EA Play 2019 E3 Press Conference Recap
E3 is officially underway with the first press conference of the season. Electronic Arts delivered “EA Play 2019” today with tons of new information on current games and upcoming ones. Here’s what we saw from EA’s press conference this afternoon.
Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order
This was easily one of our most-anticipated titles of the conference, and EA delivered with fifteen minutes of gameplay footage. The game looks to be a mixture of Prince of Persia platforming (complete with wall-running) and Dark Souls-like combat using lightsabers. If that sounds like music to your ears, wait until you see the footage.
Kal, the main character, spends the game on the Wookie planet of Kashyyyk. He’s an “authentic” Jedi, and players will not have the choice to follow the Dark Side of The Force. According to the developers, “this is a Jedi story”. We even saw a bit of Gerrera, Forest Whitaker‘s character from Rogue One: A Star Wars Story. As we already knew, the story takes place after the Order 66 events from Episode III.
Here’s the gameplay footage that was shown at EA Play 2019. You won’t want to miss it.
Apex Legends Update
As we head towards the end of Season 1, we’ve finally gotten some solid details about Season 2 of Apex Legends as well as some improvements to the current season.
First off, a new “Legends of the Hunt” mode was revealed. This gives players certain challenges within matches that offer unique skins. Additionally, today marks the beginning of a double XP weekend that also offers a rotating store containing special skins.
But fans of the battle royale game really wanted to know what’s new with Season 2, which is called “Battle Charge”. EA promised “a new legend, a new weapon, a new way to play the game, and perhaps a new map event.” The new legend is named “Watson”, and she has a brand new reveal trailer that you can see below. Her abilities look to give the player some RTS-inspired options of gameplay.
The new weapon is a familiar one from Titanfall 2, the “L-Star”. According to the developers, this weapon is so over-powered that it’s only available in care-packages. Furthermore, there are no ammo drops for the L-Star, so what you get packed in the weapon is it. So you’ll have to use it wisely.
More details are to follow in the next month. We’ll keep you updated as we come across more news.
Battlefield V New Map #1: Malita
EA showed off quite a bit for Battlefield V. The first new map is called “Malita” and takes place in a rural town in Green. It releases in July. Here’s the trailer.
Battlefield V New Map #2: Al Sundan
The second map for Battlefield V is called “Al Sundan” and offers a much more wide open playing field. Here’s the trailer.
Battlefield V New Map #3: Operation Underground
The last new map is somewhat of a remake…sort of. This is exactly what it sounds like: close-quarters combat underground. And it looks very intense.
Battlefield V Other updates
Fans have been asking for private matches for quite a while, and this September they’ll get their wish. Additionally, the rank level in Battlefield V has been raised from 50 to 500. That gives veteran players a much higher goal to shoot for, complete with specialized rewards to show off their accomplishments.
FIFA 20
The latest entry in the FIFA series looks to have vast improvements to the previous iteration. The ball physics have more finesse, and the tackling mechanics give players more control. The biggest feature, however, was the “Volta Football” mode, which looks to bring street football to the mix. Here’s a trailer showcasing this new game mode.
FIFA 20 releases September 27th, with EA Access members getting their hands on it September 19th.
Madden 20
The updates for the latest NFL title look to be much more than roster updates. First off, the “Face of the Franchise” mode is the title of this year’s campaign. It promised more of an NFL Draft experience as well as the Pro Bowl. You’ll start your player at the draft and work your way through his journey to (hopefully) the Super Bowl.
Madden 20 also provides much more than that, however. The “Scenario Engine” offers challenges during the franchise mode with subsequent rewards. Additionally, there are more formations available in the playbook, which will be updated in real time during the NFL season.
The most intriguing aspect of this version of Madden, however, is the “X-Factor” abilities. Think “on fire” mode in games like NFL Blitz and NBA Jam where players must complete certain scenarios in order to unlock special abilities. The best part about this is that these abilities are tailor-made to individual players to give an authentic NFL experience in-game.
Look for a closed beta, which will be available on June 14th.
The Sims 4 “Island Living” Update
Although it was leaked earlier, we saw the official reveal for the 7th update for The Sims 4 called “Island Living”. The latest feature allows players to live a life on a beautiful tropical island and even walk directly into the water. The devs also talked a bit about mermaids, interior decorating, and another upcoming mode called “Realm of Magic”. Here’s the reveal trailer for “Island Living”.
EA Play 2019 Wrap-Up
And there you have it. The first press conference of 2019 is wrapped. Stay tuned for our upcoming episode where Zack and I will discuss this as well as Microsoft, Bethesda, and Devolver Digital’s offerings. Until then, be sure to let us know what you thought of EA’s offerings.
