Back in 1994, a little gaming series began named Tekken, published by Bandai Namco. Releasing during an era where fighting games dominated and flooded the market, Tekken is one of the few series that survived and continues to thrive. Now, Dynamite Entertainment is celebrating the Tekken series with the book The Art Of Tekken: The Complete Visual History.
The over-sized 250+ page book goes into great detail about the beginnings of Tekken, up until present day, giving the history of the gaming series. Additionally, The Art of Tekken delves into individual characters, covering every major character, even some of the weird ones, like Roger/Roger Jr., the kangaroo fighter.
Many of these characters get multiple pages, showing off concept art, how they've evolved over the years, flavor text about the character's in-game history, and images of their most notable moves. Check out the King/King II section below. It's pretty cool to see the models of the character throughout each game in the series.
The copy Dynamite Entertainment sent us was the deluxe edition. It comes with a hardcover slipcase, and four exclusive prints of Tekken characters. This deluxe edition will cost $100, but if you don't need all the bells and whistles, the regular hardcover version of this book will be $40. It will be available on July 30, and you can pre-order either of the versions on Barnes & Noble.
While the book does go into great detail about everything in the world of Tekken, it does have one mildly-problematic area, and that's the order these characters are presented. Instead of alphabetical order, the characters are categorized into these groups: Mishima Clan, Japanese Fighters, American Fighters, World Fighters, Experiments, Assassins, and Crossover Fighters--which is where Gon and Akuma are located, in case you were wondering.
Because of the way this is laid out, it can be a little tough to find the character you're looking for, unless you have an extensive knowledge of the fictional Tekken universe. Additionally, not every character has three full pages dedicated to them. Most times, they get one full page, but that aspect is fine because who needs multiple pages on Dr. Boskonovitch, aside from myself?
If you can't wait until July 30 for this book to come out, check with your local comic book shop, as some stores will have copies for sale on July 17.
CD Projekt Red's Cyberpunk 2077 is all about player choice, being an RPG and all. Based on what we've seen since the game's unveiling, it looks like you'll encounter plenty of shady characters and will have the ability to take them out in a number of creative and deadly ways. But as we learned during a behind-closed-doors gameplay presentation at E3 2019, you can also get through the entire game without killing anyone at all.
Whether you choose to put people in the morgue or the hospital will have some impact on how the story plays out, too. Lead quest designer Pawel Sasko told GameSpot that how you deal with the various folks you encounter won't necessarily matter all the time, but there will be story moments where the finality of your actions will have lasting consequences.
"This is more of a personal choice of the play style of the player," Sasko said. "However, there are cases when it's taken into account because it's important. It's important that you knock down the dude or you kill the dude, and so on. ...But if you, as a player, are going through, let's say the Grand Imperial Mall [a location in CD Projekt RED's E3 demo], you are knocking down 40 Animals [the name of one of the game's gangs] and you decided to, I don't know, spare a fifth of them, that's not really going to have that much impact."
The gameplay demo, which lasted nearly an hour, showed off two different ways to approach the same mission. Using "developer magic," CDPR switched from a male Netrunner (hacker) character to a female character with extreme strength--you won't be able to do that in the real game, so this was for the sake of the presentation--to highlight the differences. For example, while a Netrunner can hack a turret to make it target enemies, a brute-force build will let you rip the gun off its turret and wield it like any other weapon.
While we only saw a little bit of stealth during the Netrunner portions, CDPR made it clear that you will be able to play the entire game peacefully if you so choose. You will be able to sneak, hack, and otherwise avoid combat scenarios, though it's not clear if there are situations where you have to fight if, say, things go terribly wrong and you fail to sneak around properly. We'll know for sure when the game releases for PC, PS4, and Xbox One on April 16, 2020.
At E3 2019, Microsoft introduced Xbox Game Pass Ultimate as a bundle deal for its Game Pass services on Xbox One and the newly-launched PC service, as well as a subscription to Xbox Live Gold. As a promotional offer, you can get your first month of this service for just $1--but thanks to a quirk in how the promotion works, you can actually get Game Pass Ultimate essentially free for up to three years.
How It Works
When you upgrade to Xbox Game Pass Ultimate, any prepaid time you have for Xbox Live Gold or Game Pass convert up to Xbox Game Pass Ultimate, up to a maximum of 36 months. That means that the more time you have remaining on your subscription, the higher the savings. Since the promotion has a maximum of 36 months, you could get three years of Xbox Live Gold and then just pay $1 for Game Pass for that entire period.
Three years of Game Pass Ultimate paid month-by-month would be $540. One year of Xbox Live Gold has an MSRP of $60, though deal-hunters can often find one for less through third-party sellers. Purchasing three years of Gold would therefore be $180 or less. Altogether that's a savings of at least $360.
So if you're willing to front-load your account, you can come out way ahead. But even just converting whatever time you have remaining is a pretty good deal if you want Game Pass and Xbox Live Gold anyway.
Click on the "Services and Subscriptions" tab to show your current Xbox Live Gold or Xbox Game Pass subscription.
If desired, extend your Xbox Live Gold subscription by purchasing additional months. To maximize the deal, your goal should be to extend your subscription to as close the current date in 2022 as possible. Re-check your accounts page to confirm your timing. (This can be bought at the standard $60 purchase price, or for roughly $50 through third-party retailers like Costco or CD Keys.)
Once you've extended your subscription to 2022--or whatever length you desire--visit the Xbox Game Pass Ultimate page to subscribe to the 1-month-for-$1 deal.
Voila. That will convert your entire Xbox Live Gold subscription to a Game Pass Ultimate subscription. You'll have already paid for it upfront with Gold subscriptions, but at a much lower rate than paying monthly. Any additional subscription cards you redeem after converting will be added as Game Pass time at a reduced rate.
Be warned that once this period ends, Game Pass Ultimate will convert to $15 per month unless you cancel or turn off auto-renewal. You can check your Services & Subscriptions tab again to see when that will be. You can always choose to go back to Xbox Live Gold alone at that point if you wish.
What's Included In Xbox Game Pass Ultimate?
Xbox Game Pass Ultimate includes the Game Pass subscription services on both Xbox One and PC, both of which offer a wide catalog of rotating games--some shared, and others not. It also grants you Xbox Live Gold access to play games online.
After a couple of months on the market, Kingdom Hearts III is finally getting some DLC, Square Enix revealed ahead of its E3 2019 presentation. Titled Re:Mind, the Kingdom Hearts III DLC also got a release window: fans can expect to play the expansion sometime this winter.
The trailer reveal showcases new playable characters in the form of Aqua, Roxas, and Riku. Sora also gets a new keyblade transformation thanks to the Oathkeeper. Further, the DLC's story seems to focus on a squabble within Organization XIII, as Luxord and Xigbar question who the other truly is. It all seems like typical Kingdom Hearts fanfare, and it all looks glorious. Check out the trailer below.
In our Kingdom Hearts III review, editor Tamoor Hussain recalled his deep and complicated feelings with the franchise as a whole, saying, "In 2002, as Sora, I left Destiny Islands to travel across the universe and make new friends. In 2019 I brought old ones home, and I had so much fun doing it."
