Capcom has confirmed that Mega Man 11 will release on Xbox One, Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4 and PC on October 2nd 2018.
In the ‘pre-order trailer’ for Nintendo Switch we get several quick looks at various worlds that will be featured in Mega Man 11. In addition to the new gameplay footage the brand new ‘Power Gear’ is revealed – which allows the Blue Bomber to use a powerful overcharged blast. Another new power-up is the ‘Double Gear’ which empowers Mega Man to use two different power-ups at once.
A physical Collector’s Edition, simply titled the Amiibo Edition, will also be released at GameStop in America. Amiibo Edition will include a brand new special edition Mega Man amiibo, a set of stickers anda physical copy of Mega Man 11.
Here’s the game’s description as it appeared on Nintendo’s YouTube channel:
“Mega Man is back! The newest entry in this iconic series blends classic, challenging 2D platforming action with a fresh new visual style. The new Double Gear system boosts Mega Man’s speed and power for a new twist to the satisfying gameplay the series is known for. “
With just two weeks until Sony’s E3 press conference the console manufacturer has announced the return of their Days of Play promotion, which will run from June 8th until June 18th. Over the ten days physical PlayStation first party titles, Console Bundles and PlayStation VR bundles will be discounted at participating retailers. A selection of digital games will also be discounted on the PlayStation Store as well.
Limited Edition PS4 Console
A special limited run blue PlayStation 4 Slim with a 1TB hard drive, shiny blue finish and Days of Play emblem will be available during the Days of Play promotion. It will come with a matching blue Dualshock 4 controller and will retail for $379.99 CDN.
Deals on VR
Waiting to enter the world of VR? It’s somewhat of a passion for me, and PSVR honestly is probably the cheapest and easiest VR solution out there. It might not have sold enough to meet Sony’s lofty expectations in the two years since release but with its plug and play nature and vast library of titles it’s hard to pass up.
PlayStation VR bundles (unspecified as of press time) will be discounted to $249.99 CDN, which is the lowest price I’ve seen for Sony’s VR offerings. Also on sale will be a selection of physical first party games including this year’s God of War and last year’s excellent Horizon Zero Dawn.
Hardware and peripheral discounts throughout the 11 days include (all prices MSRP):
Jet Black PS4 Pro – $349.99 USD / $449.99 CDN
PlayStation VR bundles – starting at $199.99 USD / $249.99 CDN
The world of The Sims 4 is about to get a lot more dynamic with the announcement of The Sims 4: Seasons, due out on June 22nd.
The Sims 4: Seasons will add the four seasons – Spring, Summer, Fall and Winter to Electronic Art’s latest “people simulator” complete with new features like Holidays and even a count-down clock that will allow your sims to countdown until the next big celebration. Outfits available to sims will also change depending on the season – in the Winter they’ll bundle up tight in layers upon layers while in the Spring they might put on a yellow rain jacket and rubber boots. Players will also be able to create their own holidays in addition to the existing Winterfest (Christmas), Harvestfest (Halloween), Love Day (Valentine’s Day)/
Also included in The Sims 4: Seasons is a brand new career path – The Gardener. By taking on the Gardening career path sims will be able to analyze different types of plants, make groundbreaking discoveries, deliver flower arrangements around town and curate their own special arrangements as well.
Speaking about the new dynamic weather system, Grant Rodiek, a producer on The Sims 4 had this to say:
“With a vast variety of weather elements that empower the ways players can play with life, The Sims 4Seasons will allow players to use their Sims to tell relatable stories like those they’ve experienced in real life. The ever-changing weather will transform worlds in unique ways by impacting gameplay choices, Sim’s relationships, and Sim’s daily life, while also delivering new challenges,”
Included below are 3 screenshots provided by EA as well as the official trailer. According to the The Sims 4 website, Seasons has an MSRP of $49.99 CDN.
With the European Union’s General Data Protection Regulations (GDPR) coming into effect today a number of tech companies have been quick to abandon older versions of the software, discontinue services entirely or just simply block EU users from accessing their websites. Perhaps the company in the hottest water right now is Razer, maker of LCD infused Keyboard / Mice and really expensive light-up gaming notebooks.
