Looks like EA is going to continue its theme of dismemberment for the boxart of Dead Space. There is indeed something rather simplistic and beautiful about the boxart though, despite the fact that it consists of a floating body part beckoning unsuspecting space travelers into a deathtrap. There are also 13 new screenshots and concept art, most of them every bit as appetizing as the cover. Not exactly kid's stuff, but horror fans should be in for a treat when Dead Space, whose lead platform is currently the PS3, arrives three days before Halloween on October 28th.
Posted Jul 1st 2008 7:00AM by Alan Tsang Filed under: News
An interview over at Gamespot with FIFA Soccer 09 producer David Rutter has revealed new information about the upcoming sports game. 30 leagues and 40 national teams are at your disposal this year, while the magic number of 250 key changes as reported before remain true. Highlights of upgrades from the previous year include improvements in "responsiveness, physical play and their affect through attributes, plus the AI." Different types of players are less homogeneous and you will have to utilize different types of players to achieve victory.
A Custom Team Tactics mode will be introduced where 11 sliders or criteria will allow you to determine how your team will play. There is also a promise of 140 attacking and 40 defensive options. The ever-popular Be A Pro career mode will allow you to play unlocked, meaning one has the option of a change of position and still gain experience. Friends can likewise choose to act as a teammate or opponent to the player in this mode. Lastly, Rutter promises a to talk about "a game mode exclusive to that system," referring to the PS3, later in the year. We'll keep you updated as details of the mode becomes available.
EA's upcoming survival-horror title Dead Space, whose lead platform was switched from the Xbox 360 to the Playstation 3 several months back, is coming out on Halloween. The previoustrailers gave us a glimpse at the story and visual style of the game, but this new trailer, titled Strategic Dismemberment, features almost all gameplay. It has a voice-over narration which explains to you how you deal with the antagonists of the game, called the Necromorphs, with unusual weapons like a stasis or telekinesis gun. The video highlights the unique nature of the villians of this game, as simply shooting them won't be enough. Rather, one needs to "rip them to shreds" and "completely tear them apart" using various "creative" methods. Being big fans of the film Event Horizon, from which the developers drew inspiration, we can't wait to try this game out ourselves.
Posted Jun 18th 2008 5:30PM by Nick Doerr Filed under: News
Miss the PS3 version of Command and Conquer: Red Alert 3? Wish it were here? How about Kane's Wrath? Electronic Arts and the C&C devs reassures PS3 owners they plan to commit to the platform and will give it the "attention it deserves" relatively soon. They said "we are very interested in the PS3. We're big fans of the console. We're definitely moving forward on that front for hopefully our future titles," but also said not to look for Kane's Wrath on the PS3 yet.
Any games they move onto the PS3 will have their hearts and souls put into them so they are not a simple port -- but of course, there's no timeframe on any of this. We're glad they're interested, but actions speak louder than words, so until we get more information, we'll give them a slight nod and await more information.
Posted Jun 3rd 2008 5:00AM by Nick Doerr Filed under: News
Another year, another round of sports games. Usually regarded as rehashes with slight tweaks, every so often one of the annual sports titles gets a significant makeover. For 2009, that title appears to be FIFA '09 out of the Electronic Arts office ('06 is pictured). GamesMaster magazine published an article about the title, boasting 250 improvements made to the game including responsiveness and a revamped collision system.
The responsiveness is improved by allowing "quicker release of the ball, greater urgency in the off-the-ball running, a new jostle system that takes into account the strength of the players when going shoulder to shoulder and subtle animations that enable players to take first-time shots." The collision system calculates speed, weight, and power as characters collide; each player has unique stats. If you get hit hard in your standing leg, the tackled player may not be able to continue playing that game. If you're just clipped, your character will probably be all right. So, for those who've wanted these things changed, there you go.
An interview with Mirror's Edge devs, DICE, has swept onto the internet and we're collecting the information to relay back to you. The title is multiplatform, but was showcased only at the PlayStation Day event. DICE's general manager, Sean Decker, explained it was because Sony has been a great partner and developing on the PS3 gives them a lot of little quirks to work with (Sixaxis balances Faith, Cell helps push higher texture resolutions). This is interesting because Decker goes on to explain how each version of the game (PS3, 360, PC) will be different -- imagine, a developer taking the time to tweak a game to perform optimally on each platform.
The developers are aiming for a 720p experience across all platforms, to keep a super-smooth frame rate at all times. There's not going to be any user interface in the game whatsoever other than a dot in the middle of the screen, a "focus point" for players, which will minimize motion sickness for those susceptible to such an ailment.
