EA is coming out with some really extra-ordinary games in the months to follow and to give the gaming world a little sample of their late 2009, early 2010 line-up the giant held an India showcase event in The Gulmohar Banquet Hall of The Trident in Nariman Point in Mumbai.
Among the company’s much anticipated titles were Dante’s Inferno, a really amazing game which promises to let everyone “go to Hell!”, The Saboteur, the much awaited FIFA 10 and Need For Speed Shift, the hilarious musings of Jack Black in Brutal Legend, and BioWare’s role playing game, Dragon Age: Origins.
The event was to be held to show us a little of what is to come from EA in the next six months or so, after which a few games would be playable so that we really see, first hand, the kind of games planned to keep us busy through into 2010. At first glance at all the game posters, it was clear that FIFA 10, The Saboteur, Brutal Legend and Dante’s Inferno were the game’s to check out and really get into.
When we arrived, before the event got underway, the only game playable was the already released G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra. The game is a third person action title which takes us all back to the days when we used to love watching the Joes foil Cobra’s plans, and blow up a lot of equipment. The game graphics are ‘better-than-good’, with good attention to detail. A lot of the environment is destructible and dynamic. The environments seem vast, and give the impression that you can explore a lot more than the story would have you or let you. Thumbs up there. As for gameplay, not bad at all. But every type of soldier has its strengths and weaknesses, and must be used intelligently.
Christopher Ng, the General Manager for Electronic Arts Asia Pacific, was there to present the games. He spoke about India being a good market, and about EA’s Diwali line-up. The lively Christopher Ng also gave us a list of games and the months in which they would release. The following is the list of only the key products and the months in which they will release:
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September: NFS Shift.
- October: FIFA 10, Brutal Legend, Dragon Age: Origins.
- November: Spore Creature Keeper, LFD2.
- December: The Saboteur.
- January 2010: Mass Effect 2.
- February: Dante’s Inferno.
- March: BF Bad Company 2, Command & Conquer 4.
Need For Speed Shift comes on September 15, 2009 and takes the racing away from the streets and onto the track. When playing the game, there were many complaints from gamers that the controls were too sensitive. But the HUD in the game is beautiful and dynamic, and is shaken when a player takes a high speed corner or crashes into others. The environments are really good, and the car damage is extremely well done. But it is reflected more in graphics than gameplay. Although if you really crash hard, then it is noticeable from a gameplay standpoint, and you have less control over a damaged car. An impressive roster of cars and tracks is also featured. One of the only negative points of this racing title is that the environments are not as destructible and changeable as one would expect. Points are earned in a race for everything from staying on the racing line, to trading paint with your opponents, to drafting behind an opponent and even for such things as a dirty overtake.
Brutal Legend is the much talked about game in which the loveable Jack Black not only lends his voice and likeness, but also lends his charming persona. The action-adventure game releases on October 15, 2009 for the PS3, Xbox 360. The game is a huge bundle of absolutely hilarious one-liners from Jack Black and loads of ‘axing’ and ‘slaying’, with the bones of the dead scattered all over the place. There’s never a dull moment as you follow Eddie Riggs, the world’s best roadie, in a world ruled by mean overlords. The game features impressive moves performed with The Separator and the Flying V guitar, Clementine. His car, The Deuce, is amazing to plow down loads of druids. Eddie can upgrade his tools of destruction which basically lets him dismember his foes in new ways. The hilarity never stops, and this is one to lap up, just because Jack Black is involved.
Dragon Age: Origins is EA’s PC role playing game which features some really immersive gameplay and is sure to deliver hours over hours of entertainment to the huge base of RPG gamers. The little we saw of the game was insufficient to make any statements about the game’s story, but the graphics in the game are really good. Coupled with simply stunning cut scenes, and many moral consequences, the game promises action while it demands the gamer to make the right choices, which apparently affect the story.
Christopher Ng seemed to hint very subtly at the possibility of Collector’s Edition for Brutal Legend and Dragon Age: Origins. Also we couldn’t get our hands on FIFA 10 immediately, as there was some sort of delay in playing the game. When the game finally came out, it looked a bit different from what was promised. “I don’t think it’s FIFA 10. But it’s definitely not FIFA 09. Something in between; like FIFA 9.5 probably,” one of the gamers present at the event joked.
Everyone was waiting for FIFA 10, but the delay just caused people to expect more from the football game. We were playing on the PS3. And in spite of this, the 360 degree dribbling system was not that prominent. It was there, no doubt, but it didn’t hit us like what we expected when EA had just broken the news. And the new 360 degree dribbling system meant that balls would go through defenders legs, and irritatingly, hit the referee every now and then. The jostling system was greatly, and we say greatly, improved. One of the best improvements in the game. The goalkeeper intelligence was also boosted, and keepers actually behaved like their real life counterparts. The FIFA 10 van der Sar actually came out, not to collect, but to nervously swipe at and punch the ball. The weather effects were much more pronounced, and the through ball system was what impressed us the most. The defending has been greatly improved and pushing is now not just one way, as both players struggle for the ball. What still remains are the side-splitting, and sometimes unnecessary, tumbles during the game.
What was sad was that two games which looked like the most stunning IPs from EA were not showcased. The Saboteur, a WWII game set in France, where the player can choose his missions against the Nazis based there, was not playable. The game looks to have a similar style as the games in the Hitman franchise and is expected out on December 3, 2009 for the PS3 and Xbox 360. Also Dante’s Inferno wasn’t playable, but looked like THE game, and do we mean THE game to get your hands on, when it releases on February 10, 2010 for the PS3, PSP and Xbox 360. Christopher Ng quipped, “Dante’s Inferno is one ‘hell’ of a game!” And it sure seems like it is!