Monthly Archives: June 2019
Dishonored Studio Reveals Deathloop
At the Bethesda E3 2019 conference, the developer behind the Dishonored series, Arkane Studios Lyon, has revealed Deathloop: a first-person action game set "in a time of madness."
Deathloop "transports players to the lawless island of Blackreef in an eternal struggle between two extraordinary assassins" and features a mind-bending story with "meticulously designed levels," a feature the Dishonored series has always been known and praised for.
As with Dishonored, players will be able to tackle challenges in most ways they see fit, and one of the main goals of Deathloop is to hunt down targets all over Blackreef to put an end to this cycle that appears to bring each assassin back to life after death.
Commander Keen Resurrected as a Mobile Game
Commander Keen - the side-scrolling series from Doom studio id - has been brought back to life as a mobile game, as announced at Bethesda's E3 2019 press conference. It's soft-launching for free this summer on iOS devices and Android phones.
This new mobile game is a "modern take" on the classic series, and features twin geniuses Billy and Billie who "build wacky gadgets from household items" and use gadgets to summon allies, attack enemies, and move through the environment. The story mode will tell classic Commander Keen tales and new ones, and there is also a Battle mode which allows players to go up against each other.
GhostWire: Tokyo Is the Next Game From The Evil Within Developers
Tango Gameworks founder Shinji Mikami announced GhostWire: Tokyo, Tango Gameworks' next game, during Bethesda's E3 2019 live conference.
Mikami described it as an "action-adventure game in which you will fight paranormal enemies and rid the city of a supernatural evil."
Creative Director at Tango Gameworks, Ikumi Nakamura went into further detail: "People are vanishing in Tokyo. You must find out why. You will encounter conspiracies and the occult. You have to explore the world, face challenges," Nakamura said.
The reveal trailer, seen above, shows off people disappearing in Tokyo, as well as a potential protagonist with a bow and some otherworldly powers.
Bethesda Details Free Fallout 76 Wastelanders DLC
During Bethesda’s E3 2019 press conference, we were shown footage from the upcoming free Wastelanders DLC for Fallout 76 – and its new battle royale mode, Nuclear Winter.
Bethesda is calling this Fallout 76’s "biggest update yet," as it "will fundamentally change the game.” The free update is part of its Year 2 content and will feature human NPCs with full dialogue trees, a new main quest, choice and consequences, new weapons and gear, and more. Wastelanders is set to arrive this fall.
Fallout 76: Nuclear Winter Is a Battle Royale Mode, and It’s Out Now
Bethesda has revealed Nuclear Winter, a new battle royale mode for Fallout 76 at its E3 2019 press conference.
Players can get a sneak peek at the new mode from June 10-17, and Fallout 76 will get a free trial that same week across all platforms.
This fight to the death consists of 52 players with a ring of fire slowly closing around the battlefield. You can "rank up, unlock new and exclusive Perks, deploy a C.A.M.P. and even launch nukes" according to Bethesda's official website.
Elder Scrolls Blades Is Coming to Switch
Elder Scrolls Blades is coming to Nintendo Switch in Fall 2019.
Announced at Bethesda's E3 2019 conference, Blades remains a free-to-play game and will allow for save transfers from the existing mobile versions.
Also announced was a new update, featuring solo Arena battles, custom jewelry system, new jobs, and a brand-new dragon questline. The update arrives tonight.
A further mode coming this fall will include PvP, guilds, and allow you to visit your friends' towns.
Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order: Wind Waker and Dark Souls Are an Inspiration
Respawn Entertainment, when searching for the perfect balance for Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order's combat difficulty, took inspiration from a mix of The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker, Bloodborne, Dark Souls, and Metroid.
Speaking to IGN, Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order director Stig Asmussen discussed how the team wanted the game to "feel grounded, like the more punishing games," but still have an accessibility that has the player thinking of the "right tools to take out the enemy in quicker ways," but isn't quite as "light as Zelda."
"When we first started, this is even on the earlier game that we were working on, I said, "We need to find a balance,"" Asmussen said. "We looked at Legend of Zelda: Wind Waker where they've got a Z targeting system and it's a very friendly combat system but it also makes you feel smart when you figure out the right tools to take out the enemy in quicker ways. Metroid works that way as well too, once you get different abilities. It makes you think. That's why we call it thoughtful combat."
Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order’s BD-1 Helped Shape Its Protagonist
BD-1, the adorable and eminently useful droid seen in Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order, helped shape the game’s protagonist Cal Kestis.
In an interview with IGN, Stig Asmussen of Respawn Entertainment gave us some insight on the relationship between these two characters, specifically how BD-1 changed from a somewhat traditional sidekick into something more as a result of his interactions with Cal, and how Cal grew in return.
“He started as kind of a sidekick and I think once we got him stood up in the game, and we started seeing the kind of interaction and how it was playing out, he really kind of threw into something that was like, 'No. He's a legit counterpart for Cal. We shouldn't make him this little buddy or anything like that,’” said Asmussen. "Cal was originally planned to be kind of very soft spoken, kind of young, Clint Eastwood type character. Doesn't say a whole lot. When he does, better listen, it's important.
All News, Trailers, and Gameplay From the Microsoft Xbox Press Conference
The Microsoft Xbox E3 2019 press conference kicked off on Sunday at 1pm PT, with tons of brand new trailers and announcements – including a highly anticipated rundown of what's in store for Xbox's upcoming next-gen console, Project Scarlett.
Besides hardware, there were also new game announcements like Elden Ring, new trailers for upcoming sequels like Halo Infinite, several release date reveals, and a few unexpected surprises. Below you'll find a roundup of all the major news, trailers, and gameplay from Microsoft's E3 2019 press conference.
Next-Gen Xbox, Project Scarlett, Announced With Release Date
Phil Spencer took the stage to talk Microsoft's next-gen Xbox console, Project Scarlett, which designers on the product describe as "a bigger leap" than any previous Xbox generation in terms of technical capability. Project Scarlett is coming Holiday 2020 alongside Halo Infinite, which got a brand new trailer as well.
Halo Infinite: Why Is Master Chief Floating in Space?
The Halo Infinite Cinematic Trailer showed us the Master Chief floating in the middle of space, a very different situation from the last time we saw him in Halo 5: Guardians or even the previous teaser trailer for Halo Infinite.
How did he get there? We’re not sure entirely, but we’re sure going to look at the clues and everything we’ve seen to figure it out.
Going back to Halo 5, the last time we were in the Master Chief’s shoes, he'd just escaped from Cortana’s prison sphere and was on the run with the rest of the crew of the USNC Infinity as the Guardian and artificial intelligences throughout the universe claimed control of the galactic civilization.