Tag: EA

Tuesday 9-11-18: EA Fights Belgium Over Loot boxes and Spider-Man to get New Game Plus

It’s Tuesday, but still feels like Monday, odd. Here’s the news.

  • EA Fights Belgium About Loot Boxes
  • Spider-Man is getting New Game Plus

EA’s Loot Box Controversy: Part 52


I’ll keep this short. Despite developer requests, Publisher EA has insisted on keeping loot boxes inside FIFA 18 and FIFA 19. This decision has now led to Brussels public prosecutor’s office considering legal prosecution against the organization.

Belgium recently modified their legislation to state that if you can purchase a randomized loot box in a game with real-world money, it is considered gambling.

No formal claims have been taken as of yet. But if the prosecutor’s office doesn’t take action, the gaming commission has stated that they “will advocate revising the gambling law, so that we can tackle the loot boxes.” You can read more about it here, if you can translate.

Spider-Man New Game Plus


Everyone’s raving over the new Spider-Man game. It’s a great game, after all. Now we learn that it won’t be over when it’s over. Developer Insomniac Games has confirmed plans for a New Game Plus mode after being asked on Twitter. It isn’t clear what they consider New Game Plus to be exact, but we’ll see in due time.


That’s all for today, folks! Tune in tomorrow for another news post of video games. I have some good news I’ll be sharing, but I want to wait and let it solidify first. Stay tuned for the next couple of days. Otherwise, have a great day!

Tuesday 7-31-18: EA DMCAs SimCity Fan Remake

Time to be real with yall, I’m overloaded with work today and there isnt much news. So here’s one.


Publisher EA Takes Down Fan Recreation of SimCity 2000

There’s a fan-made, open source. recreation of the classic city management game called OpenSC2K.  It was recently taken down off of GitHub under the report of EA. The notice claims that “the current audio visual output of the repository creates content that infringes on Electronic Arts copyright.” According to creator Nicholas Ochoa, he was never contacted by GitHub or EA before the take down, and would have gladly changed things if asked.

This hard take down is likely because you can now purchase SimCity 2000 on Origin, EA’s game distribution service, for $6.


Sorry for the mediocre news post. I’ll do better in the future. Thanks for reading all the same. Tune in tomorrow for more. Have a great day!

EA’s E3 2018 Press Event Summery

Today marks the beginning of E3, starting with EA’s press event. Let’s keep it simple, here’s everything they announced.

Battlefield 5


Some new gameplay and cinematic footage was revealed for Battlefield 5. Outside of that, nothing “new” was revealed. They have a name for the campaign, which seems to focus on a female protagonist, but I couldn’t write the name down in time. I apologize. Nothing to report otherwise.

Origin Access Premier


EA has announced a new, upcoming subscription service known as Origin Access Premier. Much like Xbox Game Pass, this is a monthly service that allows subscribers to access a library of games. This is like the Netflix of games, so to speak. Expect this service to launch later this year.

Sports Games 19


After that, they revealed FIFA 19, Madden NFL 19, and NBA Live 19. While I’m sure they’re interesting enough, I can be bothered to report on them, other than their announcement. My apologies to sports game fans.

Star Wars Battlefront II Update


They’ve not thrown the towel in on Star Wars Battlefront II just yet. After remarking on the past updates, such as the Solo story and Ewok Hunt, the developers (or it might have been a rep) announced that they will now be moving toward a commonly asked for direction: The Clone Wars. They confirmed the inclusion of characters such as General Grievous, Obi-Wan Kenobi, Count Dooku, and Anakin Skywalker. They also announced an upcoming Squad Mode, and a dogfighting mode more focused on Hero ships. More information on those as they become available.

Unravel Two


Remember Unravel, the cute little platformer featuring a yarn-creature named Yarny. They’ve secretly been hard at work developing a new sequel. Unravel Two will feature a new co-op mechanic, where a red guy and a blue guy work together to solve more platforming puzzles. It can be played solo, as well. Most surprising of all, the game is available for purchase and play right now on Origin, PS4, and Xbox One for $19.99.

