Nintendo Wii: Legend of Zelda Edition Created by: Morpheon Mods

As we sit in full on anticipation mode for the upcoming next generation consoles, I thought it was time for a look back at some of the great things from this generation. Much has been made of the new looks the Xbox One and PS4 are sporting, and rightfully so. If you're going to spend $400 to $500 it better not look like a pet rock. Next Gen isn't the only way to get a sweet looking console however, as many talented modders have made their own dream machines. While some of these were not officially licensed by Nintendo, Sony, or Microsoft, the community has done a knock up job creating some truly creative and just flat out cool custom consoles. Without further ado, lets get to spotlighting some of the best and coolest customs of this gen. 

Xbox 360: The True Arcade Edition  Created by: Solomods

Playstation 3: Assassins Creed 3 Wooden Case Mod Created by: Jriquelme Mods

Nintendo Wii: Incredible Hulk Custom Created by: Beer Belly Joe

Xbox 360: Halo One Million Edition Created by: Richard Taylor and Weta Workshop

Playstation 3: Aliens Custom Created by: GivinTats

Nintendo Wii: Super Mario Galaxy Custom Created by: Morpheon Mods

Xbox 360: Hellboy Custom Created by: Frank Gonzales

Playstation 3: Rainbow Six Diorama Case Created by: Butter Kneter

Nintendo Wii: Samus Custom Created by: Morpheon Mods

Xbox 360: Captain America Custom Created by: Zachariah Perry

Playstation 3: Assassins Creed Custom

Nintendo Wii: Star Wars Custom Created by: Beer Belly Joe

Playstation 3: Metal Gear Rising Custom Created by: Jriquelm Mods

Xbox 360: R2-D2 Custom Created by: Major League Mods

Nintendo Wii: Liquid Cooled Edition Created by: Angel OD

Playstation 3: Metal Gear Solid 4 Custom Created by: Morpheon Mods

Xbox 360: Iron Man Custom by: Zachariah Perry 

Nintendo Wii: Twilight Princess Custom Created by: Crystal Icing

Playstation 3: Dishonored Steampunk Custom Created by: Butter Kneter

Check out this impressive LEGO recreation of Songbird from the video game Bioshock Infinite. It was created by Flickr user Imagine Rigney, and I love the detail. Here's a note from the creator,

Songbird was a challenge - and huge! After about six days of building, I was pretty happy with it. But I needed a scene for Songbird to descend upon. This is a working prototype for a much larger Columbia I'm planning. 

As the dust of the news overload that is E3 begins to settle, I feel it is safe to begin analyzing what was presented.  We’ve seen Ubisoft’s rockstar line-up, EA’s slew of sports games, and a life sized Dracula statue from Konami, but what everyone is still talking about is the “Big Three” -- Nintendo, Sony, and Microsoft.

Stocks

One way market analysts determine if an event was “good” or “bad” for a company is relatively easy. Look at the stock prices. Here is a chart that shows the stock numbers for the “Big Three” from the beginning of E3 until now. It may not come as a huge surprise that Sony stock went up, 5.92% to be exact, but what took some by surprise, including me, was how good E3 was for Nintendo. Even without hosting a large press briefing like in years past, Nintendo’s stock still went up almost 11%. Microsoft was the only company that didn’t seem to benefit from the E3 week with its stocks prices dropping 1.87% since E3 opened. But what do these stock numbers mean for the success of any of the three companies? Pretty much nothing. No stock jump can predict if a console is going to be successful at launch or if people will suddenly start buying Wii U’s.  All it shows is the confidence of stock buying individuals, and those people are more confident in the future of Sony and Nintendo over Microsoft. 

Polls

Another bad omen for Microsoft took the form of an Amazon poll. On the day E3 closed, Amazon posted a poll on their Facebook asking users to vote which console they prefer between the PS4 and the Xbox One. The poll opened on June 13th and was scheduled to run until June 20th, but Amazon shut the poll down early after the voting turned immensely towards the PS4. By the time the poll was closed, the results were 38984 votes for PS4 and a mere 2162 for the Xbox One. That is a solid 94% for the PS4, a crushing majority. Other evidence of this staggering support for the PS4 over the Xbox One could be heard on Facebook, Reddit, and other social media sites. The internet had found a villain, and they wanted to let people know.

In the meantime, preorders for the PS4 spiked and rocketed it to the top of the Amazon.com Video Game Bestseller’s list. At the time of this writing, with the PS4 coming in first place and the Xbox One in the second place slot, eight of the top ten bestselling video game products are PS4 consoles or Sony products, like Playstation Store cards and the recently released game The Last of Us. Although the Xbox One occupies second place, the PS4 also occupies spots four, five, seven, and eight, which could lead to significantly more PS4 consoles being pre-ordered than Xbox Ones.  It is hard to know any specifics since Amazon isn’t telling the exact numbers of how many consoles of each brand are being ordered. Because this data is so nebulous, it is hard to analyze. How many more PS4s are being pre-ordered than Xbox Ones? Who knows. This is only one of many retailers where these pre-orders are available. Best Buy, Gamestop, Walmart, and other retailers all offer pre-orders and we don't know their numbers. Nevertheless, it seems to be following the pattern of Sony outpacing Microsoft, but probably not by far and definitely not by the 94% implied by the Amazon poll. People are still ordering Xbox One consoles in droves, which outlines the obvious but overlooked aspect of console success. Sales.

