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Tag: EA

  • FIFA 15 Is Out Today in the U.S.

    FIFA 15 Is Out Today in the U.S.

    After a long summer with few big game releases, the fall video game season is now here. As one of the largest publishers in the industry, EA is getting a head start with the release of its big sports titles. Madden NFL 15 made its debut just over one month ago and EA Sports NHL 15 hit stores two weeks ago.

    This week the biggest sports video game franchise of them all is being released. FIFA 15 is out today in North America. Europeans can get their hands on the title starting Thursday (Friday for the UK).

    The game is being released on all major platforms, including PlayStation 4, PlayStation 3, Xbox One, Xbox 360, and PC. PC gamers will be required to access FIFA 15 through EA’s Origin client. Xbox One gamers who already bought into EA’s new EA Access subscription service have had access to the game since last Thursday.

    According to EA over 5.5 million people have already played the FIFA 15 demo since it was released two weeks ago.

    As with other EA sports games, FIFA 15 doesn’t feature huge technical leaps over last year’s version. Instead, smaller features have been tweaked or improved along with the game’s graphics and animations. Improvements to player face graphics in particular have been a focus of this year’s FIFA.

    EA has also added more than 600 new player reaction animations to the game. In-game players now have “emotional” feelings (both good and bad) toward other players, which is supposed to enable more realistic in-game reactions.

    “We believe we have built a game in FIFA 15 that delivers the most immersive and responsive gameplay experience ever in the FIFA franchise, and we can’t wait for the millions of fans to start their season and experience all of the innovations,” said David Rutter, general manager of EA Sports FIFA.

    Another focus of this year’s FIFA improvements has been goalkeepers. FIFA 15 keepers have new animations and improved artificial intelligence, allowing them to react to shots in a more realistic manner.

  • Shaq Fu 2 Is Coming, A Sequel To An Abysmal Game

    It was by 1994 that we grew familiar with 2D fighting games: a one vs. one matchup where characters would yell “Hadouken” or “GET OVER HERE!” and beat the living tar out of each other. Street Fighter II and Mortal Kombat are the staples of the genre, and, due to their successes, spawned a fury of notable competitors and shameless rip offs.

    Among one of the biggest abominations unto the Lord was Shaq-Fu.  Shaquille O’Neal was capitalizing on everything in the 90’s from bad raps to Kazaam, but it was Electronic Arts (EA) (voted the ‘Worst Company In America’ twice) that thought it would be a good idea to make a video game that sends a professional basketball player to a different dimension to fight the evil mummy Sett-Ra.

    Critics like Allgame called it a “dud”; Gametrailers rated it their #4 worst in their “Top Ten Best and Worst Video Games”; GameInformer magazine placed it as #2 on their “Top 10 Fighting Games We’d Like To Forget”; and I, who rented the game at a Blockbuster, thought the music was frightening, the physics were fatty, and the only redeeming quality was Shaq killing a vicious demon with a basketball.

    It was so bad, that 20 years after its release, EA Sports’ Sandy Sandoval (I am not making that name up) said: [It’s] probably one of the worst games in EA history.”

    So what demented sadists decide to resurrect Shaq Fu? Why, the developers at Big Deez (who’s name comes from a joke about testicles), whom in which made an Indiegogo crowd funding campaign that managed to reach its goal through the investment made by 1,340 misanthropists.

    The sequel is called Shaq-Fu: A Legend Reborn. In response to its predecessor’s failure, the man himself assures viewers: “This time, we won’t FU it up.”

    And how much did they ask for, you ask?

    $450,000

    …and they managed to raise $473,884.

    Big Deez confirmed that ‘work’ has come underway on PC, PS4, Wii U, PS3, Xbox One, and Xbox 360.

    In a press release, Shaq said: “”I’ll admit it, Shaq Fu was a horrible game. I’m a huge fan of video games and want to have my name associated with a Shaq Fu game that I’m proud of and would like to play,”

    Well that’s good.

