Tag: E3 2017

Flip Chairs And Get Trolled In The ‘Danganronpa V3’ Demo

by Josh Jackson

It’s been a struggle to stay spoiler free as we approach the much anticipated release of Danganronpa V3: Killing Harmony. As the first original game being released for the PS4, excitement has been through the roof among fans like myself. So when I got a chance to play the demo to help tide me over until the September 26 release date, I was shocked when the game gave away the death of a major character from the previous games and anime! Not to mention the previous protagonists being locked into this new killing game with the new cast. Couldn’t they have saved such a big reveal for the real game!?

Then I came to my senses and realized that the game was just messing with me, continuing its running gag of having Hagakure serve as the murder victim in the demo, only for him to survive all the way through the main game. But among the returning characters from the previous game is a whole new cast of ridiculous students with their own unique talents, with each of them suspected of this most recent murder. As the new lead, Kaede Akamatsu, we’re asked to take on the familiar task of searching for clues in the point and click sections of the game. It’s immediately apparent that the game is putting the extra horsepower of the PS4 to good use, with sharper, more detailed environments as well as character portraits that serve as charming, bright contrasts to the dreary backgrounds of the new academy.

This time, Kaede is going to have to work a little harder if she wants to load up her Truth Bullets, since the environment is far more interactive this time around. Important items can be found under tables, chairs and other obstacles, so what do you do when you need to move furniture around? You slap the crap out of it! The new ability to slap items out of the way is as hilarious as it is addicting, spicing up the sometimes tedious investigation segments.

Danganronpa V3: Killing Harmony Demo_20170706142410

An investigation doesn’t mean much if you can’t put your findings into action, which is why the returning Class Trials continue to be the highlight of the game. In the past, you would shoot down contradictions or point out statements you agree with to discover who the killer really is. As with investigations however, this time is a little more complex. Mass Panic Debate does its best impression of the 2016 debates by having characters talking at the same time over each other, asking us to find the contradiction in a myriad of statements simultaneously. If snowboarding for the truth wasn’t weird enough, the new Psyche Taxi literally has you driving down a road to pick up the truth. Other new mechanics include an updated Hangman’s Gambit, team debates where two halves of the class take sides and argue back and forth, (which was a golden opportunity to call it a mass debate…), and the much touted ability to lie with the new Lie Bullets. How it will change the flow of both the story and game play is exciting, which is why I can’t wait for the next two weeks to pass!

Danganronpa V3: Killing Harmony Demo_20170706142720

With the game right around the corner, what characters have left an impression on you so far? What did you think of the demo? And who are you hoping to see return? Let us know in the comments!

E3 2017: We Went On A Salmon Run In ‘Splatoon 2’

by Josh Jackson

In case you didn’t know, I’m a huge fan of Splatoon. Since naming it my game of the year in 2015, I’ve only come to appreciate the game even more for how it made us rethink how a shooter could be approached. With Splatoon 2 right around the corner, I made sure to sit down with the game’s new Salmon Run mode at E3. Could the creativity Splatoon brought to team based shooters work its magic on the traditional Horde Mode? Let’s just say I got caught off guard by how much I got splatted.

As mentioned, Salmon Run is Nintendo’s take on the Horde Mode that was made popular by games such as Gears of War 2. In it, you and a group of friends will team up to take on endless waves of enemies, with each wave increasing in both amount of enemies and their individual ferocity. Of course, Splatoon isn’t going to devolve into a gory sea of dismembered limbs, but what we get instead are new fish based enemies with some surprising abilities. Just when I felt like I could use my skills to work my way through my enemies, the salmon began attacking with… my best abilities?

That’s right. As we progressed, the stronger enemies began attacking us with our own Special Attacks. As we learned during the Testfire, most of these attacks are easy enough to dodge when you see them coming from another player. But when you’re fighting multiple enemies and you find yourself getting caught off guard from an army of foes with their sites set on you? Yeah, you get the idea. Don’t expect the Salmon Run to be a walk in the park, because you’ll surely get taken out if you keep your guard down.

Overall, Salmon Run feels like it’ll serve its function just fine. While it’s a little more straightforward than modes like Turf War, it acts as a fun side mode for you and your friends to tackle in between those stressful ranked matches online. With the online modes, the story mode, and now, Salmon Run, it looks like Inklings around the world will have so much more to dig their tentacles into when Splatoon 2 releases in July.

What do you think of the game so far, and are you excited for Horde Mode to come to Splatoon? Comment below and share your thoughts with us!

