The very first look at Aquaman's arch enemy Black Manta has finally been revealed! DC is coming out with a stand alone Aquaman movie in December, and the team has been very secretive about details involving the film, which makes this first look at the new character even more enticing.
All we really know about Black Manta at this point are the very basics about his character. Entertainment Weekly reports that he is a mercenary and a pirate by the name of David Kane, and he will be played by Yahya Abdul-Mateen II who you may recognize from The Greatest Showman. Director James Wan has only described him as, "part mercenary but full-time pirate who, in his suit, will look like some crazy alien from outer space." Check out the image below.
Despite being Aquaman's nemesis, Black Manta will not be the central villain in the film, perhaps suggesting plans for more Aquaman's standalone films. Instead, the big bad in this movie will be Orm played by Patrick Wilson (The Conjuring), who in the comics is Aquaman's half-brother. Clearly Black Manta will feature in the movie in some way, but all the director has said is that he is, "somehow factored into the story."
In the photo, Black Manta is working on his suit which allows him to shoot red plasma rays out of his eyes. It may be that the unfinished nature of the suit is part of the reason why he won't be the main antagonist, he hasn't reached the height of his villainous journey isn't quite ready to face Aquaman yet. Theorizing aside though, the long-awaited first image of the famous Black Manta looks pretty cool.
Additionally, EW revealed more images from the set, and above are just a few of them. For the first time, Aquafans catch a first glimpse of Vulko (from the back), Queen Atlanna, and Orm. Additionally, there are some more shots of Mera and Aquaman in costume as well. Vulko is played by Willem Dafoe and Atlanna by Nicole Kidman. In the comics, Vulko is the royal advisor to Aquaman and a leader in Atlantis' scientific community, and Atlanna is the birth mother of Arthur Curry AKA Aquaman.
From the minds that brought you The Witcher 3 comes a new RPG, set in a completely different universe, Cyberpunk 2077. We still don't know much about what kind of game Cyberpunk will be, we know it will be a single-player RPG driven by choice and in-depth character customization. We're expecting to see it released on PC, and possibly PS4 and Xbox One sometime in June 2019.
A new trailer for the game was revealed at E3 2018, showing us more of its gorgeous, android-filled world, Night City. Of course, we see some action later in the trailer, but it also shows off the off the people in that universe, and how android augmentations are an integral part of their lives. Hidden in the trailer is a message from CD Projekt Red. The team confirmed the game will be single-player RPG. It will not have microtransactions, will be DRM free on PC, and fans can expect DLC similar in size to Witcher 3. More details will come as the team has them ready.
Enthralled with its mystique? We've got all the details where you can get your copies reserved down below, and when pre-order bonus details are announced, we'll update them here.
During its E3 2018 press conference, Bethesda took the chance to let everyone know that players will be able to launch nuclear missiles. And for better or for worse, there are no limits to what can be targeted.
In a playful trailer for Fallout 76, Bethesda detailed how players can work together to hunt down codes to nuclear weapons. After players acquire these codes, whether they diplomatically worked with fellow players or murdered anyone who had a code, they need to find a nuclear missile. Bethesda let everyone know that these missiles are scattered throughout the wasteland.
Once a player finds a missile, they just need to insert their completed launch code, pick a target, and then launch. The missile will destroy anything it hits, whether that's a forest of wildlife, a settlement, or another player's hidden base. Once the dust has settled, players can take advantage of the fallout to gather rare resources. They just need to make sure they're wearing the right gear. Radiation levels after a nuclear strike will be high and cause fatal amounts of damage for players traveling without a hazmat suit.
Bethesda has announced its first new IP in 25 years: Starfield. It's a game Todd Howard said has been in development for years, and it's one that Bethesda feels uniquely positioned to pull off. A trailer shown during E3 2018 opened with a shot in space, with a planet outlined by a distant sun. It panned down to a small space station, which was then seemingly pulled into a black hole. You can watch the trailer above.
Beyond that, no details were provided, so it's unclear what the game is, how it plays, or pretty much anything other than it's sci-fi. Starfield has been rumored for some time now, as Bethesda's parent company, Zenimax, trademarked the name "Starfield" in 2013. We don't know when it's set for release or what platforms it will be available for.
Starfield was just one of the many games discussed during Bethesda's press conference. In addition to it, Bethesda also announced Doom Eternal, gave us a whole bunch of new information on Fallout 76, and confirmed Elder Scrolls 6 is in development.
On top of that, there was the announcement of Elder Scroll Blades, a new mobile entry in the series that, according to Howard, has console-quality graphics. To catch up with all the latest information from the press conference, take a look at our roundup of all the news from Bethesda's press conference.
During Bethesda's E3 2018 press conference, the publisher announced the next game in the Elder Scrolls series: The Elder Scrolls VI. The announcement followed Elder Scrolls Blades, a mobile game that seeks to be a "pure" Elder Scrolls experience.
No other details about the game were provided outside of a short teaser, which you can watch above. It shows a mountainous region and some fog accompanied by a version of the iconic Dovahkiin music. A setting wasn't specified, although fans are sure to do some sleuthing to narrow down the list of possibilities. We also got no indication of when Elder Scrolls VI will release or what platforms it's coming to. But hey, at least we know it really is coming (eventually).
Earlier in the press conference, Bethesda's Todd Howard joked about Skryim's many re-releases. This was followed by a skit featuring Key & Peele's Keegan-Michael Key and Amazon's Alexa. The Elder Scrolls Blades reveal was a bit later, and the Elder Scrolls VI announcement closed the show. We also got news on another much-anticipated project, Starfield, which is the first "wholly original" franchise from Bethesda in 25 years.
For more on E3 2018, be sure to stay tuned to GameSpot as we continue to post news, trailers, impressions, gameplay, and more. To catch up with Bethesda's conference, check out our roundup of all the news.
Amid the flurry of news about Fallout 76 today is the reveal of the much-anticipated multiplayer RPG's box art, at least for Xbox One. Bethesda shared an image of the box art, which shows the Power Armor T-51 helmet. Sunshine is hitting the front, which may be a reference to how players will emerge from Vault 76 on Reclamation Day to save America. The box art's straightforward, no-nonsense look is refreshing. The stripped down presentation that focuses exclusively on the helmet is striking by itself and catches your eye despite the lack of popping colors. I like it.
Presumably this is the final box art that will apply also to the PlayStation 4 and PC editions, but if it's not, we'll update this post again. We'll also add the PS4 and PC box art images when they're made available.
In other news about the Power Armor helmet, a life-size version of it is included with Fallout 76's collector's edition. The wearable helmet includes a functional headlamp and voice modulation device. Aside from that, the Power Armor set also includes a glow-in-the-dark map and figurines that can be put on that map.
Fallout 76 is launching in November for PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and PC. It's set in West Virginia before the events of every prior Fallout game. Unlike other entries in the series, it's an always-online, multiplayer-focused game. You can also play it solo.