Sales

It doesn’t matter how upset the internet gets or how many people vote that one console is better than the other online, at the end of the day all that matters is how many of each console was sold. People may be upset at the Xbox One’s required online connection or both console’s lack of backwards compatibility, but will that prevent people from purchasing them? I doubt it. Microsoft revealed some pretty cool looking games in their massive press briefing at E3, and once the reviews and gameplay for the AAA titles like Titanfall start rolling in I think consumers will begin to forget about all of the things that turned them off of the Xbox One in the first place. “How often does my internet go out for more than 24 hours anyway?” They’ll think.  “I never really buy used games anyways.” They’ll tell themselves as they pull out their wallets. Look how quickly consumers got over the Xbox 360’s tendency to Red Ring and die, or the PS3’s sudden lack of backwards compatibility between versions. Negative attributes of the hardware fade into the background once cool games come into the picture.  

This is also assuming that the consumers purchasing the products are up to date on the current internet scandals.  Just under 43,000 people attended E3 and there are around 3 million subscribers to the gaming section of Reddit. Both of these numbers are minuscule compared to the 77.2 million Xbox 360s sold and the 70 million PS3s.  A large amount of these sales was probably “uneducated” to the bad press and controversies each console had at the time. They made their purchasing decision based on price, advertising and the prompting of their children. 

I’m not saying that the negative press won’t affect Xbox One sales this holiday season. It will. I bet Microsoft misses it’s sales predictions for the Xbox One by 10%, but in the long run I doubt it will matter. People will grow accustomed to the features of the Xbox One and the differences between the PS4 and the Xbox One will shrink down to a difference of game selection and performance, just like the what the current console generation has become. This is a situation where people need to vote with their wallets, rather than with online polls, but I doubt it is going to happen. Also, I predict the Wii U will start selling consoles again because they are finally releasing games for it.

There are few franchises looked at more fondly by me than Suikoden. The original is widely regarded as a cult favorite, and its sequel as the game that cemented it as a true classic among RPG's. While 3 and 4 had its fans (I truly enjoyed 4), it wasn't until the 5th entry that it seemed to get back into fans and critics good graces. Suikoden 5 was wonderful, and in my mind is truly underrated. Since the adventures of George and the Prince, there have been no true sequels, only a 3DS version that, aside from a few tips of the hat, is pretty much regarded as its own separate thing. That title wasn't received very well by the fan base, and since then the franchise has been dormant. 

Well, its time to put Hero (insert your own name here) back to work!

I've been itching to comb the world over for all 108 stars again, and I think others are as well. While there wasn't a new entry announced at E3 this year, that shouldn't stop us from hoping. With that in mind, here is my pitch for Suikoden 6.

Don't Forget What Got You Here

The series has been successful for its unique blend of political intrigue, creative characters, fortress building, finding all 108 stars, and making you truly feel like you're commanding an army or uniting a kingdom. Suikoden's combat has also been a highlight (depending on the entry), and normally comes with at least 3 different types of combat, each one bringing a unique style that keeps things from getting too monotonous, and in a 30 to 40 hour RPG that can happen quite often. Oh, and did I say fortress building? 

Everybody wants a batcave.

Graphics Please…Seriously...

The early Suikoden games were straight up sprite based affairs, and were full of color and charm. Things got sticky though when Konami switched to 3D. Suikoden 3 was pretty bland in its models and its palette, and while 4 was better, it still paled in comparison to what the other RPGs of the time were offering. I'm not a graphics snob by any means, but you at least need to be competitive graphically or at least have an art style that makes you stand out, of which neither 3 or 4 had. With 5 the style was classic and well done, and while the polygon count wouldn't rival a square product, the charm and color was back, so its hard to complain. If Konami wants Suikoden 6 to succeed, it wouldn't hurt to throw some money at its graphics. I would love to finally have my cake and eat it too.

108 Stars Of Individuality

Whether you loved him or loathed him, you damn sure remember Schtolteheim Reinbach the III. Sure there are filler characters in every game, but with the sheer number available you are bound to find a few you gravitate towards, and at least for me the memorable outnumber the average. That said, Suikoden 3 had more average than stellar, but that game as a whole was kind of unmemorable so my point still stands.

Make Your Own Batcave

One of the perks of recruiting all those stars throughout the game is having an HQ to put them all in, and its one of the best perks in the game. Not sure how many hours I wasted after every mission speaking to just about everybody in my headquarters, waiting for that tiny bit of new insight into their characters (except for Rita, because no one wants to play that damn game). That said, I would love Suikoden VI to take that the extra step, and let you craft your own. Most of the HQ's have been nicely designed and perfectly adequate (Suikoden IV's ship is one of my favorites), but I'm all for customization. I want a Batcave, or in honor of Man of Steel, my own Fortress of Solitude. So here's my proposal: Even if you don't let me build it block by block, have one of the 108 stars be an architect. Then have 1 or 2 stars be merchants or builders of different resources. Once I have those, let me pick from several options and layouts for my home base, and then let me name it. Throughout the game I could find different maps and schematics that let me build spaces and optional add-ons, allowing it to grow with me throughout the game and giving me a reason to go out to different areas and grind. I'm a grinder by nature, but it would be nice to have another reason besides extra XP. While I can't build it from scratch, at least I have some choice in the matter. That won't please everyone, but it's a good start in the right direction.

Turn Based Combat to the Core

While some of the entries have played around with the style of combat, Suikoden is at its best with a classic turn based 6 party member system. While I love the idea of mounts (as experimented with in Suikoden 3), it didn't seem to benefit you much. If that could be tinkered with to some degree I would love to see that make a return. Another wonderful feature is the various formations you could use in 5, as you had various benefits and advantages in battle if you just took a minute to think it out. While Suikoden Tactics toyed with a slightly different variation on the combat, the one standout from that title was the relationship building it brought to combat. Having team members fight together over and over again granted them bonuses as a sort of comradery enhancement. It added a nice bit of depth to the usual combat proceedings, and I would like to see that feature make a return. As for the core combat, I suggest not fixing what isn't broken, and just enhancing the solid combat of 5. 

