EA NEXT Round-Up Preview

With EAâ??s only next-gen offering coming from Need for Speed: Most Wanted on the show floor, it took a mighty effort to pass the over-zealous security guard standing in front of EAâ??s behind-closed-doors area. To give some indication of the bravado shown by this one man, even EAâ??s LA Studio head had troubles getting in while we queued in line, simply because he had forgotten his security pass and his business card didnâ??t seem to impress the man tasked with ensuring that nobody passed.

Still I eventually got myself inside to find real-time demonstrations of Madden NFL Football 2006, FIFA 2006, Tiger Woods PGA Tour Golf 2006, NBA Live 2006 and finally the Xbox 360 iteration of The Godfather. Whether or not the demonstrations were being run on alpha dev kits as with many of the 360 titles is not yet known, but itâ??s highly likely given that Microsoftâ??s first-party titles including Perfect Dark Zero, Kameo and Gears of War were all running on these and suffered from being a 30% reproduction of the final hardware as a result.

FIFA 2006

Naturally being a Brit and with current-gen FIFA nowhere to be found on the show floor, I took to the delights of FIFA next-gen first up. The real-time demonstration began with footage of a game, albeit from replay camera angles to highlight the obvious improvements currently being included within the next-gen lick of paint.

Perhaps the first aspect that struck me was the depiction of individual blades of grass that brought everything to life; it seems that many donâ??t agree with me on this one, while the Producer noted that it seems to be a feature that divides American and European press â?“ perhaps some just donâ??t get it, but for those that do the illusion of walking out on the hallowed turf of your favourite club is all but complete.

One area that immediately jumps out from the crowd is the uh...well crowd. 75,000 individual fully 3D supporters packed the magnificent stadium, in which the recreation of England vs. Brazil was being staged. Itâ??s a hard task to explain just what this meant to the game; however thereâ??s little doubt that the atmosphere and tensions felt during a game are exponentially increased, as you witness fans hollering at poor performances and jeering during the penalties!

A close-up of Frank Lampard being scythed down by an opponent, getting up and giving the referee a rollicking highlighted the vast improvements to the character models; however itâ??s what advanced facial animations bring to the table that truly extends the high-gloss presentation values of FIFA. Although thereâ??s a little way to go before we can label the models to be a 100% literal depiction of their real-life counterparts (itâ??s not too far away), the various facial animations from the likes of Gerrard, Rooney and Beckham almost perfectly captured and as result greatly improved their replications in the game â?“ when seeing FIFA 2006 in action itâ??s hard to believe youâ??re not watching a game - sadly an all too familiar result was the outcome of the demonstration.

To prove that the real-time demonstration was actually in-game, the resulting penalty shootout allowed you to take control; the pad rumbling, while the section behind the goal ensured that it was never as â??easyâ? experience. Close-upâ??s of various players again demonstrated the jump from current to next, as Ronaldinhio and Robinson squared up for the final one. A close-up of heads depicted a bead of sweat roll down Ronaldhinioâ??s brow (complete with his own ponytail physics model), while Robinsonâ??s forehead wrinkled up in sheer concentration â?“ sadly the result and Sven Goran Erickksonâ??s post-match expression was all too familiar.

Thereâ??s no doubt that what was on display looked impressive and carries on the FIFA brand as youâ??d expect form the next-generation range of consoles, with promised improvements in terms of the overall fluidity of gameplay; however with little footage from the actual game itâ??s obvious that EA are holding back for a little while just of yet. As the Producer wisely recognised however in a short chat after the demonstration, due to the low penetration of High-Definition technology across Europe, the team have had to ensure other improvements are immediately evident away from techniques such as HDR lighting and other such techniques.

Madden NFL 2006

Madden NFL 2006 has been much documented and made its debut across American national TV prior to E3. Many however were disappointed to learn that the footage taken from that was pre-rendered, indicating the type of quality EA is aiming at for the final product. American Football fans can rest easy however with the knowledge that the final game is shaping to be everything that the teaser promised and more; if anything Madden looks even more awe-inspiring then FIFA 2006. Again a lack of specific in-game footage makes it a hard job to call (particularly when my knowledge of American Football weighs in about the same as stamp collecting), but there can be little doubt that advanced character models, stadium recreation and shader effects such as droplets of sweat creates a visual experience that is hard to knock.

