[06.14.16 2016] Xbox E3 Briefing - everything you need to know

Microsoft

With the 2016 Electronic Entertainment Expo well underway, it can be overwhelming to keep up with all the news pouring out of the conferences. In case you do not have the time or opportunity to watch it yourself, here is a recap of everything you need to know from the Xbox Media Briefing on June 13, 2016.

Phil Spencer started out with a nice, brief message and moment of silence for those affected by the tragedy in Orlando.

The show opens with a video officially announcing the new Xbox One S. It is 40% smaller, has a 2TB internal HDD, integrated power supply, HDR Gaming, 4K Ultra HD video, and Blu-Ray. It also comes with a new, redesigned Xbox One controller featuring increased range and new grips. The whole package comes in white for $299 starting this August.

Phil Spencer invites Rod Fergusson, The Coalition’s Studio Head and Gears Co-Creator, takes the stage to announce that “Gears of War 4” will be one of the first in the Xbox Play Anywhere program – where an Xbox game gets you a Windows 10 PC version that syncs progress and achievements. It will also support cross-play in every game mode! Laura Bailey, the voice of Kait, shows off some gameplay. The game looks great. There are some noticeable visual upgrades since the beta. New weapons and enemies are shown off. Gears is Gears- and that is not a bad thing. An October 11th, 2016 release date confirmed, followed by a video teasing a Gears version of the Elite controller that will be available for pre-order.

“Killer Instinct” community manager, Rukari Austin takes over. He thanks the community and totes some of the accomplishments of the games. After reviewing some of the awesome characters that have joined the roster, he reveals the next guest character. General Raam, from the “Gears of War” series, is coming to “Killer Instinct,” and he is available free to play this week.

Next is a video teasing a new Forza game, “Forza Horizon 3.” Ralph Fulton, from Playground Games creative director, makes the official announcement and shows off the gameplay. As is to be expected from any Forza title, the game looks phenomenal. It also boasts the largest open world they have ever created and the most extensive car roster (in the Horizon series). The game will feature a 4-player co-op campaign for the first time. It releases September 27, 2016.

A new video for the Microsoft exclusive “ReCore” shows off gameplay for the first time. It also introduced the cast of characters. The visuals seem to have taken a small hit from their cinematic reveal trailer – but then again, what cinematic reveal trailer has not made promises it could not keep? It is also, presumably, still a work in progress as the game does not launch September 13, 2016.

Hajime Tabata, Director of Square Enix, shows of “Final Fantasy XV” via a game demo. Much like Gears is Gears; Final Fantasy is Final Fantasy. Mathew Kishimoto, the Senior Product Marketing Manager, plays the demo after providing a small backstory. The game looks great, and the demo shows off a three-way battle with a massive Titan and an opposing army. Kishimoto boasts the “fast and fluid battle system which has never been achieved in any of our past titles.” After the demo wraps up, a September 30, 2016 release date is revealed.

Ubisoft shows off new content for “Tom Clancy’s The Division,” dubbed the “Underground Expansion.” It has randomly generated missions, more urban combat, and lots of neon lights. It is coming first to Xbox starting June 28.

Patrick Bach, General Manager of DICE, shows off “Battlefield 1.” He expressed the team's desire to bring a unique experience from World War I. The game will feature destructible environments, a wide variety of vehicles and weapons, and dynamic weather to ensure no battle is the same. Bach says the Battlefield series will be “more immersive than ever before.” He then announces an October 21, 2016 release date, with an early release on October 13, 2016 for Xbox One members with EA access. The trailer looks stunning and shows off a variety of gameplay and huge set pieces. Oh, also some explosions, explosions, and explosions.

Mike Ybarra, head of platform engineering takes the stage. He discusses the growth of Xbox Live and promises ever-growing expansion, including more live servers closer to where gamers are, resulting in a faster, more reliable network. There are also new features coming this summer, such as Background Music, Cortana, and Language Region Independence, which allows you to choose a preferred language regardless of where you live. Xbox Live is going to be on all devices – Xbox, Windows PC, Android, or iOS. Ybarra then announces three highly demanded features are coming soon. The first is “Clubs on Xbox Live” – communities you can go back to (like groups on Facebook). With this comes “Looking for Group on Xbox Live” – it helps you find people for specific games and specific goals. Last, competitive gaming gets a nod with “Arena on Xbox Live” – a new tournament platform that allows you to discover, register, and compete all in one place. He also promises that EA is bringing their biggest games to Arena… “in the coming years.”

The “Minecraft” team takes the stage as Saxs Persson and Lydia Winters discuss cross-play across devices (including iOS) via “The Friendliest Update.” It will feature dedicated servers, known as “Realms,” so friends can play in your world even when you are not online. John Carmack from Oculus shows off the Oculus VR version of “Minecraft,” which is… exactly what you would expect it to be. Also, texture packs are immediately available on Pocket Edition and Windows 10 edition, with add-ons – essentially regulated mods for animals and mobs – coming this Fall. Reams can be tried for free with an Xbox account on a phone, tablet, or Windows 10 PC.

Next up, a video shows off customizable and personalized Xbox One controllers, promising “8 million ways to make it yours.” The Xbox Design Lab is online now at Xbox.com/XboxDesignLab and is taking pre-orders now.