Well, that's my pitch! Like to see any features I left out? Let me know in the comments or on twitter @KnightofOA.

Heck, Nuclear Man makes him look chumpish, and that's saying something. Created by Tyrannicon (as part of their Skyrim at the Movies series) and featuring Chris Hardwick (of The Nerdist) as the voice of the Man of Steel, this video creates an intensely fun and ridiculous battle between Superman, The Dragon Born and his allies (or underlings as he would put it), General Zod, and Nuclear Man. I loved it. From its spot on rendering of Clark (with his random Tardis like phonebooth in the middle of the mountains) to making Nuclear Man semi entertaining (again, not an easy feat). If you like what you see make sure to check out their other videos, and you can catch the full clip down below.

During a tour of Warner Brothers’ booth at E3, I had a chance to play LEGO Marvel Super Heroes while chatting with the game’s director, Arthur Parsons. This is a game that I have been excited about for a while, and it’s looking like it’s on track to live up to my expectations.  With LEGO Batman 2 and LEGO City Undercover, TT Games (a subsidiary of WB) has really been experimenting with the implementation of an open world. This experimentation will be more fully realized in LEGO Marvel. I asked Arthur Parsons what the open world will be used for, and he assured me that you would be able to roam around freely and accept sidequests that show you different areas and introduce you to a whole slew of Marvel characters that might not be in the main storyline.

The game will have over 120 playable characters from all over the Marvelverse, and I had a blast trying a few of them out. Parsons said it was a creative challenge to make every character feel different and unique--to feel like you would want them to feel. For example; Hulk feels huge and powerful, Venom is cool and creepy, and Wolverine can’t die--he just turns into a skeleton until his healing factor kicks in. It was also a lot of fun to play with the environments.  As Iron Man, I flew around throughout Asgard, which is beautifully designed. I also accidentally discovered The Warlock's Eye, a pretty obscure reference--a shoutout to the diehard Marvel fans. Parsons also talked about the version of New York they're using for the game. It features standard New York landmarks like Grand Central Station and the Statue of Liberty (which at one point in the story, Magneto will control). It will also have the staples of Marvel's universe, like Stark Tower and Roxxon Energy.

It’s clear that Parsons and the other developers are huge Marvel fans. They have an original storyline featuring Galactus, Silver Surfer, and Loki. They are well-versed enough to play around in Marvel’s vast universe, taking characters from all of its franchises and including them in interesting and creative ways. TT Games has made some great LEGO games in the past, including Batman, Star Wars, and Lord of the Rings, and from what I can tell, this is going to be their fullest and best game yet.

LEGO Marvel Super Heroes is due for release in late 2013 for Windows, DS, PlayStation 3, PlayStation 4, PlayStation Vita, Wii U, Xbox 360, and Xbox One.  An alternate version will be released on the Nintendo 3DS.

One of my favorite things to do is find cool art, and I came across this great creature design for the Bioware game Dragon Age and just had to share. The character is named Hurlock, and it was created by CGHUB artsit tiare96. I love how insanely creepy this is. I swear I've seen this guy in my nightmares.

Demon Souls and its spiritual successor Dark Souls are infamous in the gaming industry for their dark action and unforgiving difficulty. This year at E3 I was able to get an exclusive look at the next installment in the series, Dark Souls II.

The main point the presenter wanted to get across was that the game will be very hard. I figured this was a given considering its pedigree, but the presenter was adamant.

“This game is very hard...it will ruthlessly kick your ass when you get it.”

To illustrate this point, they had the head of QA for Dark Souls II playing the game while we observed and asked questions. We watched him die. Over and over again. 

Dark Souls II will be using a new engine, and the hands-on stations were running a PC build of the game. It was gorgeous. The light effects were dramatic and realistic, becoming obscured by your character’s own clothing as you moved around the environments. In dark sections where your character is all but required to carry a torch, the lighting engine shines. Stark shadows are cast by every object, which leads to some very tense encounters.

Character generation in Dark Souls II will be different from the first game.  Rather than having a list of classes to choose from, there will be a sort of personality test that determines your personal fighting style and then builds your character using that information. Other games have done this in the past, like Ogre Battle 64 and Fallout 3, but we will have to wait and see how effective the system is. When I asked if it will be possible to transfer character data over from Dark Souls I, the presenter hedged, declined to answer, then suspiciously acknowledged that it was a good question. What this actually means is a point of speculation, but I hope it means there is a way to transfer some semblance of your character data between games.

The presenter also told us a few smaller details that will be changed in Dark Souls II, like the addition of dual weapon wielding, being able to teleport to and from any bonfire from the beginning of the game, and improved enemy AI, all of which are welcome additions to the game.

Dark Souls II looks to be a capable installment to the Dark Souls franchise with a few much needed additions, and some other interesting ones. The hands on gameplay was a lot of fun, and I am definitely looking forward to its release in March, 2014 on Xbox 360, PS3, and PC.

I found most of the presentations at E3 this year pretty dull. Yeah, the games are cool, but they are presented and introduced to us in the most boring monotone way possible. That all changed when Peggle 2 was announced, though, it was the most exciting and hilariously awkward announcement at the video game expo. Unfortunately, nobody cared. There's dead silence after the game is excitedly announced with a jumping ground punch. This is great!

