Tag: Video Game preview

E3 2019 – Nintendo wins E3

Fire Emblem: Three Houses

The idea that any gaming company “wins” E3 is rather silly and certainly doesn’t matter. However, we can generally tell which game developer had the most interesting and important presentation. Or to be more direct, who had the most games coming out THIS year (2019). I’m not opposed to previewing games in development, but some developers show the same game for years. I’m looking at you Square Enix (FF7). In the last few years Nintendo had decided to abandon the usually corny or awkward on stage presentation. Instead they opted for the “Nintendo Direct” model.

Luigi’s Mansion’s 3

In addition to Nintendo Directs, they included the Nintendo Treehouse where they actually show the gameplay of games that will be released soon. Initially, many though this was a sign that Nintendo was in trouble in some way. Instead it turned out to be in their favor. While I’m a Nintendo fanboy, I think Nintendo has had the best showing for the last few E3. This year of course was easier than previous E3. Sony was a no show and Microsoft announced a new console with a bunch of specs. Unlike Sony and Microsoft, Nintendo isn’t focused on making a new console so they can focus on games.

Pokemon Sword and Shield Gameplay

While many of the third party games for the Nintendo Switch are just ports, if you buy a Nintendo console you don’t do so for third party games. Nintendo has been able to carefully schedule the release of their games so there’s something every year. So what did they have to offer:

ANIMAL CROSSING

Animal Crossing has been a huge success for Nintendo. Announced last year, Animal Crossing: New Horizon will take place on a tropical island. The video shows players crafting and building a surrounding environment. The bad news for fans. It’s not coming out this year, but March 20th, 2020.

ZELDA: LINK’S AWAKENING

While we wait for the next 3D Zelda, the adorably styled remake Link’s awakening will be released this September. Players are now able to create dungeons from pre-made sets. In addition to this game is the Cadence of Hyrule, a rhythm adventure game from Crypt of the Necrodancer, which will be released June 13.

THE LEGEND OF ZELDA: BREATH OF THE WILD SEQUEL

The MOST important announcement was the sequel of the Breath of the Wild is being worked on. There isn’t too much details on the upcoming game but many are speculating that you might be able to play as Zelda herself. It also seems that we might get a new zombie villain. Regardless, if this game is any where close to the first one then it will be great. Considering Nintendo’s track record it will be.

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Nintendo Direct for Pokemon Sword and Shield reveals new details

Zacian

Earlier today Nintendo revealed some details of the highly anticipated Pokemon Sword and Shield for the Nintendo Switch. First it looks like random encounters are gone. Instead Pokemon will roam around like Pokemon Let’s Go. It is possible to also trigger battles by running into a exclamation pop up while in tall grass. I’m find either way but I think seeing the Pokemon in the wild is better.

Zamazenta

In recent Pokemon games new games mechanics have been added like Mega Evolution and Z-Moves. Enter Dynamax. To be honest this is the most creative feature. Basically, your Pokemon gets more powerful as they become giant. They can only stay this way for three turns and it can only be once per battle. Dynamaxing doesn’t interest me in the slightest. Hopefully, you won’t be forced to use it too much.

MILO

Milo is one of the Gym Leaders of the Galar region. He has a kind heart and is well liked by the Trainers of his Gym. His credo is to always enjoy battles, and he specializes in endurance matches using Grass-type Pokémon.

Free roaming has arrive to Pokemon in the form of the “Wild Area.” The natural space between towns in Galar, you will discover new Pokemon walking around. They will vary based on area and weather similar to Pokemon Go. You can join other players on Max Battle Raids. When you locate a red beam, up to four players can battle against a Dynamaxed Pokemon. Only one of the four players can Dynamax their Pokemon. The Dynamaxed Pokemon can be caught and some Pokemon can only be caught this way.

We were introduced to some new adorable Pokemon and some of the characters that will be in the new game. The starters were introduced already, fans were given a look at seven new Pokemon including the two legendaries, Zacian and Zamazenta.

GOSSIFLEUR

Category: Flowering Pokemon

Type: Grass

Height: 1’4″

Weight: 4.9 lbs

Ability: Cotton Down/Regenerator

ELDEGOSS

Category: Cotton Bloom Pokemon

Type: Grass

Height: 1’8″

Weight: 5.5 lbs

Ability: Cotton Down/Regenerator

Pokemon Sword and Shield will be released on November 15th. Sources: IGN, Polygon

Nintendo Direct coming on June 5th focusing on Pokemon Sword and Shield

On June 5th, Nintendo will broadcast a new Nintendo Direct presentation. The direct will provide details on newest Pokemon games, Pokemon Sword and Shield. Slated to air 9 a.m. ET/6 a.m. PT on Nintendo’s YouTube and Twitch channels. With E3 2019 on the horizon the direct will allow Nintendo to give the games more time. This will not replace anything that Nintendo has prepared for E3 itself.

