The over-the-top, gunslinging, action-hero parody Johnny Gat is one of the more recognizable characters in the Saints Row series. Recently developer Volition announced that it's bringing him back to its new game, Agents of Mayhem. The catch: he's an exclusive GameStop pre-order bonus.
In a press release, Volition announced that Johnny Gat is a playable character in its upcoming game. Volition explained that his inclusion is actually somewhat coherent with the narratives of both Saints Row and Agents of Mayhem, and the studio justified it with a pretty convoluted and appropriately absurd explanation.
"The 'Have God re-create the Earth and retcon the entire world of Saints Row' ending of Saints Row: Gat Out of Hell means that the dead don't stay dead," the press release states. "Johnny is back where he was born--Seoul. Gat's been hard on the beat in this universe as a Lieutenant in Seoul's police department, but the tragic events of Devil's Night left Johnny in a coma. After awakening almost a year later, Johnny discovers that all of the Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency have been wiped out and replaced with COP (Civilian Overwatch Patrol) robot units."
The Gat DLC includes the character, as well as unique skins, an unlock mission, and a personal mission. He's voiced by Daniel Dae Kim, who played Johnny Gat in the Saints Row games.
Agents of Mayhem shares many gameplay similarities with Saints Row: it's an open-world, third-person action game with a comedic, over-the-top story. Unlike Saints Row, however, you'll be able to explore the world with a team of three agents. You can read our most recent preview of the game here.
It launches on August 15 for PS4, Xbox One, and PC. Keep an eye on GameSpot for more about Agents of Mayhem coming out of E3 2017 next week.
As there was for 2015's Star Wars: Battlefront, this year's sequel will have a multiplayer beta, EA announced today. The beta is due out this fall for PS4, Xbox One, and PC, but there is no word yet on what it will offer, besides giving players a first chance to experience its "epic scale."
Everyone who pre-orders Battlefront II will get into the beta early, though EA didn't give any indication as to when the early access period will begin. This offer also applies to people who have already pre-ordered. Additionally, people who pre-order get the Epic Lightsaber Mastery Star Card for Yoda, as well as everything listed below:
Star Wars: The Last Jedi outfits for Kylo Ren and Rey
Instant access to six hero and starfighter epic Star Cards
Kylo Ren: Power Reach and Solid Freeze
Rey: Far Sight and Deep Mind
Starfighters: Enhanced Auxiliary Power and First Order ship upgrade
Instant access to Star Wars: The Last Jedi Millennium Falcon with updated sounds and appearance
Looking ahead, Battlefront II will have a big presence during EA's E3 briefing tomorrow. The developer will show off a 40-player multiplayer match on Theed. Unlike 2015's Battlefront, which shipped 14 million copies, the sequel will have a single-player campaign--John Boyega should be happy. The campaign is being made by Motive Studios, while DICE is again handling the multiplayer.
Just days before EA's E3 press conference, the company confirmed that it will have at least eight games to talk about during its EA Play event. More significantly, two of them could be titles that have not yet been announced. Possibilities include the various Star Wars titles it has in development, BioWare's new IP, and an Assassin's Creed-style game.
In a blog post titled "Get a first look at eight games and more surprises," EA listed off six of the games it will show during its briefing on June 10. It provided no indication of what kind of surprises to expect, whether they're The six confirmed games are:
As for the other two games, there is no word yet on what they could be. EA said in its blog post that the briefing will include "new reveals," so they could be brand-new titles. The show starts at 12 PM PT / 3 PM ET on Saturday, June 10, and is expected to run for 90 minutes. GameSpot will bring you all the news from the show and more as it's announced. You can watch EA's EA Play event live here.
Keep checking back with GameSpot for more from E3 2017. Be sure to bookmark GameSpot's E3 2017 hub to stay in the loop.
E3 2017 is almost upon us, and today Bandai Namco released its E3 trailer for Ace Combat 7.
Unsurprisingly, the short, story-focused video shows off a lot of dogfights and acrobatic flying, but it also reveals a more human element of the game. Although it's not a gameplay video, it's still interesting to get a sense of the scale and stakes of the war that the game focuses on. You can see the trailer for yourself above.
