E3 2019: EA never fails to disappoint

EA Access was one big disappointment yesterday, with the only shining lights being the presenters, the one and only Greg Miller and the likeable Julia Hardy.

As always when it comes to EA, the company tries to experiment with its format and as always it fell flat on its face. Now I’m sure actually attending the event in sunny L.A and being able to get hands on with the games shown would be a much more satisfying experience, however for those of us watching at home it was a bit of a snore fest.

It didn’t help that EA decided to spoil any surprises by laying out exactly what we would be seeing. It basically told us before the event we’d be watching Jedi Fallen Order, Apex Legends, Battlefield, Madden, FIFA and The Sims. There was no traditional reveal or surprises – EA’s cards were laid flatly on the table and it was a pretty boring hand.

First up we were shown Jedi Fallen Order, which I was pretty excited about myself, however, the gameplay shown was generic and pretty boring. The alpha footage didn’t really do a great job of showing the game off in its best light, while the level on show wasn’t exactly the best showcase of what will more than likely be a decent game. It’s fair to say that from what we were shown the graphics looked average and the gameplay nothing special. Let’s face it, if any reference to ‘Star Wars’ were to be removed from what we were shown, everyone would already have moved on and forgotten this title even exists. Hopefully, there is a lot more to see and convince us that Jedi Fallen Order is a game worth having. For now, it is still on my radar, although only just.

I have to admit to not really caring about Madden 20, Apex Legends or The Sims, I am however a huge Football (Soccer) fan, so before I gave in with EA Play completely I decided to give EA the chance to wow me with a sports game I’ve just about given up on. Did EA succeed in turning my opinion of FIFA around? No.

To spend almost 30 minutes talking about FIFA 20, without showing any actual gameplay is unforgivable enough, but as always EA has to rub it in with all it’s marketing words, which it somehow seems to think makes us all care about the game. The only reason this series still sells millions is that it doesn’t really have a competitor which can buy up all the licences and truly challenge for the crown. Therefore we are stuck with FIFA and its yearly tweaks, which let’s face it, could easily fit into a patch.

This year we are treated to Volva Football, a street based game which will allow us to play as Females, change our clothes and have tattoos. Big Fucking Whoop. Playing as a female should be standard anyway and who cares about bloody tattoos, since you probably need to pay for them anyway. How about you make the actual football better EA? How about you stop worrying about what colour hair we can have or how many more millions you’ll make from Ultimate Team and actually give us significant changes worth caring about. Changes which are worth the extra cash.

I love FIFA, but I’m getting fed up with the series. I’m getting tired of hearing marketing keywords like ‘Football Intelligence.’ What does that even mean? I swear EA must spend its entire budget coming up with more gimmicky words it can feed up for each version. What will next year be? Dynamic Throw Ins? Real Motion Physics for the manager on the touchline? Look at the pre-order page, all it seems to be pushing is Volva Football. No word on Career Mode or anything else fans cares about, although EA has been sure to throw in some Ultimate Team packs to hook people in for yet another year. Got to get those big bucks after all.

Those wishing for a one console world should take heed of what happens when there is only one choice. Things get complacent and then the money grabbing is all that matters.