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What Questions Do You Hope to Have Answered at E3?
The biggest E3 in years takes place next week and with it an opportunity to get hands-on time with some of the games and get answers to some of the questions that have lingered in the lead-up to their respective releases.
Expect the next-gen related news and displays to be primarily limited (if not completely so) to the Microsoft, Sony, and EA press conferences that take place on Monday while current-gen will get the focus on the show floor.
Madden NFL 25, NCAA Football 14, NHL 14, and FIFA 14 will be the most accessible sports games at the event. 2K a while back confirmed they would not be attending E3 at all though NBA 2K14 could show up at a console press conference, PES 2014 has a behind-closed-doors presentation, and it’s still unclear whether there will be any backstage presentations from EA regarding their Xbox One and PS4 versions of games including NBA Live 14 and EA Sports UFC. Keep in mind those limited demonstrations often include embargoes as well.
Make note in the comments of anything you’d like to see or hear about from E3 next week and I’ll keep it all in mind while there. Obviously not every request will be met but between myself and all the others there covering the games there should be a great deal of information collected to go along with the individual insight on various aspects of each game in attendance.
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NCAA Football 14 Dynasty News Generates Encouraging Response for EA
Though it hasn’t seemed to carry much momentum EA Sports was able to capitalize on Dynasty news for NCAA Football 14 that was met with a generally positive reaction. Initially there were decidedly split feelings regarding the streamlined recruiting process but as more information was released that trended towards a much better direction and the Coach Skills aspect has brought an intriguing element into shaping a program.
The results from the poll posted late last week show an impressive 46% of the over 2400 respondents more likely to buy NCAA Football 14 based on the Dynasty features being unveiled. Only 6% feel as though the information pushed them away from a potential purchase. An earlier poll regarding the first gameplay and feature news for NCAA 14 generated returns of 33% encouraged and 8% discouraged so EA has built on that and set themselves up well for a demo this month that will hopefully demonstrate the gameplay enhancements they have touted thus far.
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New NHL 14 Trailer Focuses on Fighting
EA Sports today released the latest trailer for NHL 14 and this one spotlights the Enforcer Engine which utilizes technology from the Fight Night series to create what is said to be the “most authentic and exhilarating hockey fighting experience ever”. The fights now feature a third person perspective, physics-based punch targeting, player size differentiation, user-controlled celebrations afterwards, and damage that remains through the entirety of the game. Read more
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Teaser Trailer Released for This Week’s First Appearance of NBA 2K14
2K Sports today released a teaser trailer for NBA 2K14 again directing fans to look for something big on Thursday. The trailer consists of footage drawn completely from 2K13 so there is nothing to glean from it besides that.
The takeaway from this might be that whatever comes on Thursday will now have to be of actual substance in order to avoid massive disappointment. Would they really release a teaser trailer with 2K13 footage only to push out another teaser with 2K13 footage? Probably not…so now it’s reasonable to expect a more relevant trailer with 2K14 footage, the cover and/or general theme for this year’s game, or even the next-gen announcement to emerge that day. Read more
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Central Features for PES 2014 Detailed
In advance of their pre-E3 event tomorrow Konami has released a feature outline for Pro Evolution Soccer 2014. The game will feature the Fox Engine with a strong theme of fluidity throughout gameplay. PES 2014 will release this fall on Xbox 360, PS3, PC, and PSP – unlike competitor FIFA it will not make the transition to the Xbox One and PS4 this year. Read more
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A Few New Features Found in NCAA Football 14 Achievements
The full list of achievements for NCAA Football 14 are now out and with them comes mention of a few additional features. GameFace will make its debut in the series and “drills” have been added which could either be in tutorial form or more similar to the Skill Games found in FIFA.
The achievements also include the new Ultimate Team mode, taking advantage of the changes made to Dynasty mode, trying the alternate gameplay camera angles, and utilizing the Kinect voice command functionality.
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First Look Fighter Render from EA Sports UFC
The last eight days of feature teases have provided very little to go on for EA Sports UFC. The eight gameplay features in question will be revealed at the EA press conference next Monday.
In the meantime the company has released the above image showcasing UFC Lightweight Champion Benson Henderson’s face and touting the “unprecedented fighter likeness”. This is an actual in-game render and not the CGI seen in the earlier Ignite engine trailer.
With the game not releasing until next April at the earliest there will be plenty of time to tout the technological advancements that come with the Xbox One and PlayStation 4. This is just the start as UFC steps into a role similar of that to the one Fight Night had in the transition to the 360/PS3 generation with opportunity to reach not just fight fans but a more general audience.
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Early June Update on Developments in the Player Likeness Lawsuit
The hearing to determine whether the player likeness lawsuit against the NCAA, CLC, and EA will become class action is now scheduled for June 20. In preparation for that major turning point a few pieces of news relating to the case have emerged. Read more
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