[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.

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

Ubisoft

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. Returning to the developers, Electronic Arts had some exciting announcements of their own. With Ubisoft in line next, will the third time be the charm for them? Here is everything you needed to know about the 2015 Ubisoft Press Conference, live from E3 2015 on Monday, June 15.

The conference kicks off with a trailer for a new “South Park” RPG, following up on “The Stick of Truth.” Cartman and everyone is back with their respective outfits, only this time, Butters is the villain as “Professor Chaos.” It looks to be packed full of all the goofiness of the previous title. “South Park: The Fractured But Whole” –read that out loud. Aisha Tyler comes out to introduce Matt Stone and Trevor Parker. Despite claiming, they were not going to make another game after the previous, they decided the last one helped them learn that they could do another, so they decided, “F*** it, let’s do it.” Stone promises to get deeper into the backstory. No release date is announced, though, and Stone and Parker leave the stage.

Tyler thanks everyone for attending and welcomes everyone to the Ubisoft event. Much like EA, Tyler emphasizes Ubisoft’s desire for fan feedback. She then makes way for Yves Guillemot, CEO of Ubisoft.

Guillemot expresses his love for the creators and players of games. He claims that Ubisoft has always taken risks, and insists that they will continue – starting with a new IP in a new genre, out of Ubisoft Montreal. It leads with lots of medieval characters with era-appropriate weapons, destroying each other. The camera moves all around the battlefield, focusing on all kinds of different combat, ranging from one-on-one melee to some larger scale encounters. It’s brutal, gritty, but not excessively gory. “For Honor” displays an impressive, but entirely CGI trailer for its debut.

Jason Vandenberghe, Creative Director for “For Honor,” takes the stage. He describes a first-person experience in battle, describing it as “visceral.” It’s a 4v4 melee-focused battle game. They transition to a gameplay demo, which showcases four player-controlled knights surrounded by a plethora of AI-controlled characters, charging into battle. We see a 2v2 battle take place, and shows off a little more brutality here. It feels like a more focused, team-oriented “Ryse: Son of Rome.” The AI battle in the background while the players have a defensive-heavy battle by themselves. Vandenberghe announces the demo will be available to play tomorrow morning at E3. You can register at ForHonor.com to get more information and be among the first to play.

Tyler returns to the stage, to talk about more fan-feedback inspired projects. She talks about an upcoming expansion to “The Crew” which shows off dirt bikes, monster trucks, rally cars, and drag racers. “The Crew: Wild Run” is coming Nov 17.

A new trailer starts showing horses and bullets, beautifully rendered. It then reveals a cat riding on the back of a unicorn, teasing “Trials Fusion: Awesome Level Max.” It’s a DLC coming out July 14 on Xbox One, PlayStation 4, and PC. “You’re a cat riding a fire-breathing unicorn,” what more convincing do you need?

Tyler proceeds to discuss “Tom Clancy’s: The Division,” one of the most highly anticipated Ubisoft games to date. Ryan Barnard, Game Director for “Tom Clancy’s: The Division,” takes the stage to introduce “The Dark Zone.” He emphasizes the team-oriented experience, and shows off a gameplay demo. It looks to be Time Square on New Year’s Day, virtually abandoned outside of the operatives wandering the streets. The players hop a fence and slowly investigate the new area. The road is littered with corpses and abandoned Army Vehicles as a voice in the background mentions something about a “Quarantine being in effect.”

They come across some enemies and begin to plan out their attack before being ambushed from behind. A gun battle ensues, and they fight their way towards a crate, in which they find an LMG. The operatives also show off some fancy gadget along the way. The “players” continue an unnatural conversation, discussing plans to avoid some tough enemies and call for an extraction. They then have to hold off for 90 seconds, and a helicopter arrives. The original players decide to take out those who joined them, but then one agent assassinates everyone and runs off with the loot. “Huge dick move,” Tyler says as the demo comes to a close.

“Tom Clancy’s: The Division” is available at E3 now, and the beta will launch on Xbox One, PlayStation 4, and PC early next year – coming to Xbox One first. The game will release March 8, 2016 on all platforms simultaneously.

A new game trailer for the “critically acclaimed city builder” begins. It shows off a beautifully rendered, modern cityscape. A futuristic vehicle flies in, and then the trailer cuts to a moon-like environment. As the vehicle crests over a hill, a tremendous moon base is reviled. The camera pans out to reveal the massive scope of the environment, then cuts to a close up of a spaceship launching back to Earth. “Anno 2205” coming Nov 3, continues on with a gameplay demo. It looks very much like a futuristic “Sim City,” only with space travel and slightly more majestic environments. Lots of cliffs, oceans, and islands are shown off, before again teasing the space-travel and moon base. The game looks extremely pretty.