Bethesda announced during its E3 2019 press conference that it would be making Fallout 76free for this week, through June 17. The studio hopes to win over some people who never tried the game or those who have lapsed before the game issued its series of quality-of-life updates. The game is also offering a special E3 bundle for those who do adopt the game, or just any players who want a good deal.
The E3 Bonus Atom Bundle costs $10 and grants you 1500 Atoms, along with an Elder's Battlecoat and 6 repair kits. This bundle will be available through July 8, giving you plenty of time after the free trial ends.
100 Atoms is usually roughly equivalent to $1. A 500 Atom bundle costs $5, for example. Some bundles have thrown in extra Atoms, but it's usually a low number. The usual $10 bundle only gives 100 bonus Atoms rather than 500, and doesn't include a cosmetic or any repair kits. So on the whole this is a much better deal than usually available, which is why it's only available to purchase once.
The timing of the free trial came alongside the launch of a new Battle Royale mode, called Nuclear Winter. At its press conference the studio also announced the Wastelanders update coming this fall. It will add human NPCs, dialogue trees, and more story elements. The company was open about the struggles Fallout 76 faced at launch, but recommitted to long-term support and updates going forward.
We've already seen footage of the port as part of Nintendo's Direct, and were even privy to its most infamous image being rendered on Switch thanks to CD Projekt Red's lead PR manager, Radek Grabowski. Now, the official Twitter account for the game has spilled the beans on some of the technical details concerning Geralt of Rivia's conversion to Nintendo's hybrid console.
The Witcher 3 is an exhaustive open-world game that still looks incredible today, four years after its initial release. The fact that it's coming to Switch sounds like the work of some kind of witcher magic, so compromises have been made to get it up and running as smoothly as possible on Nintendo's machine.
540p handheld, 720p, with dynamic resolution enabled, on screen.
When asked about screen resolution on Twitter, the Witcher account replied that the game will run at 540p in handheld mode, and 720p with dynamic resolution enabled while docked. Obviously, the visual fidelity isn't going to be quite as crisp as it is in other versions of the game, but that's an understandable price to pay for being able to play one of the best games of the generation while sitting on a bus.
The Witcher Twitter account went on to answer more questions, including news that the Switch version will come on a 32GB cartridge--which includes everything, from the base game to its two expansions and 16 additional pieces of DLC, no downloads required--and that it will not support cross-saves.
The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt - Complete Edition is being developed by Saber Interactive in close cooperation with CD Projekt Red, and is due for release at some point in 2019.
At E3 2019, Konami has announced another mini-console, this one modeled after the TurboGrafx-16. The TurboGrafx was the third competitor in the 16-bit console wars--and while it was never as big as the Super Nintendo or Sega Genesis, it had a respectable catalog of hard-to-find exclusives.
The TurboGrafx-16 Mini is the American version on the official site. Europe is getting a PC Engine Core Mini, and Japan has a PC Engine Mini. Each has its own color scheme and design to match how the consoles were released in their respective territories.
The company has also announced the first six games for each territory. So far the American and European consoles have the same library of pre-loaded games: R-Type, New Adventure Island, Ninja Spirit, Ys Book 1 & 2, Dungeon Explorer, and Alien Crush. The Japanese version also has Dungeon Explorer and Ys, but swaps the others for Bonk's Adventure, Dracula X, The Kung Fu/China Warrior, and Super Star Soldier.
The site says more titles will be revealed over time. Bonk generally served as the TG16 mascot, akin to Mario and Sonic for their respective titles, so those games may be revealed sometime in the future.
Pricing and release details have not been announced.
With E3 2019 in full swing, it's somewhat of a weird time for PlayStation fans, as Sony made it clear it won't be attending. We'll still see PS4 games there, and we recently got a new look at Death Stranding, but Sony's first-party stuff won't be out in full force. Luckily, Sony does still have something for PlayStation 4 owners--and prospective owners--to get excited about in June: its annual Days of Play sale, which is live now.
Days of Play began June 7 and will run through June 17, which overlaps conveniently with E3. During that time, you can snag a PS4 Pro for $350 / £350, and all DualShock 4 wireless controllers will start at $40 / £35. A limited-edition PS4 is also on sale, but unfortunately, it's not a PS4 Pro. The steel black console features the four PlayStation shapes embossed in silver on the top and comes with a matching DualShock 4 controller. You can buy it for $300 / £280.
Limited-edition PS4 console - available for $300 / £280
If you're considering taking the plunge and getting PlayStation VR, some bundles are considerably cheaper during the 11-day sale. PSVR bundles start at $250, a full $100 cheaper than their usual price. The bundles each come with a pair of games, such as Trover Saves the Universe and Five Nights at Freddy's; Borderlands 2 and Beat Saber; or Everybody's Golf and Blood & Truth. In the UK, the PSVR Starter Pack is selling for £180 and PSVR Mega Pack will sell for £210.
This is a great time to stock up on your PS Plus membership as well, as it's currently significantly cheaper at multiple retailers (plus, June has a very nice lineup of free games to take advantage of). The cheapest option is currently at Green Man Gaming, where you can get a year-long subscription for just $37.59. Elsewhere, the 12-month membership is available for $40. In addition, you can grab a 12-month PS Now subscription for $70. As a reminder, you can stack subscriptions, even if you're already a member.
See all the most notable deals from the Days of Play sale below; plus, check out our full list of the best E3 2019 gaming deals for PS4, Xbox One, and PC.
Participating retailers
Days of Play spans multiple retailers' sites, so you have some flexibility in terms of where you want to shop.
Microsoft had plenty of things to talk about during its press conference at E3 2019 this year, but one of the more important announcements came toward the end of the briefing, when the company finally revealed the details for its next-generation Xbox plans, codenamed Scarlett. In fact, Scarlett might refer to multiple consoles--the company did confirm that the next-gen system will launch in the Holiday 2020 period.
Microsoft kept many of its Scarlett cards close to its chest, electing instead to mostly talk about its internal hardware. The console, which is yet to receive a final name, will be "four times" more powerful than the Xbox One X, Microsoft says. The company went on to say Scarlett contains a custom-engineered AMD processor and will be capable of both 8K resolution, 120 frames per second framerates, and variable refresh rates. It also supports ray-tracing and the system is equipped with a solid-state drive (SSD), something Sony has touted about PS5. Microsoft noted that the SSDS will be used as virtual RAM. The console has a custom AMD Zen 2 CPU, Radeon RDNA architecture, and GDDR6 RAM.
Scarlett was touted during the conference as a "bigger leap than any generation we've done before." Spencer also described it as the "most powerful and highest performance console we've ever designed." Microsoft also very deliberately made it clear the system is designed explicitly for gaming, a notable difference from how the Xbox One was originally unveiled.
For more on the new device, read our exhaustive look at Scarlett's hardware specs or our comprehensive article from before E3 on everything we know about Xbox Scarlett--including the rumored budget alternative. Our previous understanding of the next-gen Xbox scene was that Microsoft has more than one system coming--similar to how we have the Xbox One S and more powerful Xbox One X. Scarlett was reported to be the more powerful of the next-gen systems, and it's the only one that was discussed during the conference.
Nintendo revealed a ton of new details about Pokemon Sword and Shield last week, but we also learned some new tidbits about the games during the Treehouse livestream that followed Nintendo's E3 2019 Direct. In particular, we learned more about how the recently announced Pokemon Home service will work with the Switch titles, and it appears there will be some limitations.
