Castlevania: Lords of Shadow 2 is coming in 2014 for Xbox 360, PS3 and PC. At E3 2013 we saw even more awesome footage of the game in action.
Gameplay-wise, the game looks to be pretty much exactly the same, but developer MercurySteam has kicked everything up a notch with the powers and moves you have available, and the fact that you play as Dracula himself in this game is absolutely awesome.
The game also has more of a goth focus, even though it is set in the modern world.
Castlevania: Lords of Shadow 2 GameSpot Stage Demo
Players can now upgrade their Weapons by the combos you perform, instead of having to use in-game currency. Putting the focus squarely back on fighting and taking out enemies.
Additionally there will be no loading times during the Story Mode and it will also be much longer than the previous game.
One cool new focus of this game will be on platforming, something that took a major backseat with the first Castlevania: Lords of Shadow, but has been a huge focus of past Castlevania games… And the way the developers brought it back is very well done and cool, reminding me of something like Prince of Persia.
Check out the videos to see more of the nitty-gritty with the next installment in the Castlevania series, hitting in 2014 for current-gen consoles and PC.
Crime Scene Investigations are new to Arkham Origins.
Batman: Arkham Origins was at E3 2013 from publisher Warner Bros. Interactive and new-to-the-franchise developer Warner Bros. Games Montreal, and marks another huge title from the WB.
This new developer was established only in 2010 and their first task was to take the reigns of the Batman series.
Because of this, many people are skeptical about Batman: Arkham Origins living up to the very high pedigree of former developer Rocksteady, whose “Batman: Arkham Asylum” and it’s sequel, “Batman: Arkham City”, were huge critically acclaimed and best-selling hits that put them on the map. Read the rest of this entry »
Assassin’s Creed IV: Black Flag is definitely one of the most highly anticipated games of 2013. The game builds on Assassin’s Creed III‘s engine, while taking the theme of the game into pirate-territory with a focus on the ship-battle and boat exploration gameplay that made an appearance in AC3; and expanding it to an entire game.
Here is the Ubisoft Assassin’s Creed IV: Black Flag E3 2013 Press Conference Gameplay Walkthrough Video.
While the new pirate focus is really cool material to be mined for a videogame, much less an Assassin’s Creed title, the game definitely doesn’t feel as innovative or as big as AC3; as the game essentially looks the same.
I found myself bored with the pirate gameplay, as even though you are a pirate, it just feels like you are on a ship… At least, that’s the impression I got.
Here is the Assassin’s Creed IV: Black Flag E3 2013 Trailer.
Even so, the game is being taken in a lot of new directions. Assassin’s Creed IV: Black Flag has a new protagonist in Edward Kenway, a British pirate and member of the Assassin Order, and descendant of Connor from Assassin’s Cred III. It will feature three new main cities with a large part of the game set in Cuba. The cities include Havana, Kingston and Nassau; with influence from the Spanish, British and local/surrounding area pirates. All told the game will feature over 50 locations to explore, both on land and via naval ship that you can command (You can also hijack and steal other ships and engage in ship-on-ship warfare).
Ubisoft has also taken Assassin’s Creed IV in a much more open-world direction with the 4th installment, and it will be much less scripted and linear than AC3. Hunting both on land and in water via harpoon has also been added, with the hunting system expanded. In addition, the player’s ship can now be upgraded, and underwater gameplay has been added. Meanwhile, recruiting allies, a feature from Assassin’s Creed: Brotherhood, returns in AC4. All of this should be good news to AC fans (also, improved crouching!).
Multiplayer will also return. Details in this Assassin’s Creed IV: Black Flag Video Interview:
Here is a look at Assassin’s Creed IV: Black Flag Multiplayer Gameplay in this E3 2013 Floor Footage Video.
Watch all the videos for much more information on this AAA title that will be hitting this year for virtually all platforms. The game will be released on October 29th in America, October 31st in Australia and November 1st 2013 in Europe on Xbox 360, PS3, PC, and WiiU. The game will then hit later this year, likely in November or December, for XboxOne and PS4. Covering just about all the bases except handheld.
Regardless of where you stand on the Assassin’s Creed series, and whether or not you think the yearly annual installment system is making the franchise stale, you have to admit that this game is looking pretty awesome. And I would be surprised if it wasn’t another big hit for Ubisoft. It is a bit surprising that the game is being given a numbered title; but the fact that it stars a new main character, with a new storyline and new pirate direction, make the new numbered title a good fit.
Here are the Assassin’s Creed IV: Black Flag Stage Demos showing lots of gameplay and details from the game.