Thanks to our new writers Jacob and Christian for the heads up on this! 

The long awaited Ryse is here, or at least coming soon, now with the subtitle Son of Rome, and it looks absolutely amazing. Coming from Crytek (the reason for the weird spelling) this could be Microsoft's answer to Sony's God of War franchise.

What intriguied me about Ryse was it played sort of like a squad based shooter although the game and setting is entirely different. The game is brutal, with arms and legs going everywhere, but it also has a sense of strategy that is blatantly absent from games like God of War. It also seemed to combine a parry/counter attack system with a quicktime event system, much like the Batman: Arkham series. It also reminded me quite a bit of the Playstation exclusive Heavenly Sword due to the massive amount of quicktime events. It got a bit repetitive, and yet there was pandemonium on the battlefield. Multiple enemies will approach from the front, sides, and back, and the camera is closer to the player than in Batman, so you don't realize they're gunning for you until the camera zooms out a bit. I noticed this and used that as my proximity alarm.

The controls are fairly simple. Y is shield attack, X is sword attack, A is your parry/counter which you will probably be mashing, and B is your action/execution. RT was used to throw javelin/spears at archers in the distance and LB was used as my commands. I also sprinted a bit by pressing LS. 

Overall, Ryse seems promising. There is a lot more I would have liked to see, but I'll take what I can get. 

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Time definitely moves backwards in the Splinter Cell universe. Sam Fisher looks younger and is much more agile, and Grim looks even younger! While playing a demo of Blacklist I pointed this out to one of the developers. He said this is basically a reboot of the series, we're just not calling it that.

From what I played I really enjoyed it, although I desperately want them to get Michael Ironside back. The game does an incredible job of combining stealth and action. Most levels give you the option of bypassing every enemy, you just have to be careful and be smart. 

Points are currency used to buy upgraded tech and weaponry. A non-lethal approach gets you more points. There will be segments, the developer told me, called exotic stages, where you'll be on a turret or go full confrontation mode, but the demo I played had the exact opposite. Towards the end of the demo I had to get from point A to point B without being detected AND without killing/knocking out any enemies. I only failed once... I'm pretty proud of myself. 

The mark and execute feature from Conviction is back, although I didn't rely on it as much as I did in the previous installment. The graphics are nice, but I felt they could have been better. Hopefully that will change in the final product.

I am looking forward to Blacklist. Splinter Cell has changed, there is no denying it. Some say for the better, others for the worse, but I had fun regardless, and I plan on getting it on release on August 20, 2013.

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I love Avalanche Studios, so when they announced that they were making a Mad Max game my heart skipped a beat. I love Mad Max. He is the epitome of a badass. So it makes sense that this game is badass. 

Two developers showed us gameplay set in the barren wasteland. The map is massive with multiple areas. When I asked how big it was in relation to Just Cause 2 (one of the biggest game worlds created by Avalance Studios), they told me it was too early to tell. But I have a feeling it'll at least be on par. One of the big things they talked about was your ability to create your own iconic car. One of the coolest things they showcased was how realistic the physics were when driving the car. Just Cause is not known for its realistic physics, actually quite the opposite. But Mad Max shows weight distribution when adding a bigger grill, and suspension plays a big part in the rocky landscape. You can also customize the engine and turbo. 

In the first part of the game you are tasked with destroying a convoy via vehicular combat. I will be surprised if this game doesn't have multiplayer; the car combat seemed like something that would be incredibly fun with friends. Bandits jump on your car, and you take out your iconic sawed off shotgun and shoot them off. You can also use the car's inertia to throw them off. Your mechanic is in the back and has a harpoon gun that is capable of ripping off enemy tires or pulling an enemy driver out of the windshield of their car. 

Mad Max's story is said to be stand alone. That being said, the character model for Max looks closer to a rugged Tom Hardy then a young Mel Gibson. 

The combat in the game is very brutal via Thundersticks (spears that blow up), shotguns through the gut, and other crazy melee moves. 

I am very excited for the upcoming game releasing on current and next gen platforms next year.

GET MAD!

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I love car games, and the Need for Speed franchise has always been extremely fun to play. Out of all the racecar games I've played this year at E3, including Forza 5, Gran Turismo 6, and The Crew - Need For Speed: Rivals was the most fun. I always make an effort to play the car games, because I'm really good at them. One of the reasons I liked it so much is because it's the one game where you can actually feel the speed. You get the sense of going really fast. When playing the other games I don't feel like I'm going fast enough. 

Rivals could be the best game in the franchise, combining Most Wanted's open world freedom, Hot Pursuit's exciting cops and robbers police chases in which you can play as both sides of the law, and of course, Underground's detailed customization. This is a game I'm really excited to own. Ghost Games and EA Games really pulled out all the stops with this one. 

The game is set to be released on PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 November 19th, 2013, and it will be released on PlayStation 4 and Xbox One on a later date this year. If you like the Need For Speed franchise, you're going to love this one!

Check out the trailer and gameplay demos below.

Here's some gameplay footage of the actual demo I played at E3.

The new Wolfenstein is my favorite game at E3 so far. MachineGames is a relatively new game studio founded the same year the last Wolfenstein was released, 2009. Established by former founding members of Starbreeze Studios, MachineGames was acquired by ZeniMax Media in 2010.

For those of you who don't know:

The game takes place during the 1960's after the Nazi's have won World War II.  You, of course, are BJ Blazkowicz, part of a growing resistance. Set in Europe, The New Order will have players infiltrating Nazi strongholds and battling legions of enemies, while taking control of "super weapons" that the Nazis have used to dominate Earth.