During the Treehouse livestream, game producer Junichi Masuda revealed that not every previous Pokemon will be transferable to Sword and Shield. "Players will be able to transfer their Pokemon from Pokemon Home only if they appear in the Galar region Pokedex," Masuda said through an interpreter. What that means is that if a Pokemon isn't already obtainable within Sword and Shield, you won't be able to transfer it over from Pokemon Home.
Masuda acknowledged this is a change from how the previous Pokemon cloud service, Pokemon Bank, worked and explained the rationale behind this controversial decision:
"In previous games that worked with the Pokemon Bank service, you were able to--for example, in Sun and Moon--bring over any Pokemon, even if they weren't in the Alola Pokedex," Masuda said. "But with the transition to the Nintendo Switch hardware, being much more powerful [and] allowing us to be much more expressive with each of the individual Pokemon ... at Game Freak we really spent a lot of time thinking about what the best way to move forward was, really preserving the quality of all the different Pokemon while also taking into account the battle balance, having so many different Pokemon available, all within a limited development time so we don't keep fans waiting too long for every new entry in the series. And after a lot of discussion, we decided to come to a new direction."
One of the new features in Sword and Shield that undoubtedly proved to be a hurdle in this regard was Dynamaxing, which can supersize a Pokemon for a limited time during battle. Given that there are more than 800 Pokemon in the series, Game Freak would have had to make new assets for hundreds of different monsters to account for this feature. We also don't yet know how many Pokemon will be available in Sword and Shield; we've only gotten a glimpse at a handful of them thus far, but we've already seen a number of fan-favorites among them.
Our long-awaited first look at the upcoming Avengers game, titled Marvel's Avengers, finally came at E3 2019 at Square Enix's Press Conference. The company saved the reveal for the end of its press conference, but it probably didn't get the kind of overwhelmingly positive reaction from the internet that it might have liked. While it stars the core Avengers team from the Marvel Cinematic Universe, it doesn't feature the likenesses of those MCU actors who fans have grown accustomed to over the last ten years, and that likely resulted in the character designs getting dragged on social media.
The Avengers reveal finally showed something of the game that's being worked on by Crystal Dynamics and Eidos Montreal. Despite an extended look at Avengers, things are still pretty cryptic: though it seems to be a third-person action game, it's not especially clear how it plays. We do know that it's an original Avengers story (the same way Insomniac's recent game, Marvel's Spider-Man, was divorced from existing storylines). And it seems that Captain America buys it early in the game, with the story picking up five years later after they disband in response to taking the blame for destroying a big part of San Francisco.
It's not just that the MCU actors' likenesses weren't used--although that was part of the reaction. Captain America's riot officer body armor and Thor's weird headlight shirt were among the issues many seemed to take with the designs. There were also plenty of people wondering where Hawkeye is. You can check out some of the meanest (or funniest) reactions below.
We've got plenty more E3 2019 coverage throughout the show, including rundowns of all the news out of the Square Enix press conference, and all the other press conferences, too--be sure to check back throughout the week for news, previews, and impressions from gaming's biggest show. Among other things, we got a fresh look at another Marvel game, Marvel Ultimate Alliance 3, which is coming to Switch in July. A new trailer showcased its characters and we learned about some of the teams coming as DLC.
Wow, this Avengers video game parody looks amazing
— Charlotte Ariel Finn (@CharlotteBeyond) June 11, 2019
marvel fans pretending tony stark and captain america look good in the new avengers game pic.twitter.com/17oKLzfLZi
— 🌸alexis moore💖💙💜 (@alexisparade) June 11, 2019
live look at me watching Square Enix's AVENGERS game trailer at the precise moment where I realized they didn't get likeness rights for any of the actors pic.twitter.com/FMAGpV7c9p
Zelda: Breath Of The Wild Sequel Announced For Switch
Nintendo followed the teaser with a short statement that read, "The sequel to The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild is now in development." No release date, title, or further details were announced.
Luigi's Mansion 3 Gameplay For Nintendo Switch Debuts
Nintendo gave us a closer look at the upcoming Luigi's Mansion sequel, Luigi's Mansion 3 for the Nintendo Switch. The series gives Luigi his rightful time in the spotlight as he deals with the terrifying, real-world problems his famous brother just doesn't have the guts to handle: ghosts, and lots of them.
Seiken Densetsu 3 Remake Trials Of Mana Coming In 2020 For Switch
Zelda: Link's Awakening Remake Dungeon-Maker Mode And Release Date Revealed
The new mode is a dungeon-creator that looks and sounds pretty excellent. As its name suggests, the mode allows players to create their own, custom-made dungeons by placing chambers earned in the adventure mode. Once created, players can explore the dungeons. Conquering the various chambers will yield various rewards, Nintendo said. As for the release date, Nintendo announced that Link's Awakening will launch on September 20.
Fire Emblem: Three Houses Story Trailer Released
Nintendo showed off a new trailer for Fire Emblem: Three Houses, which takes a Harry Potter approach to Fire Emblem's tactical role-playing, choice-driven narrative formula. You play as Byleth (either male or female), a teacher at the Officer's Academy. The academy is divided into three houses, each led by a powerful individual who hails from one of the three nations that make up the continent of Fódlan. Edelgard is the princess of the Adrestian Empire, Dimitri is the prince of the Holy Kingdom of Faerghus, and Claude is the heir to the leading house of the Leicester Alliance.
Two More Resident Evil Games Are Coming To Nintendo Switch
In No More Heroes 3, Travis Touchdown is the last hero around. He now has an armored suit and a new katana, so he seems to be more powerful than ever. The franchise's signature humor and general outlandish tone appear to remain intact with this third game for Nintendo Switch. No More Heroes 3 launches in 2020. A specific release date was not announced.
Panzer Dragoon Remake Announced For Nintendo Switch
Panzer Dragoon, a remake of Sega's classic on-rails shooter, was announced for Nintendo Switch. Developed by Forever Entertainment's Megapixel Studio, the newly announced game is a remake of the first Panzer Dragoon, originally released for the Sega Saturn in 1995.
New Contra Game Announced For Nintendo Switch
The Contra franchise returns this year with a new Nintendo Switch game called Contra Rogue Corps. Announced during Nintendo's E3 2019 briefing, Rogue is a third-person, behind-the-shoulder title that also features moments that are presented from a top-down perspective and from the side. You can play solo or fight against other humans with online or local multiplayer.
The Contra Collection brings together an array of 10 classic Contra games, including the European Probotector games. The full collection includes Contra for arcade and NES, Super Contra for arcade and NES, Contra 3: Alien Wars, Contra: Hard Corps, Operation C for Game Boy, and the Probotector versions of Contra 3 and Hard Corps.
New Ultimate Alliance 3 Trailer Includes A Ton Of Marvel's Best Characters
In the Marvel Ultimate Alliance 3: The Black Order trailer, we see a bunch of Marvel heroes and villains that will be featured in the game, including Hela, Surtur, Magneto (who somehow gets his hands on the Reality Infinity Stone), Miles Morales, Doctor Octopus, Ghost Rider, Elektra, Kamala Khan, Gwen Stacey, Thor, Scarlet Witch, the Guardians of the Galaxy, and the Avengers. The trailer also showcases The Black Order's main antagonist, Thanos, will be rocking his original comic book look in the game.