    Aren’t you just excited to play as a cyborg Arsenio Hall?

    Images via their wonderful Indiegogo campaign

  • ‘Titanfall’ Expedition DLC Announced, Previewed

    By making Titanfall an Xbox and PC exclusive, Microsoft was betting big that the game would become the next hit multiplayer combat shooter. It is still too early to say whether that bet has paid off, but EA and developer Respawn will still be supporting Titanfall no matter what.

    This weekend at the PAX East conference EA officially announced the first DLC content for Titanfall. The add-on, titled “Expedition,” will be bringing three new multiplayer maps for fans of the game to explore and compete in.

    The new “Expedition” maps are named “Runoff,” “Swamplands,” and “Wargames.” All of the new content is related in some way to an expansion of Titanfall‘s story and takes place far into the “Frontier” space of the game’s world. From the Titanfall website:

    In the wake of the Battle of Demeter, IMC Expeditionary Forces travel deep into Frontier space to recover from their recent defeat. On an uncharted world, the IMC begin construction of a new fleet operations base, using newly acquired water collection and filtration plants to support the new base. When drainage operations reveal ancient ruins and artifacts of an unknown origin in a nearby swamp, Spyglass activates an archaeological team to investigate the site. To maintain battle readiness at the new base, IMC Pilots use simulation pods to train for anticipated Militia raids, based on lessons learned in Angel City and IMC Airbase Sierra.

    Titanfall‘s “Expedition” DLC will be coming to Xbox consoles and PC sometime during May. The content will cost $10 and is part of the Titanfall Season Pass.

    “Expedition” is the first of three planned DLC map packs for Titanfall. Information about the next two DLC add-ons will be released as their launch approaches.

  • Bruce Lee to Appear in ‘EA Sports UFC’

    Bruce Lee to Appear in ‘EA Sports UFC’

    EA is bringing UFC back to video game consoles this year, complete with a few surprises. Last fall the publisher announced that the upcoming EA Sports UFC will include female fighters such as Ronda Rousey and Miesha Tate. Now the publisher has announced that one of the greatest martial artists of all time will appear in the game.

    EA and UFC today revealed that late actor Bruce Lee will be a playable character in EA Sports UFC. Calling Lee “the father of mixed martial arts,” the organizations revealed that fans will be able to play as Lee across four different weight classes, pitting him against modern UFC fighters.

    “There’s no debate, Bruce Lee is the father of mixed martial arts,” said Dana White, President of UFC. “He believed not one style of fighting was the best and that you had to have a little piece of everything to be a complete fighter. He was proven right when the first UFC event took place in 1993.”

    Gamers who pre-order EA Sports UFC will be able to unlock Bruce Lee as a playable fighter on day one, no skill needed. Those who pick up the game at a later date will have to complete the game’s career mode on Pro difficulty to unlock Lee.

    “I am so excited about this opportunity to bring my father back to videogames!” said Shannon Lee, chair of the Bruce Lee Foundation and Bruce Lee’s daughter. “I’m thrilled that fans can now interact with him in a new way. The EA Sports UFC development team has been incredible to work with, and they’ve done a great job capturing the look and feel of my father. I think people will love getting a chance to fulfill a fight fantasy by playing Bruce Lee in the new UFC game.

    In addition to the announcement, EA today released a new cinematic trailer for EA Sports UFC. The video is called the Bruce Lee reveal, though the legendary actor doesn’t appear until its final moments and isn’t shown fighting.

  • Megalodon Shark Found in Battlefield 4 DLC

    Before the launch of Battlefield 4 DICE and EA coined the term “Levolution.” The made-up word encompassed all of the interactive map elements that promised to make Battlefield 4 a dynamic and realistic multiplayer combat experience.

    Of course, many of the promises made about Battlefield 4, and Levolution in particular, were a wreck when the game launched last fall. Most infamously, the collapsing skyscraper promised for the “Siege of Shanghai” map caused some versions of the game to crash when activated.

