E3 2017 is happening all of this week, and GameSpot will have many developers, publishers, and others on our stage show to discuss the biggest news from the conference. Today, we've got an especially notable segment: Head of Xbox Phil Spencer is coming on at 12 PM PT / 3 PM ET / 8 PM BST to talk about the Xbox One X and more.
You can tune in by going to this link or checking out our E3 Day One stream above. It's going to be quite the show--you can check out the full schedule here. Spencer will hopefully shed some more light on the Xbox One X, which was one of the biggest announcements of E3 2017 so far.
The figures re for Daruk, Mipha, Revali, and Urbosa. You can see them all in the image gallery below; click each figure to bring up the images in full size. Additionally, these Amiibo figures can be seen in the video above.
Some of Nintendo's other Zelda announcements today included announcing the release date for Breath of the Wild's first expansion, The Master Trials, and the confirmation that the next one, The Champions Ballad, will launch this holiday.
To catch up on everything that was announced during the Nintendo Spotlight presentation, you can check out this roundup of all the Nintendo announcements. And for all of GameSpot's E3 coverage, check out our E3 hub.
Square Enix has released a free update for Kingdom Hearts HD 1.5 + 2.5 Remix, adding a couple of small new features to the remastered collection. In addition to fixing various bugs, the update adds an additional cutscene for Kingdom Hearts 358/2 Days. There's also a new Theater mode for Kingdom Hearts Final Mix, which allows you to re-watch cutscenes.
Kingdom Hearts HD 1.5 + 2.5 Remix is out now on PlayStation 4. The title collects six remastered Kingdom Hearts in one package with improved visuals and other additional features.
In other Kingdom Hearts news, Square Enix also released a new trailer for the anticipated Kingdom Hearts III earlier this week. The video showcases some massive new villains and gives fans a better look at some new gameplay elements. Square Enix still hasn't announced a release date for Kingdom Hearts III.
While Nintendo didn't announce the rumored game Pokemon Stars at E3 2017 that many were expecting (or hoping for), Pokemon Company president Tsunekazu Ishihara did have exciting news for series fans. Game Freak has begun development on a Nintendo Switch-exclusive, "core RPG" Pokemon game. Little is known about the game based on Nintendo's tease, and Ishihara didn't reveal a specific release date, saying only that Pokemon Switch "may not release for more than a year."
To catch up on everything that was announced during the Nintendo Spotlight presentation, you can check out this roundup of all the announcements. For all of our event coverage, head over to GameSpot's E3 hub.
Nintendo capped off its E3 2017 presentation with a stunning new trailer for Super Mario Odyssey. That was followed by an extended gameplay demo on Nintendo's Treehouse livestream, which gave us a much closer look at the upcoming Nintendo Switch platformer.
The gameplay demo begins in New Donk City, the sprawling metropolis shown off in last year's trailer. Mario is shown running and jumping through bustling city streets and clambering up buildings, but what was especially notable is his new hat-throwing ability. We already knew the plumber could fling his cap and jump off of it in mid-air like a springboard, but now he can throw it at other characters and objects to inhabit their bodies; early on in the demo, Mario controls a rocket and launches himself to other areas of the level.
The gameplay demo shows off other new aspects of the game as well. Mario is seen buying new outfits like a poncho and sombrero in the previously revealed desert level. He can also merge into walls to complete some classic, 8-bit platforming challenges. Nintendo says the game will also have some kind of multiplayer option, though we didn't get a look at that during the Treehouse demo.
Prior to a roundtable interview with Nintendo EPD's Yoshiaki Koizumi and Kenta Motokura, we had the opportunity to play Super Mario Odyssey for 30 minutes, visiting both New Donk City and a desert-like Kingdom. Check out our impressions above, where we dive into the game's new structure, the odd nature of its mechanics, and why we're excited to see more of what appears to be Mario's strangest adventure yet.
During a roundtable interview yesterday with Yoshiaki Koizumi and Kenta Motokura of Nintendo EPD, the possibility of multiplayer in Super Mario Odyssey came up and was all but confirmed by Koizumi. While our hands-on impressions didn't give us a look at the feature, we did learn it's likely coing.
When asked about multiplayer and online support, Koizumi stated: "The first thing I want to say about multiplayer is that since this is the Nintendo Switch, and it does have two controllers, it's very easy for you to imagine handing one to another person. So there probably is some...thing you'll hear about multiplayer. The timing is not quite there, so I hope you're able to wait for a little longer to hear about that."