Tyler is now in the crowd, talking to Jacob Frye,” from “Assassin’s Creed Syndicate.” After an awkward exchange, she then talks to Jason Altman, Executive Producer of “Just Dance 2016.” Altman announces that the “biggest music game franchise of all time” no longer requires a camera to play the game. A cellphone app will allow players to connect to their console and use it as a controller, presumably like a Wii Remote. Jason Derülo then comes out performing his latest hit single, “Want to Want Me,” indicating that it will likely be in the latest installment. Tyler discusses Derülo’s success and Derülo talks about being a fan of the franchise. Tyler confirms the single will be in the game when it releases this October on Wii, Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, Wii U, Xbox One, and PlayStation 4. Along with the launcher, users on the latest generation get the unique “Just Dance Unlimited,” a streaming services that will feature over 150 tracks. No pricing details were revealed, but it is subscription based.

A new CGI trailer starts up, with a woman talking about attacks all over the world. It’s probably a “Rainbow Six Siege” teaser. It shows the “unknown” enemy crafting some sort of biological weapon, before the woman declares the reactivation of her force created from the world’s elite operatives, confirming that it is, in fact, for “Rainbow Six Siege.” Tyler starts to introduce the game, emphasizing the fully-destructible environments packed with close-quarters combat. She introduces Angela Bassett, who plays “Six,” the head of the counter-terrorism unit. Bassett discusses the experience of playing a video-game character. Bassett leaves the stage, and Tyler hints at more details on the single-player experience.

Genevieve Forget, Community Developer for “Rainbow Six Siege,” takes over to discuss more about the single player and co-op experiences. Terrorist Hunt is back as Terror Hunt, with the most advanced AI in any “Rainbow Six” game to date. A live gameplay demo takes place, where they’re trying to disarm some explosives. They start out by surveying the area together, then deciding to scale the building and head to the room top. Some of the characters are utilizing shields while others are picking of enemies with their silenced pistols. They send out a recon drone that drives around to scout out the location of the explosives and terrorist locations.

The team busts through a wall with a sledgehammer to create a new flanking route. An explosion downs a teammate and they revive him. They move into a hallway, using a riot shield for cover, and unload on a group of enemies. They begin to divide and conquer to finish clearing. They start to defuse, but have to hold off enemies coming from everywhere, including behind the players. After another intense battle, the bomb is disarmed and the demo ends.

Forget announces that was just one of four Terror Hunt modes that will be in the game, including Terror Hunt Classic (which will likely be purely enemy elimination). It's available now for E3 and the Beta starts on Sept 24, available on all platforms, with both PVP and Terror Hunt.

Tyler returns, emphasizing that was the first time she’s actually seen the team win and that it’s real gameplay. She then discusses Classic Arcades, and moves on to “Trackmania Turbo.” A preview for the game shows off a very colorful environment. A helicopter drops off a racecar which lands on the racetrack and takes off in stride. It hints at four-player split screen and the trailer ends with a bang. Francois Alaux and Tommmy Francois take the stage to discuss the game and play through a demo. Alaux races through a level against ghosts, switching freely between first and third-person views. He easily gets a gold medal on his first try. There are 5 difficulty levels, over 200 tracks, and a track builder mode which randomly generates tracks on the fly with the press of a button. He immediately plays the new track, this time not doing quite as well. The demo also shows off a new environment, “Rollercoaster Lagoon.” They also announce there will be a VR demo at E3.

Tyler comes back to announce “Assassin’s Creed Syndicate.” It starts off with a CGI trailer, cutting between shots of a bird flying above London and shots of alleyways and streets around the city. “Devils Acre 1866.” We see Jacob Frye – in game this time – spying on someone from atop a building, with some friends. He pulls on his hood, jumps down onto a carriage, and hijacks it. He chases down another carriage and abandons his previous one. He then bails off a bridge, rescues himself, and hops onto a train to continue his pursuit. More shots, this time indoors, are shown in some sort of steel factory. He sets a man on fire, chains him up, and walks out as his crew comes in to take on the other thugs.

Cut to a tavern, and Frye walks in to talk to enemies. They refuse to join his cause, so he begins beating them up in a very un-fair bar fight. He uses his hidden blade to slice-and-dice, then spares one as he walks out with his crew. A crow flies off and the trailer ends.

