E3. The biggest gaming convention in the world. So big, that it’s not open to the public. So neither you nor I could go there (unless you actually were there, in which case, congratulations).
Fortunately for us though, the companies decide to live stream their conferences. So naturally, this news article is going to be all about those conferences.
Unlike other websites, which will overload you with 30 articles about each conference, this article will have the biggest news from each conference, all in one, easy-to-access article. In addition to the usual news format, you’ll also find the entire conference (except for Ubisoft’s), as well as my thoughts on each one. So without further ado, let the news begin.
Microsoft
– This year, Microsoft dedicated their entire E3 conference to games.
– The first game they showed was Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare.
– Featured actual gameplay
– Xbox Owners will be the first to experience the add-on content.
– The game is set in the future, so naturally it has things such as jetpacks, mechs, spider-tanks, robot drones, and a rather advanced shield.
– The guns are also rather advanced, with bullet counter actually on the gun (for such a small thing this made me happy), along with a grenade that targets heat, a special shotgun, and a lasergun.
– It looks interesting. The story looks intriguing as well.
– The tagline is “power changes everything”.
– Forza 5
– The Nürburgring track DLC is now available
– Forza Horizon 2
– The game features a 1080p, open-world experience, including drivatars, with dynamic weather, no online lobbies, 200+ cars, and ‘clubs’ of up to 1000 players.
– The game launches September 30th 2014.
– Evolve
– From the creators of Left4Dead 2
– Features 4 classes verses a monster (all of which can be human-controlled).
– DLC first on Xbox One
– AC Unity (featured actual gameplay)
– The “biggest playground ever”
– Has a co-op mode with up to another 3 players joining (for a total of 4) through Xbox Live
– Set in Paris, 1789
– The multiplayer is seamless. From the gameplay, you’re by yourself, then another assassin appears!
– The assassins have different robe colours (again, for something so small, this made me happy).
– After you surround the target, you don’t even kill them (in the gameplay shown anyway).
– Instead, it goes to a cutscene, where you get a first-person view of being beheaded.
– Dragon Age: Inquisition
– Premiere content first on Xbox One
– Looks good
– EA showed this more in their conference
– Launches October 7th.
– “Something cool from Insomniac” (My actual notes)
– Turned out to be Sunset Overdrive (showed actual gameplay)
– It features a customisable character, an open-world, unconventional weapons, and an 8-player co-op mode called “The Chaos Squad”.
– My notes say “Ratchet and Clank taken to the extreme”
– Launches October 28 2014
– Dead Rising 3
– Now you can cosplay as your favourite Capcom characters!
– I don’t even know. I think it’s better not to ask
– DLC available now
– Fantasia: Music Evolved (briefly mentioned. I like Fantasia, so this sounds great)
– Dance Central Spotlight
– Top-hits are now available in-game sooner
– Launches this September
– Fable Legends (actual gameplay)
– Multiplayer beta coming this holiday
– Features 4-player co-op
– Can play as the enemy, who orchestrates traps and can control the enemy monsters
– I think it looks a tad difficult for the enemy with 4v1, but it could be good.
– Project Spark
– Has over 1’000’000 creations so far
– Has a co-op mode, along with multiplayer
– “introducing galaxies”, which looks like a space version of levels
– Features Conker
– Ori: The Blind Forest
– Graphically beautiful
– Only on Xbox One
– It looks really slick and good.
– Halo: Masterchief Edition
– Available November 11
– Features Halo: Combat Evolved, Halo 2, Halo 3, and Halo 4 available on one console.
– Everything is unlocked
– Can create custom playlists of levels
– Halo 2 received the full anniversary treatment, including updated graphics that can be switched to classic at the click of a button
– Has the original multiplayer, including Ascension (showed gameplay)
– Ships with a 4000 Gamer Score
– Halo: Nightfall included (comic that leads up to Halo 5: Guardians)
– This holiday will see Halo 5: Guardians multiplayer
– Inside
– Personally, I find it looks bland, boring, and unimaginative. Its story looks OK though.
