In the first hands-on footage for Hitman: Absolution, shown at E3, Producer at IO Interactive, Luke Valentine gives us some insight on what we can expect in the game. Our favorite bald assassin is after the King of China Town and the demo shows how assignments in Absolution can be completed in a variety of different ways. As Agent 47, you can draw attention to yourself and make a scene, do things quietly or just make the hit look like an accident. In the game, it's up to you.
The gameplay also does an excellent job of demonstrating the crowd effects in Absolution. Unlike the Mardi Gras level from Hitman: Blood Money, the crowd in Absolution behaves realistically. You can overhear conversations, you see people eating, buying or doing different kinds of jobs on the jumbled streets. All of it adds up to create an experience that feels like a real situation. Absolution also makes fine use of a more present soundtrack as well featuring plenty of low, foreboding tones.
You can see some of 47's new tricks and all the methods he employs to complete his assignment in the video below. What do you think of Hitman: Absolution so far?
Just when you thought Traveler's Tales had run out of Lego game ideas, they announce that they'll be recreating the famous Lord of the Rings characters as miniature heroes. In this preview, executive producer Nick Ricks explains how Lego Lord of the Rings will be different from past Lego games. Lego LOTR will feature RPG elements such as a backpack where you keep stored items. The game will also be the first ever to feature actual voices which are dubbed over from the movie.
You'll be able to play as all your favorite characters from the fellowship and other characters of Middle-Earth. Lego LOTR will span across all three movies; in the trailer below, we're given a glimpse of some gameplay from the Mines of Moria, a scene from The Fellowship of the Ring. We can still expect the usual dose of humor that the Lego games are associated with however and the endless coin collecting.
An all new zombie outbreak has spread globally in Resident Evil 6 which Capcom showed off some awesome footage of at E3. Resident Evil 6 will be a new experience that Capcom promises, will stand out greater than any past entry in the series but will still resonate with long-time fans of Resident Evil.
Instead of following a single character, Resident Evil 6 follows the treacherous adventures of three different heroes. Fans of the series will notice a handful of familiar faces and Resident Evil 6 will also introduce some new characters as well. Two fan-favorite veterans, Leon S. Kennedy and Chris Redfield will each have their own story-line and newcomer Jake Muller, son of Albert Wesker will have an adventure of his own. Capcom has stated that each character's story-line amounts to the length of a full game; with an average of 10 hours to complete a game, Resident Evil 6 could very well be stretching past the 30 hour mark.
The campaign for each character features a different style of gameplay. Fans of the early Resident Evil games will enjoy playing as Leon in the fictional American town of Tall Oaks, where an outbreak occurs and even the President is infected. Leon is still part of the Secret Service and it was his duty along with his partner, Helena Harper to protect the president; however, after the president's infection and death, the blame is put on Leon and Helena themselves. Leon's campaign will feature more traditional zombies and will build suspense and tension with a slower paced play style. Ammo and supplies will be harder to come by and you'll need to conserve as much as you can during Leon's campaign if you're going to survive.
Chris' play style will surely appeal to newer fans of the series as it will follow the formula used In Resident Evil 4 and 5. Chris is still part of the BSAA and has been sent to fictional Chinese city, Lanshiang to aid in another recent outbreak with his companion Piers Nivans. Playing as Chris, you can expect a more intense, fast-paced action experience. Along with traditional zombies, Chris will face the J'avo as well; a direct result of the new C-Virus, J'avo are able to communicate, plan attacks, use weapons and even heal themselves. They also have increased agility and strength and have a regenerative mutation ability which will make them a formidable enemy.
As for the newcomer, Jake Muller, Capcom has created a unique play style. Jake will feature a mix between the play styles of Leon and Chris but adds a heavy emphasis on melee combat. Jake, son of Wesker is immune to the virus strands and thus has nothing to fear by engaging in hand-to-hand combat with the infected. His techniques and maneuvers are reminiscent of his father's. Jake is accompanied by Sherry Birkin, daughter of William Birkin who worked alongside Wesker; she will aid Jake as they evade authorities across Eastern Europe and fight through hordes of zombies and the J'avo. Fans of Resident Evil 3 will especially enjoy the Jake's campaign due to the fact he is constantly hunted by a creature known as, Ustanak.
Ustanak operates similarly to Nemesis in that he is constantly hunting you down. He is equipped with an interchangeable mechanical arm. In the trailers we see a claw like arm and another with a whip attached to it. It seems his main purpose is not to kill Jake but capture him, possibly for his unique blood. At one point in the trailer, you see Jake escaping from a cage fixed to Ustanak's back. Ustanak is sure to provide for some intense chases and punishing fights.