Marc-Alexis Côté, Creative Director on “Assassin’s Creed Sydicate” takes the stage to talk about the game. He confirms the London location during the Industrial Revolution. He also confirms the ability to play as both Evie and Jacob Frye.

Guillemot returns to the stage for one final announcement, talking about a revolutionizing a franchise. A group, which has been working in secrecy, has been developing the game. A trailer begins with a skull and a voiceover talking about fighting an enemy that doesn’t fear death. Blood drips down the table and a helicopter is heard. It cuts to a guy parachuting over a huge valley and mountain. A few more join him as they head down the mountain. One pulls out a sniper rifle and they begin to scope out the area, suddenly taking out a target. They start a chase down a dirt road, mentioning that they’re chasing after a truck of cocaine.

Now the mission completely changes to something more stealthy, but close-quarters. A drone is shown flying around, then the voiceover returns briefly in the same environment. He smashes a bottle over a guy’s head, and it cuts to a third mission. This is outside in the daylight, and quickly cuts between, what appears to be, multiple approaches for the same mission. A cinematic begins with a man who’s pinned to a table by knives, being tortured by some guy covered in tattoos. It features a massive open world with a large variety of environments, and players traversing all of them as while as fighting battles throughout. “Tom Clancy’s: Ghost Recon - Wildlands” is revealed, no release date, and that caps off the show.

[06.15.15] Everything you need to know from the 2015 Xbox Media Briefing [E3 2015]

Microsoft

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. After a great E3 kick-off courtesy of Bethesda, Microsoft starts off the console wars with their incredible lineup of announcements, and here is everything you needed to know about the 2015 Xbox Media Briefing, live from E3 2015 on Monday, June 15.

The conference begins kicks off with a montage of games, including Tomb Raider, Halo, Forza, Gears of War, and many other games. Bonnie Ross, Studio Head at 343 Studios, welcomes everyone to the conference. She starts off with, none other than, “Halo 5 Guardians.”

A new reveal trailer plays, featuring voice-overs from many characters. It introduces the storyline from many different angles, including Master Chief’s, Buck’s, and even the Covenant. It then moves into a gameplay demo. The player is playing as part of the ONI team, fighting off the covenant. Taking the role of Spartan Locke, they gather intel on the area, finding Master Chief’s assault rifle. Lots of explosions, running through the facility – everything is very much “Halo,” just prettier. The player shows off the ability to command other team members to attack a covenant ship followed by the Spartan’s new unique abilities.

Some new characters are shown, including a soldier version of the Promethean race and the gameplay demo ends. It then returns to a montage of game highlights, including a brief glimpse at the new bosses. The launch date of Oct 27, 2015 flashes on the screen and Josh Holmes takes the stage.

Holmes says this is the most ambitious “Halo” game yet. A massive, two story campaign and multiplayer maps 4 times the size of anything previous. “Halo 5” multiplayer goes by a new name – “War Zone.” The multiplayer demo will be on the show floor this week and looks to be a much larger scale team game, 24-player possibilities.

Now it’s time for an Xbox Exclusive World Premier. From Keiji Inafune and the makers of “Metroid Prime,” a unique looking adventure game. A desert environment is shown and the protagonists has a robot dog following it around. It has a very Pixar-like style. The female protagonist and her dog face off against some robot spiders, and the dog detonates himself to save the girl. All that is left is a crystal power core, which she then places in another dormant robot, bringing it to life. She possibly indicates it’s the same “dog” she just had, but in a new body. The title “Recore” is revealed with a Spring 2016 launch window. It will likely be an Xbox exclusive

Phil Spencer takes the stage, confirming that “Recore” will be an exclusive, new, first-party franchise for Xbox One. He discusses the vision for Xbox One and how Xbox continues to invest in delivering the best experience for Xbox gamers. He’s also wearing a shirt under his jacket which is just barely visible. He then reveals Xbox One has backwards compatibility! Something that wasn’t previously thought possible, now available Natively on the Xbox One. It’s part of the vision for creating the largest game library on Xbox One.

Mike Ybarra, Head of Platform Engineering, shows off backwards compatibility, including over 100 titles coming this holiday. It will support both digital downloads – which should automatically start showing up soon – as well as retail games. He then plays “Mass Effect” on Xbox One, showing that the game plays like the Xbox 360, but will utilize Xbox One features – such as screenshots or game streaming and DVR. It’s available immediately for preview members and will be available this holiday for others.

Spencer returns to the stage to talk about the “Xbox Elite Wireless Controller” coming this fall. It will have “swappable” components and “limitless customization,” essentially creating the ultimate first-party “pro” controller designed for Xbox One and Windows 10. It’s absolutely beautiful.

