e3-2011
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Silent Hill: Book of Memories developed by WayForward
We've got another marginal detail about Silent Hill: Book of Memories for you. During an E3 showing of downloadable splatterfest Bloodrayne: Betrayal, WayForward designer and director Sean Velasco briefly discussed the company's expanding slate of games -- which now includes a new Silent Hill game for PlayStation Vita. Velasco didn't divulge much, only describing Book of Memories as a "left-field" part of the prolific developer's upcoming lineup. A "left-field" multiplayer Silent Hill game? Scariest licensed baseball game ever.
Aliens: Colonial Marines preview: Game not over, man
Gearbox's Aliens: Colonial Marines is trying to deliver the Aliens sequel you always wanted. The team at Gearbox considers Alien3 to be a sequel to the original, leaving the action-heavy Aliens without a proper narrative followup. In Colonial Marines, a group of, well ... colonial marines find themselves back on LV-426, ready to become the latest incubators of the xenomorph race. The hands-off demo we saw started with our squad back on the planet and in the Hadley's Hope facility. "But wait, wasn't the complex destroyed in a nuclear blast at the end of Aliens?" you ask, quite astutely. Gearbox explained that a ground-based nuclear blast would leave a cone-shaped crater (that's why nuclear bombs are supposed to be detonated in mid-air), so it could have been possible for the sturdy complex and xenomorph hive to survive. Happy? No? Well, that's the premise, so get used to it. %Gallery-126010%
Kirby: Mass Attack preview: Kirby's other avalanche
For the first few minutes of my Kirby: Mass Attack demo, I felt bad. I felt bad for the Kirby series for leading to this failed experiment. I felt bad for the DS for having something so irritating as its swan song. I felt bad for the poor booth attendant who was tethered to this game and forced to stand around as people played it all day. And I felt bad for myself for playing this. By the end of the demo, I was totally, unreservedly into it. It built up steadily from something awkward to something elegant. I still felt bad for the woman corded to that demo DS, though.%Gallery-125888%
Crystal Dynamics 'not making a second' Lara Croft game, focus is on Tomb Raider [Update: CrystalD responds!]
Last year, we spoke with Crystal Dynamics' global brand director Karl Stewart, about the studio's new three team structure: the "pillar" team was hard at work on the new Tomb Raider reboot, one of the highlights of this year's E3; the experimental team was working on smaller games under the "Lara Croft" banner; and the brand team, which looks after the lucrative Tomb Raider brand and, ostensibly, oversees projects like the upcoming movie. At that time, Stewart told us, "The experimental team is basically just looking at the IP going forward and how we can take Lara to new and exciting places." The first and, as it turns out likely the last, place they took her was last year's Lara Croft and the Guardian of Light, an excellent isometric downloadable co-op game. So is Crystal Dynamics still looking to take Lara to new and exciting places? Outside of the reboot, it sounds like the answer to that question is in the negative. "We're not making a second one," Stewart told me. "Not yet, or just not?" I asked. "Oh no, we're not making a second Lara. For us, that Lara Croft was, in a way, it was sort of the furthest possible extension of that iteration of Lara. Once we finished Guardian of Light, obviously we knew we were making this version of Tomb Raider," Stewart told us, referring to the reboot they were showing off during our interview. Stewart was clear that the game performed well financially. "In business terms, it was very successful," he told me. What was less successful was the implementation of its online co-op feature. "In terms of issues, the one issue that plagued us all the way through, which looking back we would've changed our minds to do other things, was definitely the online," Stewart lamented. "I wish if we had the ability and had the information, we could've been a bit more transparent." While the studio isn't pursuing the experimental Lara Croft series, it does recognize it as a successful "creative side endeavor" for the studio. In fact, Stewart told us that Daniel Neuberger, game director on Lara Croft and the Guardian of Light, is now the game director of the new Tomb Raider. [Update 6/12 6:20pm: Stewart reached out to Joystiq to say clarify that CrystalD isn't "'Currently' working on a new version of Lara Croft and the Guardian of Light in the near future" and to note that he "didn't use the word 'Never.'" He adds, "We don't currently have plans on the table, but it was an exciting project and you just never know." We've asked Stewart to clarify whether or not the "experimental team" is still in operation in the above-mentioned three group structure.]