The trailer also reveals that The Black Order will launch with an expansion pass that adds additional playable characters to the game. With the pass, you'll gain access to characters from the Marvel Knights, X-Men, and Fantastic Four.
New Mario And Sonic At The Olympic Games Trailer Shown During Nintendo Direct
One of the upcoming games the publisher showed off was a new Mario and Sonic at the Olympic Games. The new entry will celebrate the 2020 Games in Tokyo, Japan. Mario and Sonic will be joined by friends from their respective universes, and they'll compete in sports such as surfing, skateboarding, sprinting, climbing, boxing, horse racing, swimming, fencing, soccer, baseball, hurdles, long jump, basketball, shot put, volleyball, BMX, and gymnastics. Publisher Sega previously stated the game would arrive in the winter, and Nintendo has now announced it will exclusively appear on the Nintendo Switch this November.
Nintendo's Cadence Of Hyrule Releases On Switch Very, Very Soon
The company continued spreading the love for Link and Zelda with a new trailer for Cadence of Hyrule, which is (surprisingly) releasing very, very soon. The game will be released on June 13, which is right around the corner. Made by the same folks behind Crypt of the Necrodancer, Cadence of Hyrule is a roguelike, and borrows most of its mechanics and features from Necrodancer. It will feature 25 remixed classic tracks from the Legend of Zelda series of games.
Alien Isolation Is Coming To Nintendo Switch
Nintendo showed a sizzle reel of games coming to the Nintendo Switch in 2019 and beyond. Although it only appeared briefly, one of those games was a port of Creative Assembly's horror spooktacular, Alien: Isolation.
Animal Crossing For Switch Delayed, But It Now Has A Name
One of the most anticipated games heading into E3 2019 was Animal Crossing for Switch, and now we've finally gotten our first look at it during Nintendo's latest Direct presentation. Now officially dubbed Animal Crossing: New Horizons, the upcoming installment has been pushed back to March 20, 2020.
The Witcher 3 Announced For Nintendo Switch
It had been rumored, but Nintendo made it official during its E3 2019 broadcast. CD Projekt Red's acclaimed role-playing game The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt is coming to Nintendo Switch. It's the Complete Edition heading to Switch, and this features the game's two substantial expansions--Hearts of Stone and Blood and Wine. In terms of a release date, Nintendo confirmed that The Witcher 3 will be available on Switch sometime later this year.
Astral Chain Gameplay Video Shows Hectic Action And Sci-Fi Story
Finally, a new Astral Chain trailer was shown at Nintendo's E3 2019 Direct presentation. It offered another glimpse of the game in action with some over-the-top combat and boss fights.
The Poke Ball Plus is the Poke Ball-shaped controller that released alongside last year's Pokemon games, Let's Go Pikachu and Eevee. As we learned during the Direct, you'll be able to send some of your Pokemon from Sword and Shield to the Poke Ball Plus and take them with you on walks, just as you could in Let's Go Pikachu and Eevee. Nintendo teases that something good may happen if you bring your Pokemon with you. However, it doesn't appear you'll be able to use the Poke Ball Plus as a controller for Sword and Shield.
Update 2: While the press conferences of E3 have all concluded, that's not the end of publishers showing this off at E3. The show has only just opened, and many developers are set to show off their new games on GameSpot's E3 Live Stage Show. Check out our schedule for the rest of the week, and come back to find out more about upcoming titles!
Update: Today's Nintendo Direct has now ended, and it did not disappoint: Nintendo revealed Witcher 3 for Nintendo Switch, the next Super Smash Bros. Ultimate DLC characters, and information on a Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild sequel. While that marks the final press conference-style event, there's still so much more to come. You can check our livestream schedule for all of the cool games and developers we'll be getting a look at over the course of this week. There's more going on beyond that, with games like Marvel's Avengers and Call of Duty: Modern Warfare set for further discussions.
The biggest showing was Microsoft on Sunday, where it revealed a next-gen Xbox console known as Scarlett. The system launches Holiday 2020 with Halo Infinite.
Below you'll find the full schedule for every press conference, including start times for a variety of timezones. (We also have schedule guides for the UK and Australia.) We'll be livestreaming every big event here on GameSpot, and then the show floor opens up from June 11-13, so you can look for more gameplay videos, hands-on impressions, and interviews in the days ahead.
Crash Team Racing: Nitro-Fueled's release date for PS4, Xbox One, and Nintendo Switch is just days away, but publisher Activision is still revealing more information about the game. The company has now revealed during E3 2019 that the racer will receive a bunch of free DLC and live events after launch, including Spyro the Dragon as a playable character.
The seasonal events are named Grands Prix, and they'll each add a new track, unlockable characters, and more customization options. The first track to be added will be Twilight Tour, a brand-new arena for the series. The first Grand Prix, which kicks off on July 3, will also allow you to unlock Tawna. Spyro the Dragon, meanwhile, will be included in one of the next two Grand Prix seasons.
Set in 1920s prohibition era Chicago, Empire of Sin tasks you with building your own ruthless criminal empire by taking on the mantle of one of 14 crime bosses, comprised of both real historical characters and fictional archetypes. "With randomly generated starting conditions, players will have to adapt to survive and do whatever it takes to outsmart, out-gun and outlast their opponents," the official website reveals.
You'll be able to build a team of loyal mobsters, select a racket--whether it's casinos, union protection or speakeasies--and make a name for yourself in order to expand the territory and influence of your crime family. And when things turn ugly you can face off against rival gangs in turn-based combat where the chemistry of your crew is just as important as the Tommy guns they're wielding.
It also promises a living, breathing recreation of a vibrant 1920s Chicago, with a full cast of characters to schmooze, coerce, seduce, threaten, or kill. You can make and break alliances, bribe the police, and head to the black market to gain an edge on the competition. Each decision is informed by how you choose to play, as multiple win conditions ensure you can make it to the top with violence, business smarts, or city-wide notoriety.
Empire of Sin is due for release in 2020 for PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Switch, and PC.
Specifically, the Legend of Zelda series' director, Eiji Aonuma, has told IGN that one of the development team's inspirations for the sequel was Red Dead Redemption 2. Responding to a question about which games were inspiring the team's younger members, Aonuma replied, "[Something] I did hear that a lot of people were playing was Red Dead Redemption 2."
Later, Aonuma told of the wider team's inspirations: "When I was working on Breath of the Wild, the director [Hidemaro Fujibayashi] was playing Skyrim."
Red Dead Redemption 2, Zelda: Breath of the Wild, and The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim are all large-scale open-world games. Each received critical acclaim and achieved commercial success.
No release date, title, or further details were announced for the Zelda sequel. The teaser trailer, which you can watch above, showed Link traveling with Zelda herself on horseback, and we see something happening with Hyrule Castle in the distance. The video also featured some eerie music and a stunning landscape similar to the one seen in the original game. We've got a Breath of the Wild sequel trailer breakdown that dives further into what there is to glean from this debut video.
