Gamescom 2012: EA - Cars, Guns and Sports

EA had a decent showing at this year's Gamescom, showcasing upcoming titles like the upcoming Armored Kill expansion for Battlefield 3, Crysis 3, FIFA 13, Dead Space 3 and Need For Speed: Most Wanted. EA also outlined their upcoming plans for the Origin service which include bringing the service to Macs - as well as Android, iOS and Smart TV implementations. I've embedded the trailer for Need For Speed: Most Wanted below, because honestly, that game looks freaking amazing. You can also watch it in our videos library - and read on for more details on EA's plans!



The conference kicked off with the new Army of Two game - Army of Two: The Devil's Cartel, which has helicopters crashing all over the place. Running on the Frostbite 2 engine, The Devil's Cartel features two new protagonists and is aiming for release in March 2013.

Army of Two was followed by NHL 13, which is bringing the biggest Dynasty mode to date - with GM Connected allowing 750 players to join a 30 team league as a coach, gym or player. Real World Physics and True Performance Skating will apparently enhance the non-management side of NHL 13's gameplay too, and the demo will be available to play on August 21st on Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3.

Next up was the game many people are hanging out for - Need For Speed: Most Wanted. The most interesting new tidbit of news we learned about NFSMW was how you'll get new cars this time around - instead of having to unlock vehicles as you progress through the game, now you just have to find the car in FairHaven and you can drive it. Criterion also plan on upgrading the Autolog, adding iOS, Android and PlayStation Vita support so you can check up on your progress and your friends' progress on the go.

Medal of Honor: Warfighter followed Need For Speed: Most Wanted and while we didn't learn a lot, we did learn that the game will incorporate a web based metagame via the battlelog, tracking your country's progress as you represent against the 193 nations who will duke it out in the game. SimCity followed, explaining the intricacies of city specialisation and the global economy all of the cities will be a part of. If you're particularly excited about doing some City Management you should head on over to the official site - where you can register for a chance to access the closed beta whenever it begins!

Battlefield 3 showed off Armored Kill along with its upcoming Premium Edition coming soon (which includes Premium content), along with announcing that the service had reached 1.4 million users since it began earlier this year. Then it was Crysis 3's chance in the limelight, where Crytek's Rasmus Hojengaard explained the details of the new Hunter mode for multiplayer - in which 14 players attempt to get out of 'the zone' while two much more powerful and cloaked players try to stop them by any means necessary. It sounds excellent - sort of like the old Hidden mod for Half Life set in Crysis 3's lush jungle setting.

We then learned about Dead Space 3, which will now have weapon crafting - players will be able to build new weapons out of their current loadout and scavenged materials. Thousands of combinations will apparently be possible and players will be able to share their designs with others by uploading the blueprints in game. A weapon design contest has begun at the official site - if you feel like building a weapon for the finished game, go and check it out. We also learned when Dead Space 3 will be coming out - mark down September 28th if you're looking forward to the next installment of the franchise!

The last game on show was FIFA 13, which I am desperately trying to pretend to be excited about - and all for you dear reader. When people start talking soccer though - more than any other sport - my mind fills with white noise and I wake up days later in a pool of someone else's blood. We did learn however, that FIFA 13 will have the deepest integration of real world data in a video game ever, with real-world information like injuries, suspensions and media gossip shaping commentary and how the game will play out in the new 'Match Day' feature. Player performance will now immediately affect player's stats too, which should shake things up quite a bit. Soccer fans will get a chance to check the game out on September 11th, when a demo with Match Day will hit the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 - and the full game will be available on September 28th!