An ominous trailer teases a new game from Playdead, the makers of Limbo. Much like its predecessor, it has a unique style, but it is difficult to say what the game is really about. “Inside” is launching June 29. Chris Charla, Director of ID@Xbox, takes the stage and announces that Limbo will be free to all today as a celebration of Playdead’s announcement. Then a video rolls showing a variety of ID@Xbox titles coming soon – including the highly anticipated “Cuphead,” “Slime Rancher,” “The Culling,” and many other titles. Charla notes the massive accomplishments of ID@Xbox program, specifically with “Ark: Survival Evolved.” Anyone who purchased it on Xbox One will get it free on PC this fall (as part of Xbox Play Anywhere). Charla finished by announcing “Slime Rancher,” “The Culling,” “Everspace,” and “Day-Z” specifically as titles coming to Game Preview soon.

A new game shown off by Guillaume Provost, the Creative Director & Founder of Compulsion Games. “We Happy Few” has a Bioshock vibe and looks equal parts creepy and awesome. It is set in a dystopian, alternate-universe 1960s where everyone in a small British town takes drugs to make them forget terrible things that happened during the war. The main character refuses to take his pills and suffers from horrible flashbacks, causing him to black out. You then find out that the townspeople apparently don’t like it when you do not take your drugs. After an all-too-short gameplay demo, it announces that “We Happy Few” is coming to Games Preview on July 26, 2016.

CD Projekt Red Lead Designer, Damien Monnier, announces “Gwent – The Witcher Card Game” as a stand-alone title with cross-platform multiplayer and a full single-player campaign mode. It will feature skill-based gameplay centered around the same core mechanics and a nice visual upgrade with a wide variety of cards to acquire. The better you play, the better your rewards. “Gwent” will have a closed beta coming September 2016 – exclusive to Xbox One and PC. You can register at PlayGwent.com.

Bandai Namco Entertainment teases a new fighting game that flows right into gameplay demo. “Tekken 7” includes an all-new story mode that, much like this demo, seamlessly transitions from cutscenes to gameplay. Look for it to ship in early 2017. To celebrate, “Tekken Tag Tournament 2” is available via backward compatibility and will be completely free for Xbox Live users this week only.

Christmas in July - er, June? Actually, it is a teaser – complete with snowfall in the auditorium – for “Deadrising 4,” which has Holiday 2016 release window. It looks pretty goofy, entertaining, and bloody. Basically, “Deadrising 4” is all the absurdity you could hope for from a Deadrising title backed by the power of the Xbox One.

“Scalebound” gameplay is shown off by Hideki Kamiya, Creative Director at PlatinumGames. It is the biggest boss-fight PlatinumGames has ever made. “Scalebound” is an impressive looking game – very colorful, very smooth. Great, natural-sounding banter from the character adds to the authenticity. The demo shows off the game’s co-op battle mechanics and looks like a blast. What’s not fun about fighting with Dragons? It will be part of Xbox Play Anywhere sometime in 2017.

Cue the trailer with a dreary sea chantey and smoke machines. It is Rare onstage with “Sea Of Thieves.” Studio Head Craig Duncan talks about Rare’s “most ambitious game yet” and it is a rich, open-world experience. A world premiere of gameplay is shown off, composited from the experiences of a few fans who got to play the game first. They were grouped up, then set off into the world with no tutorials or explanation. As expected, they had some issues, and one group failed their first battle, but they all had a blast exploring the world and just doing pirate things. “Sea Of Thieves” was confirmed to be a part of Xbox Play Anywhere, but no release date has been announced despite being expected to arrive sometime this year.

A trailer for another Xbox One/Windows 10 exclusive rolls, showing a few people mowing down zombies in an old T-bird before getting out to take on the horde. It is “State of Decay 2.” The game certainly looks good, but probably suffered from debuting so close to “Deadrising 4.” However, those looking for a more survival-oriented experience in this genre will certainly be happy.

Next comes a cinematic trailer with all-to-familiar game assets. It is “Halo Wars 2” with a breathtaking trailer, reminiscent of the highly acclaimed “Halo 3 Believe” ad campaign. No real gameplay is shown off, but the experience is magnificent. Dan Ayoub, studio head of Strategy Games at 343 Industries takes the stage to discuss the new title. The game launches February 21, 2017 as an Xbox Play Anywhere title. Better yet, the week-long beta launches NOW! Now a glimpse of the gameplay is shown off in a second smaller trailer.

Phil Spencer returns to the stage and recaps the conference. He discusses the launch of Xbox 15 years ago and teases “exciting, new opportunities on the horizon.” He states that the next step is to support true 4K gaming and high-fidelity VR. A video plays toting a new console that “the developers asked us to make.” The powerhouse features eight CPU cores, 320 GB/S Memory Bandwidth, and six teraflops of GPU power for true 4K gaming resolution. Project Scorpio is the next edition coming to the Xbox Family during Holiday 2017. All games and accessories will work across every Xbox One, Xbox S, and Project Scorpio console, so “no one will be left behind.” Phil Spencer then goes on to say that they believe it will be the most powerful console ever to be released.

The conference closes out with a montage trailer recapping all of the amazing games shown off during the event, and the 2016 E3 Xbox Media Briefing is over.