    This, in addition to a host of other broken features that led DICE to vow to fix the game before finishing planned DLC map packs for the latest Battlefield. That, in turn, led to EA being sued by investors who had expected the publisher to stick to its original DLC release plan.

    Despite these difficulties, Battlefield 4 is now in a mostly playable state on all platforms. The game has also managed to maintain a dedicated fan base. This week those fans proved just how dedicated they are by finding a hidden Easter egg in the latest Battlefield 4 DLC.

    The “Naval Strike” DLC was released recently, bringing larger naval combat to the game (and a hovercraft). In addition to the new maps and vehicles DICE also managed to pack in an extinct prehistoric terror of the seas.

    Since the release of “Naval Strike” DICE developers had been teasing Battlefield 4 fans about content hidden in the latest update. The game’s community banded together to solve the riddles and this weekend a giant Megalodon was coaxed out of hiding.

    Evidently gathering several players around a certain spot on the “Nansha Strike” map included with the new DLC triggers the event. The massive shark will then leap out of the water, crushing everyone unlucky enough to be beneath it.

    Sure, it’s a bit pointless. But dedicated Battlefield 4 players deserve a bit of levity for enduring one of the worst triple-A game launches in recent memory.

    Image via AllGamesBeta

  • Titanfall Is About To Get A Little Prettier On The PC

    Titanfall is not an ugly game. It’s not exactly a pretty game either. Its use of the decade old Source engine ensures that it sits somewhere in the middle instead as a strong aesthetic makes up for its lack of cutting edge effects. Understandably, PC gamers demand more from their games though and Nvidia is helping to deliver that.

    Nvidia and Respawn Entertainment announced that they will be working to add GameWorks to the PC version of Titanfall in the coming months. GameWorks will bring a number of cutting edge graphical technologies to Titanfall that will help make the game look better, especially on larger displays.

    “We are working towards implementing several Nvidia GameWorks technologies that can make Titanfall look and play even better, including TXAA for high quality anti-aliasing and HBAO+ technologies for improved shadow details,” said Vince Zampella of Respawn Entertainment. “We will also be working towards updates for SLI and 4k support to ensure a fantastic high end PC experience.”

    The implementation of TXAA and HBAO+ should be especially exciting for gamers who own high-end PCs as the two technologies represent cutting edge PC game development. TXAA creates smooth images without being a resource hog like MSAA x16, and HBAO+ helps to create more realistic shadows that react with the environment.

    For those PC gamers who have SLI set ups and 4K displays, the addition of GameWorks is probably the best news they could ask for. Titanfall will no doubt look its best on a 4K display and we’ll hopefully soon see some great screenshots of what amazing vistas come out of this bump in resolution.

    For PC gamers, it’s always sad to see games launch without support for cutting edge technologies. It’s a good thing then that Respawn has decided to work with Nvidia to make sure PC gamers get the most out of their Titanfall experience. If only other developers cared as much about the PC versions of their titles.

    Image via TitanfallGame/YouTube

  • Battlefield 4 Naval Strike Has Weaponized Hovercraft

    Hovercraft are inherently silly. It’s a boat that’s trying to be a land vehicle. They aren’t intimidating at all, but you can try to make them fearsome in the latest DLC for Battlefield 4.

    EA and DICE announced today that the latest DLC to hit Battlefield 4 is called Naval Strike. As its name implies, it will feature large scale naval battles between battleships, pontoons, helicopters and the aforementioned hovercraft. In fact, the hovercraft seem to present some interesting strategies as the vehicles can move on land and sea.

    Interestingly enough, one of the maps takes place at an old naval fort with 19th century cannons stationed on the walls. Players can actually use these cannons to take down enemy aircraft and even get more points for doing so. The new weapon has potential for loads of great YouTube moments.

