E3 2011: EA Presscon Highlights

EA was next to deliver their presentation, and this year's show features an awesome lineup including Battlefield 3, Need For Speed The Run, and Mass Effect 3, a new content delivery system titled Origins, and their focus on making games a more social experience through their in-house social networking tools. Check out the highlights of the show after the break!

• EA's presscon kicks off with a live action trailer for Mass Effect 3. Bioware then takes the stage to show off a demo for the game. Shepard is seen to take on a huge reaper, and is now also armed with a melee weapon.
• John Riccitello of EA formally starts the show. Origin.com is announced, a new content delivery service from EA which aims to bring gamers exclusive content from EA and EA partners.
• Blackbox Studios shows off NFS the Run. Autolog, NFS’s social tool will now be weaved into the story mode of the game, and for the first time in NFS series, it will now also feature on foot action. The game will utilize DICE’s Frostbite Engine. The game is seen to take a more cinematic approach, with the camera closing in when taking corners, during on foot sequences, and quick time events.
• Again, it's Bioware's turn and shows off the trailer for Star Wars The Old Republic, a widely anticipated MMO from the said developer, bringing the Star Wars universe on a whole new level of interactivity. No launch date has still been announced for the game.
• EA then shows off their latest SSX title, which will launch January 2012. Peter Moore talks about SSX, and how it utilizes NASA data to create the fantastic levels in SSX.
• FIFA 12 is announced and unleashes a slew of new features including Tactical defending, precision dribbling, and the player impact engine. Along with FIFA 12, will launch EA Sports Football Club, a new social service from EA Sports connecting all FIFA experiences, and players together, across multiple platforms.
• Madden NFL 12 is presented by NFL's own Ray Lewis, Peyton Hillis and Clay Mathews. The game launches August 30th.
• The Sims Social is announced, which aims to bring the Sims experience to Facebook. With The Sims Social, you'll be able to play with your Facebook friends as Sims.
• 38 Studios shows off their first title, Kingdoms of Amalur Reckoning. It features open world gameplay, with guys like Ken Rolston (Oblivion and Morrowind), Todd McFarlane, R.A. Salvatore behind the game. It will come out on the Xbox 360, PS3 and PC.
• Insomniac Games introduces their newest multiplatform game Overstrike and shows off the trailer. No further details was provided however.
• DICE shows off the capabilities of their newest Frostbite 2 engine, featuring realistic animations, intense destruction, amazing rendering effects and audio. They've also shown a brief gameplay footage of Battlefield’s multiplayer. Battlelog is announced for the game, another social tool which enables players to connect with other Battlefield 3 players. The service will come free. Battlefield 3 was also demoed, featuring a tank battle level on the Tehran Desert. The real time demo was actually as impressive as what they've shown in the trailers. Battlefield 3 launches October 25th.

It's really kinda exciting to see how EA is trying to make games a more social experience thanks to the various social tools that they are bundling with the games, especially with games like Battlefield 3 and Need For Speed The Run. Overall, the presentation was short and simple, no gimmicks and stunts, and focusing instead on their strong lineup of games, and taking on an opportunity to tap into social gaming.

So far, are you excited about EA's announcements? Share your thoughts and hit the comments section! If you've missed the presscon, here's the full coverage from Gamespot.