The game is Single Player only, and I am perfectly fine with that. Machine Games developer Jens Matthies described the game as an action adventure first person shooter. This game will also delve into what makes BJ tick and why he does what he does. He went onto add that BJ still has a good sense of humor though.  

We were introduced to a gameplay demo. The first part is set on a night train to Berlin. You and your contact throughout the game, Anya, are undercover as a traveling couple. You are getting coffee/ doing reconnaissance when one of the main villains of the game Frau Engel calls you over. 

Let me just say this bitch is crazy; she is sadistic and psychotic. Her personality is very unsettling. She is sitting with Bubi, a boyish looking man that Matthies called "her Austrian psycho-sexual boy toy." She tells you to take a test to see if you are a "true Aryan," a test to see if you have "impure" blood. This entire one-sided conversation is incredibly intense. All the answers are player driven, and I don't know if there were different outcomes.

The second half of the demo takes place just after you blew up a Nazi convoy. You are then tasked with picking off any survivors and rendezvousing with other resistance fighters. The game is over the top chaos, but it isn't overwhelming. One thing I noticed during the demo was a great attention to detail--when a nazi soldier was killed by a car explosion, his body was charred. 

If one thing stood out it was the guns. You can dual wield guns, assault rifles and shotguns included, and almost every firearm has a secondary firing mode. The guns also have a lot of variety, from a gun that can cut through wire to a good old fashioned pistol. There are also laser turrets that can be ripped from their pedestal. 

After the demo was over I was able to get a hands on with an entirely different demo that lasted around 30-45 minutes. This game is challenging, not so much that I was cursing at the screen, but it's no walk in the Nazi-occupied park. I was tasked with infiltrating a Nazi compound located in London, which is now a police state. The compound housed rocket technology used for going to the moon. I had to gather intel from the secret lab inside. This straightforward, ridiculous sounding mission seemed very old school and I loved it. The HUD is also very old school; you have ammo, health, and armor. Health packs are scattered throughout the level. Your health does regenerate but only to a certain degree and very slowly. You can also find body armor. 

I was expecting BJ to seem heavy and hulking much like Isaac Clarke from Dead Space. I was so wrong he sprints, he jumps, and he slides like James Bond from the opening of Casino Royale. You really feel like a classic John McClane. The cover system is also very easy to use. Dishonored tried to do something like this, but it never felt comfortable. Using L1/LB and the left stick you can lean and peak out of cover. This feature was really handy when I got into tight situations. 

Throughout the level I was chased by Nazi Mech-Dog. I destroyed light mechs and heavy mechs, and don't forget the flying mechs. Also throughout the demo there are hidden collectibles, guns, and ammo off the beaten path. 

Wolfenstein: The New Order is very close to becoming my E3 2013 game of the year.

Will you be getting Wolfenstein when it's released?

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Grand Theft Auto has evolved a lot over the years. It was once the target of mad parents, but now seems very tame compared to some of the crazy gonzo stuff in other open world games. But what hasn't changed is the rich storytelling and immersive world. Rockstar North has released 9 new images for the highly anticipated game Grand Theft Auto V. The newest GTA heads to the city Los Santos which is essentially a clone of Los Angeles. I'm looking forwarding to playing it this fall.

Grand Theft Auto V will be available September 17th on PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360.

Okay maybe not, but you get the point. While I may have exaggerated the lengths to which I would go to play 400 Days, I can't stress enough how excited I am for it. As someone who just finished the wonderful, yet heartbreaking (no spoilers here) final episode of Season 1, Telltale sure knows how to leave an impact, and I expect no less from the 5 new protagonists that star in 400 Days.

For those who don't know, 400 Days is a special DLC episode for Season 1 of The Walking Dead that tells a tale of 5 new survivors whose paths seem to cross at a truckstop in Georgia. You can play the stories of each survivor in any order, and that order will change certain events and things in other character's episodes. While it will not feature Lee or Clementine, it will recognize some of your choices from Season 1, and will also transfer some made in 400 Days to the eventual Season 2. I love the characters from the original season, and fully believe we will cross paths with them again in future seasons, but Telltale was able to not just develop characters but also wonderful fully realized world, and frankly any chance to play around in that world is one I will gladly take. Sure it was based on a great property, but as we've seen time and time again, that alone doesn't mean much.

400 Days is coming to PSN, XBLA, Vita, iOS, and Steam later this year. 

There we were in the Bethesda showroom about to watch gameplay of The Evil Within, but before it even started we were treated to a little surprise... Shinji Mikami was there to introduce his game!!! This man is a legend. The creator of Resident Evil who went on to leave a huge impact on the game industry and reinvent the genre of survival horror. 

Just as he did in 1996, his The Evil Within is poised to be a turning point for the struggling survival horror genre.

This is what he had to say,

It is an honor to be showing The Evil Within. My passion is horror. We are making a truly terrifying game and with this game we are taking survival horror back to its original roots. This is pure survival horror. You will experience unimaginable fear but then the triumph of overcoming those fears. With limited resources you have to learn to not fight but survive by sneaking and hiding. But the game does have a balance between horror and action. 

This game looks great. The beginning is very eerie, and the script is top-notch. It's not at all cheesy, and the characters' spoken observations don't seem to be forced. 