Rise of Nightmares preview: Right foot forward
I'm having an internal debate regarding Rise of Nightmares, the upcoming Kinect title from Sega. It's easily the most ambitious Kinect game I've ever played. Unlike most Kinect offerings, Rise of Nightmares gives players total control over their actions, allowing them to fully explore an interactive environment from a first-person perspective. The only problem: I can't decide if it's actually good or not. %Gallery-126016%
Rock of Ages granite release on Aug. 31
Rock of Ages gets its rolling start on the week of August 31, smashing through historical figures and high art on Xbox Live Arcade, PlayStation Network and PC. The price has yet to be determined, but Atlus says it'll be "reasonable" and land somewhere between 10 and 15 dollars. The barbaric pleasures of Rock of Ages -- that is, steering an enormous boulder through an opposing player's obstacles -- are paired with classy presentation and a playful approach to and through history. If you couldn't tell already, it's the latest game from ACE Team, the Chile-based developer behind Zeno Clash.
Reminder: LA reader meetup is tonight! Come play great games and accept our hugs!
E3 2011 has officially wrapped, folks. And though we've still got a mess of content to blow out over the coming days, we wanted to remind you that we've got a reader meetup tonight in downtown Los Angeles, and we'd be really upset if you weren't there. Like, many, many tears. The most tears. You know who else will be disappointed? The cadre of great game developers we've got coming by with their great games. From the just announced Dance Central sequel to the retro gaming menagerie of Retro City Rampage, you could be seriously missing out. So hey, if you're in the Los Angeles area this evening, you're over 21 (sorry! seriously! we know it's super lame!), and you want to play a bunch of great video games while hanging out with the editors of Joystiq, we'd suggest clearing the hours of 5:30 to 9:00PM. Head past the break for the entire list of games and details of the event location. We, we, we so excited!
Papo & Yo preview: O meu amigo, o monstro
If you haven't seen Papo & Yo's endearing announcement trailer, you should probably go check that out right now. Go ahead, I'll wait. All set? Great. Now that you've seen it, you'll understand why it was one of the few E3 2011 games that I made a specific point of going to play, just for me. Papo & Yo is a story-driven puzzle game about a boy named Quico who lives in a Brazilian favela, and his two best friends: a quirky robot named Lula and a rhino-like creature named Monster. Lula, unfortunately, scares the hell out of Monster, rendering him too petrified to move when she's nearby. Monster, on the other hand, is an adorable, friendly giant. That is, until he eats a frog (he's addicted to 'em!), totally flips out and tries to kill everything. I didn't see that part, though -- the demo actually ended with Monster gobbling a frog and a fade to black. What I played, rather, was all about puzzle solving. %Gallery-126125%
Puzzle Agent 2 cracks the case June 30
Most top-flight puzzle crackers are known for their speed, but the FBI's Nelson Tethers isn't like most puzzle crackers. In fact, he'll need until June 30 to put together the answer to his latest stumper: Puzzle Agent 2, coming to iPad, iPhone, Mac and PC from Telltale. After a brief E3 demo of Tether's second case, we were left with a pretty darn clear message: The game's more of the same, although that's not necessarily bad. Give us the market's largest commercially available magnifying lens and we still wouldn't be able to tell Puzzle Agent 1 and 2 apart by presentation alone. So if you've got a problem with the series' odd humor or slideshow animation, you won't see it fixed here. However, if you were irritated by the tendency of puzzles in Scoggins, Minn. to repeat themselves, you'll be happy to hear that Telltale is including more puzzles with more variety this time around. Considering puzzle repetition was our biggest problem with Puzzle Agent 1, Tethers may have just found the solution for winning back our hearts.
E3 2011: Spacetime Studios on the Legends franchise
Blackstar has a new name to capitalize on the Legends brand -- it's now known as Star Legends: The Blackstar Chronicles. At this year's E3, we caught up with Spacetime Studios' Fernando Blanco to see how the revived project (as well as the company's hit Pocket Legends) is coming along. Star Legends is only a month away from launch, and Spacetime hopes that the Pocket Legends fever will spread to its sci-fi brother. The name's been changed to communicate the studio's intent to provide an ongoing story rather than a one-shot experience. The game will launch with the first 20 levels of content, but Spacetime has grand plans to expand this much further. Blanco gave us some of the backstory to the game: In the far future, humans are exploring the cosmos and have stumbled upon a resource-rich area. Corporations, as they are wont to do, have swooped in to exert their dominance but have come across hostile aliens in the process. War breaks out, invasions start popping up all over the place, and you're called in to clean up the mess -- and make a quick buck in the process. Hit the jump to hear more about Star Legends' classes and gameplay!