The game is the latest in the long-running dogfighting series, and developer Project Aces said that it intends for it to return to the franchise's roots. Back in January, GameSpot sat down with producer Kazutoki Kono and learned that the studio felt it had to bring Ace Combat back to its original, semi-fictional universe after Ace Combat 6 was set in the real world. "'Real world' is very easy to make credible, easy to believe," he said. "But there are so many constraints as a game. On the other hand, if it's a hypothetical world, lots of additional setup is needed, but there is a lot of freedom within it."
The game was originally planned for launch by the end of 2017, but last month Kono announced that it would actually be released sometime in 2018. The publisher explained that the delay was necessary to ensure that Project Aces "achieve[s] the vision" it has for the game.
With E3 just about to begin, Sony today launched a new PlayStation 4 Slim color and kicked off a sale on a number of high-profile games as part of the Days of Play campaign.
The gold-color PS4 Slim (which comes with a matching DualShock 4) is out now, priced at $250. Additionally, DualShock 4 controllers (all colors) are marked down to $40, while the Gold wireless headset is discounted to $80 for the duration of the sale.
A number of brick-and-mortar retailers are also offering deals on PlayStation games this week--check with your local store for lists of discounted games.
Additionally, 12-month PS Plus memberships are going for $50 instead of $60 in the Days of Play sale. On top of that, everyone who spends $100 or more on the PS Store through June 20 will receive a $15 credit--and PS Plus memberships count towards the $100.
The Days of Play game sale and PS Plus offer wrap up on June 16.
With June comes E3 and tons of new game announcements, but those games won't be coming out for a while. Thankfully, there's still plenty to play in the coming weeks, from Tekken 7 to Crash Bandicoot N. Sane Trilogy. Below, you can see the biggest June releases as well as a list of some of the most notable games coming out this month. You can also see some recent major releases in the video above.
Tekken 7 is the latest installment in the popular fighting game series. The game sees the Mishima Clan's 20-year blood feud come to its climactic conclusion (complete with military-grade weaponry and big explosions).
Arms is a quirky fighting game from Nintendo. Equip your own combination of extendable arms and start punching--you'll need fast hands or some serious button combo skills to reach the top.
Crash Bandicoot is back with the N. Sane Trilogy, remastered and ready for PS4. They're the same classic games you remember with upgraded graphics and a few small tweaks.
With E3 right around the corner, we're putting together lists of all the games you can expect to see at the big-time gaming show. Here, we're compiling all of the confirmed Nintendo Switch games, including mutiplatform releases, of which there aren't many yet. We will continue to update this story as more titles are revealed as the show gets closer.
E3 2017 runs June 13-15, with briefings from Microsoft, Sony, Nintendo, Bethesda, Electronic Arts, and Ubisoft planned for the days before the show kicks off. Nintendo specifically will be hosting its Nintendo Spotlight stream on Tuesday, June 13, at 9 AM PT / 12 PM ET / 5 PM BST. Super Mario Odyssey will be a big focus there, but we also be hearing about other games as well.
Additionally, Nintendo plans to host a Treehouse livestream where it will discuss both Switch and 3DS games. However, no specific titles or any kind of schedule for what to expect has been announced so far. You can follow along with the event by checking out our E3 hub for all of our news, previews, and impressions.
All The Nintendo Switch Confirmed For E3 2017 So Far
The video showcases a previously unseen church area and gives fans a glimpse at some of heroine Miriam's new weapons and skills. The trailer ends with a battle against a new boss known as Bloodless, who uses parasols and torrents of blood to attack Miriam. You can watch the full video below.
Like the Castlevania series, Bloodstained is a side-scrolling adventure with RPG elements. The game is set in 18th century England and tasks players with navigating a complex, demon-infested castle on a quest to find its mysterious summoner and break the curse that was placed on Miriam.
There's a plethora of games that we're eager to see more of at E3 2017. With most major companies bringing their best to the show, there's bound to be a fair number of surprises in store. Whether it's confirmed or not to be at this year's show, we've compiled our personal picks of what we're looking forward to the most. Click ahead to check out our choices.
E3 2017 runs June 13-15, with briefings from Microsoft, Sony, Nintendo, Bethesda, Electronic Arts, and Ubisoft planned for the days before the show kicks off. You can find a full schedule in our feature on the publisher press conferences times.