See, Razer’s terms of service when it comes to data collection currently allows them to collect, and I quote:
“Data Processing by Cortex. Cortex boosts and optimises your system and game performance by collecting and streamlining data relating to your system settings and system processes. When you launch Cortex, it will collect and use such data automatically. By installing and using Cortex, you consent to certain data collection and usage by Cortex for its recommendation engine to function. Cortex recommends game deals and makes price comparisons based on a variety of websites. To do so, Cortex will need to collect and process certain data from your computer, specifically your email address, IP address, game settings, installed games, game performance metrics, device type, user interaction patterns, operating system and browser type. To optimise the advertisements to be communicated to you and the performance of our services, such data will be used with Google’s Doubleclick Ad Exchange and Google Analytics respectively. For the purpose of highlighting discounts as they arise on other websites and displaying price comparisons, Cortex needs to access data relating to your game-ownership and game-wishlist(s), if any, on retail websites of your choice.”
Twitter User Stephen Swires pointed out in a recent thread that the older version of the Razer Cortex Eula allowed them to collect a lot more including analyzing your keystroke patterns, logging which web pages you visited and “other information about your activities using our hardware”. Sounds very vague….
In order to be compliant with the GDPR Razer has dumped support for older versions of Synapse as well as the Mobile version of Razer Cortex. It is not known as of press time how the GDPR update that was rolled out on the recently released Razer Phone affects European users.
If you’re reading this and currently use a Razer product, does knowing that for a time they were collecting your keystroke “patterns” and web pages that you visited give you pause? Would you buy a Razer product now? Let us know in the comments section!
The total playable area of Tamriel grows larger with the early access release of the Summer Set Isle expansion for The Elder Scrolls Online. Bethesda provided me with a closed beta code which allowed me to venture onto the once closed island belonging to the High Elves. Join me for tales of adventuring and exploration through my first couple hours within this seemingly tranquil island paradise.
As my adventures in Summerset were taking place on a closed testing server I wasn’t able to bring my existing level 45 Nightblade over from the North American region. No access to all of my gold? I can’t use my awesome wolf mount? – these are the thoughts that raced through my mind when presented with the character creation screen but there was an unintended upside to all of this – it allowed me to see how the new player experience differs on the Summerset Isles when compared to the base game or the Morrowind Chapters.
I quickly drew up a Templar Breton named Melissa Winterhold (haha yeah, I know – I’m REAAAL inventive taking a last name from a settlement in Skyrim. It’s not cannon but *shrug*) and I was on my way to the brand new tutorial area – trapped inside the mind of a horrifying creature! I found myself quickly and organically going from one key gameplay mechanic tutorial to the next. This hazy purple dreamscape does provide waypoint markers for new players but for the most part they are unnecessary. During the tutorial ESO guides you throw using basic spells (if you know any – or abilities in their place) and picking up several pieces of gear before slaying a couple of rooms of ethereal magic spiders. All of this culminates in a final showdown with a larger spider which acts as a sort of medium difficulty single add to test new players against. As I hear a distance voice calling out for me the screen fades to white. One strong criticism I have of the new player experience found in Summerset Isles isn’t found within its writing, mechanics or presentation but the choice of enemy. For someone with arachnophobia this tutorial would be completely unplayable and terrifying – they really could have chosen a better selection of enemies than a large number of arachnids.
Once back in the ‘real world’ Oriandra from the Psijic Order (Summerset Isles brand new class) explained that she was already in the neighbourhood (relatively speaking) and once she felt a dark / powerful presence she had to investigate. Members of the Psijic order once served the rulers of Tamriel’s larger provinces before splitting off some time ago. It is also revealed that the order is several centuries – so old that they consider the well-established Mages Guild to be nothing short of a nascent upstart in comparison. My interaction with Oriandra did not make Melissa a member of their order but it did leave one lasting impression – the Psijic Order deal in very powerful Magick and even they are not strong enough to deal with the dark power of this expansion’s big bad, K’Tora.
Now that Melissa had most of her starting gear, a few skill points spent on both an offensive spell, a slow spell and a self heal it was time to embark on my first story quest in Summer Set – The Queens Decree. Queen Ayrenn, who some players might remember from her quest chain in Auridon, has decreed that the island of Summerset is now open to the public. It’s not just sell swords, adventurers and thrill seekers who can come partake in the majesty of the isle but also commoners like the many farmers, blacksmiths and others who populate the world of Tamriel. (Side Note: a lot of ‘high fantasy’ uses the trope of regents or nobles as an authority figure that task players with quests. In my opinion, it’s played out and tiresome. Seriously do the people of Tamriel really need to elevate royalty? There’s more commoners than royals #CommunistRevolutionInTamrielNow… seriously). Anyways, there’s a whole host of monstrous beasts that roam the isles and it’s not such a safe place.
