SimCity has been the subject of plenty of criticism and scrutiny since its launch, due mostly to the little problem that many players couldn't access the game. As the servers start to catch up to player load, or vice-versa, Maxis is turning its attention towards what to patch next.
Read more: Pathing issues being fixed, some features being re-enabled »
To say that the SimCity launch has not gone smoothly would be an understatement. Two chief complaints have been the lack of an offline mode amid server issues, and the generally small city sizes. One intrepid modder has killed both of those pesky birds with one stone, and argues that it shows EA could easily pull it off too.
Read more: 'Simulation can carry on with no connection indefinitely' »
Free-to-play games have been around for over a decade now, but many companies have been slow to explore the business model and even slower to make it not feel awful or exploitative. With the new Command & Conquer, it seems Electronic Arts may have the hang of it. Victory Games general manager Jon van Caneghem has detailed the sorts of things it'll sell in the free-to-play RTS, trying to avoid being "pay to win."
"Citadel" is a send-off for Commander Shepard and her crew. The final DLC for Mass Effect 3 "offers an entirely different kind of closure for the trilogy" and, according to our review, is a "wholly welcome farewell" for the franchise.
While the DLC isn't free (it costs $15), BioWare is still giving away a gratis gift to fans. The "Citadel" soundtrack is free to download, including twenty new tracks for fans to listen to.
EA Sports' terribly-named Madden NFL 25 is named that way because it celebrates the 25th anniversary of the the long-running franchise. To commemorate that occasion, EA Sports will have fans pick this year's cover athlete between up and coming stars and old-school favorites. For the sake of the Madden Curse, let's hope that a retired player manages to take home the cover.
SimCity has almost scrambled back to its feet following the disastrous launch that left players languishing in queues, thanks to a string of updates and new servers. Maxis claimed over the weekend that the "core problem" of being being unable to play is "almost behind us", and that it has "reduced game crashes by 92% from day one." It also dropped teasing, but slightly contradictory, hints that it may consider adding offline support.
SimCity's launch has been a mess, nay, a disaster. With server problems plaguing the always-online simulation game, many fans are rightfully pissed.
Well, EA is trying to offer an olive branch following the game's troubled launch. No, you won't be able to get a refund. Instead, EA is offering a free game.
The messy saga of SimCity's launch continues. EA has already committed to adding servers to alleviate the poor online connectivity, but the company is reportedly making less conventional moves as well.
The ongoing server problems with SimCity's always-on DRM connection to Origin has forced EA to push even more servers online. and disable several features. The troubles even forced Amazon to pull the game from its store for a short period of time yesterday.
Field Reports provide our first-hand experience with the latest games and expansion packs.
The past year's been tumultuous for Commander Shepard and the crew of the SR2 Normandy. With this last Mass Effect 3 downloadable content pack, "Citadel," the current Mass Effect saga comes to a close, giving the heroes we've grown to love some much deserved rest and relaxation. Like the add-on missions before it, Citadel takes place an undefined time before the assault on The Illusive Man's base. The key difference between this mission and the preceding add-on packs is it doesn't feel at all like something left on the cutting room floor, it's miles above Mass Effect 2's lauded "Lair of the Shadow Broker" and every other piece of downloadable content released before it.
The adventures of Dead Space 3's Isaac Clark and John Carver will continue on March 12 when Electronic Arts launches the previously announced Awakened DLC, continuing the plot from the end of the game.
The launch of Maxis's new SimCity has been something of a mess, to put it mildly, with players facing long queues to even launch what is chiefly a single-player game. Good job, always-online DRM. Maxis has issued a statement saying it's "putting everything we have" towards fixing up the servers and squashing bugs. The city-building sim launches in Europe today, so let's hope that doesn't overload things further.
In an effort to upgrade security, BioWare is changing the way that players will be able to login to their account for Star Wars: The Old Republic. As of April 2, instead of using your email address to access your characters, you will need to login with your screen name instead.
Army of Two: The Devil's Cartel, Electronic Arts' bro-tastic co-op shooter, is coming in just a few weeks. While we thought it merely "serviceable," perhaps you'll want to see for yourself with an early-release playable demo. A free taste will be available on PlayStation Network and Xbox Live on March 12th.
Last week, Electronic Arts CFO Blake Jorgensen raised some Internet ire by suggesting that all future EA-published games will have microtransactions. The executive has now clarified his comments, saying he wasn't claiming each game will have them but rather that each game can have them.
Read more: Microtransactions in all games 'really not true' »
"Yeah, exactly lithe same happened to me. The magic was kinda gone. I'm waiting for the patches ..."
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