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Microsoft's Xbox, Xbox 360 backward compatibility list ends here
Now that Microsoft has unveiled its Project Scarlett Xbox gaming ambitions, there's some good news and some bad news about backward compatibility. The good news is that games from four generations of Xbox will be playable on the new hardware. Even better news is that a pretty sweet list of titles are being added to the program today. The bad news is that the program, which launched during E3 in 2015, is coming to an end for original Xbox and Xbox 360 games.
These were E3 2015's best games
E3 is (thankfully) over, and that means the press that cover the event have recently cast their votes for what they thought were the best games from the show. You know those blurbs on box art saying "winner of over 90 awards" and the like? This is partly where they come from. Collectively known as The Game Critics Awards, the governing body for them is made up of staff from over 30 editorial outlets, including Engadget, that attended gaming's Paris Fashion Week. For a game to even be up for consideration though, it has to be playable -- a stage demo or non-interactive trailer won't cut it. What's it mean for you? In the end, a better idea about what it's like to actually play the biggest games from E3, because we got to go hands-on with them. Without further ado, the winners are in the gallery below. Spoiler: Fallout 4 was pretty successful.
'Sailor Moon' in a post-apocalyptic pigeon-dating simulator
Hatoful Boyfriend is a pigeon-dating simulator. You read that correctly and, yes, it means exactly what it sounds like. However, Hatoful Boyfriend is also much more than a pigeon-dating simulator: It's a dark tale of science experiments gone awry and a formerly human world now run by birds. In Hatoful Boyfriend -- released on Steam in September and on its way to PlayStation 4 and Vita this year -- you play as a young (human) woman and uncover truly terrifying things about this strange new avian world. Hatoful Boyfriend: Holiday Star is a new game in the same pigeon-dating universe, due to hit PS4, Vita and PC this fall. As Mediatonic Producer Luke Borrett explains direct from E3 2015, Holiday Star features even wackier stories, including scenes reminiscent of Sailor Moon, a trip to a manga convention and birds in tanks. Watch a portion of our interview with Borrett below.
At E3, I saw the missing pieces of the VR puzzle
The excitement around virtual reality may have started when Sony unveiled Project Morpheus last year, but last week's E3 was its coming out party. The thing is, I've been around long enough to remember the hype and subsequent commercial flatline over gaming in stereoscopic 3D. So going into this year's grand gaming gala, I was skeptical -- I had that awkward tech history footnote in mind -- and to a point, I still am. But Oculus helped me get over that a bit. All it took was a game from a trusted developer -- Insomniac Games -- and an input solution that makes VR feel less isolating.
'The Last Guardian' is a stripped-down sort of beautiful
The Last Guardian needs to be perfect. Fans of Ico and Shadow of the Colossus have been waiting for this, the third game from director Fumito Ueda, since it was announced in 2009. As issues with its production went public and development appeared to slow to a crawl, The Last Guardian entered the misty, nostalgic realm of what if in many fans' minds. Then, Sony opened its E3 2015 press conference with a gameplay trailer of The Last Guardian on PlayStation 4, and those nearly forgotten dreams were suddenly reality. The trailer featured a young, toga-clad boy and Trico, a massive cat-bird-dog creature, as they traversed cavernous, crumbling ruins bathed in brilliant sunlight. Their journey, however, has roots in a prison cell buried in the dead city's tall, grey walls.
This is E3 2015 in motion
A picture paints a thousand words. A video does even more again. A gif... well, somewhere in the middle. So let's join the cosplayers, tour some of the elaborate booths and dodge around the people-in-suits-that-didn't-want-to-be there. E3 2015 is all about The Business, but it also has to be fun.
I wish I were a 'Street Fighter V' master
If there was one game I wish I could be good at, it's Street Fighter V. Maybe it's because I've played the series, in some form or another, for around two decades, maybe it's because most of the other games I play aren't really multiplayer. Sure, I love playing games, but I wouldn't say I was good at them. I get bested in FIFA, destroyed in Halo, but with Street Fighter, I'm not that bad. However, I'm not a high-level player good either -- something that was clearly demonstrated than when I played the latest iteration, the PS4- and PC-only Street Fighter V, here in LA, where I was beaten, occasionally thrashed. But I kept lining up for another go -- or pushing the limits of my briefing time with Capcom. The latest iteration carries over the literal jaw-smashing, eye-popping visuals of the 3D reimagining of the series, but adds some next-gen graphical glamour. The game adds a new layer of strategy and difficulty with the V-System. The characters announced so far have been changed in a lot of important ways.