Call of Duty: WWII | Eddie Makuch, Associate Editor
Activision doesn't have an E3 briefing nor does it have floor space at the convention center. But this year's Call of Duty is set to have a big presence at the show during Sony's event and at its booth. I am excited to see more of the campaign and find out if it is the Band of Brothers-type experience I am hoping for. The reveal trailer did not do much for me, so I am hopeful for a better, more in-depth showing at the year's biggest gaming event. We are also told that a proper multiplayer reveal is on tap for E3, which is exciting to think about. Call of Duty is the king of first-person shooters, and it will be interesting to see what Sledgehammer brings to the table after the most recent games were set in the future, giving players all manner of super-abilities that won't be in Call of Duty: WWII. However, the fan-favorite Zombies mode will of course also play a role in this year's game. Call of Duty is an expected part of every E3, and I can't wait to see the direction it takes--and the celebrities recruited for it--in the historical time period.
Crackdown 3 | Chris Pereira, News Editor
The original Crackdown, while far from perfect, presented a refreshing take on the open-world action game genre back in 2007. Its 2010 sequel was a disappointment, leaving us with little more than Saints Row IV to provide a superhero-in-an-open-world experience over the past decade. Given that it was announced three years ago, we still know precious little about Crackdown 3, except that it plans to make environmental destruction a key element--another thing we've seen very little of in recent years with no new Red Faction games released. Why bound over a building when you can simply destroy it? It's an exciting prospect that could serve as an interesting element in both exploration and combat, provided it serves as more than just a tech demo for Microsoft's Azure cloud. If leveraged correctly, it could make for an exciting co-op experience to rival GTA Online.
Cyberpunk 2077 | Jake Dekker, Video Producer
To be perfectly honest, I don't think Cyberpunk 2077 will make an appearance at E3. Even though it's been four years since it released the first teaser, CD Projekt Red seems to be taking its time with the science-fiction RPG, and I am totally okay with that. Still, my fingers are crossed that CD Projekt Red will, at the very least, surprise us with another teaser. The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt is one of my favorite games of all time, and based on the rumors, it sounds like Cyberpunk 2077 will be even bigger and more ambitious.
Destiny 2 | Alex Newhouse, News Writer
Destiny gained a large, dedicated audience, but that accomplishment came in spite of a lot of issues and shortcomings that the game had during its first year. Two of the largest criticisms: it did not have nearly enough content and its story was sparse, sometimes confusing, and largely hidden in Grimoire cards. Developer Bungie recently unveiled Destiny 2 and has indicated that it is taking a lot of the feedback about the first game to heart. Among other improvements, solo players now have an opportunity to play higher-level content like Raids, and all activities can be launched while in one of the playable areas.
This is my most anticipated game of E3 2017, though, because it is an essential opportunity for Bungie to prove that Destiny 2's narrative and gameplay are more robust and more, well, Bungie-like. There's a huge amount of information about Destiny 2 that we still don't know, and so at this conference, Bungie really can put doubts to rest. I remember watching the first campaign demos for the original Destiny and thinking about the promising narrative they hinted at. The game didn't entirely live up to that promise, but Bungie will hopefully go even further at this year's conference by showing why we should care about Destiny's world and why we won't just be doing the same handful of Strikes over and over again in Destiny 2.
Far Cry 5 | Alessandro Fillari, Editor
As the first one set in the United States, Ubisoft's next game in the Far Cry franchise presents the developers with an interesting opportunity to make something that can hit players hard. And given the noise after the reveal of the box art, it looks like Ubisoft might be onto something that will hit a few nerves. No longer a high-octane fish-out-of-water story in an exotic land, the setting now brings us to Montana, where players can tell their own story with their custom character facing off against a heavily armed militia aimed at bringing about the next "collapse."
Of course, Far Cry 5 is all about open-world action in extremely over-the-top fashion, and the social commentary and storytelling will always come second to that; yet the new context could serve to make this title a seminal entry for the series. The standard hallmarks of the series--such as capturing enemy encampments, customizing gear, and meeting quirky supporting characters--could be seen under a new light, and I can't help but feel more interested in seeing how this American take on Far Cry will turn out. Here's hoping Ubisoft will take its new setting and run with it.