Next up on my quest… to heh, continue the Queen’s Decree quest was a quick meeting with Razum-Dar who some veteran players may remember from the Auridon Quest Chain among others. As an agent of the Queen’s intelligence service Raz always seems to find himself in the thick of things despite his assertions that he is a “simple Khajiit”. Raz informs me that he has seen a pearl that was able to call out to the monstrous wildlife and that rumors about its existence have made their way up the kingdom’s chain of command. Tasking me with gauging the mood of the nearby settlement of Shimmerene, Raz bids me farewell and goes about his other business.
Ignoring the pleas of the rather determined cat, I decided to put my quest on hold and travel down the eastern shore of Summerset for the next hour or so. I wanted to get a feel for what new ravenous wildlife Zennimax Online had cooked up for players with this expansion. To my surprise and delight, it’s not more spiders or simple re-colors of existing mobs either. Scaled deer like mammals called Indrik’s charge head first into Melissa’s shield. Large crocodile-like reptiles called Welwua swim freely throughout the many eastern lakes and rivers of Summerset. Lastly the fire-breathing Salamanders with their glowing black and yellow bodies stood out to me because of the sheer challenge that they posed. Get two of them together and you’ve got yourself a barbecue… of pain.
There is so much content to be found within The Elder Scrolls Online: Summerset Isles that I couldn’t possibly convey in a single post. Expansions often bring injections of new content, refreshes of older content and a brand new storyline and from what I’ve played so far Summerset Isles ticks off all of these boxes with ease.
Now that Early Access has begun on the retail servers there are so many things to explore – Joining the Psijic Order and completing that quest-line, explore the 7 public Delves, trying to find all of the Abyssal Geysers (which replace the previous Dolmans in this expansion) and of course – learning the new crafting style.
With so much to do, expect further blog-style diary entries in the near future.
Bethesda Public Relations provided a preview / review copy of The Elder Scrolls Online: Summerset Isles for editorial purposes. It is valued at $39.99 USD.
Four off-screen camera phone pictures of a development build of Kingdom Hearts III surfaced earlier this afternoon on 4Chan and were later picked up by several users on Twitter. It is public knowledge that Square Enix recently held a preview event for KHIII and the embargo supposedly ends tomorrow morning.
The user who posted these images on 4Chan noted that they were subsequently kicked out of the event and had their phone confiscated for the breach.
Spoiller Warning Obviously
Each of the 4 images given us a bit more information on KHIII’s gameplay and systems. We now know what each of the buttons on the PlayStation 4 controller do while piloting the Toy Mech. This leak confirms rumors that a Wreck It Ralph stage complete with Fix It Felix game will appear in the game … and most of all, who is this mysterious woman with blue hair?
BrokenJoysticks did not attend the KHIII press event and is not under any sort of NDA or embargo. We have, in the past, attended Square Enix preview events.
FFXIV’s next big update Patch 4.3: Under the Moonlight will be delivered to players on May 22nd it has been revealed during the latest entry in the Letter From The Producer Live live-streams. During the show with Producer / Director Naoki Yoshida, a special guest joined the show in the last half – none other than the creator of Italic himself – Yasumi Matsuno, to further discuss the second tier of the Return to Ivalice raid series.
The Main Scenario Continues
As with every major patch released for Final Fantasy XIV, the Main Scenario revolving around the player character and the Scions of the Seventh Dawn continues for yet another instalment full of twists and turns. Patch 4.3 will see the storyline regarding the far eastern land of Doma come to a dramatic conclusion as the newly installed leader of Doma, Hien, grapples with a tense prisoner exchange with the Gatlean Empire. Can we trust the Empire’s intentions at face value? For a faction that has invaded Eorzea and caused a devastating calamity five years ago, there isn’t much reason to trust them.
