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Capcom’s Resident Evil 2 remake wins “Best of Show” at E3 2018 from Game Critics Awards
The “media and influencer outlets” represented by the Game Critics Awards have selected this year’s Best of E3 winners. Capcom crawled away with “Best of Show” thanks to the Resident Evil 2 remake.
Meanwhile, Media Molecule’s Dreams won “Best Original Game,” while fellow Sony stablemate Marvel’s Spider-Man won “Best Console Game” and “Best Action/Adventure Game.” The Game Critics Awards honored a rather diverse slate of games this year, giving “Best PC Game” to BioWare’s Anthem, “Best AR/VR Game” to Tetris Effect, and “Best RPG” to Kingdom Hearts III.
Unsurprisingly, the massively-popular Super Smash Bros. Ultimate took home “Best Fighting Game.”
Among non-playable games, a “Special Commendation for Graphics” was awarded to CD Projekt Red’s Cyberpunk 2077, Naughty Dog’s The Last of Us Part II, and Sucker Punch’s Ghost of Tsushima. The Last of Us Part II also received a “Special Commendation for Sound” and Cyberpunk 2077 also collected a “Special Commendation for Innovation.”
The full list of winners can be found after the break. (more…)
Anthem nabs five nominations in Game Critics Awards’s Best of E3 2018 roundup
Every year, the Game Critics Awards, a consortium of more than 50 major publications that cover the video game industry, gets together to choose the best games at the E3 Expo. The nominees for “Best of E3 2018” were announced this morning, and BioWare’s Anthem lead the way with five nominations (including “Best of Show”).
From Software’s Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice is also in the running for “Best of Show,” and it’s standing close behind Anthem with four total nominations. After that, a mob of games collided in third place with three nominations apiece (including Battlefield V, Dreams, Marvel’s Spider-Man, Resident Evil 2, and Super Smash Bros. Ultimate). All but Battlefield V and Dreams are also up for “Best of Show.”
The PS4 was the most-honored platform with 58 nominations, followed by the PC (with 55), the Xbox One (with 51), and the Switch (with 10).
Several games that clicked with fans at home during the pre-E3 press conferences (including Cyberpunk 2077, Death Stranding, The Last of Us Part II, and many others) weren’t eligible for nomination because they weren’t available to play by the judging panel.
But most of those games will likely get another shot next year (especially since I expect to be old and gray before Death Stranding is released), and you can find all of this year’s nominees after the break. The winners will be announced this coming Monday, July 2. (more…)
Posted in Mobile, News, PC, PS4, Switch, Xbox One
Tagged Anthem, Battlefield V, Dreams, E3 2018, FIFA 19, Fortnite, Forza Horizon 4, Kingdom Hearts III, Ori and the Will of the Wisps, Overcooked 2, Resident Evil 2, Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice, Spider-Man, Super Smash Bros. Ultimate, Tetris Effect, Total War: Three Kingdoms
Pokemon: Let’s Go Pikachu! and Let’s Go Eevee! coming to the Switch this November
Nintendo and Game Freak will bring a Pokemon Go-like experience to the Switch this Fall with Pokemon: Let’s Go Pikachu! and Pokemon: Let’s Go Eevee! Based on one of the first Pokemon games ever released, Pokemon Yellow, Let’s Go Pikachu! and Let’s Go Eevee! will ask players to explore the Kanto Region and capture Pokemon using motion controls:
Taking place in the diverse and vibrant Kanto region, this new pair of games is packed with adventure for Pokemon Trainers of all ages. In the Pokemon: Let’s Go Pikachu! and Pokemon: Let’s Go Eevee! games, you will partner up with either Pikachu or Eevee and embark on an exciting adventure where you’ll catch and battle Pokemon, meet other Trainers and discover the region of Kanto.
Let’s Go Pikachu! and Let’s Go Eevee! will also include cooperative play for up to two players, and can be linked with Pokemon Go to transfer Pokemon from the Kanto Region to the Switch games.
Fans who are looking for an even more “immersive” Pokemon experience can also pick up a Poke Ball Plus controller this Fall. Let’s Go Pikachu! and Let’s Go Eevee! will be fully playable with the Poke Ball Plus, which’ll feature motion controls, a pressable Control Stick, and an Action Button. Transferring a Pokemon to the controller’s included memory slot will also get it to play lights and sounds.
Pokemon: Let’s Go Pikachu! and Pokemon: Let’s Go Eevee! will be released exclusively for the Nintendo Switch on November 16. The Poke Ball Plus controller will be available in stores on the same day. You can learn more about both games and the the controller in the very informative Announcement Trailer, which has been embedded above.
Posted in Mobile, News, Switch
Tagged Pokemon: Let's Go Pikachu/Let's Go Eevee
Limited-time Avengers: Infinity War crossover event is now available in Fortnite
Avengers: Infinity War is the hottest ticket in movies right now, so it seems only natural that Marvel is teaming up with Epic Games to bring Thanos to Fortnite. Fortnite players will be able to take control of “The Mad Titan” in the limited-time “Fortnite X Avengers Mode,” which is available now on the PC, PS4, Xbox One, and mobile devices:
Wield true power… the Infinity Gauntlet. Starting now, you can become Thanos in the Infinity Gauntlet Limited Time Mashup.