[06.16.15] Everything you need to know from the 2015 Square Enix Press Conference [E3 2015]

Square Enix

It has been quite the week leading up to E3 2015 with a steady stream of incredible reveals, leaving you wondering, “What exactly will there be to announce at E3?” From the “Fallout 4” reveal, the return of rhythm gaming, and YouTube taking on Twitch; the gaming industry is charging full speed into its biggest week of the year. Fortunately, the fun hasn’t stopped. Microsoft started off the console wars with a bang, and we’ve seen some great output from Bethesda, EA, and Ubisoft. Sony also threw some punches and Nintendo dazzled us with loads of fanfare! Now the question remains, can “Square Enix” close out the developers with a strong finish? Here is everything you needed to know about the 2015 Square Enix Press Conference, live from E3 2015 on Tuesday, June 16.

The conference jumps right into the action with “Just Cause 3.” A gameplay trailer shows off all the high-flying, action-packed, guns-blazing, explosion filled glory. Phil Rogers, CEO of Square Enix Americas and Europe, opens up welcoming everyone with a “We haven’t done one of these in a while.” He talks about the awesome changes the company has made over the years, adapting to changes and listening to fan feedback – a popular theme this year. He teases a few of the games that will be seen during the conference before continuing with the “Just Cause 3.”

He talks about how dedicated the community is that is still playing “Just Cause 2.” He promises for longer and better support for games moving forward, because of the incredibly dedicated community. He talks about “Square Enix Collective” and the games that it has supported so far, promising more to come. He then welcomes Roland Lesterlin from Avalanche Studios to talk more about “Just Cause 3.”

He emphasizes the desire to create a huge, open-world game and redefine the open-world genre with “the greatest game in the franchise.” Lesterlin talks about what has been added, such as the additional grapple lines, and what has been brought back, such as the wing-suit, to create the ultimate sandbox game to entertain players. He then announces the worldwide Dec 1, 2015 launch date is revealed for Xbox One, PlayStation 4, and PC. A new cinematic trailer shows off more of the over-the-top action signature to the series. It says the map has over 400,000 square miles to explore. A narrator discusses the story line about an evil dictator bent on world domination and Rico is going to save the wo- OK, seriously though, you get to blow stuff up. Jetpacks, parachutes, grappling hooks, wing-suits, rocket launchers, hand grenades, rifles, and unlimited C4. Everything you ever wanted to chain together awesome kills.

The vehicles are very detailed in models and features a lot of individual parts, crumple zones, and explosive areas. Combine this with the enhanced physics engine around other explosive items and you get “amazing moments of unpredictable chaos.” The world is packed with all kinds of side activities – such as wing-suit races – and littered with collectibles. Rico will have unlocks and upgrades. Basically, this game is everything you ever wanted from a “Just Cause” game.

Yosuke Saito, Business Division VI Director, takes the stage to reveal a new work-in-progress title. It’s early in development and the trailer is supposed to be just to reveal the artwork. It’s developed by Platinum Games, the team behind “Bayonetta.” The team is also packed with loads of other talent who have worked on games from “Tekken” to “Metal Gear.” It’s then revealed that it is going to be “Nier 2.” The whole trailer was cinematic, so not much was revealed, but more details will be announced fall 2015. It looks beautiful, but development has “just begun, so don’t expect it to launch any time soon.” They’re only calling it “Nier New Project” for now, obviously a working title.

Platinum Games says they never imaged such a game would be possible, but that they were instilled with “new strength” after being asked by Square Enix to work on the game. The staff is full of fans of the first game, and they are thrilled to work on the game. We’re reminded that “it will take a while before it’s ready,” so it’s obviously going to be a few years away.

Time to switch gears to “Rise of the Tomb Raider.” Although some details have already been revealed, more gameplay is shown in a trailer. It focuses on more of the puzzles and exploration elements. It also gives us a much better look at the world we’ll be exploring, compared to the almost exclusively snow-filled are shown yesterday. Brian Horton, Game Director, takes the stage to talk more about the game.

He talks about how they want to make Lara seem as “human and believable as possible.” Crystal Dynamics have built Lara from the ground up, focusing on details as small as pores and eyelashes, and how particles would interact with those elements. They even have added scars from the previous game, to enhance the detail. She’ll get muddy when it’s wet out and snow will actually accumulate on her jacket when it’s falling from the sky. “At Crystal, we look at every granular detail to deliver a believable lifelike Lara.” Horton talks about how they’re focusing more on the “Tomb” of “Tomb Raider” and promises more announcements coming in the following months.

Patrick Naud, Head of Studio in Montreal, takes the stage talking about “Hitman Go” and “Hitman Sniper.” He then switches gears and says this mobile concept is being brought to a new franchise – “Tomb Raider.” The art style is more cartoony than “Rise of the Tomb Raider,” but it looks adorable and has a nice soundtrack. “Lara Croft Go” appears to take a lot of inspiration from the “Hitman” game of the same name, and it’s being released “soon” for tablets and mobile.

