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Rise of the Tomb Raider exploring holiday 2015
Lara saved her band of friends from the Tomb Raider reboot, but she'll face a new batch of danger in Rise of the Tomb Raider, due for holiday 2015. Rise of the Tomb Raider's debut trailer puts Lara back in hazardous wilderness, teasing glimpses of a temperamental bear and a frosted cave as an older man talks over Lara's hike: "People become who they are meant to be."
Limbo dev goes 'Inside' Xbox One early 2015 [Update]
During Microsoft's E3 press conference today, Xbox head Phil Spencer revealed that Limbo developer Playdead's follow-up project Inside is coming to Xbox One in 2015. No additional platforms were announced. [Update: A Playdead representative notes that Inside will "debut on Xbox," implying that a release is being considered for other platforms.]
Moon Studios unveils gorgeous 2D Ori And The Blind Forest
Though developer Moon Studios offered no solid details on the upcoming Ori And The Blind Forest, the cinematic shown during Microsoft's E3 conference offered a tantalizing glimpse of a very attractive 2D art style complemented by fluid, almost Ghibli-esque animation.
Conker teases an unexpected appearance in Project Spark
Furry hero Conker made a surprising cameo in Microsoft's Project Spark trailer at today's E3 conference. After slicing up the Project Spark logo, the Rare squirrel of yore told viewers to make their own game starring him in the content creation title. So apparently he'll be available in Project Spark, although it's not really clear how. Watch this space, folks. There was no further news on a full release for Project Spark. The open beta came to Xbox One earlier this year after launching initially on PC.
Halo: The Master Chief Collection jumps to Xbox One on November 11, 2014
Like a Forerunner machine rising from the sand, the rumored Halo: The Master Chief Collection has been given an official, dramatic unveiling by Microsoft. As you might have guessed from the collection's name, The Master Chief Collection will chronicle the adventures of UNSC SPARTAN John-117, aka Master Chief. That means updated versions of Halo: Combat Evolved, Halo 2, Halo 3 and Halo 4. It also means the inclusion of every multiplayer map from each of the aforementioned games. Following the example of 2011's Halo: Combat Evolved Anniversary, 343 Industries will be remaking Halo 2 with new textures, models and sound, though players will be able to switch back and enjoy the game's original Xbox visuals at any time. Speaking of visuals, Blur Studio will develop new cutscenes to re-tell Chief's story. All games in the collection will run at 60 frames per second.
Cosplay as Capcom's stars in Dead Rising 3 DLC, available now [Update: Trailer]
Channel the Dead Rising series' zombie-stomping cast and other iconic Capcom characters in an four-player co-op, arcade-flavored piece of downloadable content, available for Dead Rising 3 today. Characters from Capcom's highlights, like Street Fighter's Ryu and Final Fight's Mike Haggar, appeared next to a giant playable block of tofu. In case you were worried about Dead Rising's comical flavor being lost. As for the official name, uh ... Super Ultra Dead Rising 3 Arcade Remix Hyper Edition EX Plus Alpha. Yuuup!
Fable Legends multiplayer beta coming this fall
Fable Legends, the upcoming multiplayer-centric entry in the Fable series, will enter beta this holiday, Microsoft announced during their E3 2014 press conference. The game will feature multiple modes where players can take on the role of a Fable universe hero or, if you're feeling a bit more antagonistic, villain. As we learned at Gamescom 2013, Legends trades the franchise's hallmark character customization for pre-defined heroes that round out a heroic RPG adventuring party. [Image: Joystiq
Dance Central Spotlight shakes it on Xbox One in September
Dance Central Spotlight is on its way to Xbox One in September as a download-only game, Harmonix announced during Microsoft's E3 press conference. Spotlight is the latest Kinect-controlled grooving and shaking game in Harmonix's Dance Central series, and it features new routines and a fitness mode. Dance Central relies on the Kinect for full-body motion tracking, as does Harmonix's coming Disney Fantasia: Music Evolved. Microsoft announced it would start selling Xbox One without Kinect for $100 cheaper in June, a strategy that seemed to take Harmonix by surprise.
Sunset Overdrive kicks into a higher gear on October 28
Sunset Overdrive will launch October 28, Insomniac Games CEO Ted Price announced during Microsoft's E3 2014 press event today. The game is exclusive to Xbox One and features colorful third-person slide-and-gun action.
Xbox One hosts Dragon Age: Inquisition content first [update: trailer]
Microsoft announced during its E3 press conference that expanded content for BioWare's Dragon Age: Inquisition will hit the Xbox One before any other platform. DLC releases for Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, PS4, and PC will follow afterward.
Forza Horizon 2 coming to Xbox consoles September 30
Forza Horizon 2 is coming to Xbox 360 and Xbox One consoles on September 30, Microsoft announced during their E3 2014 press conference today. The game, which will run at 30 frames per second and 1080p resolution on Xbox One, is in development by Playground Games as opposed to the usual Forza studio, Turn 10. [Image: Microsoft]
Nurburgring circuit coming to Forza 5 as free content today
The Nurburgring is coming as free downloadable content to Forza Motorsport 5, and it's available starting today. The introduction of the famous German motorsport circuit was announced at Microsoft's E3 presser, where the publisher also showcased the next Forza entry on Xbox One, Forza Horizon 2, which hits the system on September 30. [Image: Microsoft]
Call of Duty Advanced Warfare DLC hits Xbox One first
Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare DLC will come to Xbox One first. "Xbox One owners will be the first to play the add-on content," Xbox head Phil Spencer said during Microsoft's E3 conference. Historically, Xbox receives Call of Duty DLC a few weeks before it hits Sony systems and PC. Microsoft demoed Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare on-stage, and it features soldiers, skyscrapers and unmanned aerial drones.