The first game was released as a cross-generation launch title for the Nintendo Switch. We awarded it a 10/10 in GameSpot's Zelda: Breath of the Wild review. Our critic, Peter Brown, wrote: "No matter how gorgeous its environments are, how clever its enemies are, and how tricky its puzzles get, the fact that Breath of the Wild continues to surprise you with newfound rules and possibilities after dozens of hours is by far its most valuable quality. It's a game that allows you to feel gradually more and more empowered yet simultaneously manages to retain a sense of challenge and mystery--which, together, creates a steady, consistent feeling of gratification throughout the entire experience. Breath of the Wild is a defining moment for The Legend of Zelda series, and the most impressive game Nintendo has ever created."
The appearance of Keanu Reeves at the Microsoft Xbox E3 2019 briefing where he announced the release date for Cyberpunk 2077 was unquestionably one of the most memorable events of the entire show (at least so far). Now, it's revealed that Microsoft went to great lengths to ensure that Reeves' appearance was kept a secret.
Xbox boss Phil Spencer explained to Variety that Microsoft used a stand-in for Reeves during rehearsals. Not only that, but Reeves was referred to with a codename. The report goes on to say that Reeves didn't set foot inside the Microsoft Theatre until the morning of his appearance.
Also in the interview, Spencer acknowledged that he wasn't sure how it would all go down. He said he's seen some celebrity endorsements fall flat over years. But after seeing a brief from developer CD Projekt Red--which had the idea for Reeves' appearance--Microsoft was convinced that it was going to be "very authentic," Spencer said.
CD Projekt Red spoke to GameSpot at E3 this week regarding how they got Reeves involved. They approached him about a year ago for the role, and the studio said the part he plays--Johnny Silverhand--would only work with Reeves. "It was always him or no one else for the role," CD Projekt Red's Miles Tost explained, adding that he was happy the news didn't leak.
Check out the video embedded above to learn more about how CD Projekt Red brought Keanu Reeves on board for Cyberpunk 2077. You can also read the GameSpot story linked below to learn more about the role Reeves plays in Cyberpunk 2077.
Electronic Arts considered developing a Mario Party-style Simpsons game, but it was too ambitious and it was ultimately canceled. The news comes from an E3 2019 Coliseum livestream where series producers Matt Selman and J. Stewart Burns spoke about it for what appears to be the first time. Selman mentioned the game after host Aaron Bleyaert asked the panel which Simpsons game was their favorite to work on.
"My favourite game to work on was the Simpsons party game that never came out that we just got paid for," Selman said with a laugh. "At the time there was a trendy kind of, Mario Party, lots of mini-games ... we briefly discussed getting on that bandwagon."
Burns said the Simpsons party game was going to span around 20 different party games, but he estimated it would take a year to make each one, and that was simply not possible.
"It looked like it was going to be a 20-year project or longer because I don't think we were going to get one of the party games done in a year," he said. "That was not my favorite thing to work on. It was great when we heard it was not going forward. That was our fault, not EA's."
Burns added that he felt like the Simpsons production team owed Electronic Arts the mobile game Tapped Out after the unannounced party game fell apart.
Tapped Out went on to become very popular and lucrative, and it's still operating today more than six years after its initial release in 2013. The game continues to receive new updates, the latest of which is called "Royale." Its new content pokes fun at battle royale games like Fortnite.
It's unclear what developer was tasked with working on the unannounced and unreleased Simpsons party game, and it's also unknown if any actual development was done on the title or if it was only conceived in the planning stage.
Whatever the case, it's almost always exciting to hear about unannounced games and think about what they could have been. This is also true for the Simpsons party game. There are seemingly countless opportunities for fun and silly Simpsons-style mini-games. You could imagine something about Homer eating donuts, Bart skateboarding, or Barney drinking as many beers as possible. The possibilities are pretty much endless.
Also during the livestream, Selman talked about how much he enjoyed 2007's The Simpsons Video Game for its meta-narrative in particular, even if the gameplay wasn't all that great. He also enjoyed how God was the final boss.
It's no surprise that EA would want to try to make its own Mario Party-style game, as Nintendo's franchise is enduringly popular. The latest instalment, Super Mario Party, has sold more than 6.4 million copies which makes it one of the Switch's most successful games.
The Simpsons Video Game in 2007 was the latest Simpsons console/PC game. During the livestream, Burns said the producers are always thinking about how they could make more Simpsons titles, but, sorry, there is no word yet on if Hit & Run 2 will ever happen.
Infinity Ward created one of the most successful and influential shooters of all time with 2007's Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare. The studio is rebooting the game this year, but not everyone involved with the original Modern Warfare is still with the team.
Activision fired Infinity Ward co-founders Vince Zampella and Jason West in 2010 for insubordination. Zampella went on to create Respawn Entertainment, which enjoyed success with the Titanfall series and more recently the battle royale game Apex Legends (West has since joined Epic Games). But what does Zampella think of Activision deciding to reboot Modern Warfare? Speaking on GameSpot sister site Giant Bomb's E3 2019 livestream, Zampella said he has mixed feelings about Modern Warfare coming back.
"There's a part of it where it's humbling. It's like somebody that I was involved in is worthy of being rebooted. It's got so much history that people want to see it grow and evolve. There's a little bit of that, 'Wow, that legacy is huge.' That's humbling," Zampella said.
At the same time, however, Zampella said he is "a little bit emotional." Specifically, he said he wonders about Captain Price and how the new game will carry his legacy forward. Zampella said he's also thinking about how the legacy of the Modern Warfare series could change depending on the response and reception to the Modern Warfare reboot. Overall, Zampella said his feelings swing back and forth when he thinks about the new game, but overall he said he has confidence that Infinity Ward is "in it right for the right reasons."
"They wanted to do something great in the Modern Warfare space," he said.
The new Modern Warfare retains some elements of 2007's game in that it will tell war stories from different perspectives in a fictional Middle East setting. Price is indeed returning as a mentor character of sorts, but he has a new voice actor.
When Zampella and West were fired, a number of Infinity Ward developers left to join them at Respawn on the team that would go on to create Titanfall. One of those developers was Drew McCoy, who is now the executive producer of the wildly successful Apex Legends.
McCoy said he's been excited to experience the new Modern Warfare reboot this time as a fan and not a developer. He also mentioned that it was a "classy" move on Activision's part to put the original developers' names in the opening credits to the 2016 Modern Warfare remaster.
The defections from Infinity Ward were so numerous that Activision reportedly had to bring in Sledgehammer Games to help finish Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3.
Microsoft's X0 event is returning this year. Xbox boss Phil Spencer confirmed during the Inside Xbox livestream this week that X019 will be held in London this November.
Microsoft says fans can expect "news, first looks, and plenty of surprises." The show will begin with the "biggest Inside Xbox episode of the year," Microsoft teased.
The company said it's expecting "thousands" of people to attend, and more details will be announced at Gamescom in August. No venue has been announced for X019, while ticketing details are also unknown at this point.
Just before E3 2019, The Pokemon Company introduced us to the new Dynamax mechanic in Pokemon Sword and Shield. When a Pokemon Dynamaxes, it grows to an incredible size--like, building-size--and gains extra power and stronger moves. It also works similarly to Mega Evolution in that you can only use it once in a battle. Basically, Dynamaxing is the "taking it up to 11" of Pokemon games.
