Electronic Arts E3 Conference - Live Blog

PS3, Xbox 360, Wii

EA's press conference is due to start very soon, we'll keep you up to date:

6:50am - 10 minutes to go.

7:10am - We have what appears to be a trailer of a new Need For Speed: Hot Pursuit game! Meanwhile, Need For Speed: Auto Log is a new system of connected features which shows what your friends have been up to. We've got a gameplay demo showing the game from both sides, playing as a cop and a racer. The pace is fast, and the graphics are great. The cop car is interesting, and seems to be able to order road blocks. November 16th is the release date.

7:18am - Dead Space 2 is being shown.The gameplay doesn't seem to have changed too much, but the setting certainly has. We're seeing the use of a weapon which seems to fire small harpoons. The environments are well detailed and eerie. We're being shown a view of a sprawling city which will be available for travelling through. Release date is the 25th of January 2011.

7:25am - We've now got Shaun Decker from EA Los Angeles to talk about the new Medal of Honor game, they'll be working with DICE. They're having a live 24 player demo on the stage! They'll be playing Team Assault, where teams fight to get enough points to win the match. Maps in the game are inspired by real locations.The multiplayer seems solid, and there's some great detail in the environment. The release date is October 11th. The beta will be available on June 25th.

7:33am - EA are introducing GunClub, which reward people for playing EA games. Early beta access, news and gun unlocks are on offer. The website is gunclub.ea.com. We're now seeing a quick trailer for Battlefield: Bad Company 2, it's set in Vietnam. Out later this year.

7:36am - EA are working with Strikeforce to bring out their new MMA franchise. The game has been in the works for 2 years. All the fighter's styles will be captured accurately, as will the rules and arenas. It will have a new online system. It's called Live Broadcast, you can make your own fighter with your image. Then you can make an intro video for your fighter, there will be live sports commentators, it's pretty fancy. Friends can watch your fights live over the net.   

7:44am - EA Sports Active 2 is coming, this time to all three consoles. We're being shown a montage video, seems there's plenty to do. The release date is November 16th. We'll be seeing it for the first time using the Kinect. The game will be using a heart rate monitor accessory on all three consoles. Your heart rate is monitored in realtime and shown on-screen. The game supports motion controls on all three consoles. We're seeing boxing using the Kinect, with supposed 1:1 body tracking. Your data will automatically upload to EA's website, so you can track your progress and compare to your friends.

7:55am - We've got a big push for the console ports of The Sims 3, it's very sophisticated apparently.

8:02am - Now we have new EA partners, such as Insomniac Games. Now we've got a presentation of Crysis 2. They give you the tools, but they don't tell you how to play the game. The game is set in New York - the urban jungle.

They're trying to mix a sandbox style with the intensity of a linear single player game. Now we've got some gameplay. The pace is intense as we battle through a hectic interior of a multi-level building. The graphics are really good. There's some strategic use of C4 charges to take down a large enemy, as well as a rocket launcher.

There's a fair bit going on, with some activity going on in the background which affects the player. The game will be available in 3D on all three consoles (PS3, 360 and PC). Now we've got a trailer of Crysis 2. It's all CG, just showing off the setting and enemies. 

8:12am - We've got the studio People Can Fly, they're showing off Bulletstorm. We are seeing a sneak peek of the gameplay. The player character has one powerful kick, enemies run behind a thick steel door and he charges at it, kicking it off its hinges and squashing them with it. There's also a plasma whip which reels enemies in and makes them float. There's a machine gun, the bullets literally shred enemies as they get mowed down. The game has a very over-the-top style, it's quite interesting.

8:20am - We've now got Star Wars: The Old Republic being show off. They play a long CG trailer which is pretty fancy. Apparently it will be playable at E3.

8:29am - That's it, the conference is over.