Resident Evil 6 will support co-op play whether it be split-screen or over the internet with a friend. Each companion of the heroes listed above is playable. Playing over the internet finds you someone who is at the same part of the story so that you or other players don't have the game spoiled for you.
Capcom has also decided to interject new features into Resident Evil 6. New tweaks will allow players to shoot and move simultaneously for the first time ever in a Resident Evil game. No doubt long time fans won't be crazy about the idea but it does make sense to be able to move and shoot at the same time. Additionally, you can now utilize a cover and shoot system and employ dives and rolls into the zombie fighting action. At one point during the gameplay demonstration, Leon almost seems to be wielding two handguns too. Melee combat will play a larger role; one video shows Leon hacking zombies up with an ax and Jake Muller relies heavily on melee based fighting. Inventory management has been improved too, allowing players to assign weapons to hot-keys and heal themselves on the fly with the push of a button.
The trailers reveal some details of the story but also leave us asking questions; one in particular, who are the people that have captured Helena Harper and why have they abducted her sister? I'll leave readers to come to their own conclusions but I have a few guesses. More familiar faces such as Ada Wong and Leon's link to the Department of Security relations, Ingrid Hunnigan, make a return in Resident Evil 6 as well. Hunnigan seems to be helping Leon in secret due to the fact that he and Helena have been blamed for the death of the President.
The trailers also reveal a very troubled and more somber Chris Redfield. It seems his involvement in the attacks become more personal after he helplessly watches his comrades become infected and is forced to kill them. Chris is seeking vengeance against Ada Wong, who he believes is behind the attack. Ada is now working for Neo-Umbrella who is responsible for the bio-terrorist attacks but the corporation itself is still shrouded in mystery. The story lines of the characters seem to cross as well as the trailers show Leon and Jake fighting alongside one another and Chris meeting Jake for the first time and realizing a resemblance of Albert Wesker in him. With all the different story lines, seeing how they relate and differ from each other should make them very engaging.
I felt the Resident Evil 6 may have strayed too far from the series' original formula but seeing the new footage and getting the details on the gameplay have re-instilled my faith in Capcom and their ability to make a successful sequel to this loved series. The gameplay looks solid so far with great visuals, intense action and exciting set piece moments. What do you think of Resident Evil 6 so far? Is the series no longer what it used to be or are the addition of new features and a heavier focus on action a good idea? Look for Resident Evil 6 on the Xbox 360, PS3 and PC on October 2, 2012.
David Cage, head developer of Quantic Dream, took the stage during Sony's press conference to announce the team's newest project, Beyond: Two Souls. In case you didn't know, Quantic Dream is the developer of Heavy Rain; the interactive thriller that follows an adventure from the perspectives of four different characters who's choices and actions alter the ending of the game. Heavy Rain delivered brilliant visuals and unique but intense gameplay. Beyond: Two Souls seems to be using a similar formula but the story is something completely different this time around.
Beyond follows Jodie Marsh, voiced and acted by Ellen Page (Inception). It is unknown if Jodie will be the only playable character in Beyond but the game spans 15 years of her life. The trailer shown during the press conference revealed that Jodie is on the run from the law. we don't know why but it may have to do with the strange supernatural powers she's been endowed with. No, she isn't super strong and she can't fly but she definitely has abilities beyond that of normal humans.
She seems to have the ability to manipulate objects and people with her mind; at one point a coffee mug is sent crashing into a wall and after a S.W.A.T. team encounters her, their vehicles are destroyed and a nearby clock tower topples over. She is also able to form a force field around her body which seems to act as a protective barrier. Now, it is unclear if these are actually powers or if these strange occurrences have a paranormal origin. Jodie is accompanied by a disembodied spirit named Eiden or Aiden aids Jodie as a companion throughout her life. By the looks of the super natural powers and the police chases, Beyond may be a little more action heavy. You can see the trailer for yourself and come to your own conclusions. Check out the trailer below and keep an eye out for more news on Beyond: Two Souls.
If you aren't excited for Assassin's Creed III at the moment, some new trailers should surely change your mind. Fans have been eager to see what kind of gameplay we can expect from a true sequel to Assassin's Creed II released all the way back in 2009 and Ubisoft really delivered during their press conference. A cinematic, jaw-dropping trailer made Mel Gibson from The Patriot look like child's play as we watch, protagonist Connor, fight alone, through a battlefield of British soldiers to hunt down his Templar target.
