E3 2012: Quantic Dream Announces Beyond: Two Souls

The follow-up to the twisting drama Heavy Rain doesn't look like it's going to be treading mainstream territory any time soon.  And we wouldn't have it any other way.

Beyond: Two Souls looks to be another gripping, mindbending story from Quantic Dream that explores the connection of life and afterlife.  This psychological thriller follows Jodie Holmes as she grows up with a special connection to the supernatural - granting her powers through a link to some unknown entity.  The player's decisions throughout Jodie's life will ultimately determine her fate and, according to Quantic Dream founder and game creator David Cage, may even answer the eternal questions about death and the afterlife.

Like Heavy Rain, the main draw of Beyond will be its Hollywood-caliber acting and motion capture, pushing the interactive story along to its final chapter.  To this end, Cage hand picked Oscar-nominated actress Ellen Page (Juno, Inception) for the role of Jodie, who, based on the initial video, appears to have fallen into the tortured girl's character extremely well.

While no gameplay elements were shown, the opening video was still a striking example of what Quantic can do.  And, to be honest, in an interactive drama, the gameplay (while important) takes a back seat to the presentation - something this trailer shows is worth watching.

Beyond: Two Souls is a PlayStation 3 exclusive, but currently has no scheduled release window.

E3 2012: The Last of Us Gameplay Demo

At yesterday's Sony press conference (did you think we forgot about them?), Naughty Dog floored us all with a demo showcasing their new IP, The Last of Us.

Only a few details were known about the game prior to yesterday's demonstration, and, well, we still don't know all that much.  It's not a zombie survival game, as some originally suspected, and there are hints of Uncharted-influences in the design, but we really only have basic details.

What we do know, however, is that now that we've gotten our eyes on it, we want more.  Check out the gameplay video here and salivate with the rest of us.

The developers tell us that, even though this demo was combat heavy, the game will allow you to play through the hotel floor in different ways.  For example, in this same building scene, it's possible to sneak your way past all of these scavengers hunting for supplies.

Most impressive in this demo (aside from the stunning visuals and voice acting) is what's going on under the hood:  the AI.  Called the "Balance of Power AI," enemies will realistically react to certain stimuli in combat, such as, in this video, when protagonist Joel's revolver clicks empty.  The enemies hear it and become more aggressive.  Similarly, Joel's young partner Elle grabs a nearby brick and knife to help Joel fight off the enemy, allowing Joel to rush in and claim the final strike.

From what we've seen, this is a game that everyone should have on his/her radar.  The bleak desolation of this post-apocalyptic world and the surprising emotion prompted by the 14-year-old Elle at your charge will no doubt lend itself well to a gripping story.  Thankfully, Naughty Dog has exceeded all expectations when it comes to story writing.

The Last of Us is due out sometime next year, exclusively for the PlayStation 3.

E3 2012: Assassin's Creed III Gameplay Demo

We've been excited about Assassin's Creed III ever since we found out about its stake in Amercian American history.  I mean, what's more awesome than giving King George's men a tomahawk to the head?

After a few trailers, we've finally got our eyeballs on a demo of actual gameplay, and it looks fantastic.

Running on the brand new engine Ubisoft-AnvilNext, the demo showcased American Assassin, Ratohnhaké:ton Connor, taking on an assassination of a British Templar.

Courtesy of IGN.com

Through the narrow, snow covered forests (a stark contrast to the sweeping vistas of the cities of the past), Connor leaped and parkour'd through the trees to tackle a dangerous... deer.  Connor snagged some fresh meat, and took on some wolves, Liam Neeson-style.  The assassin headed back to an American camp through thick snowdrifts (which seem to appropriately slow your movement), and we see that the meat was to fulfill a sidequest, which can be overheard and activated as you walk through town (a la Mass Effect 3) to be tackled at your leisure.

Connor then activates the main quest to take down the Templar.  With new weapons at his disposal, Connor hops through the trees and performs a Batman-style hanging takedown, hooking the unsuspecting Redcoat and hanging him from a tree.

The game features the silky smooth, near freeflow combat that we've come to know, as Connor singlehandedly takes down a troop.  Using their weapons against them, Connor switches between his tomahawk, gun, and his enemies' bayonets to take down an entire troop.

Air assassinations are still in full play, and look as awesome as ever.  Plus, at the end of the demo, we see now that Connor can now grab weapons while he's running after his prey, to ultimately use in the final kill (a stolen rifle was used in an air assassination!)