Job Adjustments
Several jobs will receive adjustments as part of Patch 4.3, it was noted that the Tank role of Dark Knight could be due for a complete redesign but we shouldn’t expect it during this patch series – as this redesign would take at least six months of development time. Dark Knight, Monk, Astrologian, Black Mage, Samurai and Scholar will all receive adjustments with this patch.
• Samurai – Potency increases, Basic combo potency to be increased, possibility of empty control (remove empty like Machinist / Bard?) to be included with these adjustments.
• Dark Knight – Potency increase across the board, animation cool downs to be reduced, defence buffs.
• Astrologian – Cast times for Attack Spells reduced across the board, Lightspeed MP cost of affected spell reduced from 50% to 25%, Danage reduction effect currently on this spell to be removed.
• Scholar – misc Pet adjustments.
• Monk – Skills that allow Monks to reduce the amount of Emity they generate will be introduced.
• Ninja – Unspecified adjustments for use with the Deep Dungeon Heaven on High.
New Deep Dungeon: Heaven on High
Remember the Jenga tower in the Ruby Sea that the camera focuses on for a long dramatic pause before never being mentioned again? Players were correct in their assertion that this will be the new Deep Dungeon – similar to Palace of the Dead – with a focus on quick experience gain and it’s own levelling system. Rather than contain 200 floors of challenging MOBS, Heaven on High will feature 100 floors with the really hard content beginning on floor 31. It was also mentioned that a “grand summing” system will become available in Heaven on High, but what this actually entails is currently unknown.
Forbidden Land of Eureka: Pagos (To be introduced several weeks later in Patch 4.36)
Our last expedition to the Forbidden Land of Eureka seems like it has been a success with the announcement of the commencement of the Pagos expedition expected to be released sometime in June. This snowy region of the misplaced island of Val could very well focus on the Blizzard aspected aether that players use to defeat some of the Notorious Monsters across Val. Once players locked down the pattern of knowing the NM spawn times, moving as a cohesive “train” from Monster to Monster and power-levelling. The obvious problem with this system was that lower level characters could contribute to the battle against the stronger NMs like Pazuzu. Here’s hoping the vague promise of ‘new gameplay elements’ can make our time in Pagos engaging and entertaining.
Final Fantasy XIV Under The Moonlight will be released next Tuesday, May 22nd. Alongside everything outlined above it also brings a brand new 24-person raise, a new Extreme Trial, a mysterious unannounced Story related trial (it’s Zenos.. come it has to be) and the Ultima Weapon’s Refrain (Ultimate) – the next segment of the ultra-hard content for the top % of players. For further coverage check out my post from last month.
Idea Factory International and Compile Heart revisit Neptunia’s first 8th generation adventure, 2016’s Hyperdiemnsion Neptunia VII, with an enhanced remake, Hyperdimension NeptuniaVIIR on PlayStation 4 and PlayStation 4 Pro. An enhanced remake of the 2016, VIIR features a brand new battle system that returns some of the staples introduced way back in Hyper Dimenson Neptunia MK II, as well as sporting a brand new VR enhanced extra mode.
Small VR inspired vignettes that take place in “the player’s room” have well.. you, the player, interact with various Neptunia characters in small scripted sequences that take place outside of the main narrative. Without getting way too meta, players can customize their room with different accessories and cosmetic items to try and win the favor of their series favorites.
In terms of the story Neptunia VIIR retells the same narrative as the 2016 release, so if you’d like a quite distilled version of that tale, I’d highly recommend my review of the 2016 original on the PlayStation 4.
As the game’s title implies, Neptunia VIIR also brings support for the PlayStation VR headset during the “player room” sections. IFI International provided me with a review code ahead of the game’s release and my full impressions of this enhanced remake sometime next week.
Until then here is a bullet point list of new features provided by IFI PR and the latest batch of screenshots. Key Features
Get in Tune with Neptune, Now in VR!
– Enter the Player’s Room with the special VR mode to customize your room and hang out one
– one one with characters from the Neptunia series! The PlayStation®VR Headset can enhance the experience, but is not required.
New Strategies, New Possibilities, and Fierce Attacks
-The turn based battle system in this JRPG is spicier than ever! Players can choose attack combos on the -go, use dazzling specials, and even position teammates to perform devastating team attacks!
Take Battles to the Next Level
-Characters get two levels of transformations for another layer of tactics and even more powerful attacks!
