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'Dragon Quest XI' is the gateway JRPG new players needed
Dragon Quest XI launched in Japan almost a year ago, but it's only here at E3 this month that a western release is finally playable. Same old story right? A long-delayed Japanese game takes an age to get through localization, and appears with stilted translations, cheap voiceovers and a sense that this new game is already old. Wrong. DQXI subverts that. Well, a little. The US release will have voiced characters (the Japanese release had no voice actors), while also adding crucial upgrades like a dash button for your character, and a streamlined interface for smoothly getting your band of quirky allies in order.
Playing 'Jump Force' is like drinking liquid fan service
Bandai Namco continues to perfect the art of anime video game. Following its well-regarded Naruto Ultimate Storm series and last year's incredible-looking Dragonball FighterZ, it's time to bring all the heroes together. Jump Force, named after the best-selling line of manga magazines in Japan, draws on heroes (and villains) from hugely influential series like One Piece and Dragonball Z and fires it all at planet Earth. Yep, this manga crossover brings giant energy balls, elasticated limbs and ninjitsu to places like New York. Destructive, enjoyable, chaos ensues.
Here's a $20 arcade cabinet made of cardboard and a Switch
Where Nintendo goes, others follow. Off the back of Nintendo's popular Labo cardboard kits, accessory maker Nyko has concocted its own cardboard creation -- the PixelQuest Arcade Kit. Like Labo, it comes flat-packed as cardboard sheets. Where it differs is that the Arcade Kit doesn't come with any software. It's instead meant to act as a miniature arcade cabinet for games that support play on a single Joy-Con. That's a lot of games -- including major titles like Mario Kart 8 -- but the PixelQuest Arcade Kit is going to be at its best when paired with something like Street Fighter 30th Anniversary Collection or Metal Slug 3.
In 'Cyberpunk 2077' you control your own dark, intoxicating future
Cyberpunk 2077 looks fantastic. It's a joy to be able write those words, and it's a relief that they ring so true. CD Projekt Red, the studio behind the Witcher series, has been remarkably silent since revealing Cyberpunk in 2012 -- developers released one teaser trailer in 2013 and then went underground, leaving sci-fi and RPG fans in the dark for five long years. At E3 2018, they finally turned on the light. And, my oh my, what a sight it is.
'Zone of the Enders' and PlayStation VR are a perfect match
It's the rule: When a game hits its second remaster, the title must get longer and more convoluted. So, for the PS4 (and now PC) 4K remaster, it's now Zone of the Enders: The 2nd Runner - Mars. It's a substantially repolished version that fixes some of the major issues with the first remaster, but it's the virtual reality component on PlayStation VR which stands out. Giant mech robots work well in VR, and ZOE2 remains an enjoyable sci-fi mech fighter even more than a decade later.
In ‘The Last of Us Part II,’ Ellie is a lethal loner
"The Wolf" is a force to be reckoned with: She can make her own explosive arrowheads, use her enemies as bullet shields and fell attackers much taller and bigger than her. During the gameplay trailer for The Last of Us: Part II (TLOU2), Ellie is violent, destructive and unhesitant.
'Project 1v1' is a F2P arena shooter from the 'Borderlands' team
Gearbox Software brought a new game to E3 this year, but it definitely wasn't Borderlands 3 or a new Brothers in Arms. Instead, it's Project 1v1, which, as its working title suggests, is an online first-person shooter that pits you against one other player in combat. Each round lasts just five minutes, and arenas are deliberately small. Through a handful of matches, the map size meant that I was constantly playing cat and mouse with my opponent. But, since I'm not very good with a mouse and keyboard, more often than not I was the one being hunted.
'Spider-Man' is my web-slinging dreams come true
Sony first revealed Marvel's Spider-Man for PlayStation 4 at E3 two years ago, but how it actually plays remained a mystery until now. At this year's show I finally got to go hands on with the PlayStation 4 exclusive. My demo was a little different than what Sony showed off at its media briefing. Rather than a frantic mission during a stormy night above and around New York City's East River, I had an hour to explore a sunny daytime chunk of Manhattan's Lower East Side, mostly as I pleased.
How EA talks about loot boxes depends on who's listening
Electronic Arts is in a familiar position: Apology mode. The company spent a lot of time on Saturday self-flagellating in front of a global audience, recapping the mistakes it's made in the past year while promising that it won't make them again. EA wants you to know that it has changed; that it isn't the same company that put pay-to-win progression systems and loot boxes in two of its biggest games last fall. "We are always trying to learn and listen, and are striving to be better," CEO Andrew Wilson said before closing out the keynote address. He continued that, for people that purchase his company's games, he wants them to feel like they're being treated fairly. "No one is given an unfair advantage — or disadvantage — for how they choose to play. That for every moment you invest, you feel like you're rewarded, and you're given value for that investment."