Connor wades through a retreating Continental Army, toward the British force, despite the warnings of the revolutionaries. Connor mounts a horse and begins a full on sprint toward the redcoats dodging cannon fire and musket shots until he reaches their lines, unscathed. Armed with his deadly tomahawk and a dagger, Connor is untouchable as he drops soldier after soldier with deadly fluidity. Before long, he fights his way to the Templar Commander and ends his life.
The sequence is truly amazing in terms of visual presentation and just pure awesomeness. Some videos and screen shots of gameplay have shown Connor engaging the Redcoats on an open battlefield similar to the cinematic trailer and I'm sure we can expect the same level of intensity from these battles in game.
The gameplay trailer shows the new 'wilderness' environment which Ubisoft reps explained will be traversed multiple times, through winter, summer, fall and spring. The seasons and weather change and will effect gameplay. For instance, the demo takes place during the winter and high snow drifts impede Connor's movement forcing him to trudge his way through unless he takes another route. The dense forest will provide a completely new Parkour playground for players to explore. Connor swings, jumps and climbs swiftly from tree to tree and the movement looks natural and realistic.
I was almost worried it'd be difficult to make a forest work for the Assassin's Creed style of travel but the demo re-instilled my faith in the setting. The trees don't look awkward or in any way like they are made a special way to enhance the free running. It's almost like the perfect camouflage; the trees make up the forests we will explore but they serve the dual purpose of being the focus of Assassin's Creed III's Parkour. The beautifully rendered forest is teeming with wildlife which we see in the beginning of the demo. Connor hunts down a deer with his bow but the scent of blood draws in a pack of wolves. Ubisoft has explained you'll confront different animals, docile and hostile in the wilderness and that hunting these animals will serve different benefits. You can collect pelts, meat and other materials from the animals you hunt which can be sold or traded.
After hunting the deer and delivering the meat to a nearby, dreary looking Continental camp, Connor speaks with a soldier asking where to find a Templar named Silas. The man answers the question and begins to explain how Connor can help Continental army but the assassin assures him he has no interest in aiding the patriots. Connor sets out into the forest again and locates the the fort, deep in the forest, where the Templar is hiding. From the trees, Connor attacks the group of redcoats guarding the gates and we see the new chain-blade weapon in action here as Connor uses it to strangle one unfortunate soldier.
A slew of new violent kill animations are sure to spice things up; they're one of the first things that caught my during the intense combat. Connor uses his tomahawk and dagger combination to manipulate the bayonet mounted muskets against their users. He directs the fire of the guns at their companions or drives the bayonet into one of the redcoats effectively impaling him. The combat is as fluid as ever and looks freshly satisfying compared to the kill animations of Altair and Ezio which have become stale over the past few years.
Connor makes his way into the fort and locates the target. He causes an explosion distracting the soldiers and throwing them into a disorganized frenzy allowing him to chase after Silas and complete the assassination. The gameplay has so much more to offer this time around and while it's the third game in the series (fourth if you count Brotherhood and Revelations) it almost looks like a new game entirely.
Ubisoft didn't stop there however; they revealed that Connor will take to the high seas in naval combat where you can command your own ship and crew, canons and all. The trailer shows Connor steering the ship as the crew fires off canons sinking several British ships. The action will even include the iconic ship boarding battles that occur in pirate movies. Check out the trailer below and see for yourself. Look for Assassin's Creed III in stores October 30, for the PS3, Xbox 360 and PC.
Microsoft made it clear that Sam Fisher is still a badass when they revealed Splinter Cell: Blacklist. Sam is making a comeback after the President of the United States assigns him to a 'black than black'
special ops team. The team is formed after a group of hostile nations composes a list containing plans for terrorist attacks to be carried out if U.S. troops are not evacuated from their countries.
A cinematic trailer reveals that Third Echelon has been shut down as Sam Fisher hitches a ride into a Middle-Eastern terrorist compound crawling with goons. Sam uses his impressive, yet deadly skill-set to infiltrate the base and take out some unfortunate guards. It's obvious he hasn't lost his edge after he swiftly kills a group of terrorists in the blink of an eye. The action is amped up when Sam rappels down the side of a building and makes quick work of some more terrorists. A man being held prisoner by the terrorists is freed by Sam and given a gun. The two head into the hallway of the building and engage in a fierce fire fight while Sam's partner provides cover fire with a sniper rifle from a nearby building.
