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On May 27, Electronic Arts revealed the games it will present at the Electronic Entertainment Expo in Los Angeles this week and the press release was so long it pretty much broke my inbox. There’s quite a variety of games coming from the Redwood City, California publisher, and I’ve freshened up the list with some quick thoughts on all 20-something games. There’s so much software here it’s going to take two blogs to reveal it all. This is part two.

Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince
Another Harry Potter game to tie in with another Harry Potter movie. You’ll engage in wizard duels, mix potions at Hogwarts and take to the air in Gryffindor Quidditch competition. Fans of the series should know what to expect as EA hurries to get this one out the door later this month.

Platforms – Wii, Xbox 360, PS3, PS2, Nintendo DS, PSP
Ship Date – June 30, 2009

The slightly wonky character models for Madden NFL 10 for Wii should help the game cater to the system’s strengths.

Madden NFL 10
On Xbox 360 and PS3, EA Sports is saying that gamers will fight for every yard. The animation has been changed to be more realistic and group tackles are entering the mix, tasking players to battle for the ball at the bottom of the pile. Should be awesome. But the big news this year is a new entry for the Wii system. Being designed separately, the Wii edition features more artistic visuals  and new player models that are exagerrated slightly. The motion controls have been refined and made less gimmicky, so Wii fans have a gridiron game to look forward to.

Platforms – Xbox 360, PS3, PS2, PSP, Wii
Street Date – August 14, 2009

Mass Effect 2
Whether Commander Shepard lives or dies will be unveiled at E3 (spoilers!?) but players can already expect a massive sci-fi adventure that builds on player’s choices from the first game. Plus, Bioware promises the elevator scenes have been reworked to be less sleep-inducing during load times.

Platforms – Xbox 360
Ship Date – Early 2010

MySims Agents
There’s a demographic for MySims Agents, but I’m not part of it. Those who are interested, though, will recruit MySims to their own crime-busting team before using minigames and solving puzzles to solve the game’s far-reaching mysteries. As the game progresses, players will find treasures that can be used to construct and customize their headquarters in tried-and-true Sims fashion.

Platforms – Wii, Nintendo DS
Ship Date – Fall 2009

NCAA Football 10
Season Showdown gets the spotlight this year as a new mode where every game counts and fans declare their loyalty to a favorite school and give the ultimate show of support during the nationwide competition for pride. A new, online create-a-school feature should make for some interesting online competition, too. NCAA fans will pick up the game regardless.

Platforms – Xbox 360, PS3, PS2, PSP
Street Date – July 14, 2009

NHL 10
EA Sports is hoping to reenergize the action on the ice with first-person fighting and gameplay innovations that include all-new board play that lets you shield the puck with your body along the boards, kick-pass it to teammates, or pin an opponent, post-whistle action to instigate scrums, draw penalties, and fight. Players can even score from their knees now and control the direction and speed of their passes. It all sounds like it’ll be a game of Twister for our controller-fingers, or it might just gel into another critically-acclaimed success.

Platforms - Xbox 360, PS3
Ship Date – September 2009

Need for Speed Nitro
As with Madden, Need for Speed is being broken up into Nintendo and non-Nintendo versions. For Wii and the DS, Need for Speed Nitro pits players against cops, encourages drifting for speed boosts and moves across five cities at 60 frames per second. Customizable cars and paint schemes will add a little personality to an otherwise predictable racing game.

Platforms – Wii, Nintendo DS
Ship Date – November 2009

Need for Speed Shift
Sorry Wii fans, this Need for Speed looks like the leader of the pack at this post. The physics have been upgraded to create the most realistic in-car camera yet. As players whip around corners, the camera will bob to the side with gravity, just like a driver’s head does during an actual race. If the gameplay can match the beauty of the visuals, this will be a master class racing experience.

Platforms – Xbox 360, PS3, PSP
Ship Date – September 22

Spore Hero
Although the original Spore stumbled a bit under its own ambition, EA is following up with Spore Hero, exclusively for Wii. A story-driven, action-adventure, Spore Hero has players create a hero and then adventure off on a quest to save the world, collecting parts and abilities for altering their creations. The competitive multiplayer mode will be unveiled at E3.

Platforms – Wii
Ship Date – Fall 2009

Spore Hero Arena
Not to be left out, the Nintendo DS is getting Spore Hero Arena which features more creature creation and a core fighting mechanic being created with Wi-Fi gaming in mind.

Platforms – Nintendo DS
Ship Date – Fall 2009

Wii MotionPlus should make the Wii version of Tiger the one to get.

Tiger Woods PGA Tour 10
Tiger Woods PGA Tour 10 could be a must-own title for Wii as the game uses the Wii MotionPlus add-on to allow near 1:1 swinging control. My only fear? If I’m not good at real golf, how bad will I perform on the simulated PGA Tour?! Other versions of the game will feature brilliant graphics, real-time weather conditions and online tournaments sponsored by EA Sports.

Platforms – Wii, Xbox 360, PS3, PS2, PSP
Ship Date – June 8, 2009

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