Visually Stunning Worlds
-Enticing worlds, beautiful sceneries, and wacky dialogue can now
be experienced through a brand
– new game engine allowing for better and smoother
graphics
Anime conventions are pretty dang fun aren’t they? I’ve been attending conventions for at least the past 15 years – both as a fun activity with friends but also in a work capacity for coverage here. Anime and gaming fans in Atlanta, Georgia are going to have a lot to do at MomoCon This coming May 24th – 27th with the announcement of their special guests line-up.
SUDA 51 – the founder of Grasshopper Manfucture and creator of Killer Is Dead, No More Heroes and Killer 7 is joining representatives from Nippon Ichi Software (NIS) to make a mysterious special announcement. Perhaps with Travis Strikes Again coming out for Nintendo Switch this year we will see the first two No More Heroes titles on Nintendo’s hybrid handheld console?
Cossplay photo from MomoCon 2017 via MomoCon PR
Blizzard, not being content to just attend their own multi-day convention will be at MomoCon as well. Joining developers from the Heroes of the Storm Team and Overwatch Team are the voice actors for Mercy (Lori Pohl), Junkrat (Christopher Parson), Pharah (Lucie Phol) and Soldier 76 (Fred Tatasciore) will band together to defend the payload.. I mean help out with Blizzard’s selection of panels.
MomoCon 2018 takes place from Thursday May 24th through Sunday May 27th at the Georgia World Congress Center.
Lastly voice actors from a number of DragonBall fighting games from the last few generations of consoles will be on hand to share their experiences playing Akira Toyayama’s iconic characters. The voice actors from the latest Dragon Ball Fighterz, the Budokai series of games, Raging Burst and of course the Funimation dub of DBZ will be on hand. The recognizable voices of Sean Schemmel (Goku), Kyle Hebert (Gohan, Narrator), Christopher Sabat (Piccolo, Vegeta) and Josh Martin (Majin Buu) will all be present and sharing their experiences with attendees.
This is Part 2 of my comprehensive preview of the upcoming Shadow of the Tomb Raider based upon an hour long play session and interviews at last week’s Shadow of the Tomb Raider reveal event. Square Enix USA covered my travel expenses and accommodations to attend the event. If you missed my breakdown on how Shadow of the Tomb Raider is evolving the established Tomb Raider formula – check it out here.
Later this week and early next week I’ll be publishing a pair of video interviews with a Gameplay Systems Designer and Producer from the game.
Debut Trailer
SotTR’s First Hour
Spoiler Warning:The following hands-on preview discusses the ending of Rise of the Tomb Raider and how it affects Lara’s motivation towards the villans in Shadow of the Tomb Raider. Both the events of RotR’s ending and the identity of SotTR’s villans are discussed at length. Several names and events have been blacked out to help readers avoid spoilers.
I got the chance to go hands-on for Shadow of the Tomb Raider’s beginning hour during the reveal event in Montreal, Quebec last week. My play session kicked off approximately 15 minutes into SotTR’s campaign I was told by one of the developers at the event. Lara alongside Jonah – who players of Rise of the Tomb Raider should recognize – find themselves hunting down a set of Mayan relics before the Trinity Organization can get their hands both the Box and Silver Key of Ixel Chel.
Legends say that by using the mystical power contained within the Box in combination with the Key, the holder of both Relics can reshape the world. This transformation takes the shape of a powerful world shattering Earthquake, a massive volcanic eruption and a drowning Tsunami. While Trinity’s intentions with these devastating powerful forces is not made entirely clear – surely they will kill a lot of the Earth’s population in doing so.
Avoiding an apocalyptic scenario isn’t the only thing at stake for Lara Croft in this third entry of the rebooted franchise. Given how Rise of the Tomb Raider ended – after Lara spending the entirety of RotR processing the suppressed memory of her father’s suicide, it is revealed that the Trinity Organization orchestrated his death – there is a personal factor driving Lara’s determination to see things through to their conclusion. SotTR’s antagonist, Dr. Dominguez who heads up Trinity will pose an equal intellectual, as well as physical challenge, to both Lara and Jonah this time around. Perhaps it is Crystal Dynamics / Edios Montreal’s intention to have the player question whose approach to averting the Mayan apocalypse is best? – if a disastrous power is going to be unleashed upon the world should it be used in a way that allows some of humanity to live?