Sam and the man reach the roof and are momentarily clear of the action. The man asks Sam what agency he's with in which he receives the reply, "Welcome to Fourth Echelon."
While the cinematic trailer is great, we see the true brilliance of Blacklist in the gameplay demonstration (posted below). The trailer begins with Fisher using a disguise to gain access to an Iraqi terrorist camp where we see an improved mark and execute system. Sam uses his iconic goggles to survey the camp yard and tracks about seven terrorists. He tags the three closest and exits the tent in which he was hiding. The game enters bullet time and Fisher delivers one bullet to each of the three men while running toward a fourth. The game re-enters real time and the fourth man gets a knife in the neck as Sam marks the last two enemies. He slides over the hood of a pickup and violently executes the last two.
The whole sequence is stunning as Sam flows seamlessly from kill to kill. It all looks so clean and happens so fast, that when Sam had killed the last enemy, the guy was just reaching for his gun. Sam goes on to fight through the camp where he encounters a mounted machine gun and more terrorists. At one point, the player uses a voice command with their Kinect to call in an air-strike which disposes of the machine gun. The action of Splinter Cell has definitely been turned up a notch but still features plenty of stealth opportunities for player who prefer to keep things quiet.
Splinter Cell: Blacklist is slated for a Spring 2013 release as of now. What do you think of Blacklist? Is Fisher too old to still be doing this or does age not even matter at this point?
Reality Pump, the developer behind the Two Worlds games, has announced their newest title. Sacrilegium is a survival horror experience that Reality Pump promises will deliver cinematic sequences and spine-tingling action in a way gamers have never experienced before.
Sacrilegium follows a pretty-faced 20 year-old college girl, Alex as she travels the globe in search of paranormal evidence linked with ferocious vampire-like creatures called Moroi. Reality Pump boasted in an interview that the Moroi are much deadlier than the average vampire and that they could easily "eat one for breakfast." Alex's treacherous journey will take her from comfortable California to mystery filled Europe where she arrives at the titular Sacrilegium.
Alex isn't just a pretty face; she is well trained in martial arts and likely has other skills that that will no doubt come in use as her limits and fears are tested by the horrors that await her in Sacrilegium. You can check out some screens posted below which look quite impressive. I have to say, I'm glad to see a new survival horror IP and I'm very interested to see more on Sacrilegium. Hopefully Reality Pump can live up to their promise and deliver a truly terrifying experience. No time frame was given for Sacrilegium but it has been confirmed for the PS3, Xbox 360 and PC.
What do you think of Sacrilegium and Reality Pump's ambitious plans? It may be too early to tell now but hopefully information will surface soon on this mysterious title.
During their press conference, EA games was happy to share some stunning footage of Dead Space 3 which confirmed that the game will feature a co-op game mode. Isaac will no longer dismember necromorphs all by his lonesome but instead he will be accompanied by a man wearing similar armor by the name of, John carver. In a trailer featuring a montage of necromorph kills and co-op action, Carver reveals he is after the markers, like Isaac and will stop at nothing to destroy them. With similar interests in mind, it seems the two of them will be teaming up to bring an end to Unitology and the necromorphs.
It wasn't clear whether or not Carver will accompany Isaac throughout the entire game but the drop-in, drop-out cooperative play implies that it is very likely. If this is true, it will be the first time Isaac ever has a partner for more than a chapter or two. The addition of Carver will no doubt add an interesting mix into the horror filled combat and hopefully won't detract from Dead Space's usual spine-tingling, survival horror theme which the series has always executed so well. Boss battles can be approached in new ways such as one player focusing on shooting weak points on a giant brute while the other player takes out necromorphs descending on the pair of you. Players will likely be able to share weapons, ammo and health supplies but must also collect enough of these provisions to support each of themselves.
The gameplay trailer also reveals that necromorphs won't be the only enemy the duo faces off against. After Isaac and Carver destroy a large out of control drill and kill some necromorphs, they head outside and engage in a firefight with what appear to be Unitologists or soldiers from EarthGov. Isaac and Carver maneuver behind some boxes, dodging pulse rifle shots by crouching and rolling and firing back at the group of enemies. The shootout is interrupted by a giant insect-like necromorph which begins swallowing everything in sight.
After a brief fight with the monster, Isaac gets a little too close and is swallowed by the giant necromorph. The screen fades to black and the crowd at the conference cheers as the trailer has seemingly ended but then the eerie green glow of Isaac's visor illuminates the inside of the monster's gullet revealing he is in the process of being digested alive.
