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All Articles: E3 2015
Destiny expands again with The Taken King on September 15
Activision and Bungie will continue to expand the world of Destiny this Fall with Destiny: The Taken King for the PS3, PS4, Xbox 360, and Xbox One. Available September 15, The Taken King will add “an all-new campaign, three new Guardian subclasses, a massive arsenal of new armor, weapons and exotics, new Strikes and Crucible maps, a new Raid that will put players to the ultimate test, and more.” PS3 and PS4 players will also receive exclusive early access to an additional Crucible map, Strike, three sets of gear, and an exotic weapon.
So where will this new campaign take players? Here’s what Activision had to say:
Oryx, The Taken King has arrived in our solar system, bringing with him a corrupted army to exact revenge on the Guardians who destroyed his son, Crota, and to consume our worlds. Arm yourself with newfound abilities, weapons, and gear. Defeat the Taken hordes. Make your way aboard the Dreadnaught, and face Oryx himself within his inner sanctum.
For players who have yet to dive in to the world of Destiny, Activision and Bungie will release a special Legendary Edition of the game which will include Destiny, Expansion I: The Dark Below, Expansion II: House of Wolves, and The Taken King. A special Collector’s Edition of Destiny: Legendary Edition, packed with bonus items and in-game content, will also be available. More information on the Collector’s Edition can be found at Destiny’s official website.
Finally, Bungie has released a new behind-the-scenes video that goes deeper into The Taken King. You can find it after the break. (more…)
Another Super Mario Maker trailer reveals September 11 release date and Amiibo support
Nintendo already gave us an amazing look at what’s possible in Super Mario Maker during the final round of this year’s Nintendo World Championships. But that didn’t stop them from releasing another trailer for the Wii U game, which showcases a ton of even crazier Mario moments.
For example, towards the end of the trailer, you see a a person tapping a Link Amiibo figure. Rather than give Mario a Link costume or something silly like that, the Amiibo literally drops Link into the game. These “Mystery Mushroom” characters can be unlocked for a number of other Amiibo figures including Kirby and Wii Fit Trainer. But don’t worry, all of the characters will be available without Amiibo assistance if you complete their corresponding “100 Mario Challenge” in the game.
An additional pair of 30th Anniversary Amiibo figures will be available alongside the game. Depicting Mario in all his pixelated glory, the Classic Mario and Modern Mario figures (sold separately) will unlock a Big Mushroom to allow in-game Mario to go stomping through a level as an unstoppable giant.
Finally, each copy of the game will include a 100-page book with tips and tricks “that illustrate the boundless possibilities” in the game. All courses created in the game will be shareable online, and I can’t wait to see what people come up with when Super Mario Maker is released exclusively for the Wii U on September 11.
Posted in News, Wii U
Tagged E3 2015, Super Mario Maker
Star Fox Zero slips out on the Wii U this Fall
It’s Nintendo’s turn to deliver a massive batch of new game announcements in this already ridiculously packed E3 season and the consolemaker has delivered with our first extended look at Star Fox Wii U… now known as Star Fox Zero. While you might assume that “Zero” means the game is a prequel, you’d be wrong. Apparently, Shigeru Miyamoto just likes how the kanji for “Zero” looks and considers Star Fox Zero “its own thing.”
In Star Fox Zero, players will experience a pretty typical-looking Star Fox game on their televisions, but if they look down at the Wii U GamePad, they’ll get a close-in “cockpit view” for precision aiming. But that cockpit won’t be limited to just an Arwing. With the push of a button, players will be able to transform their craft into a Landmaster Tank, a chicken-like Walker, or a drone-like Gyrowing.
A trailer for Star Fox Zero, which is being co-developed by Platinum Games, has been embedded above. And don’t worry, Falco, Peppy, and Slippy are all coming back to do a barrel roll with Fox.
Posted in News, Wii U
Tagged E3 2015, Star Fox Zero
Square Enix confirms the next Hitman will be an episodic game
Not much was said about the latest Hitman game at Sony’s E3 Press Conference last night. We got our first look at a teaser trailer and the promise that a beta would be available exclusively for PS4 owners, but other than that, the announcement was as mysterious as Agent 47 himself. This morning, Sqaure Enix cleared up a few things by announcing quite a few more details about the next Hitman game.
Most importantly, Square Enix has confirmed that Hitman will be an episodic game with the first episode scheduled for release on December 8. Unlike traditional episodic games, Square Enix and developer IO Interactive are asking gamers to purchase the entire season up front for $60. After that, they’ll receive free access to every additional episode/add-on, which will be released throughout 2016.
But aside from a new distribution model, players should already be familiar with the concept behind the sixth Hitman game:
Hitman will see players perform contract hits on powerful, high-profile targets in exotic locations around the world, from the highly fashionable Paris and sunny coast of Italy to the dust and hustle of the markets in Marrakesh in this creative stealth action game.
Gameplay focuses on taking out targets in huge and intricate sandbox levels with complete freedom of approach. Where to go, when to strike and who to kill – it is all up to you.