Fallout 4 VR | Jimmy Thang, Technology Editor
Fallout 3 and Fallout: New Vegas are some of my favorite games of all time. Having said that, I haven't played much of Fallout 4. While I have the game, I stopped playing when I heard it was being ported to VR. I got to play a bit of the VR version at last year's E3, and while it was a very early build that had you relegated to the beginning Red Rocket truck stop area of the game, it showed a lot of promise when I started to use my own body to engage in a gunfight with raiders. The game also moves the UI onto the PIP Boy, which is attached to your wrist. It's a really awesome integration of VR that makes the experience feel more immersive. I can't wait to try it out.
The Last of Us Part II | Kallie Plagge, Associate Editor
Since its announcement at the end of 2016, we haven't heard much about The Last of Us Part II. We know that Ellie is the lead character and that the game takes place five years after the first, but that's it--we're due for more details. Motion capture began recently, so short of gameplay, it would be incredible to learn more about how far Ellie has come in five years and what the game's tone will be. It's not like Sony needs more exclusives to have an exciting press conference, but come on! A sequel to one of the best games of 2013 wouldn't exactly be a snooze-fest, either. Show it off!
Marvel Vs. Capcom: Infinite | Tamoor Hussain, Editor
After Marvel Vs. Capcom 3, I was certain the franchise was done, so imagine my excitement when it was announced to return. As a result, I'm still very much in the honeymoon phase with the game, but the lack of new information and footage has been a bit of a damper on my hype. I'm ready to see more of the characters at E3 and, hopefully, also get a deeper dive into how the Infinity Stones work. During a recent preview event, I got some hands-on time with the game and found that, despite being designed to be as approachable as possible, it had a great deal of depth. This is enabled by the Infinity Stones, of which we have only seen three. There's a few more yet to be revealed, and I'm eager to see the impact they'll have on gameplay.
Mother 3 | Justin Haywald, Managing Editor
In 2013, Nintendo re-released Earthbound for Virtual Console on the Wii. The prequel was announced for Virtual Console in 2015. And while the holy grail of the series, Mother 3 (Earthbound is called "Mother" in Japanese), has already come out on Virtual Console Japan, 2017 will be the year that this sequel to Earthbound is finally released in the US. There's no definite proof this is going to happen, and Nintendo has been incredibly stingy with any info about how a potential Virtual Console will work on the Switch, particularly with regard to games that users have already purchased. But since Mother 3 was never released in English, I haven't lost hope that the incredible fan translation (an effort spearheaded by author and translator Clyde Mandelin, and available free at Fobby.net) will finally make it to the mainstream.
E3 is going to be a big show for Nintendo, and there are few games that will rally the excitement of an adoring fanbase like the Earthbound sequel we never got--I predict that 2017 will finally be the year of Mother 3. And hopefully, once Mother 3 is official, we can turn our collective gaming consciousness to more important endeavors...like localizing and releasing Seiken Densetsu 3 in the West.
Pokemon Stars | Oscar Dayus, Staff Writer
Okay, so we don't even know for sure whether this exists yet, let alone whether it'll be at E3, so take this with a pinch of salt. But assuming Stars is real, it will almost certainly be at E3. Beyond Splatoon 2 in July, there is arguably not another major release until Super Mario Odyssey this holiday, so Nintendo needs games. Together, Pokemon Sun and Moon were Nintendo's fastest-selling games ever in the UK, Australia, and the Americas, and after Pokemon Go last summer, public interest in Pocket Monsters is at the highest it's been since the series' heyday in the '90s.
Imagine the frenzy if Stars is revealed, coming this year--the first proper Pokemon adventure on your big TV! It'll be a dream come true--just like how a proper 3D Pokemon adventure was in X & Y…
Resident Evil Remake 2
Prior to Resident Evil 7, my excitement for Capcom's survival-horror series was low. Resident Evil 6 was a major disappointment, and everything since then had amounted to throwaway spinoffs and bad movies. However, my introduction to the Baker family in Resident Evil 7 couldn't have gone better, and the series I had loved dearly for so many years retook its place in my heart. While I'm interested in what Resident Evil 8 could be, that's unlikely to appear at E3. However, we haven't heard anything about the mysterious Resident Evil 2 Remake since it was announced in 2015, so I'm guessing we'll hear about it at E3, especially since the general reception towards the Resident Evil series right now is positive. The biggest question that needs to be answered is how it will play: will Capcom keep the fixed angles of the original game, or will it adopt the third-person, over-the-shoulder view? Or maybe they ditch both and go with Resident Evil 7's first-person perspective. Whatever happens, I'll be happy to see Resident Evil 2 in a much clearer, HD light.