Epic lines up its first 'Fortnite' World Cup for late 2019
During a break before the prize round of its star-studded Fortnite Pro-Am tournament at E3 2018, Epic Games announced some information about the first Fortnite World Cup. As a cap for the 2018-2019 competitive season where it's dishing out $100 million in prizes across various tournaments, the 2019 Fortnite World Cup will begin with qualifier events that take place worldwide later this year, where the company says anyone -- and with over 125 million registered players just a year into its existence, they mean anyone -- can play and win. Details on a Code of Conduct, platform info and schedule are still TBA, but what we do know is that while there will be some squad competition, the World Cup's focus is on Solo and Duo play. Also, traditional eSports powerhouses may take a backseat, as Epic announced that unlike some other competitions it will not sell teams or franchises and that it won't allow third-party tournaments to do so either. While you wait for more info you can tune in to the Pro-Am stream, which at the time of this writing has over 700,000 live viewers on the official streams (across Twitch, Facebook, YouTube, Mixer and Twitter) watching people like Ninja, Myth, Paul George and Pete Wentz playing in pairs to win $1 million for various charities.
'Sekiro' takes the 'Dark Souls' formula to ancient Japan
Woven in with Activision's anticipated E3 lineup of Destiny 2 and Call of Duty: Black Ops 4, there's the latest game from the studio behind Dark Souls. Indeed, FromSoftware's knack for creating dark and brooding gamescapes is on display once more in Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice, but this time that trademark look is applied to the stunning visuals of 1500s Sengoku Japan. It's not history retold, but instead a reimagined story set in that time. And based on the small piece of gameplay I've seen, FromSoftware has created quite the action-packed work of art.
'Dragon Ball FighterZ' is coming to the Switch this year
Dragon Ball FighterZ came out for PC, PS4 and Xbox One in January and quickly won over fans with its tight fighting gameplay and visuals that closely resemble the anime. At long last, Bandai Namco announced that the game is coming to the Nintendo Switch sometime in 2018.
'Super Smash Bros. Ultimate' will support GameCube controllers
The full reveal of Super Smash Bros. Ultimate for the Switch capped off Nintendo's pre-recorded Direct presentation for E3. The first teaser for the game dropped back in March, a year after the new console released. While fans have been pumped for the next game in the venerable franchise, so has the pro community -- and their prayers have been answered, as the game will support the much-preferred GameCube controller.
'Daemon X Machina' brings stylized mechs to Switch in 2019
The Switch has a new mecha property coming next year, announced at the top of today's Nintendo Direct -- Daemon X Machina. While easily mistaken for a new installment in the Xenoblade series, this is decidedly in the shooter genre like Armored Core, with humanoid mechs duking it out in open fields and city streets against even larger spider-like robots.
'Super Smash Bros. Ultimate' lands December 7th 2018
Nintendo's E3 showcase focused heavily on the return of one of its hit series: Super Smash Bros Ultimate has landed. The main takeaway is that all fighters that have ever appeared in the series are now back. That includes the return of outsiders like Solid Snake (ten years since he last appeared in Smash Bros.) and, well, over 60 characters total. Just think of the (completely compatible) Amiibo collection. Nintendo took a deep dive on the roster, outlining how each character has gradually evolved for Ultimate.
'Super Mario Party' is ready to ruin your friendships October 5th
Nintendo is reviving Mario Party. Super Mario Party will be released this October 5th and from the looks of it, the game will make use of special Switch features we haven't seen before. One section of the video showed two Switch screens laying face up on a table. From a top-down perspective, the screens resembled a board game, with players entering one familiar green warp pipe on one screen, and popping up on the other screen via said warp pipe. Apparently you can align the screens differently to create different paths.
'Overcooked 2' brings more culinary chaos to Nintendo Switch August 7th (updated)
If you're looking for a healthy serving of culinary fun on Nintendo Switch, you'll soon have your chance. During today's Nintendo Direct for E3, the company announced that Ghost Town Games' Overcooked 2 will arrive on the console August 7th. When it drops, expect another crazy cook-off where you can enter the kitchen using wireless, local or online co-op. There are more kitchens, more chefs, more recipes and more madness. You can also employ new techniques like the ability to throw ingredients and kitchens that change on the fly. For now, take a look at the game in the trailer down below.
If you buy Nintendo's Poké Ball Plus accessory, you'll get a free Mew
We already knew that the Switch's Pokémon: Let's Go Pikachu! and Pokémon: Let's Go Evee! would land alongside the Poké Ball Plus, but Nintendo is now trying to sweeten the deal. Each optional accessory will land with the mythical Pokémon Mew inside. Overpowered from the start? Well, that would depend on the stats, but a psychic Pokémon from the outset sounds great. The game (and peripheral) both land on November 16th. Follow all the latest news from E3 2018 here!
'Sable' is the best the apocalypse has looked all E3
Every E3, new games pop up that aspire for a unique art style to distinguish them from the sea of other titles clamoring for attention. There are a lot of pretty games this year, but nothing has looked like Sable. The indie title from Shedworks is a "coming-of-age adventure and exploration game," according to a tweet by publisher Raw Fury, but it's the distinctive thin-lineart-and-pastel colors that will stay with you from its E3 trailer. That and the cheerful, indie pop background track by the band Japanese Breakfast, who does the whole soundtrack.
Sega is bringing 'Yakuza 0' and 'Valkyria Chronicles 4' to PC
Hot on the heels of Shenmue I and II's re-release announcements, Sega Europe has confirmed that two additional franchises will be coming to PC. During E3's PC Gaming Show, the company revealed that PlayStation-bound titles Yakuza 0, Yakuza Kiwami and tactical RPG Valkyria Chronicles 4 will all make the move across, joining the likes of Bayonetta and Vanquish.
