Best EA Game From Every Year In The 2010s

Highlights

• EA produces a variety of games beyond just sports titles, spanning genres like Adventure, horror, RPG, and more.
• The 2010s saw EA release a vast amount of games, including standouts like
  Mass Effect 2
  ,
  Dead Space 2
  ,
  
  and
  Need for Speed: Most Wanted
  .
• Games like
  Titanfall 2
  and
  Dragon Age: Inquisition
  showcased EA’s potential to create some of the best shooters and RPGs in the industry.

Whilst EA is known for a good number of yearly sports games, they also produce a whole host of other games across a multitude of genres, spanning the likes of; Adventure, horror, RPG, and more. Whilst players often have mixed feelings about EA, they have brought gamers a fair share of decent titles as a publication.

Founded in 1982, the studio has only increased in popularity and is easily one of the most recognizable names in game development, lasting over 40 years in the industry. As EA continued to grow, so did its catalog. The 2010s were no exception, as EA released a vast amount of games, including some truly memorable experiences for players. Why not read below and see each year’s standout title?

10 2010 – Mass Effect 2

Metascore: 96

The first game on this list just goes to show the sort of quality that EA has under its hood. BioWare’s incredible Sci-Fi RPG not only delivered but surpassed the expectations of what many gamers hoped for with reworked classes, tighter gunplay, and further push on the choice-driven narrative that continued to mold this galactic traveling adventure to each player’s choices and actions.

Mass Effect 2 is seen by many as the peak of the franchise, and for good reason, it delivered one of Sci-Fi’s best RPGs to date and continues to hold up as an incredible experience that fans of RPGs and fans of games, in general, owe themselves to explore.

9 2011 – Dead Space 2

Metascore: 90

Following up on Visceral Games’ 2008 survival horror hit Dead Space was no easy task. After all, the game was beloved by many, thanks to its fear-inducing gameplay and cruel twist ending. So how does a studio go about making a sequel to such a complete survival horror package? They go the Aliens route.

Dead Space 2 was everything James Cameron’s Aliens was to Ridley Scott’s Alien. It was more action-packed, more exciting, but most importantly it still kept the same dread and fear that made the original so good. Visceral Games’ 2011 sequel did everything right. It was a fantastic action-horror affair with a whole host of memorable moments, backed up with tighter gameplay, and a bigger narrative to get lost in. No wonder it’s a contender for third-person shooters that deserve a switch port.

8 2012 – Need for Speed: Most Wanted

Metascore: 84

Need for Speed is one of the fastest and most exhilarating racing games, and Need for Speed: Most Wanted behaves as one of the best entries in the franchise. EA allowed for the developers to push further into the genre, and to create a memorable experience for those who adore getting behind the wheel and putting their foot down on the peddle for a thrilling joyride.

Need for Speed: Most Wanted gave players a true open-world racing experience, cars were discoverable from the get-go, and the city was a great urban playground to explore. The game was one of the best, as a truly fun racer to play, thanks to its well-implemented social features and some of the most refined arcade racing out there.

7 2013 – Battlefield 4

Metascore: 81

Whilst Battlefield 4 may not be the best Battlefield game out there, the game was still a hit with first-person shooter fans and continued to keep hold of a large player base thanks to how great the multiplayer offering was for gamers, even if the game’s short 6-hour campaign wasn’t much to write home about.

Battlefield 4 delivered some of the best maps that fans of the series have had to play with and the large-scale battles, coupled with its destructive environments, its online offering made for some truly breathtaking online battles. It didn’t quite hit the same heights as Battlefield 3, but when the game raised the bar so high, being close is still a great result.

6 2014 – Dragon Age: Inquisition

Metascore: 85

Dragon Age: Inquisition was not only the best EA game of 2014, but it was also one of the best RPGs to drop in the 2010s. The game went on to win multiple Game of the Year awards and continued to add to its already enormous amount of content over the years with some great DLC expansions.

The game was truly an RPG fans’ dream as it was one of the few great games that cast players as nobody, who they could sculpt into the adventurer they wanted. The game featured an incredible campaign filled with lovable companions and great gameplay mechanics that kept RPG fans and casual gamers alike hooked for months on end.