Shin Megami Tensei (Switch) | Peter Brown, Senior Reviews Editor
Persona 5 dazzled everyone only a few months ago and its lengthy adventure continues to delight, but developer Atlus has another trick up its sleeve that we hope will be revealed in full at this year's E3. 2017 marks the 25th anniversary of the Shin Megami Tensei series, the darker progenitor of the original Persona game, and Atlus has already teased that a special game is in the works to commemorate the milestone.
Pitched as a Nintendo Switch exclusive, we know very little about the game other than the platform it's being designed for, and that it will continue the Shin Megami Tensei trend of setting its story in a post-apocalyptic world overrun with flamboyant demons. Like Persona, Shin Megami Tensei games have a stellar reputation among fans, but it hasn't yet found mainstream success in North America; a release on Switch may help reverse that trend. In any case, we can't wait to hear more about the game and hope that both an official announcement of a North American release and fresh gameplay footage make an appearance at the show.
State of Decay 2 | Aaron Sampson, Video Producer
When State of Decay came out in 2013 it was, at first glance, just another zombie survival game. Players quickly learned that they would be managing not one survivor, but an entire group. Looking after your favorite character's needs quickly took on a Sims-like addiction. The brutal Trumbull Valley offered up plenty for players to utilize and often used previously learned survivor knowledge against players with Special Infected enemies. The game possessed the greater qualities of a war story. A survivor could go out on 20 desperate supply runs only to crash their vehicle into a ditch on the 21st and never return home. The Lifeline expansion flipped the script entirely: Rather than starting with nothing and building a base, players started at a fully stocked military outpost and were ground down to nothing by relentless zombie hordes. By far, the biggest thing missing from the first game was co-op, and now we're going to get it. I am crazy excited for State of Decay 2 at E3.
Super Mario Odyssey | Tony Wilson, Video Producer
Between the Nintendo 64 and GameCube, young Tony was able to get completely lost in the giant worlds of Super Mario 64, Super Mario Sunshine, and Banjo-Kazooie. But these "collect-a-thon" games are all but dead. Recent Mario titles like 3D Land and World traded in sprawling levels with multiple objectives for what are essentially glorified obstacle courses, and attempts to bring the genre back have largely failed--I'm looking at you, Yooka-Laylee. Super Mario Odyssey is an opportunity for platformer fans to dive back into those massive worlds again, but beyond that, it's a chance for Nintendo to reinvent another franchise, just as it did for Zelda with Breath of the Wild.
Wolfenstein (Unannounced Title) | Michael Higham, Associate Editor
After 2014's Wolfenstein: The New Order proved to be a worthy entry into the iconic first-person shooter franchise, it warrants another return to Wolfenstein. It twisted Wolfenstein's already-deranged take on World War II with its alternate history setting, showing the horrific prospect of an Axis-dominated Earth. It seems Bethesda and Machine Games are set to release a sequel to The New Order in the near future, hinted at E3 2016 during Bethesda's stage show (and again at QuakeCon). The E3 stage screen showed a DOS prompt with past Wolfenstein and Doom titles and their release dates, and "The New Colossus" with an unspecified date. Well, now would be a good time to unveil what's next for BJ Blazkowicz.
The New Order won over fans by focusing on a rich single-player campaign that found a balance between stealth mechanics and off-the-wall firefights. It also gave us a sensible story rooted in character development and interactions, which was beyond expectations for a Wolfenstein game. Bethesda's VP of PR, Pete Hines, has touted the next game from Machine Games, and there have been hints that it'll take place in Nazi-occupied America. If The New Colossus can build off of what's been established and create an intriguing chapter in alternate history, then I'd be all in.