For more on Fallout 76, check out a series of brand-new images in the gallery below. They show off the game's West Virginian setting and some of the new creatures you will encounter such as the megasloth.
It's been almost three years since the release of Halo 5, so it was exciting when Microsoft opened its E3 2018 showcase with a trailer for Halo: Infinite. But as we later learned, the video was a "game engine demo" that was meant to show off the capabilities of 343's new proprietary Slipspace engine, and it was not necessarily representative of the game itself. With that in mind, we're rounding up some key details about Halo Infinite and its developer to help clear up some lingering confusion and give you a snapshot of what the game is.
Not A Game Yet?
The Halo Infinite trailer released during the Xbox briefing was a tech demo meant to show off what the Slipspace engine was capable of achieving. In a blog post that all Halo fans should read, studio head Chris Lee said 343's ideas for Halo Infinite are so ambitious that it had to make new tech to realise that ambition. Everything in the trailer is running in-engine, but it doesn't necessarily represent what the game will be. Lee stressed that 343 still has "a long way to go" until launch. He added that he is sure that Halo Infinite will "evolve" between now and launch. This is all to say that what you saw at E3 was not Halo: Infinite the game but instead a snapshot of what Halo: Infinite could be. It was an impressive-looking demo, showcasing a gorgeous world and sprawling environments, as well as a variety of new creatures. Halo 5's 24-player Warzone mode offered a first look at larger-scale Halo, and it's exciting to think about what 343 might do to push things further with the new engine.
Poor Messaging
The Halo Infinite trailer at E3 was presented as a first-look at the game, but it wasn't that, and Microsoft should have done a better job at making that immediately clear. No one from the 343 leadership team stood up on stage to talk about Infinite, and that felt odd given the size and stature of the Halo brand. Fans are clearly thirsty for more news and details on the next game, and it was a big bummer that we got nothing of the sort on stage. We would have liked to have seen someone like 343 founder Bonnie Ross or Halo franchise manager Frank O'Connor tell fans what Halo: Infinite is all about and why they should get excited about it. It does not inspire confidence in Halo as a franchise that so little was said. Additionally, we are told that Microsoft is not doing Halo interviews at E3 this week.
The Story:
While Halo: Infinite may not be a game yet, we do know some important story details about it. Halo Infinite is a follow-up to Halo 5: Guardians. It picks up after the events of that game, and tells a more Master Chief-centric story, according to Lee. He explained that 343 is aware of the concern some fans had regarding how Halo 5's story strayed too far from Chief. Indeed, that game's campaign split up time between playing as Chief and Agent Locke. Some wanted more focus on Chief, and it's good to hear Halo: Infinite will deliver that. The Halo universe is a rich tapestry, replete with storytelling opportunities, so it's exciting to think about what 343 might do with Infinite's story.
Next-Gen?
During the Xbox briefing at E3, Xbox boss Phil Spencer announced that Microsoft is working on new consoles that will follow the Xbox One. Media reports at E3 suggest that one of these is codenamed "Scarlet" and it could launch as soon as 2020. This is especially intriguing and noteworthy in the context of Halo: Infinite. With 343 stressing that Halo: Infinite is a "long way" off from release and the general comments on its technical ambitions, there are some who believe the game might not come until the next Xbox. Microsoft hasn't commented on this.
"New And Unexpected Directions"
Lee, the 343 studio head, said in the blog post that 343 is "making changes to how we approach things" with Halo: Infinite. This could mean a number of things, but the quote stands out in the wake of reports this week. Reports claim Halo: Infinite will be two separate releases. It is rumoured that Halo: Infinite could split up multiplayer and single-player. Noted Microsoft insider Brad Sams said he's heard from sources that single-player for Halo: Infinite could launch in late 2019 with the multiplayer portion arriving in 2020. This would indeed be a big change for Halo. In the same blog post, Lee said he looks forward to taking players in "new and unexpected directions" with the new Halo game, though whether this pertains to a delivery model, the story, or something else remains to be seen.
You'll Get To Play Early
Lee said 343 hopes to develop Halo: Infinite alongside the community, making changes to the game based on fan feedback. To that end, 343 will hold "flighting programs" for the game where people will get to play early and provide feedback to 343. If this sounds familiar, it's because 343 is currently doing that with Halo: The Master Chief Collection as it rolls out new features. Halo: Infinite's beta tests are not coming anytime soon, but Lee said you can expect them to start small and grow over time. Microsoft already has the Game Preview program where people can play unreleased games, but never before has this happened for a franchise as large as Halo. It is exciting and encouraging to see 343 incorporate fan feedback in this way, and hopefully it can lead to a better game in the end.
A New Art Style
Halo Infinite will have a new art style that appears to be evocative of the original game. Nicolas Bouvier, who has been on the Halo team since Halo 4, is Halo: Infinite's art director, and the overall aim of the new style is to "draw significant inspiration from the most iconic and historic parts of the Halo franchise." At the same time, 343 will be trying to "modernize" and "take advantage" of the power of Xbox One consoles to make the game look great. Master Chief's helmet is meant to be a good example of the new art direction for Halo: Infinite.
Get Comfortable
By all accounts, Halo: Infinite will not be fully released anytime soon. In the blog post, Lee said he understands waiting is difficult, especially now that it's been so long since Halo 5. He stressed that 343 is taking as much time as it needs to make "the right game." Not only that, but the blog post with all the details is titled "Our Journey Begins," which--along with everything else we already mentioned--suggests that Halo: Infinite is a long time off. The pre-release testing periods will soften that blow somewhat, but it's the final product people really want, and that sounds like it is not coming anytime soon. Halo is one of the biggest and most beloved franchise in gaming, with a huge community of dedicated fans. No one would want 343 to rush the next big game out, but it is somewhat disappointing to know the next game is still a long time away from release.
Keep checking back with GameSpot for more on Halo Infinite as more details become available.
For such a radical change in the formula, 2016's Hitman burrowed itself into the fan consciousness as the new paradigm for the series going forward. The episodic format turned many skeptical diehards turned into true-believers, which must have made the announcement of a traditional release model for Hitman 2 jarring. Still, creative director Christian Elverdam told GameSpot at E3 2018 that the experience taught them some valuable lessons that will impact the sequel, with or without episodes.
"I think we convinced a lot of people that episodic really worked," he said. "The feedback we got was that episodic forced you to go into each level and really go into all the details, which I thought personally was a big victory. We were going with a sandbox formula, so it was pretty important for us that people really understand. If you just go in, maybe shoot the guy, and say 'okay I finished Miami,' you wouldn't really get it, because you need to take in all the details."
The rebooted Hitman that debuted in 2016 was instead a clockwork machine of moving parts. Non-player characters were props in the ultimate kill, moving about the map with their own motivations and stories that could be exploited for your own gains. Drip-feeding these missions forced otherwise casual Hitman fans to act like more ravenous ones, consuming it all, learning each of the pieces of the machine until they developed a super-power. It was successful because it focused players' attention in a way that the game hadn't before.
