthguard because it is here.