The game has you take the role of Detective Sebastian Castellanos. You arrive at a crime scene in front of an asylum but all the police cars are empty and there are no cops in sight. Your partner points out that all the back up guns from the cars are missing, but there seem to be no shell casings. You make your way inside where the nurses' and orderlies' dead bodies litter the floor. You then find a survivor (a doctor) in a surveillance room. He mutters some ambiguous yet unsettling things before he passes out. You walk over the the monitors where cops are firing at a semi-invisible force before all getting stabbed. The semi-invisible force is fast! The hooded figure looks up at the camera, and you see this scarred face. Then you turn behind you, and he's there to cut you!

You wake up in the basement of the asylum where you are hanging upside down from the ceiling. This part is all in first person which I thought was really cool. This butcher-like figure comes in and hacks one of the many hanging bodies around you. He takes the hacked body to the table to cut it up a bit more. I guess it wasn't hacked enough. While he's at the table you start swinging for the knife stuck in a neighboring body. You get it and cut yourself loose. You then sneak around to the door which is locked, of course. You steal the keys which are incredibly close to butcher and make your way back to the door. All of this is very reminiscent of Silent Hill.

As you make your way upstairs, you set off an alarm, and the butcher, now armed with a chainsaw, starts chasing you. This chase isn't short and went on for a good while. He gets to you and cuts your back. This is when you gain something of a limp. As you try to get away from the crazed butcher, you find yourself at a dead end, but as he is walking into the room you hide in a rusty old locker. He gets enraged that he can't find you, making loud groaning noises, then barrels his way through the previously locked door, giving you an exit. You make your way to the elevator while the butcher is just a step behind you. The elevator doors close, and the deformed butcher grinds his chainsaw at door. You have outrun death and are making your way back to the lobby.

You make your way to the front door, all the while the environment is shaking and mildly crumbling around you. When you get outside everything is rubble, and the city in the distance is completely destroyed. 

The running animations could be better, a lot better. Sebastian runs hunched over with his arms flailing behind his back. It looks ridiculous. Hopefully this will change in the final product.

The next part of the demo happened in the "Perth House," a cabin in the woods. THE horror cliche, and this is where the demo got a bit more, yet not too much, action oriented. As you scavenge for ammo and health (in the form of syringes), you shoot two grossly disfugured humanoid creatures. You score a headshot on one which takes just the top off leaving the lower jaw intact. But these shots may have alerted others. When you look out the window, a mob of enraged and psychopathic creatures, who resemble the ones you just shot but are all a bit unique, have gathered outside the cabin.

This part of the demo greatly resembled Resident Evil 4's opening in the house within the village. Using some mines you scavenged, you get ready for the coming assault. You plant 3. 2 at the windows, 1 at the door. There are a TON! They just keep coming. You make your way downstairs but as you get to the door, the Hallway extends, and it happens again.

Then you're transported into some hospital hallway following a blood trail. You make your way to what looks like an operating room with a pile of bodies in the center. Then out of the pile of bodies comes this bloodied creature with disfigured and elongated legs and four arms with long black hair covering her face, who runs at you, pins you to the ground... and then it ends. 

The Demo was definitely unsettling, and yet I want to visit this world again. It's a bit trippy, and the soundtrack isn't overwhelming. Also the attention to detail was amazing, for example when you step in a pool of blood your footsteps will then start to to squeak a bit.

The world of The Evil Within is grotesque and mystifying, and I can't wait to come back.

One of the many titles announced at EA's recent press conference was Plants vs Zombies Garden Warfare, and the mode they are currently showing off is the 4 player co-op mode. In it you can select from 4 classes, including the Soldier (Pea Shooter), Melee (Chomper), Medic (Sunflower), and Sniper (Cactus), but along the way you can also utilize some of the other plants for your defenses as well, and I'm holding out hope that roster includes my current favorite: the cornpult. (Can you imagine the screenshots? Everybody on the field with giant cubes of butter flying over their heads. That's Craze Amaze.)

Anyway, if you want to get a better look at some of the various special abilities as well as the gameplay in general, take a look at the Dev Diary below. I've also included a recent Xbox spotlight that gives a better look at how the garlic comes into play. 

By the way, I call the cactus right now! Potato mines are the best.

World of Warcraft should be a little scared. Somebody needs to knock them off their pedestal, and The Elder Scrolls Online just might do it. Elder Scrolls is a franchise with a massive fanbase, so it is easy to say that Bethesda has an instant hit on their hands. I was treated to a short 60 second teaser that showcased what you could do. Of course, they didn't show everything... it was only a minute.

But Matt Firor of Bethesda had this to say,

The Elder Scrolls Online will be available for Next Gen Consoles, PC , and Mac Spring 2014. The reason we decided to bring it to next gen consoles was because these new consoles are powerful enough to be able to run The Elder Scrolls Online. These new consoles are MUCH more powerful than the previous generation. In terms of size this game is SO large. It is many times the size of any previous Elder Scrolls game. The quest system is more than... kiling animals, it is very involved, usually involving multiple steps. There is a full crafting system and a new lockpicking system. 

The recently revealed first person mode was shown in the video, although the demo did not have it yet. The PVP in action was absolutely incredible... 220 players onscreen! It was unreal, and I can't wait to be in the middle of that kind of chaos. Player customization was incredibly in depth from hair color to forehead structure and many more options, but I used a random creation since I didn't have 3 hours to spare.

What I got to play to play today took place in Daggerfall, which Elder Scrolls fans will remember from 2. The world is beautiful. The graphics are very different from other Elder Scrolls games, not as rugged or gritty. The world is smoother, but somehow combines a cartoon style with a realistic one. Usually in MMO's you have tanks, healers, and a damage dealer, and they have unique armor weapons etc, but with Elder Scrolls Online that is all about to change. I played as a Dragonknight (a heavy), but I was told if you want you can wear light armor and use daggers or arrows. The game is malleable, which is fantastic. 

