All the Announcements and Trailers From EA's E3 2017 Press Conference: Star Wars Battlefront II, A Way Out, Madden 18, and More
EA has some new IPs coming your way, plus it promises to do a whole lot better with Star Wars Battlefront II.
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EA's press conference for E3 2017 didn't live up to all our hopes and dreams (no Dead Space, no NHL – boo!), but we still got a glimpse of some good stuff.
The new EA Originals title, A Way Out, looks great, and we got our first peek at BioWare's upcoming new IP, Anthem. Oh, and there was Star Wars Battlefront II. Lots of it.
Here's a breakdown of what we saw.
Star Wars Battlefront II
EA has heard the millions of voices cry out over the first Battlefront's lack of a story mode, and it hopes Battlefront II's extensive story mode will silence them. Look forward to a "new and authentic untold story" that lets you play through a scenario that bridges Return of the Jedi and The Force Awakens. You'll play as established characters, as well as some new ones.
That's not to say the game's multiplayer action is taking a back seat in the ATAT. EA promises Battlefront II will have more of everything, period. More vehicles, more maps, a deeper battle system (fighters are now divided into classes that specialize in different abilities, e.g. the defensive Heavy class and the long-range Assault class), better space battles, etc.
Overall, Battlefront II supposedly has three times the content as the first game, and free(!) DLC is supposed to arrive on a regular basis, starting with Finn and Captain Phasma as new player characters in the holiday season.
It looks like some of the best current Battlefront players are helping DICE fine-tune the game, too. Will it pay off? We'll know when Battlefront II arrives on PC, Xbox One, and PlayStation 4 on November 17.
Battlefield 1 DLC
The Great War's not over yet: EA announced DLC for Battlefield 1. Look for new night maps in June and July. The biggest news, however, is the upcoming "In the Name of the Tsar" expansion, which revolves around the eastern front. There's six new maps, plus the Russian army is making an appearance (Calvary included). Additional content includes six new naps, new vehicles, and the Women's Battalion of Death. In the Name of the Tsar is coming in September.
FIFA 18
The biggest news about FIFA 18 is its story mode, The Journey: Alex Returns. The narrative picks up on the life of Alex Hunter after he wins the FA Cup in his first successful year. Check out our extensive FIFA 18 guide for everything we know.
Need for Speed Payback
The trailer for Need for Speed Payback has a whole lot of bashin' and crashin' going on. It made us nostalgic for you-know-what. Well, the game still looks good. We watched a heist, during which the player trailed a truck and stole a car parked inside its trailer. A new feature in Need for Speed Payback is "Relics," which involves finding, restoring, and customizing classic cars. Need for Speed Payback comes to PC, Xbox One, and PlayStation 4 on November 10.
A Way Out
EA says it has several EA Originals games in the works, but the press conference focuses on a prison escape action / adventure co-op title called A Way Out. Two players must work together to help two convicts break out of jail. You can play with a friend online or via local co-op, but one thing's for sure: If you don't have someone you trust watching your back, you won't get through this ordeal. No, literally. The actions you take independently of one another are ultimately what help you escape your predicament.
Busting out of the slammer comes with all the hassles you'd expect from a game that expects you to break out of prison. You need to sneak past guards, fight off hazards, and call on your wits again, again, and again. What we saw of A Way Out is intriguing, but that's to be expected of a game by Brothers: A Tale of Two Sons' developer Josef Fares. Look for it in early 2018.
Anthem
We got only the barest glimpse of BioWare's new IP at EA's conference; we'll see more at the Microsoft conference on Sunday June 11. The teaser offered vague narrative about a wall that keeps horrific monsters at bay. I'll spare you all the cheap political jokes, but needless to say, the Twitch chat didn't hold back.
NBA Live 18
In NBA Live 18, earning basketball cred on the streets is just as important as earning it on the professional court. The single-player campaign centers around your journey to be "The One" in street courts and commercial courts alike. You earn skills and items as you ascend, but whatever you happens, make sure you don't geeeet dunked on.
Madden 18
Madden's single-player campaign is being revamped for Madden 18. The new story mode, titled "Longshot," takes a page out of Telltale's book(s). Kat goes in-depth about what we can expect to see in Longshot, plus she has a great interview with Longshot's creative lead, Mike Young. Madden 18 comes to the PlayStation 4 and Xbox One on August 25.