The best from E3 day one: The Division, Uncharted, Battlefield and PlayStation TV
BLOCKBUSTER games galore: the E3 conference is happening right now in Los Angeles, and these are the epic games that have come out of it.
THIS gaming industry’s week of all weeks is taking place in Los Angeles, with the E3 conference bringing together Microsoft, Sony, EA and Activision to show off their new blockbuster games.
Our friends over at IGN have all the coverage you could be hope for, but here’s the best bits.
Tom Clancy’s The Division
The Division looks like one of the most, if not the most, impressive game revealed so far. We saw new gameplay that showed the team in battle and using some of the futuristic tech that the game will be offering. The gameplay was topped off with an absolutely stunning cinematic trailer that pulled all your heart strings... check it out below.
Tom Clancy’s Rainbox Six Siege
The footage shown during the press conference demonstrated an early multiplayer match with one team attempting to rescue a hostage from the opposing forces. Environmental destruction plays a key role in how matches unfold, and it’s possible to blast through walls and doors to get to your objectives.
Siege’s multiplayer is a 5-on-5 competitive game in which the terrorist team fortifies a defensible room as the Rainbow operative team attempts to breach. Creative director Xavier Marquis told IGN matches typically lasted just three minutes. Players who rescued hostages during missions gained additional points, which encouraged teams not to simply treat each breach like a death match.
Uncharted 4: A Thief’s End
Naughty Dog’s next chapter in the Uncharted series is titled Uncharted 4: A Thief’s End, and it will be released in 2015.
Sony closed its E3 Press Conference with a short teaser showed Nathan Drake waking up battered and bruised on a riverbank before slowly trekking off into the jungle.
Sony teased the next Uncharted game on the eve of PlayStation 4’s launch, so it seemed like Drake’s next adventure was coming along swimmingly at developer Naughty Dog. But behind the scenes, there have been some major shake-ups for Uncharted 4, with writer Amy Hennig departing Naughty Dog unexpectedly earlier this year. Game director Justin Richmond followed shortly after. Naughty Dog now has The Last of Us directors Neil Druckmann and Bruce Straley heading up Drake’s next journey.
Destiny
Activision’s $500m sci-fi shooter will be arriving on PlayStation 4 first, with the beta version coming from July 17 and an alpha version for PS4 from this week. The game will also be exclusively bundled with a special white PlayStation 4 on release. Check out the latest footage below.
READ ABOUT HALO COMING TO XBOX ONE HERE
FIFA 15
Not much all that new gameplay wise for EA’s next soccer/football instalment. But wow, those graphics are something special.
Battlefield Hardline
Ditching the traditional warfare setting of the Battlefield series, Hardline is bringing the series to a hardcore cops and robbers type of game. We saw our first look of the new direction, with grappling hooks and a bank robbery.
You can sign up for the beta if you have a PS4 and if you’re lucky, can start playing right now.
No Man’s Sky
No Man’s Sky will be making its console debut on PlayStation 4. Hello Games’ insanely ambitious shooter/flyer/exploration game was revealed last December to a tremendous response.
During Sony’s E3 Press Conference, a trailer was shown featuring space exploration, dog fighting and dinosaurs. Yes, dinosaurs. The infinite procedural universe was inspired by classic science fiction like Asimov and Heinland.
The Order: 1886
Sony showed off some brief gameplay that could easily be confused for a trailer in what looks like an old style werewolf/zombie shooter. The footage showed your character coming in contact with the creature, trying to shoot it as you ran away before being dominated. Looks interesting.
Star Wars Battlefront
Hoth, the iconic snow planet from The Empire Strikes Back and Return of the Jedi’s Endor, has been confirmed as the returning battleground in EA and DICE’s Star Wars Battlefront.
During EA’s press conference, DICE showcased a bit of what to expect from the Frostbite Engine 3-powered multiplayer shooter, as well as how the team achieved a high level of quality and authenticity.
DICE visited the LucasFilm Archives at Skywalker Ranch “to capture the actual models and props used in the movies,” a developer explained in a video. The team also went to some original filming locations, “not just to capture the environments, but the emotions they invoke as well. The early results are truly spectacular.”
Forza Horizon 2
The Xbox exclusive open world is coming to the Xbox One for the first time, bringing with it the awesome graphics and weather systems from Forza Motorsport 5. Proper rallying looks to be included for the first time, plus the cars look absolutely breathtaking. Definitely the most impressive motoring game we’ve seen this year so far.
Little Big Planet 3
Sony showed off some gameplay and a trailer off its super fun platform game, with new characters and abilities.
The new cast of cute characters with different abilities, included “Oddsock”, “Toggle” and “Swoop”, and were shown platforming alongside the series’ well-known main character, Sackboy.
Oddsock, for example, is faster than Sackboy and he can wall jump. Toggle is the biggest and strongest character. From what we saw in the E3 demo, Little Big Planet 3 appears to focus more heavily on cooperative puzzle solving.
Additionally, any level created in LittleBigPlanet 1 or 2 will be playable in the third instalment, with improved visuals for PS4.
A rumour from 2013 suggested it was in development at Sumo Digital.
Mortal Kombat X
Two new characters have been revealed for Mortal Kombat X.
One is a lady who controls bees, while the other is a grotesque man with a small minion on his back. See them in action in the trailer below.
Environmental combat was also on display, as revealed in the first trailer.
The fighting game was announced earlier this month and will have box art featuring Scorpion. Mortal Kombat X will be available in 2015.
Assassin’s Creed Unity
Assassin’s Creed Unity will feature four-player co-op.
Unity’s new feature was revealed at Microsoft’s yearly E3 Xbox press conference, where it was shown off live on stage. Multiple assassins are shown playing cooperatively, storming a royal castle on the eve of the bloody French Revolution.
The action looks quintessential Assassin’s Creed; silently moving through thick crowds, acting inconspicuously, and then suddenly, you strike.
Dead Island 2
Revealed during Sony’s E3 2014 press conference today, Dead Island 2 is set for release in spring 2014 on PS4, Xbox One and PC. The PS4 version will have a 30-day beta.
“Dead Island 2 features crazy, never-before-seen handcrafted weapons and over-the-top characters in taking players from the iconic Golden Gate to the celebrated beachfront boardwalk of southern California’s Venice Beach,” creator, Deep Silver explains.
YouTube to PS4
You will be able to quickly upload video to your YouTube channel just by pressing the share button on your controller.
PlayStation TV — USD $99
Sony announced its PlayStation TV, it’s entry level entertainment box to the PlayStation family that natively supports PS Vita titles. On top of that, it will let you play games from your PS4 on a second TV in the home, plus stream games from the PlayStation Now service over the internet.
Glaring omission in latest NBA game
An annual iteration of a long-running franchise brings the usual minor tweaks, and leaves out something much bigger.
Ultimate makeover for beloved skate game
Bringing back a famous series is always a risky move but this one is going to be a winner with fans and those who have never played it before.
New fix for Newman’s golf woe
The former Footy Show host complained long and hard about not being able to play golf but there’s a new fix for his “problem”.