EA’s Gamescom press conference on Wednesday brought us a closer look at some of the publisher’s biggest titles for the next year.
Aaryn Flynn, general manager for Bioware Edmonton and Montreal, took to the stage with a gameplay demo of Bioware’s upcoming title Dragon Age: Inquisition. Set to hit stores on November 18 in North America, the fantasy RPG promises a focus of story and in-depth character customization.
In Inquisition, you can switch between the player character and any of your companions. You can also use the Tactical Camera feature to position your teammates and assign them actions, which can give you a strategic advantage in combat.
The presentation stressed the increased scope of Inquisition. With more than a million words in dialogue and over 150 hours of gameplay, Flynn said the game is “the biggest story we’ve ever told.”
Following a string of teaser videos released last week, the reveal of BioWare’s mysterious new game was one of the most anticipated parts of Gamescom. At the press conference, we finally got a look at Shadow Realms, an online role-playing game where the world of the fantastic and mundane meet.
Developed by BioWare Austin, the game will depict a battle between supernatural forces in a modern setting. Inspired by classic pen-and-paper RPGs like Dungeons & Dragons, the game pits four party members against a fifth player in the role of the villainous Shadowlord.
BioWare has said Shadow Realms will have a focus on storytelling and the game will have an episodic format.
A demo for Battlefield: Hardline’s single-player campaign showed a game that is radically different from previous installments in the series. Dead Space developer Visceral Games has teamed up with EA Digital Illusions for this cops-and-robbers action game.
The gameplay highlighted a stealth mechanic and non-lethal takedowns as an alternative to guns-blazing action. The demo suggested that the game will be less linear than past Battlefield titles, with the option to take different approaches to obstacles.
There were also announcements for updates to EA’s online titles. A new map pack will be added to Titanfall later this year and a digital expansion to Star Wars MMO The Old Republic will give players “guild flagships” and customizable houses.
Never Sleep Gaming 