Xenoblade Chronicles 2 | Kevin Knezevic, News Editor
I doubt anyone actually expects Xenoblade Chronicles 2 to arrive this year (despite Nintendo's insistence that it will), but we'll certainly learn more about the game in some capacity at E3. While Super Mario Odyssey may be the star of Switch's holiday lineup this year, Xenoblade Chronicles 2 is perhaps the biggest title the company has in the works for the console so far--certainly in terms of scale if not in name recognition. Monolith Soft has proven to be in a class of its own when it comes to crafting imaginative, awe-inspiring worlds, and if any title could possibly come close to matching the scale and beauty of Breath of the Wild, it's undoubtedly Xenoblade. That said, there's still very little we know about the game. Despite the number in its title, it's still unclear if Xenoblade Chronicles 2 will be an actual sequel to the first Xenoblade or a spiritual follow-up in the vein of Wii U's Xenoblade Chronicles X. What little footage we've seen so far has also raised more questions than answers. The game's setting might bear more than a passing resemblance to the rolling fields and thick forests found on the Bionis from the first Xenoblade Chronicles, but the cast of characters we've met so far has been entirely new. Hopefully Nintendo will clear up most of this next week.
Yakuza Kiwami | Matt Espineli, Associate Editor
Yakuza 0 left a huge impression on me earlier this year with its complex narrative and offbeat, absurdist comedy. It was also a fantastic entry point into Sega's long-running crime-drama action game franchise--which I've been meaning to start for years. But after finishing it, the problem of how to experience the next chapter in Kazuma Kiryu's saga reared its ugly head. After all, the first game in the series released on PS2 in 2006 along with an English-only dub, which made it a less than ideal version to play (Mark Hamill voicing Goro Majima notwithstanding).
Luckily, a remake of the first game, titled Yakuza Kiwami, is on its way later this year. While I'm excited to see more of how it reimagines the first game's story at E3, I'm also eager to interact with its new mechanics. I'm anticipating seeing the Majima Everywhere system, which involves the series' iconic eyepatch-wearing psychopath trying to surprise you in random ways, be it by popping out of a manhole, disguising himself as a cop, or dressing up as a hostess. The system sounds ridiculous in the most amazing way; I can't wait to experience it.
While Yakuza 0 solidified me as a series fan, I'm hoping Kiwami will continue to elevate my passion for the series. And with the western release of Yakuza 6 on the horizon, there's going to be a lot more of Yakuza for me to play if I want to catch up by the time it comes out in 2018. Sega, what have you done to me?
E3 is almost here. There are always rumors about what might get revealed and shown off at the year's biggest gaming event, and this year is no different. While we haven't yet seen a flood of leaks, as we did last year, we do have some sense of what to expect over the next week.
We're just a day away from the unofficial start to E3 2017, with EA's briefing on Saturday, June 10. Below is a roundup of all the big rumors heading into E3 2017. Let us know in the comments below if we've missed anything, and as always, you can send in tips at news@gamespot.com.
You can follow along with all of our news, videos, and impressions at our E3 hub. There you'll also find our lists of all the games confirmed at the event, what we want to see from specific games, how we think the three console manufacturers can win, and more.
Multiplatform
This year's Assassin's Creed game has already been confirmed, but we've yet to receive any real information about it. Whatever it might be, it's expected to be formally announced at E3 during Ubisoft's briefing on Monday, but we may already know some of the key details thanks to multiple leaks and reports. It's rumored to be called Assassin's Creed: Origins, with a hero named Ba Yek. The game will reportedly be set in ancient Egypt. [More details]
Bethesda is rumored to announce a new Wolfenstein title, The New Colossus, at its briefing on Sunday night. This rumor actually dates back to E3 2016, where a follow-up to The New Order was teased with the name The New Colossus. After that, a handful of leaks and reports have suggested a sequel is coming, and this E3 may be where we finally get out first official look at the shooter. [More details]
Another big rumor this year is that Bethesda will possibly announce a sequel to The Evil Within, from Resident Evil creator Shinji Mikami's studio, Tango Gameworks. This was teased as part of Bethesda's E3 2017 invitation card, which featured the company's many franchises. It also hinted that we could see some new or dormant IPs revealed or revived during this year's show. [More details]
Sony