From what I saw, the voice acting was far better than Skyrim's, but let's face it, Skyrim's voice acting isn't hard to beat. I talked to a lot of townspeople and made my way to a mine where Redguard bandits were holding out. This is where the combat came into play, and it was awesome. It was probably one of the best combat experiences I've had in an MMO. The ability to block in real time was great and with that ability a sense of strategy is introduced with a parry and stun system. 

When I asked a developer about subscription service seeing as the game is now coming to consoles, he said that they are still trying to figure that out.

Overall, The Elder Scrolls Online was amazing, and I only touched the surface... I cannot wait to go back to Tamriel.

Humor is alive and well in the Saints Row universe. Steve Jaros, who wrote the first 3, came back for the fourth. My favorite quote from the demo was, "Tell my wife... I have another wife."

But let's get to the demo.

I am on my way to a press conference to address the people, but a few things hapen along the way. I'm asked by my Vice President Keith David, voiced by (you'll never guess) Keith David, which bill to pass because only one stands a chance in congress, I can either solve world hunger (a bill enititled "Let Them Eat Cake") or I can cure cancer (a bill entitled "Fuck Cancer"). I choose the latter. Then an irate politician mouths off to me so I can either punch him in the groin or punch him in the face. I choose the former. But just as I am about to get to the podium, aliens attack! From there, I am running and gunning aliens with my pistol and making my way back to the oval office to get more guns.

A little further along I find myself on the front lawn artillery, shooting down alien spaceships, and at one point, they line up in a wall formation, a clear reference to space invaders. A short cinematic happens as I am taken captive by the aliens. 

This is where the free roaming part of the demo began. I am in a virtual steelport. The overall objective in the final product would be to escape the virtual world and get back to the real one, but this demo was just to give us a taste of what we can do. I had insane guns, a laser katana, and of course, super powers. Super powers are very fun and easy to use, and when the game comes out in August you'll be able to customize and create your own super powers! 

I had so much fun using my superspeed and wreaking havoc that I totally forgot that there were missions and objectives I could be doing.

I got to talk to Principal Designer on Saints Row IV, Scott Phllips, about many aspects of Saints Row IV.

When asked how the idea of super powers came to be in Saints Row IV:

They came very early on, we thought it'd be nice to jump over a building or be able to fly across the city. Telekinesis was one of the first powers we developed for the game.

Telekineses is awesome. You can basically pick up anything and throw it super far. From people to cars to giant foam heads. 

I also asked what games inspired the design of Saints Row IV beside the preceding chapters. He replied,

Crackdown, Prototype, and Infamous were all big inspirations. We looked at what they did well and what didn't they do so well that we should stay away from. Crackdown was a big inspiration from the jumping animation to the collecting of clusters. We very quickly found out that people would just lose themselves in the game trying to collect these clusters.

The clusters were basically the equivalent of the orbs in Crackdown. I only got a 30 minute demo, and that isn't nearly enough for a game this size and of this caliber.

Scott told me the key phrase for Saints Row is this: "Embrace the crazy. Fun trumps all."

Saints Row IV releases August 20, 2013.

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The game is set 10 years after the events of Dead Rising 2, and there's a massive outbreak in the city of Los Perdidos. It stars a new character named Nick Ramos. He has six days to escape the city limits before it's completely firebombed to destroy the zombies. 

Apparently, this will also have the biggest open-world in the franchise. It allows players to explore freely in a very detailed environment, while picking up and crafting weapons along the way to fight off the zombies. Players will be able to drive cars as well; of course, the zombies will be there trying to pull you out of it to eat you. One of the cool things Capcom revealed is that there will be no load times as players roam the city and try to escape. 

This game will also allow you to use SmartGlass, which lets players play from their phones. Apparently Nick finds a military phone (a player’s SmartGlass-enabled phone), which can call in airstrikes. We're still waiting to see if it will allow players to do anything else. 

Check out the announcement trailer and demo below!

Square Enix has officially announced Final Fantasy XV for the PlayStation 4 and Xbox One and released an announcement trailer showing off the incredible look of the game. I've never been into the Final Fantasy games, but from what I've seen, they just keep looking better and better.

The developer will be taking full advantage of the capabilities of the next gen consoles. The production development team has taken what they've been working on and "further improved the games action, gameplay elements and graphic quality to match the technology of the next generation hardware, as well as the expectations of players eagerly awaiting the game's release." Here's the synopsis:

The armed forces of Niflheim launch a devastating assault upon the Kingdom of Lucis, casting Crown Prince Noctis and his comrades out of their homes and into the fray. The engaging tale to follow draws audiences into an awe-inspiring world steeped in the rich storytelling traditions of Square Enix's renowned First Production Development Team.

Check out the visually stunning trailer below and let us know if you're excited for the game. 

You have to hand it to Peter Moore, he has a sense of humor. Before the event began he walked out on stage and basically said to us, wait at least 30 minutes after the show before you write about how disappointed you are. EA knows it isn't seen in the best light, but I think they are actively trying to get in gamers' good graces. 

Shall we begin?

Plants Vs Zombies: Garden Warfare- A third person shooter by Pop Cap? Cray Cray! But that's exactly what it is, and it looks awesome!

Need for Speed Rivals- A combination of Most Wanted and Hot Pursuit. That's how I would best describe this game. The new and improved HUD looks really good. The feature they showcased was incredible. To go from a single player game to a multiplayer race seamlessly was astonishing to see in real time.