Dead Space 3 looks great so far and with an all new setting, enemies, weapons and characters it is sure to deliver the best Dead Space experience yet. Expect to see Dead Space 3 on store shelves sometime in February of 2013 and check out the trailers below.
Lara Croft is looking better than ever as she takes on some bad guys in some kind of Mountain-top village. Tomb Raider now supports a cover based shooting system similar to the Uncharted games in which players must utilize cover from their environment. We see a beautifully rendered jungle as Lara runs and hurdles over some ancient looking bridges and wades across a small river. The lighting and shadow effects look brilliant as well. In the distance, you can see more mountains shrouded in mist as Lara treks onward.
She encounters a group of three men, past survivors who have adopted the ideals of a leader which is still unnamed. They operate as a type of cult which seems to pillage the remains of crashed ships and planes and violently indoctrinate any survivors into their cult. Those who oppose are seemingly killed. Director Karl Stewart revealed that not all of these scavengers are loyal to their leader though and still seek escape from the island.
Lara approaches the group scavengers stealthily, armed with a bow she must have found on the island. She peeks over the wall and fires an arrow into the head of one of the unsuspecting scavengers causing him to fall off the cliff he was standing at. Lara then turns her focus to the other two scavengers who are still unaware of their dead friend. She takes aim with her bow again and fires an arrow into the head of one. The other man, startled, dives for cover as he flips a table over and begins firing his gun at Lara. She scurries behind the wall dodging the sporadic shots which chip pieces of the wall, explode vases of water sending bits of ceramic in all directions. The destructible environments look to provide a much more intense action experience.
The man takes a moment to reload his gun which allows Lara to charge him sending him to his death in a free fall off the cliff. Lara then turns her attention to a zip-line which takes her across the canyon to another part of the village. As Lara Lara explores further into the village, she encounters another group of men. She is able to ignite the tips of her arrows and shoot them into flammable materials resulting in fires and explosions. The fire spreads across the different materials and even ignites one of the scavengers at one point.
Enemies react to shots from the bow depending on where they're hit. Lara shoots one scavenger in the leg sending him in pain to his knees allowing her to finish him off with the ice-axe she has; Tomb Raider now seems to support a fair amount of close combat. After another brief fire fight, Lara attempts to cross some treacherous looking rapids but after a misstep, she is violently sent down the river with some other debris. As she is dragged down the river, Lara enters a couple of brief bullet-time sequences prompting her to destroy obstacles with her shotgun. The frantic fall ends with Lara in the cockpit of a crashed plane where Lara finds herself on a plane of glass which is about to shatter and send her falling hundreds of feet.
She carefully but quickly grabs a parachute and is able to put it on just as the glass breaks. The chute malfunctions on the first attempt but the reserve chute seems to save Lara as it opens just in time. She's then sent hurtling through the top of a pine forest where she's violently whipped around until she makes her eventual punishing descent.
While the new Lara Croft is inexperienced at her current youth and has much softer features, she can certainly take a brutal beating. By the end of the trailer, she is bloodied and can hardly walk. You can't help but feel sympathy for Lara as she struggles through these multiple fire fights and the harsh jungle environment. The intense action combined with the rough survival tactics is looking to be very entertaining. Check out the trailer below and see just how great this game already looks. I've been very excited since the game was announced last year and I am eagerly awaiting Tomb Raider's release on March 5th of 2012.
Perhaps one of the most stunning game demonstrations of E3 yet was delivered by Ubisoft during their press event in which they reveled their new game entitled Watch Dogs. The preliminary announcement trailer explains the back story of the game. In August of 2003, a power outage on the East Coast caused by a 'disgruntled employee' left 55 million people in a total blackout. Panic ensued and by the time it was all over, 11 people had died. In order to prevent such a tragedy again, a system named CTOS (central operating system) is installed; it is a very sophisticated program that controls online networks, traffic grids, data servers, surveillance cameras and power grids. A computer is responsible for controlling and managing an entire city but who controls the computer? The woman narrating goes on to explain the ulterior motives of big corporations controlling the content we see and how we see it, likely the main focus of Watch Dogs.
