Electronic Arts,otherwise known asEA,has been making games long before mostFortniteplayers were born. They are one of the biggest game developers to date.EAis responsible for making some of the mostmemorablegames, and have even made quite the portfolio for themselves as a company.EAmakes all sorts of games, from action adventures to family games.
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Having made games for nearly 40 years, that’s enough to see some recurring themes inEA’sproducts. While some themes have stuck for decades, others have just recently sprung up. With that being said, here are 10 classic signs of anEAgame.
10Fun Gameplay
As one of the most established game developers, EA has mastered the art of fun gameplay whatever the genre. TheSimsis an addicting life simulator sandbox,Titanfallis action-packed & fast-paced, and evenPlants Vs Zombiesis a tower defense game ahead of its time. Hours and hours in front of an EA-produced game will never draw any dull moments. Players feel in control of theirin-game actions, providing a glorious sense of achievement. EA’s gameplay mechanics are timeless with some older titles being as fun as today’s trends.
9At Least One Insanely Hard Level
Accompanied by the fun gameplay is a level that everyone at some point will be stuck on. Regardless of players being on the easiest difficulty, EA games will have those levels that are quite the hurdle. InNeed For Speedgames, it seems as though later races will have every rival car incrementally faster than the players, making them rely on pure strategy and maneuvering skills. InPlants Vs Zombies,there will be those levels that players will frustratingly try different methods to pass by. The same applies to their movie-basedStar Warstitles. This provides afun challengefor gamers, making the journey fulfilling.
8Space Bound Stories
EA seem to love space. Which is understandable since so much fun can only be confined on earth. Games such asAnthem,Dead Space,andMass Effecttake place across the galaxy. EvenPlants Vs Zombies 2had a futuristic space level.
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The narrative in space makes for greatsci-fi gamesand adds a layer of mystery with regards to exploration. The wonders of the galaxy allow EA to operate more creatively with their games, adding to the titles' lovable gameplay.
7Giant Mechs & Advanced Tech
Along with a plot in space comes advanced tech in the form of plasma guns andhuge battle-ready mechs. These things marry well with the gameplay of titles such asTitanfallandCrysis.It gives a wide variety of combat abilities to players, making gameplay diverse. Adding to the giant mech element of EA games, armored tanks, bomber planes, and other vehicles can also be seen in the war inspiredBattlefieldfranchise.
6Arcade Racing
For EA, vehicles are either destructive immovable behemoths or featherweight speeders. In EA’sNeed For Speedfranchise, there’s simulated weight to cars. Controls are arcadey, and the race cars barely weigh anything. The same goes for someBattlefieldvehicles. When a vehicle is in an EA game, it’s almost certain that it has the agility of Usain Bolt and the weightlessness of Muhammad Ali. Thearcade vehicle maneuveringties well with EA’s action games, making for some action-packed fun.
5Family Friendly Titles
The same company responsible for the brutal and goryDead Spaceare also the creators of the fun-for-everyonePlants Vs Zombiesgames. Everyone can remember playing an EA game as a kid. Whether it be theNeed For Speedgames of the 2000s or the earlierSimsgames, there was an EA game appropriate for all ages.
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Even now, EA still manages to pump out games that are loved by the family through theirStar Warstitles.
4Sports-Based Titles
EA has a ton ofsports-based gamesbased on the real-life sports industry. Sports games under EA’s belt includeFIFA,Madden,andUFC. EA also prides itself with one of the most famous racing franchises of all time–Need For Speed.EA has gone so far as to acquire the license to use official team names in their games. This ensures that EA caters to sports fans and gamers alike. EA invests a lot into their sports games, so much so that they branded that area of their game development as EA Sports.
3Movie-Based Titles
EA has worked on a lot ofgames based on TV and film. To name a few:Simpsons,Lord of the Rings,and of course,Star Wars,which Disney gave EA the right to make video games out of. EA gives each of its movie-based titles the timeless feel of the film they’re based on. EA adds a layer of gameplay to an already established movie franchise. This puts a lot of pressure on the game developing giant to not taint the franchise. With all this being said, it’s time to move on to what EA has been known forlately.
2Microtransactions
There is not a single gaming meme page out there that hasn’t poked fun at EA’smicrotransactions. Even for players who pay for the highest edition of the game, EA will still add content behind a paywall. TheSims 4base game costs $50 but all the DLC amounts to more than $600.
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There’s also the unforgettableStar Wars: Battlefront 2pay-to-win system where certain characters are locked behind unrealistic achievements or a “small” price.FIFAalso shares this loot box system that would eventually be adopted by other game developers. As frustrating as this is for players, it rewards the company with more money.
1Mixed Reception
Anthemwas a buggy mess,Mass Effect: Andromedafelt half-baked, andBattlefront 2had more microtransactions than Bethesda had bugs.Battlefrontwould eventually become the game symbolic of microtransactions. On top of that, other franchises such asNeed For Speed, FIFA,andMaddenproduce games that aren’t too different from the previous titles in their respective series.
Though they were fun, they felt a lot like an annual cookie-cutter product. As EA focused more on ways to get money, a decline in quality was seen across their games. What was once a company that produced complete works of art would eventually release buggy messes on release, leading gamers to take the EA logo in a trailer with a grain of salt.
