STACK #189 Jul 2020

GAMING FEATURE

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StarWars: Squadrons

EA , STAY IN AND PLAY!

Rocket Arena

Even and her sentient dice pal Dicey, and is due out in 2021. The last of the EA Originals shown was also the one that will be with us the soonest, with Kevin Franklin of Final Strike Games unveiling multiplayer rocket-fuelled shooter Rocket Arena . It’s coming – complete with cross-play support between PS4, Xbox One and PC right from the start – mid this month. Now it was time for the big one… Star Wars: Squadrons . After an encore view of the announce trailer, we were given some info on the making of the game and what we can expect from it – via Motive Studios’ Ian Frazier – followed by gameplay footage. Set after the Battle of Endor and the obliteration of the second Death Star, players will step into the boots of both New Republic Vanguard Squadron and Empire Titan Squadron pilots. With a solid solo campaign and cross-play multiplayer, this one’s rocketing further up our want list every time we hear more about it. Star Wars: Squadrons is releasing on October 2. Next, American football star quarterback Lamar Jackson introduced us to a premiere of next-generation Madden 21 and FIFA 21 . We’re already crazy-hyped for the PS5 and Xbox Series X consoles as it is, and this quick-but- slick sneak peek didn’t lessen that at all. Speaking of next-gen, finishing the presentation off was EA’s chief studio officer Laura Miele, who shared some of what we can expect on PS5 and Xbox Series X with super- quick peeks at new titles from racing pros Criterion ( Need for Speed ), DICE ( Battlefield ) and BioWare. Plus… the return of the boarding franchise Skate ! Mic drop.

Electronic Arts’ annual Play event, in which they showcase what’s in store for eager gamers, dutifully kept ’em separated 2020 style by taking things online in EA Play Live. Words Amy Flower F ollowing a message from EA’s Aussie CEO Andrew Wilson, complete with a much-deserved thank you to all the

amazing people who have helped the world deal with the challenges that 2020 has thrown up, it was time to get into what we hope to be playing from EA over the next year or so. Hosted by Greg Miller of YouTube channel Kinda Funny , we were promised “something a little different” live from San Francisco, with the usual E3-timed big Hollywood Palladium shindig having been put on hold for obvious reasons.

either, with seven new games – likely a mix of fresh titles and remasters – set to follow the recent Burnout Paradise Remastered release in coming months. Next up, some of the people working on upcoming EA Originals. First up was Hazelight’s one-and-only Josef Fares introducing us to It Takes Two , which we’re promised will “blow

we were given some info on the making of the game and what we can expect

our f–-ing minds away” in 2021.

Klaus Lyngeled, the CEO/creative director at Sweden’s Zoink, popped up next with fellow creative director Olov Redmalm. They took us behind the scenes on their upcoming, rather dark-looking adventure Lost in Random , which stars a young girl named

First up, it was time for a spot of Apex Legends . Game director at Respawn Entertainment, Chad Grenier, gave an update on what’s happening in Season 5 of the battle royale smash, as well as dropping big news for Switch players – yes, Apex Legends is hitting the Nintendo console sometime this coming Australian spring. That wasn’t all the news for Switch fans,

FIFA 21

12 JULY 2020

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