    Of course, the new DLC brings up a most pressing question – is Battlefield 4 fixed yet? EA and DICE were the subject of a lot of criticism at Battlefield 4’s launch due to the game’s multiplayer component being nigh unplayable for some people. DICE responded by saying that it would put all of its DLC plans on hold to fix the main game back in December. It’s been four months since then and some would probably argue that the game still isn’t flawless. It has even attracted a class action lawsuit from EA’s investors.

    In related news, EA is in the running for the Consumerist’s Worst Company in America Competition for the third year in a row. The company has won the golden poo for the past two years. Will it be able to avoid a third or will EA suffer humiliation yet again?

    Image via Battlefield/YouTube

  • SimCity Can Finally Be Played Offline

    SimCity Can Finally Be Played Offline

    Publisher EA this week finally released a patch for SimCity that allows the game to be played offline. The feature had been requested from gamers since the game’s troubled launch.

    SimCity players will now be greeted with a “Single-Player” option that can be chosen. Once selected, the option will allow players to boot up and play SimCity offline, no internet connection needed.

    According to a blog post on the SimCity website, developer Maxis only began working on the offline fix only six and a half months ago. The post also indicates that SimCity code was written from the ground-up to rely on servers, demonstrating that the game’s DRM had been planned from the outset of development. Much of the game’s core was reportedly re-written to accomidate the new offline mode.

    The launch of EA’s SimCity just over one year ago was an unmitigated disaster. Even before the game’s launch industry watchers had warned that the game’s always-on DRM was antithetical to the series’ long-standing game mechanics.

    When the game launched a huge portion of the game’s early purchasers were met with error messages and long queues when trying to log onto SimCity servers. Even after the initial server blitz was settled long-time SimCity players were upset to learn that the game could not be played in situations where an internet connection was not present.

    In addition to the DRM fiasco the mechanics of the game itself were centered around building cities in cooperation with other players online. This led to some of the biggest complaints about the game such as the small maximum city sizes and the fact that players abandoning a game could ruin the experience for others still playing in a game region.

    Unfortunately, this week’s patch does nothing to correct the game’s most glaring mechanical issues. According to the blog post, playing SimCity offline will be a very similar experience to playing it online. Cities will still need to be specialized to help grow other cities in each region, which are required for maintaining individual cities. However, the new offline mode will support a “save as” function, allowing players to experiment with different ways of developing their cities and regions in classic SimCity fashion.

    Image via EA

  • ‘Titanfall’ Delayed Again For Xbox 360

    Since its release for Xbox One and PC one week ago Titanfall has enjoyed moderate success. Microsoft revealed this week that the game helped push active Xbox Live hours to their highest levels since the launch of the Xbox One. Whether the game will become the Call of Duty-level success story that Microsoft so badly needs is yet to be seen, but the company is sure to have sold enough Xbox One Titanfall bundles to rival Sony’s March PlayStation 4 sales in the U.S.

    Unfortunately, Xbox 360 gamers are still preparing for Titanfall. It was announced in early February that the Xbox 360 version of the game was delayed to March 25. Now, that release date has been pushed back even further.

    In a blog post on the Titanfall website today developer Respawn revealed that the Xbox 360 version of Titanfall will now be released on April 8 in the U.S. and April 11 in Europe. According to Respawn the delay is to allow Bluepoint (the studio porting the title to Xbox 360) some more time to tweak “a few things” and made the game better. In all other respects, however, Respawn promises that Titanfall for the 360 will have all the same features included for the Xbox One and PC versions. From the blog post:

    Now, I want to update everyone on Titanfall for Xbox 360 in development with Bluepoint Games. I’ve been playing the game a lot, and it is fantastic. But we see a few things that can be made even better, so we’re giving Bluepoint a little more time to do just that and deliver an epic Titanfall experience for Xbox 360 players. Titanfall for Xbox 360 will now be releasing on April 8 in North America, and beginning on April 11 in Europe. The game will feature the same 6v6 gameplay, maps, modes, weapons and Burn Cards as the Xbox One and PC versions of the game.