A quick montage of Square Enix games showcasing everything from “Final Fantasy” to “Dragon Quest,” and it’s time for “Kingdom Hearts?” Unfortunately, the translation didn’t work at this point; but Shinji Hashimoto, a Square Enix Executive, introduced a trailer for “Final Fantasy Remake,” confirmed for “PlayStation 4.” It’s the same trailer that was revealed yesterday, promising “More to Come This Winter” and that you can “Play It First on PlayStation 4.” Hashimoto returns to say that more detailed information will come in the future. Also, the original “Final Fantasy VII” PC release is delayed, however it is coming to iOS this summer, as well. OK, now it’s time for “Kingdom Hearts.”

It looks like it’s going to be a “Kingdom Hearts” mobile game – makes sense, continuing with the trend of games just announced, but it probably isn’t quite what everyone was expecting. It looks great, features a completely different visual style from the other “Kingdom Hearts” games, obviously because of its mobile platform. No release date revealed, just a message that it is “now in development.” “Kingdom Hearts Unchained Key” was released in Japan and is now being brought to North American markets.

Finally, “Kingdom Hearts III” is announced with a special message from the Walt Disney Animation Studios. They talk about the partnership between Disney and Square Enix to create an exceptional product. It sounds like “Tangled” is going to be joining the cast, meaning we’ll likely see other new Disney characters as well… could this mean “Star Wars” in “Kingdom Hearts III.” A cinematic trailer rolls, introducing the story before transitioning into gameplay. This is the “Kingdom Hearts” everyone is familiar with, and it looks stunning. Awesome action adventure, exhilarating soundtrack, and lots of Disney-infused goodness. “The future, it’s already been written.” “Who’s to say I can’t change it?” No release date again, just “now in development” for Xbox One and PlayStation 4.

One more project to discuss from Hashimoto, “World of Final Fantasy” which was introduced yesterday during Sony’s E3 Briefing. The trailer plays, showcasing the very different visual style. It’s kind of like “Final Fantasy” meets “Animal Crossing.” It takes place in a completely new universe which no other “Final Fantasy” game has been in. Hashimoto then introduces Hiroki Chiba, who will be the Game Director. Chiba says the game will be accessible to people of all ages. He discusses new game mechanics and how the players and creatures in game work together to create “towers” which players will use to defeat enemies and solve in-game puzzles. The game will launch in 2016.

Christian Elverdam, Creative Director at IO-Interactive, takes the stage to talk about the new “Hitman” game, simply titled “Hitman.” It looks like this will be a reboot. The game releases December 8 with the tagline “Enter the World of Assassinations.” Elverdam talks about how it will be filled with new experiences, such as targets that will be limited to real-world time frames. He says that Hitman players will have to work together to figure out these puzzles. It will take place in various locations, such as Paris, Italy and America.

Everything will be completely open to the player – how to strike, when to strike, where to strike. A sneak-peek trailer plays. It’s cinematic, but certainly looks breathtaking. Agent 47 is the “world’s premiere assassin” and “no target is safe.” 47 is shown planning his takedown on a prime villain target name Viktor. It shows off various methods of execution, including brutally murdering him with an axe in the middle of a dance floor, dressed as a fireman, or poisoning him while disguising yourself as the bartender. It leads into the advanced Contracts mode, where players can mark their own targets and share them with players online. It’s releasing Dec 8 on Xbox One, PlayStation 4, and PC.

Another game montage including the likes of “Hitman Sniper and “Final Fantasy” again before a reveal for a new Square Enix & Tri-Ace project. It looks like a teaser for “Star Ocean 5.” It’s discussing the history of other “Star Ocean” games, hinting at a “new entry” complete with “unexpected encounters and heart-wrenching farewells.” “Star Ocean Integrity and Faithlessness” has already been announced for Japan, but is now being confirmed for North American release, as well. The announcement is followed by a gameplay trailer which showcases the new location and enhanced graphics. It also shows a lot of an already-familiar battle system, although it’s later warned that it’s just a work in progress and could change. The trailer then reveals a 2016 release window for North America and Europe. It’s being referred to as an “old-school Japanese RPG.”

Now it’s time for some “Deus Ex” news from Eidos Montreal. “We’re not compromising on quality, and are striving to meet the expectations of fans.” The game takes place two years after “Deus Ex: Human Revolution,” and the world has changed greatly. Those enhanced are mostly shunned, living in the ghettos. Task Force 29 is created, and Adam Jenson joins them. He works as a double agent, teaming up with “hacktivists” to take down the Illuminati, believing they are behind the creation of Task Force 29. Players will have a range of new tools to use in the game, and the choices’ consequences are “at the heart of the experience.” The first in-game trailer for “Deus Ex: Mankind Divided” begins, looking beautiful. It introduces the story and environment, which is full of drama and chaos. A lot of new augmentations are shown off as Jensen exterminates enemies left and right. It’s releasing early 2016 on Xbox One, PlayStation 4, and PC.

President and CEO, Yosuke Matsuda, takes the stage to thank everyone for coming. He then introduces the “Final Fantasy Portal App” coming this summer. It’s going to be the main resource for everything “Final Fantasy.” But wait, there is one more announcement. Matsuda is talking about Square Enix’s partnership with past developers, and announces a new project by a “re-established studio” The studio is called “Tokyo RPG Factory.” A bunch of concept art is shown off, featuring lots of small villages, covered in snowfall. It’s called “Project SETSUNA” and it’s already in development, although not much else can be shared. It will launch sometime in 2016.

