Just recently Spawn Kill had the opportunity to check out a few of EA’s upcoming games and Battlefield: Bad Company 2 made a little appearance since it was its launch week, it was actually present in 3D form on the PC which was fantastically impressive. We took a few moments to sit down with Lo Wallmo of the DICE team to chat about Battlefield: Bad Company 2.

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Everyone knows the old saying – “Two heads are better than one.”  For the most part, it’s true.  Get more people thinking about something, and everyone benefits – you get more and different opinions that might help you shape the way you think about… well, anything.  It’s with this mindset that we go into our Two Brains review, where Molotov Cupcake and Snarkasaur have had a meeting of the minds to discuss Dante’s Inferno for the both the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3.
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Recently I got a chance to speak with Brandon Justice, Director of Game Design for Quick Hit Football which is a free-to-play football game. Quick Hit Football brings gamers a very unique experience combining strategy with RPG elements in a MMO space. The small team that created this game is compiled of people who worked on MMORPGs, strategy games, and console sports titles. Although this is new territory for the crew, everyone brings in a unique perspective and it definitely shows in the game. During my conversation with Brandon we talked about some new features recently added to the ever-growing title and we also discussed the future of the title.

For those who don’t know what Quick Hit Football is, do you mind giving us a quick rundown on the game and maybe some key features that set it apart from other football titles?

Brandon - Quick Hit Football is a free-to-play football strategy game in which you don’t control the players but instead you coach them. As you play games against the computer or another user you gain points which are called Coach Points (CP) that can be used to upgrade any player’s abilities on your team. During the game you will be picking plays and the actions are carried out by the players so your goal is to utilize the strengths on your team while trying to exploit the weaknesses of your opponent. Everything in the game can be earned though simply playing the game or you can purchase CP from the store. You also have the opportunity to add NFL Legends to your team if and when you have enough CP.

When creating the game we wanted to tap into the free-to-play market where there aren’t many players in the sports space. 5-8 million people buy Madden every year, yet 20 million people play fantasy football and 40 million people watch it every Sunday. It’s a small amount of people who play football games and even smaller gaming online. What we wanted to do is find a way to tap into the 20 million people who play a very stat based football product but won’t ever get on Xbox Live or PSN but love football. With Quick Hit we wanted a game that was accessible, intuitive and at the same time authentic. We tried to make the game less about being good with the controller and more about knowing the game of football. If you get the basics of what football is about and the chess game behind it, then this is really the game for you.

Was it difficult to create a football game with the mindset that you won’t be able to use the NFL License?

Brandon – When we first started we did a lot of surveys of users and obviously using the license will help. We found in these surveys that a lot of people, especially with the younger generation, care less about the license and more about the fact that it’s a free game and an authentic experience. We are rapidly approaching or just past the million user mark in less than six months. I think the work that we’ve done so far proves that theory and it wasn’t a random sampling of people who were trying to be nice. Obviously there is a challenge but they don’t call it the No Fun League for nothing. The license can often times be creative handcuffs and what we have is the opportunity to build whatever we want. In the short term, for us, the hardest thing is rethinking how the game of football is played, how to make it more casual, more so than worrying about the license.

When I first started playing Quick Hit, I noticed there were some ads mainly during time outs and in between quarters. Since then there has been the addition of ads whenever you are waiting for the opponent. Is this something that can be disabled with a paid subscription?

Brandon - We’re in the process now of doing some testing of what works and doesn’t work for the users. We’ve actually increased the frequency, decreased the frequency but increased the display time and now we working on making more event driven like after touchdowns, during time outs, after first downs rather than seeing them all the day. Free to play for sports games is completely new territory. We want to make sure we are able to monetize the product and keep it free but by the same token we don’t want to annoy the gamers playing the game. Subscriptions are something we are looking at and a lot of our customers are asking for that as well. We are looking at different options, what we want to do with it and what will a subscription entail. Would it just be add free or would there be special subscription services only available to subscribers? We are basically looking at different packages and focus testing all of those trying to figure out what makes sense.

I understand that you guys were able to meet with former Steelers coach Bill Cowher to get some insight about coaching. What was the one thing you learned from him, and more importantly, how intimidating is he when he’s not on the sidelines?

