e3-2014
Latest
Why Guilty Gear Xrd -SIGN- ditches pixels for polygons
The biggest change hitting Arc System Works' Guilty Gear Xrd -SIGN- is a shift from hand-drawn, two-dimensional sprites to three-dimensional, polygonal characters. You could be fooled into believing the game is 2D, as the game's vibrant cel-shading covers any jagged edges, but the sweeping camera angles betray the game's new 3D technology. According to Arc System Works chief creative officer Daisuke Ishiwatari (via translator), the company's rival fighting franchise, BlazBlue, has reached the apex of what its developers can do with sprite artwork. Describing BlazBlue as the "pinnacle of that style," Ishiwatari feels that it would be "boring to do the same thing with Guilty Gear." Plus, the new three-dimensional space allows the development team access to new camera angles - a feature especially notable in the almost-cinematic launch attacks, where the camera drops behind the attacker, then follows his or her victim into the air where players can unleash a brutal, mid-air combo. [Image: Aksys Games]
How to pronounce 'Guilty Gear Xrd -SIGN-'
Unless you've got a baffling grasp of phonetics, you're likely having trouble pronouncing the title of the latest entry in Arc System Works' Guilty Gear franchise, Guilty Gear Xrd -SIGN-. Fortunately, we're here to help. According to chief creative officer Daisuke Ishiwatari (via translator), the title is pronounced exactly as you read it. The "Xrd" bit is properly pronounced "ecks-erd," and the remaining bits of the title are pretty self explanatory. [Image: Aksys Games]
Bloodborne is the PS4's darkest, bloodiest new game
Seeing Bloodborne behind closed doors, it was evidently clear this once beastly project has its roots in the developer's lauded Souls series. From Software may be approaching the PS4-exclusive action-RPG as an original property, but in that hands-off demo, differences and similarities were both patent. In short, Bloodborne felt both familiar and unfamiliar. For example, killing enemies produced a familiar sucking noise indicating something gained, but it wasn't shown if this was experience, souls, or whatever. There were glowing lights floating in their corpses, but it wasn't clear if these were items to be picked up. Entrances were engulfed in white light, enemies burst into view through barrels, the camera sat familiarly behind the hero - who's customizable, by the way - and the combat looked methodical and strategic. As director Hidetaka Miyazaki explained, the three major layers From wants in Bloodborne are exploration of the unknown, truly perilous combat, and a unique online concept. You could easily attribute those qualities to any Souls game.
These are the biggest PlayStation games at E3 2014
The launch window is over. The PlayStation 4 is, for now, leading the sales charts and the best way for Sony to keep driving that momentum this generation is with -- what else? -- compelling games. This year's showing at Sony's E3 booth is no different than the last: You've got your smattering of indies, AAA titles and downloadable content. So what should you expect to add to your growing collection in 2014? We took a tour of Sony's booth to find out.
Destiny's E3 trailer experience
Activision and Bungie's Destiny has a significant presence at this year's E3. There's Destiny the statues, Destiny the speeder bike, Destiny the multiplayer combat experience and Destiny the co-op mission. We really wish they'd provided Destiny the hand sanitizer. Always have hand sanitizer at conventions!
Seen@E3: Who's next for Mortal Kombat X?
We're expecting to hear "Get over here!" a lot in Mortal Kombat X when it launches in 2015 for Xbox One, Xbox 360, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 3 and PC. Be sure to catch a glimpse of the game in action courtesy of a gameplay trailer shown off during Sony's E3 2014 press conference.