    We appreciate everyone’s patience as we get the last details right. See you on the Frontier.

    Conspiracy theorists in the gaming world will no doubt see this delay as further proof of the theory that the Xbox 360 Titanfall delays are Microsoft-engineered schemes to sell more Xbox One Titanfall bundles. However, given the high quality of the Xbox One and PC version of the game its clear that Respawn has an eye for details and would not want its first game to be sub-par on the Titanfall platform with the largest install base.

  • Titanfall Gets The NMA Treatment

    Titanfall Gets The NMA Treatment

    After almost a year after its initial reveal, Titanfall is finally available today on Xbox One and PC. The Xbox One version is particularly important as its being positioned as the system seller Microsoft needs right now in the face of 6 million PS4 units sold and counting.

    So, will Titanfall “save” the Xbox One? At this point, probably not. The $500 price tag of the Xbox One – even with a free copy of Titanfall – is a little steep. That being said, we’ll definitely see a small sales boost thanks to the hype surrounding the game, but we’re likely to see it sell much better on the Xbox 360 when that version launches later this month.

    That’s only my take though. What does everybody’s favorite Taiwanese animation studio think? They’re certainly excited about the game, but they do feel it does have some drawbacks. Namely, the lack of a single-player campaign and a $60-a-year Xbox Live subscription hurts the Xbox One version. The subscription fees don’t affect the PC version, but they have to deal with ever-improving-but-still-not-quite-there Origin platform.

    Regardless of how well it does on the Xbox One, you’re going to be hearing a lot about Titanfall over the coming weeks and months. It’s an important title and, more importantly, it’s really good.

    Just don’t forget that death’s cold embrace will always be waiting for you in case you tire of mech warfare.

    Image via Taiwanese Animators/YouTube

  • Titanfall Ushers In Next-Generation Shooters Today

    Titanfall Ushers In Next-Generation Shooters Today

    The Xbox One and PS4 launched with a number of shooters, but they were all just prettier versions of old ideas. There was nothing truly next-gen about them. That finally changes today with the release of Titanfall.

    You’ve been waiting for it and EA has finally delivered – Titanfall is now available in North America for the PC and Xbox One. The title represents what may be the first truly next-gen experience on consoles. It may not look as pretty as Battlefield 4, but it’s certainly far more refreshing.

    “Creating Titanfall has really been an incredible journey for our team at Respawn and we’re excited to be able to finally get the game we’ve been making into everyone’s hands,” said Vince Zampella, a Co-Creator of Call of Duty and Co-Founder of Respawn Entertainment. “We’re a small, tight-knit team, and I’m proud to have come together with them over these last few years to create something that we think pushes the boundaries and is above all else fun.”

    The launch of Titanfall is also a big deal for Microsoft as it’s arguably the most important exclusive on the Xbox One. The game is even being bundled with every Xbox One sold in North America and the UK. Microsoft has a lot banking on Titanfall as it hopes the title will propel Xbox One sales.

    “At Xbox we have a long history of bringing blockbuster multiplayer games to our fans that have redefined what it means to play games with friends and others around the world,” said Yusuf Mehdi, Chief Marketing and Strategy Officer, Devices and Studios at Microsoft. “Leveraging the power of Xbox One and in close collaboration with our partners at Respawn Entertainment and Electronic Arts, Titanfall is poised to be one of those breakthrough games that ignites the potential of this generation.”

    Titanfall may have next-gen gameplay, but it still has roots in some old ideas. Starting today, you can put down $25 to pick up the season pass. The season pass will net you all three map packs upon their release. There’s no date for when the first map pack will be available yet.

    Image via TitanfallGame/YouTube

  • Titanfall Cancelled At The Eleventh Hour For South Africa

    Titanfall is almost upon us. Next Tuesday, gamers all around the world will hop into mechs and fight for supremacy. Well, almost all around the world as one country is no longer getting the game.