E3 2011 wrap-up: Wii U, PS Vita, and a whole lot of motion gaming
This year's Electronics Entertainment Expo was pretty amazing, featuring plenty of fresh new hardware and some... innovative titles for serious consoles. Sony renamed its NGP to PlayStation Vita, while Nintendo unveiled its Wii successor, designated only by an extra vowel: U. Despite the (now even more) goofy name, the Wii U stole the show, its 6.2-inch touchscreen controller opening the door to a world of potentially awesome games -- and to what will surely be a whole new generation of shovelware. The show may be over, but the our coverage still burns -- just like our hearts after one last night at Daikokuya. Liveblogs Microsoft Sony Nintendo Major announcements Microsoft's new Xbox 360 UI has Bing voice search across Hulu, Netflix, YouTube, and live TV Sony introduces PlayStation-brand 3D monitor and 3D glasses, bundle available for $499 Sony's PlayStation Vita official: $249 for WiFi, $299 for 3G The Wii U, Nintendo's next console The Wii U controller, revealed! Impressions Sony's PlayStation Vita: first hands-on impressions Nintendo Wii U controller, first hands-on! Kinect Star Wars hands-on: Engadget and Joystiq get in touch with the Force Hyperkin SupaBoy portable SNES console hands-on Minecraft Pocket Edition on Xperia Play hands-on Forza Motorsport CSR and CSR Elite wheel and pedals hands-on Xbox 360 Wireless Speed Wheel hands-on But that's only the beginning! Be sure to check out our E3 2011 event page for the full suite of news.
The Road to Mordor: Digesting E3
Instead of being hit by one huge Lord of the Rings Online bombshell at E3, as some predicted, we were treated to a series of smaller yet gripping reveals that are sure to have a major impact on our gameplay in the future. We assumed that E3 would be all about Rise of Isengard for LotRO, and sure enough, it was. Weeks like this are what we live for as fans. It's crazy to get a glut of information that we're expected to digest all at once, and it's so much fun too. I think Turbine probably has a few more reveals tucked up its sleeve about the expansion -- we still have four months to go, after all -- but this is a good start to the ramping-up period before Isengard releases. So enough dilly-dallying; let's dig into it! What can we make out of all of these revelations? What does the pre-order mean for you? What were the highlights and what were the disappointments? Hit the jump and we'll take you on a legendary ride all the way to the gates of Orthanc itself!
All Sonic Generations 3DS levels to be platform-exclusive (save for Green Hill Zone)
After showing E3 attendees a new level in Sonic Generations, game producer Takashi Iizuka highlighted some of the extra content that can only be found in the 3DS version. "One important thing to say about the Nintendo 3DS version is that besides Green Hill Zone, which is the starting zone on all versions, all the stages on the Nintendo 3DS version will be different from the stages that are seen in the PS3 and 360," Iizuka said. Generations will revisit and remix levels from Sonic's entire history, including his Genesis and Dreamcast outings, but only the 3DS game may borrow stages from older handheld games. "For the PS3 and 360, none of the stages we're selecting are going to be from the handheld," Iizuka explained during a brief Q&A session. "However, on 3DS we're looking at picking stages from handheld as well." The portable version of Generations will also offer a special stage, a two-player versus mode and a battery life that should effortlessly summon nostalgia for Sonic's Game Gear days.%Gallery-125674%
Killer Freaks from Outer Space preview: The freaks come out at night
Ubisoft's Killer Freaks from Outer Space represents a proof of concept for FPS controls on the Wii U. It also represents a showpiece for the system's new HD capabilities, and its ability to combine vastly different gameplay experiences into the same game. In addition to those two important technological roles, Killer Freaks presents the answer to the unasked what-if scenario "What if Red Steel and Raving Rabbids were the same game?"%Gallery-125907%
MGS 3: Snake Eater 3D preview: Awkward Snake
There really isn't a lot to say about Metal Gear Solid 3D: Snake Eater. It's the same game that debuted on the PlayStation 2 over six years ago. Well, that's true for the most part. There are a few 3DS additions -- and some necessary control changes, but for the most part it's an enhanced port without too many surprises. %Gallery-126069%
