Here’s our first coverage from Gamescom, Germany. We’re kicking off proceedings with a look at the announcements from EA’s press conference.
PS3 owners have the best news of the lot from EA at this year’s Gamecom event as Mass Effect 2 is coming to PS3 in January 2011. It will be packed with a few extra hours’ worth of gameplay nibbles as well. No mention of the first Mass Effect coming over too, but that’s what YouTube’s for right?
Bioware haven’t just been casually porting over classic 360 games to the PS3, as Dragon Age 2 has been given a release date of 11th March in Europe.
Dead Space 2 now has an official European release date nailed into our schedules, January 28th. Our very own Jon and Matt will no doubt be getting their hands on the game very soon, so keep an eye out for that coverage.
The Sims Medieval marks a change of scenery and time setting for the series. Currently only planned for the PC, gamers will face a more narrative-driven story arc than the usual get a job, get a house, get a girlfriend, then die (I’m a massive fan honest). The new setting tones down the plastic colours for something a bit more like Dragon Age. For fans it might just be the well-deserved change of scenery they deserve after years of the same. For everyone else, they’ve already skipped this paragraph. 360, PS3 and Wii gamers can look forward to The Sims 3 though on October 26th.
David Beckham was announced as an ambassador for EA Active 2. He wasn’t actually there, but we’re assured he approves. The healthy exercise game will come with a heart monitor to alert you to that vital moment as you pass out, into your new TV.
Need for Speed: Hot Pursuit is getting the Special Edition treatment. Pre-order the game and you’ll get two exclusive cars, the Alfa Romeo 8C and the Ford Shelby GT500 (hmmm shiny). EA also pointed out the auto log system that keeps track of your friend’s times and online progress. To EA it’s new, to us it sounds a lot like features we’ve seen in previous EA titles like Burnout Paradise and Need for Speed: Shift.
FIFA 11 will finally allow full control over goalkeepers. It’s the sort of thing we’ve been asking for for ages, but will never actually use. The goalie will be available in all modes including Be a Pro and online matches. All credit to EA for reaching the goal of 11 Vs 11 online matches. Bagsey not being in nets!
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows will be getting Kinect support. Not massively exciting, but it is one of the few existing IPs to take up the challenge of the new motion controller. The Weasley twins from the films demonstrated the game, with quite a lot of lag on show. Hopefully that’ll be sorted in the next few months before release.
That’s all the news announcements from EA’s stage show then. Nothing to show for Battlefield: Modern Combat 3 or Mirror’s Edge 2 then which is a shame, but we’ll keep the faith. Still, Mass Effect 2 for PS3, Kinect for Harry Potter! Everyone goes home happy, yes?
Keep tuned to Dealspwn for more from Gamescom soon.
The No Sleep Gamer 