Middle-Earth: Shadow of Mordor Trailer Shows Off Orc Hunting

Middle-Earth: Shadow of Mordor just jumped toward the top of my most anticipated games list after watching this trailer because it easily looks like the most impressive Lord of the Rings game yet. Shadow of Mordor follows a Gondorian Ranger, Talion, stationed at the Black Gate of Mordor. The game takes place between the events of The Hobbit and the Lord of the Rings in a time of peace. The rangers guard the gate ensuring that the peace is kept.

While Guarding the Black Gate, Talion and his family are murdered by the followers of Sauron who are making their return. However, the ranger becomes bound to a wraith in the afterlife which returns him to Middle-Earth as half man, half wraith. The wraith gives Talion special abilities which make him incredibly deadly as he seeks his revenge and allows him to walk in the wraith world (like when Frodo would wear the one ring).

The trailer released by Warner Brothers Entertainment and Monolith details the game's nemesis system which allows enemies to remember previous encounters with players. If you encounter an enemy and they happen to escape or best you in battle (your wraith power resurrects you upon death) they go on to become stronger and can even be promoted in the growing army of Sauron. These enemies can attempt to hide from you, or even actively seek you out in this open-world version of Middle-Earth should they decide to hold a grudge.

The trailer shows Talion infiltrating an Orc camp as he hunts Ratbag, a slaver. A fight breaks out and Talion engages several orcs and goblins similarly to the Arkham games or even Assassin's Creed. Countering and grappling play a large role and Talion deals out some devastating damage with his sword in what looks to be some very fluid combat. Combined with his wraith abilities that allow him to warp up close to enemies and even slow down time (similar to blink in Dishonored) he is a force to be reckoned with.

Ratbag attempts to flee but Talion catches up and uses a power central to the game. Talion has the ability to dominate foes with his wraith powers. Players can choose to have an enemy spy on other foes and gather info, or they can command their minion to carry out an assassination. You can even gain a more fearsome reputation if you command the minion to spread word of your deeds. It isn't always that simple however. Based on the minion you recruit, they may lack the skill to carry out an assassination in which case, players can use this as an opportunity to follow the minion thus revealing the location of their leader.

Talion, bending an enemy to his will

I was truly impressed by what I saw in the trailer. It seems to be introducing a healthy variety of gameplay and the original story and characters to Middle-Earth sure look pleasing. The dynamic and ever changing world full of enemies that grow as you level up is also very intriguing and are sure to add some great entertainment and even a good reason to play through the game more than once.

Keep an eye out for Middle-Earth: Shadow of Mordor on the Xbox 360, Xbox One, PS3, PS4 and PC later this year and on this blog as more news becomes available.

New Dark Souls II trailer prepares players to be cursed

I have a feeling I'll be doing a lot of this

Dark Souls II isn't far off from release and before today, there were only a couple of trailers to show off the majesty of this upcoming title. The trailer also takes plenty of time to show off all the ways it will crush your soul and frustrate players as they traverse through a land filled with a new collection of horrible monsters including giant spiders, a giant lava demon and another giant composed of bound-together undead bodies.

However, the more intriguing bits of the trailer shed some light on the mysterious plot of the game. The voice of an old woman, similar to the voice from the opening of the first Dark Souls, narrates the pre-rendered cinematic which is breathtakingly beautiful. Players will take control a cursed hero who travels to a legendary forgotten kingdom by the name of Drangleic (spelling credit goes to IGN). The kingdom of Drangleic has some resemblance to Anor Londo of the first Dark Souls game, except it looks a little scarier, especially with all the dragons flying around it. The game's director, Hidetaka Miyazaki has made promises the game will be more challenging and this trailer does a fine job of showcasing what players will be up against. What do you think? Will you muster your courage and get Dark Souls II or would you rather avoid difficult and frustrating games?

New Terrifying Trailer for Dead Space III

If you're excited for Dead Space 3 next year, this new trailer from EA Games is sure to increase that excitement exponentially. The new trailer assures that Dead Space 3 will be full of terror and intense survival situations that the series has become known for executing so well. Isaac Clarke along with partner Ellie and newcomer John Carver is still after the Markers, seeking to stop them and the Unitologists at all costs. The dialogue and visuals of coffins in the trailer implies that wherever the trio are, there seems to have been some kind of mass execution or genocide and then there's a subsequent breakout in which Isaac commands everyone to arm themselves. Who everyone is, we don't know. He could simply be referring to Ellie and  Carver or could he be addressing more people?

Luckily, the wait isn't too long from now. Dead Space 3 has an official release date of February 5, 2013 in North America and February 8, 2013 in Europe for the Xbox 360, PS3 and PC.

Hitman: Absolution Video Walkthrough

Hitman: Absolution release date in October isn't far off but Square-Enix decided they want to give players an even greater look at Agent 47 in action despite the countless other videos and Sniper Challenge mini game. Game director, Tore Blystad and Travis Barbour provide commentary as Agent 47 searches for answers concerning the whereabouts of Victoria. In the level entitled "The Streets of Hope" he's after Lenny "The Limp" Dexter, the leader of a local street gang that goes by "The Cougars". In addition to kidnapping Lenny, you are also tasked with taking out the members of his gang.

The non-linear style of play allows you to approach in your missions in your own unique way and at your own pace. You can explore the environment and find tools and other assets that will aid you in your completion of the mission. Improvised weapons and disguises are two of the biggest assets you will come across. These improvised weapons will prove invaluable to making quick kills or creating accidental deaths to drawing suspicion. Disguises, as always will be your key into restricted areas. In some cases however, characters can see through your disguise if you aren't careful or linger in their line of sight too long, so they aren't fool-proof this time around.

A new notebook feature, similar to the PDA from Blood Money, allows you to track your progress in the current mission. You can see your completed objectives and view challenges in the notebook as you play. Challenges are similar to those in the Sniper Challenge game and if completed will earn you more money. The notebook tracks how much money you've earned for the current mission as well and tells you what negative and what positive scores you have received. Playing more stealthily and covering your tracks will earn you more money.

The new instinct feature shows off how it can be utilized to discover hiding places, weapons and to locate targets. Instinct can be turned off however along with other various advice tools and tips that display on the screen. A new "trespassing" alert will appear if you're in an area that you aren't supposed to be so you know to be careful or to find a disguise. Unlike other Hitman games though, trespassing won"t instantly get you shot at by armed guards. In Absolution, you're simply escorted out of the area, permitting you didn't see any potentially incriminating material. The other alert lets you know that there is a visible weapon equipped so that you can put it away before you're caught. The tips and instinct can all be disabled though for veteran players or those who want more of a challenge.

The trailer shows off a couple of other new features but i'll let you watch to discover those yourself. the visuals look better than any Hitman game before it with excellent lighting effects, facial detail and general body movement and environment detail. Look for Hitman: Absolution on November 20, 2012 and be sure to pre-order the game to earn one of four cool in-game bonuses.

Assassin's Creed 3 trailers show of Revolutionary warfare

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.

Dead Space 3 announcement and trailer

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 gets her hands dirty in New Tomb Raider Trailer

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.

Ubisoft announces Watch Dogs

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.

Metal Gear Rising: Revengeance trailer

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.

Get back in the Loop with new Tomb Raider trailer

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.