Monthly Archives: June 2015
The Legend of Zelda: Triforce Heroes Revealed for 3DS
Nintendo has announced The Legend of Zelda: Triforce Heroes, a co-op multiplayer adventure game for up to three players that's coming to 3DS in Fall 2015.
In a brief presentation, Zelda Producer Eiji Aonuma and Director Hiromasa Shikata gave an overview of how co-op will work in the new game.
The Zelda series has experimented with multiplayer gameplay in the past, but Nintendo wanted to make this iteration less focused around competition. "I wanted players to cooperatively enjoy more serious Zelda gameplay elements, like solving puzzles and going through dungeons," Shikata said.
The new footage shows off a totem mechanic, where Link can pick up his other two companions so they can stack up to reach higher places, activate switches, and hit weak points on taller enemies.
Shenmue 3 Smashes Kickstarter Target in Just 9 Hours
Shenmue III has been successfully funded on Kickstarter, smashing through its USD $2 million target less than nine hours after the campaign went live.
Sony showcased Shenmue III and revealed the game's crowdfunding campaign today during its E3 press conference.
"We can unfold the continuous story," said creator Yu Suzuki. "Shenmue III will be the story you have waited for. The fate of Shenmue is in your hands now."
The campaign began with several USD $10,000 pledge opportunities (one of which came with the original jacket worn by Masaya Matsukaze during Shenmue press events 14 years ago, and the other an invitation to a dinner party in Japan with Yu Suzuki) but they're all gone.
E3 2015: Kinect Games Will Not Be Backward Compatible
Microsoft won't be bringing Kinect titles to the Xbox One.
Xbox boss Phil Spencer told IGN that as the Xbox One will essentially be simulating Xbox 360 software, the system is unable to access any peripherals such as external storage units or Kinect.
Xbox One backward compatibility is available now for preview members and everyone this holiday. For a list on what 360 games preview members can access now, IGN has you covered.
Sony’s 2015 E3 Press Conference Review
You have to give it to Sony: they know exactly what the fans want. At tonight’s press conference, the crowd spent a great deal of time shaking its head in disbelief; they actually did it. While its momentum came and went in peaks and troughs, for the most part this was a terrific conference from a publisher with a remarkably confident grasp on its brand and its brand’s future. A publisher that, at this stage of popularity, can afford to shrug its shoulders, look at a Final Fantasy 7 remake and say: “well, why not?”
The first hour of Sony’s conference was a ridiculous excess of mic-drops, and the first announcement set the tone. The Last Guardian not only exists, but will be coming next year, and there was some gorgeous footage to prove it. The significance of The Last Guardian as a living, breathing thing can’t be understated: like fellow fan-wet-dreams Half-Life 3 or Beyond Good and Evil 2, its existence had become mythic. That the publisher threw it in as the opener spoke volumes to its confidence heading into the show.
Destiny: The Taken King Collector’s Edition Revealed
Destiny: The Taken King is getting a collector’s edition that’s exclusive to GameStop in the States.
The Taken King Collector's Edition comes with a wealth of content. Not only will players nab themselves a copy of the Destiny base game, but also both of the previous expansions – The Dark Below and House of Wolves. That’s in addition to the newly-announced Taken King DLC.
All of the above comes in a steelbook case alongside early access to a weapon pack and Cayde-6’s Intel Cache, which features the following:
- Modified Treasure Island Book with Intro Letter from Cayde-6
- Cayde-6’s Personal Notes and Illustrations
- Collection of Relics and Artifacts
There’s Even More to Cuphead Than You Think
Booming bass rattles my eardrums, and waiters flit to and fro with platters of practically unidentifiable hors d'oeuvres as I stare intently, mouth nearly agape, at the beauty of Cuphead. Amidst the noisy, over-crowded event space Microsoft has chosen for their annual E3 Showcase - a space I'm assured is quite "hip" - the very existence of Studio MDHR's old-timey side-scrolling arcade shooter seems impossible. And yet, there it is, with a perpetual crowd hunched over it while pairs of strangers play, die, and play again, unwilling to give up their controllers. I can't blame them. Heck, I was one of them.
Cuphead has a look that makes pretty much any organized set of words seem trite and empty. One look at it will make you angry at yourself for every time you described a game as "a playable cartoon." You wasted that phrase. I don't care which game you said it about, you wasted it. The fully hand-drawn look perfectly apes 30's era funnies (right down to the delightfully coarse film grain filter), and the animation is not only buttery smooth; it's relentless. Nothing is static, nothing ever stands still.
You’re Never Bored in Halo 5’s Warzone Multiplayer
Well, Halo 5: Guardians' new Warzone multiplayer mode certainly puts the "big" in Big Team Battle. With 24 players (divided into two teams of 12) plus a host of AI-controlled, neutrally evil Prometheans, you'll have no shortage of targets. And because there's always someone to shoot at, even if they're not human-controlled, you'll probably never get bored during a match. I sure didn't. And better yet, Warzone design director Kevin Franklin told me that you can expect Warzone-specific multiplayer maps.
When the contest begins, you'll need to take out a set number of Prometheans -- some familiar "faces" and some new ones as well. Scoring kills here will help you earn points that you can cash in either before respawning or at set REQ stations. Since you'll start out with a basic Assault Rifle/Magnum combo, it's in your best interest to quickly invest in a Covenant Carbine (mmm...) or something else to your liking. At one point, with a bit of currency burning a hole in my Spartan's MJOLNIR armor, I splurged on a rocket launcher and, well...it didn't end well for several members of the enemy blue team.
Media Player App Now Available on PS4
A new media player application is available now for the PS4, Sony has confirmed via PlayStation Blog. A Media Player icon will appear in the PS4 content area; all you need to do is select it and you’ll be able to begin the small download.
Sony explains the PS4 Media Player works with both home servers and via USB. Supported file formats and codecs are listed below.
MKV
- Visual: H.264/MPEG-4 AVC High Profile Level4.2
- Audio: MP3, AAC LC, AC-3(Dolby Digital)
11 Facts About For Honor You Probably Don’t Know
Ubisoft Montreal’s For Honor is one of the biggest surprises from E3 2015 so far. It’s something brand new, it’s gorgeous, and it’s playable right now - what more could you want? Read IGN’s hands-on impressions to get the full scoop on how the game’s unique tri-directional attacking and blocking system works.
We had the opportunity to chat with Creative Director Jason Vandenberghe about the project and managed to get answers to a bunch of our burning questions:
- Although multiplayer is the only aspect of For Honor being shown off right now, the game will have a single-player campaign.
Why Ubisoft’s For Honor is One of the Best Surprises of E3
One of the big surprises of E3 2015 has been Ubisoft’s reveal of For Honor. Ubisoft Montreal’s 4v4 vikings/knights/samurai game provides the intense multiplayer competitiveness of a shooter with the melee finesse of third-person action game. It’s a weird thing understand from just seeing the footage that aired during Ubisoft’s Press Conference. Luckily, two of us went hands-on with 2016 game -- we both played as knights, the only type of character available at this preview event -- and lived to tell the story.
After you've read our impressions, check out 11 cool facts about From Honor that you might not know.