NBA Live 14- The man presenting this game didn't do them any favors. NBA 2K is dominating the market, but having a loud and obnoxious presenter yelling at the audience and then having another presenter who is blatantly reading and obviously didn't rehearse before hand was sad. Kyrie Irving was a better presenter than the guy who is making the game! There are two main selling-points though: Dribbling- Bouncetek, a feature that harkens back to a FIFA like sense of control. The second feature is HOURLY updates! That is unprecedented!

Madden 25- I really want to know what happens when they have to make a Madden in the year 2025. There were 3 new features showcased. The first is Footwork. Both juking and running are easier and have a wider sense of what you are able to do on the field. The second feature was Player Sense. Basically, the player adapts to the changing field on the fly. Lastly, updated AI for the linemen--from having them react to holes in the line to blitzing if they see the opportunity.

FIFA 14- There were 3 new features for FIFA as well. Player Instinct which is basically just Player Sense, Precision Movement which is basically Footwork. The last feature was different, though: Elite Technique which was very ambiguous... from EA "Elite Technique- the artistry and athleticism of soccer stars will come to life... in every match." What the hell does that mean?!

Am I forgetting Something? Oh yeah...

MIRRORS EDGE 2!- I am so freaking excited for this game! The footage was breathtaking! You're probably wondering when you can play it... so am I! It will be released whenever it's ready. 

What did you think of the EA Event? Best Part? Worst Part?

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Prepare to be confused...

Yeah, sooooo...

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Not much is known about the game at this point, but it’s been created as an open world title for multiple platforms. Players will obviously be stepping in the shoes of Max Rockatansky, and that's going to be fun. 

Play as Mad Max, a lone warrior who must embark on a perilous journey after his Interceptor is stolen by a deadly gang of marauders. A reluctant hero with an instinct for survival, Max wants nothing more than to leave the madness behind and find solace in the storied “Plains of Silence”.

It comes out in 2014, and I assume it will be a tie-in game for the Mad Max: Fury Road movie currently in production. Now check out the trailer!

For those who have played the original Bayonetta (or just seen any footage from it really), you know the feeling. It's that feeling of "I have absolutely no idea what is going on, but it looks amazing!" and Bayonetta 2 looks par for the course. You'll fight emotionless angels and giant purple dragons with your numerous pistols, swords, and of course your ace in the hole, your weird transforming hair. I say weird in the best way, mind you, and while I have no idea why anyone is doing anything in this trailer, the combat looks fun and frantic. Peep the trailer to see what I mean.

While I have been rather dismissive (okay, maybe more than just dismissive) of the Wii U, this is a nice showcase for the system. Everything is epic in scale and scope, nicely showing what the system is capable of in the right hands, and as long as the controls are spot on, this should provide Wii U owners a nice thrill when it releases sometime next year.

Ellen Page

The game features psychological, spiritual, and thriller elements, and it revolves around the questions about what happens after death. Here's a short plot summary:

Live the remarkable life of Jodie Holmes, a young woman who possesses supernatural powers through a psychic link to an invisible entity. Experience the most striking moments of Jodie’s life as your actions and decisions determine her fate. As she traverses the globe, Jodie will face incredible challenges against a backdrop of emotionally-charged events never before seen in a video game.

The game's producer has also revealed that players might be able to find out "what lies beyond" after playing it. The game is set to be released on October 8th, 2013. I'm excited to play this one. Check out the trailer for yourself and tell us what you think. 

I love Killzone. Almost every title in the franchise has been strong. Shadow Fall looks absolutely stunning, but don't take my word for it, watch the trailer for yourself...

Killzone: Shadow Fall takes place 30 years after the events of Killzone 3. Set in an era of interplanetary colonization, it focuses on the conflict between the Vektans and the Helghast, two rival colonist factions inhabiting a distant planet. For three decades, both factions have lived side by side, separated by an enormous security wall – but now their cold war is about to go hot.

It’s up to Lucas Kellan, a member of the military intelligence unit known as the Shadow Marshals, to try to protect the fragile peace that exists. A new warrior for a new era of war, Kellan’s missions will range from quiet infiltrations to all-out combat. Lucas will need to be methodical and ready to adapt, as any misstep could lead to mutually assured destruction!

Am I the only one who wants a Killzone game from the Helghast's point of view?!

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A group of terrorists calling themselves The Engineers have had enough of US military occupation all over the world and initiate a terror ultimatum called the Blacklist - a deadly countdown of escalating attacks on U.S. interests. When our nation is threatened, the president turns to one man and one man only: Sam Fisher. Armed with state-of-the-art technology, top-of-the-line-gadgets, deadly combat abilities and an elite team of experts, Sam Fisher holds nothing back to get the job done through whatever means necessary.

Blacklist hits stores August 20th! Here's the badass trailer.

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Here is an awesome trailer for the upcoming Batman: Arkham Origins. I'm really excited for this one because Black Mask is my favorite villain, and it looks like he'll take center stage.

Developed by Warner Bros. Games Montreal, Batman: Arkham Origins features an expanded Gotham City and introduces an original prequel storyline occurring several years before the events of Batman: Arkham Asylum and Batman: Arkham City. Taking place before the rise of Gotham City's most dangerous villains and assassins, the game showcases a young, raw, unrefined Batman as he faces a defining moment in his early career as a crime fighter that sets his path to becoming the Dark Knight. As the story unfolds, witness identities being formed and key relationships being forged.

Black Mask, Deathstroke, Deadshot, Bane, and the Joker?! Happy Holidays, Batman!

Batman: Arkham Origins hits stores October 25th.

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