"At the same time, we followed some comments who also said they weren't satisfied that they couldn't experience the full story, and that it took a long time before it was done," Elverdam continued. "What we're talking about now is the best of both worlds. Now most people know what an elusive target is and they know we have a very strong live season. So we're doing more of that than we did before, but the story itself--the main arc of what happens in Hitman 2--is available day and date."
In other words, the episodic Hitman may have trained players how to engage with the game they way they'd hoped, but IO now feels confident enough to take off the training wheels and remove the frustration of a slowly meted out story in the process. Elverdam also added that it has more live content like elusive targets planned, but having the full suite of maps gives the studio more flexibility. While the episodic season limited it to only produce targets in maps that were already released, now it can choose from any map at any time.
The result is a mission structure that feels incredibly reminiscent of Hitman 2016. In a mission at a race track, I had to cautiously and slowly peel back layers of the puzzle, acquiring different costumes to get new tools to acquire new costumes, until I was finally perfectly positioned to take out my target. The demo was only one stage, but it felt perfectly familiar. For fans of Hitman's episodic structure, then, this is a less jarring change than they might expect. It's a continuation of what came before, so it should feel like a new batch of stages.
With a more defined campaign that will release all at once, the difficulty ramp may feel more welcoming too. Designing a challenging Hitman map requires subtleties that players could lose when they take months-long breaks. Everdam shared some thoughts on striking the right difficulty balance in one of Hitman's murder puzzles.
"So one of the first things we do is say: what kind of problem do we want the player to solve? If you had a target that stood still with ten guards that never moved, that would be a very hard problem to solve. So we look at how mobile are the patrol routes. Number of guards is a factor, it's not the only factor, but it's a factor. And then finally, it's sort of like peeling an onion in terms of how you progress. Physical traversal--a path like a drainpipe or something like that, how hard is that to get to, that would be your physical difficulty. And the second is disguises, and typically we don't give you the most powerful disguises up-front. So let's say you have a waiter who's very easy to isolate and take out. He's going to give you one layer of the onion but then you probably need to show more skill for better costumes."
With the potential for a smoother difficulty ramp, and the promise of much more live content than the last game, IO hopes to continue using the strengths of the episodic model without some of its drawbacks. Time will tell if the live content keeps players engaged as long as the episodic model kept them coming back, but the studio has taken the lessons of its experiment to heart. They may just turn skeptics to believers all over again.
While the press conferences are all done, the news is certainly not. New updates, impressions, previews, and announcements continue to stream in at E3 2018, including lots of news and first impressions of CD Projekt Red's Cyberpunk 2077.
If you missed something and want a recap, we've rounded up all of the biggest news of Wednesday below. You can also check out our recaps of all the news from every press conference by heading to our E3 hub for all of our coverage.
Jump Force was revealed during Microsoft's E3 press conference and got many fans of the respective manga/anime hyped up for this arena brawler. Naruto, Dragon Ball, One Piece, and Death Note somehow come together in a three-on-three tag action fighting game, but it was confirmed during an interview with game producer Koji Nakajima that Death Note characters are there to setup the story, but not fight.
Nakajima said (through translation) stated, "This game is going to feature a story around this unique situation, and that's where Death Note comes into play. To kind of weave the story together. So, Death Note is not [going to have] a fighting game character." Unfortunately, Nakajima wasn't able to talk more about the story during the interview.
In addition, Bandai Namco PR manager Nick O'Leary confirmed it with ComicBook.com, and added that Light Yagami isn't really an action-oriented character and there would be certain limitations with Ryuk.
Jump Force is being made in celebration of 50 years of Shonen Jump manga/anime, and Nakajima said there will be more details to reveal in the near future. Bandai Namco is making the game to be more accessible so players can enjoy their anime dream team, and you can watch some early Jump Force gameplay here.
Telltale Games is bringing its MineCraft: Story Mode to Netflix as an interactive adventure this fall. The studio made the announcement during E3 2018, where it tweeted about the move and announced that it is also developing a game based on Stranger Things.
Details are still emerging, but Telltale said that it is now working on the Stranger Things game, which will be coming to consoles and PC. It said it doesn't have any further details to share right now, but would have more to say about the game later in the year.
Now, Netflix has responded to both stories. The company has confirmed to TechRadar that MineCraft: Story Mode for Netflix will be five-part licensed interactive narrative series. The streaming service said the Stranger Things Telltale series would not be on Netflix, but is rather an extension of its marketing efforts. Lastly, Netflix said it has no plans to get into gaming. "There's a broad spectrum of entertainment available today," the company said. "Games have become increasingly cinematic, but we view this as interactive narrative storytelling on our service."
At E3 2017, Telltale Games told GameSpot it was very interested in bringing its games to new platforms. "I think there is a lot of space for Telltale to move on to platforms that most people don't even really consider to be game systems," the company said. "A lot of boxes of many different varieties in homes--millions and millions of homes across America, where people don't even think game-playing is possible on them, but maybe they're watching stories or consuming narrative-driven content or streaming it.
"And for us, we're looking at that. It would be unfathomable to think about playing a Grand Theft Auto [game] over Netflix. But it wouldn't be so unfathomable to think about playing a Telltale game over a streaming video service of that calibre."
Todd Howard, the iconic game developer known for Fallout and Elder Scrolls, wore a very nice leather jacket on stage at Bethesda's E3 2018 press conference this week. He is something of a rockstar in the gaming space, and he definitely looked the part on Sunday evening when he told the world about Fallout 76 and made dad jokes.
You will never be Todd Howard. But you can dress like him. Howard told us in an interview that he was not supplied the jacket by Bethesda's wardrobe company (if the company even has one). Instead, he bought it himself from the website with a good name: Soul Revolver. We are not completely sure which one is his, but it looks like the classic Cafe Racer jacket. It's available in Italian, Cowhide, and Synthetic leather options, ranging in price from around $130-$380.
Todd Howard is a boss at Bethesda and a boss in real life
Currently, Howard is contributing to or at least overseeing the development of Fallout 76, The Elder Scrolls VI, and Bethesda's new sci-fi game Starfield. In our conversation with Howard, he told us a lot, including that Starfield might be a game for the next wave of consoles. Keep checking back with GameSpot for more on our talk with the legendary game developer.
Nintendo's official reveal of Super Smash Bros. Ultimate was one of the biggest moments at E3 2018, and with the announcement that it will feature every character to ever be in Smash game, it looks pretty epic. It's no surprise then that the box art is also pretty impressive, with some classic Nintendo characters taking centerstage. Check it out below.
While not every one of the 66 confirmed characters is present, Nintendo has still done a pretty job of getting Mario, Link, Kirby, and some of our other favorites in there, all looking suitably ready for battle (especially Mario, who definitely came to fight with that facial expression). Nintendo has said that not all of the characters will be available at launch and hinted that the beginning line up may be a small as the original N64 game.