    EA announced today that the planned South African release of Titanfall has been cancelled. Surprisingly, the cancellation wasn’t made in response to some perceived controversy or violence. Instead, the country’s Internet is to blame as EA says performance rates “were not as high as [they] need to guarantee a great experience.”

    Of course, this doesn’t mean that Titanfall is permanently cancelled for the region. Instead, it looks like EA will continue to monitor the situation and see if the game can be released in the region at a later date.

    As you might expect, however, the news was met with a lot of anger. South African gamers, who took part in beta last month, took to the company’s Facebook page to voice their complaints. Most of the complaints seem to be centered on the fact that EA took this step without consulting local gamers and many feel it’s a slap in the face to them. Even if the game does suffer performance issues due to lag, many feel that EA should release the game anyway and let gamers deal with any performance issues. After all, a less than optimal gaming experience is better than no game at all.

    It’s hard to take a side in this because both sides have valid points. EA wants to make sure the game works flawlessly for South African gamers and its own performance tests say that’s impossible. The gamers who took part in the beta should know about the performance better than any internal test, however, and they’re reporting that the game works fine thanks to Titanfall’s latency tolerance algorithms.

    South African gamers have also created a petition demanding the game be released in the region. It currently has 440 signatures and is looking for 60 more to reach its first threshold.

    At this point, EA should probably just release the game and see what happens. If not, South African gamers are just going to pirate it. Selling a game that doesn’t work isn’t exactly new to EA anyway.

    Image via Change.org

  • ‘Titanfall’ Launch Trailer Released

    Last week EA released its expected live-action trailer for its upcoming Titanfall. The game is positioned to draw gamers from the same pool as the Call of Duty fanbase, so it isn’t surprising that the publisher would copy Activision’s successful live-action ad strategy (though EA didn’t spring for big-name celebrities).

    With only days left before Titanfall launches on PC and Xbox One, EA and Respawn have now released the official gameplay launch trailer for the game.

    For those that still aren’t aware, Titanfall is a multiplayer-only shooter set in a sci-fi future. Players square a off in teams of six in Call of Duty-type matches, but with a few twists. Players are able to wall-run and double jump, making speed and maneuverability key, and the teams are joined by small squadrons of AI-controlled teammates that help keep the game’s pace up. Also, every few minutes each player can call in a giant mech called a Titan.

    All of these elements are previewed in the launch trailer, which also teases a bit of the space opera story that Respawn has managed to fit into the multiplayer-only game:

  • Dragon Age Inquisition Sure Looks Pretty

    Dragon Age Inquisition Sure Looks Pretty

    Dragon Age Origins, despite its solid characters and writing, was a little on the generic side. Dragon Age II was even more so. With Dragon Age Inquisition, it looks like BioWare is beginning to learn a thing or two about world building.

    In a new trailer for Dragon Age Inquisition, BioWare shows off some of the environments players will come across in the new RPG. In short – it looks amazing. The design is straight out of the very best European RPGs with a wide variety of environments ranging from forests and castle towns to sprawling underground chasms and deserts.

    The move to Frostbyte 3 really shows as well with the environments being some of the prettiest we’ve yet seen in a game. Dragon Age Inquisition may be the first RPG to really show off the power of the PS4 and Xbox One. Of course, it will also be quite the looker on PC.

    Dragon Age Inquisition is scheduled to launch later this year on PS4, Xbox One, PS3, Xbox 360 and PC.

    Image via GameNewsOfficial/YouTube

  • Titanfall Will Have A Season Pass, Costs $25

    For a multiplayer-centric game like Titanfall, a season pass was a foregone conclusion. After all, what’s better than making gamers pay up front for content that doesn’t even exist yet? The games industry has yet to find something better so a season pass it is.

    Respawn Entertainment announced today that Titanfall will be getting three map packs this year after its launch on March 11. Those three map packs can be purchased individually, but you can get them all at a discount with the season pass for $25. That alone tells us that each map pack will cost the usual $10.

