Star Wars: Battlefront

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

Sony

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 BethesdaEA, 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.

[06.15.15] Everything you need to know from the 2015 EA Press Conference [E3 2015]

Electronic Arts

Electronic Arts

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. Bethesda kicked off E3 as the first developer conference, and it was spectacular. Microsoft followed up with an unbelievable conference of their own. Electronic Arts made a brief appearance on stage with Xbox and had an early reveal with “Mirror’s Edge Catalyst,” but they promised a lot more to come. What could it possibly be? Here is everything you needed to know about the 2015 Electronic Arts Press Conference, live from E3 2015 on Monday, June 15.

Unlike the other conferences, Electronic Arts forgoes the montage of games in favor of a teaser trailer. It looks like the exciting reveal they promised at the start of the conference is the next “Mass Effect,” based off of the teaser “Discover a new galaxy.” The trailer continues with a breathtaking, albeit completely CGI trailer, revealing “Mass Effect: Andromeda,” coming holiday 2016.

Andrew Wilson, CEO of EA, takes the stage and welcomes everyone to E3. He promises an “action-packed show, full of games you can play either this year or the next.” A nice promise, although technically not out of the realm of everything announced so far. Wilson promises over a dozen new experiences, three new IPs, including one which Wilson promises will be “completely unexpected.” He also teases more “Mirrors Edge Catalyst” and, the grand finale, “Star Wars: Battlefront.”

As Wilson exits the stage, the return of “Need for Speed” is shown through a new trailer. It shows off stunning visuals, which have been shown off in screen shots over the past week. The atmosphere of the game is an obvious return to the “Need for Speed: Underground” series. Marcus Nilsson, of Ghost Games, promises it to be the “definitive ‘Need for Speed’ experience.” It will feature the richest customization seen in any “Need for Speed” game. It will also include an open world environment and all the wonderful running-from-the-law, drifting, NOS-filled, adrenaline rush that fans have been asking for.

Another trailer for the game, showcasing the live-action cut scenes plays, hinting briefly at the generic story. It then seamlessly transitions to the photo-realistic visuals we’ve come to expect from “Forza,” but never “Need for Speed,” until now. The trailer shows off the customization suite, showing that virtually any cosmetic change you want can happen. The game then moves to the streets, in a night filled with neon and street-racing glory. The gameplay should be familiar to anyone who has been keeping up with the series, but focuses on the best parts from games dating back to “Need for Speed: Underground” and “Need for Speed: Carbon.” The new “Need for Speed” is coming Nov 3.

“Star Wars: The Old Republic” takes the stage, but it’s not a new game. It’s “Knights of the Fallen Empire,” the next expansion for the MMO, and it will be free to all subscribers. The trailer is impressive, but completely CGI. It shows young Jedis in training and progressing into battle. It’s packed with action and a variety of characters, and looks all-around exciting.

EA Executive Vice President, Patrick Soderlund, heads to the stage to talk about what’s next. He discusses EA’s “player-first” mantra and stresses the importance of community feedback. He promises more betas for EA games this year, in an effort to make their games even better.

He moves on to discuss one of the new IPs. “It’s an experience that is emotional and deeply creative,” and it goes by the name, “Unravel.” The teaser doesn’t show much, but makes it clear that it will incorporate yarn as a primary element. Martin Sahlin, one only 14 developers working on the game as Coldwood Studios, takes the stage to talk more about the game. It’s a puzzle game, featuring a character made of yarn who gradually unravels as he progresses. The game looks absolutely adorable and incredibly creative. It’s all physics-based, having to overcome obstacles utilizing your yarn trail, such as swinging across a cavern with yarn. A longer trailer begins, showing off the physics puzzles. The graphics are bold and cartoonish, like something out of a Dreamworks picture. The trailer ends on logo, but no release date.