E3 2017: ‘Fire Emblem Warriors’ Carries Over Some Of That Hyrule Magic

by Josh Jackson

Out of the many Warriors spin-offs out there, Hyrule Warriors particularly stood out thanks to its ability to seamlessly blend traditional Zelda mechanics into the army slaying hack-and-slash action we’ve come to expect from Koei Tecmo’s series. When it came to Fire Emblem Warriors however, knowing that this series is a lot closer to the core Warriors franchise led me to believe that we would end up with a much more traditional interpretation when it was Chrom’s turn to take up his blade. Once I got some time to play the E3 build of the game for myself however, I quickly learned how wrong I was. A little bit of creativity goes a long way, which is why Fire Emblem Warriors truly surprised me with how well it blends the hectic combat with the conventions of Nintendo’s strategy RPG series.

At its core, Fire Emblem Warriors is still a Warriors game, following the decade plus tradition of using a single character to wipe out hundreds of soldiers at once. Only this time, it’s with some of the most popular characters from Nintendo’s strategy series. Playing as Marth, Chrom, Corrin, Xander, and Ryoma felt distinct despite all of them being sword wielders thanks to the attention to detail that stays true to the series. For example, Xander fights on horseback while Corrin uses her dragon transformations to compliment her fighting style, complimented by some fantastic animations that need to be seen in action. The two new characters never felt out of place either, with some amazing looking shield combos put into action. Needless to say, the game looks beautiful in motion, oftentimes looking like the jaw dropping cutscenes that the 3DS games have featured.

Visuals aren’t the only piece of Fire Emblem to make the transition. Defeating enough enemies leads to a level up, with the stats gained being random. So yes, the heartbreak of getting one point up out of a potential six or so will be felt playing through this. While it was said that the weapons triangle would be in the game, meaning certain weapons are strong and weak against others, we weren’t able to put that in action when everyone in the demo used swords. It’ll make that character swap ability to take over any ally on the field at any time important when you find yourself in an unfavorable matchup.

Or you could just bring a partner with you, since the pair-up mechanic from Awakening makes the transition here as well. By linking up with a teammate on the field, you’ll gain a variety of options, including switching on the fly, creating opportunities for double team combos, or unleashing powerful ultimate attacks that combines the might of your paired warriors. In typical Fire Emblem fashion, consistently using the same pair and constantly fighting side by side will unlock special conversations, all the way up to S-Ranks. Does this mean we’ll be able to have Marth and Lucina have some kind of weird, centuries old incest going on? I doubt it’ll go deep enough to include marriage, but it’ll be interesting to see characters who would never be able to interact otherwise like Tiki and Corrin find their way to each other.

With so much of Fire Emblem‘s identity enveloping Fire Emblem Warriors, I find myself being even more excited than I was before I played it. The attention to detail will make this feel like a truly special love letter to longtime FE fans, and if it ends up being anything like its Hyrule counterpart, then we’re going to be playing this for a long, long time. Let’s just hope the roster lives up to its potential.

Fire Emblem Warriors will go to war on the Switch and 3DS this September.

E3 2017: Decidueye Locks Down Its Foes In ‘Pokken Tournament DX’

by Josh Jackson

Pokken Tournament DX will serve as a second chance for the Wii U’s Pokémon themed fighter to catch fire when it releases this September with a handful of new characters joining the fight. While almost all of them were additions to the arcade versions, one character that will be completely unique to DX is Decidueye, the final form of Pokémon Sun and Pokémon Moon‘s Rowlet. When I got the chance to try out the winged archer during Nintendo’s E3 demo, I realized that his ghost shots brought a lot to the table when it came to keeping opponents at bay in its own way.

If you couldn’t tell from its Robin Hood-esque motif, Decidueye is primarily a ranged fighter, using its bow and arrow to keep opponents at a distance. I found it to be a powerful fighter up close as well, using its large wingspan to push opponents back to a safe distance when getting pressured. More importantly than just its standard fighting abilities however, are its arrows unique ability to hold the opponent in place. Staying true to its signature attack in Sun and Moon, Spirit Shackle was a ghost type arrow attack that prevented enemies from fleeing battle. In Pokken, this attack acts as a trap, keeping opponents locked into place for Decidueye to get in a few extra hits. Considering that most characters are rewarded for fighting fast and aggressively, fighting Decidueye would force you to second guess the idea of charging forward with reckless attacks, since one wrong move means you’re giving up free damage to the archer.