Todd Howard, Bethesda Game Studio’s head, takes the stage, yes on Xbox’s conference. Howard is discussing “Fallout 4,” possibly hinting at exclusive content? He’s discussing the importance of freedom in the game and is revealing more gameplay content. He goes over much of the information revealed at Bethesda’s conference, just more summarized. He also reveals a new weapon, a type of musket, and more survivors are discovered. It gives off a very “Walking Dead” kind of vibe… only futuristic and with powersuits. Howard calls it the “most ambitious game-world we have ever created” while a montage of action sequences and environments are shown off. Howard than teases a big announcement, revealing that PC Mods can be shared and played, for free, on Xbox One.

Peter Moore, COO of EA, takes the stage, mentioning his happiness with backwards compatibility and then talking about EA Access, the $5/month service only on Xbox One which gives you early access, and many games for a low price. Like always, EA titles will be released early for members and games in the vault will be rotated and can be played unlimited, and players will get discounts. All of this is repeat news. Moore announces that “Titanfall” is coming at the start of summer, “Dragon Age: Inquisition” will come later this fall. This week, All Xbox Live Gold members get free access to EA Access, only have to download the free app.

Moore than announces “Plants Vs. Zombies: Garden Warfare 2.” He promises “this will be the funniest, craziest, most over the top shooter experience you’ve ever played.” After revealing it’s coming next spring, a trailer begins. It looks like the zombies have taken over and the game will now be in “Zomburbia.” A multitude of new plant and zombie characters are revealed, although the entire trailer is CGI. This time around, it looks like the plants are coming to the zombies’ house to invade.

A teaser for “Forza 6” begins, and the new GT is lowered onto the stage form the ceiling. Henry Ford III takes the stage with Dan Greenwald of Turn 10, introducing a trailer for “Forza 6.” The game looks beautiful as ever. There will now be 24-car multiplayer and it’s coming Sep 15.

Another world premier begins, from Bandai Namco and From Software, Inc. A dark and dreary environment with lots of monstrous characters is shown, and it looks like a new “Dark Souls” game is coming. A massive titan guard with a giant sword is shown, and “Dark Souls 3” flashes, with an “early 2016” release window. It will not be an exclusive

A premier trailer for “Tom Clancy’s: The Division” is shown, re-hyping what is already known about the game. It shows off, what appears to be, lots of in-engine graphics and the game looks great. It appears to take place in the heart of New York City and will require lots of teamwork. There’s plenty of explosions and awesome guns, as is expected from a Tom Clancy game.

Laurent Detoc, president of Ubisoft Americas, takes the stage to talk more about it. He reveals that it does take place in New York, and will feature a variety of special operatives. He then reminisces on Ghost Recon’s initial launch on the first day of Xbox Live launching. He reveals that the beta will be exclusive to Xbox One, before moving on to “Rainbow Six Siege.”

Detoc emphases the destructible environments of “Rainbow Six Siege” and reveals that “Rainbow Six Vegas” and “Vegas 2” will come free with “Rainbow Six Siege,” all playable on the Xbox One (thanks to the backwards compatibility). A gameplay trailer then begins for “Siege.” Again, it’s nothing revolutionary for the game, but does appear to be mostly in-engine, as well. It actually feels very similar to “The Division,” but in a less post-apocalyptic environment.

An Xbox One and Windows 10 exclusive from Motiga is revealed, and it appears to be the long-forgotten “Gigantic.” The trailer reveals a variety of characters as well as gameplay features. It’s an arena shooter which appears to focus on battling large “guardians.” The beta will launch this August and will be free to play, like the game.

A montage of indie games begins, including a momentary tease of the also-forgotten “Cuphead.” It shows off some other original titles and some already-released titles, like “Goat Simulator.” It’s likely this is a lead in for the ID@Xbox program. Logo at the end of the trailer confirms.

Chris Charla, Director of ID@Xbox, takes the stage to discuss the program. Over 1000 indie developers have been making games for the ID@Xbox program, and it’s “really only the start.” Steve Gaynor of Fullbright takes the stage to discuss and preview Tacoma, coming 2016. Derek Bradley, from Aurora44, is next to discuss “Ashen,” a survival game and Xbox console exclusive. It looks like it will have a lot of emphases on exploration, puzzle-solving, and a dash of horror. Sherida Halatoe, of tiger & squid, enters to discuss “Beyond Eyes.” It’s a very unique experience, coming first to Xbox One and PC. It also appears to be a unique exploration/adventure game, and it releases this summer. Chad and Jared Moldenhauer of MDHR take the stage to discuss “Cuphead” – finally, it’s returning! They talk about their vision for a classic 1930’s cartoon that controls like a classic, 16-bit platformer. As a trailer plays, one thing is obvious – they nailed the style they were going for. The game looks incredible and the gameplay looks extremely fun and challenging, as would be expect from both the era’s the game takes influence from. It’s coming 2016 exclusively to Xbox One.

