EA Play Live 2020: A Whole Lot of Nothing
EA Play Live 2020 was disappointing as hell. There’s more explicit words I could use to describe how pissed I was once the stream was over, but let’s keep it PG. EA Play was all talk and very little hype considering how many companies and games are in EA’s library. Too much hype for Star Wars: Squadron, and not enough details on other popular titles that should have come out with a release date. It felt like they were trying to recreate E3 with most of the fun elements taken away. As much as I love hearing about all the behind the scenes work, and listening to game developers talk, I care more about the upcoming titles. EA Play Live 2020 was a real let down in that regard. After getting my mind blown by the Playstation Livestream and its constant barrage of gameplay trailers and high rendered teasers, I was expecting more of the same. But no, that’s not what I got. At least five games were mentioned, some highlights for indie studios, and wayyyyy too much hype for Star Wars: Squadrons.
EA Play Trailer Playlist…but most importantly check the likes and dislikes icon…. (Courtesy of Electronic Arts)
Despite the let down there were a few gems in EA’s arsenal. One aspect that they’re presenting which is totally cool is their Cross-Play! Games like APEX LEGENDS, Sims 4, and Rocket Arena will be available on console and PC and will allow friends to play together despite their different hardware. This will be a huge leap forward for the gaming industry. This will help those like myself branch out to connect to other players while still playing the same game. All of this will be available come this fall but only for a small number of games. This is still something to look forward to and I hope they’ll allow this for many more titles; I have games I simply can’t play with my friends because I’m a console player and they are on PC. APEX LEGENDS will be launching their fifth season (released on June 23rd), while Sims 4 is now available on STEAM with all of their DLCs at a slight discount for a limited time! This is big news for those who were still debating on buying new hardware!
DragonAge
Also, where the hell was DragonAge?! My friends and anyone fortunate enough to let me ramble about it know that I love the DragonAge series and it has been so long since we’ve gotten any concrete news regarding a new game or how far along into production it is. As soon as the studio was mentioned towards the end of the stream, I perked up out of my chair and all I saw was three gifs!!! After months of speculation after the release of Bioware’s latest novel Tevinter Nights, it felt like the ultimate betrayal!! No news yet again!
On Twitter, Mark Darrah, the executive producer at Bioware, teased fans some more by announcing there will be news....soon. This stream was the time to announce something!! Anything to reassure fans that their favorite series was still in production, despite the setbacks of Anthem and Mass Effect Andromeda. Following the theme of the stream, all we got was nothing. If anything, EA should have released a nostalgia trailer of many games set to be either remastered or available for backwards compatibility later this year. There were many speculations that Bioware was set to release some news regarding a Mass Effect remaster, but the lack of news from the studio is troubling indeed. Maybe, just maybe, I may be paranoid after waiting for so long.
EA Sports: Madden (Courtesy of EA)
With FiFA and Madden returning to the same formula with some added features, overall, I feel many people are tired of seeing the same sports games come out year after year. In their defense they are still solid games, but at this point it's not really about the actual game anymore; it’s more about the showmanship of the physical anatomy. These companies are giving many developers the chance to expand and play with realistic physics engines that study the human body with advanced technology. The trailer was fun to watch as it got me pumped and this was very artistically done. I know many rookie players are stoked to have their faces in a video game, but I wouldn’t put it on my wish list. I’ll still defend it as an EA staple though.
In the mix, we had some interesting titles such as A Way Out and It Takes Two, by Hazelight Studios, Lost in Random by Zoink Games and Rocket Arena by EA. Great showmanship, but I didn’t learn enough about gameplay to bother putting it on my wishlist. To me, it was mostly pretentious talk from the developers with high rendered still shots. Great to look at, but this makes me want to wait a bit after release to see what others say.
STAR WARS: Squadrons Courtesy of EA
Star Wars: Squadrons is definitely not for me, but I can respect the level of customization, tech and graphics going into the game. I do wish the Star Wars franchise would make a game not so focused on the rebels and empire or whatever they’re called now. The Mandolorian did a fantastic job of focusing more on the everyday people of that universe rather than the repetitive Jedi vs Sith, unless EA decides to remake Knights of the Old Republic, but that will never happen. The graphics look super cool, and you can see the love and dedication put into it, but this is definitely dedicated more to Star Wars fans rather than an invite for new players.
The lack of trailers or support for other titles has me concerned about the EA company as a whole, but who knows, the year isn’t over; they have some time to build up their arsenal. If we see another livestream from them this year or the next, I will say this, they will definitely need to take a few pages from PlayStation.
All of this hype and anticipation only to be met with nothing, was just too much this year. I do hope EA releases more trailers this holiday season, because they need to do a lot more to convince me to buy their games and with Cross-Play becoming the future of gaming, EA might have a shot as they grow their arsenal on STEAM and the NINTENDO platforms. Hopefully, more titles will be available from EA this upcoming fall.
