Tag: EA

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YouTuber Jackfrags shines light on the most obscure easter egg ever in Battlefield 4

Almost every game has some fun little side quests, items, stories, characters, or other little seemingly unnoticeable tidbits that have some heightened purpose outside of the core of the game. These easter eggs are fantastic for gamers to explore and find, but it seems one engineer at DICE LA, Julian Manolov, has taken it to the next level.

DICE has recently released the long awaited map Dragon Valley for Battlefield 4, and with it is perhaps the most intricate easter egg process ever constructed. Players are tasked with solving a logic puzzle encompassing the entire map forcing players to travel to every corner of it to flick switches in an attempt to solve a logic puzzle regarding the central building’s lights.

But this is not where things end. It gets even more complex when the player is eventually able to solve the puzzle and unlock a subsequent clue leading to a morse code message communicated through the lights.

After switching maps to Zavod: Graveyard shift and searching for the next clue players find an obscure, distorted audio clip referencing “Little birdie legs” — a piece from the fan-made YouTube series Battlefield Friends.

Continuing to follow the instructions and with some creative thinking a code can be deciphered by multiplying the numerical values of the letters in Little Birdy.

Inputting the result into a keypad at the original central building gives players a unique code for access to an extremely exclusive DICE LA camo.

Check out Jackfrag’s complete breakdown below

Is this the best easter egg ever? Are there crazier easter eggs you know about? Leave a comment below!

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EA finds success in Japan with Star Wars Battlefront; leads charts after one week

Star Wars Battlefront hasn’t quite received the grand reception that EA was anticipating, but the game has still had a solid release in most markets. One surprise was Battlefront’s top spot in the Japanese market — taking no. 1 in the charts after just a week.

The main competition that Battlefront has faced comes from the likes of Halo 5, Fallout 4, and Call of Duty Black Ops III. However, due to the focus on western markets that these games have it helps make more sense of the success of Star Wars Battlefront in Japan.

Adding on to that, the Playstation 4 — the place where Battlefront has thrived the most, doubling the sales of that of Xbox One and PC — is dominating the home console market by a wide margin in markets outside N.A. — and especially so in Japan.

The sales, published by Japanese site, 4gamer.net (and translated by gematsu), are listed below.

Software Sales (followed by lifetime sales)

  1. [PS4] Star Wars Battlefront (EA, 11/19/15) – 123,908 (New)
  2. [PS4] Atelier Sophie: The Alchemist of the Mysterious Book (Gust, 11/19/15) – 30,759 (New)
  3. [PSV] Atelier Sophie: The Alchemist of the Mysterious Book (Gust, 11/19/15) – 25,805 (New)
  4. [PSV] Omega Labyrinth (D3 Publisher, 11/19/15) – 25,113 (New)
  5. [Wii U] Animal Crossing: Amiibo Festival (Nintendo, 11/21/15) – 20,303 (New)
  6. [PS4] Call of Duty: Black Ops III (SCE, 10/06/15) – 19,355 (206,801)
  7. [PS4] Sword Art Online: Game Director’s Edition (Bandai Namco, 11/19/15) – 18,342 (New)
  8. [Wii U] Splatoon (Nintendo, 05/28/15) – 17,681 (802,117)
  9. [3DS] Sumikko Gurashi Omise Hajimerun Desu (Nippon Columbia, 11/19/15) – 16,464 (New)
  10. [3DS] Yo-kai Watch Busters: Red Cat Team / White Dog Squad (Nintendo, 07/11/15) – 14,700 (1,744,440)
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Star Wars Battlefront to exceed expectations? EA ups sales estimations

Star Wars Battlefront is releasing with expectations as high as any game that has come out since the start of the new generation consoles, and after a very successful beta EA’s financial estimations are going up by a substantial margin — 13 million to the previous 9 million units shipped throughout the 2016 fiscal year.

The 31% increase in sales projections comes after a 9.5 million-player beta — the most successful beta for a game ever.

Chief Financial Officer Blake Jorgensen talked about the confidencce that Battlefront has invoked on the entire company.

“Based on the ongoing strength of our business and reception of Star Wars Battlefront, we are raising our full-year outlook for the second time. Our markets are very healthy, the digital transition continues to drive margins, and engagement in our live services and excitement for our upcoming launches is exceptional.”

The excitement was expressed in the latest investors conference call for its second fiscal quarter. The Star Wars IP is expected to grow into a tremendous asset for EA with the potential for an entire new younger demographic up for grabs. There are two key groups that EA is relying on according to CEO Andrew Wilson.

“One are gamers that have lapsed, traditionally who have been big gamers in the past and maybe haven’t played for a while, and it’s certainly been a catalyst for those people to come back into the gaming universe as it relates to console. And two, onboarding a new younger age demographic.”

The Star Wars IP is expected to be used extensively in gaming over the span of the next trilogy of movies. Battlefront is simply the start for EA and with the ability to piggy-back on the success of the movies it should bode extremely well for fans hoping for more high-quality Star Wars games.