Brandon – The chin is legendary and I’m a big Cincinnati Bengals fan in real life and I made sure to give him the business but honestly Coach Cowher was a class act. He was very friendly very receptive and the one thing I really appreciate about him is he is a consummate professional and wants to be great at what he does. He’s just a very genuine guy and he’s very hard working. Everything we threw at him he just took it like a champ and put everything he had in him to do it well. In that sense if he ever came out of retirement and wanted to coach the Bengals I would have a little bit of a problem with it but I’d get over it. As far as what we learned from him, I think we learned a lot in our short time with him. Every single conversation we had he gave us good insight about what it meant to be a coach what it meant to build a cohesive unit as a team, how to evaluate talent and how to take that talent and make your team effective. In a lot of ways those themes is really what Quick Hit Football is all about. I’ve worked with a lot of different folks throughout the years that were cover guys for products and I would have to say working with Coach Cowher was probably one of the most insightful experiences I’ve had in my career.

Is a Facebook- or Twitter-type of integration something you are looking into adding to Quick Hit?

Brandon - Right now we are at a crossroads with the product, we’ve obviously got our first version up and there is a lot of different opportunities for us. For us finding a way to get on Facebook and to get more people is definitely what we are looking at. There aren’t any majors players in the sports arena in Facebook, there are folks like EA trying to get into that space but it’s a lot easier for us to get into that. Their entire market is based on disc based games. If you look at the reaction they received from micro transactions they tried to add in their games it’s much harder for them to establish themselves with that strategy having already established the disc based game. For us getting on these social networking sites is something we always wanted to do and not only that our product is free, just like these sites. The big challenge for us is what are the things that we can add to or take away from the game to make it a bit more appealing to the people who are only used to playing games like Mafia Wars or Farmville. We have some cool ideas for how we can do this but I can’t really get into that right now.

The best part about flash games like Quick Hit Football is being able to jump in and out of a game. Right now there isn’t an option to quit a CPU game and complete it at another time. Is this something that will be added in the future?

Brandon – That’s something that we are definitely looking at. In the interest of a short experience we are looking at training modes, mini games, sudden death mode and shorten quarters. We are looking at all of those things and seeing what makes sense. The ability to save the game and pick it up later is kind of a no brainer when we get into a season mode or franchise mode or ever tournaments. I think it’s something you’ll see from us.

This game seems like a fantasy football fans dream come true, and I’m sure I’m not alone when I say I would love the ability to import a fantasy league to Quick Hit and play it out in real time. With the EA exclusive license this isn’t an option but if that were to expire would this be an option in Quick Hit Football?

Brandon - That’s something that honestly we’ve already gone pretty far down the line in terms of designing it out and how we do it. It’s one of things were EA has the license but if that agreement ever came up and we had the opportunity to do that I think it would be something that would be mad cool.

After our interview we went into a game and Brandon showed me some new features recently added to the title. The first thing  gamers will notice when they sign in to Quick Hit is the Team Page. This brand new profile page will show you everything you need to know about your team. You will see expanded stats, player info and you have the ability to access other Coach’s profile if you want to scout your opponent. This new Team HUB allows gamers to access the best coaches on the leaderboards and see how they train their players, what plays they pick and try to learn from them by looking at their stats. Along with that they also added daily rewards. Every day you log in you will get free CP, you can earn anywhere between 1-50 CP points, giving you an incentive to log in every day.

In terms of gameplay there are a ton of improvements and new features. During the game you will notice there is a FP Meter on the bottom bar now which will show you how much longer you have to go for the next level, in real time. It’s centered at the bottom of the screen and I hate them for doing this. Now that you can see, in real time, how far you are from leveling up you’ll just want to keep playing if you are only a few FP from leveling. Definitely something that kept me up at night in my WoW days and will keep me up when playing Quick Hit. Play-by-play text display has also been added to the in-game hud. Since you are looking at the game from a top down point of view and the players names don’t show up on the screen, the play-by-play will tell you exactly who caught the ball and what the result of the play was. You can toggle this on and off along with the ability to chat in the same window. Again you are seeing the influences of the development team who has worked on MMOs.

There were also some balancing tweaks that were done for offensive and defensive lines along with improvements to pass coverage. The game itself is constantly evolving with updates releasing almost every two weeks, which can be found here. Brandon and Samantha (Director of Communications) stressed the fact that they are very hands-on with the community and they both actively play the game. In fact Samantha and Brandon are proud coaches of high ranking teams in the leaderboads. This is something I can attest to, as Brandon was able to mop the floor with my team.