Morpheus mech game 'Rigs' uses color to make VR less overwhelming
My most vivid takeaway from PlayStation 4's new Project Morpheus game Rigs wasn't what I expected. Sure, the first-person mech shooter handled like a dream at 60 frames per-second, and targeting my enemies simply by gazing at them was impressive. But how fluid the locomotion was and how aiming system performed were nothing compared to the game's use of fun, vibrant blocks of color to keep the mood light and subtly nudge me in the right direction. I spent a ton of time in virtual (and augmented) reality at E3 this year and it was Rigs that was perhaps the easiest game for me to pick up, play and not feel like I was floundering about. Sorry, EVE: Valkyrie. With smart color palette choices developer Guerrilla Cambridge, responsible for PS Vita's Killzone: Mercenary, was able to tell me exactly what to do and where to go without saying a word.
All the news you need to know from the final day of E3 2015
From Day Minus-1 to now, it's been one of the most exciting E3s in recent memory. No new consoles, but lots of actually exciting sequels, ideas, games and cos-players. As we rub lotion into our lanyard rashes, we present our picks from the last day of madness. We'll be delivering our final doses of gaming news today from LA, but we'll all be talking about what was announced this week for at least the next year. Check out everything that game from our LA stint right here. Thanks for following along -- now hit it!
'Minecraft' meets 'Grand Theft Auto V' in space
Imagine: Elon Musk, CEO of Tesla Motors and SpaceX, reclines behind a desk built out of spare rocket ship parts. A gleaming saber rests to his right. Sean Murray, founder of the independent development studio Hello Games, sits across from him, chatting about Hello's new title, No Man's Sky. There's a break in the conversation and an awkward silence threatens to stretch between the two, but then: "What do you think is the percentage chance that we're living in a simulation?" Musk asks. Murray hardly has time to answer -- he's running late for an appointment with Steven Spielberg and his communications director is getting antsy. At this rate, they won't have time to meet up with Kanye.
E3's 'Into the Pixel' celebrates video games as art
I've been checking out Into the Pixel since my first E3. Seeing video game concept art in a gallery setting is an excellent way to unwind and get a minute or two of respite from the madness of the show floor. It's also a chance to appreciate the downright beautiful art in a format that isn't just a rote, diminutive art book that comes with the "special edition" of a video game. In the video below, Academy of Interactive Arts and Sciences president Martin Rae explains what Into the Pixel is and we take a bit of a tour through the space. The standout piece this year? It's from Far Cry 4 and right above this text.
JXE Streams: Talking 'No Man's Sky' with Hello Games
Another E3 has come and gone. This one was particularly spectacular. We got to play Volume with Mike Bithell. We got to talk about Yooka-Laylee with legendary Rare composer Grant Kirkhope. We even got to bask in the announcements of seriously unlikely sequels like Shenmue 3 while simultaneously reveling in brand new games like ReCore. E3 2015 was amazing, but we're not done! We have one more developer stream in store for you. Join us on Twitch.tv/Joystiq at 12PM ET/9AM PT while we discuss No Man's Sky with Hello Games.
From adorable to appalling: The week of E3 that was
E3 is one of the most exciting events of the year. There's plenty of gaming news from Microsoft, Sony, Ubisoft, EA and other big players. Behind the scenes, though, the power of the brands is out in full force, featuring life-size product placements that make you feel like you're in another world. And yes, that includes zombies.
'Mega Man' creator says Japanese publishers need to 'wake up'
If you grew up playing any installment of the storied Mega Man franchise, the name Keiji Inafune should carry some weight. Inafune's one of the masterminds behind the beloved metallic man in blue we first met in the NES era. And with his new game, Mighty No. 9, a spiritual successor to his Capcom legacy, he famously kicked off a new wave of Japanese developers who've struck out on their own with the help of crowdfunding. But Inafune didn't get to this point solely because of a desire to try more modern things; he was essentially forced to turn to Kickstarter when Capcom refused to innovate the beloved Mega Man IP he helped create. "As a creator, as myself, the best thing that happened to this project [Mighty No. 9] is that I have the IP," he says of the experience with Kickstarter. "The IP is mine. The IP is the company's IP, so we can do whatever we want. And that will actually speed things up really nicely because once the backers ask for something, we don't have to go over to the publisher or the first-party [studio] ... or whoever we're working with. We can just make the decision."
