Rectify Gaming

EA Play: Hands-On Impressions


Posted on June 14, 2016 by Rectify Gaming

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The EA Play experience is one of many that is hosting gameplay demos throughout the week here at E3. I was given the enviable task of attending and trying out five new games coming soon to a gaming platform near you. While the games themselves were all pre-release builds, meaning that the final product could vary from what I experienced, I was nonetheless able to get a good feel for what to expect once the games are released.
My impressions follow in the order in which I played them:
fifa 17FIFA 17 – As with just about every EA sports title these days, FIFA 17 looks fantastic. Character models are true-to-life and the animations and behaviors do an impressive job of mirroring their real-world counterparts.
Admittedly, I have never extensively played a FIFA game before, so getting used to the controls was a bit difficult to begin, but by the end of my half hour demo I felt very comfortable with how things worked. If players made bad passes or drew yellow cards I felt like it was my own doing every single time. Movements on the pitch were fluid with AI teammates showing for the ball, helping to determine where each pass should be directed.
One of the things I always take note of with any sports title is the game commentary, and I am pleased to say that it was on-point in FIFA 17. Commentators seem to have natural crescendos and decrescendos given the action taking place in front of them. During my playthrough I never had a moment where it seemed like they were randomly shouting or spectating another match.
FIFA 17 is coming to a store near you on September 27, 2016.
nhl 17NHL 17 – The most technically challenging title of the three EA sports games on display, NHL 17 gives players the feel of total control over the puck. Returning is the Skill Stick feature, which offers the player pinpoint precision with passes, dekes and shots. For newcomers, the feature is a bit of a bear to overcome. Fortunately, the option to discard the Skill Stick feature and map its use to controller buttons is available.
NHL 17’s presentation is also very well done. Players appear hyper-realistic and are infused with the individual’s attributes and tendencies. I could feel a real sense of excitement playing as the home team in my own arena.
Commentary is usually a bit more difficult with NHL games given the speed at which it is played. In-game voice talent does a decent job of keeping pace, but honestly I didn’t find it to be as engaging as some of the other sports titles I have played in the past.
NHL 17 has a scheduled release for September 2016.
madden 17Madden 17 – The Madden series of games seem to go through an evolution once every three or four years, in terms of control schemes, presentation and new features. Madden 17 makes it evident that this is one of the off years. That’s not to say the games does not look and feel great, because it does. The issue though is that if I secretly put a copy of Madden 17 into a casual Madden gamer’s console, I am not sure they would be able to tell the difference.
Again, the game looks very impressive, from the grass on the field to the fans in the stands (although there are still the same 7 or 8 fans with different skins doing the same animations). Out of the three sports games I played, Madden 17 could probably fool a casual observer into thinking it was the real thing more so than its brethren.
The demo I played, for whatever reason, did not include audio commentary, so I cannot speak to that for this upcoming year. If it is anything like previous Madden titles though, expect it to be choppy. Most of the time I played Madden 16 I turned the commentators off in favor of the in-game sound.
Madden 17 hits store shelves on August 23, 2016.
titanfall 2Titanfall 2 – This was my first experience with Titanfall, the huge Xbox/PC IP that originally hit shelves back in March 2014. I had always heard positive things about the game, but the fact that it was strictly multiplayer never really sat well with me. I am very much a campaign kind of guy. Hearing that TItanfall 2 was not only coming to PlayStation 4, but was also bringing with it a fully fleshed-out story mode increased my excitement for this title by leaps and bounds. And after having played the demo, I am even MORE excited.
As with all of the other games I have seen at E3, Titanfall 2 looked fantastic. Controls were quick and responsive, a must for any decent first-person shooter. Calling down your Titan and entering the cockpit was an incredible feeling. Being in control of that kind of power was definitely a thrill. I expected, not having played the first title, that there would be a bit of a discrepancy between Titans and their pilot counterparts when battling against each other, but I was pleasantly surprised to see that I was able to hold my own against the behemoths, given that I had a set strategy.
Out of all the games I tried at EA Play, Titanfall 2 is my most anticipated.
Titanfall 2 is set to drop on October 28, 2016.
battlefield 1Battlefield 1 – Given its name, it is fitting that the setting of Battlefield 1 takes gamers to The Great War, a.k.a. World War I. I am VERY excited about this change of pace. Futuristic shooters are just fine (I’m a huge fan of Destiny), but there had been a severe lack of quality first-person shooters taking place outside of the post-present era. Getting back to bolt action rifles, biplanes and enormous blimps (called behemoths) is exactly what the doctor ordered when it comes to this franchise.
The gameplay itself was excellent. I had never been a part of a 64-player multiplayer match before, and this one was a doozy. The map was enormous but felt manageable in terms of getting around. Whether on foot, driving in a tank, or flying in a plane, the French countryside felt like a very natural environment for a battle from nearly 100 years ago. That environment crumbled around you as mortar, grenades and bombs harassed the stone walls and buildings. It was fun to see the landscape change as the battle progressed.
If a team-based FPS is what you are in the market for, Battlefield 1 is the game that you will want to keep your eye on.
Battlefield 1 will be playable on the three major platforms October 21, 2016.

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