EA.com

Internet games site

Review: Peter Eley

EA.com went live this month, creating a mega cyber entertainment site to rival Microsoft's Gaming Zone.

There are 37 online games, ranging from the simple platform game Bunny Luv to the dark, immersive world of Ultima Online.

In between there's bridge and other card games, match-ups for EA retail games such as Tiberian Sun and The Sims, and many of their sports titles.

As with Microsoft's site, there are three classes of game: free ones such as Bunny Luv and bridge, retail games where you play for free after you've bought the CD, and premium games — in EA's cases Ultima Online, where you pay a monthly access fee.

EA New Zealand general manager Mike Wynands described the launch as "only the beginning".

"Over time, EA.com will grow to challenge the most ubiquitous entertainment format of all time, television."

A comparison of the sites run by the giants of the software industry is inevitable, and Microsoft's emerged as the winner for me because it has a cleaner design and more depth.

But EA.com isn't far behind for a newcomer and seems easier to navigate. It's more commercial, too, with games like Boxerjam offering weekly prizes and giveaways.

Links:

www.ea.com

E-mail: peter_eley@herald.co.nz