Assassin's Creed III will span 30 years of history - from before, during, and after the Revolutionary War.  During that time, Connor will be set on a journey to become America's first Master Assassin, making his way through cities and the wilderness in both summer and in the winter, offering a variety of gameplay aspects never seen before in an Assassin's Creed game.  This is a welcome change, considering that all previous games remained entirely in the same general setting during their entire campaigns.  (Of course, this made sense in Altair's Jerusalem, where they don't have seasons, but it would have been a welcome change during Ezio's reign in Europe.)

I cannot wait to get my hands on this game, and thankfully I don't have to wait too long.  Assassin's Creed III will be released on Halloween later this year for the Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, and PC.

E3 2012: Microsoft Announces Xbox SmartGlass

UPDATE: Screenshots added.

It seems that Microsoft has taken their commitment seriously to integrate their OSes across all of their devices.

Using Xbox SmartGlass, users can connect their tablet or smartphone to their Xboxes to enhance gameplay, media consumption, and to control Xbox navigation.

While not terribly exciting in and of itself (I mean, why would you want to distract yourself with a map of Game of Thrones, instead of just watching Game of Thrones?), but its gaming integration abilities are the most exciting part of SmartGlass.

Seemingly reading from the same playbook as Wii U, the integrated smart device will give gamers a secondary control screen to enhance your experience, for example, discreetly choosing your plays in sports games or showing Waypoint info in Halo. No doubt, many more options will reveal themselves as developers begin customizing SmartGlass for their games.

Xbox SmartGlass launches this fall.  While the demoed showed SmartGlass on Windows Phone and Windows 8 tablet devices, Microsoft announced it would work "with any device."  We'll find confirmation of this when it's available.  Update: Thankfully, this one's confirmed to work with iOS/Android phones and tablets in addition to its counterpart Windows versions.

As before, the conference is still on going as I type. We'll be sure to update this post with applicable images and videos once we can get our hands on them when the conference is over. Stay tuned!

E3 2012: Halo 4 Gameplay Demo

Opening their keynote with an anticipated bang, Microsoft showed the very first live gameplay demo of Halo 4.

Master Chief crash lands onto a lush green world, with the trusty Cortana at his virtual side. As the Chief investigates, he discovers Covenant forces, but the main opponent appears to be a hostile AI that bears no love for either Covenant or Spartans.

These new non-organic enemies are reminiscient of Metroid Prime's Space Pirates, with similar energy weapons and skills of their own. Thankfully, Master Chief can grab these new energy weapons off of the bodies of his fallen enemies as always to take on the new guys.

It also looks like Cortana will be taking a more serious role in this one, as the lovely computer mentioned she's past her "expiration date" and would start breaking down. She is also shown in the trailer as getting more emotional than we would have expected from the voice in our heads.

Unfortunately, no release date was given, but it looks like 343 Industries has risen to the occasion to fill the shoes left by Bungie in the series they made famous.

Halo 4, of course, launches exclusively on the Xbox 360 on November 6, 2012.

UPDATE: The full gameplay demo is here in all of its glory!

Stay tuned here as we get more details live from the Microsoft keynote at E3!

E3 2012: Nintendo Wii U Detailed

Getting a jump on the yearly gaming marketing spree that is the Electronic Entertainment Expo, Nintendo took to the internet to launch their Nintendo Direct Pre-E3 video, showing the world the finalized look and details of the Wii U.

Nintendo President Satoru Iwata hosted the video, detailing the Wii U's technical specs, in light of its initial design philosophy.

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Here are all of the pertinent details:

Wii U GamePad

Click for larger image.

There are a few differences from the prototype version of the GamePad first introduced at last year's E3.  Thankfully, the analog joysticks replace the prototype's thumbsticks, and the button placement has been slightly shifted for a more ergonomic fit.

Hit the jump for the all of the revealed details of the Wii U - such as NFC support, social networking, and conventional control schemes!

Click to read more ...

E3 2011: The PlayStation Vita Specs and Details

Like "Project Cafe," the powers that be found it proper to reveal the details behind the "NGP" -- now known as the PlayStation Vita -- and we've got our hands on the official spec sheet to share with you.

Due by the end of 2011, the PlayStation Vita is Sony Computer Entertainments's next portable handheld gaming system and successor to the PSP.  Boasting graphical powers on par with that of the PS3 powerhouse, the PSV "a revolutionary combination of rich gaming and social connectivity within a real world context."

The PSV's 5" OLED display is multi-touch capable and is complemented with a multi-touch pad on the rear.  The PSV also hosts a D-pad, dual analog sticks, front and rear cameras, a GPS, and an three-axis electronic compass.  Following suit of the PS3, the PSV will have a six-axis motion sensing system via its gyroscope and accelerometer, and the games will come on a small flash-based memory card.

