Electronic Arts

Game Review: Immortals of Aveum shines with clean combat and vibrant visuals

I’m a sucker for magic and fantasy as much as the next guy. Immortals of Aveum comes out swinging, dishing out some gorgeous visuals, clean first-person combat and a story that, while not groundbreaking in terms of lore and emotional depth, does help things churn along at a consistent pace. Its repetitive encounters and linear…

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Game Review: Star Wars Jedi: Survivor is nothing short of a tremendous sequel

I’ve been a Star Wars fan for almost as long as I can remember. While it started with a love for the original trilogy of films, it soon extend to books, TV shows and most importantly, games. While I won’t run through that entire list of top Star Wars games (let’s save that for another…

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Game Review: EA Sports PGA Tour returns as a contender

I had only gotten into golfing as a sport in recent years, but had always admired the EA Sports PGA Tour games (or Tiger Woods PGA Tour games as they were known back then) for a fun and laidback approach to what is otherwise an incredibly tactical and nuanced activity. While I couldn’t get a…

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Wild Hearts Review: The hunt is on

It’s admittedly been a while since I had touched base with the Monster Hunter series. And then I saw it; the reveal of Wild Hearts, developer Omega Force and Koei Tecmo’s answer to an existing breed of hunting game, that draws on many of the techniques and mechanics of the aforementioned franchise, while adding satisfying combat,…

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Dead Space Review: A sci-fi horror epic returns for a new generation

The original Dead Space, released in 2008, still holds up as one of the greatest sci-fi horror games of all time. But 2008 also feels like a long time ago in gaming terms. As a result, Dead Space’s remake feels like that same relevant experience, made all the more satisfying thanks to minor gameplay choices…

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Need for Speed Unnound Review: Racing in Style

I’ll be the first to admit that I’ve fallen out of love with Need for Speed games in recent years. It’s not that they’ve been necessarily bad, but given recently established franchises like the Forza Horizon series or the returning Gran Turismo series, Need for Speed has had seemingly little to offer the genre in…

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Battlefield 2042 Review: A Trip Into the Eye of the Storm

For a franchise centred around the conflict of war, covering several eras and stories, it’s clear that Battlefield 2042 had one target left in mind; itself. What follows is an incredibly frustrating blend of smooth action and refined gunplay, paired with numerous bugs and glitches, and the overall lack of depth within its mainline modes….

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FIFA 22

FIFA 22 Review: Once more with feeling

FIFA 22 takes the term “next-generation” pretty seriously. And it should. With every new console generation, the FIFA franchise takes major steps forward. New hardware presents an opportunity to reinvent FIFA‘s visuals, mechanics and add a range of new game modes. However, I wouldn’t blame fans for feeling disillusioned with the series in recent years. Most…

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F1 2021

F1 2021 Review: A farewell to the Hybrid Era

F1 2021, like the real motorsport it’s based on, has a lot of moving parts. This is developer Codemasters’ first F1 since its acquisition by Electronic Arts. As such, it bears a few now-classic EA Sports hallmarks. EA Sports titles need to serve several masters, and therefore so does F1 2021. The first thing it needs…

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E3 2021 livestream Australian times

Where to see every E3 2021 livestream in Australian times

Looking for where you can find every E3 2021 livestream in Australian times? Look no further, friend. Below, we’ve laid out all the biggest livestreams in one handy list, with individual Aus timezones and links so you can find them on the night.   So, when does E3 start exactly? Great question. Hard to answer….

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Battlefield 2042 reveal

E3 2021: Battlefield 2042 reveal depicts a new Cold War, robot dogs too

The Battlefield 2042 reveal is here at last. The game becomes the latest instalment in the long-running series of military shooters by Swedish developer DICE. The game, set in the near future, depicts a new cold war between the US and Russia. From details made available prior to the Battlefield 2042 reveal, the game boasts…

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F1 2021 Preview: New season, new publisher, same strong sim

F1 2021 is the first game in the long-running Formula 1 racing series following EA’s acquisition of developer Codemasters. While the vast majority of the game retains the same look and feel of F1 games past, F1 2021 makes a few important strides toward accessibility that are in line with the modern EA Sports ethos….

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It Takes Two

It Takes Two Review: Relationships are a two player game

It Takes Two is a charming, cooperative adventure game by Hazelight Studios. The game centers on Cody and Mae, an estranged couple beaten down by the complexities of their unfulfilling lives. Their dreams, individually and together, are unrealised. The passion of their early relationship is long extinguished. The slim thread that has kept their relationship…

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Anthem

Anthem development to end, BioWare focused on Dragon Age 4

It’s been over a year since Bioware announced they planned to beat Anthem into shape. Today, that lofty dream is over. BioWare and EA have announced that development on the beleaguered 2019 online shooter will cease. The Anthem team will join the Dragon Age 4 staff. The announcement came via the official BioWare blog, and was…

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Mass Effect Legendary Edition

Mass Effect Legendary Edition will launch in May

The long-awaited Mass Effect Legendary Edition will launch on May 14, 2020. Mass Effect Legendary Edition will include content from all three mainline Mass Effect games, remastered and running at 4K60FPS HDR. All three games have received a visual facelift, with “remastered character models and tens of thousands of up-rezzed textures. Improvements to shaders and…