SteelSeries Diablo III headset and mouse: demon slaying flair for your skull and desktop
Sure, there are plenty of great gaming goodies to be found on the floor at E3, but some of the best stuff is much harder to find. For example, SteelSeries' new Diablo III Mouse and headset, which were revealed to us when the prototype devices were pulled from a backpack. The headset packs the same 50mm drivers, retractable boom mic, and overhead suspension design of its Siberia V2 stablemate, but adds some sinister-looking design tweaks. These cans come murdered out in matte black with lava red accents (which can be turned off) courtesy of 18 LEDs, plus matching red external speaker grilles. There's also a braided cord that plugs into your Mac or PC via USB. %Gallery-126062% We got to see the Diablo III mouse as well, and found it sports an ambidextrous design similar to the SteelSeries Xai. Its inky exterior is cloaked in smooth, soft touch plastic sporting silvery tribal accents, and a glowing ember Diablo III logo and trim around the scroll-wheel. Given Diablo's click-happy gameplay, Steelseries gave the mouse beefy Omron switches that are good for 10 million presses (which are backed by a five year warranty). All those clicks are tracked by custom driver software that also lets users tailor the pointer's button layout by dragging and dropping character-specific commands to the button of your choosing. Now that your appetite has been whetted with the design descriptions, here are the details that matter most: the mouse will cost $69 and the headset $119 when SteelSeries starts selling 'em at BlizzCon in October. %Gallery-126063%
Ghost Recon Online on Wii U footage solidifies
Who'd have thought that the folks with shaky cam footage of Ghost Recon Online for Nintendo's Wii U would be Nintendo? But here we are, showing off just that from Nintendo's own second day of E3 2011 recap video. Head past the break for a peek at the game in action.
Microsoft Studios hasn't signed next Alan Wake project, would 'love to work with Remedy again'
Oskari Häkkinen, head of franchise development for Finnish developer Remedy Entertainment, told Joystiq last month that, in fact, a new Alan Wake project was under development. Admittedly, we were getting a little ahead of ourselves when we arrived at E3 this year in full Alan Wake cosplay so the absence of the latest A. Wake project – rumored to be an XBLA title called Alan Wake's Night Springs – hit us pretty hard. So we tracked down Microsoft Studios chief Phil Spencer to grill him about Remedy's reveal and the dearth of Alan Wake games in Microsoft's E3 lineup. "I read that," Spencer said, laughing about the news. "I don't know that they've signed it with anybody." While Spencer told us that Wake "didn't sell as well as we would have liked," he was clear that it wouldn't affect their working relationship. "I'd love to work with Remedy again," he told us. "We have ongoing conversations with them." So if Microsoft isn't privy to what Remedy's working on, who is? "I think the stuff they're doing now they wanted to incubate, Mattias and the team," Spencer said. "They wanted to incubate internally. Like I said, I don't think they've signed it with anybody." Well, as long as that's the case, we'll have our Joystiq Publishing representatives get in touch with Remedy and work something out. Our backrub-heavy royalty system is an industry first.
Anarchy Reigns multiplayer preview: Funstration
You guys, I really want to like Anarchy Reigns. It's a ridiculous, over-the-top brawler and I really liked MadWorld -- like, a lot. So imagine my disappointment when I realized the only thing holding back Anarchy Reigns from being a whole lot of fun is the camera. %Gallery-126017%
Payday: The Heist preview: Everybody be cool
Payday: The Heist was just announced earlier this month, but Swedish developer Overkill Software had it on display front and center at Sony Online Entertainment's booth. I wasn't sure what to expect from the downloadable co-op shooter; the elevator pitch is that it's Left 4 Dead where you're stealing things rather than killing zombies, so I sat down with more questions than answers as to how it all worked. Turns out what I found was a surprisingly deep co-op shooter, a game that respects both its heist movie influences and the complicated tangles of co-op multiplayer gameplay. As a shooter, it's not quite as polished or graphically impressive as some bigger budget titles, but for its depth and intelligence, I actually found Payday: The Heist to be one of the best titles here at E3.