As mentioned previously, the PSV will have full Trophy support and online connectivity via Wi-Fi and AT&T 3G, allowing gamers to connect the PlayStation Network, of course, and a number of new social apps, such as the "LiveArea" sharing space and the Street Pass-like "near." "Party" enables voice and text chat across games and applications, and "Activity" hosts live leaderboards.

On the gaming front, the PSV boasted a wide swath of top-tier games from first-party and third-party developers alike.  Uncharted: Golden Abyss, LittleBigPlanet, ModNation Racers, and Street Fighter X Tekken were just a few of the big name games that were demoed with the new handheld.  Suffice to say, the new system seems to have some big developer support.

Lastly, the PlayStation Vita will be available for a competively priced $249 and $299 for the Wi-Fi and 3G/Wi-Fi version, respectively.

E3 2011: The Nintendo Wii U Specs and Details

Now that the true nature of "Project Cafe" is revealed, we finally got our hands on the press kit to give you the details surrounding the new Nintendo Wii U.

Launching in 2012 (next fiscal year, so expect it after March 31, 2012), the Wii U is a brand new HD console.  Boasting resolutions from 480i to 1080p, the Wii U is powered by an "IBM Power-based multi-core microprocessor."  The Wii U also has four USB 2.0 ports and supports composite, S-video, component, and HDMI connections.  In a slightly disconcerting omission, the new console will have "internal flash memory" of an unannounced size but will be expandable via SD or via external USB HDD.

The big news, of course, surrounds the Wii U's new tablet-like controller.  The controller has a 6.2" 16:9-ratio touchscreen set in its center, complemented with traditional button controls and two analog Circle Pads, to create "a second window into the video game world."

The rechargeable controller includes the D-pad and the power and home buttons that we're used to from the Wii Remote, along with the A/B/X/Y setup of Nintendo's handheld consoles.  The controller also has L/R shoulder buttons and ZL/ZR buttons set toward the back.  Lastly, the new controller hosts a built-in accelerometer, gyroscope, camera, microphone, sensor strip, stylus, and stereo speakers.

However, your old Wii collection will not go completely to waste: the Wii U is entirely backwards compatible -- in both software and hardware.  All Wii games will be playable on the Wii U, and all Wii input devices (Remote, Nunchuck, Classic Controller, etc.) will be usable with the new console.

As more details surface, we'll be sure to bring them to you.  And like I said before, RIP Wii.

E3 2011: Nintendo Announces the "Wii U"

Today, Reggie Fils-Aime pulled back the curtain on the "Wii U," their HD console, codenamed "Project Cafe."

Featuring a 6.2" touchscreen, the Wii U is a tablet-like device with 6 buttons, a d-pad, dual analog sticks, an accelerometer, and rumble capability.  The Wii U is poised to be an in-home media device, allowing video sharing and fast-switching between the big screen and the Wii U screen.

Immediate reaction by gaming press and experts is overwhelmingly positive, but with a hint of confusion -- Reggie's presentation was very hesitant to call the Wii U a "console," instead opting for the term "controller." ...but we see the Wii U working independently from the TV, and the Wii U is described as being able to play Wii games, meaning functions on its own separate from a Wii console.

Similarly, it seems like a new portable device, but it also seems like it's tied to the home.  It has a game slot and its own graphics processor, but it can't leave the Wii?

More details as they appear -- hopefully, we'll clear the issues up soon.

UPDATE:  Some new answers are popping up, and it's finally beginning to make sense.  The entirety of Wii U's portion of the press conference was focused on the tablet-like controller, but the Wii U itself is a brand new 1080p HD console.

This new HD console is getting some good third-party support, too.  A teaser video featured developers like Irrational's Ken Levine among others and games like Darksiders II, Tekken, Batman: Arkham City, Assassin's Creed, and (amazingly) Tom Clancy's Ghost Recon Online.

The Wii U has been announced to be online-enabled (of course), but they have made zero indications as to what their online services will be.  No matter what it is, it will be, no doubt, better than their current Friend Code system.

Also, RIP Wii.

E3 2011: Nintendo 3DS New Lineup

I am hard-pressed to say that the Nintendo 3DS launch needs a "shot in the arm," since, quite frankly, the lineup has been pretty much DOA since the system launched.  Nintendo must know this too, since Reggie Fils-Aime came out to tout their new 3DS lineup first, and it looks like they're giving people what they want.

UPDATE: We've gotten our hands on some new titles and some assets, and we're happy to share them with you here!  We've added new details where appropriate, but, for the most part, Nintendo has only released the news that these titles exist -- nothing about release or other pertinent info. 

Hit the jump for all of the details and screen shots!  Animal Crossing 3DS, Kid Icarus: Uprising, Kirby Mass Attack, Luigi's Mansion 2, Mario Kart 3DS, and more!

Click to read more ...