Tag: E3 (21-30 of 76)

Jun 5 2012 06:00 PM ET

E3 Snap Judgment: 'Far Cry 3'

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The Game: A first-person shooter about an ordinary tourist who’s stranded on a tropical island after a local gang of criminals kidnaps his buddies. It’s up to you to find your friends and confront the gang’s alpha male: a mentally unstable chap named Vaas. (Available on Sept. 4 for Xbox 360, PS3, and PC)

What We Played: The single-player demo shown at Ubisoft’s press conference, where you infiltrate Vaas’ compound, plus an extended version of the four-player co-op mode revealed at Sony’s media briefing.

The Good: The game’s tropical paradise is gorgeous. At the Ubisoft conference, the demo was played at a breakneck speed, making it difficult to appreciate Far Cry 3‘s attention to detail. For instance, when our hero, Jason, is swimming underwater at the start of the demo, you can look all around you and notice the variety of fish, the marine vegetation, and a crashed airplane resting on the ocean floor. READ FULL STORY »

Jun 5 2012 05:20 PM ET

Nintendo at E3: Wii U fails to make a splash, but some features impress

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Image Credit: Kevork Djansezian/Getty Images

You’d think that the only major gaming company to debut a brand new console would own this year’s E3. But Nintendo’s introduction of the Wii U at the company’s press briefing Tuesday morning did not live up to expectations that the console would, in the words of Nintendo of America chief Reggie Fils-Aime, “revolutionize your living room.” It was far from an outright flop — the Wii U is packed with potential (if no price point or firm release date yet other than “the holiday season.”) But if Nintendo was looking to make a big splash at E3, they’ve made something more like a heavy sprinkle. Here are the highlights:

BRING ON THE HARDCORE GAMES! ALL TWO OF THEM!

The presentation forwent discussion of the Wii U’s home entertainment possibilities — it will feature access to Netflix, Hulu, YouTube, and Amazon Video — in favor of the promise to showcase a whopping 23 titles for the Wii U. But only 10 games got a thorough presentation, and of those 10, only two could be classified as “hardcore” — dark, violent gaming experiences that Nintendo has professed will feel right at home on the Wii U.  READ FULL STORY »

Jun 5 2012 04:00 PM ET

E3 Snap Judgment: 'PlayStation All-Stars: Battle Royale'

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The Game: Simply put, it’s Super Smash Bros. with Sony characters. Okay, there are some twists, such as the fact that each level mixes material from at least two dissimilar franchises. But really, this is an excuse to invite some friends over and then beat the crap out of each other — the very foundation of college dorm life. (Available this holiday season for PS3 and PS Vita)

What We Played: At a recent pre-E3 event, we extensively tried out the main four-player battle mode with the six initially announced characters — Kratos (God of War), Sweet Tooth (Twisted Metal), Sly Cooper, Mael Radec (Killzone 2), Fat Princess, and PaRappa the Rapper. (Sony announced Monday that Nathan Drake and Big Daddy will also be a part of the game.) We played four different maps: Metropolis (from Ratchet & Clank), Sandover Village (from Jak and Daxter), Dreamscape (from LittleBigPlanet), and Hades (from God of War).

The Good: The fundamental appeal of the Super Smash Bros. series — fast-paced fighting mayhem with your friends — remains intact here. Many of the characters’ Level 3 special powers, like PaRappa’s “death by rap song” execution move or Fat Princess’ Super Fat Chicken, are hilarious. And the levels themselves are cleverly designed. For instance, there’s a LittleBigPlanet map that, halfway through the match, will be interrupted by a Buzz! trivia question. You must navigate your character over to the correct multiple-choice answer and then defend your turf before the timer runs out. READ FULL STORY »

Jun 5 2012 02:12 AM ET

E3: Sony puts gamers first with 'The Last of Us,' 'Beyond,' and 'God of War: Ascension,' plus a new 'Harry Potter' project from J.K. Rowling

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Image Credit: Sony Computer Entertainment

Whereas Microsoft seemed most concerned with highlighting the Xbox 360′s role as your living-room media thingamajig, Sony emphasized its games (and the PlayStation 3′s exclusive titles) more than anything else at its E3 press briefing Monday night. This resulted in one stunning game demo after another and theoretically positioned the PS3 as the true hardcore gamer’s system, even though the Xbox 360 and Nintendo Wii both enjoy a significantly larger user base.

