E3 2014: Rise of the Tomb Raider: Off The Couch and Back To Business, Miss Croft!

 
Ha. Sometime during a play through of that Tomb Raider reboot from last year, I recall thinking “Poor Lara is going to need a LOT of therapy after all the hell she’s going through!” and as it turns out, that’s how this trailer for Rise of the Tomb Raider opens. Set for a “Holiday 2015” release, most likely as a PC, PS4 and Xbox One game, I’ll gather the dark and stormy bits here mean the game will be packing some nasty weather and plenty of stuff blowing about in those outdoor locales, super-detailed visuals across all three platforms and the requisite pre-order bonuses and day one DLC we’ve come to expect.

Yeah, I’d rather pretend it’s 1996 all over again, and I was cracking open that shrink wrap on the original Core Design game not knowing what to expect outside of what a few glowing reviews noted. It’s not that I’m NOT impressed with the massive increase in power from these new consoles, mind you – it’s just that I prefer games I can pop in and play without thinking (or KNOWING) that I’m missing something important because I didn’t buy a specific edition at a specific retailer. Eh, I shouldn’t complain at all – it’s not as if Crystal Dynamics and Square Enix are shoving this out the door too early. That “holiday” dating and less platforms to program for means this one should be stellar no matter what it’s played on.

E3 2014: Lara Croft and the Temple of Osiris: Your Action/Puzzle/Battle/Treasure Game is Coming Back!

 
Lara Croft and the Guardian of Light was a refreshingly retro surprise back in 2010 (it was one of the better downloadable console games of that year, in fact), packing everyone’s favorite Tomb Raider into a fast-paced action adventure with an isometric viewpoint, co-op play and plenty of challenge. Developer Crystal Dynamics has finally revealed the sequel, Lara Croft and the Temple of Osiris and it’s looking quite lovely indeed. Well, “lovely” in that “Holy crap, this game is TOUGH” manner in which you’re smiling while you’re playing it solo before calling up to three other friends to come over and give you a hand. My issue with this one is the same as the original: digital ONLY (boo!) and not available on the PlayStation Vita. of course, As this will run on the PS4, it would be nice to see some sort of cross-play feature on board just so publisher Square Enix could make a few more bucks, but I guess we’ll see what happens. I’m actually surprised this is ONLY for next-gen, as I can imagine those millions of PS3 and Xbox 360 owners out there who haven’t made the move to new consoles yet would love to spend some money on this one and more time with Ms. Croft and her new traveling companions. But what do I know? I’ve only been playing games since dirt was new…

E3 2014: Devil’s Third: Now A Wii U Exclusive (And Not for The Kids at All!), But Needs Some Polishing Up…

 
Well, this was a surprise in a day filled with surprises. The last time I’d heard anything about Devil’s Third was about two or so years back when it disappeared off PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 lists, somehow got picked up as a mobile game, but now here it is… as a Wii U exclusive. Tomonobu Itagaki and his team at Valhalla Game Studios have whipped up a SUPER violent throwback to those late 80’s and 90’s action flicks, cranked things up to 11 and added a few packs of cigarettes and a case of booze to the mix. Granted, the build shown at E3 seems a bit unpolished and definitely needs work in some areas. That said, no game shown at E3 as a demo should ever be judged as final code, so I’m willing to give this one the benefit of the doubt as work continues on the game.

There’s no release date at all for this, so I’d gather that means Valhalla will be ironing out the kinks over the next few months to whenever it’s ready to go gold. During a live demo for IGN.com, Itagaki noted to the hosts that any issues with the frame rate or other bits would be fixed, and I definitely noted some things that required tweaking. as the game progresses, I’ll be keeping an eye peeled for updates, as while rough now, this could be one of those oddball sleepers that Wii U owners treasure because only they can play it (much like Bayonetta 2 will be this September). back with more on this M-rated blast of nostalgia in a bit…

E3 2014: Dragon Age Inquisition Gallery: Hold Your Jaw Up Before Viewing…

E3_2014_Screens_WM_29Oh, the places you’ll go and the people you’ll meet in BioWare’s upcoming Dragon Age sequel. I’d gather that no matter which platform you’re buying this for, you’ll be treated to some wider open spaces and more overall freedom to explore, some great combat and of course, a memorable story with characters you’ll love, hate and love to hate.

No doubt, there’s also the pesky business of DLC from day one and onward, the bane of those gamers who don’t have a decent broadband connection at home and want to play this with every single bit of content. I suppose folks like that can wait for the inevitable Game of the Year or whatever it’s going to get called reissue to get them all that content at a cheaper price, but even that’s not guaranteed these days, as it seems even some reissues demand an online connection to redeem SOMETHING or just to get some information about who’s playing. Anyway, you can get your fix soon enough, as Dragon Age Inquisition will be in stores on October 7, 2014.