While most of the characters have been seen before in Smash, there will be mechanical changes and balances to them. Link's bombs can now be remotely detonated (a nod to Breath of the Wild), for example. All Final Smash moves will have more immediate effects; characters with long-lasting transformations like Bowser and Little Mac will have harder hitting versions that won't last as long. Some characters will also get cosmetic changes, like the Wii U Trainer, who will now have a new face.
Super Smash Bros. Ultimate will also feature two new characters, not seen in a Smash game before. Inking Girl (or Boy) from the Splatoon series will show up and so will Ridley, the archenemy of Samus Aran from the Metroid series. The game will be released on December 7, 2018, and will also support GameCube controllers and every previous Super Smash Bros. Amiibo.
Multiplayer is a priority in Dying Light 2, but the game will not have a battle royale mode when it releases next year. At E3 2018, Techland lead designer Tymon Smektala told GameSpot the studio is watching what is happening in the battle royale-hungry marketplace, but that Dying Light 2 will focus on multiplayer in its own way and players should expect some "surprises" in the future.
"Dying Light 2 doesn't have a battle royale mode...that's not the thing we are focusing on. But of course we are looking at what is happening on the market, and I think we will have some surprises for people that like to play multiplayer," he said.
While Dying Light 2 won't have battle royale, the Dying Light universe is already in the process of adding it via the upcoming DLC Bad Blood, which pits several players in a race against time and the zombies to acquire enough resources and make it out of Harran alive. Smektala said his team is working closely with the Bad Blood devs, and the game is shaping up nicely.
"It is a very promising game, so I am keeping my fingers crossed for them because they are really doing a great thing in the Dying Light universe. Of course, since we are working almost door-to-door, in the same building, we share our experiences and ideas," he added. The DLC is due out later this year, with a free global playtest on PC coming in the near future. You can sign up here to take part.
While multiplayer remains more of a mystery, we've gotten a better look at the game's single-player mode. Techland says the game will improve on almost every aspect of the first game, and will be a "narrative sandbox," where the decisions you make permanently shape the world around you. Smektala said choices and consequences will be a major focus of the game, shaping a unique path through the plot that will be different for all players. The game is taking Dying Light's parkour game mechanics up a notch; players will use their skills to navigate "parkour puzzles" that have you flying across rooftops and reaching new areas.
Dying Light 2 is set 15 years after Dying Light, during a "modern dark age" following humanity's war against the Infected. Surviving factions of human beings are vying for control of what may be the last city on earth (which will be four times larger than all the levels in Dying Light). How you interact with those factions will have considerable long-term impacts on the physical world around you, and of course you'll contend with hordes of zombies, too. The game doesn't have a release date at the moment, but it is due out in 2019.
At Microsoft's E3 2018 presentation, it debuted Dying Light 2 from Chris Avellone and Techland. It will feature a fluid parkour system in a world going through a modern-day dark ages brought on by the zombie apocalypse. The announcement included a trailer followed by a gameplay demo.
The centerpiece of the debut was the notion that the choices you make will have genuine consequences. In the demo, the studio showed off the protagonist taking a mission from a Peacekeeper to negotiate access to a group's water supply. It showed how these two experiences can go very differently based on how the negotiations go: either making an uneasy peace with some vicious law-keepers, or attracting undesirable outsiders. This is said to be just one choice of hundreds that have an impact on gameplay and the world. And of course, it's Dying Light, so monsters will continue to come out at night.
"The much awaited sequel brings to life a post-apocalyptic vision known as the Modern Dark Ages: a brutal, bleak and unforgiving reality where you are as likely to perish at the hand of a human as you are by the bite of the infected," Techland said in a press release. "In this grim world, players must think on their feet, drawing from exceptional parkour skills and brute force to stay alive and out of the shadows."
CD Projekt Red shared some more details about its highly anticipated RPG, Cyberpunk 2077. During GameSpot's E3 2018 Stage Show, associate design director Kyle Rowley sat down with us and discussed how the developer is using the lessons it learned from The Witcher 3 on its new sci-fi RPG, particularly with regard to its combat system.
Cyberpunk 2077 features both ranged and melee combat, and the latter in particular benefited from the developer's work on Witcher. "We learned quite a lot from the combat in Witcher 3, and we're translating that to the lessons we learned in the gameplay about how to do melee and try to transfer that to Cyberpunk," Rowley said. "Obviously it's very different in the fact that we're now doing it from a first-person perspective rather than from a third-person, but the lessons that we learned in Witcher, we can definitely translate."
Rowley also revealed that weapons in Cyberpunk 2077 fall into three general categories: power, tech, and smart. Power weapons were described as more "traditional weapons that you would have nowadays," such as high-impact guns. "When you fire them, we may have, for example, exaggerated hit reactions and staggers to kind of emphasize the hit impacts," Rowley said.
Tech weapons, on the other hand, focus primarily on penetrating through walls, NPCs, and other objects. The final category, smart weapons, can track and follow targets around the games. As Rowley explained, these types of weapons were designed to be accessible to players, regardless of how good they are at shooters:
"Again, because we're a role-playing game and we understand some people aren't necessarily averse to twitch-based combat who like playing role-playing games, we tried to design the smart weapons around being something that people can pick up and play casually without necessarily having to be super-efficient with shooting people in the head or more twitch-based, reaction-based combat, so we're trying to cater to both audiences there with that."
Despite the prevalence of guns and the game's first-person perspective, Rowley asserted that Cyberpunk 2077 is not a shooter, but still very much an RPG. "It's a role-playing game with some shooter elements, rather than a shooter with role-playing laid on top of it. There's very deep progression systems, so all the things you'd expect from a CD Projekt game," he said.
Cyberpunk 2077 still doesn't have a release date, but we got our first real look at the highly anticipated title during Microsoft's E3 press conference. For more on the game, be sure to check out GameSpot's full E3 2018 coverage of Cyberpunk 2077.
Epic's massively popular battle royale game Fortnite launched for Nintendo Switch during E3 earlier this week, and like most other versions, it supports cross-play and cross-progression with PC, Xbox One, and iOS--but not PS4. As with Rocket League, Sony has faced criticism for blocking cross-play between the PS4 and other versions of Fortnite, and now the company has addressed the topic--although its response likely won't satisfy players.
"We're always open to hearing what the PlayStation community is interested in to enhance their gaming experience," a Sony representative said to the BBC. "Fortnite is already a huge hit with PS4 fans, offering a true free-to-play experience so gamers can jump in and play online.
"With 79 million PS4s sold around the world and more than 80 million monthly active users on PlayStation Network, we've built a huge community of gamers who can play together on Fortnite and all online titles. We also offer Fortnite cross-play support with PC, Mac, iOS, and Android devices, expanding the opportunity for Fortnite fans on PS4 to play with even more gamers on other platforms."
Sony's PS4 has been the best-selling platform of its generation, but the company's response to the cross-play controversy completely skirts the issue and doesn't provide much hope that the company will reverse course. This is especially problematic for players who started playing Fortnite on PS4 and were hoping to continue on a different platform, as they can't carry any of their progress over.