“This is new ground for Hitman, coming out digital first enables us to do something new, bold and exciting,” said Hannes Seifert, Studio Head at IO Interactive. “We are building a live, expanding and evolving world of assassination where we continuously develop the game, listening closely to the players as we release new locations, missions and hits as soon as they are ready… where $60 and not a dollar more gets you full access to the experience.”
While the beta will be exclusive to the PS4, Hitman will be released for the PC, PS4, and Xbox One on December 8.
Shenmue III is already fully-funded on Kickstarter
Last night’s announcement of Shenmue III during Sony’s E3 Press Conference came with a caveat… the game had to reach a funding goal of $2 million on Kickstarter. However, fans of the franchise have been primed for this moment after more than a decade of waiting and they pounced on the “Back This Project” button with their wallets wide open. Less than seven hours after being available, the Shenmue III Kickstarter campaign is now fully funded.
As of this writing, the campaign is currently approaching $2.5 million and the first stretch goal, “Shenmue 1 & 2 Cinema Shorts.” The developers promised that more information about the stretch goals (which include subtitles in a variety of languages, a Skill Tree System, and the expansion of Baisha Village) would be revealed once the campaign reached its goal. With the $2 million mark well in the rearview mirror, a campaign update should appear sometime today.
If all goes according to plan, Director Yu Suzuki would like to release Shenmue III for the PC and PS4. After so many years, the fans have shown they may not be able to wait a minute longer.
Posted in News, PC, PS4
Tagged E3 2015, Shenmue III
EA unveils first Mass Effect: Andromeda trailer at E3 2015
It’s time to stop calling it Mass Effect 4. Electronic Arts opened their 2015 E3 Press Conference with a short glimpse at Mass Effect: Andromeda, the next game in the well-loved RPG franchise. In development at BioWare Montreal, Mass Effect: Andromeda will be released for the PC, PS4, and Xbox One next Fall.
EA’s executives didn’t say much about the game during their E3 Press Conference, but developers at BioWare were all too eager to finally talk about their new project. According to the BioWare Blog, Andromeda takes place “far away from and long after” the events of the original Mass Effect trilogy:
While we aren’t ready to go into too many details just yet, as you saw in the trailer and can tell by the name, this game is very much a new adventure, taking place far away from and long after the events of the original trilogy. You will play a human, male or female, though that’s actually not the character you saw in the trailer (more on that later). You’ll be exploring an all-new galaxy, Andromeda, and piloting the new and improved Mako you saw. And through it all, you will have a new team of adventurers to work with, learn from, fight alongside of, and fall in love with.
BioWare describes the trailer as a “visual target for the final game,” so it’s possible Andromeda may not look like this when its released. But the inclusion of Johnny Cash’s “(Ghost) Riders in the Sky” was inspired. Along with the desert visuals, it gives the whole thing a Firefly vibe, though that was probably unintentional.
You can’t take the sky from me…
Activision officially announces Transformers: Devastation with E3 trailer
Even though Best Buy Canada spoiled the surprise, the official announcement of Transformers: Devastation is still pretty great… because it includes a trailer of the game in motion. Platinum’s decision to use cel-shaded graphics, and the original Generation 1 character designs, makes the game look like a lost episode of the 1980s cartoon series. I think I speak for every child of the 80s here when I say we couldn’t be happier.
The trailer also gives us a nice glimpse of Platinum’s patented brand of fast action as applied to the Transformers universe. According to the Activision Games Blog, players will even be able to string together combos using robot mode and vehicle mode:
If you’re in the mood for an iron-fisted rumble, your Autobot robot mode should fit the bill nicely. But when you need to race across the city to perform a few hit-and-run maneuvers, vehicle mode is just a button-touch away.
You can dynamically switch between modes to perform a seemingly endless stream of robot/vehicle combo maneuvers, reducing the Decepticon army to a pile of smoldering metal. It wouldn’t be a Transformers game without Optimus Prime, and Peter Cullen is once again lending his iconic voice to the character. Sideswipe, Bumbleebee, Wheeljack, and Grimlock are also playable, and each character has a unique set of maneuvers and combos.
Transformers: Devastation, which also features the vocal talents of Dan Gilvezan (Bumblebee) and Frank Welker (Megatron and Soundwave), will be released this Fall for the PC, PS3, PS4, Xbox 360, and Xbox One.
Sony @ E3 2015: Four titles from Devolver Digital shine on PS4 and Vita
A video was shown during Sony’s E3 Press Conference showcasing a foursome of games from Devolver Digital for the PS4 and Vita, and they immediately caught my attention.
- Ronin is a 2D action game starring a sword-wielding ninja. The game looks to be similar to Guacamelee! and Shank.
- Eitr is an isometric action-adventure RPG. The dungeon crawler also features a very retro appearance.
- The two that really looked good to me were Mother Russia Bleeds and Crossing Souls. Both titles have a distinctive Streets of Rage-style look, with the former being hyper-violent amd almost Splatterhouse-like in appearance. I’m not sure what to expect with Crossing Souls, but the animation interludes looked liked the classic Don Bluth games Space Ace and Dragon’s Lair.
More on these four will be revealed at a later date.
Posted in News, PS4, Vita
Tagged E3 2015, Mother Russia Bleeds