At E3 2019, we spoke to Sword and Shield creative director Shigeru Ohmori about the thought process behind Dynamaxing. As it turns out, a lot of it has to do with the Nintendo Switch as a new platform for core Pokemon games. These are the first in the main series to be on TVs, so going big with the Pokemon is a great way to show that off.
"Now on Nintendo Switch, we have more resolution to work with--maybe you're playing on a big screen TV," Ohmori said. "So the ability to see the difference in size of the Pokemon was a lot easier this time... It was something we wanted to challenge ourselves [with] this time."
On top of that, there was a heartwarming reason: to make sure every Pokemon has a chance to shine. Unlike with Mega Evolution, any Pokemon can be Dynamaxed; they don't need to hold a special item, even. Yes, this means you can battle with a giant Wooloo.
"One of my goals with Dynamax this time around is that any Pokemon can use it, so I wanted to have the ability to--for some Pokemon that didn't have their time in the spotlight to be viable in battle as well this time," Ohmori said.
In other Pokemon news, we learned more about how Max Raid battles work during Nintendo's Treehouse livestream. Pokemon Sword and Shield come out November 15.
One of the biggest challenges that Star Wars: Jedi Fallen Order's developers face is creating a game that has engaging mechanics, but also fulfills the fantasy of being a Jedi. It may sound easy on paper but striking the right balance is tricky, and there's a long line of mediocre Star Wars action games that serve as a testament to that.
At E3 2019, the scuttlebutt has been that Jedi Fallen Order is a game in the same mold as From Software's Dark Souls, Bloodborne, and Sekiro. These games are mechanically demanding and deliver a potent sense of accomplishment, but it's hard-earned--not the kind of approachable experience that hooks an audience as broad as Star Wars'. And therein lies the challenge.
Respawn's solution is what it calls "thoughtful" combat, and this is also what is most reminiscent of From Software's games. At E3 2019 I got a chance to play Jedi Fallen Order, with the bulk of my hands-on spent in a combat arena getting a better handle of what this "thoughtful" combat entails.
The arena itself was no-frills, a plain open area where I could run around and swing my lightsaber to cut down any enemies in my path. Further out, there were walls where enemies could be placed to fire blaster shots from a safe distance. My opponents were a cannon-fodder Storm Trooper, a blaster-wielding variant, aggressive Purge Troopers, and surprisingly deadly KX-Series Security Droids.
Almost immediately, Jedi Fallen Order feels a lot looser than Dark Souls; the general speed of movement and responsiveness is closer to Sekrio, though its feedback doesn't quite feel as sharp and satisfying. The "thoughtful" part of combat comes in how you manage your enemies and crowd control, and then the efficiency with which you dispatch them.
To begin with, I went up against the vanilla, hits-head-on-roof brand of Storm Trooper, who like to stand at a distance and take potshots with their blasters. To take them out, I simply waited for them to fire a shot and then guarded at the very last second to deflect the incoming fire back and take out the trooper. The guard button can be held down to deflect all incoming fire in random directions, but to actually return the shot requires specific timing. These enemies are incredibly fragile and, if you get close enough to them, a couple of lightsaber swings brings them down.
The second variant of Storm Trooper was wielding an electric baton of sorts and, as such, was very aggressive, quickly moving into range to deliver up-close melee attacks. Here, I got to put the counter system to work and, as a strike was about to land on me, pressed the guard button to turn the table on the enemy and create an opening for myself. This will no doubt be familiar to those have played Sekiro, though, again, the timing feels a little more lenient. Like deflecting blaster shots, there is a simpler way to deal with these enemies, and that is to hold down the block button to nullify attacks. However, Jedi in training and hero of Jedi Fallen Order, Cal Kestis, has a defense bar and every attack chips away at it, so turtling for extended periods of time isn't an option.
Almost immediately, Jedi Fallen Order feels a lot looser than Dark Souls; the general speed of movement and responsiveness is closer to Sekrio
And that's where the dodge comes in handy. Pressing the B button on the Xbox controller while holding a direction made Cal dash, but with a second tap of the button, he'd roll away. This, it turned out, was particularly useful for getting away from the Purge Troopers, who are a considerably more formidable enemy. Taking them down involved a careful dance of landing a swipe and then dodge-rolling out of the way of their sweeping attacks. Occasionally they'd spin their double-sided energy weapons around themselves, but by pressing the dodge button without a direction, Cal could do a last-second dodge that narrowly avoids the incoming attack without disengaging from battle, slowing down the action. Occasionally, I'd pull these last-second dodges off in quick succession and be rewarded with a front kick animation that would create some space.
The final enemy, the Security Droids, were undoubtedly the trickiest customers. While slow, they would bear down on me and deliver powerful punches that, unless parried, would deplete Cal's health in just a few blows. They'd also throw in an unblockable grab, during which Cal would be slammed into the ground. These guys required a little more finesse to destroy, and by finesse, I mean using a very handy Force ability that would lock them into place to give you a good window to land a powerful Focus Attack.
Taken individually, each element of Jedi Fallen Order's combat is fairly simple and I daresay uninteresting. However, it's when the game throws a bunch of different kinds of enemies at you together that the "thoughtful" part of it really clicks. With Blaster Troopers dotted around, baton-wielding troopers closing the gap, and a Purge Trooper circling, Jedi Fallen Order's combat becomes a process of target prioritization and threat management. I quickly used my Force powers to trap the Purge Trooper in stasis, then double jumped away from the incoming attackers so I could get enough time and space to bait the troopers perched on walls to fire at me. I deflected blaster shots back to take them out of the equation, and by that time had enough breathing room to land a series of counter-attacks that left just me and the Purge Trooper in the field of combat. With the odds evened, I could carefully engage and disengage, dodging through its flurries and countering the slower, more telegraphed strikes.
And that's when it all clicked into place. At this stage, it feels like Respawn has done a good job of having a two-tiered gameplay experience, with the first being one that can be enjoyed by those looking for a simple but satisfying, almost button-mashy style of combat. The second, however, offers greater depth for those who want it, inviting them to consider how they approach each scenario, how best they can use their abilities and Force powers to give themselves the edge, and then executing in an efficient way. There were further considerations in combat that, sadly, we didn't get as much of an opportunity to experiment with, like Force pulling enemies towards you, which looked like it would be very useful for taking out the Troopers with flamethrowers, and the Force Push. On top of that, there was a skill tree that wasn't available in our demo, so it seems there's further depth. But, as it stands, Jedi Fallen Order feels like it could be a satisfying Star Wars action experience. It may even double up as an approachable entry-point into the world of Souls-likes.
Appearing on GameSpot's E3 2019 stage show today, Bethesda boss Todd Howard opened up and spoke candidly about Fallout 76's struggles and where the game is headed. The full segment is available to watch in the video embed above, and it is well worth a watch.
In the video, Howard talks about how Bethesda was caught off guard by how widespread Fallout 76's issues were at release. He said the issues might have been serious enough to sink the title were it not for the game's passionate fan base that stuck with it and gave Bethesda feedback. Overall, Howard remarked that Bethesda "missed the mark" with Fallout 76 at release.