– ID@XBOX
– Microsoft’s indie game publishing platform
– Coming soon are:
– Aztez
– Knight Squad
– Plague Inc. Evolved
– White Night
– Earth Lock
– Cuphead
– Hyper Light Drifter
– Lifeless Planet
– Splash Dash
– PRU
– Lovers in a Dangerous Spacetime
– GraVe
– Threes
– Fenix Rage
– Woolfe
– #IDARE
– Hellraid
– Mighty No. 9
– Below
– Rise of the Tomb Raider
– Trailer for the sequel to last year’s Tomb Raider
– The Witcher III: Wild Hunt (actual gameplay)
– Looks nice graphically, and has some nice gameplay elements
– Features an open world
– I haven’t played any of the old games, so I can’t comment, but I want to after seeing this.
– Phantom Dust
– Only on Xbox One
– Reboot of the original Xbox game
– Tom Clancy’s The Division (actual gameplay)
– New content first on Xbox One
– Has interesting and futuristic gameplay elements
– Looks really interesting
– Coming 2015
– Scalebound
– Exclusively on Xbox One
– Looks like an interesting fantasy game
– Crackdown
– Reboot of an original Xbox game. I haven’t played the original, but this could be interesting.
Microsoft seemed really dedicated this year. I watched their conference first, and I had no idea what to expect. But the way it was presented, just game after game after game, was great. I saw some great games, and this had me interested in the Xbox One after watching it.
Electronic Arts
– Star Wars Battlefront
– No gameplay, but I’m hyped
– Dragon Age: Inquisition (showed actual gameplay)
– You can switch between characters in game (lego style) or use a tactical mode which is more strategy like
– Mass Effect 4
– Brand New
– New characters
– New IP (from Bioware)
– Graphically amazing
– Will feature dynamic weather
– The Sims 4 (gameplay)
– You can now define your sim’s personality
– This includes their traits and ambitions
– Every sim has their own story
– Personality drives their behaviour, which makes the story deeper
– A gallery means that you can place homes and sims created by other plyers straight into your game
– Launches September 2nd
– EA Sports UFC
– Will have Bruce Lee as a playable character
– Launches June 17 2014
– EA Sports NHL 15
– Almost everything has changed
– Physics on all 12 players and the puck, which makes the game more realistic
– New IP (from Criterion)
– Has wingsuits, ATVs, parachutes, jetskis, planes, and more
– All vehicles will be in the first person view
– It will be “the biggest game criterion’s ever made”
– EA Sports PGA Tour
– Uses the Frostbite 3 engine
– You can hit a golf ball over a battleship
– Madden NHL 15
– Defence has been made ‘more fun’
– You can push which way you want the tackle to go
– New camera angles
– More control than before
– The camera angles were directed by an NHL photographer
– Dawngate
– “If we’re doing mobile, we don’t want to clone”
– Massively Online Battle Arena (MOBA)
– Made by a group of hardcore MOBA players for MOBA players
– Mirror’s Edge 2 (showed conceptual prototype footage)
– Different paths to reach a goal
– Features more backstory regarding Faith
– Fifa 15
– There’s more detail, for example boots leave marks on the grass, goalposts clatter on impact, and the flagpoles bend
– Battlefield Hardline (gameplay)
– Takes cops and robbers to the ultimate level
– It looks great. The way the game progresses just looks fluid.
– Beta: http://www.battlefield.com/
– On PS4: If you own Battlefield 4, it should be on that menu at the OS Menu
I’m impressed with all the games shown by EA. They really do make great games, I honestly do not understand all the hate.
Ubisoft’s Conference
No video because it features too much swearing for this site
– Far Cry 4
– Looks like a really good story
– Just Dance 2015
– Updated track list
– Can dance along to other people’s videos
– Just Dance Now
– Use phone as controller in front of screen, such as a computer
– Latency-free gaming
– Looks like stupid fun
– Tom Clancy’s The Division
– This was just a trailer. Microsoft’s was much more detailed
– Coming 2015
– The Crew
– Coast-to-Coast map of the USA with no loading times
– Has 2+ hour missions
– Sign up for the beta here: http://www.thecrewgame.com/beta/
– Launches November 11 for PS4, Xbox One, and PC
– Assassin’s Creed Unity (gameplay)
– Has different missions that you can choose from to progress the story
– 4-player co-op
– Shape Up
– Where a workout becomes a game
– Games look fun and challenging
– Valiant Hearts: The Great War
– Inspired by actual letters
– Rainbow Six Siege
– Pre-alpha footage from a multiplayer match
– This looks great. Could be lots of fun. Seems to have more of a sense of teamwork than Battlefield Hardline
Ubisoft’s was great, but I think the swearing was a bit excessive. It could have at least come with a warning, not the cute, “this will be family-friendly” Rayman opening that had me streaming it to the Apple TV. Never again.