Nothing has tied it to E3 as of yet, but a noted analyst said earlier this year that Sony might release a new, more powerful PlayStation in 2018. With Microsoft planning to go heavy on the Scorpio details during its press conference, Sony could take the wind out of its competitor's sails by showcasing a new, even more impressive piece of hardware. [More details]
Microsoft
Microsoft has already made it clear Halo 6 won't be at E3, so you should set your expectations accordingly if you're a Halo fan. However, the company did tease that it will have a "little something" for the Halo brand at the show. As of yet, we don't know if it's a new game or, more likely, something else entirely, like new content for Halo 5 or Halo Wars 2. [More details]
On Thursday, an image of a supposedly new Halo game, Halo: Gravemind, emerged online. Halo boss Frank O'Connor called this "fake news," so it seems like an elaborate fake. The presence of the term Halo 6 which, as noted above, will not be at the show, only further cements that Gravemind is nonsense. [More details]
Nintendo
There have been a good amount of rumors swirling around Nintendo this year. This includes a new Mario/Rabbids crossover game that's reportedly titled Battle Kingdom. It's rumored to be a turn-based role-playing game where Rabbids dress up as Mushroom Kingdom characters, so that's cool. Some artwork from the game has also surfaced, further solidifying this as something you can expect to see during Ubisoft and/or Nintendo's respective E3 events. [More details]
Switching gears, a new version of Pokemon Sun and Moon for Nintendo Switch is reportedly on the way. The new game is reportedly titled Pokemon Stars. It was not announced during the Pokemon-themed Nintendo Direct on June 6--though updated versions of the games are on the way to 3DS--but Stars could show up during Nintendo's main news event at E3 on June 13. [More details]
Following the NES Classic console in 2016, Nintendo is reportedly preparing another Classic console, this one for the SNES. If it follows the model of the NES Classic, you can expect it to have a similar form factor to the SNES (but smaller) and come bundled with a number of games. We would hope Nintendo has listened to feedback and includes a longer controller cord and is easier to find this time around. The report suggests it's due out this year, so an E3 announcement could make sense, timing-wise. [More details]
Kingdom Come: Deliverance, the medieval role-playing game made by Mafia creator Daniel Vavra's new studio, will launch on February 13, 2018. The release date was announced in a new story trailer for the game, which follows the story of Henry. He's the son of a blacksmith whose life gets turned upside down when his village is burnt to the ground by an evil group of mercenaries.
Deliverance will launch at the same time for PS4, Xbox One, and PC, priced at $60.
Funded on Kickstarter, the open-world RPG promises "stunning high-end graphics," a non-linear story, challenging combat, and real historical characters from the time period. And unlike other medieval RPGs, there is no fantasy element to Deliverance.
Deliverance is being developed by Warhorse Studios, with publishing support from Saints Row and Dead Island studio Deep Silver.
For more on the game, check out all of GameSpot's written and video content for it here.
E3 is set to begin next week and will bring with it all sorts of game news, videos, and reveals. Before it kicks off, we're compiling all of the games you can count on making an appearance at the show in one form or another. This list compiles all of the games you can expect to see at EA Play, Electronic Arts' pre-E3 event.
Unlike many other publishers, EA has somewhat distanced itself from E3 proper. Rather than featuring its games on the show floor, EA has its own separate event going on in the days before E3. EA Play begins on June 10, with a press conference set for 12 PM PT / 3 PM ET / 8 PM BST. You can watch the EA Play livestream here.
E3 2017 runs June 13-15, with briefings from EA, Microsoft, Sony, Nintendo, Bethesda, and Ubisoft planned for the days before the show kicks off. You can follow along with all of our news, videos, impressions, and more at our E3 hub.
Yep, he's back. Bubsy has a new game on that way, marking the character's return this fall in another platformer for PlayStation 4 and PC. It's been 21 years since the last original Bubsy game, Bubsy 3D, and 24 years since Bubsy first made his debut on Super Nintendo with Bubsy in: Claws Encounters of the Furred Kind. Check out the trailer for the new game below.
Bubsy: The Woolies Strike Back also appears to mark the return of Bubsy's original publisher, Accolade Game, which is promising to make a come back with a host of new games. "Get ready for the return of iconic games and franchises like Busby, Hardball, Slave Zero, Deadlock, Eradicator, Redline and more!" the publisher said.
On its (new) website, Accolade says Bubsy: The Woolies Strike Back will feature "a bevy of exotic locations as [Bubsy] travels the planet looking for the beloved Golden Fleece." The gameplay is similar to the series' previous games, with Bubsy running, dodging, and jumping over the Woolies.
