I just came back from a fun filled evening from Union Square in New York where EA showcased their holiday lineup, and it looks exciting. After scouring to look for the venue, I was welcomed into a fine tiki-bar themed room, where I was greeted by the awesome EA staff. They had a bartender offering all guests some rum cocktails! Gosh they were so tasty I tipped my hat off to him. Then all the Minions decorations caught my eye.
I was invited to play a demo of Minions Paradise, a wacky and whimsical resort sim where you play as Phil, the in-game protagonist. After he caused quite a riot on this pleasure cruise where Minions vacation on, and they all end up marooned to an island. That’s where Minions Paradise picks off from! Phil has to create a paradise for his Minion colleagues so he can be in their good graces again. You pretty much build, play mini games, and party all day, all night. The game is quite charming and can immerse you in the world very fast. The game is slated to hit the shelves on Android, iOS, and iPad devices next week!
After a brief chit chat with the folks behind Minion’s Paradise, I was then guided to a showroom, where they showcased more games such as Star Wars Battlefront, Unravel, and Mirror’s Edge Catalyst. One game that did intrigue me was Pants vs. Zombies: Garden Warfare 2. After much success of the first one, GW2 has come back with so many new features. Able to play online and offline, all fans can find their comfort zone, ready to tackle on their foes. After a brief demonstration of what Garden Warfare 2 will bring to the table, a couple of press people and I played a quick co-op (Graveyard Ops) match. It was quite fun playing as the Imp Zombie, who can call down a Mechsuit and creates all kinds of hell. This is so far my highlight of the night, I can’t wait to pick it up.
When the event was wrapping up, I was able to get a few minutes with Star Wars Battlefront. I was impressed by the sheer amount of environmental detail put into the game, I really felt like I was in the Star Wars universe! I tried out playing the Survival Mission on Tatooine, I was really immersed among all the action taking place. One moment that jumps at me is when I was taking cover from a AT-ST as it was blasting away at me. I took cover by some nearby rocks, then all of a sudden, the AT-ST’s blasts destroyed the rocks, so I had to scramble to safety! A few moments afterwards, it fell prey to my grenade launcher, and it felt very satisfying. I can’t wait for November 17th to get my paws on Battlefront.
Overall the event was a blast, and looking forward to what EA has in store for us gamers in the near future. I am definitely excited to see what will come next! Hope you look forward to the great games EA will offer this Holiday Season!