The one thing I got from the conversation was the team at Quick Hit Football loves what they do and it shows up in the final product. When you have everyone actively playing the game and talking to the community like they do it’s no wonder the free to play title works as well as it does. Quick Hit Football lets fantasy football players utilize their knowledge of the sport and take it to another level. Being able to coach a team and groom your championship squad is something that I’ve always wanted in a football game. Quick Hit is quickly becoming by favorite football game on the market and for anyone who loves the strategy of football but can’t handle the complicated controls, this is the game for you.

I’d like to thank Brandon and Samantha for taking the time to discuss the title with us at Spawn Kill, and if you want to learn more about Quick Hit Football you can always visit their home page or you can head over to the developers diary for everything you need to know about the updates.

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Not too long ago FIFA Online started the first phase of closed beta testing. Those lucky enough to get a beta code were able to be the first to experience the new browser-style FIFA game. During the closed beta players were only allowed to play the World Cup tournament. Electronic Arts today announced that the second round of closed beta testing is now live and gamers will be able to try out a few more modes. If you were in the first beta testing you will be able to get into round two of the testing. Those who have still not been accepted you can sign up again at the FIFA Online website. Here is what you will find in Closed Beta 2:

• League Mode – Choose your favorite club and lead them to domestic league glory. Begin your campaign as the new manager with a mission to lead your club to greatness. Take on the challenge for turning around your team’s fortunes by winning matches, earning In Game Currency and using the proceeds to sign new players improve your chances of winning future games.Play offline against the CPU and measure your progress against friends. Showcase your football skills and management expertise and challenge friends to do better by earning Manager Experience Points (XP).

   

• Co-op Mode and Versus Mode – Join your friends in playing their league matches or challenge them to a 1 on 1 club match.

• Manager System – Slip on the old sheepskin coat and take control of your team. Man-manage your squad to get the best out of them. Select the first 11, choose the formation and make the key mid-match decisions that make the hallmarks of the next great club manager.

• 100% Mouse Play Controls – New fixes include:
  • New practice drills
  • More details in tutorials
  • New, intuitive controls for Through ball and Lob through ball
  • Mouse lock to window for windowed mode
  • Auto-Pause on Alt-Tab

• Inventory System – Earn special rewards at the end of each match in the form of Player Equipment. Improve your players abilities with boots that improve shooting, drinks that replenish fatigue and much more.

In just two weeks of Closed Beat 1, over 25, 000 matches were played in FIFA Online. With all these new modes I expect that number to double.  The closed beta will run till March 18th. As always stay tuned at Spawn Kill for our hands on impressions of Closed Beta 2!

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Big news from the Battlefield camp – they’re happy to announce that the Battlefield: Bad Company 2 demo is on pace to become the fastest downloaded demo in EA history. The demo continues to dominate PSN and Xbox Live with over 2 million demo downloads across the two networks in the first five days of availability. Electronic Arts has been aggressively promoting the sequel by holding multiplayer betas and offering the multiplayer demo a month before release which has obviously been getting them some attention.

“We couldn’t be more thrilled to hear that Battlefield: Bad Company 2 is already in the hands of almost 2½ million gamers, and it hasn’t even shipped yet,” said Patrick Bach, Senior Producer on Battlefield: Bad Company 2. “This massive rush to experience the game early is proof positive that action gamers are looking for more. Battlefield: Bad Company 2 delivers on every front. This is intelligent, strategic warfare that our competitors simply cannot replicate.”

Battlefield: Bad Company 2 complements the Modern Warfare 2 multiplayer with a greater focus on squad-based multiplayer in which gamers must play as a cohesive team to be victorious.  The sequel builds on the successes of its predecessor, offering more weapons, more vehicles, more destruction, and more kills! Battlefield: Bad Company 2 is set to release on March 2^nd in North America and March 4^th in Europe for the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3. The limited edition can be pre-ordered at no extra cost and if you get it from Amazon you can get a $20 credit towards a future video game purchase. We’ve gotten a chance to play through both the PS3 beta and the demo so be sure to check back for our BC2 Impressions.

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In an interview with Bloomberg Television President of EA Sports Peter Moore stated that we will be seeing a Madden NFL game on Facebook saying “We have to make Madden more accessible. You’ll see us on Facebook going forward.” Although no official statement has been made regarding Madden appearing on Facebook, every sign seems to point towards that happening. EA recently acquired Playfish the company behind such Facebook games as Pet Society and Restaurant City. If you need more proof, EA Sports has been very active in the online free-to-play market with the recently released Tiger Woods Online and the upcoming FIFA Online.