The gameplay demo follows shortly after the announcement trailer and pans over various shots of a very impressive and beautiful looking Chicago; I was stunned by the visual quality of the city. The camera catches up with main protagonist, Aiden Pearce, a hacker capable of infiltrating the CTOS system. As he walks casually down the street I can't help but stare in awe at the amount of detail injected into the game's visuals. The city streets replicate the feel of a city much better than any other game has done in the past. The amount of depth and small details like, neon signs, wind, litter and the pedestrians around Aiden just look so real. The behavior of clothes and accessories like a pedestrians purse even caught my eye as they seemed to move and react to movement and the wind in such a realistic fashion. To say the least, I was impressed in the first ten seconds of the camera following Aiden over his shoulder.
Aiden makes his along the windy streets to an art gallery featuring the work of a man named Flynn Demarco and it seems to be invite only. Instead of jumping in line, Pearce pulls out his phone and jams cell phone and radio signals. The guard at the front door is distracted and wanders away from his post allowing Aiden to slip inside. In the gallery, Aiden walks through the crowd of attendees who have actions above their head associated with what they're doing.
You can hack their phones to listen to conversations or jam their cell phone signals to prevent them from making contact. Pearce meets up with some kind of contact who he has some sort of arrangement with. Not much is revealed other than Pearce is after Demarco and is using himself as bait. After the contact hands Aiden a gun, he uses his phone to hack the phone of a employee of Demarco. She's calling Demarco to alert him of Aiden's presence which prompts Demarco to make his way over to the gallery. Aiden heads for the back door but is halted by a guard who he disposes of with a asp baton without drawing any attention. He exits the building and awaits Demarco's arrival.
Once he spots the car, Pearce causes a massive car accident between multiple vehicles after he hacks the traffic lights. A gun fights ensues as Demarco's body guards spot Pearce. The seamless cover and shoot system employed by Pearce allows him to take the guards down. At one point he even slides over the hood of a car and engages in close combat with one of the body guards which looked very clean and just awesome at the same time. After the security is eliminated, Pearce drags Demarco from his car and kills him with a single shot from a handgun.
Pearce opens his PDA but the camera switches to a man on a rooftop watching Pearce; The man, with the tag of Bixxel_44 talks to a another man on his phone and runs out of sight in a bit that seems to be controlled by the player. The camera then pans up and gets a view of the whole city where code names such as 'Siren', 'Fidget' and 'Valkyrie' pop up which seems to imply a network of players may be playable and have a role to play in manipulating the CTOS system. Aside from that, Ubisoft refrained from revealing anything else and no time frame was given for a release date although the game is planned for PS3, Xbox 360 and PC.
Check out the trailers below to see how truly amazing this game looks. Keep in mind the screens in this post are all in game. Keep an eye out for more news on Watch Dogs.
In a interview with Morgan Webb, Co-Creative directors, Raphael Colontonio and Harvey Smith show off the Steampunk and stealth based gameplay featured in their upcoming game, Dishonored. Smith and Colontonio emphasize the focus on the stealth aspect in Dishonored and go as far as to claim that players can go through the entire game without killing a single person.
Players assume the role of Corvo, former body-guard to the empress. After being framed for her murder, he gains supernatural abilities (similar to Plasmids in Bioshock) and combined with his marksmanship and talent as a swordsman, he sets out for revenge against those actually responsible for the empress' death. We get a glimpse of these powers Corvo has throughout the demo. One of the powers demonstrated is called 'Blink' which allows Corvo to teleport over short distances. He can use the power to dodge enemy attacks, sneak past guards or even reach areas that are normally inaccessible. At one point in the demo, Corvo strangles a guard and must hide his body to avoid being detected; the player uses the Blink ability to teleport into the second story of a vacant building to hide the corpse.
One of the other powers demonstrated in the game allows the player to posses animals such as the vile rats that scurry along the streets or even a human. When you use the posses power, you can use animals such as a rat or a fish to find vents or tunnels to access the domains of your enemies. When the player controls rat at one point, he accesses a tiny vent which leads to the inside of a mansion. Once through the vent, the player ends the possession and resumes the game as Corvo having successfully infiltrated the mansion. It sounds strange but Smith and Colotonio explained there are almost endless possibilities in the world of Dishonored. You can approach your missions with stealth in mind and find these hidden access points and even use other powers at your disposal to infiltrate certain locations without alerting a single guard. Not many of the other have been revealed just yet but they imply that missions can be completed in a multitude of different ways.
Also important to keep in mind is that the choices you make as Corvo effect your morality and the outcome of the ending. Smith and Colontonio explain that sparing the life of certain enemies will have an effect on the game in the future but killing them will have different results that effect the game as well.
