EA Access is one of the best values in all of gaming, and that's especially true for sports fans. The $30 annual (or $5 monthly) subscription includes every EA Sports game released to date on Xbox One plus other EA titles such as "Titanfall," "Battlefield 4," "Need for Speed Rivals" and, later this summer, "Dragon Age: Inquisition."
One of the other main perks of the service is the pre-release play time granted for games. Rory McIlroy won't be playing in this year's British Open, but you can play the game he headlines starting Thursday.
MORE: Biggest impact free agents for 'NBA 2K16' | Spieth's U.S. Open victory also a win for EA Sports
Subscribers to EA Access get 10 full hours with "Rory McIlroy PGA Tour," which doesn't officially release until July 14. Those who decide to purchase the game will be able to continue any progress they made during the trial period. Given that there is no demo for the game, the play time represents the only opportunity to try out the game prior to its release.
"Rory McIlroy PGA Tour" is the first golf game from EA on the new generation of systems. The most recent release, "Tiger Woods PGA Tour 14," was one of the strongest efforts in the long-running series. The rebooted title, however, only includes eight licensed courses and 12 real-life golfers and is taking a more "arcade" approach to the sport by featuring "fantasy" courses and off-the-wall gameplay modes such as "Night Club Challenge" to appeal to a more casual crowd.
EA Access is available only on Xbox One — Sony has not allowed it on PlayStation 4. It also is featuring early play time for upcoming games such as "Madden NFL 16," "NHL 16," "FIFA 16" and "NBA Live 16." Subscribers can 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 in the Press Row Podcast, and can be reached on Twitter @Pastapadre.