Accolade also promises Bubsy will have more than 100 new one liners, so whether his lines annoy or delight you (or both), there will be plenty of variety. This time, Black Forest Games is developing the title. The studio previously rebooted the Giana Sisters series with Giana Sisters: Twisted Dreams.
Bubsy: The Woolies Strike Back is out sometime this fall.
The details of EA's E3 2017 press conference has been announced, and you can watch the event right here through the embed above. It promises to showcase the games we've already heard about along with some other surprises.
This year's briefing is much earlier than usual, taking place on the Saturday prior to E3. Here's the exact schedule for when EA's conference begins:
Quentin Tarantino made a name for himself back in the early 1990s with the release of Reservoir Dogs, but the recently released Reservoir Dogs: Bloody Days doesn't come close to reaching the same heights. It amounts to nothing more than a predictable twin-stick shooter that fails to live up to its own potential, let alone the film's, in any appreciable way.
There's no narrative to Bloody Days--no character development to create emotional resonance. The game at large isn't concerned with variety, either, sticking to the same rigid format from start to finish. You take control of reimagined versions of the film's six leads--Mr. Blonde, Mr. Blue, Mr. Brown, Mr. Pink, Mr. Orange, and Mr. White--and head out on 18 heists. Each mission starts the same: There's some banter between the two primary characters (you have the option of selecting a third), they walk to a marked position, guns are pulled, and bullets fly as you attempt to shoot your way to a bounty of cash. Aside from differing locations, such as a bank, laundromat, or warehouse, all 18 levels follow this very strict, predictable formula. It doesn't take long for Bloody Days to fall into repetition, which is made worse when you're forced to replay sections of levels and rewatch unskippable cutscenes.
Just like the film, death will eventually come to the colorful criminals, but Bloody Days makes it too often of an occurrence in part due to frustrating controls. While keyboard-and-mouse controls offer greater accuracy than a controller, latency between keystrokes and character actions can cause baffling, unexpected deaths. The gamepad fares far worse: The button layout is awkward, with the shoot and sprint actions placed on the bumpers instead of the shoulders, which will trip you up on more than one occasion. While each method of play allows you to choose between preset control schemes, they don't save, meaning that if you select option B instead of option A and exit back to the game, you default back to option A. This illusion of choice is frustrating, especially considering the other gamepad layouts are more accessible than the default.
Bloody Days does offer an initially compelling mechanic: At the press of a button, you can rewind time and switch to one of your two partners in crime. The actions you performed before switching will occur in real time as you head back into battle, allowing you to set up thrilling shootouts and increase your combo count to earn more points at the end of the heist. While this is exhilarating at first, especially when you're blasting through waves of enemies with twice the firepower, there are times when enemies you encountered as the first character inexplicably change their path, essentially nullifying any amount of strategy you put into setting up your initial run.
Lamentably, enemy AI is shallow: It's all too easy to corner foes and either fill them with lead or bash their heads in with a melee weapon. Exploiting the enemy's predictability like this also overshadows the time-rewind mechanic, which ultimately proves to be more of a risky tool than a necessity. While it's necessary for the two primary characters you take into battle to reach a mission's end point, you can rely on just a single character to handle the dirty work. The one exception is when the game puts enemies offscreen who nonetheless send bullets flying your way. This creates a challenge, but it also elicits frustration, since you're left floundering to avoid getting hit while returning fire to targets you can't actually see.
Bloody Days' aesthetic is enticing, with bright colors and generous amounts of blood--an otherwise gruesome picture that works to emphasize the comedic carnage on display. It's a shame, then, that the game's performance will kill you more often than the bullets will. During the later levels, Bloody Days chugs along and, in most situations, freezes for a few moments. This inconsistency will get you killed, get one of your partners killed, or occasionally allow you to kill every enemy in your way.
Aside from the Reservoir Dogs name in the title and the colorfully named characters, Bloody Days shares almost nothing in common with its namesake. With its rewind mechanic, you can see the potential for an exhilarating top-down, twin-stick shooter, but this never comes to pass. The game is easily exploitable and produces frustration far too often to become even the slightest bit interesting. Reservoir Dogs: Bloody Days devolves to a banal experience that's all bark and no bite.
Recent Articles:
You are receiving this email because you opted in at our website.
No comments:
Post a Comment