From my brief time playing with Decidueye, I found that its biggest weakness was its lack of chainable attacks. While many of the other fighters can deal huge damage with multi hit combo strings, the owl was only able to put together a handful of hits before it was left vulnerable. If it’s unable to keep opponents at bay, the player will have to rely on their wits, baiting, and a well timed counter to create some distance. Otherwise, there’s not a whole lot you’ll be able to do to push the foe away. Basically, it plays exactly how you would expect a ranged fighter to play in a one on one fighter.

I’m looking forward to spending more time with Decidueye and the rest of the cast to learn more about the ins and outs of their playstyles, but from what I’ve seen so far, the game’s newest character is a welcomed addition to the cast. Will it be enough motivation to double dip for Wii U owners? That, I’m not quite sure of yet, but I have a few more months to be convinced.

Let us know what you think of Decidueye being added to Pokken, and let us know who else you’d want to see in the comments!

E3 2017: ‘Fifa 18’ On Switch Might Dodge The Pitfalls Of Ports Past

by Josh Jackson

As an avid Wii U fan, there was little more frustrating than the “third party support” the system failed to enjoy. Not so much because of the lack of it, but because what we did get was usually low effort, overpriced, and flat out better on other platforms. When I read that Fifa 18 for the Switch was going to release without the story mode and the Frostbite engine that have both become highlights of the game for the Xbox One and PS4, I figured EA was going to continue down this path that leaves Nintendo gamers in the dust. But after playing it for myself at E3, utilizing the Switch’s strengths give this version a good chance of avoiding the pitfalls that the Wii U was filled with.

Game play wise, if you’ve played Fifa in the past, then there’s not much to point out here. As the premiere worldwide soccer simulator, two players pick their favorite international teams and jock for position to create tense, exciting back and forth matches where one small opening can lead to that game winning goal, or that heartbreaking block.

Where the Switch version stand out however, is its portability. The DS family and Sony’s handhelds have had their shots, but they always felt like the expected lesser versions, sacrificing quality for the ability to play it on the go. This wasn’t the case when playing the Switch version, because while the visuals weren’t at Frostbite levels, the portable screen ran the game so well that it was barely noticeable. For the first time, a full console quality Fifa game could be played on the road, and I can see this being a big hit with the game’s worldwide fanbase.

It’s disappointing that a major feature had to be cut out at all, but considering most people buy Fifa for the multiplayer, the Switch’s inherent ability to have out of the box two player matches with the joycons make it an inexpensive way to keep the rivalries going away from home without compromising quality. Now, rather than gamers having to choose what platform they want the game for, I can see the most hardcore players buying one for home and one for the road. I’ve said in the past that third party versions on Nintendo consoles are at their best when they highlight the unique features of the system rather than trying to keep up with the competitor’s consoles, and this looks exactly like what Fifa is doing.

What say you, futbol fans? Can you see yourself picking up an extra portable copy, or will the Switch version be your only copy? Is the portability enough to forsake the story mode and Frostbite engine? Let us know in the comments!

E3 2017: ‘Fate Extella: The Umbral Star’ Goes Portable On The Nintendo Switch

by Josh Jackson

Last year’s Fate Extella: The Umbral Star brought the Fate universe to current gen gaming with a Musou style hack and slash. With the release of the Nintendo Switch, Sabre and her allies will get a second chance in the spotlight with a portable version of the crowd pleasing brawler. As usual when it comes to third party Nintendo games, we come in with skepticism, wondering if any concessions were made in the transition. After playing a build of the game, it’s clear that those concerns can be put to rest.

Outside of the cast of characters, Fate Extella is similar to most Dynasty Warriors inspired games on the market. By choosing from one of many characters from the Fate series, you travel from map to map effortlessly slaying hundreds of enemies at a time while you vie for control of the map. As you progress, more powerful foes will confront you, leading to some more challenging battles. Using unique combos, special attacks, and transformations that unleash your character’s full potential, seeing these moves in action are just as exciting to watch as they were last year. This is coupled with the fact that this game moves much faster than your typical Musou game, with the map being divided into smaller regions that you can transport to in what seems like an instant. I can see this cutting down on the monotony that games of this genre can face since removing the padding of travel can only work in its favor.

When it comes to the Switch version specifically, Fate Extella didn’t make any noticeable concessions when making the transition. The hundred plus characters on screen at once didn’t affect the game’s performance during my play session, and combat felt as fluid as it did when I originally tried the game on PS4. While the initial release was far from technically taxing, Nintendo third party titles have still earned a reputation of being inferior in some way, shape or form, so it was easy to see why some would be concerned. Thankfully, everything seems to be in order, offering fans of the original something that feels like a faithful port of the original so far. Only this time, the game doesn’t have to end when you’re away from the TV.

