FIFA 18’s story mode has become the franchise’s best feature

When FIFA 17 came out last year, its standout feature was something called "The Journey." For the first time in the franchise's 24-year history, EA Sports added a story mode where you can pretend to live the life of a professional soccer (er, footbal...

‘FIFA 18’ isn’t out yet and I’m already in love

There was a brief period of time last year when I was playing Pro Evolution Soccer more than FIFA. It was hard to wrap my head around that, considering EA's franchise had been my number one choice since it was known as FIFA International Soccer back...

What EA learned from ‘Mass Effect’ will shape its future

When I spoke to Electronic Arts' executive vice president Patrick Soderlund last week, Kotaku's report about why Mass Effect: Andromeda turned out so poorly hadn't been published yet. Nonetheless, when I asked him about the flawed game's development...

‘Need for Speed Payback’ adds higher stakes and familiar ideas

On paper, Need for Speed Payback sounds a lot like Grand Theft Auto V crossed with a modern Fast and the Furious movie. Tale of revenge? Check. Three distinct protagonists with differing skillsets? Check. Heist missions? You see where I'm going with...

‘Madden 18’ may follow ‘FIFA 17’ with a story mode of its own

It looks like American football is taking something from soccer beyond the sport's name. Well, as far as Electronic Arts' virtual versions go, that is. This year's Madden will feature a full-fledged story mode akin to what FIFA '17 had. In the very e...

What we love and hate about ‘Mass Effect: Andromeda’

A veteran Mass Effect player and a complete novice walk into a bar. This isn't the beginning of a terrible joke: Instead, it's the premise of a conversation between Engadget associate editor Timothy J. Seppala and senior reporter Jessica Conditt, bo...

Microsoft Research helped ‘Gears of War 4’ sound so good

Popping in and out of cover has been a hallmark of the Gears of War franchise since the first game came out in 2006. It hasn't changed much because it didn't need to. What's always been an issue though is how thin the game sounds -- a shortcoming of...

‘FIFA 17’ marks a new beginning for the soccer franchise

I've been playing FIFA since its first title launched on Super Nintendo, when characters on the screen looked like nothing more than colorful stick figures. Nowadays, thanks to the power of modern gaming consoles, the visuals and gameplay are as clos...