Charla takes back over announcing an early release program, similar to what’s on PC. The hook is that the games are required to give a free demo first, so you can decide whether or not you want to pay in. Starting today, both ”The Long Dark” and “Elite Dangerous” are available today for Xbox One Game Preview.

Charla hands off to Dean Hall, the creator of “Day-Z” to introduce a new IP coming to PC and Xbox One. It will make use of Xbox One Game Preview and PC access, and players will “be able to shape the destiny” of the game. The game takes place in space, but not much is revealed, other than the name “Ion.” It has a “Gravity” vibe to it.

Brian Horton, Game Director of Crystal Dynamics, demos the world premier gameplay of “Rise of the Tomb Raider” coming holiday 2015. A very beaten and tattered Lara lights her way through a cave with her signature torch… which is then blown out by a snowstorm. Suddenly she’s wearing full winter climbing gear and working her way up a mountain. The climbing mechanics are very familiar, only now she has Jonah tethered to her. Ice starts falling and she makes a leap across the cavern. She’s taking lots of risks while climbing, but makes her way to the top. She loses her grip and falls, saved by Jonah. He struggles to pull her back up and she swings over to the ice to regain her grip. The ice gives way, but she narrowly makes it to the top as an avalanche begins. She tells Jonah to return to shelter and continues her ascent. Non-stop action spliced with quick time events, it’s all very familiar – and very welcome to return. A montage of various game shots is tagged with a “Xbox Exclusive” banner, possibly indicating it’s no longer a “timed release” but a full exclusive? Then the hard release date of Nov 10, 2015 is finally revealed.

Another Xbox One exclusive begins, and it looks like a collection of games from “Rare” as Banjo and Conker both made an appearance, among others. “Perfect Dark, “Viva Pinata,” and Battle Toads” are just a few of the 30 games included in this 10,000 gamerscore collection. “Rare Replay” available August 4, 2015. Craig Duncan, Studio Head at Rare, takes the stage to announce this exclusive collection in celebration of the 15th anniversary of the studio.

He’s also announcing a new title from the company, “by far the most ambitious game Rare has ever created.” It begins in first person with Rare’s signature cartoony graphics. It takes place on an island, complete with tropical birds and… pirate skeletons. A sea shanty begins playing and a character runs out onto a beach where a pirate ship is waiting. Many characters have, what appears to be, gamertags over their heads, indicating what could possibly be a pirate themed MMO? “Sea of Thieves” is the title, no release date indicated.

Another Xbox One and Windows 10 exclusive trailer begins, which looks very much like “Fable.” It has the same art style and appears to be an RPG. It will be free to play on both Xbox One and Windows 10, and likes to use the word “legends” a lot. “Fable Legends,” it is.

Kudo Tsunoda, Corporate Vice President of Microsoft Studios, takes the stage to talk more about the title. The game will run seamlessly between the two platforms. Anything bought will transfer between the two, and the game will also feature cross-play between PC and Consoles.

He then announces a new partnership with Valve VR, making Windows 10 the best platform with VR gaming. He mentions the previous announcement that an Xbox One controller will be included in with every Oculous Rift. It sounds like Microsoft is trying to lock down the VR market, including their previously announced HoloLens. He then introduces Lydia Winters, Brand Director from Mojang.

As she discusses the history of the studio, “Minecraft” is displayed behind her. She talks about Minecon 2015 and hints and an announcement there. She then introduces Michael Saxs Persson from Microsoft studios, to reveal a new version of Minecraft on the HoloLens. They play a live demo, and she is able to join in from her Surface. Persson then moves the game world onto a table and he can overlook the world in a type of “god mode.” He can follow around Winters throughout the world from the recessed perspective. It’s like playing with a real miniature model of your “Minecraft” world. He can also manipulate the world to discover what is underneath and map it for the other player. The whole environment can be controlled with gestures and even voice commands. Persson is able to detonate some TNT and Pigs by saying “lightning strike,” causing the TNT to explode and the pigs to turn into zombie pigmen.

Rod Fergusson, Co-Creator of ”Gears of War” and Studio Head at The Coalition, takes the stage to announce the “Gears of War Ultimate Edition.” It’s an HD remake of the original “Gears of War,” complete with multiplayer. The multiplayer beta begins today, exclusively on Xbox One.

