E3 2017 Roundup: EA Edition!

Nicole Smith ’18 / Emertainment Monthly Executive Video Games Editor

2017’s Electronic Entertainment Expo is finally upon us, and we’re kicking off the round of conferences with a pre-E3 press event from EA Play! Let’s take a look at what we got to see.

The conference started out with a drumline that introduced EA’s engine footage for Madden NFL 18, which was followed later in the conference by EA’s other flagship sports titles, FIFA 18 and NBA Live 18. The newest installment of the FIFA franchise will feature motion capture from Portuguese athlete Cristiano Ronaldo, while NBA Live 18 is taking a new approach to gameplay with a campaign dubbed The One. In The One, players will be responsible for a reputation both on the Streets and in the League, and will be able to compete against famous players on historic basketball courts. A free demo for NBA Live 18 will be available in August.

EA also gave us more information on Need for Speed Payback, where players will be able to drive as three separate, distinct characters. A customization option called Derelicts was also briefly touched upon, in which players can salvage abandoned cars and soup them up into legendary, personalized vehicles.

Some new in-game content for Battlefield I was detailed near the beginning of the conference, including two new night maps set for release this summer, and a new campaign mode titled In the Name of the Tsar due for release in September. This new storyline will cover the Eastern front of World War I, with six new maps, new vehicles, and new weapons. A smaller scale, tighter competitive mode will also be introduced in late 2017.

From EA Originals and Josef Fares, developer of Brothers: A Tale of Two Sons, comes A Way Out, a split screen co-op prison escape title due for release in early 2018. In A Way Out, two players will control prisoners named Vincent and Leo as they plot their daring escape. Both characters showcased a variety of different ways to achieve objectives in the gameplay trailer for A Way Out, even going as far as allowing one character to be controlled while another is in a cutscene.

BioWare also brought to the stage a teaser for its brand new IP, Anthem. While not much is apparent about Anthem yet, the trailer seemed to show a world cordoned off by a giant metal wall, fearsome beasts roaming the wildlands, and a glowing suit of armor which gives off a soon-to-be iconic vibe. More information about Anthem will be revealed later during the Expo during Microsoft’s press conference.

Finally, EA had much to show about Star Wars Battlefront II, in which developer DICE addresses a sizable fan interest in a single-player story campaign. Battlefront II’s campaign will fill a narrative hole in the Star Wars film franchise between Return of the Jedi and The Force Awakens, and the game as a whole boasts three times as much content as the first Battlefront. Battlefront II also promises that all add-on content, including playable characters Finn and Captain Phasma later this year, will be available for free.

The conference closed out with thirty minutes of multiplayer gameplay from Battlefront II. For more E3 news, trailer analyses, big reveals, and more, stay tuned to Emertainment!