"As for Network features," Koizumi continued, "since this is something the hardware is capable of, there might be something that you'll head about there as well, and we hope you'll look forward to it."
Earlier today, Nintendo announced the official release date for Super Mario Odyssey, which is now scheduled to release on October 27, 2017. To catch up on everything that was announced during the Nintendo Spotlight presentation, you can check out this roundup of all the Nintendo announcements. And keep an eye on our hub for more news, videos, and impressions from E3 2017.
Following its E3 press conference presentation livestream, Nintendo shared some news during its Treehouse livestream. Alongside word of a Metroid game for 3DS, it revealed Super Mario Odyssey will get its own Amiibo figures. Releasing alongside the game, these figures will be available for players to purchase on October 27.
In keeping with the focus on style and changing your outfits, Mario, Princess Peach, and Bowser now feature some rather dapper wedding outfits, which may play a bit part of the game's story. Given the action going on in the trailer, it seems Bowser has upped his plans for the Princess considerably from last adventures.
This is a part of Nintendo's big push for new figurines this year. Along with Super Mario Odyssey, new Breath of the Wild Amiibos are also coming for the other four Hyrule champions--Urbosa, Mipha, Daruk, and Revali--as part of the upcoming Champions Ballad DLC later this year.
Today during Nintendo's E3 Treehouse livestream the company announced two new Amiibo toys for the newly announced Samus: Metroid Returns. These include a Metroid Amiibo that is actually squishy and Samus Aran in her iconic Metroid 2 pose. You can see these in the gallery below.
Nintendo isn't saying just yet what these new Amiibo toys actually do in the game, but that information is coming later. Other Amiibo figures that work with Metroid: Samus Returns include the previously released regular Samus Aran and Zero Suit Samus Amiibo from the Super Smash Bros. line.
Metroid: Samus Returns for 3DS is based on the classic game, Metroid II: Return of Samus. Rather than a straight port, this is described as a reimagining of that title, though it remains a 2D side-scrolling action/exploration game. In addition to improved visuals, it also features a new range of motion, allowing you to aim in any direction, and new abilities.
As the name suggests, this is based on the classic game, Metroid II: Return of Samus. Rather than a straight port, this is described as a reimagining of that title, though it remains a 2D side-scrolling action/exploration game. In addition to improved visuals, it also features a new range of motion, allowing you to aim in any direction, and new abilities.
Samus Returns' release date is set for September 15. A special edition will be available that includes both the game itself and a CD with selections from the soundtrack. The game is in development at MercuryStream, the developer of Castlevania: Lords of Shadow. It previously denied reports that it had pitched a Metroid game for Wii U and 3DS.
"I can confirm that we are working both on Xbox One X and PS4 Pro patches for The Witcher 3," CD Projekt Red told Eurogamer. "No extra details at this moment. More info is coming."
In September last year, CD Projekt Red said it would not release a PS4 Pro patch for The Witcher 3. At the time, the Polish studio said it wanted to "fully focus" on Cyberpunk 2077 and Gwent, adding that patching the game for PS4 Pro would be "too much of a time and resource-consuming process." It appears the developer has now changed its mind.
It is no big surprise that CD Projekt Red wants to continue to support The Witcher 3. Last month during an earnings report, the studio revealed that the game sold better in Q1 2017 than it did the same period before, demonstrating the game's continued popularity.
Nintendo's E3 2017 press conference, or E3 Presentation, has wrapped up. While it was much shorter than those hosted by Microsoft and Sony, it still packed in quite a few announcements, including the reveal of Metroid Prime 4 and new Super Mario Odyssey gameplay.
Perhaps the biggest surprise Nintendo had in store for its E3 press conference came sandwiched right in the middle, when it announced Metroid Prime 4 for Nintendo Switch. Tihs will be the first major game in the Prime series in at least 10 years when it's eventually released. The last installment, Metroid Prime 3: Corruption, was released for the Wii in August 2007.
No release date or gameplay was shown during the Nintendo Spotlight presentation. The reveal amounted to simply a title screen and the words: "Metroid Prime 4 - Now in development for Nintendo Switch." Eurogamer learned at a separate E3 event that series developer Retro Studios is not handling development of the game.
There was no mention of PlayStation 4 in Psyonix's blog post. We have followed up with Psyonix in an attempt to get more details on why PS4 is not supported.
