EA Access through Xbox One is one of the best values in all of gaming, and that can be especially true for sports fans. The $30 annual (or $5 monthly) subscription service includes every EA Sports game from 2013 and 2014 plus other EA titles such as "Titanfall", "Battlefield Hardline" and "Dragon Age: Inquisition". The 2015 crop of sports games will be making its way into what's known as the "Vault" in the months ahead.
One of the other main perks of the service is the early playtime granted for the soon-to-release games. One of those periods opened up today with "Need for Speed".
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Subscribers to EA Access get 10 full hours with the game, which doesn't officially release until November 3. Those who decide to purchase the game on Xbox One will be able to continue any progress that was made both offline and online during the trial period.
The new "Need for Speed" features five interlapping stories and variations in ways to play built around real-world automotive icons: Magnus Walker (Speed), Ken Block (Style), Nakai-san (Build), Risky Devil (Crew), and Morohoshi-san (Outlaw).
EA Access is available only on Xbox One — Sony has rejected the attempts made to provide the service on PlayStation 4. It includes early play time in advance of all EA game releases. There's a huge one coming in mid-November with "Star Wars Battlefront". Those who haven't already used up the hours can even try out previously released ones like "Madden NFL 16" and "FIFA 16". Additionally subscribers receive a 10 percent discount on any digital purchases made within EA games or on the digital downloads of the games themselves.
Bryan Wiedey posts sports gaming news and analysis daily at Pastapadre.com, has co-founded the new site HitThePass.com, is a regular participant on the Press Row Podcast and Hit The Pass Radio shows, and can be reached on Twitter @Pastapadre.