The boys at Electronic Arts are at it again. They’ve devved up the 2015 versions of their sports titles and have hit the road to give folks like us a chance to play and preview their latest before they hit the shelves. ‘LLERO attended the EA Summer Showcase and got a look at titles like Madden NFL 2015, FIFA 15 and NHL 15. Read on for a deeper dive into the goodies dropping this fall.
FIFA 15
Thanks to the World Cup the U.S. seems to have finally caught up with the rest of the world and its appreciation for soccer/futbol. So the stakes are even higher for FIFA 2015. It doesn’t disappoint. We sat down and played a match or two with the game designers and can attest that they hit their mark – again. How does 2015 improve upon the previous offering? For one, FIFA 2015 comes with emotional intelligence, meaning that for the first time all 22 players on the pitch are connected, so that they react to opponents and teammates alike relative to the narrative of the game. So miss a shot and a player and coach will show how pissed they are! The game comes with over 600 emotional reactions. No biting though! There’s also Dynamic Match Presentation, meaning region specific behaviour. So fans of Real Madrid will feel and act differently than the fans at La Bombonera in Buenos Aires, with different cheers, chants and songs. Ohh then there are the visuals. Slide tackles and boot marks are now visible on the pitch and as the match progresses; the playing surface becomes increasingly weathered just as it would in real life. Corner flag physics, goal frames that shake and animated LED ad boards are just some of the new details that bring FIFA 15 to life. Our conclusion on FIFA 15 – we likey.
Available Platforms: Xbox One, Xbox 360, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 3, PC
Release Date: September 23, 2014
Madden NFL 2015
Next stop on our visit was over to the Madden NFL 2015 station, were we met with one of the games designers who is coincidentally a filmmaker, formerly of NFL Films. After playing a half of Madden NFL 2015 – it shows. From the introductions to the instant replays the entire game has a cinematic feel to it. Some other goodies are a new arsenal of pass rush moves, an intuitive tackling system and improved coverage logic.
But this year’s installment doesn’t stop there. Madden NFL 15, also has Player Sense 2.0 which improves player emotion, contextual awareness, head tracking and reach tackles just to name a few. The Madden development team continues to improve the decision-making of computer-controlled players. Thanks to Real AI 2.0, computer quarterbacks understand different passing concepts and will read defenders before making correct throws. They’ll also audible and call hot routes based on Real AI. Another huge addition is the new crowd-sourced recommendation engine. It’s powered by the millions of online games played by the Madden NFL community. As of this writing we learned that Mr. Legion of Boom – yes, Richard Sherman himself would be making the cover of this years game. Given the theatrical feel to 2015, it seems apropos.
Available Platforms: Xbox One, Xbox 360, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 3
Release Date: August 26, 2014
NHL 15
We have to admit, although were big sports fans here at ‘LLERO, hockey is not as high on the list as say futbol, baseball and other sports. Yet, after sitting down to play a few matches of NHL 15 we were hooked. It’s often said the devil is in the details; well NHL 15 doesn’t miss a beat. First off, the arenas are as authentic as you’ll find in any game. Unique arena elements from 19,000+ seat capacities to lighting and player entrance tunnels are captured with a level of detail never seen before. They didn’t forget the folks filling those arenas either. There are over 9,000 individual crowd models. Take a look through the glass and you’ll see fans hold up signs with your name on them, crazed costume wearing fans and even sections full of team rivals saying some not so pleasant things. No black and white dots or cloned fans here. Then there are the players. The EA development team employed physicists to accurately capture player movement. So for the first time in any sports game, real-world physics affects every player through every on-ice collision with the new 12 Player NHL ® Collision Physics. Which means great secondary collisions, net scrambles and player pileups. The puck gets its just due as well. Completely rebuilt puck physics result in a more realistic feel to every puck interaction. Everything on the ice, including the ice surface itself, is live – no computer controls here, making for a pretty sweet user experience.
Available Platforms: Xbox One, Xbox 360, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 3
Release Date: September 9, 2014
