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All Articles: E3 2015
Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain producer responds to “downgrade” criticism
With a little less than two months to go before the hotly anticipated release of Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain, Konami is probably glad the drama surrounding the title is coming to an end so they can get on with further imploding.
Kojima Productions recently showed a ton of gameplay footage at this year’s E3 Expo (an extended version of the “Free Infiltration” demo is available for viewing after the break), and while the overall reaction was positive, there has been one constant complaint. Several commenters online are saying the game doesn’t look as good as it once did. This has prompted Ken-ichiro Imaizumi, a Senior Producer at Konami Computer Entertainment Japan, to take to Twitter yesterday morning to defend the game.
If you know game making process. We normally don't change or downgrade in this phase. Always have to be comes first. https://t.co/SgT3p6hj48
— Ken-ichiro Imaizumi (@Ken1555) July 8, 2015
If anything, Tweeting in defense of your game will only raise more awareness on the issue. I didn’t realize anyone thought the graphics looked downgraded from past iterations, but now that it’s been brought up, I can kind of see it. Or maybe that’s the placebo effect talking. Either way, Mr. Imaizumi has made some great Tweets since:
He is a genius creator. I'm just a guy. Glad you like the demo. You can enjoy it for a rest of the year for sure. https://t.co/8rBYnvayec
— Ken-ichiro Imaizumi (@Ken1555) July 8, 2015
I hope Konami recognize my tweet work during early in the morning….Na lol https://t.co/VUztJfqPge
— Ken-ichiro Imaizumi (@Ken1555) July 7, 2015
Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain will be released for the PS3, PS4, Xbox 360, and Xbox One on September 1. A PC release (via Steam) will follow on September 15. (more…)
Game Critics Awards panel declares Fallout 4 the “Best of Show” at E3 2015
The Game Critics Awards, a panel comprised of journalists from 38 different publications, have handed out their 2015 “Best of E3” honors and Bethesda’s Fallout 4 took home the big prize… which should come as a surprise to pretty much no one. In addition to being named “Best of Show,” Fallout 4 was also awarded “Best PC Game” and “Best Role Playing Game.”
However, Fallout 4 couldn’t win all the awards, and its quantity was actually matched by Naughty Dog’s Uncharted 4: A Thief’s End, which collected three awards of its own. Among the traditional awards, Nathan Drake’s next adventure won “Best Console Game” and “Best Action/Adventure Game.” But it was also selected for a “Special Commendation For Graphics” award by the Game Critics Awards panel.
Star Wars: Battlefront was the only other multi-award winner, taking home “Best Action Game” and “Best Online Multiplayer.” More interestingly, this year’s Best of E3 awards included two repeat winners… Super Mario Maker for “Best Family/Social Game” and No Man’s Sky for “Best Independent Game.”
A full list of this year’s winners can be found after the break. (more…)
Guerrilla’s Mark Norris breaks down Horizon: Zero Dawn’s E3 2015 trailer
Guerrilla Games came back in a big way at this year’s E3 Expo with the announcement of Horizon: Zero Dawn, a post-apocalyptic third-person game where a hunter named Aloy goes head-to-head with the robotic “animals” that now control the landscape. Mark Norris, a Senior Producer at Guerrilla, recently added a developer commentary to the game’s trailer to further flesh out its world.
In the video embedded above, Norris revealed that the team wanted to get away from the grays and tight corridors of the Killzone franchise. For Horizon: Zero Dawn, they instead wanted to focus on a wide and open world bathed in “beautiful” colors. Norris also talked a bit about the combat and showed that players will have to be strategic in how they hunt as Aloy will only be able to hold four weapons, though each weapon can be further customized with three different types of ammo.
Finally, Norris stated that Horizon: Zero Dawn is a “fully fledged RPG” and players will be able to build up Aloy with experience points earned through a variety of quests and robotic kills.
Horizon: Zero Dawn will be released exclusively for the PS4 sometime in 2016.
Posted in News, PS4
Tagged E3 2015, Horizon: Zero Dawn
You can watch the Uncharted 4 chase scene from E3 2015 right here
It’s no secret that Sony doesn’t have a lot of PS4 titles scheduled for release this year. But their 2016 is absolutely packed with original characters and new entries in several long-running franchises. The biggest game in the latter list, by far, is definitely Uncharted 4: A Thief’s End.
During this year’s E3 Expo, Sony showcased a playable portion of the game that they referred to as “the ultimate chase experience.” Now, the general public can get a closer look at the demo in this 16-minute gameplay trailer:
The ultimate chase sequence as Drake and Sully race to help Drake’s brother, Sam, evade Shoreline mercenaries. Several years after his last adventure, retired fortune hunter, Nathan Drake, is forced back into the world of thieves. With the stakes much more personal, Drake embarks on a globe-trotting journey in pursuit of a historical conspiracy behind a fabled pirate treasure. His greatest adventure will test his physical limits, his resolve, and ultimately what he’s willing to sacrifice to save the ones he loves.