My demo began with Lara and Jonah arriving at a South American festival that gave off a vibe similar to that of Dia de Muertos with banners, fireworks and attendees sporting skeleton face paint. To hide her identity Lara dons a hooded poncho and a partial Skull Mask that, to be honest, looked absolutely amazing on her! Our heroes must stay hidden from Trinity security forces all while gaining access to one of the organization’s Dig Sites in order to find out where the Key of IX Chel is located. As Jonah distracts armed men by approaching them and asking about an on-going party, I guided Lara through the city streets, which acted as a basic movement tutorial.
Things opened up as I progressed through the Dig Site, with SotTR prompting me about the basics of stealth – hiding in bushes, watching enemy alert statuses – as well as a basic primer on how to run and gun my way through a given situation. Hiding in the lush South American brush and striking guards from close quarters is just as exhilarating as it sounds. Towards the Dig Site’s conclusion I decided to change my approach and use the small sub-machine gun that Lara came equipped with to dispatch the remaining patrols.
Gameplay seamlessly shifted things to the first real Tomb of Shadow’s first hour – “Hunter’s Moon” – which saw me utilizing Lara’s climbing expertise to effortlessly climb and repel Lara into the once hidden temple belonging to Ix Chel (when I wasn’t missing the button prompt to connect two jumps together and falling to my death). Rope Arrows from the previous two titles where key to solving a quite ingenious puzzle involving an abandoned mine cart and a wench. Without giving away the solution, after solving the mine cart puzzle and another clever puzzle involving large weights Lara finally had one of the two coveted Mayan artifacts in her possession.
This is where things went from standard action movie fare – as seen in the previous two titles – to nearly world shattering. A ginormous tidal wave quickly engulfs the cavernous tomb and sweeps Lara out and onto the city streets. What follows is an almost indescribable amount of devastation as the large wave carries Lara, innocent pedestrians, cars and anything not firmly cemented into a foundation along with it.
As the water subsides and Lara rejoins Jonnah for the first time since the opening minutes of the demo she surveys the sheer damage the tidal wave has unleashed. Suddenly the roaring blades of a helicopter come from behind and within an instant the duo are face to face with Dr. Dominquez who promptly swipes the dagger of Ix Chel from Lara’s possession without a grandiose speech or monologue – RoTR’s Konstantine, he is not.
It is here in the closing seconds of SotTR’s first hour that the impact of all of this destruction catches up with Lara. I could see the anguish and guilt stricken across her face as she begins to plead with Jonah to go on to the next dig site and capture the box before Trinity can. It is here the Jonah snaps back at Lara in quite an unexpected fashion – essentially saying “Not everything is about you Lara, you want to act on a myth and a scrap of information when the people HERE need us. We can make a difference here.” With just a few short sentences he bring’s Lara’s attention back to devastation caused by the removal of the Key and away from her larger quest – reminding her of the human cost that can come when the stakes are this high.
Almost 20 years after its release, Star Wars Episode 1: Racer is back in the news thanks to a collaboration between Lucasfilm, Disney and GOG.com.
GOG brought the 1999 original game into the shop and fine tuned a few things to make sure that it plays nice on more modern operating systems and chipsets.
Here’s a quick breakdown of the features of Episode 1: Racer provdied by GOG’s game page:
Hang on tight – with afterburners on, Podracers max out at a simulated 600 mph!
Relive all the thrill and excitement of the Podracer sequence from STAR WARS™: Episode I.
Race in furious competition against 21+ opponents.
Take on over 21 tracks on 8 unique worlds!
Avoid hazards such as methane lakes, meteor showers and Tusken Raiders.
Spectacular 3D environments.
Vehicle sound effects and epic soundtrack taken directly from Episode I.
Originally released in April 1999, Star Wars Episode 1: Racer was released on the Nintendo 64, SEGA Dreamcast and Windows PC. The original PC Port had LAN multiplayer support but this no longer works due to the depreciation of the IPX protocol across multiple Windows releases since 99. On Nintendo 64 Episode 1 Racer lacked a number of pre-rendered cutscenes seen in the other two releases but did make us of the N64 Expansion pass for higher resolution output and textures.
