Whips crack and war rages as a familiar stranger enters the battlefield in Castlevania: Lords of Shadow 2. [video=youtube_share;vUcUz5Vo6iw]http://youtu.be/vUcUz5Vo6iw[/video]
See the first bit of gameplay from the highly anticipated Dishonored! [video=youtube_share;9ITq0hXCCB0]http://youtu.be/9ITq0hXCCB0[/video]
E3 2012: Tomb Raider Release Date Announced Crystal Dynamics has revealed the release date for its upcoming Tomb Raider reboot. In a trailer released tonight, the studio confirmed Tomb Raider will arrive on Xbox 360, PlayStation 3 and PC on March 5, 2013. The news follows an announcement a few weeks ago that Crystal Dynamics was pushing the game to next year. At the time, studio head Darrell Gallagher wrote that “Our priority now is to make sure we fully deliver the very highest quality game. In order to do this, we have decided to move the game’s release date by a few months, from Fall 2012 to the first quarter of 2013.” Square Enix has confirmed that Tomb Raider will be at E3 next week, and the game will also make an appearance on IGN’s Live Show direct from the show floor, so expect some new details to come very soon.
Journey into the heart of insanity in Far Cry 3. [video=youtube_share;VBaYIk7vhXs]http://youtu.be/VBaYIk7vhXs[/video]
School's in session for zombie decimation in Lollipop Chainsaw. [video=youtube_share;PuSj6oO3ePk]http://youtu.be/PuSj6oO3ePk[/video]
11 Things To Expect (or Not To Expect) From E3 2012 Here comes E3 2012, like Slim Pickens strapped to the world’s fattest ballistic missile, carrying a bottomless Santa Claus tote full of goodies. Don’t let the June 5-7 dates fool you: The show actually kicks off on Monday June 4, when Microsoft, Electronic Arts, Ubisoft and Sony stage their press shows from morning to dusk. In broad strokes, this year there’s Nintendo primed to show more of its already-announced Wii U (we’ll be liveblogging it here), Microsoft training all its special effects lighting on Master Chief’s new foil in Halo 4, Sony with whatever Sony has planned for the Vita and then the standard bazillion game sequels flanked by public relations all but waving glittering pom-pons. We’re also staring down a laundry list of wild hypotheticals: Will we see a new Xbox? The next PlayStation? A slimmer 3DS with a second thumb-stick? Gameplay footage of Grand Theft Auto V? Will Microsoft buy Sony and launch something called the PlayBox? Will Sega finally roll out the Dreamcast 2? I kid about the last two, but that’s the speed of reality heading into an E3. It’s like Steve Jobs‘ reality distortion field times the size of downtown Los Angeles. Bearing that in mind — call it our “prognostication may vary” disclaimer — here’s a rundown of what we’re expecting from this year’s show, along with a few things we’re not. We won’t see new consoles from Microsoft or Sony. Both companies have implied, repeatedly, that they won’t show new hardware at E3 2012. And why should they? They’re neck-and-neck in global system sales, have large install bases, developers are nice and comfy with the systems’ idiosyncrasies and design tricks, consumers aren’t really clamoring for new tech (or to spend more money on it) and even the newest kid on the block, Nintendo’s Wii U, reportedly just brings Nintendo up to par, power-wise, with the competition. Sure, whatever’s next is the elephant in the room this far into the current gen’s life cycle, and maybe – maybe — we’ll get a tease. But I wouldn’t count on it. And I certainly wouldn’t count on nit-picky platform specs or interface specifics, since we’re at least a year out from a next-gen Microsoft/Sony launch. We won’t get our first look at Grand Theft Auto V. It’s Rockstar’s elephant in the room, a game the company announced last year and has said nothing about since. With Max Payne 3 out the door, we’ll finally see this thing go large at E3 2012, right? Wrong. CVG says Rockstar’s going to do what it usually does: make like Axl Rose and shrug off the show. Which, frankly, would be fine by me — I’m with guys like Irrational Games’ Ken Levine, when he suggests pre-hype and previewing can spoil a game’s impact and says “[preparing] for these events takes time away from development.” Amen. Sony will double down on the Vita. The Vita hit the ground running in March with better-than-decent originals like Uncharted: Golden Abyss, Wipeout 2048 and Escape Plan, as well as sterling ports of games like Disgaea 3, Rayman Origins, Ninja Gaiden and Ultimate Marvel vs. Capcom 3. Since then, it’s been slow going. The next big thing is probably Gravity Rush, due out the week after E3, but Sony needs more than this exclusives trickle to get the Vita moving. I could care less about a Call of Duty or Battlefield game, say, but from a commercial standpoint, the system needs something like that to pry open wallets. Expect Sony to lay out its “Vita Stage 2″ plans, including the handheld’s fall/holiday launch lineup, at the