Matsuda recaps the conference, recognizes partners, promises a strong future, and thanks everyone again. A montage of everything revealed today plays as everyone who was represented today is invited back on stage. One more thank you, and everything is wrapped up.

[06.15.15] Everything you need to know from the 2015 PlayStation Experience [E3 2015]

Sony

It has been quite the week leading up to E3 2015 with a steady stream of incredible reveals, leaving you wondering, “What exactly will there be to announce at E3?” From the “Fallout 4” reveal, the return of rhythm gaming, and YouTube taking on Twitch; the gaming industry is charging full speed into its biggest week of the year. Fortunately, the fun hasn’t stopped. Microsoft started off the console wars with a bang, and we’ve seen some great output from Bethesda, EA, and Ubisoft, but it’s time for Sony to come back swinging. Here is everything you needed to know about the 2015 PlayStation Experience, live from E3 2015 on Monday, June 15.

Like many of the other conferences, Sony launches with a montage video showcasing a wide variety of games from the console. Shawn Layden, President & CEO of Sony Computer Entertainment, takes the stage with the obligatory welcome and thank you message. He instantly gets down to business, proclaiming that PlayStation will be “the best place to play.” He promises “a reality where games are the cultural zeitgeist.”

The very first game is a highly anticipated PlayStation exclusive, and the crowd goes crazy instantly knowing what’s coming. From Sony Japan Studio, directed by Fumito Ueda, “The Last Guardian” finally makes an appearance and years, and it looks as beautiful and epic as one would expect. The character, a young boy, directs his cat/bird/dragon-like animal to hop across to a broken bridge. He then works his way to the edge, and takes a leap of faith, being rescued by his pet. The boy then proceeds to work through a puzzle, which begins to tear about the platform he is on. Once again, he takes a leap of faith – only this time, the pet misses. Fortunately, the boy lands on his tail, and his pet takes off climbing a nearby building with him on his back. After safely making it to the top, they relax and the trailer comes to an end. “The Last Guardian” coming 2016.

Shuhei Yoshida is on the stage, ecstatic that he can finally reveal this title. He then introduces Fumito Ueda, who stands up in the audience to cheers and cat calls. Yoshida then introduces Hermen Hulst of Guerilla Games.

Hulst unveils a brand new IP with a trailer of in-engine footage. It looks to be another post-apocalyptic game, where the survivors have reverted to a more tribal-like state. The cities have been overrun by nature and are now considered to be monuments of the previous civilizations. A female protagonist talks about her tribe’s history, as she is shown hunting or battling some robotic animal-like creatures. A much larger enemy appears and a boss-battle ensues. The protagonist relies on a high-tech bow to fight, while her enemy uses lasers and explosives. She lands a killing blow by shooting an explosive arrow into the “heart” of the enemy, then stabbing it after it falls to the ground. “Horizon Zero Dawn” is the name of the new game, but no release window is mentioned.

Square Enix’s logo flashes and Agent 47 is mentioned. This could only mean one thing: a new “Hitman” game. The trailer appears to be full CGI and is rather sporadic. It frequently cuts between Agent 47 training by running through snowy woods and various scenes throughout town. Regardless, it gives of a pretty exciting vibe, even though it doesn’t really reveal much about the game.

Asad Qizilbash takes the stage to discuss the new “Hitman,” which will be “the most ambitious ‘Hitman’ ever created.” The player can travel to a multitude of environments and will take on a wide variety of tasks. It will also feature a PlayStation-exclusive Beta (via preorder) as well as six console-exclusive missions. He then immediately moves on to a console exclusive title, “Street Fighter V.”

The trailer is pretty standard fair for the “Street Fighter” series, and the first public beta will start July 23, exclusive to PlayStation 4 gamers. The final launch will be on PlayStation 4 and PC.

Qizilbash passes off to Sean Murray of Hello Games to show off “No Man’s Sky,” which was previewed at E3 last year. “This year,” Murray says, “I guess I just wanted to show off gameplay.” The demo proceeds with him in a spaceship battling in space. Battles will span the entire universe, literally across multiple solar systems. Each star he shows on a map actually represents a sun, each sun has a solar system with planets. He begins to zoom out to show off the size of the universe and it is impossibly massive. “Many of the planets in ‘No Man’s Sky’ have never been visited, and many of them never will be.” That’s how unbelievably large the game is.

Murray spawns into a new solar system, one that has likely not been visited yet, and continues to show off gameplay. He lands on a planet, tracking down a beacon to upload a discovery. He deems the world, “Planet E3” and proceeds to mention say that every planet in every solar system is fully destructible. A sentinel then shows up to protect the planet he was destroying. He dives under water, where there are fish swimming around, and continues his search for the beacon. No release date is announced, but he promises it will be soon.

Qizilbash transitions to a new game by Media Molecule. With a brief teaser, Alex Evans takes the stage to present his studio’s new game. Much like “Little Big Planet,” “Dreams” looks to build upon a game inspired by creativity. Evans shows off a demo where things are sketched or molded using the controller. The demo creates an entire person, sitting in a chair, and then adds a piano and an entire environment around him. He proceeds to move the guy around like a puppet, also using just the movement of the controller. Evans closes out by saying that more will be revealed at Paris Game Week and leaves us with a trailer demonstrating the capabilities of “Dream.” It’s basically an animation studio on the PlayStation 4. You really can make anything your mind comes up with.