Sea of Solitude


EA is showing support for another indie dev team by publishing Sea of Solitude. When not watching a dev getting choked up over presenting at E3, she revealed some gameplay of the game while talking about the meaning behind it. Sea of Solitude is an artistic creation, embodying the feeling of loneliness and solitude, I guess. It looks cool enough, but that’s all we know now. More information on this as it develops.

Command and Conquer: Rivals


After five years of nothing, we finally get a new Command and Conquer game. Unfortunately, it’s a mobile game. That’s right. Command and Conquer: Rivals is a super simplified RTS for mobile devices. So far, the reception has been awful, with a 90% thumbs down on the official youtube trailer. I don’t blame them. The gameplay looks overly simplified for an RTS game. more information on this can be found via the news post I wrote elsewhere.

Anthem


Whoo boy, this was a bigger one. There was a new cinematic trailer, talks with the devs, who detailed the lore, gameplay, and other things, and ending with a gameplay video, and an official release date. To summarize. The world is dangerous due to a something known as the Anthem of Creation, the bad guys want to weaponize this Anthem, and you are a freelancer skilled in the special suits that you need to wear to brave the natural world. There are four classes you can play and swap between, and they are cosmetically customizable. There WILL be microtransactions, but nothing gameplay-altering, and no loot boxes. The game officially releases on February 22 of 2019. More details can be found on the news post I wrote elsewhere. It covers everything with greater depth than here.


That’s all for this one. I’ll see everyone tomorrow for Microsoft, Bethesda, and Devolver Digital.

thelizardrock daily news wednesday

Wednesday 5-23-18: Battlefield 5, RuneScape Classic, and

I nearly forgot to do the news today. But I did, and here is that news.

  • Battlefield 5 Reveal
  • RuneScape Classic Closes
  • PlayStation’s Big Plan is Three Years Away

Battlefield 5


Earlier today, developer EA DICE revealed the details of their upcoming Battlefield game. This time, they’re going back to World War II. Senior producer Andreas Morell says that they’re focusing more on the less common locations, such as Norway and The Netherlands. The last time the series was in WWII was in 2009 with Battlefield 1943. Battlefield 5 is set for release on October 19 on PlayStation 4, Windows PC and Xbox One.

RuneScape Classic


Don’t worry. I’m not talking about Old School RuneScape. RuneScape Classic was the game series’ first jump into online gaming. It would later evolve into what we know as Old School RuneScape, which would later evolve into modern RuneScape. After 17 years live, the developers announced that they will be winding down the classic version of the game, eventually removing it entirely. RuneScape Classic’s servers will go offline at 1 pm on August 6.

PlayStation’s Plan


In an interview with the Wall Street Journal, PlayStation CEO John Kodera stated that they “will use the next three years to prepare the next step.” The statement follows a recent investor meeting where he stated that the PS4 was reaching the end of its life. While Kodera never made a direct statement about the sought-after PlayStation 5, what he’s said so far confirms that they aren’t going to do anything too massive in the next three years, but that the following years will be big for the company. These “next steps” may very well be a new console.


Thank’s for reading. Tune in tomorrow for more news, and tune in Friday for the Dark Souls episode of the Cozy Co-op, right in time for the remaster. Otherwise, have a great day!

thelizardrock daily news tuesday

Tuesday 1-30-18: Facebook Streaming, Paragon Closing, This Is The Police 2, and Anthem Delays

It’s Tuesday and I didn’t post yesterday! I’m sorry, I was just too excited to play more Monster Hunter. Here’s the news over the last few days.

  • Facebook Livestream Monetization
  • Paragon to Close Down
  • This Is The Police 2
  • Anthem Delays Until 2019


Facebook Streamer Support
In an effort to make Facebook a more viable live streaming platform (ha), the social media site has announced a new program called the “Gaming Creator Pilot program.” This program will allow viewers to send the streamer a real-money tip. Think of it like the Bits on Twitch. Personally, this doesn’t make Facebook any more viable than Twitch or Youtube, or even Mixer. Regardless, interested individuals can apply for the program here.