Next, a zombie super hero walks on stage – yes, you read that right – which could only mean one thing, “Plants Vs. Zombies: Garden Warfare 2.” Jeremy Vahoozer of PopCap Games, kicks him off stage to talk about the success of “Plants Vs. Zombies: Garden Warfare,” which was played by over 6 million people. For the first time ever, the plants are on the attack, fighting through “Zomburbia.” There are six new “crazy” character classes. One of the new maps are shown off, which is a giant factory where robot zombies are built.

It transitions to a live gameplay demo, featuring the new four-player zombie co-op mode, “Graveyard Ops.” One of the new characters, Liam, is shown off. He’s fast, and likes to blow stuff up. Super Brainz is shown next, the zombie super hero which was previously kicked off stage. He’s the first melee class. Captain Deadbeard is revealed, the first sniper class for the Zombies. They then have to face off against a boss battle. Everything definitely represents the over-the-top theme EA promised. In addition to the multiplayer, a new “single play” mode will allow you to play any game mode with AI controlled characters or a friend on the couch via split screen. All players of “Plants Vs. Zombies: Garden Warfare” will be able to transfer the characters at launch. EA also promises continued support via free content updates. A brief montage trailer closes out the reveal, and “Plants Vs. Zombies: Garden Warfare 2” will be available Spring 2016.

A hype trailer for “NHL 16” begins, showcasing the awesome visuals, specifically the enhanced crowd. There’s a bunch of slap shots and ice particles flying everywhere. Matt Bilbey of EA Sports, takes the stage to discuss “NHL 16” and its new team-oriented design. “Play Together, Win Together” is the new mantra, and this carries through all of EA’s titles. “Rory McIlroy PGA Tour” releases this July as the first game built in the Frostbite engine, allowing the ball to be played anywhere and cut out load times between holes. EA Team is revamped, with double the content compared to previous years. Ultimate Team will be available across many games and promises to be secure and fair for everyone. EA games also want to help bring in new players, providing real-time feedback

Sean O’Brien, Executive Producer on “NBA Live 16,” takes the stage to talk about the new game. He also emphasizes EA’s willingness to listen to feedback. He announces the new Gameface HD Scanning app, which will put your face right into “NBA Live 16.” It will be available prior to launch.

The team has spent two years bringing in thousands of new player animations, so “you won’t feel like you’re stuck in an animation.” Hand offs, passes, and the pick-and-roll have all been revamped with better controls. There’s also a brand new shot system, giving you complete control of the release of your shot. The longer you hold the button, the later you release. Simple, straight-forward, and beautiful. O’Brien also teases the announcement of a new game mode, coming later this year. It caps off with a trailer in-game footage. The trailer is essentially just a NBA highlight reel.

Samantha Ryan, EA’s mobile executive, takes the stage to discuss the success of mobile gaming. She highlights recent EA games on mobile. She then announces “Star Wars Galaxy Heroes,” a new collectible card game in the “Star Wars” universe. Mike Rasmussen then takes the stage to discuss a new Minion game, “Minions Paradise.” It’s full of the light-hearted humor and charm that makes the Minions such as success. It transitions into a gameplay demo, showing off the main hub of the game – the Tiki Lounge. It acts as the location to get quests for the games. You send off Minions to collect resources and perform various tasks, all in the hilariously imperfect Minion way. The island can be upgraded and customized and there are multiple activities all over the island.

An inspirational trailer for “FIFA 16” stars Pelé, suggesting he’s going to be deeply involved in this game (Think NBA 2K11 and Michael Jordan). Pelé himself takes the stage with David Rutter, who is working on “FIFA 16,” and they conduct a brief interview, discussing how Pelé coined the term “the beautiful game,” for soccer. Pelé says it was because soccer is a more intelligent, skill-based sport. Pelé discusses the different experiences of watching the game and being in the game. A bicycle kick is more flashy, but he finds penalty kicks to be more exciting. After more reminiscing, Pelé finally exits the stage to standing ovation.

