EA unpacks summer showcase to reveal 16 games for mobile and handheld consoles
But this being July, there's a lot of repeats
Games giant Electronic Arts today parked its proverbial beach towel on the sun-lounger of summer gaming as it comfirmed that no less than 16 pocket games will head into our hands by autumn.
"This is an extraordinary time to be a gamer," president of EA Studios Paul Lee proclaimed (possibly while sipping from a tall cocktail surrounded by a bevy of trim, tanned beauties). "Whether your passion is for sports or action, whether you play online or on a mobile phone, our development teams have created something special for you."
Before we get too carried away by hyperbole (not to mention the disquieting thought of senior EA execs in Speedos!), it's worth noting that many of the games have already been announced separately.
We trust you'll remember the time we've had words about the PSP version of The Godfather, while we introduced Madden NFL 07, NASCAR 07 and Superman Returns on PSP back in May.
Meanwhile, EA Mobile titles Tetris and Orcs & Elves have already had a thorough going over in review and preview mode respectively.
Nevertheless there are a few newcomers in the pack, led by Need for Speed Carbon – it's revving up for DS, PSP, GBA and mobile, and it's from whence we grabbed the fetching picture of Emmanuelle Vaugier, who'll be 'starring' in the latest high-octane racer.
Far from just a pretty face, the up-and-coming actress (whose talents have so far graced Saw 2, 40 Days and 40 Nights and Two and a Half Men as well as the Maxim hot 100 females list) gives good PR spiel too.
"Being able to work in a videogame for the first time and working with the Need For Speed Carbon team at EA has been a great experience for me," Vaugier said, earnestly. "This is a game that evolves the racing genre, and I'm thrilled to be a part of it."
"Playing the role of Nikki allows me to take a completely fresh approach to acting and push the boundaries of the creative process," she added, with her tongue nowhere near her cheek.
Other finger fodder on the way includes PSP sports-sims NCAA Football 07, Tiger Woods PGA Tour 07, NBA Live 07 and NFL Street 3, plus a handful of mobile titles including Sim City, Downtown Texas Hold'em 2 and Fight Night Round 3.
Suffice to say you can expect to hear more in the coming weeks. For now, we've tried to pack them into a handy release schedule:
Out now Orcs & Elves (Mobile) Tetris (Mobile)
July NCAA Football 07 (PSP)
August Madden NFL 07 (PSP, DS, GBA, Mobile)
September The Godfather (PSP) NHL 07 (PSP) NASCAR 07 (PSP)
October Tiger Woods PGA Tour 07 (PSP, Mobile)
Sometime in the autumn Need For Speed Carbon (DS, GBA, PSP, mobile) Superman Returns: The Videogame (PSP, DS, GBA) NBA Live 07 (PSP) NFL Street 3 (PSP) Downtown Texas Hold'em 2 (Mobile) SimCity (Mobile) Fight Night Round 3 (Mobile) NBA LIVE 07 (Mobile)