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Electronic Arts recently announced the development of a free-to-play downloadable game titled EA Sports FIFA Online. Similar to their recent web based Tiger Woods Title gamers don’t have to install much to play the game; however FIFA Online at this point will require a download and will run as a separate program rather than in a web browser. Starting February 3^rd football fans across Europe will have first access to the closed beta to help shape the online title.
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We’ve been following Dante’s Inferno here at Spawn Kill for quite some time now, and a brand new gameplay video has just been released. You might want to give it a watch, as it’s located below, because if not, your future might heat up, if you catch my drift. Relax! I’m just joshin’. Whet your appetite for all things demonic in this shiny new montage.
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Spawn Kill and several other gaming outlets were graciously invited onto a conference call with Dante’s Inferno executive producer, Jonathan Knight. During said call, Knight divulged some particularly interesting information regarding the upcoming hack-’n-slash extravaganza, including details involving an animated feature film, why the decision was made to adapt The Divine Comedy into a video game.

And in a particularly interesting turn of events, Knight was kind enough to divulge his thoughts on the criticism surrounding the video game adaptation, admitting that the game is a “bastardization” of the original poem, but its merits far outweigh the criticism levied against it. You can check out Knights’ insightful answers to the questions I was lucky enough to ask below to prep yourself for the February 9th release. We’ll see you in hell!

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Just last week EA announced the revival of the NBA JAM franchise. While they haven’t said much about the upcoming title they are giving fans a chance to vote for the players they want to see in the game. The first week of voting has already come and gone but it was only for the Kings, the Clippers and Oklahoma City Thunder, so nothing really lost there. This week’s voting is almost over but you still have 4 more days to cast your vote. The teams up for voting in week 2 are the Timberwolves, the Grizzlies and my home town team, the Warriors. Every week there will be another set of teams to vote for and you can choose up to three players that you want to see on the court. You can follow me on twitter at @TheHerp80 for the weekly updates and my personal picks for that week.

Here are my picks for week 2:

Minnesota Timberwolves:

Al Jefferson

Kevin Love

Johnny Flynn

Memphis Grizzlies:

OJ Mayo

Rudy Gay

Marc Gasol

Golden State Warriors:

Monta Ellis

Stephen Curry

Andres Biedrins

Source: [EA Sports]

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Do you like free stuff? Of course you like free stuff, who the hell doesn’t!? We’ll if you’re like me you’ll take any free DLC you can get and BioWare has you covered for one of the most anticipated games of this year. The Cerberus Network, an in-game portal in Mass Effect 2, will grant you full access to downloadable content and news at no extra cost. This new feature is activated via a unlock code that is packaged within the game, meaning those who purchased the game brand new will have free access to the network and those who purchased it used will have to pay a one-time fee. No word on how much the one-time fee will be but if it’s anything like EA’s other packed in codes it could cost around $15.

“The Cerberus Network augments and extends the rich universe of Mass Effect 2,” said Dr. Ray Muzyka, co-founder, BioWare and Group General Manager of the RPG/MMO Group of EA. “We’re thrilled to be able to reward loyal BioWare and Mass Effect fans with ongoing, high quality content and provide a direct channel for our players to dive deeper into the intriguing lore of Mass Effect.”

The first DLC pack, set to release on launch day January 26th, will feature new missions and in-game items. The mission will introduce Zaeed a “rugged and deadly gun-for-hire” who is recruited to join Shepard’s mission. After launch, BioWare will release another pack that will include the Hammerhead vehicle, the Cerberus Assault Armor and the M-22 Eviscerator Shotgun.

The Cerberus Network sounds like it can be a huge selling point for people who want to wait and save money for a used copy. This is just a pretty nice bonus for those who were already going to buy the game on day one and if BioWare and provide a constant stream of content, this new feature could change the way publishers offer DLC.

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Do you like Dr Pepper? Do you like free DLC? Well then you’re in luck, as on Friday it was announced that EA and Dr Pepper are joining forces to give you new downloadable content for some of EA’s most popular games. Beginning this week, and running throughout 2010, codes will be available on more than 500 million Dr Pepper products for these exclusive game add-ons.

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EA recently announced the partnership with Sakar International Inc., Sunflex Europe and Accessories 4 Technology (A4T) to bring brand new peripherals to enhance our interactive gaming experience. These 3 companies will be collaborating with EA Sports to create new peripherals across all consoles, PC’s and mobile platforms.  The announcement mentioned only one EA Sports title, that being EA Active but I am sure there will be peripherals made for almost all titles especially when the PS3 motion controller and 360’s Natal are released.