The Nintendo Direct will focus on “on software, and will offer a look at games scheduled to launch in 2019.” Games expected for release this year on the Switch are, Fire Emblem: Three Houses, Astral Chain, Animal Crossing, Daemon X Machina, Luigi’s Mansion 3, and The Legend of Zelda: Link’s Awakening. Also a Pokemon Press Conference occurred today that I haven’t seen yet, but it may focus on Pokemon Go.

Final Fantasy VII Remakes gets short teaser trailer

The Final Fantasy VII remake was originally shown in 2015 much to fans excitement. At E3 it received a standing ovation and Square Enix’s stock prices even rose. Personally, I didn’t really get into the Final Fantasy series until FF10 and was mildly annoyed at all fanfare the game got. Regardless, I am excited to see what all the hype is about. One problem seems to be how slow the development process is for this game.

Instead of simply recreating the game with better graphics, the Square Enix team decided to do a full remake. They decided to rebuild the game from the bottom up, using a new game system. The fighting system will change to a more action based style. They aim to upgrade the battle system, similar to games like Kingdom Heart and Dissidia FF. However, they have every intention to keep the gameplay mechanics that fans loved.

Final Fantasy VII: Remake – PlayStation 4

The developers also wanted avoid coming across as “too nostalgic,” also they wanted to make changes that reflected “cultural shifts,” like the scene when Cloud cross-dresses on an infiltration mission. The game will be fully voiced and utilize the Epic Games Unreal Engine 4. The game has been planned as a multi-game release. Square Enix claims that “trying to fit the game onto a single release would entail cutting large parts of the game.”

If they split the games players will be given more access to parts of the game that they couldn’t before. Each game is expected to be similar in size to FF13. The cost of each part isn’t known yet. However, if they are the size of full games there’s no reason to believe that they won’t be full priced.

Pokemon Sword and Shield announced for the Nintendo Switch

Like many fans of the Pokemon series I was waiting to see what the next generation of Pokemon games would look like. When the Switch was revealed to be both a home console and a handheld one, it was easy to predict that the next Pokemon game would be on the Switch. Unlike, Pokemon: Let’s Go, Pikachu! and Pokemon: Let’s Go, Eevee, this game will be the “real” Pokemon RPG’s.

Each Pokemon region is inspired by a real place, this time it’s seems to be Great Britain. The brand new region is called Galar. The three new starter Pokemon were revealed: the Grass-type chimp Grookey, the Fire-type rabbit Scorbunny, and the Water-type lizard Sobble. As always random encounters are back, as are Gym’s (Pokemon Sun and Moon changed that format). The trailer didn’t confirm whether character customization, but I’m hoping.

So far their doesn’t seem to be anything new to the series yet, but details on possible new elements could emerge later. With the introduction of every new generation, we tend to get a lot of new Pokemon. Anyway, I can’t wait. Pokemon Sword & Shield will be released later this year.

Pokemon Sword and Shield trailer

Dragon Ball Super: Broly becomes the 3rd all-time Anime movie in U.S.

According to Box Office Mojo, Dragon Ball Super: Broly has earned an estimated $3.6 million over the weekend. Collectively it has grossed over $28 million in the U.S. and Canada. This now puts Dragon Ball Super: Broly third behind Pokemon: The first Movie and Pokemon 2000- The Movie. The combined domestic and foreign total is more than $98 million. The previous Dragon Ball movie, Dragon Ball Z: Resurrection F grossed over $8 million at the U.S. box office.

Dragon Ball Project Z game teaser trailer

Bandai Namco Entertainment revealed a trailer for the upcoming action RPG. The trailer reveals that the game will be released for the PS4, XBox One and Stream in 2019.

Source: ANN

E3 2018 Day 2: Microsoft Xbox

Microsoft has been lagging in sales compared to the PS4 and soon the Switch. The largest part of the problem seems to be a lack of exclusive games. While not exclusive we did see the debut of a new Kingdom Heart 3 trailer featuring Frozen.

Square Enix announced that KH3 will be released January 2019 :

Halo Infinite was announced for Windows 10 and Xbox One. Personally, I stopped caring about Halo years ago but I would like to see fans of the series get another good entry. The teaser was brief and will be made by 343 Industries.