As the demo begins, you get a glimpse of Dishonored's Dystopian setting as the two directors explain the city named Dunwall (one of the various locations you'll frequent through out the game) is part of a completely fictional world and inspired by the streets of London with a Steampunk-esque vibe. You can see primitive forms of steam based technology such as generators to power lights and other machines.
You can check out the whole interview below and see just how awesome this game looks. If you're a fan of Bioshock, Thief, or just stealth games in general, you'll definitely want to keep your eye on Dishonored which is set to release on the PS3, Xbox 360, and PC on October 9, this year.
Get ready to 'make it right' as you assume control of cyborg ninja, Raiden and make your foes into a tossed salad in just seconds. The new trailer, released by Konami for Metal Gear Rising: Revengeance shows off more gameplay than we've seen for the game since its announcement all the way back in 2009. Under the new managment of Platinum games, it seems Metal Gear Rising is back on track.
The trailer shows main character Raiden making a mess out of enemies and the destructible environment with his sword and a few other weapons. You'll feel like a true badass after you've deflected some bullets off your sword, make a guard who had no chance into ten pieces or effortlessly whip around a giant Gekko (bio-mechanical fighting machine). The intense gameplay is a sure change of pace from Snake's preferred stealth approach but it definitely looks fun. Keep an eye out for more Metal Gear Rising here and during E3 next week.
The last news we had on Tomb Raider was that it had been delayed until early 2013. Square-Enix has confirmed Tomb Raider will hit shelves on March 5th of 2013 and they also unveiled a nice gameplay trailer for us. The trailer details the new, dramatic approach to Tomb Raider. Lara Croft and her adventures have been completely over-hauled and she's back at square one in her first adventure ever here.
The game will focus on survival and puzzle-solving more than it will combat it seems. I think this is a good change of pace for the Tomb Raider games. Watching the trailer, I already feel as though I like Lara more as a character and that I'm much more intrigued by her. She seems so much more interesting than the hard, bad-ass, dual-wielding pistol Lara that we're used to. I'm hoping more is revealed on the story as well and we learn who these strange islanders are that have it out for Lara. Square-Enix has confirmed they will be showing more at E3, so let's hope this is just the tip of the iceberg. Check out the trailer below.
If vengeful assassins with supernatural powers are your thing, you may want to check out the new Bethesda title, Dishonored. You take control of body guard to the empress, Corvo, who is framed for her murder. Unfortunately for the people actually responsible for the murder, Corvo isn't a very forgiving individual.
The trailer (below) gives us a glimpse into the world of Dishonored, a Dystopian city ridden with a deadly plague. Guards dump dead bodies into ditches and rivers while armored vehicles patrol the streets and maintain the quarantine. The city resembles something out of the book 1984, where the government and upper classes hold all the power. Luckily for Corvo however, he has some power of his own. While he can use the traditional blade or firearm approach to eliminate his enemies, he also has unique abilities that allow him to summon rats to fight for him, stop time or even sprint towards enemies in a flash. One part of the trailer shows two guards being completely annihilated by a pack of rats, pretty gruesome. You can take a stealth approach to your missions creating distractions and silently killing guards or you can go all out killing everyone in your path.
Either way you chose, the game looks great so far and I'm really excited to see more. Share your thoughts on Dishonored below in the comments section.
We all knew it was coming but EA Games has officially announced Dead Space 3 and confirmed its presence at E3 during Microsoft's press conference on Monday. EA Games had earlier hinted that a Dead Space game will be hitting store shelves before March of 2013 and I think its safe to assume they were referring to Dead Space 3.
Leaked images also support the rumor that Isaac won't brave the necromorph infested game alone. A companion wearing armor similar to Isaac's with a red glowing spine and visor looks like he may be accompanying him on his treacherous journey. Now this could be the rumored 'Shadow Isaac'; the split personality of Isaac and that represents his diminishing sanity or it could simply be another human. This companion of Isaac's also provides evidence that dead Space 3 will feature a split-screen co-op mode.
The rumor that Dead Space 3 will take place on an icy planet, possibly by the name of 'Tau Volantis' seems to have been confirmed by the images as well. Necromorph hunter, Isaac Clarke is sporting his usual armor along with some comfy looking fur material lining the outside. Looks like necromorphs won't be Isaac's only concern on a frigid planet with intense blizzards. Check out the images below to get your first look at Dead Space 3 and tune into Microsoft's press conference on Monday to get the full scoop on Dead Space 3.