Rayman Legends was one of Nintendo’s third-party highlights for WiiU at E3 2013, even though the game will also be released on Xbox 360, PS3 and PS Vita. The game originally was to be a WiiU exclusive, but Ubisoft decided to delay the game a year to develop it for multiple platforms.
The game is a direct sequel to the critically acclaimed Rayman Origins (released for Xbox 360, PS3 and Wii in 2011. And in 2012 for PS Vita, PC and 3DS).
Like Origins, Rayman Legends is an absolutely gorgeous piece of art, with hand-drawn styled graphics that pop, and a game world that has to be seen to be believed. The game also features massive monsters, and four-player to five-player co-op support! (5 players on WiiU & PS Vita). Even though this game was at E3 2012, it’s still a mighty impressive game even here at E3 2013 and definitely one to watch for. It will be in our hands soon!
Hopefully it has great sales to boot!
Rayman Legends will be released on September 3 2013 in America, and in Europe on August 30 2013.
Gorgeous is gorgeous!
Official Synopsis:
Rayman, Globox, and the Teensies are off wandering through an enchanted forest when they discover a mysterious tent filled with a series of captivating paintings. As they look more closely, they notice each painting seems to tell the story of a mythical world. While focusing on a painting that shows a medieval land, they are suddenly sucked into the painting, entering the world and the adventure begins. The gang must run, jump and fight their way through each world to save the day and discover the secrets of every legendary painting.
Key Rayman Legends Features:
* Wii U Showcase: Rayman Legends takes advantage of the WiiU and the unique capabilities of the WiiU GamePad. Use the touch screen to take out enemies, manipulate platforms, cut ropes to clear a path and much more. With the gyroscope technology, you can move rotating platforms and there are many more surprises to come! * The Game Must Go On: The WiiU allows you to keep playing the game even when your television is off, continuing Rayman’s adventure on the GamePad. * 5-Player Co-op Gameplay: Now more players can join in on the fun! With four Wii Remote controllers and the GamePad, up to 5 players can play at once. At any time if someone wants to leave or join in, the game will continue without interruption. The PS3 version also supports 5-Players using the PS Vita screen. * 3D Boss Battles: The bosses have a big advantage over Rayman’s gang… an extra dimension! Dragons and other epic creatures can attack from all angles, so you’ll have to be on top of your game to defeat them. * New Challenges: Connect with your friends through a variety of challenges that will test your skill and speed. Check the leaderboards to see where you rank around the world. * Rayman Rocks! – Jump to the beat of a drum, punch to the bass line, even zip-line during a guitar sustain. Timing and rhythm is the key to beat these maps set to music. See if you have what it takes to be a Platforming Hero. * UbiArt Engine Advancements: The UbiArt engine has expanded its abilities to now include 3D gameplay elements, a new lighting design, and a new rendering system which take Rayman’s award-winning graphics to the next level. * The Award-Winning Team Is Back: The legendary team of decorated artists, designers and composers are teaming up again to create new worlds, new characters and a new soundtrack.
Now let this Rayman Legends Metal Trailer fill you with joy!
Lightning Returns: Final Fantasy XIII’s E3 2013 trailer shows off more of this highly anticipated third, closing entry in the Final Fantasy XIII trilogy saga.
It will be released on February 11 2014 for Xbox 360 and PS3 (USA). It will hit in Europe on February 14th and in Australia on February 13th.
Dark Souls II will be released for Xbox 360 on March 2014 announced at Microsoft’s E3 2013 Press Conference with an absolutely awesome trailer.
I missed out on both the Demon’s Souls and Dark Souls universes, which is a major, major loss for me. But I definitely cannot wait to check out Dark Souls 2. I love how this game looks, and the action is incredible. This looks really good and impressive.
Xbox 360 Live Gold members will get two free games a month until the launch of the XboxOne announced Microsoft at their E3 2013 Press Conference, in a bid to help compete with the PlayStation Network’s PSPlus Program.
The two first free games you’ll be getting are Assassin’s Creed II and Halo 3! Awesome announcement!
The new Xbox 360 E system! Slimmer, quieter, XboxOne look.
A new Xbox 360E system that looks similar to the XboxOne is now available in stores. This is a big announcement, and proves that Microsoft is still committed to the Xbox 360 system itself!
The new “Xbox 360 E” system is cheaper, sleeker, and redesigned, taking cues from the upcoming XboxOne in the design of the outer casing.
The newly designed Xbox 360 systems will cost the same as the existing models on store shelves.