Sony
– Destiny
– Could it actually have a decent single-player mode?
– First on PlayStation
– July 17th will be the start of the beta
– Extra content on PlayStation
– Exclusive content on PlayStation
– There will be a white PS4 bundle with Destiny and 30 days subscription to PlayStation+
– The Order: 1886 (gameplay)
– Horror/Action
– Was not expecting it to be a horror
– Entwined (gameplay)
– Looks nice
– Story: 2 souls in love, but that can’t be together
– Control both with each analogue stick (like Brothers: A Tale of Two Sons)
– Available for PS4 right now, for $9.99
– inFamous: First Light
– Stand-alone DLC for Second Son
– Bonus content if you have Second Son
– Launching August 2014
– Little Big Planet 3 (gameplay)
– Has more depth to the levels
– New characters
– Odd-sack, a dog-like version of sackboy that is fast and can wall jump
– Toggle, tall, heavy, and strong, but can change to become small to fit through gaps
– Swoop, a bird that can fly
– 4 player co-op, with all the different characters
– Coming November
– All 8.7 million levels from the original two games will be playable with improved graphics
– Bloodborne
– Coming 2015
– Looks like a horror
– Far Cry 4 (For the 3rd time) (actual gameplay)
– Has Wingsuit and a Grappling Hook
– Has vehicles
– A crossbow as a weapon
– 2 player co-op
– If you buy the PS3 or PS4 version, PSN friends can join you (only in co-op), even if they don’t have the game
– Dead Island 2
– I like the artistic style
– Looks interesting and humorous
– Exclusive content on PS4
– Battlefield Hardline (again)
– Just a trailer. It still looks cool
– Disney Infinity 2
– The Hulk will be exclusive to PlayStation platforms
– “Something cool from Paradox”
– Ended up being Magicka 2
– “Learn to spell…again”
– Grim Fandango
– Remastered by Double Fine
– Exclusive to PS4 and PS Vita
– Devolver Digital games on PlayStation platforms
– Broforce (PS4 + PSV)
– Titan Souls (PS4 + PSV)
– Not a Hero (PS4 + PSV)
– Hotline Miami 2 (PS3, PS4, PSV)
– The TALOS Principle (PS4)
– Let it Die
– It’s too early to tell for this one, to be honest. Looks like yet another horror
– ABZÛ
– The style is beautiful
– Exclusive debut on PS4
– No Man’s Sky
– Console debut on PS4
– Inspired by old Sci-Fi
– Procedural, infinite, universe
– Every player starts on a different planet
– This means that every character will have a different experience
– This is beautiful
– YouTube is coming to PS4 later this year
– The share button will have “straight to Youtube” functionality
– Ustream
– You can now tell things to people streaming games if you’re spectating
– Free DLC for Playroom coming soon
– Free to Play games
– Kingdom Under Fire 2
– Planetside 2
– Guns Up
– PlayStation Now (update)
– Open-beta available in the USA and Canada from July 31st
– More than 100 PS3 games available in the open beta, including Deadspace 3, Metal Gear Solid V: Ground Zeroes, Ratchet and Clank into the Nexus, and Ultra Street Fighter IV.
– PS Vita games
– Tales of Hearts R
– Child of Light
– Tales from Borderlands
– Minecraft (with co-op, same as the console-version)
– PlayStation TV
– Play a PS4 game using remote play to stream to a second television in the same house
– Will be able to use PS Now
– Will be able to play most PS Vita titles, as well as PSOne and PSP classics
– Will cost $99.99
– There will be a $139 bundle which has the TV, a Dualshock 3, an 8GB memory card, and The Lego Movie PS Vita game
– Disney Infinity 2
– Will be coming to the PS Vita and the PSTV next year
– Mortal Kombat X
– Looks cheesy, but more fluid than the other games
– Really gory.