He also acknowledged that Fallout 76 was something new and different for Bethesda with its always-online, multiplayer-focused nature. He said Fallout 76 was similar to Bungie's Destiny in that it wasn't overwhelmingly enjoyed at launch but survived--and thrived--thanks in part to fans that stuck with the game and helped give feedback to make it better.
Howard's main regret from Fallout 76 is that it didn't go through enough public beta tests to give Bethesda the insight and information it needed to ensure a smoother rollout.
One of the reasons that Bethesda is able to continue to support Fallout 76 is because the company has grown substantially in recent years. A dedicated team is working on ongoing support for Fallout 76, while Bethesda's other internal teams are working on titles like Starfield and The Elder Scrolls VI, in addition to Bethesda's in-development mobile projects.
"There is a lot of science fiction. There's less in games actually; there's more in movies and television. And for us, that's a world and IP and game we've thought about for a decade. It's our first new IP in 25 years," Howard said. "Our goal is it has its uniqueness where it stands up with Fallout and Elder Scrolls and Starfield, and it's its own thing. We spend a lot of time on tone. Not just game flow, but how does it feel so you look at it and say, 'That's Starfield' versus Star Trek or Star Wars."
You can watch our full interview with Todd Howard in the video embed above.
E3 2019 is one of the world's biggest and most important video game conferences, and it's going on right now--press conferences began this weekend and continued early this week. While the show may be in a state of undeniable upheaval, many of the industry's biggest players are still coming to the show, including platform-holders Microsoft and Nintendo, as well as Square Enix (occupying a time normally held by Sony). Even Google held a Stadia Connect event just before E3. For the first time in the show's history, however, the third major platform-holder--Sony PlayStation--is not attending. So, what gives?
Sony confirmed in late 2018 that it would not attend E3 2019 because it was looking for other "inventive opportunities" to connect with its own community.
"PlayStation fans mean the world to us and we always want to innovate, think differently and experiment with new ways to delight gamers. As a result, we have decided not to participate in E3 in 2019," a PlayStation representative said at the time.
Despite not attending E3, Sony did recently generate some excitement one of PS4's big upcoming exclusives, releasing a new Death Stranding trailer and announcing a release date of this November. Before that, it shared the first details about its next-gen PlayStation console, PS5. Although it does not yet have an official name (we're simply assuming it will be the PlayStation 5), we have learned all about its specs and other elements of the console.
This year is the first time that Sony has opted to skip E3 since it entered the video game business in the mid-90s. While Sony has completely bowed out, other companies have adjusted their E3 plans in recent years.
Microsoft, for example, relocated its floor space from the show floor at the Los Angeles Convention Center to the nearby Microsoft Theatre in 2018, something that it is doing again this year. Nintendo, for its part, stopped conducting live stage shows at E3 in favor of broadcasting its popular, often shorter, pre-recorded Nintendo Direct briefings.
Sony, too, tried something new with its E3 2018 briefing. The company opted to conduct a somewhat-bizarre "guided experience" that focused on just four games over the course of the evening. The reaction from the community was mixed.
E3 2019 isn't the only major event this year that Sony is skipping. The company recently confirmed it will not host its annual PlayStation Experience this year. "We wouldn't have enough to bring people all together in North America to have that event," PlayStation boss Shawn Layden said. "We don't want to set expectations really high and then not deliver on that. It was a hard decision, but we have determined that this year we will not hold PlayStation Experience."
While Sony won't be at E3, the show is still expected to bring a lot of big news. Microsoft already announced its new Xbox console, Scarlet, as well as a From Software-George RR Martin game, Elden Ring.
Update: Just as teased, Nintendo revealed the next playable character for Super Smash Bros. Ultimate during its E3 2019 Direct. However, there was not one, but two new fighter reveals. Nintendo kicked off the presentation by announcing the Hero from Dragon Quest XI, who'll be joining Smash Bros. Ultimate's roster this summer. It appears his alternate costumes are the Heroes from Dragon Quest III, V, and VIII, and he'll be joined by other protagonists from the series' history for his Final Smash. Then at the end of the Direct, Nintendo unveiled Banjo-Kazooie. The original story follows.
Nintendo has been mostly quiet about what it plans to show off during its upcoming E3 2019 Direct, but we now know at least one thing that will definitely happen during the livestream. Following the finals of the Super Smash Bros. Ultimate World Championship tournament this past weekend, the company confirmed that it will reveal the game's next playable DLC character during its E3 Direct today, June 11.
In a video message, Super Smash Bros. Ultimate director Masahiro Sakurai congratulated the winning team and provided an update on the game's DLC. "As for me, I'll be continuing my work on the next DLC fighter, and more information regarding that will be shared in the Nintendo Direct for E3 2019, so I hope you're looking forward to it," Sakurai said.
Nintendo of America president Doug Bowser also teased that fans wouldn't want to miss Tuesday's Direct. "I think many of you are gonna want to tune in next week to see what, or who, [Sakurai] may be talking about," he said. Bowser also announced a Super Smash Bros. Ultimate Online Open tournament, which will kick off this month. The four winners of that will compete in Super Smash Bros. Ultimate at the Evo 2019 championships this August.
Nintendo has already released two DLC characters for Super Smash Bros. Ultimate. Piranha Plant, who was offered for free to early adopters, arrived in February, while Persona 5's Joker launched in April. There are still four DLC characters coming to the game, although Nintendo hasn't revealed their identities yet.
Joker and the remaining four fighters are included in the Fighters Pass, which runs for $25 USD. Each of the DLC characters comes with a brand-new stage, as well as several music tracks and a handful of new Spirits drawn from their series. The character packs can also be purchased individually for $6 USD. Nintendo says all of Smash Bros. Ultimate's DLC characters will be released by February 2020.
That wasn't the only announcement to come out of Nintendo's pre-E3 tournaments. Following the Splatoon 2 World Championship, Nintendo announced the date and theme of the game's final Splatfest event, which will take place from July 18-21. Following the Splatfest, Nintendo will release the game's 5.0 update. You can find more news and announcements from E3 on GameSpot's E3 2019 hub.
Square Enix's E3 2019 press conference started off with a long, in-depth presentation of Final Fantasy VII Remake for PlayStation 4. The publisher gave an overview of the game's revamped combat system, which mixes real-time action with the familiar but altered Active Time Battle system. We also learned that the game will be quite massive, featuring two Blu-ray discs' worth of gameplay content.
It seems the sheer amount of content is why it'll take up so much space. Square Enix had previously said the Final Fantasy VII remake would come in multiple parts or episodes. As producer Yoshinori Kitase explained during an E3 press preview, however, the first "game" is "set in the eclectic city of Midgar and presents a fully standalone gaming experience," effectively making it the first leg of the original version of FFVII. Kitase said Square Enix isn't sure yet how many episodes Final Fantasy VII Remake will require, or how long development of additional episodes will take.
That wasn't the only Final Fantasy VII news to come out of the press conference; Square Enix also showed off an extended version of the trailer that was revealed during June 9's Final Fantasy concert. This one gave us our first look at Tifa, along with more footage of the revamped battle system.
Square Enix also unveiled two new special editions for the game, including a $330 1st Class edition. All of this comes on the heels of Sunday's night announcement of a March 2020 release date for the much-anticipated remake, which releases exclusively on PS4. Kitase said during the presentation that the team "will not disappoint your expectations." You can read more in our Final Fantasy VII Remake pre-order guide.