We witnessed such PS3 exclusives as Quantic Dream’s intriguing new thriller Beyond, PlayStation All-Stars: Battle Royale, Assassin’s Creed III: Liberation for the PS Vita, God of War: Ascension, and The Last of Us (pictured above). And, oh yeah, a new project from Harry Potter author J.K. Rowling, which showed promise and also stopped the conference dead in its tracks. Here’s what went down at the L.A. Memorial Sports Arena: READ FULL STORY »

Jun 5 2012 01:45 AM ET

Ubisoft's E3 conference: 'Assassin's Creed 3,' 'Far Cry 3,' and the Wii U

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Ubisoft showed off an impressive slate of videogames on Monday, in a pre-E3 press conference hosted by comedienne Aisha Tyler and someone named Tobuscus, who is apparently considered a YouTube sensation by people who pay attention to YouTube sensations. The briefing kicked off with dancing girls and an appearance by Flo Rida, but the games themselves showcased eccentric fantasy visions. We’ll be talking more about each game once E3 begins properly tomorrow, but here’s a quick rundown of Ubisoft’s big games at E3 2012: READ FULL STORY »

Jun 5 2012 01:15 AM ET

EA's E3 conference: 'Dead Space 3,' 'Medal of Honor,' and more

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Electronic Arts held the second major event of Monday’s pre-E3 press conference smorgasboard, showing off ten of their upcoming titles in LA’s Orpheum Theatre. When EA’s CEO John Riccitiello took the stage, he explained that the briefing would be “less like the Oscars, and more like Sundance” — a reference to the relatively pomp-free presentation, although a single minute of these games features more explosions and slow-motion-neck-stabs than a decade of Sundance. We’ll have a more in-depth look at each of these games once E3 kicks off tomorrow, but for now, here’s a quick rundown of all EA’s 2012 offerings: READ FULL STORY »

Jun 4 2012 09:03 PM ET

'Halo 4' gameplay trailer: 'I don't think we're the only ones in here.' What tipped you off?

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The trailer for Halo 4 is really two trailers in one. The first is more of a cinematic preamble, featuring live actors (or the best CG I’ve ever seen) heading into deep space in a starship built for war but now commissioned for exploration and “the discovery of new worlds.” That…doesn’t go well.

The second is a true gameplay trailer, as demo’d at today’s Microsoft press briefing, showcasing the new planet Requiem‘s vertiginously overgrown jungle landscape (and some of the hostile creatures inside it).

Check it out below:  READ FULL STORY »

Jun 4 2012 03:16 PM ET

Microsoft introduces 'Tomb Raider,' 'Halo 4,' 'South Park,' and more at E3

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Image Credit: Kevork Djansezian/Getty Images

To answer your first question: No, Microsoft did not reveal a new console at their press conference this morning. The briefing — which is the first major event of E3 week — did have plenty of intriguing first looks at some of the biggest games of the next year. In general, though, it felt a little bit like Microsoft was once again attempting to hard sell the XBox as a full-service entertainment device, complete with an in-depth look at a new second-screen system called “SmartGlass” and a tease about a new “XBoxMusic” system which immediately made “Zune” a Trending Topic. Here are the key details from the big event:

READ FULL STORY »

Jun 4 2012 02:00 PM ET

'Halo 4' exclusive image: Master Chief's new planet

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Image Credit: Microsoft

The last time we saw Halo‘s stern protagonist Master Chief, he was kicking back after a trilogy’s worth of space-fighting with some much deserved cryo-sleep. In November’s Halo 4, he finally wakes up…and finds himself in another fine mess. We’ll have more updates about Halo 4 straight from the floor of E3 soon. But first, to tide you over, EW has obtained an exclusive new image from the game, in which Master Chief finds himself on a new world called Requiem. Click on the picture for a bigger look at this mysterious, cloudy new planet. READ FULL STORY »

Jun 4 2012 09:30 AM ET

E3 2012 preview: The Wii U, 'Call of Duty' goes to the future, and the return of Master Chief and Lara Croft

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Image Credit: Chris Weeks/AP Images

The Electronic Entertainment Expo: The videogame industry’s annual celebration of innovative button-mashing, finely pixelated storytelling, and more sequels, threequels, and prequels than a Hollywood studio chief could dare to conceive. This year’s E3 doesn’t officially begin until tomorrow, when conference-goers flood into the two massive showroom floors in the downtown Los Angeles Convention Center and embrace the flashy gaming pavilions and bone-melting sub-woofers. But the festivities kick off in earnest today, with press presentations by hardcore gaming rivals Microsoft and Sony, as well as showcases by major gaming publishers EA and Ubisoft.

So what are the biggest titles and stories grabbing our attention heading into this year’s E3? EW’s Darren Franich, Adam B. Vary, and John Young break it down:  READ FULL STORY »

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