Back with more images to pore over in a bit…

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E3 2014: Scalebound: Platinum’s Xbox One Exclusive Leans To The West A Bit…

 
While actual gameplay wasn’t shown, I’d gather that the game will at least look very close to what’s above and as it’s from PlatinumGames, there’s no doubt that there’s going to be more going on that what’s shown here. Granted, that lead character seemed a bit to cool for his own good, but this one’s going to be a game that needs a more complete dissection in hands-on form at some point. As with nearly any game trailer, it’s hard to get a feel for a game’s tone and pacing from a cinematic unless there’s some actual gameplay tossed in at some point. That said, I’m confident Game director Hideki Kamiya and his team can make this exclusive one Xbox One fans will be proud to claim as their own.

E3 2014: Bloodborne: FromSoftware Shakes It Up With A Mighty, Grim PS4 Exclusive…

 
Too much stuff to cover means you get bits and pieces of what I find cool, so here’s the amazing teaser trailer from FromSoftware’s upcoming Bloodborne, a PlayStation 4 exclusive that looks pretty unsettling and surprised a lot of gamers who thought the veteran developer would immediately get to work on next-gen versions of Dark Souls for Sony and Microsoft. Nope. I figured the team wanted a break from that dark, grimy series, so this dark, grimy and gorier-looking game with gameplay that’s yet to be unveiled is next up on their plate. I’m holding my breath for screens and gameplay videos and I know SCEA will make me come up for air to download them when they’re ready. I think it’s time to get that PS4 if you haven’t yet…

E3 2014: No Man’s Sky: Take To The Stars And Explore In This Stunning Sci-Fi Soon To Be Smash…

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Hello Games, you just made E3 much better. No Man’s Sky, initially set for a PS4 and PC release, looks absolutely phenomenal and what’s even more amazing is the small developer (less than ten people made this!) almost lost their baby entirely to flooded offices last year. As you can see below, the game is looking as if that flood never, ever occurred:


Given that the last game I played with seamless transitions from first-person gameplay to piloting a spaceship was the interesting but still questionable Mace Griffin Bounty Hunter on the PlayStation 2 and Xbox, this game is a complete revelation as to what an indie team with bigger goals can accomplish. No Man’s Sky truly looks like concept art come to life and if anyone else is getting a serious Ralph McQuarrie vibe (to me, THE late master of sci-fi film concept art thanks to his work on the original Star Wars films) , I’d bet they’re on the right track as to one of the dev team’s influences… Continue reading

E3 2014: Nintedo Direct – Surprises Galore With Some Wait Times Involved (But Well Worth It)…

Of all the three big game company media events, Nintendo had the most to prove, mostly to non-fans and journalists who believe the Wii U is “dead” when the console has yet to show off all it can do. Well, Nintendo’s showing was pretty impressive on a few fronts as you’ll see above, below and later on when I run individual videos. The new (and untitled) installment in the classic Legend of Zelda with its open world and lush visuals was the biggest surprise to me, but Bayonetta 2 packing the full version of the first game enhanced with Nintendo-themed outfits for the character (and coming in September on a single disc). Hyrule Warriors looks spectacular, Yoshi’s Wooly World activated my “D’awwwww” gene (dormant for a while) and will be the first stupidly cute game I’ll pick up in quite some time.

The big JRPG X, now officially known as Xenoblade Chronicles X has slipped into 2015, but this is a good thing at the end of the day because it gives Wii U owners time to get through a few other big releases. I’m not normally a Smash Bros. fan, but the newly announced ability to use custom Miis in the game makes my eyebrow tingle (which means I’ll at least TRY this one out). A few new IPs like Mario Maker, Splatoon and others kept me grinning and overall, it was a successful show, closing with Miyamoto teasing his Star Fox game without actually showing it up close. Anyway, enjoy the show – back in a bit…

E3 2014: Alien Isolation “Survive” Trailer: Be Still, Your Beating Heart (Or Else)…

 
Or else what?, you ask? Well, I’m sure one of those androids has superior hearing and can scope out that you’re hiding in a locker and that sole Alien in the game? Your ticker thumping away like the ghost of Gene Krupa pounding on a big kettle drum just might make you hope that big ugly thing is deaf in the head. Anyway, I’m gathering that The Creative Assembly’s upcoming Alien: Isolation will be certainly wiping away any memories of Aliens: Colonial Marines as it delivers a horror/sci-fi experience that’s closer to the tone and spirit of the first film and isn’t yet another first-person shooter for the pile. as noted earlier, I’m loving that The CA ha gone and made this for older as well as next-gen platforms, as the game will sell better on the PS3 and Xbox 360 thanks to both systems’ larger installed bases. However, I’m HOPING that anyone expecting a run ‘n gun experience realizes they should probably go watch Ridley Scott’s 1979 classic first to see what they’ll be in for.

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E3 2014: Sony’s E3 Experience: Greatness Inbound, Warts & All…

 
SO much good going on here, it’s hard to know where to begin, although this presser’s a bit long and has some snoozy moments. Then again, unlike Microsoft forgetting ALL about it’s “last-gen” consumers, Sony gets in nods to the ps3 while expanding the base with that lovely $99 Vita TV, coming sooner than many thought. I’ll shut up now and let you watch it all, but expect some commentary later on individual titles as I find time to talk about them… enjoy!