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While nothing at the EA press conference quite matched up to the bombshell that Microsoft dropped today, there were definitely some big doings that transpired.  First off, there was the announceent of EA’s partnership with id, announced by none other than John Carmack himself.  No one saw this one coming, and the game that this union is in the midst of producing, Rage, looks promising to say the least. 

Then there was the introduction to SimAnimals, complete with a video that reminded us all that squirrels and bear cubs are adorable.  The trailer didn’t show much, but it did illustrate the idea that the game functions entirely by manipulating the environment in which these animals live.  Its got cute animals, simple controls, and it starts with “Sim,” so you can expect about 10-15 million units sold on this one.

Mirror’s Edge got some play, with a relatively long video showing lots of gameplay, as well as a live-action demo.  The game has that “Blue Sky” effect that we all thought it would, and showcased some slick visuals and fluid animations.  From what we saw, the game does look fairly linear, giving you only one path to get from point A to point, but we’ll give it a pass based on the overall “wow factor.”


Will Wright’s Spore presentation was funny, informative, and did a great job hyping the game and its early success.  Comparing the community’s creations over 18 days to God’s creations over a week was a great touch that legitimately cracked up the crowd.  Some of the creations that they showcased were simply mind-blowing, showing that, just as Will hoped, the community quickly learned to do things that the game designers didn’t think possible.

NBA Live 09 was featured, showcasing its innovative Dynamic DNA system which updates players’ and teams’ tendencies, strengths and weaknesses on a daily basis.  The system seemed a bit lugubrious ad unwieldy, but with some fine tuning, could turn into something truly game changing.  There was also the demonstration of the Wii-only All-Play mode with Tiger Woods 09.  The fact that Peter Moore was able to outshoot LPGA star Natalie Gulbis might indicate that using the All-Play is a bit too much of an advantage.

And then there’s Left 4 Dead and Dead Space.  Both games look absolutely incredible.  Dead Space looks to be just as intense and creepy as we’d hoped, and the concepts shown in the Left 4 Dead footage seem primed to deliver some game dynamics we’ve never seen before.  We’ll have footage of the Dead Space demo up soon, so you’ll definite;ly want to check that out as soon as it’s available.

All in all, EA accomplished what they set out to.  At the beginning of the presentation, thy stated that they would be eschewing the usual “state of the company” info and stick to games, and that’s just what they did.  It’s going to be tough for all the EA haters out there to argue with the upcoming lineup they have prepared.

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