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EA's press conference may have rivaled Microsoft's for the most bullets shot (maybe that's a bit unfair since EA got to showcase Bulletstorm). These companies sure do love their shooters! And driving games. And online stuff…
Here's my quick-n-easy opinionated breakdown of how EA's presser went:
Funniest thing to get hung up on: Fellow Bitmob cofounder Demian Linn, a car nut, is really bothered by the new Need for Speed: Hot Pursuit. It drives him nuts that the police are driving Bugatti Veyrons and smashing them around like they were disposable Hot Wheels. According to Wikipedia, the foremost authority on all things everything, a Bugatti is "one of the fastest, most expensive cars ever."
I need this for my next LAN party: EA's 24-monitor station that lowered from the rafters, for an on-stage 24-player demo of the new Medal of Honor's multiplayer. The primary player up on the big screen seemed bulletproof, however, leading us to believe we were actually watching a pre-made video rather than live gameplay (probably because it wouldn't be as fun to show the audience a guy dying all the time, which would probably be what would really happen). Also: We're not entirely convinced that this wasn't Modern Warfare 2 that we were watching.
Not sure I'd have the guts to say this to a crowd of gaming press: "We're more Sundance than the Academy Awards" – EA CEO John Riccitiello on his company's line-up, before introducing Dead Space 2, which did look great…but maybe more in a Scream Awards sort of way.
Taking a cue from the movie biz: Revamping a classic franchise? (See: Need for Speed: Hot Pursuit and Medal of Honor.) Just keep the original name! Helps to confuse: consumers, press, Wikipedia, IMDB, etc.
Asking for trouble: The Gun Club, a new rewards program for fans of EA's shooters. The mainstream press and politicians are going to have a field day the first time some kid gets killed in this program.
Uphill battle: I just can't see a lot of people wanting to buy EA Sports MMA with its UFC-less lineup of fighters. But hey, if you happen to look like Chuck "Iceman" Liddell, you can just import your own face and upload your own hype/trash-talk videos via EA Sports Live Broadcast.
No more wires slapping you around: EA Sports Active 2 comes with its own motion detectors so no more nunchuck wires getting all up in your face while you work out.
Wow: Crysis 2 and its "choreographed sandbox" design. This game looked fantastic…especially in pop-off-the-screen 3D.
Disappointing: Showing Insomniac and Respawn in attendance…but no games by either developer at the press conference.
Oh come on: The "Hope" trailer for Star Wars: The Old Republic. Yes, it's incredible, but couldn't they have made it resemble…you know…the game? I'm not talking about a rendered CG video vs. actual in-game footage — just no way in hell are you ever going to see anything remotely close to this sort of gameplay in the actual MMO: