14 DAY TRIAL // EA Sports is a huge division inside publisher Electronic Arts and the big surprise this year at E3 2012 is that it was willing to show players a new game in the NBA series of simulation that has been absent in recent years because of quality concerns.
The shown gameplay suggested a solid simulation, with players that look impressively close to their real-life counterparts and moves that never seemed jerky or out of place.
Some technology has clearly been borrowed from the FIFA and Madden franchises, as the core new feature of NBA Live 13 focuses on playmaking and on putting the right player in charge at the right moment to fully explore any opportunity on the court.
NBA Live 13 should be out on October 2.
I’m a European with limited knowledge of American football, so I didn’t dare pick up any controller in order to play Madden NFL 13 at the EA stand, but was sincerely impressed by the way some players were using the new game.
EA Sports is not pushing the innovation angle so much this year when it comes to the series, instead relying on emotion to draw players in, asking them to “Leave their mark” on the game and play for the satisfaction of working hard for victory than that of simply picking up trophies and awards.
The main gameplay-related upgrade will be the new Infinity Engine, which uses even more physics to handle the interactions between players on the field and make it closer to real games.
Outside of the actual games, players will be invited to experience the new Connected Careers, designed to introduce even more social elements to the game and add both unique storylines and new goals to work towards.
The Madden NFL 13 experience will be launched on August 28 of this year.