– *cringes as a skull is cracked*
– The Powers TV Series
– TV Show based on comic books
– Free to PS+ subscribers (in the US at least)
– Ratchet and Clank movie
– Coming 2015
– Looks really, really good. I’m pleased with how it’s coming along
– Ratchet and Clank (remastered for PS4)
– Coming 2015
– The Last of Us
– Skipped the trailer because it said it contained spoilers and I haven’t played the game yet
– Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain
– Looks good
– Haven’t played any of the previous games though, so I can’t compare (I want to though)
– I liked the song in the trailer. It’s called Nuclear and it’s by Mike Oldfield if you want to know
– GTA V
– Coming to PS4
– Batman: Arkham Knight (gameplay)
– Looks big and detailed
– The Batmobile is just plain cool.
– Scarecrow missions only on PS4
– It’s just awesome
– Uncharted 4: AThief’s End
– Really detailed
– Last in the series? Phrase “One last time” repeated.
– Coming 2015
This was a pretty good conference. The hardware talk was a little boring, but the games more than made up for it.
Nintendo
– Super Smash Bros. Wii U
– Will feature Mii fighters
– 3 classes of miis:
– Brawlers are fast
– Swordfighters obviously have swords
– Gunners have guns (that can shoot different projectiles
– Mii fighters can have a total of 12 moves from a pool of 36
– The 3DS version will have different non-fighting modes, and is launching October 3 2014
– The Wii U version is launching in a 2014 holiday…sometime.
– Amiibos
– Nintendo figurines that can send and receive data to and from the gamepad
– The figurine’s data, for example, will evolve with the fighting style of the player in Smash Bros.
– These will join Disney Infinity and Skylanders to have exclusive features on Wii U
– Support is being prepared for other games, with Mario Kart 8 going to receive support
– Yoshi’s Woolly World
– Looks playful and good fun
– Has no time limits, unlike Mario
– Yoshi’s tongue unravels the yarn
– 2 player co-op mode
– Textured, look with a hand-made feel
– Coming 2015
– Captain Toad: Treasure Tracer
– “Looks like Indiana Jones crossed with Mario” – My notes
– Coming Holiday 2014
– New The Legend of Zelda
– Development was focused on the original games
– Looks so beautiful
– Can enter any area from the open-world (including dungeons)
– Coming 2015
– Pokémon OmegaRuby/AlphaSapphire
– Same style as X/Y
– The game is 2D with some areas playable in 3D
– Mega-evolutions for all starters
– Launching November 21 2014
– Bayonetta 2
– It’s not my thing, but if you like this sort of stuff it looks quite nice and the story sounds intriguing
– Includes Bayonetta 1 at release
– Hyrule Warriors
– You fight an entire army instead of just one monster, with multiple battles across a battlefield
– Has a 2 player mode, with one player on the gamepad and another on the TV
– Playable characters: Impa, Princess Zelda, and Idna
– Launching September 26, 2014
– Kirby and the Rainbow Curse
– It looks like Yoshi Touch and Go on the DS!
– Xenoblade Chronicles X
– Not my thing, but I haven’t played the original. I hear it’s good though.
– Mario Maker
– Create your own custom Mario courses
– Can switch between old Mario sprites and the new versions
– Coming 2015
– Splatoon
– Paintball game
– 8 player (4v4) online action
– Territory by splattering map
– Uses the gyroscope sensor to aim
– This looks great. Great gameplay mechanics too.
– Coming 2015
– Palutenia is available as a fighter in Super Smash Bros. Wii U
Nintendo’s Digital Event was great. Really enjoyed seeing all their games. Looks like the Wii U is shaping up to be a great system!
That’s all the news for this week, but tune in next Friday (20/06/14) for more news from the Land of Gaming!
Gamesland 
Hey, I have a question… is there any way I can contact you privately?
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Hi man,
Can I ask why you want to contact me?
(I can unapprove the comment after you post it if you want).
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You’ll see; it’s nothing bad lol
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I put a reply on your about page on your old blog that’s no longer updated
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Hi Man, I’ve had a busy week but I finally sent a reply 🙂
Just wanted to let you know in case you hadn’t checked in a while.
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