01:57 PM : EA's press conference starts in under 5 minutes.

01:57 PM : Minutes from the start of the press conference.

02:02 PM : And so it begins…

02:04 PM : First up is a trailer from visceral games. it's dante's inferno.

02:06 PM : Dante's main weapon is the scythe he somehow stole from Death. He's out to find his beloved and must fight hordes of demons to do so. Looks like he'll be fighting people from his past too.

02:08 PM : “The Sims 3 is expected a be an incredible success.” John Riccitello. The Sims 3 trailer is playing now.

02:09 PM : It comes out tomorrow (June 2). EA has 12 games to show today.

02:09 PM : Sims 3 - Will have a midnight worldwide “introduction” in dozens of countries

02:09 PM : Chip Lang is the GM of EA's Habro label. He's on stage now. He's worked on everything from Madden to Medal of Honor.

02:11 PM : Behind him was a video of two cutesy Littest Petshop characters as he walked on. They are continuing to target “girls” with cute and cuddly games.

02:11 PM : He's taking inspiration from his daughter and announces Littlest Pet Shop Friends on Wii and DS. Littlest Pet Shop Online launches this Fall. These games are geared towards girls.

02:12 PM : Now the trailer for Littlest Pet Shop Online is playing. You can create your own pets and play mini games to earn rewards. You can team up with friends and explore together. Subscription services are optional.

02:12 PM : Plenty of cute creatures, rainbows and minigames. You earn “kibble coins” (?). Of course there will be stuffed counterparts where you get a code to enter online.

02:13 PM : Diane Williams from Charm Girl's Clubs is on stage. Three young girls are on stage. Four Charm Girl's games are being released this Fall.

02:14 PM : These games are all about, “Friendship, fun and charms.” “Celebrate what's great about being a girl.” Speed Hair Teasing, the minigame (yeah, you read that right). Earned charms unlock other items.

02:14 PM : The girls are using the Wii Remote to play a game where they tease the hair of the character on stage. Lot's of waggling in this game probably.

02:15 PM : The smattering of post-trailer applause was accompanied with giggles

02:15 PM : The Charm Girl's Club trailer is something from a tweens day dreams. Now Need for Speed Shift is being shown.

02:16 PM : Shift is the first game to be released under the new Need for Speed direction. Shift is extremely deep. It recreates the emotion and power a driver gets from driving at high speeds.

02:17 PM : Need for Speed Shift - Another car game that process that shows how great cars can look on a game system.

02:17 PM : Now they're showing the driver profile. The video is having trouble. Whoops!

02:18 PM : From the video it looks like cars take damage. Nice.

02:19 PM : Player rivalries can unlock new vehicles and challenges. You get profile points based on the way you drive. The driver profile gives each gamer an unique experience. It's based on personality, success, profile points and badges.

02:19 PM : Now showing game footage. The audio is ramped up and sounds really good. Includes some ambient noises and scraping. Might even be direction according to the driver's head.

02:19 PM : The game demo is showing driving from the cockpit. The speedometer is on the right of the screen.

02:20 PM : Everything goes gray when your crash really badly.

02:20 PM : Hmmm. EA is giving away a new BMW M3 at its booth.

02:21 PM : “That's pretty cool, I think.” - best press conference quote. Attending media might be able to win a BMW.

02:21 PM : Someone will be driving home in that thing this Thursday. Now BioWare is showing Dragon Age: Origins. First console gameplay is at E3.

02:23 PM : Dragon Age: Origins is showing a brutal trailer with Marilyn Manson playing in the background.

02:24 PM : October 20 is the release date. And now it's time for Mass Effect 2.

02:24 PM : Bioware guys are Ray Muzyka and Greg Zeschuk.

02:24 PM : In Mass Effect 2 you take your crew on a suicide mission to save mankind.

02:25 PM : Early in 2010 is when Mass Effect will be out for Xbox 360 and PC. No mention of a PS3 version. Now a trailer for Mass Effect 2 is playing.

02:26 PM : Plenty of multicolored projectiles and plumes coming from weapons.

02:26 PM : This is the trailer that was released last week. Seth Green is back as Joker.

02:27 PM : EA Sports is up next. We see live action sports such as soccer, tennis, golf and boxing.

02:27 PM : Sports commercial with real people mixed in with pro athletes in various sports.

02:28 PM : Ode to Joy is playing in the background. There's a PS3 controller in several shots. Peter Moore is on stage now.

02:28 PM : “There's no win like a sports win.” - Moore. He's going to show Fight Night Round 4.

02:29 PM : It has a “genre defining physics engine.” -Moore. Now a live demo is about to be shown. Mike Tyson vs. Muhammad Ali is what we're seeing.

02:30 PM : At 60 fps

02:30 PM : It runs at 60 FPS as opposed to 30 FPS in Round 3. Tyson goes down!

02:31 PM : Camera is extra jittery with a lot of slow motion and jostling with each big hit.

02:31 PM : The game camera bounces as you exchange blows. Round 4 is about getting up close and personal.

02:32 PM : It's apparently live game play - they paused the game on command and went back for a few seconds of “instant replay.”

02:32 PM : The sweat realistically pours off each fighter's body. Very well done. Fight Night Round 4 comes out June 25, 2009. One week earlier than expected.

02:33 PM : EA Sports MMA comes out in 2010. It's a mixed martial arts game.

02:34 PM : Moore teases about getting an MMA tattoo as he did with Halo. “My wife would kill me” he says.

05:35 PM : Steve Chiang is on stage. Senior VP for EA Sports.

02:35 PM : Another promise of instant games without discs or installation.

02:37 PM : Team Builder is available at teambuilder.easports.com You can build your own team.