Qizilbash returns to the stage again to introduce “Firewatch” on PlayStation 4. “Firewatch” is about a new park ranger who has to survive using only a radio to communicate with others. It’s way more interesting than it sounds, and this brief teaser doesn’t do it justice. It’s a story-driven experience, definitely worth looking more into.

Adam Boyes takes the stage to discuss the future of “Destiny.” He introduces a teaser for the next expansion, “The Taken King.” It reveals the plot, but no other details beyond a release date of Sept 15. Boyes then reveals there will be more exclusive content coming to PlayStation 4 with the launch of “The Taken King.”

Moving along quickly, Boyes introduces “Assassin’s Creed Syndicate.” The trailer focuses on Evie Frye and is narrated by her brother, Jacob. It shows off her skills and weapons of choice. Boyes also announces “The Dreadful Crimes,” an exclusive set of missions available on PlayStation 4.

He wastes no time jumping to “Final Fantasy,” revealing the next PlayStation exclusive in the series. “World of Final Fantasy” is very unique take, exclusive to PS4 and Vita coming 2016. It has a very… different take on the world of final fantasy and takes on a unique art style.

Keeping on the trend with Square Enix, Boyes teases another favorite franchise from the company that is finally making its return. “Final Fantasy Remake” will be a completely updated “Final Fantasy 7” launching exclusively on the PlayStation 4.

He then jumps to Devolver Studios to quickly cover 4 games coming exclusively. Ronin, Eitr, Mother Russia Bleeds, and Crossing Souls are all indie games featuring a retro style.

Boyes is all over the place, now talking about the success of Kickstarter projects of the past. He teases an announcement of a recent project which he “wanted to be revealed on their stage.” Available to be backed now, “Shenmue 3.” Boyes introduces Yu Suzuki, the creator of “Shenmue,” to countdown the launch of the Kickstarter page.

After Suzuki leaves the stage, Boyes recaps all of the announcements. He then prepares for another big reveal as a trailer rolls. A collection of industrial images is shown off, eventually leading to a grizzly image of The Joker being cremated. The Batman logo, engulfed in flames, flashes on the screen. “This is the death of the Batman.” A vintage-style Gotham is shown as the camera transitions to the first-person view of a police officer, “Officer Owens,” entering a diner. The officer is informed of a man who is smoking by another restaurant patron, but things start to go crazy as thanks to smoke that is actually fear venom. The diner is suddenly full of demons and the officer unloads his clip until finally being overwhelmed. “Batman Arkham Night” will have 3 exclusive Scarecrow on PlayStation 4.

Hilmar Veigar takes the stage to discuss Project Morpheus. A montage of various Morpheus games is shown off, reformatted to be shown off. Veigar discusses the future of Morpheus, promising it will be the premier location for VR. He introduces some new IPs and talks about the life cycle of the system. He also discusses the introduction of Spotify and its quick adoption. “PlayStation Vue,” the cable-like service, is launching tonight in san Francisco and Los Angeles. Later this year, it will offer an a la cart system nationwide, as the only service of its kind. PlayStation Plus members will also receive a discount on their subscription prices. He then announces a partnership with Activision to bring content first to PlayStation 4.

Mark Lamia of Treyarch takes the stage to make the official worldwide debut of “Call of Duty: Black Ops III.” A four player demo is shown off in Cairo. The game features more of the futuristic weapons and equipment that have become a signature of the series. The weapon load-out selection screen appears to actually be a loading screen. The mission is underway and things start out rough. A fellow soldier has been impaled and the main character tries to rescue him. The cockpit then begins to fall off to the ground, and it’s revealed that the pilot didn’t make it. An all-out battle ensues on the ground, showcasing the cooperative elements while they battle a large robotic enemy and multiple other soldiers. The demo switches rapidly between multiple different players’ viewpoints to showcase a variety of weapons, abilities, and enemies. Finally, the enemy is taken down and a brief campaign teaser plays, showcasing the Michael Bay-esk action.

David Vonderhaar, of Treyark, now introduces another trailer for the game, describing it as fast paced and “visceral” – a popular buzz word this year. The game starts to look very much like “Titanfall,” with lots of wall running taking place. It’s still infused with plenty of “Call of Duty,” though. This trailer is a non-stop montage of multiplayer highlights with added hype from an upbeat soundtrack.

An unnecessarily huge montage of PlayStation Vita games, some PlayStation exclusive and some not, is shown off to add hype.

Shawn Layden returns to introduce “Star Wars” with John Vignocchi from Disney Interactive. “Star Wars” is coming to “Disney Infinity 3.0” this fall. A limited edition PS3 starter pack will feature new “Star Wars” figures and content one month earlier than other platforms. Plenty of fan-favorites show up in a trailer for “Rise Against the Empire” and it’s revealed that Boba Fett can only be played on PlayStation 4 before the holidays.

Layden moves to “Star Wars Battlefront,” releasing on Nov 17. Patrick Bach of DICE takes over to reveal more information about “Star Wars Battlefront.” He references many popular characters, such as Luke Skywalker and Darth Vader. Admiral Ackbar is also there, barking orders. A brief gameplay trailer is shown off, echoing content revealed earlier in the day during EA’s conference.

