Electronic Arts, more commonly known as EA Games, is one of the most prolific video game companies in history. Founded in 1982, the company has developed and published hundreds of games in a variety of genres. Some of these have been massive hits, like its line of EA Sports titles, and some have been big misses that didn’t quite hit the intended mark. The company itself has had its ups and downs, having been named Consumerist‘s Worst Company in America — twice in a row.
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Throughout those 40+ years of making games, even with the turmoil, EA Games was bound to make something good. There was a time when people actually looked forward to their annual sports games. There was a point when BioWare was putting our bangers at a consistent clip. There was a time Battlefield was legitimately competing for the top military shooter against Call of Duty. The company has released some great games, and here are the 10 best they’ve ever made.
10) Dragon Age: Origins
Before Dragon Age: Origins, BioWare had released Mass Effect, Jade Empire, and Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic. While all of these are beloved in their own right, they were certainly different from the fantasy RPGs they were known for, most notably Baldur’s Gate.
Dragon Age: Origins was essentially a modern interpretation of Baldur’s Gate and Neverwinter Nights. BioWare took everything they’ve learned up until Mass Effect and created a fantasy RPG that can appease fans of those classics, as well as modern BioWare games. Even after EA released three more games in the series, they have not quite hit the level Dragon Age: Origins has.
9) NHL ’94
As mentioned above, there was a time when people actually looked forward to annual sports game releases. Arguably, given how sales have been every year, that still seems to be the case, but there is always some negative connotation to that sentiment. Regardless, one of the reasons people keep buying EA’s slate of sports titles is because in the ’90s and early ’00s, they were very good at it. And arguably, the best of that bunch is NHL ’94.
Whether you’re a fan of hockey or just a friend of a hockey fan who keeps bothering you to play a hockey video game with them, NHL ’94 is still such a fun game to play to this day. In fact, EA made NHL ’94 Rewind, a game release in 2020 that kept the same graphics and controls of the original, but added the NHL rosters of that year. It is that iconic.
8) Battlefield 3
Battlefield 3 was revolutionary for the franchise. As a proper follow-up to Battlefield 2, which had launched six years before the 2011 first-person shooter, it was a technical showcase for Xbox 360 and PS3 consoles, as it was nearing the end of the generation. While the entries that followed this one are of varying degrees of quality, ranging from good to mediocre, none of them really hit the same highs that Battlefield 3 did. This even gave Call of Duty a run for its money, especially as it was a down year for the series, as Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 wasn’t a critical hit.
7) Burnout 3: Takedown
Burnout 3: Takedown is just pure fun distilled in a video game, even more so than the beloved Burnout Paradise. The races are absolutely insane, as cars go flying in a blaze of glory. The crash mode is an absolute blast. It’s like playing with toy cars, except they explode. Also, the soundtrack is incredible, featuring artists like My Chemical Romance, Fall Out Boy, and The Ramones.
6) NBA Street Vol. 2
EA Sports BIG was the label given to the publisher’s arcade-style line of sports games. Games like SSX Tricky, Freekstyle, and Def Jam Vendetta are just some of the titles gamers could expect from the label. However, the one that probably sticks out the most, besides SSX Tricky, is NBA Street Vol. 2.
NBA Street Vol. 2 was this perfect mixture of style and gameplay that not many games possess. It also feels like a love letter to the game of basketball, essentially featuring the starting five of every NBA team from that time, as well as legends like Michael Jordan, Larry Bird, and Wilt Chamberlain. There really hasn’t been a good arcade basketball game since.
5) Titanfall 2
Talking about Titanfall 2 is sad because EA really did Respawn Entertainment dirty. The publisher released the game between a new Battlefield and Call of Duty game, essentially destroying any hopes that it could sell decently. It’s too bad because Titanfall 2 is the last truly great first-person shooter EA has released, and it’s almost been a decade since it launched.
After the success of the first game, which was multiplayer only, Respawn added a single-player campaign in Titanfall 2. To this day, it is regarded as one of the best FPS campaigns of all time. It has so many incredible moments and tells a story that exceeds the quality of the standard fare. On top of that, it included the multiplayer suite that fans already loved. Again, it’s too bad that any attempt to bring this series back beyond Apex Legends has gone nowhere, because Titanfall 2 is an incredible and original take on a genre that seems to only iterate rather than innovate.
4) The Sims 3
The Sims 3 is The Sims 2, but better. It featured improvements to customization, an open world to explore, and tons of freedom for players to really create the Sim they want. It was the ultimate life simulator before the genre began flooding the Steam store, and very much helped popularize the cozy game genre.
3) Skate 2
There has only been one skateboarding video game franchise to penetrate the mainstream like Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater. Originally developed by Black Box, Skate took a different approach to the genre. Rather than the arcadey gameplay players know and love from the revolutionary Activision and Neversoft franchise, EA decided to lean more into realism with its flick-it control scheme. This, along with its featured pros, created an experience that is authentic to real-life skateboarding.
The first Skate introduced a new way of looking at skateboarding in games, and the third improved and added to the series’ unique trick system. However, Skate 1 really was a small experience, which was a great foundation for what was to come. Skate 3 may have improved the flick-it system, but its maps are probably the worst in the series, albeit still fun to play.
Skate 2 may not have darkslides, but it is this perfect melding of all the great things about the series. San Vanelona is the best and most varied map that flows as you skate across it. The roster was stacked with awesome skaters, like Jerry Hsu, John Cardiel, Jason Dill, Dennis Busenitz, Eric Koston, Ray Barbee, Mike Carroll, and many more. And it had a great replay editor that allowed even more freedom for how you could film clips. It has everything anyone would want from a Skate game, and is easily one of the best EA has ever made.
2) Dead Space
More than most genres, horror seems hard to nail in video games. You want there to be moments of tension to add to the thrills, but not enough to frustrate a player. You want to surprise and scare the player, but not scare them away from the game. You want to give a player power, but not too much, or the feeling of vulnerability needed in horror goes away. Not many games nail these facets, but some have. One of those is Dead Space.
Dead Space is a near-perfect horror game, with a unique setting, genuinely frightening creatures, and a basic story that is filled with intrigue to keep players invested. From the moment Isaac gets the plasma cutter next to a wall that reads “CUT OFF THEIR LIMBS” in blood, the tone is set. From there, it’s thrilling until the end.
Also, for EA to remake a horror game is pretty wild. The M-rated horror games are probably not the biggest money makers, so for the company to revisit the Xbox 360/PS3 classic shows just how special Dead Space is.
1) The Mass Effect Trilogy
This is cheating, considering this encompasses three games rather than one, but the trilogy is just too good not to mention them all.
The tale that spans the Mass Effect trilogy is one of the best stories video games have to offer. Despite its gameplay quirks, the first entry lays the foundation of the universe, introducing players to all the races and threats the galaxies hold, and all told in a really great narrative. Mass Effect 2 tells one of the best narratives in gaming and improves on its gameplay tremendously, resulting in one of the best video game experiences of all time. While Mass Effect 3 did fumble its ending, it is still a solid end to Shepard’s story.
Mass Effect really is a special franchise that is unique to gaming. It’s not just one of EA’s best; it is arguably the best sci-fi franchise in the history of gaming.
What are your favorite games from EA? Let us know which games would make your list for the company’s best in the comment section below!
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