Media Molecule's 'Dreams' is for YouTubers and Twitch streamers
When Alex Evans, co-founder of Sony PlayStation first-party studio Media Molecule, announced Dreams onstage at E3 this week, there was a lot of confusion in the audience and on social media. And that's okay, according to Evans. "What we wanted to do was get it out there and get people talking about it. And your staff are right to be scratching their heads. ... If it's on your radar, fantastic. Because it is hard to take it in. The main confusion I've seen reading on the net does seem to be that people are like, 'Is it a movie maker? Is it a game maker? What is it?' The communities will probably define that. But it's absolutely a game. We are making games with it. What you will choose to make with it, what the community will choose to make with it -- that's the cool thing. We don't know."
Epic wants to avoid making 'terrible' VR with Unreal Engine
Epic Games is a big proponent of VR, led by its Unreal Engine and the integrated resources it provides to developers. These tools are designed to be compatible with most existing virtual reality hardware, including the Oculus Rift, HTC Vive and Samsung Gear VR. To give you an idea of how strongly Epic Games feels about the technology, CEO Tim Sweeney told us earlier this year he believes virtual reality will "change the world." On the ground at E3 2015, we sat down with Chief Technology Officer Kim Libreri and Unreal Engine General Manager Ray Davis to talk about the state of VR and where they believe it's headed.
Here's how Xbox One backward compatibility works
The Xbox 360 had a dedicated spot in millions of living rooms, bedrooms and offices for nearly 10 years, and during that time, players purchased massive libraries of games. However, when the Xbox One launched in 2013, it didn't include the ability to play or transfer Xbox 360 games, a disappointment for many fans. That's why Microsoft's announcement at its E3 showcase was so exciting: The Xbox One is getting backward compatibility this holiday, with a lineup of more than 100 fan-requested Xbox 360 games to start and more to be added as demand warrants. Xbox One backward compatibility runs an Xbox 360 emulator right on the console, which is no easy feat, Microsoft General Manager of Games Publishing Shannon Loftis explains during a chat at E3.
Xbox is working with a 'broad array of VR providers'
Microsoft is entering the virtual reality conversation with a one-two punch: partnerships with both Oculus and Valve VR. The Oculus Rift will be bundled with a wireless Xbox One controller, native support on Windows 10 and the ability to play Xbox One games in a virtual cinema via Xbox-to-Windows streaming. Valve VR joins the Rift on Windows 10, a partnership that Microsoft announced during its Xbox E3 conference, suggesting a focus on gaming in Valve's virtual worlds. But, Microsoft's VR plans may be bigger than just two other companies, Microsoft General Manager of Games Publishing Shannon Loftis suggested during an interview at E3 this week. Read her thoughts on VR, gaming and Windows 10 below.
E3 Streams: 'Volume,' 'Fortnite,' 'Elite: Dangerous,' and more!
Onward into E3 2015! Our week in Los Angeles has left us wild and crazed. We interviewed the director of the Final Fantasy VII remake. We played Star Fox Zero. Now we're going to give you a chance to talk to the developers of some of E3's biggest games right here on JXE Streams. Join us starting at at 12:30PM ET/9:30AM PT on Twitch.tv/Joystiq for a chance to chat with developers like Epic Games, Elite: Dangerous creator David Braben, and a special early look at Volume with Mike Bithell.
All the news you need to know from Day Two of E3 2015
Day Two at E3 2015 means there's finally some breathing room between briefings, press conferences and literal breathing to play some of these rather exciting games. This year's E3 has turned into a pretty good one, with strong games across all the major consoles and platforms. We've interviewed some of the most influential players in gaming, including Sony PlayStation's Shuhei Yoshida, games maestro Keiji Inafune and a few more. We explored space in an Oculus Rift-based spacesuit, think there's possibly a new king of the soccer games and took a deeper look at Xbox's new Elite games controller. One more day to go, so many games left to play. We'll sleep when we're dead. Check here for everything happening at E3 2015!
