Tag Archives: EA Sports

Train2Game news: UK Charts – FIFA 12 stays No.1 as Star Wars: The Old Republic nosedives

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Train2Game students see FIFA 12 take the honour of being the UK’s final chart topper of 2011, while Star Wars: The Old Republic drops 28 places.

It’s FIFA 12’s fourth appearance as the UK’s best seller of the week and as reported by The Train2Game Blog, the football sim first took No.1 with its release last October, becoming the third ever biggest video game launch in the UK.

It’s also the second No.1 in a row for FIFA 12, which also topped the charts the previous week.

The success of FIFA 12 denies Activisions Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3, which has to settle for No.2, one place ahead of EA’s Battlefield 3. Just Dance 3 drops one spot to No.4, while Ubisoft’s Assassin’s Creed: Revelations is a non-mover at No.5.

Saints Row: The Third and Need For Speed: The Run are also both non-movers at No.6 and No.7 respectively, while Christmas No.1, The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim, remains at No.8. Mario Kart 7 and Forza Motorsport 4 complete the top ten.

Star Wars: The Old Republic slips from No.10 to No. 38 in just its second week on sale. It’s worth noting however, that EA and Bioware’s MMO is also available as a digital download. The Train2Game Blog interviewed Bioware founders Dr. Ray Muzyka and Dr. Greg Zeschuk towards the end of last year.

The UKIE Gfk Chart-Track All Formats Top 10 for the week ending 31st December 2011 is therefore as follows:

1. FIFA 12 (EA)
2. Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 (Activision)
3. Battlefield 3 (EA)
4. Just Dance 3 (Ubisoft)
5. Assassin’s Creed: Revelations (Ubisoft)
6. Saints Row: The Third (THQ)
7. Need for Speed: The Run (EA)
8. The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim (Bethesda)
9. Mario Kart 7 (Nintendo)
10. Forza Motorsport 4 (Microsoft)

So Train2Game, what are your thoughts on the UK Charts this week? What do you make of the massive drop in sales for Star Wars: The Old Republic?

Leave your comments here on the Train2Game blog, or on the Train2Game forum.

Train2Game news: EA Sports – RPG elements have a place in sports games

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Train2Game students may have noticed RPG elements appearing in shooters, in recent years, with id Software’s RAGE being a very recent example. (See the Train2Game blog interview with RAGE Creative Director  Tim Willits here)

And while traditional RPG’s used to be a niche market, elements of the genre are appearing all over the place. EA Sports Vice-President Andrew Wilson believes that RPG elements could even invade sport simulation titles such as FIFA.

“I think it’s a part of it, certainly.” he said when asked by The Guardian if RPG is the future of sports games.

“I think the future of the sports sim is the fact that you can choose how you want to play it. That we allow you to play on any platform, at any time, at any price, anyway you want”.

Wilson emphasised the importance of choice when playing games.

“Some players are all about the manager mode. Some players want the online head-to-head. The future for us lies in not compartmentalising any of the experiences, but to build a world where players can add value to their gaming experiences however they like.”

Of course, as reported by the Train2Game blog, even without RPG elements, the latest instalment of the FIFA franchise has been incredibly successful and currently sits at the top of the charts.

But Wilson believes that the market is still very much open, with consumers much more willing to play a variety of games than they used to.

“There was a time where gamers either played sports games or they played RPGs.” said the EA Sports Vice-President.

“Now there’s a lot more crossover in the industry; there are plenty of FiFA players who are playing games such as Dragon Age as well.”

We’ve been listening to the feedback from our audience and they say they want more compelling experiences in their sports games.” Wilson added.

So Train2Game, what are your thoughts on Wilson’s comments? Are RPG elements beginning to feature in more games? Do they need to be in sports titles?

Leave your comments here on the Train2Game blog, or on the Train2Game forum.

[Source: The Guardian]

Train2Game news: UK charts – FIFA 12 is third biggest ever launch

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Train2Game blog readers probably won’t be too surprised, but FIFA 12 has shot to No.1 in its debut week on sale, becoming the third biggest ever UK game launch ever.

It overtakes the launch of Grand Theft Auto IV and only the previous two Call of Duty titles have enjoyed bigger first week sales. FIFA 12 takes top spot from last weeks’ chart topper Gears of War 3.

Regular Train2Game blog readers will be used to seeing the FIFA name in the charts, with the previous title in the series, FIFA 11, still in the UK charts top ten as recently as last month.

The success of FIFA 12 sees F1 2011 from Codemasters slip one spot to No.3, ahead of non-mover and previous long time chart topper Zumba Fitness at No.4. Meanwhile, another former No.1 in the form of Dead Island drops to No.5 in its fourth week on sale.

Deus Ex: Human Revolution slides one to No.6, sitting one spot ahead of the PlayStation 3 exclusive new entry Ico & Shadow of the Colossus HD remake bundle.

UK developed Driver: San Francisco slips to No.8, LEGO Pirates of the Caribbean remains at No.9, while Call of Duty: Black Ops once again re-enters the top ten.

X-Men: Destiny from Activision enters the charts at No.18 in its first week on sale.