Both Microsoft and Nintendo have been much more open to cross-play. A handful of titles, including Minecraft and the aforementioned Rocket League, allow players to carry their progress or compete against players on other platforms, leaving Sony as the sole major holdout.
We're getting tons of new details about Fallout 76, which will be a multiplayer open-world game with survival elements. Since the PS4, Xbox One, and PC game is shifting to this new focus, it will have a beta testing period, and there's only one way to get in: by pre-ordering.
According to an FAQ posted on the Fallout 76 website, anyone who pre-orders the game for all of the platforms available will automatically receive beta access when it launches. Bethesda didn't say when that beta period will start, but the game will release on November 14, so it won't be too long. You'll need a free Bethesda.net account, and once you have that you'll be able to enter the redemption code on the pre-order receipt from the retailer you chose to confirm your interest. For more details, check out our Fallout 76 pre-order guide.
In Fallout 76, you can still play solo, but the other characters you encounter in the game are other human players. The game is "always-online," and is a prequel to all of the previous games in the series. You play as a member of Vault 76, who is now tasked with rebuilding the world as you emerge from the vault.
In addition to standard release, the game is getting a big collectors' edition that contains a glow-in-the-dark map and wearable Power Suit helmet. The helmet includes a functional headlamp and voice modulation device. Aside from that, the Power Armor set also includes a glow-in-the-dark map and figurines that can be put on that map. Check out GameSpot's full E3 2018 coverage of Fallout 76 for more details, and read our interview with Senior Vice President Pete Hines on how Bethesda plans to stop players from being jerks in the game's multiplayer environment.
A new patch is out now for Epic's popular battle royale game Fortnite. Version 4.4.1 rolled out June 14 on all platforms, and what appears to be the most notable thing is that Shopping Carts are back.
Epic removed Shopping Carts earlier this week after the studio discovered an unspecified issue with them. Epic took a few days to investigate the issue and now it found a fix. There is still no word on what the issue was, however. Shopping Carts represent the first rideable vehicle (of sorts) in Fortnite.
The patch notes also confirm that matches from the recent E3 2018 Pro-Am event are now available to watch in Battle Royale. And new for Save the World is a player-reporting feature.
Posting on Reddit, Epic said the new 4.4.1 patch was not automatically downloaded by everyone on Nintendo Switch, and that caused some problems. People who don't grab the update automatically run the risk of experiencing matchmaking issues. If you don't have the update, you can trigger the download manually by pressing + with Fortnite selected and then choosing "Software Update."
Fortnite: Battle Royale launched for free on Switch this week immediately after Nintendo's E3 briefing. The game ran into some issues right away, but those seems to be largely sorted out. For more on Fortnite's Switch edition, check out GameSpot's hands-on preview here.
The game has been a huge hit already, passing 2 million downloads right out of the gate. The Switch edition supports cross-play with the Xbox One, PC, and mobile versions, but Sony won't allow it.
The battle royale juggernaut Fortnite expanded its reach further by launching on Nintendo Switch soon after it was officially announced during Nintendo's E3 presentation. It's free on the Eshop and has all the features of the PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and PC versions (except for the co-op Save the World mode--it's Battle Royale only). Fortnite on Switch lives within the same ecosystem as all other versions; as soon as you hop in, Season 4 and the current weekly challenges are live. The Battle Pass is available, and grouping up in parties works the same.
Although you can link your Epic account to the Switch version if you've been playing on PC, Xbox One, or mobile to keep working on your progress, PS4 players are left in the dust. Sony is blocking user from linking accounts cross-platform, which also means there's no cross-play between these platforms. This says more about Sony than it does about Nintendo, but it's something long-time PS4 players should know, as well as those hoping to play with their PS4-having friends.
Your mileage will vary when playing with Joy-Con; Fortnite is a shooter after all. Weapons that require precise aiming, like sniper rifles, are a bit more difficult to use given the limited range of motion of the Joy-Con analog sticks. Don't expect motion controls to save you since they haven't been implemented. Pro Controller owners wouldn't have to worry about this, of course. Otherwise, all the controls from using a gamepad are sensibly translated to Switch.
One of the more significant differences to note while playing on Nintendo's handheld-console hybrid is that the framerate has taken a hit, both docked and undocked. Certain visual anomalies like texture pop-in are noticeable, but don't really affect gameplay like the lower framerate does. This makes firefights and building intricate structures harder to manage, especially when things get hectic. A PC can theoretically run an unlimited framerate and PS4 and Xbox One run at a smooth 60 FPS, and jumping between those versions and the Switch might be jarring for some players. By no means does this make Fortnite unplayable on Nintendo's platform; the core gameplay remains intact even if it's not the most optimal version.
Since Fortnite: Battle Royale is a solely a multiplayer experience, you'll need to be connected to the internet at all times to play. And unfortunately, as noted above, the cooperative mode called Save The World is not currently available to Switch users.
For a more critical look at this wildly popular game that has had tens of millions of players, be sure to read our official Fortnite: Battle Royale review. We had some idea that Fortnite was coming to Switch even before E3, thanks to Chance The Rapper speaking too soon in a hilarious tweet. A few other members of the GameSpot staff had impressions of Fortnite on Switch and you can watch their discussion.
From Software, the developer of the Bloodborne and Dark Souls games, officially announced its new game at E3 2018: Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice. Despite the fact that it introduces new mechanics and differs from those games in many ways, it still looks to be in the same vein as those action-RPGs. However, From Software insists this new game is something entirely new and separate from those.
"Sekiro was not designed as an evolution of Soulsborne, of the Souls series," series creator and Sekiro director Hidetaka Miyazaki told GameSpot. "It was designed from the ground up, from scratch, as an entirely new concept, as a new game. So we don't know if you'd call this an evolution of the series in this sense."
The creator continued: "Of course with Sekiro, we don't intend to disappoint or turn away fans of previous From Software games, that core fan base. We want to keep the challenge. We want to keep that core experience very much intact for those people."
Given Sekiro contains a resurrection mechanic, it would be an easy assumption to say the game would be easier than previous From Software games. Miyazaki, however, disagrees: "The resurrection system is not created to make the game easier in any way. It's created to assist the flow of battle and that general rhythm and tempo throughout the game that was made difficult by that constant pressure of death and that constant fear of death."
CD Projekt Red's next game, Cyberpunk 2077, is a massive departure from the developer's previous efforts on The Witcher series. Instead of lush forests, picturesque fields, and towering mountains, the devs are creating a world set in the concrete jungle of Northern California in the distant future. Unlike a lot of fiction focusing on a darker future, Cyberpunk 2077 aspires to move away from grimdark and towards a more exuberant but equally cynical vision for a future where capitalism and technology has run amok.
Inspired and influenced by the original Cyberpunk 2020 pen and paper RPG, 2077 extrapolates many of the themes and iconography while capitalizing on the developer's skillset for crafting dense and visually rich environments. We saw a near hour-long gameplay demo behind closed doors at E3 2018, showcasing many of the game's systems and locales, and came out impressed by the scope of CD Projekt Red's ambitious project.