Lara Croft: More than just an action figure
It's difficult to think of Lara Croft as ordinary. She's the Tomb Raider, after all, a gun-slinging, cliff-climbing, insouciant stealer of artifacts and slayer of mercenaries. But she wasn't always like that. As the recent reboot illustrated, she started off as something else entirely - just a girl with a penchant for myths and histories, more comfortable trying to puzzle out ancient mysteries than hanging out with her peers. Still not ordinary, really - she's an extremely well-educated and wealthy woman, someone who's had the best opportunities in life - but not the larger-than-life action figure we've known from previous games. The reboot showed a different Lara, a more relatable Lara. One who was frightened and calling for help, but who rose to the challenge when she realized help wasn't coming. In those moments of strife, one does what one must, but what happens when those moments are over? How do you go back to the normalcy of life once you've gone so far outside of it? That's a question raised by the trailer for Rise of the Tomb Raider, as we see Lara in a psychiatrist's office, foot bouncing with anxious energy as a therapist uses his most soothing voice to help try and guide her focus toward making sense of the turmoil in her mind.
E3 2014: Hands-on with World of Warships and World of Tanks Blitz
If Wargaming.net is known for one thing, it's for being big. Nowhere is that more evident than E3, where displays for games like World of Tanks, World of Warplanes, and World of Warships typically dominate the show floor. Naturally this year's big reveal is the new Warships title. Although it's the third World of vehicles battler, gamers who haven't played the previous two won't be at a disadvantage. That said, it's the hands-on with World of Tanks iOS version that really got my attention.
Crytek's Hunt is a monster-hunting order from another mother
When THQ dissolved in the summer of last year, Vigil Games - the studio behind Darksiders - was facing the chopping block. The THQ-owned company was eventually swept up by Crytek, and the 35 employees from Vigil reformed as Crytek USA. Hunt: Horrors of the Gilded Age will be the studio's first game, and though it stands apart from Vigil's games, it's also standing on its own two feet. Hunt is an online, team-based third-person game set in the 1800s. You are a hunter - a person who tracks down and eliminates the things that go bump in the night. Witches, zombies, lizardmen and more are lurking in the shadows of history, and your job is to make sure these walking nightmares get put to rest.
The parts of Dragon Age: Inquisition you may never see
The world of Dragon Age: Inquisition is big. Really big. I mean, you may think it's a long way down the road to the chemist's, but that's just peanuts to Inquisition. It's big enough, in fact, to fit all of Dragon Age: Origins and Dragon Age 2 into it several times over. As you might expect, it's crammed full of quests, fights, diversions and memorable moments, but there's also some stuff in there you might never find. It's not hidden, per se, there's just no great big quest arrow pointing at it, which is exactly how Creative Director Mike Laidlaw wanted it. "In each level, I wanted there to be at least one cave, one dungeon, one something that no-one tells you to go to," he explained to me. He said that his design team had to "break some old habits" as they were creating the enormous open world that would become Inquisition. Dragon Age: Origins and Dragon Age 2 both made sure the player knew about every last thing they could possibly do, and Laidlaw wanted to make sure not everything was quite so obvious. It meant that there might be content in Inquisition that might never be seen, but it also meant that there was a point to exploring the game's stunning locations beyond just hitting the next point of interest on the map.
See the fists (and bones and blood) fly in Mortal Kombat X
Courtesy Sony's E3 conference, we have our second look at Mortal Kombat X, though unlike the announcement trailer, this vignette is chock full of new fighters, brutal special attacks and the copious gore fans have come to expect from NetherRealm's flagship series. [Image: WBIE]
E3 2014: Hands-on with Skyforge, World of Speed, and Armored Warfare
I won't lie: I went to an E3 meeting with publisher My.com thinking only of Skyforge. I'd heard about Armored Warfare and World of Speed, but I didn't expect much from either title. I'd seen tank games and racing games trying to move into the MMO sphere, and while they were sometimes interesting, I didn't pay a whole lot attention. And ultimately they weren't as interesting to me as Skyforge, but I did walk away thinking they are titles that will appreciated by a portion of the MMO audience.