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EA to continue work with Star Wars IP

In the latest Investor’s earnings conference call Thursday afternoon, EA has claimed that they will take advantage of the Star Wars IP in continued work with Disney in the future on both consoles, PC, and mobile devices.

“Lots to come on Star Wars. We’re very excited about the franchise.”

More Star Wars games to come — and likely another Star Wars Battlefront, however the continued work with Disney is making way for an even greater focus on the movie franchise in video game.

Very strong pre-order numbers post E3 and even higher pre-order numbers are expected after Gamescom in Cologne Germany.

The expectations for the return of the Battlefront franchise is as high as they can be and EA’s reps spoke on how crucial the ties that the games will have with the movies. The continued envelopment of consumers in the Star Wars brand — especially during the immediate release of the movies — will surely help sales for the Star Wars games. With sales numbers already projected to be so high the game it’s no surprise to hear of future work with the Star Wars IP.

While they didn’t specifically mention another Battlefront, the promise for more Star Wars games coinciding with the movies makes the likelihood of a Star Wars Battlefront 2 almost a certainty.

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Star Wars Battlefront revealed

Amid so much excitement surrounding the Star Wars universe, even the return of the movie can’t completely overshadow the excitement of the return of the beloved Star Wars: Battlefront series.

Disney revealed today their current EA DICE-made re-envisioning of the Battlefront games nearly a decade since Battlefront 2 released on PlayStation 2, PSP, PC, and the original Xbox in 2005.

The Battlefront games have long been held in high esteem with sales in the upper-echelon of the rankings at 10+ million units sold. As Lucas Arts was bought by Disney in 2012 and Pandemic Studios was acquired by EA in 2008.

The new trailer shows fans what they can expect from the new release as it showcases the great visuals in the classic lush-jungle planet of Endor. Beyond just Endor, Hoth and Tatooine will also be returning as well as a new planet — Sullest.

Lead your team in battle taking control of the sith lord himself.
Lead your team in battle taking control of the sith lord himself.

Executive producer Patrick Bach said to the Associated Press that they worked to get the game to feel as authentic to the universe as possible.

Just as it was in the previous games, players can take control of some of the iconic characters in the Star Wars universe like Darth Vader, Boba Fett, and other heroes and villains.

Back spoke of the importance and power that players have when playing as these major characters.

“You can wield a lightsaber. You can Force choke the rebel scum, which is fun. Basically, you are the boss of the battle. This means that you, as Vader, can lead your team to victory — if you play well.”

Take control of TIE Fighters and X-Wings in awesome dog fights.
Take control of TIE Fighters and X-Wings in awesome dog fights.

When the foot battles end, the X-Wings and TIE Fighters will be the host of the aerial combat.

While the details on how the gameplay will play out is still a bit hazy, there is some exciting news regarding the player perspective. Players can now immediately switch between first-person and third-person views.

As incentive to pre-order, EA is offering a free DLC for all those who buy the game before release. The add-on centers around the “Battle of Jakku,” a major historical event that is shown in the Force Awakens trailer.

“You never get to see it in the new movie, so it was this brilliant opportunity to recreate the Battle of Jakku, which you only see the remnants of in the movie,” said executive producer Patrick Bach, according to the Associated Press.

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Respawn celebrates Titanfall’s one-year anniversary | Here’s what they’re offering:

Titanfall released as the first stand-out Xbox One exclusive back in 2014 as it brought not only a new IP to the library, but an extraodinarily fast-paced FPS experience. Even the Call of Duty franchise that Respawn Entertainment branched off of seems to have taken some ideas from the multiplayer focused shooter. Advanced Warfare had its own share of rapid movement and quick gameplay.

Now Respawn Entertainment is giving away their Season Pass package for no cost — besides the game itself of course. All three map packs are now available free on all platforms (PC, Xbox 360, and Xbox One). Check out the Origin Store and the Xbox Store to download the maps.

The multiplayer has always been the fixation for Respawn and now they’re looking to make it even better as they grow the community with an expanded experience for gamers.

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DICE and EA tag their future project with Battlefield 4

“The road ahead for Battlefield 4” is now being realized as DICE and EA are planning a community-made map that will take fan-input into how to design and construct a Battlefield 4 multiplayer map.

This new content-development project will have developers and fans consistently in contact giving feedback on how the level is progressing.

Each week a Community Test Environment will be updated and tuned for Battlefield 4 Premium members to try out and respond to the changes.

At the end of this development period the map will be a free download on all platforms.

Besides the community map, a new update will improve the netcode and other minor technical issues in the Winter Update coming this March. Also changing is the primary gamemode of the game itself as well. Now Squad Obliteration will be the lead competitive mode as DICE seems to be hoping for greater Twitch.tv streaming publicity.

Our ambition with Squad Obliteration is to create something fast and challenging for the players and an entertaining experience for those who watch the matches. – Battlefield Battlelog

Squad Obliteration brings a faster-pace in 5-on-5 action and with both teams fighting to destroy two opposing bases with bombs.

More updates are to come in regards to when the community map will start being developed.

