Electronic Arts, FIFA 12, Far Cry 3 – Part 2 – The best and worst of E3 2011
Moving on from the disappointing Microsoft Press Conference and the impressive Ghost Recon: Future Soldier, there was plenty to see and play as the Electronic Entertainment Expo (E3) gained some momentum.
Electronic Arts: To the point
The one hour long Electronic Arts (EA) presentation started off with a trailer and live demo of Mass Effect 3. It was short, sweet, showed a huge boss that players would get to fight, and was to the point. More importantly however, it did not once use the
word Kinect.
John Riccitiello, EA’s CEO, made his way on to the stage and explained that his company did not like being fancy and explained that nine developers would show off nine games. Maybe now one can see why the tagline chosen was ‘to the point.’
Rather than seeming hurried, the press conference went along at a very smooth pace and did not over do anything. Need for Speed: The Run was demoed and it looked easy on the eyes and got everyone’s heart racing.
The Battlefield 3 demo was slightly on the long side, yet it was intense and held everyone’s attention till the very end.
All in all, the EA Press Conference was smooth, short, sweet and to the point. There was one issue with it though that let it down slightly.
More talking, less showing FIFA 12
E3 is less about listening to presenters and developers, but rather seeing and playing, so when very little was shown on FIFA 12, as compared to say, Need for Speed: The Run and Battlefield 3, it left everyone wanting more and that too, not in a good way.
The physicality engine trailer showed just what FIFA 12 was capable of, without actually showing what made the series so successful: the gameplay.
Instead, EA chose to talk about the online and connectivity features rather than focusing on what makes the game so great. While EA Sports Football Club sounded great, it suffered from the same issues. There were plenty of screenshots and talk on how it
would work, but nothing showing it working in real time.
Forgive the ranting, but one has to understand that FIFA fans wanted to see more than a short trailer and listen to talk on what it could do.
At the same time, EA could argue that the same is still underdevelopment and that they would rather let fans play the game once it’s done than show off a half finished version. Whatever the reason, FIFA fans were disappointed and would be looking enviously
at the hordes of Mass Effect 3 fans wearing proud smirks on their faces.
Ubisoft surprise
While it may not have been the biggest force at E3, Ubisoft is a major player in the gaming market and if EA was good at their presentation, than Ubisoft was better.
Yet one of the highlights of their conference was the surprise reveal of Far Cry 3. At the start of the trailer no one suspected anything as the island setting, gorgeous graphics and armed mercenaries stole most of the attention.
The action, gun slinging, knife throwing and typical Far Cry elements were there for all to see, but no one seemed to pick up on it. When the trailer ended with the game’s protagonist in trouble deeper than Bill Gates’ pockets, and the words Far Cry 3 came
up with, it put a smile on everyone’s face.
Ubisoft were not done there, as their Assassins Creed trailer will go down as one of the best the world has ever seen. Find out more in the next article:
Assassins Creed: Revelations, Uncharted 3: Drake’s Deception– Part 3 – The best and worst of E3 2011
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