Layden teases one more final announcement, meaning it’s problem time for “Uncharted.” After a brief thank you to those in attendance, an unintroduced trailer begins, with “Only On PlayStation.” It’s immediately apparent, from the first image, that it’s “Uncharted 4,” confirmed by the Naughty Dog Logo. Nathan Drake and Sully bust through a door into… an active, overcrowded city? A gameplay demo then looks like it should be beginning, but never actually happens.

The demo reboots, as Nathan and Sully reenter the city again. After pointing out Sam’s tower for a second time, the gameplay demo successfully begins and Nathan works his way through the crowd just behind Sully. Suddenly, gunfire erupts and the citizens scatter. Immediately, Nathan and Sully engage the enemies and work their way through the town. Nathan enters a brief hand-to-hand combat section, then takes cover from a vehicle and blind fires to kill a few enemies. He works his way around and continues to engage in a storm of bullets. He bust through a war and engages in more melee combat, punching an enemy through an environment. A brief parkour session happens and they drive away in a jeep.

The game is as action-packed as ever and looks beautiful, as is expected. Nathan and Sully tear up the town like it’s a game of “Crazy Taxi” as they try to avoid the enemy vehicles. After cutting through a market, they continue to weave through town and then decide to do some serious off-roading. Finally, they’ve shaken the enemy and Sully declares, “we can never, ever come back to this city.” They’re cut short by a construction site and have to drive around, going off-road again. Thinking they’ve escaped, their hopes are crushed as the enemy vehicle shows up again. Now they off-road onto the rooftops of the village and through some gardens, a pipe, and a small pond. Up the side of a mountain, through a marsh, across a creek. Nathan throws a hook onto a train and the trailer cuts as he’s about to smash into a wall. With that, the “PlayStation Experience” is over.

[02.13.15] First ‘Just Cause 3’ trailer released

Avalanche Studios / Square Enix

It’s been roughly half a decade since we have had the opportunity to hang out with Rico Rodriguez, but he’s finally making another appearance. Today, Feb 13, Avalanche Studios and Square Enix released the first trailer for “Jut Cause 3” as well as a handful of screenshots. The trailer is really just a teaser and doesn't offer much in the way of gameplay, but it certainly goes a long way creating excitement and anticipation for the game. What it does do well is re-hype the sandbox nature that allowed for endless hours of entertainment in the previous games.

The trailer opens with, what appears to be, a small explosion. As the explosion expands, you then realize the actual size as you start to see all-to-familiar structures, such as antennae and satellite dishes, being torn to pieces. Headlights appear and a car come bursting through the billowing smoke. As it flies through the air, explosion continue to destroy the military-esque complex around it. The car then crashes into a pillar and explodes, bringing an entire bridge down with it. Images of military banners burning and military statues crumbling become mere reflections in the eyes of Rico as he’s now revealed, plummeting towards the earth in free fall. After a log flash and right when you expect Rico to pull his ripcord and release his signature parachute, he instead reveals his brand new wingsuit, giving him control of his flight and springing himself right into the camera to end the trailer.

The combination of the exhilarating trailer and beautiful screenshots promise an exciting game on the horizon. It appears to be everything fans could ask for in a next generation “Just Cause” game. The most important part is that the game clearly made no attempts to reinvent itself with a more serious nature (thank goodness, as we have the “Far Cry” series for that!). Instead, the over-the-top physics and gameplay will continue, creating what will likely be the epitome of sandbox games. The trademark parachute and grappling hook have already been promised to make a return with improvements, which means the island of Medici will truly be your sandbox.

“Just Cause 3” has no hard release date yet, but is slated for a “Holiday 2015” release window. It is expected to launch on Xbox One, PlayStation 4, and PC via Steam.

[02.20.13] Sony officially announces PlayStation 4

Sony

There was something interesting about today. It was supposed to be a day of excitement and surprises, but somehow, it wasn’t. Today, Sony had a press conference that was rumored to reveal the PlayStation 4, and sure enough it did, but it was lacking something very important: The PlayStation 4. What we instead got was a two-hour tease in which lots of information was revealed, and yet lots of information wasn’t.

The event started off with a lot of technical mumbo-jumbo about the raw power of the PlayStation 4. The PlayStation 4 will have 8GB of memory, a new CPU, new GPU, and a whole other slew of technical upgrades that, when referred to by their names, probably make no sense and mean absolutely nothing to the majority of us. All we really need to know is that it will, in fact, be far superior to the PlayStation 3 in every way, shape, and form.

Now it’s not to say that there wasn’t anything positive to come out of the press conference today, there was actually a lot of that; however there just wasn’t anything mind-blowing. Still, there are plenty of new features to be happy about that were announced.

The one thing we did actually get to see was the new controller, the “DualShock 4”. It’s a more refined version of the DualShock 3 with a larger D-Pad, enhanced rumble capabilities, and reduction of input lag. It’s ergonomically designed to fit more comfortably in your hand, and it has the addition of a touch pad for more precise input. It will also have a new peripheral that looks a lot like Microsoft’s Kinect, but functions more like the PlayStation Move. In case you were wondering, the PlayStation Move will also be making a return to the PlayStation 4, although there’s not much information on how yet.