Sony had previously said that Uncharted 4: A Thief’s End would be available in “Spring 2016,” but this new trailer ends with a much more vague “2016” release date, so we might be waiting a bit longer for Nathan Drake’s next adventure.
Posted in News, PS4
Tagged E3 2015, Uncharted 4: A Thief's End
The Changing Face of Bethesda’s Heroes Led the Way at E3 2015
Bethesda’s first-ever E3 Press Conference was chock-full of goodies, from Dishonored: Definitive Edition for next generation consoles to a new Doom and its intuitive SnapMap creator. But there was also something else to celebrate during the presentation, as the company’s two biggest announcements, Fallout 4 and Dishonored 2, both offered the choice to play as a female character. And believe it or not, every game showcased by Bethesda will give players that same choice. (more…)
Posted in Opinions, PC, PS4, Top Story, Xbox One
Tagged Assassin's Creed: Syndicate, BattleCry, Dishonored 2, Doom (2016), E3 2015, Fallout 4, Horizon: Zero Dawn, ReCore, The Elder Scrolls Online
Star Wars: Battlefront, Fallout 4 lead the way in Game Critics Awards Best of E3 2015 nominees
The Force is strong with DICE’s Star Wars: Battlefront as the game collected five nominations, more than any other title, from the Game Critics Awards in their annual Best of E3 competition. The Star Wars shooter is up for “Best of Show,” “Best Console Game,” “Best PC Game,” “Best Action Game,” and “Best Online Multiplayer.”
Bethesda’s Fallout 4 and Guerrilla’s Horizon: Zero Dawn can also be considered contenders after collecting four nominations apiece. Both games will battle each other (and Battlefront) for “Best of Show” and “Best Console Game,” but their path will split for the remaining nominations. Fallout 4 is up for “Best PC Game” and “Best RPG,” while Horizon: Zero Dawn was nominated for “Best Original Game” and “Best Action/Adventure Game.”
Two other nominees will compete for this year’s “Best of Show” award including Naughty Dog’s Uncharted 4: A Thief’s End and the Oculus Touch motion controller.
The group behind the Game Critics Awards is comprised of representatives from 38 media publications, and they plan to announce this year’s winners on July 7. The full list of nominees can be found after the break. (more…)
Posted in 3DS, Mobile, News, PC, PS3, PS4, Vita, Wii U, Xbox 360, Xbox One
Tagged E3 2015, Fallout 4, Horizon: Zero Dawn, Star Wars: Battlefront, Uncharted 4: A Thief's End
Ubisoft CEO says its “too early” to talk about Beyond Good & Evil 2
Ubisoft CEO Yves Guillemot is one of the more outspoken executives in the entire video game industry, which is why The Guardian tracked him down at the 2015 E3 Expo to ask about Beyond Good & Evil 2.
Beyond Good & Evil was released in 2003 to widespread critical acclaim and the support of a fervent fan following. In 2008, a sequel was revealed during Ubisoft’s then-annual Ubidays show, but development updates have been slow to materialize since then. Fans got their hopes up in 2011 when Ubisoft released Beyond Good & Evil HD for the PS3 and Xbox 360, but four long years passed before they got their next glimpse at the game, when developer Michel Ancel showed a piece of concept art featuring series protagonist Jade.
Upholding this tradition, Guillemot was enigmatic with The Guardian, but also encouraging. According to the CEO, the game (which he never refers to by name) is still in development, but it’s too early to talk about:
However, the Guardian met Yves Guillemot, who co-founded Ubisoft in 1986, at the E3 expo in Los Angeles, and asked directly whether Beyond Good and Evil 2 was still in development. He replied: “I can’t say the name, but there is a team working with Michel Ancel on a project that is… very interesting.”
When pressed on the connection between this new project and Beyond Good and Evil, Guillemot said: “It’s a game I’m sure you will like very much, and we can’t say more.”
Ancel previously told reporters that development began on Beyond Good & Evil 2 in 2007, so if Guillemot is telling the truth, our decade-long wait may be just the beginning.
I Wish Sony Had Let The Last Guardian Fade Away
Sony put on an incredible show during this year’s E3 Expo, debuting new IPs from Guerrilla Games and Media Molecule, as well as offering further glimpses at long-awaited titles such as No Man’s Sky from Hello Games and Uncharted 4: A Thief’s End from Naughty Dog. Yet it chose to open its presentation with perhaps the most long-awaited title of all time, The Last Guardian. (more…)
Posted in Opinions, PS4, Top Story
Tagged E3 2015, Final Fantasy VII, Shenmue III, The Last Guardian