Rocket League for Nintendo Switch supports TV and mobile play (of course), as well as online and local multiplayer. Online multiplayer supports up to eight players, Psyonix said. The Switch version of Rocket League has all the same content, features, and updates from the other editions. There are exclusive Battle-Car and customization items, including Mario and Luigi hat toppers.
Rocket League's Switch edition will launch this holiday, though a specific release date has not been announced. More details about the game will be announced later this year.
Destiny 2 is coming to PC, and one of the big questions around the game is how it'll look when people throw a lot of computing power at it. Today, Nvidia and developer Bungie published a gameplay trailer that shows just how good the game looks when running on high-end hardware.
The video shows about a minute and a half of Destiny 2 gameplay running in 4K at 60 frames per second, and it looks pretty incredible. Although the computer I'm working on can only display 1440p video, the graphical fidelity is nonetheless obvious. Seeing Destiny run at a higher framerate is really cool, too. You can see the video below, but worth noting is that you'll need to run it in Chrome to have access to the 4K option.
The video was published in conjunction with Nvidia's announcement that it is partnering with Bungie and publisher Activision. As a result of this partnership, Nvidia is giving away copies of Destiny 2 for free if you buy a GTX 1080 or GTX 1080Ti graphics card. This promotion runs from today, June 13, until June 27.
The first Destiny was only available on consoles, so it was capped at a lower resolution and framerate than PCs are capable of. This will be the case with Destiny 2, as well. Bungie has confirmed that the game will be capped at 30 FPS on the recently revealed Xbox One X, as well.
E3 2017 is happening now, and we're covering all the news that's coming out of the conference. Keep an eye on our hub for videos, impressions, announcements, and more coming from the conference.
E3 officially begins today, but in terms of big news, much of it has already been revealed. All of the press conferences from Nintendo, Microsoft, Sony, EA, Ubisoft, and Bethesda have already taken place, bringing announcements of new games, new looks at previously announced ones, and more.
For the first time ever, E3 is open to the public this year, but the show otherwise seems to be largely the same as in the recent past. One notable difference is that things began earlier than usual--EA already held its EA Play press conference on Saturday, while Microsoft's Xbox press conference was a day earlier than usual. It might be too late to enjoy them live, but you can still re-experience them all with our liveblogs and various recaps. You can find all of this below.
Nintendo released a new trailer for the hack-and-slash Fire Emblem spin-off, Fire Emblem Warriors, during its E3 2017 presentation today. The video gave us a glimpse at the game's story, which has twin protagonists set out to save the world from an evil dragon.
The trailer also showcased some of the Fire Emblem heroes that will appear in the game, specifically Chrom from Fire Emblem Awakening; Corrin, Ryoma, and Xander from Fire Emblem Fates; and Marth from Fire Emblem: Shadow Dragon. You can watch the video above.
Fire Emblem Warriors is releasing for both Nintendo Switch and 3DS. The game is being developed by Omega Force, the team behind other Dynasty Warriors games (and the Wii U/3DS Zelda spinoff Hyrule Warriors). Nintendo didn't announce a release date for the title outside of Fall 2017, but it did reveal Metroid Prime 4 is on the way, as is a Metroid 2 remake for 3DS.
Super Mario Odyssey, the upcoming sandbox Super Mario game for Nintendo Switch, now has an official release date of October 27, 2017. Nintendo announced the news today during its Nintendo Spotlight presentation, which also showcased lots of new footage of worlds, costumes, and abilities from the game.
Super Mario Odyssey was first announced in January during Nintendo's Switch reveal event, and is designed to offer a "core" Mario platforming experience. One of the new twists introduced in the game is the ability for Mario to throw his hat, Cappy, onto enemies and possess them for short periods of time. The game is designed around compact open worlds that the player can explore in search of Power Moon collectibles, which act as fuel for Mario's airship and allow him to travel to new locations in the game.
During its E3 Spotlight presentation today, Nintendo announced a new Yoshi game for Nintendo Switch. It's simply titled "Yoshi" for now, and it's coming in 2018.
The reveal trailer showed some side-scrolling platforming gameplay not dissimilar to Yoshi's Woolly World. You can also flip the papercraft world around by stomping on the ground. We'll have the trailer up as soon as possible.
During the Nintendo Spotlight presentation today, Psyonix announced that Rocket League is on its way to Nintendo Switch later this year, shipping sometime during holiday 2017.
The Switch version of Rocket League will be the complete game, reflecting the same content found in the PC, PS4, and Xbox One versions, with a few exclusive additions. Rocket League on Switch will also feature exclusive content based on Nintendo's franchises, including toppers that look like the hats worn by Mario and Luigi, and a pair of new cars.