The controller will also have a new “share” button, which is crucial to a new feature: the implementation of an always-active “theater mode” video recording function. If you’ve played “Call of Duty” or “Halo”, you’re probably familiar with the popular “theater modes” which allow you to take clips of gameplay and share them with everyone. The PlayStation 4 will have this capability integrated directly into the console itself, allowing you to instantly create video clips or take screenshots at the press of a button.

The hardware itself isn’t the only thing getting an upgrade; it turns out the PlayStation Network is looking forward to a major overhaul too. Sony is making full use of its recent acquisition, cloud gaming service Gaikai, to create a PlayStation Network that is all about instant access and personalization. They’re looking to create a new social network that is specific to gaming. You’ll still have your usernames and gamer pictures, but if you want to keep closer contact with real-world friends, you have the option to make more accurate profiles, with a real picture of you and your real name, available to certain people. It’s likely this will be through integration with current existing social networks.

With this always-connected world, you’ll have the option to live-stream your gameplay in conjunction with the new theater mode, and have it available online courtesy of a partnership with UStream. You’ll also have the option to let friends leave live comments that will pop up on screen as you play. If you find yourself stuck, you can actually forfeit control and have a friend remotely connect and play for you to help you through a tough jam.

As far as the ‘instant’ part goes, it starts from the console and works its way up. There will be a new power-saving sleep mode which will allow you to instantly hop back into gameplay at any time. Just press the power button, and the console goes to sleep, remembering exactly where you’re at in your game. When you come back, hit power again and you’re right back in the action where you left off. No more waiting for the console or game to boot up. Gone, also, are the days of waiting for game demos to download. If you’re shopping the store and you find a game you want to try out, simply press a button, and you’re instantly streaming the demo straight to your console. If you decide you like the game, you can purchase it, and start playing it immediately while the rest of the game downloads in the background à la Steam.

Speaking of games, about half the conference was dedicated to the announcement of upcoming titles. Much like the system, it was severely lacking in the “surprise” department. A few sequels that were announced include “Killzone Shadowfall” and “inFamous Second Son”, two PlayStation exclusives that weren’t really expected to disappear anytime soon. Activision also briefly took the stage to announce that Bungie will be bringing its upcoming new IP, “Destiny”, to the PlayStation 3 and PlayStation 4; however, that was something Bungie had already touched upon a few days ago during their own official announcement. They did say that PlayStation exclusive playable content was planned, though.

The first original announcement was that of “Driveclub”, the product of Evolution Studios, which is 10 years in the making. It focuses on team-based racing through in-game auto clubs. You can join up with your friends and take on other auto clubs in challenges and races, all happening in real-time. The highlight of the game, however, is the car models. All of them are painstakingly recreated in excruciating detail inside and out. Think Forza’s AutoVista times infinity, and applied to every vehicle in the game.

Next was “The Witness”, a new title from the creators of “Braid”. It’s an open-world puzzle game that takes place in an extremely compact universe, in which you are always 20 seconds from a different area with a completely unique theme. The intension was to cut out any useless and repetitive gameplay while still creating a large amount of game time that is made up entirely of unique experiences. It will be exclusive to PlayStation Network.

Capcom unveiled their brand new engine they’re designing around the PlayStation 4’s capabilities, which is codenamed “Panta Rhei”. Alongside the development of that, they’re creating an original IP under the working title “Deep Down” which takes place in medieval times and focuses on dragons, knighthood, and the like.

Square Enix also took the stage to debut their “cinematic demo”. That’s right, not a game… just a pretty video of what they want their games to look like. Then, as a brief afterthought, they mentioned they’ll be announcing another Final Fantasy game at E3, right before walking off stage. Perhaps they’re as tired of the series as we are.

Ubisoft looked to steal the show with an update on their original IP, “Watchdogs”. After shocking and pleasantly surprising viewers of E3 last year with their completely out-of-the-blue announcement, Ubisoft looked to build upon the excitement with another gameplay demo. This is clearly a more refined version of the build we saw at back at E3, and the game just keeps looking better and better. Despite being short, it gave a closer look at the level of control you’ll have over the so-called futuristic “Smart City” in the game. It also gave a little more insight into the character you’ll be playing as who appears to be somewhat of a vigilante.

Now if anything from the press conference could be considered “surprising”, it would be the appearance of Blizzard Entertainment onstage. They announced a strategic partnership which will start with them bringing over “Diablo III” to both the PlayStation 3 and PlayStation 4. They will make their formal debut at PAX East in a couple of months.

All of this will be coming “Holiday 2013”. We still don’t know what it looks like, but it’s coming. All-in-all, Sony really dropped the ball on useful information this time around. There’s no formal announcement of price point, nor did they discuss any of people’s biggest concerns such as whether or not they’ll be able to play second-hand games (don’t worry, this was since confirmed as not true by a Sony Exec) or if they’re going to be required to have an ever-present online connection. Hopefully they’ll have a little more information come E3, but if one thing is for sure, they already missed their chance on the element of surprise.

Anthony Ortale writes news and reviews on behalf of Examiner.com. He does so much gaming in his spare time, it’s practically a full time job! If you like what you read here, please subscribe to his articles! You can also follow Tony on Twitter, or become a fan on Facebook! If you ever have any questions, comments, or concerns, feel free to email Tony any time at ortale.anthony@gmail.com, he’d love to hear from you