Following the Microsoft Electronic Entertainment Expo press conference, which favored simplicity and universality among devices, Electronic Arts (EA) took things in a more refreshing direction, geared towards some of the biggest games they have set in store for us this year versus emphasizing more on the technology side of things.

The conference kicked off with a fright, unveiling Dead Space 3 for the first time to the world, that showcased a quite a few intense, over the top action sequences with a massive boss fight at the end to cap off the demo. All in all though, I felt a bit lost as a Dead Space fan since I for one enjoy the lone, murky fright the game used to give. Now, the game looks very similar to Gears of War.

But with the addition of drop-in drop-out coop, I will finally get to enjoy the action with a fellow friend next to me on the couch without having to sacrifice where I am in the single-player story. The game will "take players on the most immersive, spine-tingling adventure ever" and promises to be as good in single player as in multiplayer.

Following Dead Space, Cam Weber took the stage to tell us a bit about Madden 13 and how the game will be the most innovative entry in the franchise. The game will run on the new Infinity engine that promises to deliver "physics you can feel," estimating collisions based on a player's height, direction of travel and even weight to decide the outcome of every collision.

No two tackles will ever look the same, or so they say. Also mentioned was the new career mode for Madden 13 that will let players create or choose an existing rookie in the NFL and progress through their career, the end goal being acceptance into the hall of fame. No problem right?

Players will be able to upgrade specific areas of a player's skill-set with earned XP that looks very similar to features found in many RPGs.

Next up was the unveiling of two new Sim games that will be coming to both PC and Facebook. The version coming to the PC will be using an all-new graphics engine and will feature multiplayer for the first time in the franchise.

You can either build and run an entire city on your own, or you could run the town with a friend. Also, multiplayer will cause any changes made in your city to affect Sims in surrounding cities as well, not just your own. So an economic meltdown in your city might cause destruction in your friend Jimmy's urban playground as well!

EA also showed off two new gameplay demos for Medal of Honor: Warfighter and Crysis 3, showing off the beauty of destructive environments in Warfighter and the hectic action that brings to the table. While I am eager for another visit into the life of a Tier One operative, I couldn't help but notice how freakishly similar the game looked to that of Battlefield 3.

From what I saw at the press conference, the game could easily pass up for just another expansion for Battlefield 3. Hopefully Danger Close can find something to help distinguish the game from its condescending rivals rather than relying on another quick in and out single-player campaign.

Crysis took the stage immediately stating right off the bat that they wanted to create the best and most expansive sandbox game possible. Hopeful information for fans of the first game who felt lost in the much smaller areas to explore in the sequel.

The gameplay demo showed off depicted what Crytek called an "urban rainforest" in the middle of New York city. The action was as intense as ever and the upgraded graphics were a real treat to look at.

What I thought was the most refreshing part of the event was the announcement of Need for Speed: Most Wanted. The game steers away from the direction The Run veered towards and returns players to what I like to think of the heart of the franchise, epic, high speed races with an army of cops in hot pursuit. The more destruction you cause, the more points you earn. And nothing seems cooler than when you have six cops on your tail!

And with the addition of AutoLog, players will be able to keep track of everything from fastest track times to longest pursuits and jumps. Everything you accomplish gets uploaded to the most wanted list, which you can compare stats with and compete against those on your friends list.

Fifa 13 is also looking to take the same route as Most Wanted, dipping even further into the social aspect of things. Players will be able to continue to level from where they left off in Fifa 12 to earn new special kits, celebrations and more.

What I thought really dampened the show though was the announcement of Battlefield Premium. The whole service just looks like another attempt by DICE and EA to mimic the success of Call of Duty Elite. The service will offer new, beneficial features, unique dogtags, access to four new themes digital expansion packs starting in September and more. And this will all be available for the "affordable" price of $49.99. Just another money grab? I think so.

In the end, I thought the EA E3 2012 press conference was a big success for the company as they focused on what everyone in crowd was there to see, games. They didn't dabble into silly little features that we don't really need like uPlay, Origin, or the many new incremental changes brought to the Xbox Live service that Microsoft centered in on. They were straightforward and to the point. Two thumbs up EA!