The game isn't about combat, Decker explains, but about movement. Even when you get a weapon, it's more of a tool to get through an obstacle than to take out other people. Any online elements are being kept secret until summer (E3, we presume), along with information on any sort of demo. No release date yet, but that's also going to get discussed this summer. We'll keep looking.
The tagline is "if they're not dead, they will be." After watching the video, we're fairly excited to take the role of the survivor and prove that tagline wrong. If the promise of a survival horror title with the ability to keep you on the edge of your seat isn't enough, take a look at the awesome sights of space in the video. It's like Sunshine turned into a video game; the views of space are epic and will give us a sense of awe and helplessness as we play. The narrative in the video describes the basics of what's going on, so give it a look and a listen and let us know what you think of this game hitting shelves at the end of October.
This video of Mirror's Edge is the same as the one shown at SCEE's PlayStation Day, except completely different. You get a slow analysis of all the motions, the gameplay elements, and even descriptions of street signs, shoe brands, and the mystery of the game's logo revealed. It's very interesting and has a pretty cool song to go with it. Feels very Digital Devil Saga at times with slow, overdriven guitars, but then again, we're slightly insane. Check out the video -- it makes the game seem that much more interesting!
Posted May 12th 2008 3:30PM by Nick Doerr Filed under: News
It might not be the biggest splash in this lake of information, but for those who played Electronic Arts' first SKATE title, you should be glad to know another game is on its way. This isn't to be confused with the next game in the franchise that's coming out only on the Wii, dubbed SKATE it, where you use a balance board to ... well ... skate. As for the true sequel, no further information on the game, its release date, or suggested retail price are known right now. But it's in the works, so we'll keep you updated as information arrives.
You know you've wanted them, so we're going to tell you about the new Army of Two maps. You and your colleague have mastered the game, you say? Well, time to team up again and conquer the SSC challenge mode -- that's Security and Strategy Corporation for the acronymically-challenged. This new mode offers four brand-new co-op maps to play on that involve two teams rushing to complete a rigorous obstacle course in order to join the SSC.
Alan Tascain, VP and General Manager of EA Montreal noted that "We want to support our fans with new content that delivers on the two-man gameplay but with a unique twist." Hopefully it delivers on the unique twist promise. This new pack will be available in the US on April 24th for $7.99 and sometime in May for Europe at GPB 3.80. Sorry again, Europe, for the arbitrary delay on your end.
It's a well documented fact that Electronic Arts has eagerly desired to acquire Take-Two Interactive for some time now. Our comrades over at Joystiq have been thinking deeply about the implications of such a merger -- if such a merger were to happen. Delving further into this, they examine Take-Two's development portfolio, showcasing what an extensively large acquisition Take-Two really is and laying out exactly what EA would be gaining in the deal.
Many of the games made at Take-Two's various studios could very well be games you've been impatiently anticipating. Could any of you see these future titles with EA's stamp all over them? What are these games and the studios that make them, you ask? Check out Joystiq's Take-Two family album to find out.
It seems the borders between video game culture and other forms of popular culture are melting away. Wyclef Jean recently teamed up with Electronic Arts to feature bits of Burnout Paradise in a new music video. The result? Well, it's a neat concept to be sure. Having Wyclef Jean driving a car while a kid is "controlling" him is pretty fun. If only we could control some of our friends while they were driving, huh?
Posted Mar 22nd 2008 7:30PM by Nick Doerr Filed under: News
A new trend seems to have been started thanks in part to the series of animated prequels released for Heavenly Sword before the game hit shelves. Maybe not a trend, per se, but we've caught wind of another game set to release an animated prequel -- Electronic Arts' upcoming sci-fi horror game Dead Space. The movie is a collaborative work between EA and Starz Media and will pick up where their comic book series ended. The show will air on unspecified channels and will probably have a DVD release as well before the game's release date this Halloween. Sounds neat.
If you've been itching for new maps to annihilate your friends on with the Orange Box's multiplayer title, Team Fortress 2, you know it's just a matter of time until you get your wish. What you don't know is how much it'll cost you. Neither does Valve. Kotaku contacted Valve's VP of Marketing, Doug Lombardi, to see if their wish for free downloadable content was up to them, a result of Electronic Arts meddling, or something else. He said "The platform owner holds the final call." Which means it's up to Sony and Microsoft whether or not to offer the content for free. Anyone care to venture a guess?
If you've been looking for a new horror title, Dead Space might just fill the void this October. This developer diary was released and after watching it, you might find yourself a little more interesting in EA's upcoming space thriller. We know that, after checking out Sunshine on Blu-ray, space can be a pretty breathtaking place for a movie or a game. This one's shaping up pretty nicely -- let's hope it continues to.