Drop in Solo as you hunt for and fight over the Infinity Gauntlet. The first to equip the Gauntlet will transform into the mighty Thanos and wield the Gauntlet’s power! You will need some serious firepower to take down Thanos. Only Rare, Epic and Legendary weapons appear in this Limited Time Mashup. Take down Thanos, equip the Gauntlet and claim Victory!
It’s unknown how long “Fortnite X Avengers Mode” will be available, but a short trailer teasing the crossover event has been embedded above.
Oculus launches standalone VR headset that doesn’t require a PC or wires for $200
The Oculus Rift’s hefty price tag caused more than a few gamers to pass on the virtual reality headset, but it looks the company’s newest offering is going after those budget-conscious players in a big way. Offering a standalone (and wireless) VR experience for as low as $199, the Oculus Go headset was unveiled today at the F8 conference, and on Oculus’s official website:
Our first standalone VR headset, Oculus Go is the easiest way to jump into VR. With a 538ppi 2560 x 1440 WQHD, fast-switch LCD display, we’re able to offer the best optics of any VR system we’ve built at our most affordable price point yet. Starting at $199 USD for 32 GB of storage (or $249 USD for the 64 GB model), Oculus Go was designed with comfort in mind.
Built-in spatial audio and an integrated microphone allow for maximum immersion straight out of the box, while headset weight, support straps, and the facial interface have all been optimized for the best fit and feel possible. And with no need to drop in a phone or power up a PC, it’s never been easier to share VR with friends.
Oculus Go will be cross-compatible with more than 1,000 Gear VR apps, so early adopters will have plenty of options on the Oculus Store. More than 100 Go-exclusive games and apps will also be available to download through the headset’s digital storefront.
A trailer for the Oculus Go has been embedded above.
Bethesda will bring “a big mix of stuff” to E3 2018
Bethesda held their first E3 Press Conference in 2015, and they managed to instantly win over the crowd by showcasing the first teaser trailer for Doom. In the years since, the publisher has doubled down on this strategy, and continued to focus on spectacular sequels and expansions to their biggest franchises.
And it sounds like 2018 won’t be any different.
DualShockers tracked down Bethesda’s Senior Vice President of Marketing, Pete Hines, at PAX East 2018, and asked him what we can expect from the company’s E3 showcase. As in years past, Hines promised that fans will see “a big mix of stuff” that won’t be limited to one kind of game or genre:
[W]e have a lot of new stuff to talk about at E3. Whether or not folks realize it, this is the hell on Earth time for us with E3. We are in the midst of so much planning and work for all of that content but I’m really excited.
I think we have a lot of stuff that folks are going to like. To my earlier comment, it’s going to be a big mix of stuff that’s all over the place. It’s not going to be like all [one] kind of game or genre. It’s going to be a lot of stuff in a lot of different areas and hopefully, there’s something in there for everybody.
Bethesda always has a lot of irons in the fire, but aside from the constant drumbeat of The Elder Scrolls VI (and the two “big and crazy” projects that will precede it), we don’t have any idea what the publisher is working on.
I guess we’ll all find out together during Bethesda’s E3 Showcase, which will be held on June 10 at 9:30 PM (Eastern Time).
You Don’t Know Jack will return in Jackbox Party Pack 5
Jackbox Games will bring back “You Don’t Know Jack” in this Fall’s Jackbox Party Pack 5 on the PC, consoles, and other “major digital platforms.”
An announcement on the developer’s official website lays out all the details, and it looks the trivia game will include many of the features and question types that fans have come to expect. But it’ll also get a change of scenery so that Jackbox can mock “binge” culture:
We didn’t want to do another YDKJ just because we could. We wanted to wait until we had a fresh take on the classic formula. This version sees the game (and Cookie) acquired by the friendly corporate overlords at Binjpipe, your premiere media bingeing streaming service. It’s a big scenery change that’s led us to update the game in really fun ways, and given us a ton of new stuff to make fun of.
“You Don’t Know Jack” will also include support for up to eight players, as well as “new question types, audience integration, brand new fart sounds, a lot of old fart sounds too, streaming features, begrudging meme references,” and “more than one Frasier joke for some reason.”
Like the previous Jackbox Party Pack collections, Jackbox Party Pack 5 will also include four other games that’ll be announced at a later date. For now, check out the C2E2/PAX East Trailer embedded above. It’s a hilarious takedown of binge-y buzzwords.
The Games of April 2018
After the end of a long Winter, things usually start bursting to life in April thanks to the fresh Spring air. This adage used to apply to the game release calendar too, but only a handful of new games will make their way to store shelves in April 2018. And an even smaller handful of titles will rise above the rest.
Nintendo will launch their latest experiment, the cardboard-powered Nintendo Labo kits, for the Switch this month. They’ll be joined by a new beginning for Kratos in Sony Santa Monica’s God of War, and the end for Kazuma Kiryu in Sega’s Yakuza 6: The Song of Life.
You can find out why the Warp Zoned staff is looking forward to these games, and view the release schedule for all of this month’s new games, after the break. (more…)
Posted in Features, Mobile, PC, Switch, Top Story, Vita, Xbox One
Tagged God of War 4, Nintendo Labo: Robot Kit, Nintendo Labo: Variety Kit, Yakuza 6: The Song of Life