    The season pass will be available on all three platforms – Xbox One, Xbox 360 and PC – but it’s not cross platform. In other words, buying the season pass for Xbox One will only get you the map packs for the Xbox One version of the game. If you switch to the PC version down the road, you’ll have to buy the season pass again.

    Speaking of the PC version, Respawn is now offering what it calls the Titanfall Digital Deluxe edition on Origin. This edition of the game includes the base game as well as the season pass content for $80.

    Interestingly enough, it looks like Titanfall won’t just be getting new maps though. In the FAQ section of the announcement, Respawn says each content pack in the season pass will contain new maps, but that’s not the only thing it’s working on. The other non-map content “is still to be determined,” however, and will be revealed at a later date.

    With only a week left until its launch, hype is at an all time high for the first big shooter of 2014. Here’s a launch trailer to hold you over:

    Image via TitanfallGame/YouTube

  • ‘Peggle 2’ Coming to Xbox 360 in May

    After a bombastic announcement at last year’s EA press conference at E3, Peggle 2 was quietly released as an Xbox One exclusive in December. It is now only a matter of time before the popular Peggle sequel makes its way to every other platform.

    EA and PopCap Games this week announced that the rollout of Peggle 2 will continue first with more Microsoft console exclusivity. The game will be coming to Xbox 360 consoles on May 7.

    Peggle 2 is largely more of the same pinball/pachinko action introduced in the original Peggle. For the sequel PopCap has included several new “Peggle Masters” that come with new game-altering powers for players to exploit.

    In addition to all of the content in the Xbox One version of the game, the Xbox 360 version of Peggle 2 will come with a multiplayer mode called “Duel Mode.” The new mode allows two players to compete on the same stage, online or locally. Duel Mode has also rolled out to Xbox One versions of Peggle 2 this week through a free DLC download.

    “With all the excitement from our fans in December at launch we knew we wanted to continue growing the Peggle universe starting with more content and then expand onto the Xbox 360,” said John Vechey, general manager at PopCap. “By offering the addition of Duel Mode, our fans will be able to challenge their friends continuously to find out who is ultimate ‘Peggle Master’.”

  • Titanfall Gets The Inevitable Live-Action Ad

    Titanfall is hardly realistic. The very concept is absurd really. A bunch of robot pilots duke it out on a small map and then call down giant mechs to do further battle until one team has to evacuate. It’s like the plot of an 80s cartoon, but it’s strangely compelling.

    It may be compelling, but it’s still an 80s cartoon. In fact, I could see Titanfall being advertised as if it were a cartoon out of the 80s – kind of like Far Cry 3: Blood Dragon. Of course, that kind of advertising is a little tongue-in-cheek and might turn off the hardcore brogamers that EA and Microsoft are so desperately marketing Titanfall too.

    That’s where the live-action ad comes in. Why not throw in a couple of good looking young adult men walking around the city with their online persona (i.e. titan) in tow while you’re at it. While the small children and brogamer that will eventually populate Titanfall servers will never look like this, they certainly wish they did.

    Go, brogamer, be the ridiculously photogenic mech pilot you always wanted to be and do battle with your adversaries in the middle of a crowded city. Civilian casualties be damned and all that.

    Titanfall will be out March 11 for Xbox One and PC. The Xbox 360 version will launch later on March 25.

    Image via xbox/YouTube

  • Here’s Some Fresh Titanfall Gameplay

    Did you get into the Titanfall beta? No? Well, you missed out on the coolest multiplayer shooters of the past five years. While you wait to play the final game on March 11, EA has some fresh gameplay footage to hold you over.

    In the new gameplay trailer, we get four minutes of gameplay from the Angel City map. This was one of the two maps available in the beta and it was my personal favorite of the two. The close quarters combat between the buildings made some interesting strategies available for players willing to learn wall running and double jumps.