Para-Gone
Epic Games’ unpopular MOBA hasn’t done well, apparently bad enough that they’re shutting it down. Epic released a statement that the game didn’t quite reach what they wanted and they will be pulling the plug. The apologized for letting the fans down. Epic has also stated that they will be issuing refunds to all their players via their Epic account. Its unfortunate to see a major project be put to rest.


This Is The Police is Back

THQ Nordic announced a new game. Its a sequel to their previous game, This Is The Police. Much like before, you are a sheriff who has to manage your police force while solving the weird things happening in the small, cold, crime-ridden town you work in. The game will be available for PS4, Xbox One, Switch, and PC later this year. More details can be found about it here.


Anthem Delays, Not Behind Schedule
According to Wall Street Journal reporter Sarah E. Needleman, EA has announced that Anthem will be delayed back to early 2019. They made an exclusive point to say that this is not because development is behind schedule, but that they want to release a new Battlefield game in October, and pushing Anthem back would be better for the game’s sales.


Thanks for reading. I’m considering moving the daily update posts to the mornings instead of it being the last thing I do in the day. Pros: you won’t be reading yesterday’s news every day. Cons: if something newsworthy happens in the evening, it won’t be reported on until tomorrow. Let me know if you guys have any input on this.
Otherwise, have a great night!

thelizardrock daily news tuesday

Tuesday 11-14-17: Starcraft 2 is Free, CoD: WWII delays, and EA Some More

Tuesday is upon us and with it another day of news. While today isn’t as dramatic as yesterday, it has its fair share of interesting topics.

  • Starcraft 2 went mostly free to play
  • Call of Duty: WWII delays microtransactions
  • Battlefront 2: the finale

 

Starcraft 2 is Free Now
Starcraft 2, Blizzard’s famous real-time strategy game, has gone mostly free to play. When I say mostly, its because there are a few conditions. Ranked ladder matches are granted after 10 victories in unranked or AI mode and you can only achieve level 5 or below in co-op mode. While the Wings of Liberty campaign is free, the other campaigns will cost 15 dollars. If you purchase any of the other campaigns or a war crate, then the previous restrictions are lifted. This is a nice model idea, in my opinion. This will let players get a taste of the game, and then support it how they want. for more details go to the Starcraft 2 website.

Call of Duty: WWII Delays Microtransactions
When the most recent Call of Duty game launched, it was met with a number of technical issues. This would eventually lead the developers to disable the multiplayer aspect to the Headquarters, a social zone for players to stand around outside of combat. Now they have announced that they will delay the activation of COD Points, an in-game currency used to purchase loot crates. While you can earn these points in-game, they can also be purchased with microtransactions. The studio promised on Sunday that they are working non stop in order to get things back up and running as quickly as they can. The current estimation is no sooner than November 21. My sympathies to those who are playing CoD: WWII.

EA and Star Wars Battlefront II
If you saw yesterday’s post, you saw a summary of all the drama around EA games and their newest game, Star Wars Battlefront II. I suggest reading the previous post if you haven’t, or this update won’t make as much sense.
EA has responded in 2 ways to all the criticism. The first way was by lowing the price of heroes by 75%. Less iconic heroes now cost 5,000 credits, semi-important heroes at 10,000, and the big 2 (Luke and Vader) costing 15,000 credits. While this is a vast improvement to the initial 60,000, it only validates that they could have made these prices that low from the start. Another less noble action taken by EA is the sudden disappearance of a refund button on Origin, EAs game distribution system. This is a clear effort to dissuade people from actually following through with preorder cancellations, scummy move.


 

Like usual, thanks for reading. Be sure to check back tomorrow for the latest and greatest in video game news. Have a great night, everyone.

 

thelizardrock daily news monday

Monday 11-13-17: Turtles in Injustice, Noctis in Tekken, Outfits in Pokemon Go, and EA Messed Up

Welcome back from the weekend everyone! It’s been a long weekend, and whoo-ey has it been an interesting one. mostly thanks to EA. Here’s whats on tonight’s news:

  • Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles are coming to Injustice 2
  • Prince Notcis, the protagonist of Final Fantasy XV, will be coming to Tekken 7
  • Pokemon Go is doing a promotion for the upcoming Pokemon game.
  • EA hits massive controversy regarding microtransactions in Star Wars Battlefront II

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