He then begins revealing a new “Gears of War” game with a gameplay demo. New COG soldiers are shown off traversing a very dark environment. A storm is destroying the city they are exploring, literally crumbling the environment around them. The new character is referred to as “JD.” They enter a building and there is a new monster revealed. Something gooey and glowy, which JD is advised not to touch. He does anyway, and his flashlight is shorted out. Fortunately, he’s glowing – possibly imulsion? This form extends well beyond the room they were in and all over the outside environment. They follow it into a courtyard where more glowing pods (don’t touch!) are at. As they try to exit the courtyard, another new enemy type is revealed. It’s somehow similar, yet different to the locust. As JD becomes overwhelmed, the trailer cuts to a close. It’s “Gears 4,” coming Holiday 2016.

Phil Spencer returns, now revealing the shirt he was hiding was a Rare Shirt. Could this be another Rare announcement or is he just celebrating their accomplishments? He discusses and recaps all of the new experiences revealed today and reasserts the commitment Microsoft has to the community and Xbox Live. He then hints that here are “more surprises in store this week.” There will be reveals on the Xbox Daily Show, including “Quantum Break,” “Scalebound,” “Crackdown,” a new Xbox One interface, and new first-party games. He wraps up the conference (no more Rare, looks like it was just a celebration) by thanking everyone. The conference ends with another game montage, recapping everything revealed today.

[06.09.14] Xbox E3 2014 Media Briefing

Crowds gather at the Xbox E3 2014 Media Briefing at the Galen Center on Monday, June 9, 2014 in Los Angeles

Photo: Matt Sayles, Invision for Microsoft. Used with permission.

It's officially underway - The 2014 Xbox Media Briefing just happened earlier this morning as a part of the Electronic Entertainment Expo’s lineup for Monday, June 9, and this time around it's all about the games. All throughout the conference, there were videos that featured key gaming icon's favorite games as well as tweets for any presenter’s favorites. What exactly does Microsoft have up their sleeves, especially after the long string of announcements leading up to E3? Hopefully there is plenty of new information left to spill and they haven't run out yet. Take a look now at this year’s play-by-play recap of the entire Xbox World Media Briefing.

The conference launched with Phil Spencer (@XboxP3) giving a speech about how great it's been for the gaming community and made a nice nod to both Sony and Nintendo citing their achievements and proceeded to thank Xbox gamers for their involvement in shaping Xbox into what it is today. He then announced that this conference will focus entirely on games and nothing else. The mission: To make Xbox the best place to play games this generation.

A trailer for "Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare" starts playing and the announcement is made that, once again, all content will come to Xbox first. A drop-pod with multiple troops in it crashes out of the sky and into a skyscraper, showcasing the incredible visuals. The trailer also demonstrated the new exoskeleton suit soldiers will wear to help them traverse the battlefield more efficiently and all the crazy new weapons, including grenades with propellers attached to them.

Dan Greenwalt, the Creative Director at Turn 10, takes the stage to talk about "Forza 5". The Nurburgring has been recreated with extreme detail - down to the millimeter - and is now available free for "Forza 5" owners to download. He then passes the stage off to Ralph Fulton, Playground Game's Creative Director to talk about "Forza Horizon 2." Read more about that here.

A trailer for "Evolve" starts playing showcasing the incredible graphics. As expected, you'll be able to fight with a class-based system with traditional classes such as assault or medic. However, you can also play as the monster against a team of 4 as well. Finally, the Beta will be available exclusively on Xbox One and all DLC will arrive first.

Vincent Pontbriand, the Senior Producer at Ubisoft, debuts a trailer for "Assassin's Creed: Unity." Players will be Marquis De Bullion and will fight alongside the French Revolution. It will features 100's of quests and secrets to find. For the first time ever, you can create your own brotherhood and play with up to three others cooperatively.

A world premier trailer for "Dragon Age Inquisition" is shown, with an announcement of a release on October 7. Also, as probably expected by now, all DLC will be available first on Xbox One.

"Sunset Overdrive" takes the stage with a trailer that showcases the ridiculous game play, colorful visuals, and over-the-top humor which the game has become known for. The trailer gives a little of the back story, explaining how contaminated energy drinks have led to people becoming mutants and caused a war to erupt. Out walks Ted Price, the Founder and CEO & Insomniac Games. He provides a little more knowledge and a game play demo showing off the unconventional weaponry and arcade-like design, reminiscent of "Lollipop Chainsaw." He also explains that players will be able to fully customize their own in-game characters and proceeded to announce Chaos Squad, and 8 player cooperative mode.