Beginning with a depiction of a player weâ??re reliably informed was Donovan McNabb, the camera pulled away only to realise that the shot was staged on a huge monitor. Sweeping even further, the camera pulled away and highlighted one player standing in the middle (weâ??re told Shaun Alexander) who was looking up at the footage â?“ highlighting both the minute detail and epic scale to be found within the game skilfully at the same time.

The demonstration focussed on the extent to which the team had recreated the stadium, sweeping the camera cross the stands with individual seat numbers, air condition grills and panning out for a shot that highlighted a startling realistic shot of a cityscape stretching out as far as the eye can see.

Tiger Woods PGA Tour Golf 2006

Tiger Woods surprised in the fact that it appeared to be the most complete demonstration of the various games in action. The biggest revelation came in the fact that the control system has undergone a significant overhaul from previous iterations; itâ??s still the same analogue swing system, however the degrees of accuracy has been significantly increased, resulting in a greater degree of accuracy and more importantly a more difficult experience then the last few years.

Whereas players applied swing on the ball during its flight, this is now based on exactly where you strike the ball; while controlling the swing with the left thumbstick, players must use the right to target a point of contact via a little cut-out box in the bottom right. The full repertoire of hook, slice, drive, lob and punch shots are activated via this technique, resulting in a much improved sense of realism that will please the golfing purists.

The Producer on hand was eager to discuss the finer mechanics currently being tinkered on, such features as a dynamic weather system that not only significantly affects the plot of the ball, but also affecting your golferâ??s performance â?“ the only example given was dressing your golfer inappropriately for a rain-sodden tournament, given that itâ??s only a conceptual idea at present we wouldnâ??t be too surprised if it didnâ??t make it into the final cut but it gives some idea of the thought going into Tigerâ??s next-gen debut.

Visually itâ??s almost looking indistinguishable from the real thing; the one hole on display featured the type of effects youâ??d expect from the Xbox 360, such as individual blades of grass, individual leaves swaying in the wind, fantastic character detail and animation, and unbelievable water and particle effects (sand truly does get everywhere). Much like FIFA the sense of atmosphere, of actually being in a golfing tournament is unlike anything weâ??ve ever seen previously

The Godfather

The Godfather demonstration took place on a roof-top and centred on the combat system introduced within the game. Slightly surprisingly the game lacked that initial wow factor compared to EA Sports range of titles, however the recreation of Marlon Brando and Co still managed to impress, while the environments sport a crisp style with obvious resolution enhancements.

It is however elements of the gameplay that managed to impress the most. The videogame is based on the Francis Ford Coppala movie which in turn was inspired by the book. Set in a living, breathing recreation of New York, the experience is best described as one that encompasses the storyline presented by the novel and movie; one particular example discussed sitting in a barberâ??s and watching a key scene happening outside reflected through the mirror. EA promises a largely open-ended experience, with players coming across the novel/film storyline based on their actions and being in the same time/same place scenario.

The fight scene taking place on the rooftop highlighted the fluid gun system currently in place, but focussed on the heavily-vaunted melee system. Various combinations of the shoulder triggers, buttons and analogue sticks gives you the freedom to grab hold of somebody, pull your punch and decide whether to follow through or not; based on your reputation the lesser opponents could be scared into squealing just by threatening them alone, however the system provides the player with the opportunity to follow through with a full-blown punch, lightly slap them or pull it all together.

Playerâ??s reputation in the game will precede themselves within the entire game, with characters reacting to what theyâ??ve heard about you. Naturally this will have consequences, so those with a trigger finger will find the cops on their backs faster then a New York minute, while the more reserved player could find opponents less willing to respond in the way you would wish.

Again much like everything else on display, it proved only to be a teaser of what the final products will offer in terms of visual quality, with precise details of the gameplay experiences currently being kept secret.