Set in an alternate universe 2077, you'll take on the role of V, a vagabond and hustler living in the bustling Night City located between SF and LA. You undertake sketchy gigs to fund cybernetic enhancements and pay off debts from society's most unsavory characters, and dive further into the seedy underbelly of the technopolis and its surrounding areas--all which are run by factions and mega corporations vying for power. Unlike CD Projekt Red's previous games, your protagonist, V, is entirely who you want them to be. At the beginning of the game, you'll be able to create a custom character--choosing their gender, characteristics, and picking backstories--along with tweaking particular stats.
The open world of Night City is a massive urban environment encompassing several regions with different warring factions . With no load times (according to the devs), you'll be able to freely explore the city both on foot and in your vehicle, even engaging in high-speed shootouts on freeways, tightly packed streets, and alleys--leading to some of the more unsavory parts of town.
During the demo, V traveled to a gang hideout with their close associate Jackie--an imposing but ever jovial ally--to find a missing cyborg. Things quickly went south as the player engaged in a shootout with a gang of scavengers running a black market harvesting operation. Action looked punchy and impactful, with V sliding in and out of cover--with bits of the environment, including walls, tearing apart from all the gunfire--to get the jump on the bandits. Sticking to its RPG roots, attack damage numbers pop up in real-time when attacking enemies, which takes into account the statistics of your current loadout. After taking out the gang, V and Jackie bring their target outside to await pickup from the Trauma Team, a crew of heavily armed EMTs assigned to the super-wealthy of Night City.
Experiencing all these aspects of Cyberpunk lore took some getting used to, as key terms and locations were referenced quite often. However, the core concepts behind them are familiar enough to get a handle of. The heavy sci-fi aesthetic, where advanced technology gives people some extraordinary abilities, gives it a very familiar vibe akin to CD Projekt's past fantasy games. Seeing the setting in action showcased the game's superb visual style and aesthetic, which feels like a heavy contrast to other dark and gloomy cyberpunk fiction like Blade Runner, Altered Carbon, or Johnny Mnemonic. In Cyberpunk 2077, there's a lot more variety on display, which plays with many of the sub-genre's familiar tropes.
Cyberpunk is deeply entrenched in its PC RPG roots, and The Witcher devs wanted to lean in harder on the more adaptive and varied styles of storytelling from their past games, with many of your decisions altering the course of your character's journey in strange ways. 2077 features an involved dialog system, where you'll be able to make choices that can determine your path towards a number of different outcome. In the dialogue system, you can show off different facets of V's personality as you appear imposing, curious, or outright lie to other characters in order to get what you want. However, certain characters are able to turn the tables and use some similar tricks against you.
During a character interaction--which can be avoided entirely if you choose--V is taken captive by a Milicorp agent who has one of her bodyguards hack into the main character. This invasive hack made certain dialog choices more difficult, with the bodyguards being able to tell when the main character was telling the truth or not. After cutting a deal with the corporate agent with some non-confrontational options, V headed into an engagement with the Maelstrom gang, a group so heavily upgraded that they have the appearance of neon-lit ghouls.
The theme of transhumanism is one of the core pillars of the game, and you're constantly seeing the impact of technology on society, which also plays a role in V's development. Cyberpunk 2077 features many familiar RPG systems and mechanics, such as leveling up, skill-checks, and loot--including some nasty high-tech weapons like the assault rifle with homing bullets--but it has a mostly loose approach to character growth. You don't pick classes--such as Cyberpunk 2020's Fixer, Techie, and Nomad archetypes--but instead outfit your character with new tech enhancements they'll need at any given time. You can give your character a set of outfits that offer Street Cred bonuses--reputation experience points that open up places in the city--along with visiting the local RipperDoc to outfit yourself with new parts.
Dropping by Doctor Victor's spot in a back alley near V's apartment, we saw a few of the enhancements you can get. After choosing a new cybernetic eye, which added a zoom function and a target analyzer that allows you to see the level and stats of other characters, the ensuing upgrade sequence was gruesome, as the RipperDoc pulls out V's old eye with its vision still engaged--showing a full-view of the protagonist laying on the operating seat. This upgrade can come in handy as you'll occasionally wander into high-level characters that can pummel your character easily. While exploring the Maelstrom hideout, V utilized a number of bizarre, but powerful enhancements and tools--such as a hacking skill that allowed them to hijack an enemy's internal memory to steal precious info, along with a set of combat drugs that activated a bullet-time effect. During one moment, V hacked into an enemy's weapon to disable it remotely, and followed up with a set of advanced acrobatics to land an attack on the unsuspecting foes using with a set of arm blades, like the ones shown during the game's original teaser trailer.
While this section led to the demo's most action-packed moments--such as a boss fight that showcased feats of cybernetic skill-chaining and some of the game's most powerful weapons, like the double-barreled shotgun that fired through walls--there are apparently many different approaches to take. The developers stressed throughout the demo that many of the events and sequences shown were optional, and while the shootout in the Maelstrom hideout or making deals with the mega corporations can happen, they'll play out much differently based on their choices.
The E3 2018 demo for Cyberpunk 2077 was overwhelming with all its detail, but it did give us the impression that there was a large world with all sorts of systems to explore and mess with. The setting and some gameplay ideas are certainly a big departure for CD Projekt Red, but it also has a number of cool and visually stunning details that show off an incredibly rich world to jump head-first into. The game has been a long time coming, and we're excited to see more of it soon, and hopefully not too much later.
For more info on CD Projekt Red's Cyberpunk 2077, and all other games we saw during E3 2018, be sure to visit GameSpot's E3 Hub page.
Xbox boss Phil Spencer stopped by the Giant Bomb at Nite livestream at E3 2018 this week and he spoke openly and frankly about so many Xbox topics. In the lengthy chat, Spencer discussed pretty much everything you would want to know about Xbox, including why Microsoft announced plans for a new Xbox at the show, how much of a bummer it is that Sony won't allow cross-play with Xbox, the Halo Infinite reveal, the sales lead that PS4 has over Xbox One, the decision to delay Crackdown 3 again, and a lot more. It is really, really good, deep dive chat that goes on for about an hour.
Grab a coffee, get comfortable, and enjoy:
Xbox had a strong E3 showing this year. The company highlighted dozens of games on its stage, while it also announced the formation of a new studio and the acquisition of four others. It went a long way towards showing Microsoft is committed to making exclusives games.
The reveal of Halo Infinite was a big deal, but it is important to note that the trailer shown during the briefing was for the new Slipspace game engine, not the actual game itself. Still, it was impressive to see and it leaves us excited to learn more about the next instalment in the mega-franchise.
The Metro series has been building toward Metro Exodus for years. 2010's Metro 2033 focused on the exploits of Artyom in the bleak underground society of post-nuclear-war Russia, and its follow-up Last Light expanded its scope even further. Exodus further expands the scale of this world in an even more pronounced way.