Falling right in line with the wackiness comes the funniest trailer of the conference, the announcement of “Super Ultra Deadrising 3 Arcade Remix Hyper Edition EX α.” This brand new DLC for “Deadrising 3” is a nod to Capcom’s “31th” Anniversary and features four player cooperative gameplay and tons of Capcom-themed costumes for players to choose from. Best of all, it’s available right now.

Alex Rigopolous, the Creative Director from Harmonix, comes to the stage to talk a little bit about the upcoming game “Fantasia: Music Evolved.” He then proceeds to make the exciting announcement that the insanely popular “Dance Central” franchise will be making its return very soon in the form of a digital-only Xbox exclusive called “Dance Central Spotlight.” The game features an all original soundtrack and brand-new technology which is going to allow them to deliver new songs to the game faster than ever before. It will be available sometime this fall.

Also making its return soon is “Fable Legends” as announced by Lionhead’s Game Director, David Eckelberry. A small gameplay demo was shown displaying a very familiar gameplay style with cranked up visuals and a slight twist. Now, you have the ability to play as the villain. This turns the game into more of a top-down RTS tower-defense game where you set up and control every trap you want to make for the players. The beta for “Fable Legends” will be available this fall exclusively on Xbox One.

A playful trailer for “Project Spark” (currently available as a free Beta on Xbox One) is shown, centralizing around the immense creative power the game allows. It debuts two big announcements. Their will now be new galaxies for players to create and play in, adding to the list of themes already available. As the logo flashes on the screen, and all-to-familiar squirrel comes out with a chainsaw in hand and slices the logo in half. He then says “Almost 10 years without a game, guess we’ll have to make our own!” Available exclusively on Xbox One this fall will be a Conker pack courtesy of Rare.

A brief trailer for a new game and exclusive is shown. “Ori and the Blind Forrest” is a very pretty side-scrolling platformer out of Moon Studios. No word on release date yet.

Suddenly the Halo theme fills the air and a trailer for “Halo 5: Guardians” begins. It continues on right from where he was left in the previous trailer, floating around in space with a giant mine. A closer look is taken at the all-new character featured in the promotional art for “Halo 5: Guardians”. The trailer ends with the words “Your Journey Begins” as 343’s Studio Head Bonnie Ross takes the stage. She explains that “Halo 5: Guardians” will focus on a self-reflective journey for Masterchief as he tries to discover who he really is. Ross then makes a big announcement and passes the stage off to Dan Ayoub, the Executive Producer behind the next game in the Halo franchise.

“Halo: The Masterchief Collection” has 4 games packed into one. “Halo CE,” “Halo 2,” “Halo 3,” and “Halo 4” will all be available in one place on the Xbox One sometime this fall. It will feature one seamless interface in which the entirety of the Masterchief campaign will be unlocked and available. You can pick any of your favorite levels to play and they’ll all feature both HD visuals and the original graphics which can be toggled at the push of a button. The best part about having all of them unlocked and in one place is that players can put together a custom playlist of levels featuring all of their favorite moments in the Halo series and play them back-to-back, crafting their own unique cut of the Halo story. For the ten year anniversary of “Halo 2,” it’s getting the full anniversary treatment. All of the original multiplayer will be available exactly as it shipped ten years ago. On top of that, 6 of the iconic maps will be updated with HD visuals, including fan-favorite Ascension. “Halo: The Masterchief Collection” will also come with over 100 multiplayer levels out of the box, featuring every single map that has ever been released across all four of the games. This will be in 1080p and 60 FPS. The game will also tote 4000 potential Gamerscore because of its size. Also included in the package is the “Halo Nightfall” live action series produced by Ridley Scott. Last, those who purchase “Halo: The Masterchief Collection” will gain access to the “Halo 5: Guardians” multiplayer beta this fall.

From this point on, the conference focused solely on titles in the 2015 and beyond portfolio and was rather rapid-fire.

Playdead Studios is back after four years of development with their new side-scrolling platformer “INSIDE.” It’s a very artsy game, similar to Limbo. This one will be available early 2015.

Chris Charla, the Director for ID@Xbox, took the stage with a very long trailer showcasing the massive number of indie games currently being worked on for the Xbox One.

A brief teaser-trailer announced the return of Lara Croft in “Rise of the Tomb Raider.” Much like “Halo 5: Guardians,” this looks to be a very self-reflective journey for Lara, albeit not much is revealed beyond the Holiday 2015 release window.

John Mamais, Executive Producer on “The Witcher 3” takes the stage with a brief gameplay demo. The game looks great, no other information is given.

