The Madness Begins...

It has begun. E3 news has started to roll out the doors, starting with the major conferences today. This year we have no big system reveals, so it’s all about the games we will play. 

Microsoft

To start the day, Microsoft set out to improve their reputation from last year’s train wreck. For the most part, I’d say they succeeded. They wasted no time trying to sell us their system, rather they showed us the games it plays and made us want to buy the system. At least, that’s how I felt once the conference came to a close. There were no huge bombshells dropped, just showing us the games that had been rumored and teased; letting us see both pre-rendered videos and actual gameplay of what is to come. Here’s a brief overview, I am sure I missed something, but here goes.

 Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare

OK, we knew it was coming, we have seen the trailer sporting Kevin Spacey and the cool future tech the game offers. Microsoft started off with showing about five minutes of gameplay, walking through a starter mission, letting us get a taste of the fluidity and mechanics of the game. It looks like a Call of Duty game. That’s neither high praise nor an insult, it just is what it is. We know what to expect going into a series like this one, and CoD:AW hold true. That said, the game looks good. The new mechanics freshen the title up nicely, and I look forward to it.

Check out the demo video here: http://www.loadthegame.com/2014/06/09/e3-2014-call-duty-advanced-warfare-demo-looks-impressive/

Evolve

Evolve is another title I have been keeping an eye on the past few months. The 4v1 player mechanics are an idea that I would love to see become commonplace in the gaming community. Details are still a bit scarce, and I haven’t had the time to fully research it yet, other than to see a few enticing clips.

Take a look at the latest video released today to see for yourself: http://www.loadthegame.com/2014/06/09/e3-2014-evolve-trailer-presents-new-monster/

Sunset Overdrive

Here’s one I had only heard about this morning while waiting for the Microsoft Conference to begin. By Insomniac Games, Sunset Overdrive is their first Xbox exclusive. This fast past, almost arcade feeling shooter, looks to be a blast. You can definitely tell it is from the same developer that brought us Ratchet and Clank, with its great, loud sense of humor and focus on fluidity of gameplay. Again, not many details are out yet, except it will be launched on Xbox One on October 28 and it’s rumored to have an 8 player online co-op “Chaos” mode.

Take a look at today’s trailer: http://www.ign.com/articles/2014/06/09/e3-2014-sunset-overdrive-release-date-announced

Fable Legends

I love the Fable series. They are fun for fun's sake, as well as being very detail oriented, deep games. The new Fable is going a different direction, forging its way into the 4v1 multiplayer setting. In what feels like a D&D campaign, Fable Legends will pit four players against one who plays the villain, able to spawn enemies, move them to attack, and otherwise foil our hero's plans. It takes place several hundred years before the stories we know and love, and is all about hacking and slashing cooperatively. I'm pretty solidly sold. XBox One Exclusive.

Take a look: http://www.ign.com/articles/2014/06/09/e3-2014-fable-legends-multiplayer-beta-coming-this-holiday-season

Project Spark

This one is all about game creation for players. They are bringing developer tools to you in a friendly format, letting you sculpt your own world. There really are very few limits to the system, you can make whatever type of game interests you with some tools that look pretty intuitive. We’ll have to see where this one goes.

Take a look at Project Spark here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m37sVEgJrOA&feature=kp

Halo 5

Personally I have never been a Halo fan, but for those of you who are, here is a look at Halo 5: Guardians: http://www.ign.com/articles/2014/06/09/e3-2014-halo-the-master-chief-collection-halo-5-beta-announced-for-xbox-one

A full collection of all 4 previous games is also coming to xbox one, with Halo 2 getting a full makeover.

Rise of a Tomb Raider

Tomb Raider is a series I have always enjoyed, though never actively sought out to play. The prequel that tells the story of how Lara Croft was shaped into the character we all know and love. 

Take a look here: http://www.pcgamer.com/2014/06/09/rise-of-the-tomb-raider-revealed-at-e3/

Tom Clancy’s: The Division

Tom Clancy games are almost always solid titles worth a play through. There are some huge fans of these games that rate them higher than the highest games, but I put them solidly in the middle. With a good group of friends, they are awesome. Without them, they are just ok. The Division got its first gameplay trailer today, and it looks to be no exception. The game looks awesome, and I hope to convince a few buddies to help me trudge through post disaster NYC.   

Take a look: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EWJD8DMasCU&feature=kp

Scalebound

The last title I want to mention today is Scalebound. Developed by Platinum Games, Scalebound has the potential to be a solidly epic game. You fight with and against giant beasts including dragons, which pretty much sells me right there. As is the way of E3, not many details are known, but you can see the reveal trailer here: http://www.ign.com/articles/2014/06/09/e3-2014-platinum-games-next-game-is-scalebound

Wrap-up

As I said, I am sure I missed some, my connection was pretty awful during the conference, but with so many new things happening, I won’t get a chance to go rewatch until tomorrow at the earliest. Microsoft has definitely redeemed themselves from last year’s botch, and the XB1 is on my list to buy.

Battlefield Hardline

I was commuting during EA’s conference, so I have to look back at it and do a proper write-up, but I would be amiss to leave out the news from Battlefield: Hardline dropped today. BF:H is DICE’s take on a cops and robber gameplay, and from the gameplay footage we got today, it still feels like a battlefield game, which I say in all the best ways. The biggest news? Closed beta for PC and PS4 hits TODAY. It’s first come first serve, and I’m afraid I may have missed that queue, but my name is already in the hat.

Take a look at the gameplay here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ex1GlZS-t7c

And sign up for the beta here: http://www.battlefield.com/hardline/beta

That’s it for now, stayed tuned and I will try my best to keep up with E3 2014!

Thanks for following.

-Mac