show. Nintendo might introduce a diet-sized 3DS with dual analog thumb-nubs. No one iterates handhelds like Nintendo — the company’s released how many versions of its DS (even before it slapped a ’3′ in front of the moniker)? Its latest — the 3DS — is kludgy-looking and battery-life-challenged, and with the secondary control stick add-on tray, it’s kind of a franken-mess. What are the odds the company could roll out a slimmer 3DS with twin thumb-sticks and improved battery life at this year’s show? Long, but then so were the odds on a titanic and totally unexpected $80 price cut less than half a year after the 3DS launched stateside in March 2011. Price cuts, price cuts, price cuts. Nintendo’s Wii baselines for $140, the entry-level Xbox 360 with just 4GB of storage costs $200 and the 160GB PlayStation 3 runs $250. Expect those numbers to come-on-down next week. With the next-gen systems probably coming in 2013 (or technically this year, if we count the Wii U) and system sales slowing, price cuts — effective immediately or by the holidays — seem like a no-brainer. We’ll witness plenty of The Elder Scrolls love. There’s Dawnguard, the big who-wants-to-be-Van-Helsing Skyrim expansion, as well as The Elder Scrolls Online, the game every Elder Scrolls fan is chewing nails either for, or over. Will Dawnguard be amazing? Probably, though I’m less intrigued by the vampires-with-a-side-of-vampires angle than the big gameplay changes Bethesda may be hiding up its sleeves. Word is TESO won’t be playable at the show, but that we’ll see more revealing canned footage of the game in action — the launch trailer was just a slow-pan symbol voice-over, though we’ve since had a peek at over a dozen in-game screens. This year’s show is mostly about the Wii U. To everyone who won’t be walking E3′s convention halls in person (that is, 99.9% of gaming-dom), the show typically resembles its biggest reveals, usually rolled out at the press shows on Monday and Tuesday. In recent years, that’s been stuff like Kinect and PlayStation Move. Last year, it was the Wii U, and this year, it’ll still be the Wii U with high-def reboots of series like Mario Bros., Zelda and Metroid no doubt in the offing. Then there’s the gamepad-tablet angle, which everyone’s curious about. Will it catch on, or go the way of missteps like the Virtual Boy? In any case, whatever Nintendo’s up to warrants close watch (without the Wii, no Kinect or PlayStation Move). Will Nintendo change the system’s clumsy-sounding name? Doubtful. Remember when everyone thought the name “Wii” sounded ridiculous, too? There’s this whole late-breaking Star Wars 1313 thing. Star Wars meets Assassin’s Creed? Maybe. LucasArts just dropped word that its latest in-house developed Star Wars game will let you “take control of a lethal bounty hunter in a never-before-seen dark and mature world.” Recent Star Wars games have been more bad than good (oh, for the halcyon days of X-Wing and Tie Fighter), but you never know, and the source material — “a ruthless criminal underground deep below the surface of the planet of Coruscant” — would be a welcome shift from the series’ Manichean light-side/dark-side vibe. There’s also this new Gears of War thing. Please say it’s not for Kinect, but yes, Game Informer teased the next Gears of War installment on Thursday, meaning there’s probably a 0.01% chance we won’t see it at the show next week. Of course there’s this other rumor going around that it’s actually for Microsoft’s next-gen system…but we already decided they’re not showing that at E3 2012, right? The media’s going to ignore mobile gaming, as usual. Master Chief and Mario may be more interesting to traditionalists than interstellar pig-pummeling birds or pocket-sized post-apocalyptic plague sims, but the latter market is huge on smartphones and tablets, partly because those smartphones and tablets are approaching the power of game consoles, and partly because the games cost a fraction as much as console and PC fare. And mobile gaming is also the new locus for intrepid indie projects (see Plague Inc., linked above) that’d probably bounce off corporate gaming’s cost-benefit force-field. Alas, don’t look for (much) coverage of this increasingly huge part of the biz at E3 2012. And all the pretty games, of course. Besides Halo 4, The Elder Scrolls games and probably a few surprises, we’re looking at hands-on time with stuff like Borderlands 2 and XCOM: Enemy Unknown (2K Games), Call of Duty: Black Ops 2 (Activision Blizzard), Lost Planet 3 and Resident Evil 6 (Capcom), Crysis 3 and Sim City (Electronic Arts), Metal Gear Rising: Revengeance (Konami), God of War: Ascension and The Last of Us (Sony), Kingdom Hearts 3D and Heroes of Ruin (Square Enix), Company of Heroes 2 and Warhammer 40,000: Dark Millennium Online (THQ) and Assassin’s Creed III and Far Cry 3 (Ubisoft). Ready, set, headsplosion? Don’t worry, we’ll help you cut through the hype next week.