Ken Lobb, creative director behind the Xbox One exclusive reboot “Killer Instinct” takes the stage with the announcement that he’s ready to reboot another favorite and cult-classic from the original Xbox. “Phantom Dust” is getting fully remastered with all new gameplay and visuals.

Ryan Barnard, the Game Director for “Tom Clancy’s The Division” shows off an all-new gameplay video to give a peak at the new direction of the game. The graphics look fantastic and the squad-based combat is very smooth as expected from a Tom Clancy game.

Platinumgames Inc. Creative Director Hideki Kamiya comes to the stage with an announcement for an all new Xbox Exclusive out of the company that made Bayonetta, MadWorld, and Anarchy Reigns. “Scalebound” will be a fantasy game in which players take on dragons and other creatures using magical powers.

Last, David Jones, the Creative Director at CloudGine announced the return of “Crackdown.” Not many details were given, but much of the original team is working on it and it promises a revolutionary multiplayer experience thanks to an army of dedicated servers. If the game winds up being anything close to the teaser shown, it will stick close to the crazy, over-the-top gameplay the series is known for.

To cap off the conference, Phil Spencer took the stage one last time to thank everyone for coming and voice his excitement for the future of Xbox One. To continue the evolution that Xbox has made over the last year, he announced “Xbox Feedback,” a one-stop shop for users to voice concerns, input ideas, and vote on what they want the future of Xbox to be. Last but not least, the Xbox One without Kinect is available today for $399.

If you didn’t get a chance to watch the Xbox World Media Briefing, it is available now to watch on demand here.

[03.06.14] ‘Watch Dogs’ new release date confirmed

Ubisoft

Today, Ubisoft published a brand new trailer for the previously delayed “Watch Dogs” which seems to have confirmed the official release date. At the end of the trailer, the date 27.05.14 is displayed indicating that May 27th will be the official world-wide release date for this highly anticipated title which came out as a tremendous surprise from E3 a couple years back.

In addition to the release date came confirmation that PlayStation will be receiving some exclusive content. Players who purchase either the PlayStation 3 or PlayStation 4 versions of “Watch Dogs” will be treated to an additional 60 minutes of exclusive in-game content which can be downloaded at a later date via the PlayStation Network.

“Watch Dogs” will release on May 27th for the Xbox One, PlayStation 4, Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, and PC internationally, however those with a Wii U will have to wait longer. It is planned for development, however the decision to pick up a Wii U version was decided much later in the developmental cycle cause additional delays to the platform. Ubisoft has yet to confirm an official release date for the Wii U version.

Anthony Ortale writes news and reviews on behalf of Examiner.com and as one half of Grinning Moth Productions. 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

[03.04.13] ‘Assassin’s Creed’ ventures to the Golden Age of Pirates

Ubisoft

It seems like “Assassin’s Creed III” just launched, but already Ubisoft is pushing on with the announcement of “Assassin’s Creed IV Black Flag” today. In development for the last two years with Ubisoft Montreal at the helm, “Black Flag” introduces a new hero, new setting, and promises to deliver the most diverse and seamless world “Assassin’s Creed” has ever seen. “We are creating the boldest and most unique ‘Assassin’s Creed’ game yet, while still respecting the pillars of the franchise that have made it such a fan favorite,” said Ubisoft CEO Yves Guillemot. “’Assassin’s Creed IV Black Flag’ is based on a true, harsh and exciting part of a legendary era and will thrill longtime fans and newcomers alike.”

“Black Flag” will tell the story of former Royal Navy Private Edward Kenway and his adventures into the exciting would of piracy, along with his involvement in the ancient war between the Assassins and Templars. It will be set in the West Indies at the dawn of the 18th Century and will feature some of the most infamous pirates in history, such as the trailer’s narrator, Blackbeard.

Gameplay will be everything you know and love from the “Assassin’s Creed” series, combined with the weaponry appropriate to the era. Whether you want to be stealthy or daring, there will be plenty of exciting new ways to take down your targets among the 50 navigable areas or in the series’ newly acclaimed multiplayer modes.

“Assassin’s Creed IV Black Flag” is set to launch in North America on October 29th for the PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, and Wii U. Next gen versions will also be available at an unspecified date. There will also be a collector’s edition, but more details won’t surface until March. However, Ubisoft has confirmed that those purchasing a PlayStation 3 or PlayStation 4 will have access to an additional 60 minutes of exclusive gameplay content which can be downloaded via the PlayStation Network at a later date. Exactly what that will be entail will remain to be seen.

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

[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