Halo Infinite:

Gear of War is another series that I stopped caring about. The gameplay that was at one point revolutionary became rather stale. The large brooding characters and large monsters are back. Along with Gears of War 5, Microsoft announced a mobile game as well a turn-based strategy game for PC.

Gears of War 5:

Finally a game I’m excited about, Devil May Cry 5. It’s been a decade since DMC4 and apparently this is the “true” sequel. The trailer seem to introduce a new remodeled Nero, and of course Dante returns, regardless it looks epic.

DMC5:

 

E3 2018: EA is bring Star Wars back

E3 is back, starting with an EA conference. They revealed several new games in the Battlefield, FIFA, Madden series. They presented a new “Cloud-based game streaming service,” that will allow gamers to “stream games to their phone and attach their own controllers or play on a laptop.”

However, the news that piqued my interest was the new entries in the Star Wars universe. Personally, I don’t really care about Star Wars: Battlefront 2 but if you do there will be “brand new multiplayer sandbox mode,” as well as Clone Wars characters. The most potentially promising game announced was Star Wars: Jedi Fallen Order, a new single player game that is set between Star Wars Episode III and IV. Expected to be released in 2019, the game may see player play the role of the Sith. Star Wars games have been disappointing, I’m still waiting for a KOTOR remake, maybe this game will be good.

Check out more from E3 here: Fandom  and the Verge

Bioware’s new 2018 open-world RPG, Anthem

Anthem, is a new IP from Bioware/EA, slated to be released in 2018. The game will be released on PC, Xbox One and PS4, an open world RPG that is being compared to Destiny and Titanfall, with some Mass Effect elements. Anthem is a science fantasy game similar to Star Wars, meaning that technology and the surrounding environment isn’t using real science. You play as a Freelancer, an explorer of the large landscape. Up to four players can play together, you share in the exploits of missions. Freelancers can wear fully customizable exosuits called Javelins. So far two Javelin types were revealed the Ranger and the Colossus.

Bioware has made it clear that single player will also be a big component of the game. Anthem’s lead designer Corey Gaspur confirmed on twitter that, “single player experience is very important to the team.” EA has suggested that Anthem is a “10 year journey,” this is a similar strategy to that of Activision’s view of Destiny. EA’s executive VP Patrick Soderlund stated that “Anthem is a social game where you and your friends go on quests and journeys. It’s a game that we’ve been working on for almost four years now, and once we launch it next year I think it’ll be the start of a ten-year journey for us.”

The former script writer from Mass Effect and KOTOR is work on the story for the game, showing that EA/Bioware is serious about single player. Players will encounter “world-altering events called Shaper Storms.” These storms are similar to Destiny’s “public events,” they are “massive tempests crackling with lightning that wreak havoc on the environment as they intensify. Shaper Storms seem to warrant grouping up to prepare for an added challenge.” You will face off against marauders and beasts, you will have a home base or main hub called Fort Tarsus. Protected by a wall that segregates the civilians from the more dangerous outside environment, you’ll be free to go in any direction.

sources: Gamesradar , EA

AO Tennis preview

The first grand-slam of the 2018 tennis season begin in the middle of January, The Australian Open. I previously mentioned an upcoming game from several former game developers from 2K Czech, creators of the Top Spin series. Tennis World Tour will be released sometime in the spring. AO tennis will be released on January 16th in New Zealand and Australia and in March it will debut in the states. According to press-star, “The control scheme will be very familiar for those that have played Top Spin 4. ”

The gameplay is very similar to the Top Spin series (which is a good thing), “Controls in rallies are also very familiar, with you being able to hit flat, top-spin, slice and lobs, with power being increased by holding and releasing or just tapping to hit a more controlled shot. You can also rush to the net or hit an inside out shot exactly like you could in Top Spin. ” A new entry to a tennis game will be the challenge system (where players challenge calls they believe were wrong).

It’s of course no surprise that the game is graphically better than any previous tennis game. Big Ant made good use of their new “photogrammetry tech,” animations seemed to be “realistic and smooth.” Despite it’s title the game is not entirely focused on the Australian Open, and it will feature “a career mode and clay and grass surfaces,” as well as A.I based on “ten years of ball tracking data taken from Australian Open.” Finally, there will be player creation, in addition to customization of “clothing, stadiums and logos,” and of course online play. I looks like will be a good year for tennis gamers.

For more check out: Game Informer