5 2015 – Star Wars: Battlefront

Metascore: 73

After years of waiting, Star Wars returns to the gaming scene, and with a grand time. Players had waited years for another Battlefront game, and having DICE on board to bring Star Wars to life with new graphics and gameplay was a grand idea, thanks to their ability to compete with Call of Duty with their Battlefield series. Star Wars: Battlefront looked great, felt great, and felt great, and it was an easy shooter to pick up and play for those who adore the franchise.

Whilst there were some issues with Star Wars: Battlefront, such as the fact that it lacked a campaign mode, and a pure focus on the Original Trilogy only, the sheer amount of detail placed within the game didn’t stop players from having a blast across various iconic planets in the galaxy far, far away.

4 2016 – Titanfall 2

Metascore: 89

Titanfall 2 is perhaps one of EA’s greatest-ever shooters. Still, it was almost dead on arrival due to its release schedule, dropping the Sci-Fi shooter not only the week after Battlefield 1 but also the week before Call of Duty: Infinite Warfare, even with the advantage of the sequel launching on multiple consoles, unlike its predecessor. Titanfall 2 became a cult classic, and for good reason.

Respawn Entertainment not only created a fresh campaign for the shooter, but it was also one of the best stories in a first-person shooter to date. The levels were so well-designed, and the story allowed players to not only experience a great narrative but also learn the ropes ready to take the fight online. The Titan gameplay was better balanced, the shooting was perfect and the movement mechanics were so incredibly addictive. In short, It wasn’t just EA’s best game of 2016, it’s also one of EA’s best games to date.

3 2017 – FIFA 18

Metascore: 84

FIFA is a franchise that has been around for a long time, though more recently the franchise has had a name change to EA Sports FC, following EA losing the license to the FIFA brand. Back in the 2010s, that wasn’t a problem as FIFA was still dominating the football scene, with FIFA 18 coming out off the back of the incredible FIFA 17, a well-received title by many fans of the series.

The game continued to build on the success of FIFA 17, adding a new chapter to the newly introduced story mode of Alex Hunter, as well as continuing to improve on modes in the game, including the ever-present Ultimate Teams. It was still a great soccer experience, even if the game tended to heavily favor the thrill of attack, making the defensive aspect of the game weaker than it should have been. It’s hard to deny that the game didn’t quite live up to the standard set by its predecessor, but it was still a great game that managed to hoist itself up to be EA Games’ best game of 2017.

2 2018 – A Way Out

Metascore: 78

A Way Out was a different step for EA, allowing for a more narrative-focused game to thrive, rather than the usual multiplayer shooter or sports game. A Way Out featured an intense story of two strangers, developing a bond as close as brothers as they attempt to escape prison, and then indulge in each other’s private lives, learning what makes the other tick, even at the cost of their opinions or trust of one another.

A Way Out has a thrilling story, and its gameplay relies entirely on a co-op experience, whether with a stranger or a friend. Bonds can grow and tear with A Way Out, and the essential gameplay reliance on teamwork really helps solidify the experience worth checking out.

1 2019 – Apex Legends

Metascore: 89

Ever since Fortnite burst onto the scene in 2017, studios and publishers have been trying to recreate that success and get in on a slice of the action. As Fortnite continued to increase in popularity, so did the number of Battle Royale games, each hoping to match the games’ success. One such game that delivered a great experience that challenged Fortnite was Respawn Entertainment’s free-to-play team-based hero shooter, Apex Legends.

Set within the Titanfall universe (but no titan in sight), Respawn Entertainment crafted a 60-player battle royale hero shooter that saw teams of three drop into an ever-enclosing arena, pitching players against each other in hopes their team would come out victorious. It was the same addictive loop that had hooked so many gamers to Fortnite, but Apex Legends, interesting heroes, and well-refined gunplay made this free-to-play shooter stand out, and continue to grow its fan base. In fact, the game is almost five years on and continues to keep many gamers coming back for more with a constant slew of new gameplay updates dropping, with the game in full swing for its 20th season.