There was a time way back when that if you put the names EA and Xbox Live in the same room no one would believe you.  After all, in the early days of our beloved Xbox Live, the only way to play EA games online was on another console.  Now go back to that fateful E3, where EA finally decided to hop on the band wagon.  Microsoft may have even developed their LSP technology with the sole purpose of getting EA on board.  Early efforts from EA titles were a mixed bag.  You had to first agree to their special online terms of use, and then you would be thrown onto an EA server to connect to friends.  From the get go there were definitely growing pains.  Sometimes you couldn't connect to certain friends, other times you couldn't even log on because the EA rooms were full.

To be fair, Xbox live still to this day has weird router compatibility issues, so the problem probably wasn't all on EA's end.  Over time, and particularly, as the hype from a new release would simmer down a bit, the EA servers became more reliable.  The games themselves had a limited set of online features to enjoy, but the basics were in place.

Now, fast forward to fall 2007, and we can see that a change is brewing in the online space.  For all of its early falters, this year and beyond, EA is really taking the lead innovating the online space.  Embracing community, sharing, and web integration, the whole EA online world is set to explode; in a good way.  Let’s look at how some of their recently released and upcoming titles are looking to take the online world by storm and bring integration to a new level.

The Game: Tiger Woods PGA Tour 08
Release date:  August 28th, 2007
Review: http://www.xboxaddict.com/staff_review/12869.html
The Innovation:  GamerNet, shared clips of shots and replays, camera create a face.

Speaking of customization, Tiger 08 gives you the option to import a picture you upload to their website or use the vision cam to literally put your face in the game.  The technology at work here is fairly impressive, and if the source photo is good enough, the results are stunning.  The reason for this is that they actually create geometry for your avatar’s face, and then wrap the picture you took on top of that. 

The Game: NHL 08
Release date:  September 11th, 2007
The Innovation: Online Team Play, emergent AI, create a play, email game results.

Not since NHL Rivals back on the original Xbox has there ever been a way to play online with more than 2 consoles at once.  The idea was solid; however, the actual game left a lot to be desired.  Fast forward to NHL 08 and its implementation of online team play and you can now play up to 6 consoles online in one game.  And unlike NHL rivals, NHL 08 is really freaking good.  The online play is smooth this year unlike NHL 07, and with a good connection, online team play works remarkably well.  There is nothing as fun as playing with 3 vs. 3 with 5 other friends.  It’s such a blast to set up real life teammates and call for the puck as you take that perfect pass and snap it top corner.  You also have the option to lock yourself into a specific position, or play the traditional way where you can player switch (this sometimes becomes confusing with many players). 

The other innovation this year is an AI that learns and adapts to your style of play.  Yes, many developers have claimed this type of smart A.I. in the past, but this year is the first time we actually see it in action.  When you get shut down in the third period attempting moves that worked in the first, don’t say you weren’t warned.  To counter this, EA has given the player a unique create a play option that has you interactively building and testing plays in practice mode.  Then, in game, the play diagrams show up on ice as you run them.  This leads to some amazingly innovative plays and ways to beat the A.I if you put in the time to learn to use it.  You also get the return of an improves skill stick, a face button-less control scheme that is both simple and intuitive, and you can even have the game email you stats of games played online.  NHL 08 truly is a hockey fans dream, and we can only hope for full 5 on 5 online team play in NHL 09.

The Game: skate.
Release date:  September 14th, 2007
The Innovation: Shared Videos, online video web integration, flick-it controls.

The other really unique thing incorporated into stick is its dual analogue control scheme.   The left stick controls your steering and body, while the right stick handles tricks, and jumps.   The left and right triggers handle grabs to round things out.   After a short learning curve, performing tricks using this controls scheme becomes second nature.  All of your available moves are unlocked from the start, you just have to find and learn how and when to do them.  In essence you are actually learning to skate rather than being forced to complete ridiculous challenges and then be rewarded with the ability to perform a 720 nollie.  Hopefully future games take a hint from skate and start to look at more innovative ways to build controls in their games.

The Game: FIFA Soccer 08
Release date:  October 9th, 2007
The Innovation: Be a Pro mode, 5 vs. 5 online team play.

The Game: Need for Speed ProStreet
Release date:  November 13th, 2007
The Innovation: Online race day, make and share your own events, text messaging to cell phones.

The Game: Rock Band
Release date:  November 20th, 2007
The Innovation: Online Band play, Music delivery Platform.

Before the advent of games like Guitar Hero, if someone told you that grown adults and plastic instruments would prove to be so popular, you might call that person crazy.  As it turns out though, making music this way is a compelling and universally fun social experience.  Rock Band is looking to amp up that experience a notch, and features Vocals, Drums, Bass, and Lead guitar.  Just like real bands, it’s hard to get 4 band members together to practice all at same time, so fortunately a full online mode has been integrated into Rock Band.  While nothing can beat how fun it is to assemble 4 friends in your living room and rock out, the online mode and accompanying website community should make those “drummer wanted” ads more popular than ever.  The real crux of what Rock band is trying to accomplish though, is to become a viable music delivery platform.  The goal is to have both full album downloads, as well as weekly content to keep things fresh.  One can almost envision this as the “itunes” of Xbox Live, but instead of just passively listening to the music you can now interact and perform it in a variety of ways.  If the Rock Band formula works, look for the world of downloadable music games to take note.