Watch Microsoft's E3 2014 press conference here [Update: It's over!]
Microsoft kicks off its E3 2014 press conference at 9:00AM PT (12:00PM ET) bolstered by a lineup of platform-exclusive offerings like Sunset Overdrive and Fable Legends. There's bound to be a few surprises, though, and a certain Master Chief will almost assuredly make an appearance. Check out our liveblog here for up-to-the-minute developments. [Update: And we're done! An archive is available here.] [Image: Microsoft]
Predicting everything but games for the Xbox E3 conference
Clearly our Microsoft E3 team is stuck in the past – all this TV and sports talk is so 2013. Xbox predictions are nearly obsolete though, as Microsoft's conference begins at 9:30AM PT today. Join Susan Arendt, Ludwig Kietzmann, Alexander Sliwinski and Xav de Matos as they liveblog the show, where there's sure to be plenty of non-Madden or TV-related announcements. While we're all waiting, give us something to do and send your questions our way using #E3Joy on Twitter.
E3 2014: Elder Scrolls releases 'live another life' video
ZeniMax has released an E3 teaser vid for Elder Scrolls Online. It's titled "live another life," and it's a three-minute cross-section of all there is to see and do in the game's version of Tamriel. If you've played the game already there's not much in here that's new. If you're on the fence, though, or if you're just a fan, it's probably worth watching simply for the game's production values. Click past the cut to check it out for yourself.
Elite: Dangerous newsletter focuses on E3 offerings
It's impossible for any development studio not to be thinking about E3 next week. It sort of dominates the industry landscape, after all. So it's no big surprise that the latest Elite: Dangerous newsletter focuses chiefly upon what Frontier Developments will bring to the convention. In short, it'll be a chance for everyone in attendance to get their hands on the game and preview the game's current beta as well as chatting with the development staff. The newsletter also answers a few community questions. Many of the locations in the game are meant to be far away from the core of gameplay without any shortcuts, specifically to enhance the feeling of being far from core hubs and the majority of players. The game will have Imperial content, but that will come into play as the game's play space expands rather than being an immediate focus. For a few more answers, take a look at the full newsletter.
PlanetSide 2 launches an E3 PS4 trailer
PlanetSide 2 is expanding to the PlayStation 4 in the near future, and there's reason for fans to be excited. Not just for the momentary giggle when you realize that you're playing PS2 on a PS4. There should be more details available at next week's E3, but for now, you can feast your eyes on the game's console trailer just past the break. If you're expecting some heretofore unseen game mechanics, you'll be disappointed, but if you're looking forward to seeing the game in action, you'll be quite pleased. It's all of the large-scale science fiction warfare from the PC on a console, and it doesn't look half bad at that. If you own a PS4 and want a bit more territory-controlling shooting, jump on down to the trailer. [Source: Sony Online Entertainment press release]
The Great E3 2014 Giveaway Week 7: 14 free Xbox One and Xbox 360 games
No one expected it go this far. Microsoft at its world-conquering peak was a software company, growing fat on the ubiquity of Microsoft Office and Windows. Even today that's where its cash money blood comes from. A consumer product like the Xbox? What chance could it possibly have? Before Xbox hit shelves, that's what everyone thought. J Allard, the Xbox console line's pappy, knew different. "Each generation of console has spawned new players, and there are new entrants virtually every generation, and there has been a new leader in every generation, and some that have persisted over multiple generations," said Allard back in 2000, nearly 18 months before Xbox came out. "I think that from Microsoft's point of view, we have to be in it for the long haul. This is not a one time thing. We really want to redefine Microsoft and make Microsoft an entertainment company. So our entrance strategy is divided between short-term focus, making the world's greatest console, but with an eye towards the future, so that we start building franchises and properties today that will endure over several console generations, as well as making investments in the hardware and the programs and our relationship with partners that will last over the next two decades, as we expand this medium to its full potential." It worked. Thanks to hits like Halo: Combat Evolved, Microsoft firmly entrenched itself in the game console business enough to make the Xbox 360 a roaring success. The company stumbled in communicating Xbox One's place in the line's forward-thinking lineage, but that machine still has a strong audience heading into E3 2014. Hence why we're highlighting it in the penultimate week of our great E3 2014 giveaway. We're giving away 14 free Xbox One and Xbox 360 games for the Microsoft devotee this week. In order to get your hands on these games, write to us at podcast@joystiq.com with the subject line "E3 Giveaway Week 7" by 10AM EST on Monday, June 9th and tell us what original Xbox game that never got a sequel you want to see reborn on Xbox One. One random selectee will win the lot.
Rumor: Meet your Mario Maker at E3
Mario Maker may be one of Nintendo's E3 reveals, at least if the above image is genuine. The photo, posted by Nintendo Enthusiast, is alleged to be of Nintendo's show floor at next week's conference in LA. The grainy image makes it hard to tell, but both it and the name suggest a kind of content creation game based around making your own 2D Mario levels. Nintendo Enthusiast doesn't note how it obtained the photo, so be sure to apply the grain-of-salt rule to what you're seeing; this is very firmly an unconfirmed rumor. Either way, we'll find out what Nintendo has up its sleeve in a few days' time, both at the show and during the company's live stream event. Update: Hat tip to eagle-eyed commenter arockefellow, who notes what looks like - it's hard to say for sure - grey bases beneath The Villager, Pikachu and Kirby. Of course that could just be innocuous, or maybe we're looking at NFC integration with Super Smash Bros. Again, the image is unverified, so keep those salt grains near. [Image: Nintendo Enthusiast]