“Each of these new partnerships offers EA SPORTS new ways to improve our consumers’ experience and deepen their connection to the fabric of sport,” said Glenn Chin, Vice President of Brand Marketing at EA SPORTS. “With our games, we always strive to deliver innovation, authenticity and fun. We see a tremendous opportunity with these partners to bring those qualities to life in unique and exciting new products for EA SPORTS.”

Here are the details of EA SPORTS’ new licensing agreement:

• Sakar International Inc., a producer of licensed products for leading consumer brands, will create Wii™ and Nintendo DS™ gaming accessories as well as youth electronics for EA SPORTS products for distribution in North America. Products will include new gaming controls and a full range of EA SPORTS-branded multi-media and computer accessories. The first items are expected to be released in spring 2010. (Announced today at the opening of the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas.)
• Sunflex Europe, known for its high tech gaming accessories, will bring EA SPORTS-branded peripherals to gamers across Europe in 2010. Sunflex Europe will provide more than 20 products already in production under the agreement.
• A4T will develop and produce a range of accessories for EA SPORTS titles for all platforms, including iPod®. A4T will have exclusive rights to distribute in the United Kingdom and Ireland.

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Madden Ultimate Team is now out and free to access via a title update. Fans of the FIFA Ultimate Team will instantly feel right at home as EA Tiburon has taken pretty much the same feature and thrown it into Madden NFL 10. This feature allows you to build a team by collecting virtual cards that include everything from NFL Superstars both former and current, head coaches, stadiums and more. For those fantasy football fans you might want to give this a shot as it brings you even closer to the feeling of managing a team.

How it works is you have a set amount of points and you can use those points to buy packs of cards. The cards represents your team and you simply play against the computer or online against another team to gain more points and purchase more cards. The goal is to create an unstoppable team by getting more and more cards. There is also an auction house where you can buy and sell cards which is pretty nice if it works as it should. Again this is a Free update for everyone so all you have to do is download the new mode. Here is a tutorial video and some key features for the new mode.

Features

• Build Your Ultimate Team – With complete customization, take control over every aspect of your team. Set your starting offense, defense, special teams and then take your team to the field by playing games in Madden NFL 10. Determine who will coach your ultimate team, and then tailor additional aspects like uniforms and home stadium.

• Nine Card Types – Collect bronze, silver and gold cards to form your ultimate team. Select from player, coach, playbook, injury, stadium, uniform, and contract card types. Go for the best with legendary player cards, as well as limited edition variants.

• Develop Team Chemistry – Get an on-field chemistry boost, by selecting players from the same pro or collegiate team. Choose playbooks, stadiums and coaches from the same team to get an added boost, or allow Madden Ultimate Team to dynamically update as the lineup changes.

• Acquire New Cards – Build your team in a variety of ways. Play games and earn coins to acquire new card packs, buy or sell cards with millions of Madden NFL fans at the auction block, or check weekly deals to purchase limited edition cards. Acquire additional card packs by using Microsoft Points on Xbox LIVE Marketplace or purchase them from the PlayStation Network.

• The Hub – The home base for building your Madden Ultimate Team, The Hub provides easy access to your card collection. Make team changes or acquire new cards via the auction block or in-game store. Easily view total coins accumulated, team chemistry, team skill level, team record and total card value.

• Online Leaderboards – Keep track of how your team ranks versus friends. Madden Ultimate Team online leaderboards will track your overall record, including head-to-head, versus the computer, and more.

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EA today announced the revival of the much adored NBA JAM franchise. The game that, for me, started an attraction to arcade –style sports games will be making its come back after a 7 year break on the Nintendo Wii. The game will be developed by the Vancouver based studio which created the popular FIFA and NHL titles. NBA Jam on the Wii will feature a new visual style and will try to combine the classic game with some new game modes, ball physics and features. The publisher also said they will include all the sights and sounds that fans have come to love.

“NBA JAM is one of the most recognizable franchises in videogame history,” said Peter Moore, President, EA SPORTS. “Diehard fans of the original game have been asking for a remake for more than a decade. We’re very excited to give them their wish this year with the return of this iconic franchise.”

As someone who is a big fan of both EA Sports and NBA Jam I’m a bit pessimistic about the new title. Though I am glad to hear that the game is coming back I would have liked to have seen a revival appear as a downloadable title rather than simply being a new title only on the Wii. The title currently being called EA Sports NBA Jam is in development and is set to release later this year.

[source: easports.com]

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