* $200 Xbox 360 E nets you a 4GB Hard Drive.
* $300 Xbox 360 E nets you a 250GB Hard Drive.
* $300 Xbox 360 E can also get you a 4GB HDD bundled with Kinect.
The new Xbox 360 is out now in the United States, Canada, United Kingdom, Australia and Ireland, with more regions to come over the summer months.
Microsoft also announced that new and existing Xbox Live Gold members will begin to get free games along with their Xbox Live Gold accounts! This is obviously a bid to compete with Sony’s PlayStation Plus service, which also gives you free games every month. Unlike their service however, Microsoft announced that these games are not only free, but “your’s to keep”!
For the month of June 2013, Gold members will get a free copy of Fable 3!
Next month the program begins in earnest, leading all the way up to the XboxOne launch in November, and will net Xbox Live Gold members TWO free games a month, starting with Halo 3 and Assassin’s Creed 2 in August.
The Xbox 360 E system will be easier to open up and repair, and makes it easier to replace the hard drive with another Microsoft Xbox 360-branded hard drive, easier than on the Xbox 360 S models. It features the same cooling system as the Xbox 360 S models as well, but runs and boots quieter. It is also only slightly slimmer.
It’s also worth noting that this Xbox 360 E system has one less USB port than the Xbox 360 S (two on the back instead of three, for a total of four USB ports on the E instead of 5 like on the S). It’s also missing the Optical Audio port that’s on the Slim Model (S Model).
David Hayter is Snake no longer! Enter 24’s Kiefer Sutherland, who will now provide the voice of Snake from Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain and forward into the future! Could you think of any better replacement?!
This was confirmed at the Konami Pre-E3 Press Conference, and creator Hideo Kojimi goes into detail on what it was like working with Kiefer, where he sees the franchise heading, what he thinks about the new technology available and coming soon, and how a new watermark and threshold has been reached in videogames with the next generation.
Sadly, it seems that David Hayter was not even told that he’d no longer be reprising his role as Snake, and he was somewhat hurt and bewildered by the decision. He says it was NOT up to him, but to Kojima himself, and that if it was up to David, he’d play Snake forever. He says it makes him a bit ill to hear a new voice coming out of Snake, but that he’ll get over it and move on. He enjoyed the ride immensely, and considers it a great blessing that he got to work for so long on the Metal Gear franchise. He says he is not lacking in employment, and wishes everyone well for the new game and the future.
Hayter further elaborates with his thoughts in this extended video.
Here are further details on Metal Gear Solid 5 from Kojima himself.
Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain will be released later this year or in 2014 for Xbox 360 and PS3.
Are you excited about this development or pissed? It’s a bold and drastic move to replace David with Keifer, yet somehow I think it was a good decision. I personally had grown tired of Snake’s voice, and I think he lost a lot of his luster. Just my person opinion, I still think he sounded best in the original Metal Gear Solid, where his voice was so iconic. But I digress. It will be interesting to see whether or not this decision effects sales of the game. I think it will still be a huge hit for Konami either way, and is MAJOR proof that the current gen consoles are anything but dead yet.
Satan vs Dracula?! Castlevania: Lords of Shadow 2 doesn’t release until next year (2014), but we have another sweet trailer to whet our appetites!
*SPOILER ALERT* Set to launch this winter, Castlevania: Lords of Shadow 2 picks up where the first game left off, with a resurrected Dracula left weakened by his ordeal and yearning for release from his immortal bonds. Besieged from all sides, Dracula is also threatened by Satan, who has returned to walk the Earth in a quest to bring about the apocalypse as an act of final revenge for his defeat.
A weakened Dracula must regain his lost powers in order to make a pact with Death to defeat the Devil and gain eternal rest. However, the famed Belmont clan is also intent on slaying the Vampire and unlocking the truth behind their mysterious ancestry. The fight between good and evil comes to a dramatic close, as Dracula faces his nemesis in Satan and the Belmonts’ unyielding quest for revenge. *END SPOILER*
Players will be able to experience Castlevania: Lords of Shadow 2’s unique blend of action and adventure for the first time at Konami’s booth (#2401, South Hall) at E3 2013 (Electronic Entertainment Expo). Set in a modern day world, fans of the series can play as Dracula and sample a key part of the shocking conclusion to the Lords of Shadow saga.
Castlevania: Lords of Shadow 2 will be available this winter for PS3, Xbox 360 and PC.
So. Freakin’. Awesome. I can’t wait for this game, although I really gotta get to playing the first game! :D
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