E3 2012: EA Conference Liveblog

June 5, 2012

EA, it’s in the game, and those games are Crysis 3, Medal of Honor, Sim City, Dead Space, and plenty of other goodies. Join is as we live blog all about EA’s goodies.

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6:01: And so it begins!

6:03: With a bang at that. We’re talkin’ Dead Space 3. Isaac is back. It’s snowy. There’s explosions and monsters. It’s Dead Space for sure.

6:05: Showing off the co-op for the first time, both Isaac and Carver together. Fighting a big…machine thing, and monsters.

6:08: Finally see some of the new Unitologist enemies. Gunplay seems very similar to other third person cover shooters. And now a gigantic monster coming to ruin all the fun. It’s absolutely massive, the battle itself playing like a boss fight. Finished with Isaac under water. Hinting at under water combat? We’ll have to wait and see.

6:11: EA sports time. First trailer for Madden NFL 13. EA is promising two big changes to the franchise, including a new physics system called the ‘infinity engine’. Allows for seamless animations, avoiding pre-set animations from previous games. Promising a deep story component too. Yep, story in your NFL.

6:19: Sim City: Social announced, a Sim City experience aimed for the Facebook market. First in-game trailer for Sim City for PC. Looks excellent. Very vibrant and detailed.

6:24: Peter Moore on stage, ready to talk about Battlefield, if the music is anything to go by.

6:25: Yep, Battlefield 3 ‘Premium’. We heard the leaks, and here’s the announcement. Early access to DLC, stat tracking, and a bunch of other goodies coming for those who wish to subscribe. Trailer shown.

6:28: BioWare time. Old Republic talk, specifically about player enthusiasm and so on. Talking about new characters, difficulty modes, level caps, items, planets and other goodies planning to go live in the not-too-distant future. In July, gamers will be able to play to level 15 for free. Trailer showing off the new content.

6:32: Medal of Honour: Warfighter takes the stage. Live demo of a mission taking place in Somalia. Sniper fire, cover fire, scripted action. It’s a war shooter that’s for sure. Even has slow mo! Looks quite nice, at least.

6:37: Driving a remote controlled armoured vehicle of sorts, shooting bad dudes in the dark. Explosions. And so ends Medal of Honour, with a final trailer showing off the multiplayer component.

6:41: EA Sports again. Madden NFL Social announced, a free-to-play social game for Facebook and mobile. Promising lots of connectivity features for EA Sports games from now until eternity.

6:43: Fifa Fifa Fifa! Discussing the EA Football Club, and four big announcements: Player level and stats will transfer across to Fifa ’13, importing players will gain bonus from importing, Fifa ’13 will appear on iOS and Android devices, and lastly an iOS app that will allow football fans to stay connected to their EA Football Club profile and network.

6:47: Fifa ’13 to feature new tackle and dribble moves. Promising lots of advancements to the core formula. Gameplay trailer follows.

6:50: The EA Sports train keeps on moving, EA announcing a multi-game/year partnership with UFC.

6:53: Need for Speed: Most Wanted from Criterion. An open world driving game, seems to be promising social features too, including friend race times and stat tracking to encourage competitive gameplay. Showing off a gameplay demonstration. Open world indeed, as the racing map looks quite large.

7:00: Crysis 3, looking pretty. Plenty of familiar elements from Crysis 2, but a different vibe thanks to the overgrown city art. New bow in action, taking down a helicopter. Looks action packed, not that we expected anything less.

7:04: And that’s it! EA is finished.