With six weeks until the kickoff of E3 2018 Nintendo has provided an outline of what exactly fans can expect during the show. For those that can make it to Los Angeles and have the credentials (or cash) for a pass – that means a chance to go hands-on with the newly announced Super Smash Bros for Nintendo Switch as well as a selection of 3rd party titles. As in prior years, Nintendo will also be hosting a sponsored tournament – this year it’s the Splatoon 2 World Invitation – and of course the now traditional Nintendo Direct E3 presentation.
Nintendo’s first competitive showcase will be the Splatoon 2 World Invitation which will take place on Monday June 11th from 3PM – 6PM PST. If you’ve already checked out Nintendo’s official E3 website, yes the artwork for the Splatoon 2 World Invitation looks to be directly inspired by the 1990s Nintendo World Championship. Will winners receive a golden commemorative GameCard that will retail for thousands of dollars on eBay?
Right after the Splatoon festivities end on June 12th is the gameplay debut of the brand new Super Smash Bros for Nintendo Switch (which we still don’t know the final name of). Alongside professional players, fans will also be given the chance to play the new brawler thanks to a sponsored cosplay competition that the Big N is throwing. No further details yet on what exactly will be playable for Smash Bros how folks can enter the cosplay contest – so be on the look out for those details.
As is usual, on Tuesday June 12th the E3 2018 Nintendo Direct video presentation will take place at 9 AM PST. Whatever surprises that the creators of Mario have in store for us will remain a mystery up until the broadcast itself but they have mentioned that they will be focusing on already announced games. Nintendo will also only focus on titles that will be released in 2018 – so no teases for what is to come in 2019!
Possible Games
Yoshi (Name not known)
Smash Bros for Nintendo Switch
Octopath Traveler (Square Enix)
Travis Strikes Again (Grasshopper Manufacture)
Super Meat Boy Forever
Untitled Fire Emblem for Nintendo Switch (Intelligent Systems)
So to recap – here is a shortlist of important dates for E3 2018 when it comes to Nintendo:
Splatoon 2 World Inivational – June 11th and 12th
Super Smash Bros Tournament – June 12th Treehouse Live! – June 12th – 15th Nintendo Direct E3 Presentation – June 12th @ 9 AM PST
Super Smash Bros playable by the public – At Nintendo’s booth
Players in the online iteration of Tamriel have been able to enjoy free access to all of the bonuses of the usually subscription only Elder Scrolls Online plus service. For existing subscribers this means free “Crown Crates” which provide an RNG chance at highly sought after loot box only mounts. We’ve written in the past how paid for RNG chests can be addicting and recently were ruled analogous to gambling in the European Union.
Benefits of the ESO+ trial that runs from now until Monday the 30th of April includes:
10% increase to all experience earned.
An unlimited storage crafting bag.
Double the placement space for furnishings and collectibles in housing / private rooms.
Doubling of your character’s personal inventory and bank space.
ESO plus also includes access to the following DLC packs while a subscription is active:
Imperial City
Orsinium
Thieves Guild
Dark Brotherhood
Shadow of the Hist
Horns of the Reach
Clockwork City
Dragon Bones
To activate the ESO+ trial simply head on over to the in-game crown store once logged in and claim the ESO+ trial item to begin.
I personally always look forward to these free trial periods as I let my subscription lapse around November of last year and have found little reason to re-up. Whenever the trial comes around I’ll run as many dungeons and Cyrodil Alliance Wars as I can over the weekend to stuff as many resources into the crafting bag as I can. For someone who plays a merchant ad likes to collect gold to buy new housing items – the ESO+ trial is a good time sink.
This preview focusing on Shadow of the Tomb Raider’s gameplay systems and their evolution between games is part one of a two part hands-on preview.A second part focusing on the plat revealed thus far, trailer and hands-on demo gameplay will be posted later on today. Square Enix covered accommodations and travel for me to attend the Shadow of the Tomb Raider reveal event.
For the past half decade the Tomb Raider franchise has enjoyed a huge surge in popularity and fan interest since Crystal Dynamics / Edios Montreal successfully revitalized the series with their 2013’s origin story. With two adventures behind her, Lara Croft is about to become “who she was meant to be”, according to the game’s Creative Director, in the newly revealed third entry in the reboot trilogy- Shadow of the Tomb Raider. Square Enix invited me out to Montreal Quebec this past week in order to be one of the first people in the world to to go hands-on with Shadow of the Tomb Raider.