Little Big Planet 3 lets you swoop, toggle, and odd your way through levels
Sackboy is back, and he's brought some chums with him for LittleBigPlanet3, due out this November on PS4. Three new types of hand-stitched creatures, each with their own special abilities, will make the journey to the planet of Bunkum to save it from the evil Newton. The first of the new sackpals is OddSock, a fast, doglike creature that runs on all fours and has the ability to wall jump. Then there's Swoop, the bird, who can fly and carry the other characters, should they need a lift. Lastly, there's my personal favorite of the new sacks, Toggle, an adorable lunk who's huge and strong when he needs to be, but who can also shrink down to teeny-weeny size when there's a tight squeeze.
E3 2014: Hands-on with H1Z1
I'm coughing. My head hurts. I'm tired, hungry, and thirsty. I'm not hearing things anymore, but when I close my eyes for too long, I feel disoriented. And this was before I got my hands on H1Z1! I'm sick at E3, but well enough to see through some spin while looking at a winner. If you're tired of hype, false promises, and pay-to-play alphas, come read between the lines with me as I recount the experience of my H1Z1 demo.
Seen@E3: Harvest Moon's genetically enlarged livestock
Dang. That there's a big ol' cow, I tell you what.
The fate of Forge in Halo: The Master Chief Collection
Although navigating the menus of Halo: The Master Chief Collection doesn't make it absolutely clear, the four-game collection featuring Microsoft's cyborg hero will include the multiplayer customization mode, Forge. "Forge Mode is in there," 343 Industries Franchise Development Director Frank O'Connor tells Joystiq, adding that preservation for the collection is a top priority. Forge Mode allows players to drop in-game assets into emptied multiplayer maps to create new structures. In Forge, players can also alter properties of their created maps to developer new game modes. O'Connor also assured us that the collection will also feature saved films, for Halo 3 and Halo 4, and for the first time, Halo 2.
E3 2014: Hands-on with Elite: Dangerous and the Oculus Rift
Is it possible that a hands-on demo of Elite: Dangerous and a talk with Frontier Development's Adam Woods, producer, and David Braben, CEO, would make a space sim fan out of me? Yes! I liked what I'd heard about the game before, but after experiencing it for myself at E3 2014, I can definitely say I am hooked. And it isn't just because of the Oculus Rift. I got a tour of the newest playable build, a sneak peek of the upcoming system and space station, and watched a brand-new trailer on top of the VR time.
NHL 15 missing '94 Anniversary mode' on Xbox One, PS4
The '94 Anniversary Mode' featured in EA's NHL 14 will return in the sports title's next installment, but not on the newest generation of consoles. NHL 14's '94 Anniversary Mode' re-envisioned the classic speedy gameplay of the EA Sports hit NHL '94, presenting matches in the game's modern engine. Speaking with Joystiq, EA Canada Producer Sean Ramjagsingh confirmed the bonus mode would not make the transition to the Xbox One and PS4 versions of NHL 15, but would return on Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3.
Doom gets a dark teaser as QuakeCon looms
Doom is entering the CG teaser phase of its modern resurrection. Bethesda and id Software intend to show the game off at their QuakeCon event in July, but have already put out a new trailer to convey the shooter's hellish mood. It's so dark, even Youtube wants to improve the lighting. The grotesque cyberdemon glimpsed in close-up could be the least mysterious thing about the game, which started life in the media as "Doom 4" in 2008. Unverified rumors point to a troubled development until recently, when the game returned (or was restarted) - simply as Doom - alongside the announcement of an upcoming beta for PC, Xbox One and PS4. Entry to the beta is attached to another revamp of a classic shooter, Wolfenstein: The New Order. We'll put rumors aside, though, and see Doom's latest form – and perhaps hear the unsettling howl from a Baron of Hell – at QuakeCon, which takes place on July 17 - 20 at the Hilton Anatole hotel in Dallas, Texas.
Seen@E3: Evolve's gentleman Goliath
Walk through the doors into the LA Convention Center's West Hall and you'll come face to ... uh ... face(?) with the Goliath from Turtle Rock Studios' 4v1 monster hunting simulator, Evolve. Don't worry, he's actually quite nice. Why, just as we snapped this picture, he told us we looked good enough to eat! What a nice guy.