Rutter discusses innovations in this year’s game. This includes new defensive agility to help you track players on the defense. The midfield has enhanced control, including interception intelligence and more purposeful and direct passing. More motion tracking was done to help create those “moments of magic” in the final third of the pitch. “FIFA Trainer” is a new system that helps you improve your game, regardless of skill level. For the first time ever, women’s teams have made their way to “FIFA.” The team spent years to ensure the most authentic experience, with the inclusion of the new women’s teams, and across the game as a whole. All “FIFA 15 Ultimate Team” players are receiving a “special reward,” likely Pelé, as Rutter mentions it’s to “commemorate his moment.” More on “FIFA 16” information will be coming this summer. A final trailer plays, showing off a highlight reel of incredible shots and team celebrations. It closes with the tagline “Play Beautiful.”

Sara Jansson, from Dice, takes the stage to talk about “Mirrors Edge: Catalyst.” It’s a “revolutionary action adventure game” that delves into the origins story of Faith. It’s built on the latest Frostbite Engine, like the new “Need for Speed” and “Battlefield.” There are many story missions and time trials. There aren’t, however, any levels or loading screens. It’s completely open-world. “Mirror’s Edge: Catalyst” is playable at E3. A fully CGI trailer teases the game’s story and atmosphere. It shows her putting a serious beat-down on bad guys, all without the need for any guns. The world is bright and colorful, accented by a few bold reds, yellows, and blues – something that should be very familiar to fans. “Mirrors Edge: Catalyst” is coming Feb 23, 2016.

A teaser for “Madden NFL 16” starts up, followed by Sean Graddy, the Senior Producer for “Madden NFL 16” and Robert Flores, host of ESPN 2’s Fantasy Football Now, taking the screen to talk about the game. They introduce “Draft Champions,” a new game mode coming to “Madden NFL 16” that promises to bring the draft experience home, every single day. You pick three players each day to compete against your friends. You can then play with your teams to take on other players, either solo or online, and then head back afterwards to do it all over again.

“Madden NFL 16” puts the focus on Quarterbacks, Receivers, and Defenders in Coverage. There’s better options to refine your throwing as the play-caller. With the receiver, you can choose between three new catch types – possession, run-after-catch, and aggressive catch. As defenders, you can play the receiver instead of just the ball. This will let you enact devastating hits to knock a player down after possession or try to knock the ball loose. The official “Madden NFL 16” trailer plays, essentially as a highlight reel like all the others.

Peter Moore, the CFO of EA, finally takes the stage to introduce “Star Wars: Battlefront.” He describes it as a dedicated passion product for DICE, and it will run on the Frostbite engine. Moore also hints that it will be at the core of multiple future games, and possibly even VR. He also suggests that, while impressive, what we’ve seen so far is only the beginning of what Frostbite can do.

Sigurlína Ingvarsdottir, Senior Producer on “Star Wars: Batlefront,” takes over to discuss her memories with “Star Wars.” She promises an “incredibly authentic, visually stunning universe.” In partnership with “Lucas Arts,” they were able to look over many of the props from the original trilogy to make sure they are represented in game as realistically as possible. It offers 8-40 player multiplayer game modes as well as split-screen Missions. The game will “Fulfill the Battlefront fantasies you’ve always dreamed of.” Finally, gameplay is revealed. Both the Empire’s and the Rebel’s perspectives are shown. The footage is pre-alpha, but it still looks incredible. It is, most definitely, “Star Wars” meets “Battlefield,” and it is beautiful. You can switch freely between first and third person, both in vehicles and on the ground. Lots of vehicular gameplay is highlighted, showcasing many different vehicles from the “Star Wars” universe. After taking down an Imperial Walker, a TIE fighter battle takes places. Darth Vader makes a brief appearance, using the Force, followed by Luke Skywalker. They’ll be available as special unlockable characters. The game is coming Nov 17.

Wilson returns to wrap the show and thanks everyone for coming. There will be more information in the coming weeks.