E3 2019 is steadily drawing to a close, so check the full schedule to see what presentations are left. And check back here for all the latest and hottest announcements and news updates.
The first screenshots from Call of Duty: Modern Warfare's multiplayer mode have emerged online, providing a first look at the online mode for Infinity Ward's military shooter and confirming the return of Spec Ops mode.
The screenshots were released as part of the game's appearance at the E3 Coliseum event. Captured in-game on Infinity Ward's new game engine, the first image shows a character in a ghillie suit who is wielding a silenced sniper rifle. Activision has now shared that one on the Call of Duty Twitter account, as you can see below. The second image confirms that the Juggernaut suit from 2007's Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare is returning.
It was also confirmed during the event that the co-op Spec Ops mode from previous Modern Warfare games will return in the new game. No details were provided, but developers said fans can look forward to more details in the time ahead as Infinity Ward works on making it look perfect before showing it off publicly.
The Infinity Ward developers also shared more insight into Modern Warfare's story. Like the original game, story plays out from multiple perspectives. In some sections, you'll play as a Tier 1 SAS operator alongside Captain Price, and in others you'll play as a CIA SAD operator who gets embedded with a local militia in the game's fictional Middle Eastern country.
The Tier 1 operator is Kyle Gerrick, who is a British Army officer who now works counter-terrorism. He's voiced by Elliot Knight. The CIA SAD operator goes by the name Alex, and he's voiced by Chad Michael Collins. A third character, Farrah, who is not playable, is voiced by Claudia Doumit.
Infinity Ward's Taylor Kurosaki also talked about the controversial re-casting of Captain Price. He's voiced by Barry Sloane in the new game, while Billy Murray voiced him in the original. Kurosaki said it's similar to when Daniel Craig took over for Pierce Brosnan as James Bond. The movie producers didn't want to find someone who looked like Brosnan, but rather someone who could embody the spirit of James Bond. The game is true for Price, Kurosaki said.
Modern Warfare launches on October 25 for PS4, Xbox One, and PC.
Since Microsoft's E3 2019 press conference, we haven't stopped thinking about Keanu Reeves. The Reeves-surgence is in full swing thanks to John Wick (and to his excellent appearance in Netflix's Always Be My Maybe), and now CD Projekt Red has somehow had the foresight to include him in Cyberpunk 2077. From the trailer, though, it wasn't clear how big a role Reeves' character would have in the game.
During a behind-closed-doors presentation at E3 2019, we saw nearly an hour of Cyberpunk 2077 footage that strongly indicates Reeves has a very big role in the game's story. He plays Johnny Silverhand, a major character from the Cyberpunk 2020 universe (the tabletop game on which 2077 is based). In the demo we saw, Johnny appears as a hologram that's apparently in your character's head, and he acts as a guide of sorts through key moments.
"He's a primary character in the game," lead quest designer Pawel Sasko told GameSpot. "He's the front man of the Samurai band... The Samurai band is the one from [Cyberpunk] 2020, from the original sourcebook. He was the guy who was extremely charismatic, and very lively, and loves life, and goes in gun in-hand. There were extremely bad things that happened to him in 2020."
This is less weird than it might sound; your character, V, has a biochip embedded in their brain, and that's apparently where Johnny resides. He was killed in the Firestorm Cyberpunk 2020 sourcebook but exists on the chip as a "digital ghost," Sasko said.
"He ends up as a digital ghost, and your whole relationship starts with him, and it's really complex," Sasko said. "You can develop it through the whole game. So he is absolutely throughout the whole game from beginning almost to the end."
Because it's in your brain, Johnny will stick around for a significant part of the game, and your relationship with him is a large part of the story. That is way more Keanu Reeves than we expected at first, and it's looking like that's a very good thing.
"You can develop [your relationship with Johnny] towards different resolutions I would say, and that happens in the late game and finale, and so on... so really important part of the game," Sasko said. "One thing I could add is it's not absolutely completely true that he's a really nice guy. He has his own agenda. There are things going on between you, and he may not always like what's going on. I think that's something that we could emphasize here. There's this play between [Johnny and V]. This play, I would call fight, slow pushing, one pushing another, seeing where are the boundaries."
Cyberpunk 2077 now has a release date: April 16, 2020. Look out for more Cyberpunk news as E3 goes on, including how the team got Keanu Reeves involved in the first place.
Appearing on GameSpot's E3 2019 Live Show stage, Bethesda boss Todd Howard spoke at a high level about one of the company's ambitious upcoming games which was announced at E3 2018: the sci-fi title Starfield.
Howard explained that Bethesda's goal with Starfield--which is Bethesda's first new IP in 25 years--is to have it stand apart from the wealth of science fiction stories out there in media.
"There is a lot of science fiction. There's less in games actually; there's more in movies and television," Howard said. "And for us, that's a world and IP and game we've thought about for a decade. It's our first new IP in 25 years."
"Our goal is it has its uniqueness where it stands up with Fallout and Elder Scrolls and Starfield, and it's its own thing. We spend a lot of time on tone. Not just game flow, but how does it feel so you look at it and say, 'That's Starfield' versus Star Trek or Star Wars."
Unfortunately, because it's so early, Howard is talking about specifics about Starfield at this stage. The game skipped E3 2019, which was the same for Bethesda's other major upcoming game, The Elder Scrolls VI. Howard has talked about how both Starfield and The Elder Scrolls VI may not release until the next-generation of consoles come out.
Starfield and The Elder Scrolls VI did not appear at Bethesda's E3 2019 briefing this week. The publisher instead revealed a Fallout 76 battle royale mode, while Dishonored studio Arkane announced a new game called Deathloop and The Evil Within studio Tango Gameworks revealed Ghostwire: Tokyo. You can check out GameSpot's Bethesda E3 2019 news recap to see all the big reveals.
During the Microsoft E3 press conference, The Coalition released new trailers for Gears 5 and revealed additional details about the game--including a new PvE mode called Escape. The developer also, surprisingly, announced a Terminator crossover for Gears 5, where you'll be able to play as either the Terminator or Sarah Connor.
During our E3 2019 Gears 5 Stage Show (embedded above), GameSpot video producers Mike Mahardy and Lucy James asked The Coalition studio head Rod Fergusson about the crossover. The rest of the interview covers the new Escape mode and how Gears 5 changes the traditional Gears of War formula.
"It was just one of those things where we've always been fans of the Terminator franchise and we're here coming back with James Cameron and Linda Hamilton and we're just very excited," Fergusson said. "When you look at Sarah Connor as a character, she really resonates with us in terms of how we're telling Kait's story. Kait went from this outsider civilian into this warrior who's trying to save humanity. It's kind of the same story for Sarah Connor. And so this idea of bringing these two franchises together in a really cool way is exciting to us."
In Gears 5, Sarah will be voiced by the actress behind the original character. "Linda is actually going to do the voice of Sarah Connor," Fergusson said. To play as Connor or the Terminator, you must either pre-order Gears 5 or buy and play the game within the first week of its launch. Of course, that means if you're a Game Pass subscriber, you qualify without having to buy the game. Just remember to download Gears 5 within the first week of its release.
Gears 5 is coming to Xbox One and PC on September 10.
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