02:37 PM : Chiang (Cofoudner of Tiburon) - “More touch-points that even before” like Tiger Woods PGA Online, streams to browser without game disc, installation or peripherals. New EASports.com site launches today to share content, etc.

02:37 PM : Changes made online with TeamBuilder are reflected within the game.

02:38 PM : Madden 10 Online Franchise will make us more unproductive at work.

02:38 PM : Madden 10 promo is followed by a few hoots and applause.

02:39 PM : EA Sports Active - “Get people off the couch, breaking a sweat and live healthier lives.”

02:39 PM : EA Sports Active is already out, but Moore feels the need to tell us how successful it is.

02:41 PM : And now a live testimonial from a mom who loves EA Sports Active.

02:41 PM : BTW: EA Sports Active will apparently make you a hot blonde mom.

02:42 PM : Naturally she's in great shape. That means we all can be beautiful too if we use EA Sports Active!!

02:43 PM : Over 600,000 copies of EA Sports Active have been sold so far two weeks in. The first expansion for EA Sports Active will be out later this year.

02:43 PM : 30 new exercises, more activities, squash, water skiiing. Tropics will be one setting.

02:44 PM : More specifically the expansion will be out this holiday season. And Allison the hot blonde mom leaves the stage. EA Sports Grand Slam Tennis is being talked about now. It comes out next week.

02:44 PM : Live game play on stage of EA Sports Grand Slam Tennis.

02:45 PM : Hmmm. Awkwardness on stage.

02:46 PM : The Wii version, Splitscreen multiplayer Camera moved to give you a batter viewing angle. The audience is laughing a bit. With Pete Sampras sneaking on stage.

02:46 PM : Pete Sampras is now playing.

02:47 PM : First time all four Grand Slam tennis events are in one game ever - first time for Wimbledon has been in a game “in years.”

02:47 PM : Sampras thinks this is easier than Wimbledon. Confirmed.

02:47 PM : McEnroe in the game(an exclusive character) is in his ‘80s headband and long hair. He stomped a bit when he missed a shot, too.

02:48 PM : That does it for EA Sports. You can all wake up now. And now for The Saboteur.

02:49 PM : So this guy is smoking in Paris at night. Cool song playing in the background. It's in black and white, except blood, lights and Nazi armbands.

02:50 PM : Now for some live gameplay. The will to fight is why it's black and white. As you take out Nazi's colored is restored to the world.

02:51 PM : It's an open world and you can climb the Eiffel Tower if you want. It's meant to be played as a stealth game.

02:52 PM : A stealth game where running away may be the best tactic.

02:52 PM : After blowing some stuff up, the character gets in a car and is hiding in store until things calm down.

02:53 PM : The red light district is a lot of red lights. (and the developer has a mondo beard - wonder if it was a bet he lost).

02:54 PM : Riccitello is back on stage. He's saying good things about Valve, MTV and Harmonix. Tim Schafer is about to show off Brutal Legend.

02:56 PM : Tim Schafer talks about Brutal Legend (and don't forget that umlaut over the “u”). This is turning out to be a very stand-and-deliver press conference.

02:57 PM : Schafer is wearing a Double Fine hoodie. The Killmaster is being played by Motorheads Lemmy Kilmister. Lita Ford is giving her likeness to the game too.

02:58 PM : Ozzy is playing the guardian of metal in the game. Very nice. And now a trailer.

02:58 PM : I like the AE-skull logo. Very badass and Punisher-esque.

02:58 PM : A cover of “Am I Evil” from Metallica is playing in the trailer.

06:00 PM : Rocktober 13, 2009 is the release date. I wonder if Jack Black is backstage… Oh wait he's not.

06:01 PM : And now Brutal Thoughts with Jack Black. Jack's now the human videogame. Don't try this at home. Lots of wires involved.

06:03 PM : The CEO and President of Crytek is on stage. Yet another hoodie wearer. He's talking about Crysis 2. The game is coming for PS3, 360 and PC.

06:04 PM : Hello Riccitello. Nice to see you again. APB is about to be shown. Dave Jones the founder of Real Time Worlds takes the stage.

06:05 PM : Jack Black - How much fun was that making of Microsoft's Natal project? A lot, without saying so.

06:05 PM : APB is about a bunch of people who want fame and fortune. Some will be bad and some will be enforcers. Every character is unique to the player. And now a trailer.

06:06 PM : Imagine a game where GTA meets Crackdown meets an MMO. This is APB.

06:08 PM : APB stands for All Points Bulletin. Horns are playing. A bunch of hooded guys are walking around the stage. It's Star Wars for sure.

06:09 PM : BioWare and Lucas Arts are going to show Star Wars: The Old Republic.

06:09 PM : That was a lot of people marching on the stage in Jedi capes, followed by an anticlimactic reveal.

06:10 PM : The Old Republic is the first ever fully voiced massively mulitplayer game. Everyone in the game will have an unique voice.

06:11 PM : Thousands of roles and hundreds of thousands of lines of dialogue. That's a lot of production (and employed voice actors).

06:11 PM : Different classes will have totally different stories from others. The fourth pillar of story telling is being forged through BioWare and Lucas Arts. Now is the first cinematic trailer for The Old Republic.

06:13 PM : A Sith has just owned a few guards. A ship has crashed into a building. It's a Sith, Jedi showdown. The Sith have returned.

06:15 PM : Looks like bounty hunters have flame thrower arms. A battle between the best Sith and Jedi is underway. And the Jedi loses.

06:15 PM : “You were deceived, and now your Republic will fall.”

06:16 PM : Well that's all for EA's conference.

06:16 PM : “A dozen great games, twelve incredible developers.”