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NHL 15 official gamemode list

EA Sports' NHL 15 shows stunning visuals and was honored with the 2014 E3 Critic's Best Sports Game award.
EA Sports’ NHL 15 shows stunning visuals and was honored with the 2014 E3 Critic’s Best Sports Game award.

EA Sports’ NHL 15 certainly boasts impressive visuals, physics, and asthetics, but their newly revealed gamemode list shows the new features come at a cost.

Included gamemodes:

  • Play Now
  • Be A Pro
  • Be A GM
  • Online Versus
  • Hockey Ultimate Team
  • NHL Moments Live

EA’s official release states that they are proud of their work with the Next-Generation Hockey Player, True Hockey Physics, updated arena experience, and the new Broadcast Presentation, but some of the most popular gamemodes will be absent from the new-generation version of the game — EA Sports Hockey League (EASHL) and Online Team Play (OTP).

While EASHL will be entirely removed from the game, a simplified OTP mode is said to return in a free update after the intitial game launch. The gamemode will not entirely resemble that of the previous online team-play iterations. The OTP add-on will not allow players to create and play with their own custom player, but rather the in-game roster players will be used instead. There will be no lobbies to organize any specific games. EA has opted for an easy to implement random-joining process to the OTP games — similar to how joining versus games currently operates.

While the Xbox 360 and Playstation 3 versions will maintain the classic gamemodes, the removal of the fan favorite gamemodes will be a significant blow to EA. An EA developer described the transition they had to under-go while creating the new-generation experience.

“NHL 15 on the new consoles is a fundamentally different gameplay and presentation experience. 
You can still play Be A Pro, Be A GM, NHL Moments Live, Online Vs and HUT. 
We have overhauled every screen within those modes and are continuing to deliver additional content post launch.”

EA is still working to determine whether the online-franchise mode “GM Connected” will be included at this point, but it’s clear the company’s development process regarding new features consumed a lot of their resources.

“Maintaining these modes year on year (even if we don’t add any new features) is very costly and it takes away from us working on other features in the more played modes which is why I say that the future [of GM Connected] is TBD based on current usage.”

While the news may disappoint some fans, EA maintains that NHL 16 will hold massive improvements to EASHL. They ensure that they will be clear regarding the development process of for the 6v6 gamemode.

“We’ll be fully transparent on the development of OTP as we build back towards created players and the EASHL. 
The exact timetable is TBD.”

NHL 15 will be releasing for Xbox One, Xbox 360, Playstation 4 and Playstation 3 September 9th.

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Shadow Realms is EA/Bioware new IP

It was teased for the last few weeks, but EA/Bioware have revealed a new online RPG.
It was teased for the last few weeks, but EA/Bioware have revealed a new online RPG.

First dubbed as “You’ve Been Chosen,” EA/Bioware have revealed the actual name of their new game and details to boot.

Shadow Realms — a 4v1 story driven online action/adventure RPG from Bioware is in the works.

 “Modern Heroes on Earth are being awakened and recruited, because of magical powers they never knew they had, to fight in a new and dangerous war against the Shadow Legions of Embra.”

The EA Gamescom conference showed a great emphasis on cooperative gameplay. The four customizable characters that adventure through the modern/fantasy worlds. The story will not be straightforward from the get-go. Instead the narrative will be released in episodes and will be creating a story for players to more easily follow together.

But the four main heroes are not the only playable characters. One person will be free to play as “Shadowlord,” another customizable character, and be the primary foe to intercept the heroes on their journey.

“Shadow Realms is a new BioWare RPG that has the hallmarks of all BioWare games with a rich story, a unique world setting and deep combat progression, but built as an interactive experience that evolves the genre and broadens the appeal to online gamers all over the world.” – Jeff Hickman, General Manager and Vice President at BioWare Austin.

 

Shadow Realms doesn’t yet have any release date and has not revealed which consoles/platforms it will be coming to.

Check out the teaser trailers here. “You’ve Been Chosen.”

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Dragon Age Inquisition – Gamescom recap

Dragon Age Inquisition is prepared to take a big step up from it's predecessors.
Dragon Age Inquisition is prepared to take a big step up from it’s predecessors.

EA’s Gamescom conference started off on a high-note with Dragon Age Inquisition. The new Dragon Age focuses on utilizing a variety of ways to play and greatly expands the options and customizability of your character and followers.

You’re given the ability to lead up to nine character on journey — the most ever for a Dragon Age game and with nine customizable classes and an impressive 200 different abilities within the skills tree.

Bioware is focusing on letting players “fight the way you want to fight.”

Along with customizable fortress “Skyhold” your options within the world are even more advanced. You’ll be able to expand your influence, begin new missions, and strengthen the Inquisition from your fortress.

With nine followers and the unique characterisitics and traits take control of followers in battle by pausing the game and shifting the camera to an over-head view for a strategy game-style approach to combat.

Dragon Age Inquisition’s combination of strategy elements, within the lush RPG core gives the game high potential moving forward.

Dragon Age Inquisition will be launching on Xbox One, Xbox 360, Playstation 4, Playstation 3, and PC on November 20th this year.