The UKIE Gfk Chart-Track All Formats Top 10 for the week ending 1st October 2011 is therefore as follows:

  1. FIFA 12 (EA)
  2. Gears of War 3 (Microsoft)
  3. F1 2011 (Codemasters)
  4. Zumba Fitness (505 Games)
  5. Dead Island (Deep Silver)
  6. Deus Ex: Human Revolution (Square Enix)
  7. Ico & Shadow of the Colossus Collection (Sony)
  8. Driver: San Francisco (Ubisoft)
  9. LEGO Pirates of the Carribean (Disney)
  10. Call of Duty: Black Ops (Activision)

Releases this week include Dark Souls and RAGE. Train2Game students can find out more about RAGE from id Software in the Train2Game interview with Creative Director Tim Willits.

What are your thoughts on the success of FIFA 12? Will it remain a big seller for almost a year, like its predecessor?  Can Dark Souls or RAGE knock it from No.1?

Leave your comments here on the Train2Game blog, or on the Train2Game forum.

[Source: UKIE Games Charts©, compiled by GfK Chart-Track]

Fight Night Champion gets first trailer and release date

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Fight Night Champion frasier lennox

EA has released the first trailer for Fight Night Champion, which not only shows that the latest game in the boxing series looks very impressive, but also reveals that it’ll be released in March next year.

Fight Night Champions will also be the first EA Sports game to get a ‘Mature’ rating according to the info box on the games’ website. The Fight Night Champion trailer also points to what looks like a more immersive career mode with dialogue and cut scenes.

You can see the first Fight Night Champion trailer below, courtesy of IGN.


So far, EA Sports website says that Fight Night Champion will include the following new features:

Full Spectrum Punch Control
Control your boxer’s punches with precision and accuracy like never before with a new synergy of gameplay controls. From overhand punches to strategic counter jabs and one-punch knockouts, overwhelm your opponents with your refined skill set.

Physics-Based Gameplay
Move around the ring and time your attacks with precision. Building off the best-in-class gameplay engine featured in Fight Night Round 4, you now have an even wider range of abilities when it comes to counterattacks, setting up combos, and attacking your opponent.

Legacy Mode
Create your alter ego and put him in the ring against past champions. Work your way up the ranks through training and scheduled bouts, and establish your name as the fighter to beat. Take your boxer online and see how you size up against the best in the world competing for local or worldwide belts in the all-new Fight Night Nation.

Online Gyms
Create an online gym with your friends and battle it out to see who’s the ultimate champion, or turn boxing into a team sport and challenge other gyms in Rival Matches to unlock items, win trophies, and more.

Authentic Content
As the first-ever ‘M’ rated EA SPORTS title, Fight Night Champion showcases the truest graphical representation of the sport, lifestyle, and culture of boxing with authentic and dynamic blood, realistic body damage and deformation, and mature content throughout. Experience the violence and brutality that is true to the trade.

Fight Night Champion is coming March 1st 2011, and EA Senior Vice President of Worldwide Development Andrew Wilson is confident it’ll break new grounds:

“The EA Sports Fight Night franchise has consistently delivered one of the best sports experiences with each iteration

“EA Sports Fight Night Round 4 was a genre defining game, and led the way as the industry transitioned to physics-based sports games. EA Sports Fight Night Champion will again forge new ground and deliver a sports experience unlike anything seen in the genre to date.”

So Train2Game, are any of you boxing fans? Did you enjoy Fight Night Round 4? And regardless of your interest in the sport, how impressive do you think the graphics of Fight Night Champion look?

You can leave your thoughts about Fight Night Champion here on the Train2Game blog, or on the Train2Game forum.

Kaka the face of FIFA 11 – How important is cover art Train2Game?

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Brazilian superstar Kaka will be the worldwide cover star of FIFA 11, while Manchester United’s Wayne Rooney also appears on the UK packaging. It’s the sixth year in a row the England forward has been FIFA’s man on the box.

However, it’s Real Madrid’s Kaka who’ll be EA’s centre-piece of global advertising, with the midfielder joining 16 other footballers in regional specific packaging. Kaka says he’s pleased to be joining other illustrious footballing superstars who’ve featured on previous FIFA front covers.

“I’ve always been a fan of EA SPORTS and especially the FIFA series.”

“Being on the FIFA 11 cover is a great honour for me since very few players have this opportunity, and there have been some great footballers featured on the cover of this truly amazing football game.”

“Reinvention of player authenticity”  is boasted as FIFA 11’s main new feature. The idea being that players will react more realistically like their real life counterparts with, for example, skilful midfielders touching the ball more often than centre backs when dribbling the ball.

It’ll also introduces new Pro Passing where pass accuracy is determined by a gamers’ ability on the control pad, and player skill, situation and urgency on the pitch.

FIFA 11 is released in the UK on October 1st.

So, Train2Game what do you think of the FIFA 11 box art? Do you think someone else should have been on it? How important do you believe a cover illustration is when trying to promote games?

Have you thought about packaging for your games yet, and if so, how many times have you decided to change it?

As usual, leave your comments here, or discuss it on the Train2Game forum.