By: Stephen Duetzmann, Editor-in-Chief
Electronic Arts (EA) held a press conference today at GamesCom. These are the five most important things that I took away from the event.
1. Plants vs Zombies 2: It’s About Time has been HUGELY successful so far.
EA lavished PopCap Games with huge praise for the early success of PvZ2. The game has been downloaded 16 million times so far (this is made more impressive when you consider that it is only available on iOS devices right now).
They also provided some very interesting statistics:
- Total suns collected: 11,426,961,692
- Total zombie waves: 2,029,756,132
- Total plants planted: 4,021,761,039
- Total hours played: 15,071,541,100*
*History lesson time: That play time translates to 1.7 million years. If we were to go that far back in time we would find ourselves in the Lower Paleolithic era. There would be no humans, but we would find Homo Habilis thriving with stone tools.
EA and PopCap Games announced that the game would be getting regular updates in the coming years with new plants, power-ups and time periods. The first major update will be “The Far Future,” but there will be more. (Here’s hoping for ninjas somewhere down the road.)
2. Plants vs Zombies: Garden Warfare looks like great fun.
EA and PopCap Games announced that the game will feature 24-player online multiplayer battle modes, a 4 player co-op mode, and splitscreen game play. This game really looks like it will be the shooter that fans of the genre will finally be able to play with their kids.
They also announced that zombies will be playable with different classes. Each class will have unique abilities and can be customized with different gear. It looks like the game will have a lot of depth like the big name shooters (Battlefield and Call of Duty) but with a family friendly coat of paint.
Pre-orders are live. We can’t wait to get our hands on this one when it launches for Xbox 360 and Xbox One.
3. Peggle 2 is coming as a timed exclusive for the Xbox One.
Peggle is a pachinko style game that has been a huge success for PopCap Games over the years. Seeing a sequel is no surprise. Seeing the sequel as an exclusive on a next-gen console is a BIG surprise.
The good news for fans of the franchise (or people interested in giving it a shot) is that this is a “timed exclusive” which means that it will eventually come out for other platforms in the future. You’ll just have to wait on it if you don’t own an Xbox One.
4. Titanfall looks absolutely stunning.
We don’t usually talk about shooters here on Engaged Family Gaming, but I can’t help myself. EA may have really found something special with Titanfall. This game is an online multiplayer focused shooter set in a far future world where players can choose to use massive armored suits called “Titans.” The idea of mobile suits of armor is nothing new, but they have typically been cumbersome and slow. Instead, Titanfall bucks that trend by giving their Titans a speed and agility that can’t help but make them more fun to play with.
Take a look at this trailer and see what I mean.
5. FIFA 2014 makes Soccer sound WAAAAAY cooler than it is.
I’m not trying to tear down soccer. It is a great game that is beloved the world over. But, FIFA 2014 is quietly becoming one of the best sports games that EA produces year over year. The trailers they showed as part of this press event were a big draw.
Take a look.