To catch up on everything that was announced during the Nintendo Spotlight presentation, you can check out this roundup of all the major announcements. In addition, keep an eye on our E3 2017 hub for more news and impressions all of this week.
Nintendo remains committed to release two expansion packs for The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild this year. Today during its Nintendo Spotlight event at E3, it officially scheduled the release date for the first pack, The Master of Trials, for June 30.
The follow-up DLC, The Champions Ballad, will ship sometime during the holiday 2017 season and appears to focus on Link's time with Hyrule's four other champions, Urbosa, Mipha, Daruk, and Revali. Nintendo will also release new Amiibos of the four champions later this year.
To catch up on everything that was announced during the Nintendo Spotlight presentation, you can check out this roundup of all the Nintendo announcements. And for all of GameSpot's E3 coverage, check out our E3 hub.
A brand-new side-scrolling Kirby game was announced for Nintendo Switch during Nintendo's Spotlight presentation at E3 with a general release date of 2018. The new game wasn't given a specific title and is currently referred to only as "Kirby."
The brief reveal video shown during the presentation suggests that the new Kirby Switch game will support up to four players for co-op platforming. Kirby, in addition to sucking in enemies and acquiring their powers, now has the option to turn enemies into allies that can be controlled by either the CPU or a real-life player.
While the new Kirby game is scheduled to arrive next year, 2017 will see three other Kirby games hit 3DS to celebrate the series' 25th Anniversary. These upcoming games include Team Kirby Clash Deluxe, Kirby's Blowout Blast, and another multiplayer-focused Kirby game that has yet to be fully revealed.
Today during its Nintendo Spotlight presentation, Nintendo announced that Monolith Soft's upcoming Switch RPG Xenoblade Chronicles 2, will be released during the 2017 holiday season. Xenoblade Chronicles 2 was first announced back in January during Nintendo's official unveiling of its Switch console.
Though it's not a direct follow-up to the original Xenoblade Chronicles game, originally released for Wii in 2012, Xenoblade Chronicles 2 will present a world that bears the same sense of scale as its predecessor, encompassing its massive environments, enemies, and the number of quests that dot the world. One of the biggest changes for the series is the involvement of character designer Masatsugu Saito, whose influence has imparted the game with a new, anime-like aesthetic.
Nintendo will host it E3 2017 press conference this morning, marking the last one of this year's show. It takes place on Tuesday morning, and you'll be able to watch it through the video embed above. The company doesn't host traditional a press conference like Microsoft, Sony, and company do; it instead broadcasts a Nintendo Direct-style stream. You can follow along with our Nintendo liveblog here on GameSpot, but here's the exact schedule for when Nintendo's event begin:
Nintendo E3 2017 Spotlight Start Time
June 13 at 9 AM PT
June 13 at 12 PM ET
June 13 at 5 PM UK
June 14 at 2 AM AEST
Nintendo hasn't shared much about the Nintendo Spotlight except to say it will showcase Switch games launching in 2017. That includes Super Mario Odyssey, which is the only game to be specifically called out by Nintendo. Other games we know are on the way this year are Xenoblade Chronicles 2, Splatoon 2, Arms, and FIFA.
Following the Spotlight event, Nintendo will host a Treehouse livestream that takes a closer look at Switch and 3DS games. Additionally, on June 13 and 14, Nintendo will be streaming Splatoon 2's 2017 World Inkling Invitational and the 2017 Arms Open Invitational
The next major update for Grand Theft Auto Online is out now. The update, Gunrunning, lets you become a "prolific arms dealer" and extend your web of corruption and infamy further.
You start off in Gunrunning by acquiring a Bunker, which serves as your base of operations for everything you do related to arms-dealing. Your bunker is outfitted with a computer terminal that you can use to help advance your endeavours. You can add a shooting range to your bunker (with support for up to three other players), personal quarters, and a gun locker.
A motorcycle that flies
"Start a Setup mission as a CEO, MC President or a VIP to source supplies, then assign your employees to manufacturing weapons, researching upgrades or split their time between the two," reads a line from Rockstar's announcement. "Your stock will grow over time (and more quickly with Staff upgrades) and when ready, reap the profits from your business by moving your merchandise to interested buyers across Los Santos and Blaine County."
Rockstar made some changes to VIP status with the update, dropping the require Maze Bank balance to $50,000.
