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Watch Microsoft's E3 press conference right here
Now that EA and Bethesda have wrapped up their E3 press conferences, we can turn our attention to one of the big console makers: Microsoft. The company's Xbox showcase is due to kick off at 9:30am PT (12:30pm ET/ 5:30pm BST), and you can watch the livestream right here. We'll probably get an announcement for the new, slimmer Xbox One S, as well as trailers for a whole bunch of games including ReCore and Halo Wars 2. So take a seat and load up the Engadget liveblog, because this is an event that could throw up a few surprises too. (Is it time for a new Battletoads game?!)
Everything we saw at Bethesda's E3 event
Bethesda's big E3 show is over, and it was pretty great. We got a new Quake, lots of Fallout goodness (including Fallout 4 in VR!), a first look at the upcoming Prey reboot and a ton of detail on Dishonored 2. Oh... and a Skyrim remaster. While our very own Tim Seppala and Jessica Condit run like excited children towards that Fallout VR demo, you can check out all of the trailers from the press conference below.
'Dishonored 2' gameplay teaser reveals new powers, casual time-travel
Finally, Bethesda gave us a real look at how Dishonored 2 will play. With a now grown-up Emily Kaldwin, players will get a chance to play as both her and the last game's protagonist, Corvo. Aside from gameplay changes, it will also offer different shades of the story depending on who you play with. But that's just the start. The game has really cranked up the detail of the world, aiming to better convey the backstory and fiction that also embodied the first game. To that end, it's got a new game engine as well: The Void engine. (It's a Dishonored thing.) And then there's the new power set.
Try the first level of 'Doom' for free this week
The new Doom has launched to rave reviews, but today at E3 Bethesda announced it was looking to get even more people into the game. To that end, the first level of Doom will be available for free on Steam, Xbox One and PS4 this week only. The company said it was meant to be in the spirit of shareware demos that were so popular on the PC way back when the first Doom was popular, but this teaser is a bit more restrictive, since it'll only last for a week. Still, it's a better demo than most games offer these days.
'Prey' reboot arrives in 2017
Yes, the Prey franchise is still alive -- but you'll want to forget that ill-fated sequel from years ago. Bethesda used its E3 event to unveil a series reboot, simply called Prey, that shares little (if anything) in common with either the 2006 original or the since-discarded follow-up. Arkane's shooter puts you in the shoes of Morgan Yu, an experimental subject plunked aboard a space station and tracked down by invading aliens. You'll have to use weapons, tools, and "mind-bending abilities" to win. Bethesda is only committing to a 2017 release window, but the new Prey will ship for PC, PS4 and Xbox One.
'Fallout Shelter' heads to PC in July, 'Fallout 4' gets new DLC
Fallout Shelter has evolved past its mobile confines and it's set to hit PC in July, Bethesda announced today at E3. Plus, Fallout Shelter will get an update in July that introduces quests and adds a new combat system, characters, foes and locations. Hey, we told you Fallout Shelter was getting more like Fallout 4. Fallout 4 is also getting bigger and badder with three new pieces of DLC: the Contraptions Workshop, Vault-Tec Workshop and a Nuka-World theme park experience. The game has already received three bits of downloadable content with the Automatron, Wasteland Workshop and Far Harbor expansions, all of which were included in the game's $30 Season Pass. The add-ons announced at E3 are included in the original Season Pass.
'Skyrim Special Edition' is the remaster you asked for
The rumors are true: We're getting a prettier version of The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim on PlayStation 4 and Xbox One. Developer Bethesda ported the original game to this round of modern consoles as part of the development process for last year's wildly popular Fallout 4, so it was just a matter of time before we actually saw it. And guess what? Mods are coming with it, thanks to Bethesda's framework that allows players to use fan-made customizations on consoles. This new version of the game looks really well-improved in the visual department too and you can check it out in the trailer embedded below.
