Expert Analysis of Electronic Arts’ E3 Press Conference

Summary

In this expert Q&A session, Chris Kohler of Wired.com and Chris Baker of Wired Magazine come together to provide expert analysis of the Electronic Arts press conference at the E3 conference in 2009. The experts discuss the various games showcased at the press conference and provide insight into their strengths and weaknesses.

The Three Categories of Games Showcased at the EA Press Conference
The Significance of EA Sports Active and MotionPlus Controller
EA Partners Program Revealed
Star Wars: The Old Republic MMO Game
Brutal Legend Gameplay
Favorite EA Game Revealed

The Three Categories of Games Showcased at the EA Press Conference

EA presented a broad lineup of games at the conference, which included categorized their offering into three. The first category consisted of numerous games aimed at kids, but it didn’t interest the expert panel. The second category was EA Sports, which had always been a significant market for the company; the experts saw the Madden and NCAA football games with new features. However, the panelists were more interested in EA Sports Active for the Wii, which had already sold 600,000 copies, and downloadable content and expansion packs were on the way. The third category of games featured those in the EA Partners program, which has been a significant hit for the company.

The Significance of EA Sports Active and MotionPlus Controller

The expert panel was pleased with what they saw when EA Sports Active was showcased. They pointed out that it sold well, and the game had an expansion pack on the way. They also noted the use of the Wii MotionPlus controller for the game, which would make it more enjoyable. Plus, the MotionPlus would now work better with various EA sports games even before it was to be bundled with a Nintendo game sometime later in the year.

EA Partners Program Revealed

At the EA press conference, EA Partners announced a series of new games that they will be partnering with other game developers to release. The games included were All Points Bulleti, a 100-player online game where players could become criminal gang lords or good guy vigilantes, and Star Wars: The Old Republic, an MMO game with dialogue spoken by the characters. The expert mentioned that The Old Republic would probably be the MMO game to play for those more interested in stories in their MMO.

Star Wars: The Old Republic MMO Game

The expert panelists talked at length about Star Wars: The Old Republic, an MMO game developed by BioWare and LucasArt studios as part of the EA Partners program. The game features spoken dialogue instead of text-based dialogue, which is a huge feat concerning the number of lines and speaking roles it requires. The experts emphasized that the commitment to spoken dialogue demonstrated BioWare’s commitment to storytelling.

Brutal Legend Gameplay

The panelists discussed the game Brutal Legen, developed by Double Fine Production, that stars Jack Black. They felt it was one of the more enjoyable games showcased since it had comedy elements, and Jack Black starred in it. They shared that it is a music fantasy adventure game where the characters were voiced by heavy metal royalty like Rob Halfor, Lita Ford, and Ozzy Osbourne.

Favorite EA Game Revealed

When asked what was their favorite game showcased, the experts chose Littlest Pets Online and Brutal Legend, respectively. They pointed out that EA showcased a broad range of games to suit a diverse audience.

Conclusion

The Electronic Arts press conference at E3 provided insight into the company’s offerings for its broad range of audience, including sports games, games for kids, music fantasy adventure games, and more. The experts provided analysis o the games showcased, and based on what was on display, it was clear that the company’s commitment to meeting its diverse audience’s needs was evident.