From Battlefield to Mass Effect: How one engine is shaping the future of EA Games

After crossing under the elevated railroad viaduct that bisects a lush Azerbaijani forest from an industrial landscape, a squad of American soldiers gazes out at the valley that lies below. A saw-toothed horizon of half-assembled buildings juts out in the distance. It's almost peaceful. Hundreds of seagulls chatter lazily overhead, blissfully unaware that the ensuing firefight will leave the seemingly forgotten structures looking somehow even worse for wear. Whole facades crumble under the hellfire of a military attack chopper. A grenade launcher's explosive payload immediately contradicts the seemingly harmless thud it makes upon exiting the weapon's chamber. An enemy scrambles for a new safe haven; his earlier hiding place no longer exists. By scene's end, all that's left are roiling flames and caustic black smoke.

This scene from the Battlefield 4 trailer was how the world, perhaps unwittingly, met Frostbite Engine 3, the next-gen toolset powering all of Electronic Arts' non-sports games for the foreseeable future.

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SimCity’s Red Cross charity pack aids real-world disaster victims

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SimCity fans know nothing feels better than saving their other family from pollution and sickness -- except, you know, helping out some fellow human beings. A new collaboration with the Red Cross combines players' digital altruism with humanitarian aid for real-world disaster victims. Starting today, you'll be able to purchase a $9.99 "charity pack" created specifically for the game, with a relief center, tents and two emergency response vehicles. In the event of a meteor strike, earthquake or tornado, the Red Cross tents will automatically appear to provide aid for injured Sims, and a fleet of ambulances and fire trucks will be on call as well.

SimCity creator EA Games has pledged to contribute at least 80 percent of profits (a minimum of $100,000) from the charity pack to the Red Cross National Societies. The set will be available for a year, and you'll be able to keep it through the life of your current game. Currently, the pack is only available for players in 10 countries, including Denmark, France, the US and the UK.

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Source: SimCity Blog

EA to end Online Pass program, cites player disapproval

EA to stop charging used game buyers for multiplayer access, cites player disapproval

Remember EA's Online Pass program? If you've ever purchased one of the company's games used, it probably rings a bell. The system was devised in 2010 as a way for the company to collect revenue from used game sales, requiring players of second-hand software to pay an additional fee to unlock multiplayer content. Now, EA says the program has run its course. "Many players didn't respond to the format," the company told GamesBeat. "None of our new EA titles will include that feature." The industry still isn't completely sure how to handle used game sales, but at least this unpopular program is at an end.

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Via: Joystiq

Source: GamesBeat

Origin for Mac enters open Alpha, testers gifted with free copy of Bookworm

Origin for Mac enters open Alpha, testers gifted with free copy of Bookworm

Is your MacBook Pro pulling double duty as a gaming machine? EA wants your attention -- it's launching the Mac Alpha of Origin, its digital distribution service. EA is hoping to have the service ready by March, when it will release SimCity for PC and Mac, successively. For now, though, the client is limited -- barring testers from visiting the Origin store, and instead inviting them to launch Bookworm from the client, a puzzle game that's free for users who install the Alpha. The company promises a more complete catalog of EA and partner games when the client officially launches, but didn't drop any specific titles. The service still has some catching up to do, compared to its closest competitor -- but better late than never, right?

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Via: MacRumors

Source: Origin

Mass Effect moaners kinda get their own way as people power strikes again

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SPOILERS. Who can't name a beloved TV series that didn't end the way you wanted? BSG? Lost? Sapphire and Steel? Blake's Seven? Quantum Leap? The Sopranos? All of which ended either with tear-inducing bum-notes or confusing conclusions that caused furious head scratching. Despite that, the traditional reaction is to say "Well, I didn't enjoy that, but I respect the writer's artistic decision." Not so for gamers who felt short-changed by the intentionally devastating conclusion to Mass Effect 3. Fans of the game poured their outrage online, developer BioWare saying that the feedback it had received was "incredibly painful." A fan campaign that raised $80,000 in under a fortnight for Child's Play was enough to make the team behind the title concede defeat against the geo-political disruptor that is the internet with a cause. The company is now devoting all of its efforts to producing an "extended cut" DLC for the summer, but fans expecting a fourth ending where they can watch Commander Shepard on a sun-lounger, margarita in hand had better start complaining now -- the new content will only offer more depth and an extended epilogue to those tragic scenes you've already witnessed. SPOILERS END

Continue reading Mass Effect moaners kinda get their own way as people power strikes again

Mass Effect moaners kinda get their own way as people power strikes again originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 09 Apr 2012 08:49:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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