A handful of new, weaponized cars come to GTA Online with the Gunrunning update. These include the APC, Dune FAV, Half-Track, Oppressor, Weaponized Tampa, Anti-Aircraft Trailer. Of note, the Oppressor is a motorcycle that flies--really.
"This rocket-powered hyperbike offers all your principles of flight in one package; thrust, extendable wings for lift and drag, and a front-mounted machine gun for good, clean fun," Rockstar said. "Poor aim? Upgrade the machine gun to Missiles."
Gunrunning also adds more MK II weapons upgrades and new clothing, tattoos, and haircuts. You can see the full patch notes for the update right here.
E3 2017 continues today with Nintendo's press briefing, beginning at 9 AM PT. You can watch the stream live here on GameSpot, while you can follow along with our liveblog below.
What do you hope to see at the press conference? Let us know in the comments below, and keep an eye on our hub for more news, impressions, and videos from E3 2017.
In the N. Sane Trilogy, Crash Bandicoot isn't quite how he was 20 years ago: technically speaking, everything's slightly better. Textures and lighting are both vastly improved, there's an up-to-date save system, and there's even a new playable character--sort of.
Despite developer Vicarious Visions saying it had to rebuild the game almost from scratch, all three titles feel almost exactly like they did upon release in the '90s. Every hop, jump, and spin is faithful to the original trilogy, and that helps send the nostalgia glands into overdrive. The question is: do those original three games hold up two decades later?
Based on my half hour with the game, my tentative answer is 'yes.' The first three Crash games are still excellent platformers, and although they may look a little tired graphically on the original PlayStation, time doesn't age good design. The updated art style may take some of the shine away from the originals' charm--look at the remaster side-by-side with the originals and you'll notice how much more 'realistic' the new ones appear. But that style undoubtedly breathes new life into a set of games that, at their core, are still excellent. Trees flutter in the wind, ice glints in the winter sun, and Crash's fur looks thicker than ever; in fact, Vicarious Visions says this is the furriest game it's ever made. And as much as I like to pretend otherwise, I am a shallow creature--I judge books by their covers--so Crash's updated look is certainly welcome.
My only worry is that when the novelty of playing Crash Bandicoot again wears off, the buzz will go with it. Sure, these games are still great, but I have played each of them at least three times before, and nostalgia can only stave off familiarity for so long. Vicarious Visions is attempting to extend the trilogy's shelf life by introducing Coco as a playable character, but as she handles exactly like Crash himself, the effect is limited.
Will my pleasant childhood memories and a current-gen makeover be enough to carry my attention over three whole games? A roller-coaster is never the same second time round, after all. But when the ride is this fun, I think I'll allow myself another go.
Crash Bandicoot's remaster collection, N. Sane Trilogy, is out very soon, but we're still learning about new features: when it launches on June 30 you'll be able to play the entire game as Crash's sister, Coco.
Coco is a fellow bandicoot, and she first appeared in Crash Bandicoot 2: Cortex Strikes Back (later becoming playable in Crash Bandicoot 3: Warped). In the N. Sane Trilogy, you unlock her a little while into each of the three games. According to developer Vicarious Visions, she handles exactly like Crash, albeit with new animations and a distinct personality.
In making these remasters, Vicarious Visions used the original games' level geometry, but the gameplay is rebuilt from scratch. Some new features for the updated versions include a unified checkpoint and save system (including manual and auto-saving), as well as a unified menu system. There will also be time trials available for each game.
E3's Nintendo live event in Los Angeles may be the center of action for many Pokemon fans today, but Pokemon Go players across the globe have reason to get excited wherever they are. Today kicks off the first in-game event of the summer.
The Solstice Event starts today at 1 PM PT / 4 PM ET, and there are tons of bonuses to playing over the next week. Up until June 20, there will be increased encounter rates for some favorite Fire-type and Ice-type Pokemon and their evolutions, including:
Charmander
Cyndaquil
Houndour
Swinub
Sneasel
You'll also get increased XP for in-game actions like Curveballs, Nice Throws, Great Throws, Excellent Throws, and more. Of course, Lucky Eggs will be half-off in the in-game shop, meaning you can really clean up on XP over the next week.
The Solstice Event is just one of the ways the game is celebrating its one-year anniversary. On July 22, the game's first ever official real-world event will take place in Chicago's Grant Park. Pokemon Go Fest will bring players together to take part in "a variety of exciting activities." Tickets go on sale here on June 19 at 10 AM PT / 1 PM ET.
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