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BioWare to rebuild Anthem from the ground up

BioWare has announced that it will be redesigning its embattled online shooter Anthem from the ground up. According to an official blog post from BioWare general manager Casey Hudson, the decision has been made to perform a larger overhaul of the entire game rather than focusing a series of smaller updates or expansion packs. Hudson…

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FIFA 20

February’s PSPlusPlays comp will focus on FIFA 20

Are you a gun at FIFA 20? If so, you’ll want to get involved in this month’s #PSPlusPlays competition on your PS4. So what do you have to do to get involved? Just complete this month’s challenge: Showcase your best one-two pass play with a mate in FIFA 20. Nail it, and you could win yourself…

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Need For Speed: Heat Review: The Heat is on

The Need for Speed franchise is much as a staple of the racing genre as any other. From the high octane thrills of Hot Pursuit, to the halcyon days of Underground, and the epic, white-knuckle police chases of the highly regarded Most Wanted. A few rocky and undercooked entries have plagued the series in recent…

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E3 2019: The Sims 4 goes tropical, and the mermaids have been unleashed

The final item on the EA Play livestreaming docket today was The Sims 4 and its new expansion pack, Island Living. It’s the expac for anyone that’s ever wanted to bail on the city and live on a beach. There’s island-centric jobs like dive instructor, lifeguard and fisherman, clothing, hobbies, animals (including DOLPHINS!!!) and more…

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E3 2019: Madden 20 introduces Superstar X-Factor abilities

Electronic Arts have unveiled new Madden NFL 20 gameplay during their EA Play fan event in Los Angeles. The livestream went into detail on Madden 20‘s newest mechanic, Superstar X-Factor abilities which sounds on paper a bit like stacking your football team with X-Men. These new X-Factor abilities grant superstar players certain buffs and abilities beyond…

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E3 2019: Apex Legends Season 2 brings a new weapon, new skins, a new Legend and a new Battle Pass

Hot on the heels of their Star Wars Jedi presentation, Respawn Entertainment went into their plans for Season 2 of Apex Legends. Fans concerned about a dearth of content will hopefully find them allayed with the wave of updates on the way. The new Battle Pass has been dubbed Battle Charge, along with a fresh new…

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E3 2019: Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order‘s first trailer is a whole lotta Star Wars

Electronic Arts have unveiled the first trailer for Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order during this year’s EA Play 2019 fan event. Developed by Respawn Entertainment, Jedi: Fallen Order is EA’s first AAA Star Wars title since the divisive Star Wars Battlefront II in 2017. It will mark the end of a banner year for Respawn, whose…

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E3 2019: Press conference times and where you can see them in Australia

E3 2019 is almost upon us. The year’s biggest storm of gaming news begins in earnest next week but the announcement-packed press conferences kick off as early as Friday morning Australian time. This year’s show promises to be a pivotal one, with two high profile changes to the lineup. The first change has to do…

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The Sims 4: StrangerVille Review: The creepy little boost the franchise needs

Before I start this review, I’d like to begin with a eulogy. The last time I reviewed a Sims game, I told the story of the vampire Solomon, and the object of his affection – a cantankerous and evasive scarecrow. I had intended to continue their ill-fated love story in this article, but unfortunately, during…

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Games Review: Anthem would be a great game if it didn’t keep getting in its own way

I have started and deleted this review three times in the week and a bit since our review codes arrived. It’s been a long time since I’ve found myself so conflicted about a game I’m reviewing, but Anthem has had me doubling back a lot, second guessing myself. The nutshell version is that I like…

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Games Review: Apex Legends is the best Battle Royale title in the world right now

I haven’t enjoyed any title in the Battle Royale genre before Apex Legends. Not one. To date, my firmly held opinion has been that BR is a multiplayer mode that has risen well above its station, lacking the substance required to be a genre unto itself. Apex Legends not only changed my opinion on Battle…

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Games Impressions: Anthem‘s VIP Demo combines strong world building with kinetic combat

I’ve had questions about Anthem ever since it was announced. It’s been about a year and a half since Anthem was first announced and my questions are finally getting some answers. While EA’s desire for an ongoing MMO shooter in the Destiny mould was understandable, it was the tapping of legendary RPG studio Bioware to create…

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The AU Review’s Game of the Year 2018

Choosing your favourite game of the year is hard. We’ve done it every year since we founded The AU Review’s games section in 2014, and it never gets any easier. In 2018, we played so many incredible games that it became impossible to list and number every last one of them, so we opted not…

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Games Review: Battlefield V (PC, 2018) is the most interesting World War 2 video game in years

Battlefield V is goddamned pretty. It’s something I’ve continually murmured to myself while reviewing DICE’s latest entry in their longrunning shooter franchise. Nobody is capable of squeezing the visual juice out of EA’s Frostbite engine quite as well as they can. The game they have constructed with it isn’t just one of the best Battlefield…

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Games Preview: Battlefield V‘s War Stories might end up being its most talked-about feature

It’s a warm spring Tuesday when I arrive at the National Art School in Sydney. The School is located on the site of the old Darlinghurst Gaol and is steeped in the history of the area. Its connection to DICE’s Battlefield V, a multiplayer-centric first person shooter set in World War II, is a bit…

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