    The only downside to the map is that the streets make moving around in titans a little difficult. That’s the point, however, as the map favors pilot combat over titans and those who decide to enter their titan are vulnerable to choke points and attacks from pilots with anti-titan weaponry on the rooftops.

    Titanfall will be out March 11 on Xbox One and PC. It will come to the Xbox 360 on March 25.

    Image via Official EA UK/YouTube

  • Here’s That Super Expensive Titanfall Collector’s Edition

    It’s becoming pretty standard to offer some kind of collector’s edition with any big name game release these days. Those collector’s editions generally only cost about $20 more over the standard edition, however, and throw in an art book and soundtrack CD. That’s not the case with Titanfall as its collector’s edition comes in at $190 over the standard edition’s price.

    Announced last year, the Titanfall Collector’s Edition is a $250 box that includes the retail game, a hardcover art book, a Titan schematic, a certificate of authenticity and a massive Atlas Titan statue complete with pilot and two grunts on the base. It also lights up and can switch between blue and red.

    As far as collector’s editions go, Titanfall may be the most expensive ever made. Generally, the most expensive tend to hit $150, but rarely go over that. The price wasn’t a deterrent, however, as both the PC and Xbox One collector’s editions are already sold out at pretty much every retailer. Of course, you have to account for the fact that some of those sales were made by scalpers hoping to make a nice profit off those who forgot to preorder when it was first announced.

    Titanfall launches on March 11 for the Xbox One and PC. The Xbox 360 version launches a bit later on March 25.

    Image via TitanfallGame/YouTube

  • Xbox One Titanfall Bundle Announced, Launches March 11

    Titanfall is a pretty amazing game, and it will only be available on three platforms – Xbox One, Xbox 360 and PC. If you were already eyeing an Xbox One, Microsoft has a new bundle that may just convince you to make the jump.

    Microsoft announced this morning that it will be releasing a limited Xbox One bundle that includes a digital copy of Titanfall. The bundle also includes what you would usually get with an Xbox One – the console itself, a controller, the Kinect and one month of Xbox Live. It would have been nice to have a year of Live to go with a multiplayer centric title like Titanfall, but Microsoft probably expects most who buy this bundle to already have Live.

    Unfortunately, the console will not be receiving a bundle-specific design. It’s just the normal black Xbox One:

    Xbox One Titanfall Bundle Announced, Launches March 11

    If you already find yourself with an Xbox One and don’t mind going digital, Microsoft will let you pre-load Titanfall. Doing so will allow you to start playing the game as soon as it launches at midnight on March 11. It’s a first for consoles, and one that I hope gains traction.

    If you’re new to the Titanfall craze altogether, you might want to check out some of our previous coverage. It’s hard not to be skeptical when a game gets this much hype, but the beta proved that Titanfall is the real deal. It’s one of the first games to really feel like a next-gen experience from a gameplay perspective even though its use of the decade-old Source engine means that its visuals won’t be quite on par with next-gen titles like Killzone: Shadow Fall or Ryse.

    Image via Xbox Wire

  • Here’s Some More Plants Vs. Zombies: Garden Warfare Gameplay

    Over the past few months, EA has hyped Plants Vs. Zombies: Garden Warfare through a number of trailers and interviews with the team behind the new team-based shooter. Now the game is almost out in the wild, and Xbox has some final gameplay footage to get your hype up just a little bit more.

    Xbox’ Major Nelson and the Xbox Wire team played some Garden Warfare recently and shared the footage with all of us. This particular gameplay footage is far more indicative of what your experience will be like as gameplay trailers tend to come from players who have spent months, if not years, with the game.

    Besides showing some fresh gameplay, Major Nelson details some new gameplay features that we have yet to see. For instance, both sides can summon small plants or zombies that call back to the tower defense games. Players can also earn sticker packs which grant them new items, summons or even powerful class variants.

    Plants vs. Zombies: Garden Warfare will be out February 25 for the Xbox One and Xbox 360. A PC version will launch later this year.

    Image via xbox/YouTube