The Creative Director for Shadow of the Tomb Raider, Daniel Chayer, mentioned that the journey to craft the pinnacle of Lara’s development actually began during the early days of development for Tomb Raider (2013). Developers at Crystal Dynamics and Edios Montreal knew that they wanted Lara to be a strong and relateable protagonist. They envisioned who she would be at the end of her journey and worked backwards from that point.
Daniel walked through how Lara as a character has developed throughout the trilogy of games. In Tomb Raider (2013) Lara was thrust into an uncertain environment – all the while was still unaware of the skills that she could hone or the path that destiny would lay out before her. During the events of Rise of the Tomb Raider, players saw first hand how much she has grown – while guiding her through her first tomb expedition and exploring the deeply hidden secrets hidden within her subconscious. Watching Lara Croft develop as a character and grow between titles has been a key element for the developers at Crystal Dynamics / Eidos Montreal and to achieve this goal successfully Lara Croft must be as relatable and real as possible.
Character development isn’t aspect of Tomb Raider that has changed and grown from title to title. Gameplay mechanics, systems and even the core design “pillars” the underpin the creative philosophy behind each game must also grow and adapt from iteration to iteration. From a high concept perspective the gameplay of the rebooted Tomb Raider franchise can be boiled down to combat, traversal and resourcefulness. When looking to expand upon these pillars Crystal Dynamics and Edios Montreal put a special focus on the environments. It is their belief that the environments in Shadow of the Tomb Raider play a vital role in bringing Lara Croft as a character to life – the more realistic the environments are, the more relatable Lara is.
To facilitate the creation of even more treacherous and sequestered tombs for our heroine to explore the developers have expanded upon the “traversal” pillar with the creation of “terrifying vistas”. In Shadow of the Tomb Raider literally everything within a tomb is out to kill Lara, Chayer explained during his presentation. Developers asked themselves the question – “what makes tombs terrifying?” and apparently the answer to this question is to have Lara explore the deep series of caverns burred within South America that extend under the sea. Players took their first literal footsteps down below with Lara as she went spelunking into the tombs of Rise and will have to overcome challenges that eclipse anything seen thus far in the franchise.
Above: The weapon upgrade screen from Rise of the Tomb Raider (2016)
Utilizing resources to expand Lara’s arsenal of weapons, acquire additional combat skills and survival techniques have been a key part of Tomb Raider’s gameplay from the very first title in the reboot trilogy. Eidos Montreal and Crystal Dynamics are set to expand upon this familiar system with a revised pillar that they are calling “resourceful Lara”. What this means for our heroine is that she will have a complete understanding of the environment around her. For players this will mean a more open ended progression system when it comes to upgrades so that a player’s Lara Croft will better represent the type of play that suits them.
If you enjoyed this in-depth look at the design philosophy, core gameplay systems and new features coming in Shadow of the Tomb Raider, check back later today and early next week for more coverage from my time at the Shadow of the Tomb Raider reveal event.
“Welcome Campo Santo. You have chosen or been chosen to relocate to one of the worlds’ largest digital distribution services. Valve thought so much of your talent they’ll probably relocate your headquarters to Washington state now that they are your benefactors. Whether you’re at Valve to stay or move on to parts unknown, welcome.”
Riffs on Dr.Breen’s Half Life 2 speech aside, yup it is true – Valve has purchased the developers behind last year’s critical success Firewatch. Members of the Valley of the Gods team will move to city 1… err Bellevue Washington as they join forces with the owners of Steam.
Their next game, Valley of the Gods is expected to be released sometime next year. In The Valley of The Gods is a first person narrative driven title set in Egypt during the 1920s. As protagonist Rashida players will have one last chance to live a life of adventure exploring tombs, ruins and other remnants of the long gone Ancient Egyptian society. Players won’t alone in their journey to aid Rashida in her quest, a non-playable partner character Zora will aid her during the story. In The Valley of The Gods also features a working 35mm camera in-game! It can be added to your Steam wishlist here.
“We had a series of long conversations with the people at Valve and everyone shared the satisfaction we take in working with people whose talents dwarf our own to make things we never thought possible. Both sides spoke about our values and how, when you get right down to it, we, as human beings, are hard-limited by the time we have left when it comes to making the things we care about and believe in. They asked us if we’d all be interested in coming up to Bellevue and doing that there and we said yes.”
