EA decided to mix it up a bit this year, so instead of streaming a live conference from a single Los Angeles hot spot, they decide to add a second live stream from London. Hot spot. And then proceed to split presentation duties between two locations, connected via the magic of satellites. Certainly ambitious, but also kind of weird.

As was the presentation itself which although was heavy on Star Wars, Battlefield, Mass Effect, FIFA, and Titanfall 2, also left you wanting more. Which was probably due to the fact that a lot of what was shown was either a cinematic trailer with dashes of game footage, a teaser trailer, or a slickly produced behind the scenes video that was for all intents and purposes a trailer. As EA has opted to avoid the E3 show floor this year with its own EA Play event, all the above titles are expected to be playable so we should probably be seeing a lot more from them in the coming weeks.

Kicking things off was Vince Zampella from Respawn Entertainment with not one, but two trailers in tow. One covering the multiplayer side of Titanfall 2, and the other the single-player campaign. Which, apparently was supposed to be announced during the show if it weren't for those meddling kids. On the internet, leaking all the E3 news before the main event. But anyway, the single-player side of Titanfall 2 looks fairly impressive with a story focused on the the relationship between a giant Titan and the human who sits inside his metal belly. Or something like that. A nice addition to be sure, but the real star of the show was the multiplayer which looks even faster and more fluid than before. Hard to believe, but its true.

And the addition of grappling hooks with insane range are simply the icing on the cake. Here's the multiplayer trailer for Titanfall 2.



And here be the love story between a man and his robot.



With the first cross to London the focus shifted to the sports arena, the EA Sports 'It's in the Game' arena. First up Madden 17 was given a shout out with news that EA would be taking a more definitive role in bringing competition to the series, with a clearer esports strategy than ever before. EA Majors are coming, and these will be EA led competitions with various partners with the aim of promoting and growing this side of its many sports franchises. Next up probably the biggest name in sports games, FIFA was given the spotlight with a look at FIFA 17.

With an all new story-driven mode called "The Journey", players will take on the role of Alex Hunter as he tries to make it as a professional football player. And with the series moving to the Frostbite engine, this new story-driven approach to FIFA 17 certainly looks the part. So here's hoping that it doesn't stumble like the similar modes seen in the NBA2K series.



Next up, probably one of the most anticipated games on EA's roster, was a taste of Mass Effect Andromeda. After the teaser trailer from last year you'd think that a gameplay driven look at the game was in order, but in keeping with the theme of the showcase most of what was shown was purely cinematic. With only glimpses of what we assume was in-game footage. At this stage we don't really know anything about the story, characters, or reasons for traveling to a new galaxy. Which is a shame, but a behind the scenes look at the game is better than nothing.



Next up EA Originals was introduced as a new brand within the company created for the sole purpose of curating and releasing titles from smaller developers. After the success of last year's Unravel, which just about stole the thunder from Star Wars Battlefront, this time around we got a look at Fe a new game from a small studio based in Gothenburg, Sweden.



Next up was Star Wars. And a friendly reminder that EA owns all Star Wars related gaming for the foreseeable future. But with talented studios both old and new working on Star Wars games, the force certainly seems to be with EA. Although the presentation was light on game footage, it did stylishly give us a look at all the teams working on Star Wars content. From DICE and Motive working on Star Wars Battlefront 2 (eta 2017), to a new game from Visceral and Uncharted writer Amy Hennig (eta 2018), and even a third-person action game from Titanfall developer Respawn Entertainment (TBA), we cannot wait to see how each and every one turns out.



And finally, to close out the presentation was the gameplay trailer debut for a little game called Battlefield 1. After the stellar teaser trailer from a month back it didn't disappoint, in fact it'd probably be hard for any trailer to top the sight of a giant air ship crashing into a village in a giant elongated ball of flame.



So there you have it, EA's E3 2016 EA Play shindig. Which, was fine, but a little lacking in the gameplay footage department. Certainly a killer lineup of games, and with Titanfall 2 and Battlefield 1 both due in October, it's going to be a very busy holiday season.


Watch the EA Play Conference In Full