The list of games delayed into 2013 gets even longer. Developers are delaying games like it might go out of fashion lately and these aren't small titles. Games like Tomb Raider and Bioshock: Infinite are a couple heavy hitters followed up by the indefinitely delayed Prey 2, South Park, and Aliens: Colonial Marines. Now two more titles and a third which has entered game development limbo, like Prey 2, join the club of games delayed games.
Ninja Theory's Devil May Cry reboot was aiming for an unspecified 2012 release date but it seems after a recent reassessment, the game won't be ready until January of 2013. Thankfully we won't have to wait too far into 2013 to assume the role of the newly redesigned demonic badass, Dante, and get to work slashing and blasting away a demon army from hell. The game is still slated to be shown at E3, so keep an eye out for it there.
Take-Two recently announced that their Sci-fi shooter, XCOM has been delayed yet again and there is no solid release date in sight. According to GameInformer, the earliest in which we may see XCOM would be April of 2013 but not even that is a sure bet right now. No comment was provided to detail reasons behind the second delay of the game but let's just hope it means the game will be that much better. Again, keep an eye out for XCOM at E3 as it will no doubt be present.
While Devil May Cry and XCOM are only delays, Ubisoft's Brothers in Arms: Furious 4 may be suffering from more serious problems. Furious 4 was aiming for a 2012 release date but signs it wouldn't hit that mark should have been obvious after there was literally nothing on the game after its announcement at E3 of 2011. Now it seems that Ubisoft dropped the trademarks for the game which hints that this may be more than a mere delay. Ubisoft representatives aren't sharing any information behind these recent discoveries either. Personally, I was really excited for this game and I'm really hoping that it isn't canceled. [source: GameInformer]
What do you think of all these game delays. I know the beginning of this article sounded like a rant but it is a little annoying to see so many games being delayed. I do view delays as a good thing though. They're bittersweet; while it sucks we won't get to play the game for a while, there's the chance that the delay will allow developers to make it that much more entertaining. Let's just hope this is the last of the game delays we'll see for a while.
Bioshock Infinite was slated to be one of the biggest games at E3 and launches of this year but it looks like no one will be seeing Bioshock Infinite at E3 or be playing it this year. The game was recently delayed until an approximate date of February, 23 of the year 2013. Ken Levine, of Irrational Games, released a statement apologizing for the delay but promises that some specific tweaks and improvements will make Infinite into something even more extraordinary. Levine goes on to promise that the wait will be worth it and that Irrational Games feels they owe it to their fans to make the game great. He also noted that Bioshock will not be present at E3 due to the fact Irrational wants to make sure they show-off the finished product only.
While I was initially pretty disappointed when I read about the delay, I realize that Levine's statement sounded very sincere and I trust him, along with Irrational Games to make Bioshock Infinite into an amazing game. Infinite was my most anticipated title this year and it's almost ironic that I had pre-ordered it just days before the delay. It's also funny that I thought to myself that I still have Tomb Raider to look forward too.
Just a few days later, Square-Enix announced that Tomb Raider wouldn't be hitting store shelves until the first quarter of 2013 as well. Studio head at developer, Crystal Dynamics, Dave Gallagher, stated that to achieve the goals that had originally been set for this ambitious game, that more time was needed. However, we can still look forward to seeing the game at E3 and Gallagher said the game is already looking amazing. As an extended apology, Crystal Dynamics released a screenshot of the game as well. Somehow, it's just my luck the two games I wanted most this year are being delayed.
Finally, the less anticipated but sure to be a hit, South Park game has also been delayed until early 2013. THQ did not provide a reason for the game's delay but I feel that it may have been some of the differences in ideas between designers and the original South Park creators that led to a delay. While I wasn't specifically excited for South Park and it likely won't measure up to Bioshock or Tomb Raider, the game still looked pretty solid. The concepts and innovations going into South Park really intrigued me and is still looking to be a good game.
I suppose we'll just have to wait until the first quarter of 2013 however to play any of these games. I have to admit, I was initially surprised when I heard the October release date for Infinite, so I guess I almost expected it. Tomb Raider on the other hand I did not expect but I'm glad developers are taking the time to really make these games worth it to their fans. How do you feel about these delays? Were you planning on getting any of these games when they came out? This also poses the question of any other games possibly being delayed. Grand Theft Auto V is speculated to be released this year but I"m really beginning to doubt that and I'm getting the feeling Borderlands 2 may be delayed as well. I'll keep my fingers crossed though and hope that all launches go as according to plan.
