I wonder, I really do wonder…is EA (slowly) taking a new direction to its games…I think they may be. In the past few weeks there have been two game announcements by EA that have caught my eye. First off we have Battlefield Heroes for the PC, and secondly there is Facebreaker for the PS3, 360 and the Wii. My thoughts on how these are signs of EA changing direction follow…

Battlefield Heroes is the most striking example of a change in direction for EA. The game is ‘Play 4 Free’ a new concept which allows us gamers to get the game and play it for free! For EA the company everyone loves to bash for being money driven monsters this is most certainly a change in direction. The game will be making use of advertisements and mini in-game purchases to draw in the money. While some may say this is just an attempt by EA to cash in on the new buzz of mini-transactions most prominently put forth by Microsoft with Xbox Live, for me this is EA a game that will be widely accepted by ‘hardcore’ and ‘casual’ gamers alike.

Battlefield Heroes is a brand new game from the team behind Battlefield 1942™ and Battlefield 2™. It’s fun cartoon-style graphics and gameplay caters to players of all skill levels. It is easy to pick up and play but with robust character customization and a deep online meta-game, gamers can spend hours building up their characters and conquering the world.

As the name suggests Heroes is a continuation of the Battlefield series but with a cartoonish third-person twist. This shows a break from what EA could have done which would have seen Battlefield 3 coming along and just replacing Battlefield 2 with some new maps, graphic updates and what not. However they are taking the approach to make a game that will be playable for the masses. They promise low system requirements, the ability for someone from the Uzbekistan foot-hills to download the game and most importantly - fun!

“We put a different twist on this Battlefield game going with the cartoon-style graphics and gameplay,” added Ben Cousins, Senior Producer at EA DICE. “There’s something here for all types of players — be it our core Battlefield fans or casual gamers. With the new online model, we will continually add new content to keep the game fresh and keep players engaged, while integrating player feedback in real time. As a game developer, it is such a cool new way to make games.”

I am pleased that EA have taken an innovative approach to this game rather than just turning out another BF2 clone. Information may be scarce at the moment, but from what we know so far; ‘Play 4 Free’ a great new graphical look and (hopefully) accessibility to all shows that EA is moving forwards.

Now we have Facebreaker an upcoming boxing game from the team behind the Fight Night series which again seems to be differing from the perceived image of EA Sports games. Again Fight Night is taking a cartoonish feel and according to the blurb promises a fun filled arcadey game. Well it may not actually promise to be fun, but from the talk on the Facebreaker site, I would be shocked if it doesn’t provide much hilarity.

Lawyers always ruin the fun. Like that time I got arrested for bicycling in the nude (that’s the naked nude, ladies). Lawyers make me want to upload their face into a game and beat the snot out of it. Like really smack them in their grill, pounding them with a huge uppercut to the chin, a haymaker to the gut. Knock some teeth. Go nuts and bite some ears! That’s what I’m talking about! BREAKING heads, smashing FACES– wait. FACEBREAKER. That’s it! That’s the kind of game I want to play. Rules? What rules? Hell, what ref? Just two people swinging and pounding in the ring (or maybe even a playground or trailer park). Stuff that would normally get you disqualified in a match isn’t just allowed, but encouraged. Kick to the jewels? Thank you sir, may I have another!

With the site also asking for us the gamers to give our thoughts on the game this shows EA publicly appealing to the community to get involved and shape the game. Add in the fact that EA didn’t just chose to add another sequel to the Fight Night series and I think we have another prime example of EA changing in direction.

Of course time will tell, and it may just be two games out of the hundreds that EA will deliver to us this year that are breaking the mould, but it is certainly good signs. I am keeping my eyes on these two games, I want to see whether they really are a sign of EA changing…for better or for worse.

Final note – I could have mentioned Spore, but we all know that is going to be earth shatteringly ground breaking for EA!

Tags: EA, new direction

This entry was posted on Friday, February 1st, 2008 at 11:14 pm and is filed under Features. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.