'Quake' is coming back to the PC with a modern twist or two
Bethesda kicked off its big E3 2016 showcase with a old favorite: Quake. Big guns, team battles, gore. Quake Champions is coming -- at the moment to PCs and will be arena-style shooter "designed for people at all skill levels". The most impressive technical part? The team is promising 120Hz with unlocked framerates. That's seriously smooth -- and sounds so very ready for VR. Of course, it's also perfectly timed in a current = boom in competitive shooters, especially with the mention of "characters with unique abilities" -- like this thing. Gaze at the trailer below, but be warned it's a bit graphic in that Quake kinda way.
The first teaser for the next 'The Walking Dead' game has just arrived
Telltale's video game series based on The Walking Dead is one of the studio's most popular and acclaimed offerings, but it's been a long time a new game has been released. We just found out that the game's third "season" would arrive this fall, and today a new trailer has dropped just as E3 is getting underway. The minute-long teaser shows off the requisite post-apocalyptic setting, complete with gruesome zombies, that The Walking Dead is known for -- but we also see the Clementine character all grown up (relatively speaking) for the first time. The video is otherwise light on details, but it still is getting us excited for the game's launch later this year.
Here's everything we saw at EA's E3 'Play' event
Today, video game juggernaut Electronic Arts kicked off this year's Electronics Entertainment Expo with a show all its own. If you weren't a member of the press or one of the lucky few fans that were let into the event to experience it firsthand, don't worry: We've collected all the trailers that made their debut on The Novo theater's stage and put them in one handy spot for you. Want a look at the new multiplayer trailer for October's Titanfall 2? Look no further. How about FIFA 17's intriguing single-player story mode? We've got your back there as well, with a few other bits like a new glimpse at Battlefield 1's World War I action. Join us below, won't you?
EA has a bunch of new 'Star Wars' games coming
EA's got the rights to make Star Wars games, and it's making a lot of them. At its E3 2016 press conference today, the huge games publisher took to detailing numerous projects it's working on. (Aside from fresh content for Battlefront, Galaxy of Heroes and The Old Republic, of course).
EA launches an indie publishing program with 'Fe'
The EA Originals program expands the company's publishing business with a focus on small, innovative teams, and it's kicking off with a nature-focused game called Fe. It's a stylish, polygonal 3D romp through an enchanted forest that appears to hide dark secrets. There are no words in the game, but the flora and fauna have their own ways of communicating with the player. The title means "fairy" in Swedish, and the entire surreal project comes from Zoink in Gothenburg, Sweden. Zoink previously released the eccentric, neon-infused adventure game Stick it to the Man.
'Mass Effect: Andromeda' promises to be bigger and more beautiful
Andromeda is still delayed, but when you're a big budget EA franchise, you can't just show nothing at the world's biggest gameshow. BioWare at least had a new fanciful trailer, showing what its "new galaxy" will look like. According to the teaser trailer: "Distant star systems with remote and hostile planets ripe for discovery." So perhaps a little bit like No Man's Sky, but with extra political intrigue and sci-fi powers? The originals are starting to show their age now, so it's not surprise that Asarians and the citadel looking all the prettier on new gaming hardware. The teaser is peppered with creatures, locations, species and monsters from the Mass Effect trilogy, even if it's hard to pin down any spoilers or tangible facts about this new universe -- and when we'll actually get to explore it. Best just hit replay on the teaser again.
Microsoft's 4K-capable Xbox One S leaks before E3
Those rumors of Microsoft launching a smaller, more powerful Xbox One at E3? They're apparently quite real. NeoGAF members have posted multiple images of what they say is the Xbox One S, and the leak points to a huge overhaul for the console. For a start, check out that compact design -- the S is much smaller than the gigantic original (by 40 percent), and its white, patterned case is definitely more eye-catching. The power brick is internal, too.