The developers at 4A Games have been rather quiet about Metro Exodus after revealing it last year, but just prior to E3 2018, we played about an hour of the game and spoke to the team about the evolution of the series. With Exodus fleshing out the survival-oriented gameplay, while sticking close to its methodical combat, the next game exhibits potential for a more freeform experience, where open-ended exploration presents players with the freedom to approach challenges as they see fit.
Set two years after the events of Metro: Last Light's "good" ending--which saw Artyom save the mysterious Dark Ones, giving humanity hope for a better future--we find the lead character working with a group of survivors seeking safe passage out of Russia. Aboard their train and mobile base, the group will journey through several large areas housing hidden bunkers, several strange factions seeking control of territory, and hostile mutants that attack anything in sight. With their trek becoming more dangerous as the months go by, Artyom and his allies will have to make some tough choices as they fight to survive in the wilderness of post-apocalyptic Russia.
While the previous Metro games had brief sections above ground, mostly to illustrate the scale of devastation and showing there are worse places to be than the underground, the surface is where you'll spend most of your time in Exodus. As you're mostly out in the open, you're in a constant state of danger whenever you're away from a safe haven. Along with a day/night cycle, you'll have to plan ahead and manage your time, as hidden enemies will come out of hiding during the night. This is all made worse by the ever-present dangers of lacking resources, stumbling into wandering mutants, or falling victim to radiation and other environmental hazards.
In our demo, we explored one of the early maps in the region called The Volga, which is one of the more average-sized maps you'll find according to the devs. After departing from the train, we traveled to a nearby church, serving as a hideout for a particularly weird cult that shuns technology. While initially cordial, our meet and greet quickly turned into a fight for survival. In keeping with Metro's style of shooting gameplay, with every gun having a particular kick to it, you're constantly aware of your weapon's capabilities during a fight. Running and gunning has never worked in the series, and that's most definitely the case in Exodus. After escaping on a boat, things got even hairier h when several mutated crabs sprung out and tried to pull Arytom under. Such as the case in previous games, things usually go from bad to worse.
While the main mission was the focus, I took the time to explore the surrounding areas first, oftentimes finding abandoned houses surrounded by mutants. The game gives you the chance to trail off from the main path at any time, which is a level of freedom that I appreciated, but I had some difficulties getting a sense of just how much variety there was in the short time we had. While the developers claim that much of the content found in the game is bespoke, including all side-content, I had a difficult time getting a sense of that from this demo, felt like I was wandering aimlessly without much payoff, as opposed to properly exploring the environment and finding something cool.
Considering how it blends together these sandbox events with story missions, all wrapped with challenging survival systems, Metro Exodus channels elements of the classic S.T.A.L.K.E.R. series--which several 4A developers had worked on. At any time, you can pull out Artyom's backpack--shown with him actually taking it off and placing it onto the ground--to manage your inventory, craft items, and swap out weapon attachments. Of course, it's smarter to do this at the safe houses scattered around, as opening your backpack out in the open is dangerous as you're vulnerable to any nearby foes. There's also a strong sense that players need to be keenly aware of their surroundings. In the style of Far Cry 2, you have to pull your map and look directly at it, obscuring your vision and leaving you vulnerable. With no mini-map or on-screen health indicators, all the important bits of info are located on the main character's arm--such as a watch and Geiger-counter.
Since utilizing survival skills is more important than ever, Exodus gives you a lot more options in how you want to approach situations. After taking out human enemies--either with lethal or stun attacks--you can loot their bodies and even strip their weapons for parts. These materials can be used to craft items and upgrade weapons, which include the familiar standouts like shotguns, pistols, and rifles. As many of these weapons are made from used pipes and other bits of metal, you can modify them to add new stocks, barrels, silencers, and other gadgets. It's also important to keep your guns clean by routinely keeping them clean, as overuse will cause them to break apart. The gun-crafting system is impressive in its own right, but it also feeds back into the underlying survivalist element of the game.
Like previous Metro games in the series, Metro Exodus emphasizes an incredibly eerie and haunting atmosphere, but now within the desolate Russian wilderness. While Exodus has incredible scenery, we encountered numerous technical hiccups and quirks which made certain sections--which should been exciting--somewhat taxing to sit through. Along with inconsistent frame-rate, reloading to a checkpoint would take well over a minute each time, which made some challenging combat sections a headache. By far, these were the most glaring drags throughout the session, which did a lot to put a damper on the experience.
Still, I found myself really enjoying what Metro Exodus has to offer. With the game now aiming for a Spring 2019 release, there's still plenty of time for 4A to iron out technical issues. Given the scale of the game, and how it brings those familiar Metro touches with a more open design, it should be a welcome twist on what people expect from the series.
For more info on Metro Exodus, and all other games we got to play during E3 2018, check out our GameSpot E3 HUB page for all new content as it comes in.
Xbox boss Phil Spencer announced plans for a new Xbox console on the Xbox E3 2018 stage. He didn't share any specifics, so some wondered why he made the announcement at all. Speaking to GameSpot sister site Giant Bomb, Spencer said he did so to assure people that consoles remain important to Microsoft as a company.
"Anybody who might worry about our console future, I just wanted to put that at ease," Spencer said. "I wanted people to know that I love the track record of our hardware team ... we have some ideas in the future [about streaming] but it's not tomorrow. I didn't want people to think we were going to walk away from that part of the brand in the business because it's really important to us."
Also in the interview, Spencer talked about what new features he would like to see in the next Xbox. Among other things, he said he hopes the next Xbox can offer higher frame rates, while he also hopes the team can deliver a box that launches games faster. Additionally, Spencer noted that the balance between CPU and GPU on console currently is "out of whack" compared to PC, so that's something he would also like to address with the next console.
A few years ago, there were rumours and reports about Microsoft apparently wanting to sell off the Xbox brand, with the thinking that the Xbox team's ambitions did not closely enough line up with that of Microsoft overall. And when new CEO Satya Nadella came in, Spencer said there were questions along the lines of "Why is Microsoft in the video game space?" These questions did not come up as a means of condemning Microsoft's efforts in gaming, but rather as an "honest" discussion about Microsoft's direction going forward and whether or not Xbox would be a part of it.
Xbox is indeed very important to Microsoft, and Microsoft's decision to give the Xbox team the time and resources to make a new console and invest in so many new studios speaks to that.
There are rumours circulating online at E3 this week that Microsoft's new console is codenamed Scarlet and may launch in 2020, though Microsoft has not commented. Keep checking back with GameSpot for more.
Of all the changes Assassin's Creed Origins introduced to the formula, the smartest may have been the post-launch addition of a Discovery Tour mode. The series has always been firmly rooted in history, but its tendency towards the fantastical--Leonardo Da Vinci making assassin gadgets and the like--often overshadowed the time and effort Ubisoft has put into its historical research. Discovery Tour shone a bright spotlight on all the work the studio put into researching ancient Egypt, and now a year later, Assassin's Creed Odyssey deserves the same treatment.
