GamerEscape

This year, EA decided to not be at E3… or at least at E3 proper. This year, they decided to hold a separate event called EA Play that was located in LA Live right next to the Los Angeles Convention Center.

I didn’t get a media invite for the event, however, I was able to secure a guest pass online which allowed me to pick from one of two days, as well as a time frame, and which games I was interested in playing. Not having much of a desire for sports, I elected to sign up for Battlefield 1 and Titanfall 2.

Closer to the event, I got a more narrowed time for when I could come in and get my hands on with some of EA’s upcoming titles. I arrived, checked in, and went up into the venue where I got in line. I was a bit early for my times (with EA encouraging people to arrive early) so I didn’t have any issues with waiting in line. By the time I got out of that demo and walked around a bit, I realized that it was time for my next appointment- when checking in to the Titanfall 2 line, I was put in the fast lane because of the appointment which was very nice.

Overall the venue was nice. The games were spread out over two floors and EA even provided concessions to everyone. The Titanfall 2 section in particular was kind of neat- instead of being inside of the venue it was actually outside on the roof.

So now, the real question- how were the games?

Battlefield 1

I’ve personally been wanting to see the big FPS series’ take a trip back in time. Not that I haven’t minded some of the more recent entries- I just feel that the shooters moving into the future a bit just feel less grounded in reality. When Battlefield 1 was announced, I was excited because that was exactly the kind of game I had been hoping to see released.

After a short presentation teaching us the basics of Battlefield 1, we were put in front of the game to try it for ourselves. Visually the game looks great. Battlefield 1 has different types of weather that can appear on the battlefield at any given time. Unfortunately, during my time with the game, this only happened right at the end of the game, covering the field in fog. During the match, depending on the performance of the teams, the large blimp can appear, giving players the ability to man the guns within it, or if on the opposing team, tasking them with blowing it up. Other than that, this game is still very much “Battlefield” and in no way is that a bad thing.

After my match, there was a counter to get my very own Battlefield 1 dog tag.

Titanfall 2

I’m going to be completely honest here. I picked up the first Titanfall when it was incredibly cheap on the Xbox Marketplace and enjoyed it for a few weeks and haven’t touched it since. This new game… feels like more of the same- only this time it will be available on the PlayStation 4. The game is still as fun as I remember it, and with what I’m sure will be a few new bells and whistles I’m sure it’ll be just as good if not better than the original.

After my time with Titanfall 2, I was handed a shirt and pin for my participation.

Overall, EA Play was a good experience. Being able to have a scheduled time for the game demos is, as someone who has waited in many a line- fantastic. From an E3 standpoint, the hall was noticeably quieter without EA’s presence, however, their event did everything their booth would have done in the LACC, while making it available to the public as well.