Telltale's episodic 'Batman' game launches this summer
At last, Telltale's Batman game exists as more than a set of cryptic teasers. The studio has revealed the first screenshots of the episodic game (now titled Batman - The Telltale Series), its cast and its launch strategy. As you can see here, the look is very much what you'd expect -- it combines Telltale's signature comic book-inspired artwork with the moodiness of modern Batman stories. The cast is full of voice acting veterans, too, including Troy Baker as Batman (no stranger to other Batman characters), Erin Yvette (a regular in Telltale's games) and Richard McGonagle (Sully in Uncharted).
'Titanfall 2' explores the human-robot link on October 28th
EA isn't waiting until its big E3 shindig to say more about Titanfall 2. The publisher has followed up leaks by posting a trailer revealing the first few details of Respawn's next robotic shooter, including its widely-reported single-player campaign. You take the role of Jack Cooper, a Militia soldier who links with a Titan after its previous pilot is killed in action. From all indications, that human-robot connection will play a central role in the story -- your Titan is as much a friendly helper as it is a relentless war machine.
The first 'Star Trek' VR game arrives this fall
If you're a Star Trek fan, the odds are that your dream game (outside of a Holodeck) involves helming a starship as if you were really on the bridge. Well, you're about to get your wish: Ubisoft has teased Star Trek: Bridge Crew, the sci-fi series' first-ever virtual reality game. The title is set in JJ Abrams' Star Trek universe, and has you taking on the captain, engineer, helm or tactical stations of the remarkably Enterprise-like starship Aegis as it resettles what's left of the Vulcan population. Think of it as a very sophisticated VR version of Spaceteam -- you have to coordinate with the rest of your crew to explore the galaxy and fight off enemies.
People are still buying new consoles weeks ahead of E3
Every month, the NPD Group lays out the top-selling hardware and software in the gaming industry, tracking physical sales of everything from Xbox Ones and PlayStation 4s to Grand Theft Auto and Minecraft. There are slow months and busy months, dips in the console market and peaks in the software cycle, but in May 2016, something strange happened. Sales of current-generation consoles (meaning the PS4 and Xbox One, mostly), were "stable" according to the NPD's Liam Callahan. This wouldn't be notable in many other months, but it just so happens that E3 2016 takes place in the middle of June, and rumors are flying about new consoles from both Sony and Microsoft.
What to expect at this year's E3
Ah, the Electronics Entertainment Expo. It's Paris Fashion Week for the video game crowd, where practically the entire industry descends onto downtown Los Angeles for a week of media briefings, game announcements, ill-advised open-bar parties and, for folks on the press side of things, an awful lot of walking, talking and writing to bring you the latest news and interviews straight from the convention. Before the show floor opens on Tuesday, Electronic Arts, Bethesda, Microsoft, Ubisoft and Sony each have keynotes scheduled. We'll be at all of them, starting Sunday with Bethesda and EA and liveblogging Microsoft and Sony on Monday. Here's what you can expect for the week.
'Kingdom Hearts 2.8' sets up 'Kingdom Hearts 3' this December
Kingdom Hearts 3 is still a long way off. In the meantime, fans of the Disney and Final Fantasy mashup are being treated to a part remaster, part compilation called Kingdom Hearts 2.8 Final Chapter Prologue (yep, that's the official name.) The games comes with a HD version of Dream Drop Distance, originally released for the 3DS, and two new experiences called Back Cover and A Fragmentary Passage. Confused yet? Don't worry, Kingdom Hearts is known for its convoluted storyline. Today, Square Enix is announcing that the PS4 game -- already confirmed for Japan -- will also be coming to the West. It'll be out "globally" sometime this December. To whet your appetite, the Japanese publisher has released a new trailer. It starts with Dream Drop Distance but quickly switches to Fragmentary Passage, a new playable chapter following Aqua in the realm of darkness. You'll then see a snippet of Back Cover, a movie exploring a mysterious group called the "Foretellers." It's supposedly tied to Kingdom Hearts Unchained X, a smartphone game that recently launched in the US.
