EA Reveals EA Playground As Wii/DS Exclusive

The first preview of yet another Wii exclusive title from Electronic Arts has emerged, in the form of EA Playground – a sports game compendium including many playground style games and already compared to Nintendo pack-in title Wii Sports. The publisher also plans to release a companion Nintendo DS version of the title. Although not yet officially announced by Electronic Arts, the game has already been previewed by consumer website IGN, including a trio of debut screenshots. The game is being developed by EA Canada, which has also been responsible for the well-received Madden NFL 2007 on Wii. Games already pictured for the Wii version include tetherball and racing remote control cars, although the preview also mentions a dodge ball simulation. The Nintendo DS version will include several unique games, such as bug hunt, which uses the touch screen, and spit balls, which uses the microphone. All the games feature a multiplayer mode, with simple cartoon style graphics somewhat reminiscent of Wii Sports. It is presumed the game will not use Mii avatars, with the initial screenshots picturing a quite different stylized look for characters. EA Playground is the latest in an increasingly wide range of Wii exclusive titles from Electronics Arts, with previously announced titles including SSX Blur, MySims and Boogie. The company has also scheduled a number of multiformat games that make extensive use of the Wii’s unique interface, including Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix and The Godfather: Blackhand Edition.