Monthly Archives: June 2016
Tons of New Gameplay Images From Pokemon Sun and Moon
Nintendo showed off the first gameplay from Pokemon Sun and Moon during its E3 2016 Nitnendo Treehouse event today.
The game isn't final, and Nintendo made sure to mention things could change between now and when the games release November 18.
The new Pokedex was briefly explained during the gameplay session, and we were treated to a few new Pokemon native to the Alola region: Pikipek, a Normal-and Flying-type Woodpecker Pokémon; Yungoos, an hungry and angry Normal-type Loitering Pokémon; and finally Grubbin, a Bug-type Larva Pokémon.
We also saw the reveal of Magearna, a 500 year old Pokemon created by a scientist with the power to perceive "emotions, thoughts, and feelings of other Pokemon."
Pokemon Sun and Moon Four-Player Battle Royal Mode Revealed
During its Treehouse Live stream today at E3, Nintendo revealed a new gameplay mode in Pokemon Sun & Moon, called Battle Royal. It's a four-player, free-for-all battle. The winner is determined by the number of Pokemon defeated, and the number of Pokemon left in your party at the end of an allotted time.
Nintendo also confirmed that you'll be able customize your character's appearance.
"This is a completely new way to enjoy Pokémon battles, and many interesting strategies will be discovered as each player must try to predict who will attack whom, or choose whether to act to save a player who is in a pinch in order to claim the number-one position before the battle ends," said Nintendo in a press release.
Zelda: Breath of the Wild Is Wii U, NX Game’s Official Title
During its Treehouse Live stream today at E3, Nintendo officially revealed that The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild is the title of the next installment in the series, coming to Wii U and NX next year.
A trailer showed off new abilities for Link including climbing, hunting, and cooking, as well as voice acting for the first time in a Zelda game.
Nintendo has been experimenting with Zelda on Wii U since an early HD tech demo in 2011 when the console was first revealed. In early 2013, series producer Eiji Aonuma explained that Nintendo was “rethinking the conventions of Zelda,” and Zelda’s new visual style was revealed at E3 2014 along with a 2015 release date, followed by more gameplay footage shown at The Game Awards in late 2014.
Pete’s Dragon’s Director Didn’t Want to Make a Straight Remake
Any time you revisit a property that's existed for four decades, you're bound to have massive expectations of what that property could and should be stacked against you. That's why David Lowery, the director of Disney's new Pete's Dragon film, wants you to know he's not trying to tell the same story all over again.
"I really wanted to try to avoid the winks and the nods, not because the original's not great, but because I wanted this to really exist in its own realm," he said during a recent presentation of footage from the movie. "We talked about it, and we thought about having references. ... That always takes me out of the movie."
Lowery set Pete's Dragon in an era-ambiguous (sometime in the '70s and '80s), location-ambiguous (Pacific Northwest but shot in New Zealand) backdrop that will heighten the fairytale he is telling. The four scenes shown to press drip with whimsy, from Robert Redford's Mr. Chameleon telling neighborhood kids about the dragon that lives in the woods to Pete and Elliot's dramatic escape from Karl Urban's villainous Gavin.
LawBreakers Is Like Overwatch Meets Unreal Tournament
Above: Lawbreakers E3 gameplay trailer.
Prior to my first hands-on session with Lawbreakers, the first game by Gears of War creator Cliff Bleszinski's since his short, Michael Jordan-esque retirement from game development (though, to my knowledge, Cliff wasn’t spotted shagging flies for any minor league baseball teams), my eyes lit up when Bleszinski mentioned the Assassin class.
“Ooh, that sounds up my alley,” I thought.
It turned out my veteran first-person shooter instincts were correct. As my first match in the gravity-altering competitive shooter began, it didn’t take long for the Assassin and I to jell; I rapidly ascended the scoreboard as the sword-wielding, grappling hook-slinging killer. Her dashes allow her to rapidly close the distance between her and range-attacking foes, while the aforementioned grappling hook can be used to hitch onto geometry as well as enemy players, thus pulling yourself into their personal space in a hurry. I sliced and diced my foes in a fury of blades, saving my built-up ultimate attack power to trigger a superpowered frenzy that made me nearly unstoppable for short stretches. Only the Titan’s power attack seemed capable of putting me down with any sustainable success.
The Last Guardian Collector’s Edition Available For Pre-Order On Amazon
A new listing on Amazon has unboxed The Last Guardian Collector's Edition and fired the starting gun for pre-orders.
From a photo on the listing, it looks like the bundle will arrive within a wooden crate stamped with the words "The Last Guardian." Inside, the game itself will be housed within a premium steelbook game case emblazoned with Trico and the boy protagonist.
There'll also be a statue of the duo, depicting the feathery-griffon-cat-dog-thing asleep with the boy standing on his head. Because friendship.
Rogue One’s Sound Design Echoes Star Wars Legacy
This week, I got to attend a press event for Disney XD's upcoming animated series LEGO Star Wars: The Freemaker Adventures (more on that very soon!), but I also got the chance to sit down and talk to Matthew Wood, who's not only the voice of "R0-GR" on that show but the supervising sound editor on the Star Wars prequels, Star Wars: The Clone Wars, The Force Awakens and now Rebels, Rogue One and Episode VIII -- so, everything Star Wars, basically.
During our chat, I got to ask about Wood's work on Rogue One, which he's in currently the middle of. Set just before the events of the original Star Wars, the new movie seems particularly ripe for using familiar sounds to drive home nostalgia. Even in the first teaser, we can hear the eerie hum of a Star Destroyer, the loud shriek of Imperial alarms and the double-shrill of an AT-AT's blaster bolt. So, what's it been like editing the sound for a film that's so chronologically close to A New Hope?
Media Molecule Explains Why It’s Not at E3 With Dreams
Media Molecule unveiled Dreams at last year's E3, however the company is absent this year.
It seems the developer was too hard at work on the game to show it off during Sony's press conference. Media Molecule delivered a message to its fans today on Twitter: "The team here in the UK are working their socks off on #DreamsPS4 and we are looking forward to sharing more with you soon!"
"Stay tuned to our blog/social pages for the latest news and exclusive updates from the studio," the message continued.
Media Molecule then thanks its fans for their support, and promised "exciting times are ahead."
You Can Play Dishonored 2 Without Powers
A big part of Dishonored 2 will be the varied powers the main characters can use, but you can avoid their use altogether if you like.
Co-creative director of Arkane Studios Harvey Smith revealed the information on Twitter, as did Bethesda's Pete Hines on IGN's live stream yesterday.
Smith Tweeted: "You can literally say 'no' to the Outsider: 'I've had enough of your gifts.'"
"When you meet the Outsider," said Hines, "you can say 'I've had enough of your games, I don't want your powers'... you can play the entire game with no powers whatsoever."
What Does Norman Reedus Think of the Konami/Kojima Split?
Off the back of Hideo Kojima announcing his first game since leaving Konami, Death Stranding, The Walking Dead actor Norman Reedus has taken to social media to share his current thoughts via a Photoshopped image.
The image in question, pictured below, shows Kojima drinking from a mug with the words “Konami Tears” ‘shopped onto it.
From Reedus' Instagram account