A lengthy E3 2018 demo was littered with historical details. The costuming and fashion appeared period-appropriate and correct down to the rope used for tying off armor or braids. The architecture was gorgeously recreated to show how the still-standing ornate structures of ancient Greece would have appeared minus 2000 years of wear and tear. The characters casually reference the gods with a precision that represents a people who regarded this as religion, not superstition.
Certainly there's no shortage of pop culture representations of ancient Grecian culture. From 300 to Disney's Hercules and even the God of War series, Greece is better represented than Egypt ever was. But precisely because the society has been so remixed and blended into modern myths, a more reverent and exacting take would be truly valuable.
Just like the first, it would serve as an advertisement for Ubisoft. Like any studio commentary, it peels back a layer of mystery around the development process, giving insight and context to the difficult work of making a game. And it poses the studio as well-meaning and passionate.
This may well already be in the cards for Odyssey. An Ubisoft representative was coy when asked, refusing to offer a yes or no. But it is a distinct possibility that the cost of Discovery Mode was too high for a free value-add feature to justify doing it again this year, and that would be a shame. Both for the educational value, and for showcasing the impressive work of Ubisoft's historical research, Discovery Tour should come back to stay.
Todd Howard, who is known to wear very nice leather jackets, has given an update on the state of development on The Elder Scrolls VI and the studio's new Starfield. Speaking to GameSpot at E3 2018, Howard said The Elder Scrolls VI is only in the "very early" stages of development, while Starfield is further along and will likely launch before the new Elder Scrolls game.
"It's in the concept and design [phase]," Howard said. Perhaps more intriguingly, Howard said he knows the release date of The Elder Scrolls VI--but he's not going to tell you. "I do. I would be foolish to say it," he said.
For The Elder Scrolls VI, Bethesda is taking its time to make it the game that fans want and expect from the studio. After all, Skyrim was a monumentally successful game from a critical and commercial perspective, so it has very big shoes to fill. And Bethesda is known for outdoing itself.
"We've obviously taken our time with [The Elder Scrolls 6], as opposed to jumping right into it," he said. "We know what we want it to be, and that's gonna take time, technology, other things that we need to build to to really pull it off. And that's what that franchise deserves."
Howard suggested that the ideas and ambition Bethesda has for The Elder Scrolls 6 might not be possible on current-generation hardware. He said in a Gameslice interview that Bethesda is "getting closer" to the technology needed to run the game, which suggests that the PS4 and Xbox One are not capable enough to run the game as Bethesda wants.
As for Starfield, this game--which is Bethesda's first new IP In a very long time--is already playable and is in full production. As such, the game is expected to launch before The Elder Scrolls 6. Indeed, Howard told GameSpot that the current release plan for Bethesda Game Studios' next big games will be Fallout 76, then Starfield, then Elder Scrolls VI. However, Howard also said Starfield might not launch on current-generation hardware, so it could be a long time before we get to play either title.
No new Xbox or PlayStation consoles have been announced, but just this week Microsoft announced it's working on new consoles, while Sony is rumoured to be working on a PlayStation 5.
Bethesda announcing Starfield and Elder Scrolls VI so long before launch is a notable change for the company, as it's become known for announcing and releasing games in short order.
Bethesda's next big game is Fallout 76, which launches in November for PS4, Xbox One, and PC. Unlike the previous games, it is an online-only, multiplayer-focused game.
We're getting new details on the gameplay and plot of CD Projekt Red's much-anticipated game Cyberpunk 2077. During GameSpot's E3 2018 Stage Show, CD Projekt Red's Kyle Rowley shared a wide variety of details about the PS4, Xbox One, and PC game, including the fact that it's an RPG played from a first-person perspective.
The reason for that, according to Rowley, is due to the high level of detail in the game. "We're spending a lot of time on this very detailed cyberpunk world set in Night City," he said. "It's all handcrafted, there's a lot of atmosphere. We really want players to feel this depression and the fact that these mega-corporations are kind of stamping down on people's lives. To really showcase that and immerse the player in that world we decided the first-person perspective was the best way to do it."
One thing Rowley also made very clear was that Cyberpunk 2077 is not a shooter, despite its first-person gameplay. "It's a role-playing game with some shooter elements, rather than a shooter with role-playing laid on top of it. There's very deep progression systems, so all the things you'd expect from a CD Projekt game," he said.
Beyond that, Rowley revealed that Cyberpunk 2077 allows you to customize your character and play as a man or woman named V. There is also a class system of sorts, although you don't choose one at the start of the game.
We got our first real look at Cyberpunk 2077 during Microsoft's E3 2018 press conference, where CD Projekt Red unveiled the new trailer above. For the latest news and updates, follow GameSpot's full E3 2018 coverage of Cyberpunk 2077.
Halo Infinite was announced during the Xbox E3 2018 briefing by way of a game engine tech demo, not a reveal of the game itself. We still don't know what that looks like or what it really is. But now, Xbox marketing boss Aaron Greenberg has commented further on the title, telling GameSpot that it will return to the franchise's "core roots." It remains to be seen exactly what that means, but the brief look at Master Chief's helmet from the engine tech trailer is meant to be evocative of the classic vibe.
That's all Greenberg had to say on the matter of Halo Infinite returning to the franchise's roots. But he did say that he's eager to see the team at 343 Industries do something more ambitious than a straightforward sequel called Halo 6. "I'm personally excited that it's not just Halo 6. This is a bigger, bolder, more ambitious title," Greenberg said. In 2014, Halo boss Bonnie Ross said we may never see a Halo 6 because 343 wanted to move away from numbered entries. Now, that's happened.
Also in our interview, which you can watch in the embed above, Greenberg doubled down on the fact that the Infinite trailer from E3 was not the game. It was a tech demo, and an impressive-looking one at that, which showcases what Infinite could be, not what it is. What we do know is that Infinite will tell a more Master Chief-centric story, which is good news after Halo 5 steered away from him.
"What you saw was an in-engine demonstration," Greenberg said. "And of course we are announcing that we are making a brand-new Halo, Halo Infinite, and that the story will feature Master Chief. And you get a sense of some of the technical capabilities of the engine as well. But beyond that, we're just announcing the title. We're not getting into a lot more detail. But it's been good to see the reaction."
Greenberg added that the team at 343 has "done a lot of thinking" about where it wants the story to go, though he shared no further details. Taking a page out of Blizzard's playbook, 343 will share more details on Infinite "when they're ready."
Following the announcement of Crackdown 3's delay to 2019 last week, Microsoft today released a new trailer for the sandbox action game during its E3 2018 briefing. The high-octane trailer focuses on Terry Crews' character, who runs around and shoots things. He also yells. A lot.
Crackdown 3 is in development at three different studios: Raegent Games, Sumo Digital, and Cloudgine. It's a $60 game, but Xbox Game Pass subscribers can get it for free at launch.
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