E3 2012: 10 Must-Play Games The rumor mill isn't quite as busy in the days leading up to E3 2012 as it was at the same time last year. E3 2011, after all, saw Nintendo officially unveil the Wii U, and Sony release tons of re-launch details about the PlayStation Vita. That said, there's still plenty of opportunity to talk about some of the more intriguing products that may appear at the big show. Particularly in the area that matters most at the world's largest video game showcase—software. And there will be plenty of it, ranging from indie efforts to AAA blockbusters. Numerous games in that mix will carry the industry forward into the 2012 holiday season and early 2013—at least that's what their developers hope. There are a handful of pesky titles that are spoken of year after year (Metal Gear Rising: Revengeance, The Last Guardian), but never quite materialize, and this year will likely be no different. We're going to discuss games that fall into both camps. The titles that comprise this anticipated games list come from niche and high-profile development and publishing houses such as 343 Industries, Arc Systems, Konami, Tecmo, Treyarch, and others. We’re sincerely hoping that these highlighted titles will be on the show floor and playable; few things are bigger downers than walking into a video game showcase only to watch a video. Plus, E3 is notorious for announcements that reveal very little information. In fact, two of the games we’re looking forward to seeing this year were announced at E3 2009. Call of Duty: Black Ops II (PC, PS3, Xbox 360) Treyarch returns to first-person shooter action with Call of Duty: Black Ops II, a game penned by The Dark Knight scribe David S. Goyer. Black Ops II's story revolves around a scrappy band of soldiers who try to prevent disaster when a terrorist organization seizes control of America's high-tech, unmanned war machines. The story splits time between the near future (2025) and the near past (the late '70s and early '80s), so gamers will see warfare involving super high-tech and more traditional weaponry. Black Ops II hits store shelves on November 13th, so we're expecting a playable E3 build. Dead or Alive 5 (PS3, Xbox 360) Dead or Alive 5 represents many a change to Tecmo Koei's long-running fighting game series. Team Ninja's latest fighter is multi-platform (a first since Dead or Alive 2), features a new "Power Blow" feature for knocking opponents into advantageous directions. Another big change: DOA is no longer helmed by the outspoken and controversial series creator Tomonobu Itagaki. Hopefully, DOA 5's direction change will play out better than Ninja Gaiden III's—many critics and fans didn't appreciate that title's revamped gameplay. God of War: Ascension (PS3) Are you ready for a kinder, gentler Kratos? God of War: Ascension focuses on the always-angry Kratos before he became the Ghost of Sparta—it's the series' Episode One, if you will. SCE Santa Monica Studio's action title will feature a revamped combat mechanics, dynamic lighting, and a new multilayer mode that supports up to eight players. Despite developer claims that we'll see a more human Kratos, we'll be truly shocked if the body count doesn't rival past God of War games. HALO 4 (Xbox 360) You can't keep a good Spartan down. HALO 4, the upcoming first-person shooter that was revealed in teaser trailer form during Microsoft's E3 2011 press conference, is slated to hit stores on November 1st. Microsoft and developer 343 Industries hasn't revealed much about the upcoming title besides announcing that there will be new vehicles, weapons, and a story-driven multiplayer mode supported by weekly cinematic episodes. This may very well be the first in the last wave of great Xbox 360 games to come out before Microsoft devotes its attention to new hardware. Hawken (PC) Adhesive Games recently received a whopping $10 million in funding for Hawken, the company's upcoming free-to-play PC game. Powered by the Unreal Engine, Hawken puts gamers in one of three mech types (light, medium, heavy) each of which has a particular skill set inherent to its class. In-app purchases lets mech pilots customize their heavy metal, and purchase new weapons which transform rivals into scrap. Hawken features team and free-for-all deathmatches, as well as two other modes that have yet to be announced. The futuristic warfare has a 12-12-12 release date. The Last Guardian (PS3) Team Ico, the creative crew behind the beautiful and moving Ico and Shadow of the Colossus titles, two of the most memorable video games in the past decade, returns with The Last Guardian, a third-person action-puzzler that was first revealed two years ago at E3 2009. Gamers control a weaponless boy who can run, jump, climb, and interact with his environment much as protagonists can in other Team Ico games, but the addition of his monstrous Trico companion (which he can ride and use to solve problems) adds a deeper gameplay element. Considering Team Ico’s track record, the excitement for this title continually builds. Metal Gear Rising: Revengeance (PC, PS3, Xbox 360) This is the year when we finally get to see Konami's Metal Gear spin-off in action. This extremely drawn out project began life as Metal Gear Solid: Rising an action game focused on Raiden, Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of Liberty's controversial protagonist. Kojima Productions turned over the development reigns to Platinum Games, the hardcore development house behind Bayonetta and Vanquish, so we can expect plenty of over-the-top action (such as a cyborg-ninja slamming a robot dinosaur), moreso than the stealth elements that have defined the Metal Gear series until this point. Persona 4 Arena (PS3, Xbox 360) Arc System Works, the studio behind the BlazBlue and Guilty Gear series, applies its 2D fighting prowess to Atlus' critically-acclaimed RPG franchise. Featuring characters from the critically-acclaimed Persona 2 and Persona 3, this odd genre mashup contains auto-combos, defensive Trump Cards, Persona assists, and other techniques that will appeal to fighting game fans. But will the Persona audience, those used to a high-quality RPG experience, take to the one-on-one fighting action? Star Trek (PC, PS3, Xbox 360) Digital Extreme's upcoming third-person "bro-op" shooter is set in the same universe as J.J. Abrams 2009 Star Trek film; in fact, it takes place between the franchise reboot and next year's sequel. Based on an original tale by God of War pen Marianna Krawczyk, Star Trek puts players in the roles of either Kirk or Spock as they attempt to prevent an alien force from conquering the galaxy. Gameplay details are still very scarce, but we look to get hands-on with the shooter at the show. Tomb Raider (Mac, PC, PS3, Xbox 360) Lara Croft, much like the blood-letting Kratos, receives the origin treatment in this upcoming franchise reboot. Tomb Raider, set for a multi-platform 2013 releases, focuses not on boobs and shorts, but on survival. The game sees the recent university graduate left shipwrecked on an island off the coast of Japan, and details the harsh physical and psychological challenges which await the novice adventurer.
Joel and Ellie are attempting to get to the bridge and out of the city. They are tourists in an area that's controlled by hunters. They are hunted and yet they too are hunters. Everyone is willing to do whatever it takes to survive. What you'll see here is something that we're calling Balance of Power AI. Enemies will react realistically to whatever situation your combat style forces them into. Playing as Joel, Ellie's help and whatever weapons you can scavenge are your best shot at progressing in this brutal, violent world. The Last of Us is genre-defining experience blending survival and action elements to tell a character driven story about a population decimated by a modern plague. Cities are abandoned and being reclaimed by nature. Remaining survivors are killing each other for food, weapons and whatever they can find. Joel, a ruthless survivor, and Ellie, a young teenage girl who's braver and wiser beyond her years, must work together to survive their journey across what remains of the United States. Developed by Naughty Dog, The Last of Us is being made exclusively for the PS3 system. [video=youtube_share;8ZYkj0glnqs]http://youtu.be/8ZYkj0glnqs[/video]
Dante makes a shining appearance in this E3 2012 teeming with gameplay and demons alike! [video=youtube_share;ipIvjckk-Ow]http://youtu.be/ipIvjckk-Ow[/video]
Go deep undercover with the Triads in Sleeping Dogs. [video=youtube_share;mCOlzqoG70s]http://youtu.be/mCOlzqoG70s[/video]
One of the coldest franchises around makes its return with Lost Planet 3. [video=youtube_share;jVvN0jfc2vQ]http://youtu.be/jVvN0jfc2vQ[/video]
Can you survive the returning horror that is Dead Space 3? [video=youtube_share;SKHhKKkWzNQ]http://youtu.be/SKHhKKkWzNQ[/video]
Choose your path to becoming the ultimate hunter in Crysis 3. [video=youtube_share;CLaix1LK6CA]http://youtu.be/CLaix1LK6CA[/video]
Take a first peek at Ubisoft's new digital thriller, Watch Dogs. [video=youtube_share;NsArkS5jaeA]http://youtu.be/NsArkS5jaeA[/video] Ubisoft shows off 10 minutes of dynamic open-world gameplay with some new elements in their title, Watch Dogs. [video=youtube_share;MNmN-HnVkes]http://youtu.be/MNmN-HnVkes[/video]
E3 2012: Dead Island Riptide Announced Dead Island publisher Deep Silver has announced Dead Island Riptide, a new entry in the undead franchise. Right now details are virtually non-existent. Deep Silver has only announced that original Dead Island developer Techland is in "full development" on the title for consoles and PC. A logo has been revealed: Deep Silver stated that an "extensive reveal" of the title will take place later this summer. For now it seems like the publisher just didn't want to be left out of this week's E3 action.
Sly Cooper: Thieves In Time - E3 2012: PS3 Gameplay Teaser Sly is back and sneaking around E3! Get a glimpse of the sneaky action in this gameplay teaser clip of the PS3 version from E3 2012! [video=youtube_share;X1lh-6uLgzI]http://youtu.be/X1lh-6uLgzI[/video]