I’m optimistic about how Fate Extella: The Umbral Star will turn out on the Switch. With no noticeable shortcomings compared to its first go around, complete with the large amount of enemies on screen at once, let’s hope that this will be a sign of things to come when dealing with third parties in Nintendo’s new system. Any reason to get reacquainted with the cast is good enough for me, so I can’t wait to see if the full version holds up.

Fate Extella: The Umbral Star is scheduled for a July 25 release.

E3 2017: You All Owe ‘Mario + Rabbids Kingdom Battle’ An Apology

by Josh Jackson

When Mario + Rabbids Kingdom Battle was leaked a few weeks ago, the reaction was about what we would expect. Why is this being made? Who asked for this? Who thought this was a good idea? This was the basic sentiment shared by many, only using much more colorful language. Yet while the Rabbids haven’t always been synonymous with quality gameplay, titles like the first two Raving Rabbids games and Rabbids Go Home were proof that these psychotic bunnies could put together a great game when they need to. With a collaboration as big as one with Mario for the Switch, I had little doubt that they would knock it out of the park. Based on what I played of Kingdom Battle on the show floor at E3, Ubisoft is on their way to doing just that.

The comparisons that have been made with Xcom since its initial reveal are apt on the surface, with this bizarre mishmash of characters coming together in a turn based strategy game that involves the Mushroom Kingdom’s finest and cosplaying Rabbids getting into gun fights with the bad guys. I found myself mapping routes, sliding into cover, (and enemies for extra damage), exchanging Mario’s iconic golden coins for better equipment mid battle, and whittling down enemy HP with each shot. When you can’t quite reach that perfect position to wipe out your enemies from, teamwork goes a long way when two units make contact. Once they do, the non-active unit will spring the character you’re moving into a far off spot, allowing you to get some extra distance before launching your attack. Special abilities eventually come into play, such s Mario’s ability to increase his attack strength for a certain amount of time, or the hilariously creepy Rabbid Peach being able to heal allies in her, (its?), vicinity. A variety of objectives led to victory, between eliminating the entire enemy squad to positioning your squad to claim a section of the map.

But outside of combat is where the mashup really comes together. Battles start when your team is ambushed on the world map, which you travel through in real time as if it were a typical Mario adventure. Scanning the environment led to finding bonus coins, extra items that you could take into battle, and bonus sections in the environment where you could observe the Rabbids as they interact with your favorite Mario environments in some hilarious ways, all while your annoyed narrator explains how truly obnoxious these things can be. That’s not to say that your references stop once the action starts. Maps become even more interesting when explosive crates, warp pipes and chain chomps all become strategic elements of this wacky war you find yourself caught in. Luring enemies into the Chomp while trying to avoid it myself was especially fun, knowing that this indiscriminate animal would attack whoever came near it. This was especially useful when the stronger units started to overwhelm us, forcing us to use our wits to get us out of some tough situations.

We were promised that the full game would have even more depth, so expect genre staples like terrain, additional hazards, and character growth for more strategic options. At the conclusion of the demo, I left feeling even more excited for what a full campaign would be able to produce, with local co-op expanding the possibilities of the game to an even wider scope. Many doubted this seemingly nonsensical combination of characters, but it’s safe to say that we all owe Mario + Rabbids Kingdom Battle an apology. It’s looking damn good.

Mario + Rabbids Kingdom Battle will launch exclusively for the Nintendo Switch on August August 29.

E3 2017: Love & Respect With Easy Allies’s Ben Moore!

by The_acz

Last week at E3 I had the pleasure of talking to Ben Moore from Easy Allies. The former GT employee and I talked about many things including how he got his start in the industry, what it’s like to be the youngest of all the allies, and more! Check out the interview below, and also check out easyallies.com right here! 

E3 2017: ‘Senran Kagura Peach Beach Splash’ Is Much Better Than It Has Any Right To Be

by Josh Jackson

You probably know the deal with the Senran Kagura series by now. If you need to be brought up to speed, the series is typically a hack and slash action game staring four groups of high school kunoichi, or female ninja. As they tear through their opponents, the one thing that surely won’t survive their battles are their clothes, since the game’s gratuitous slow motion zoom ins under their skirts and at their chests as their outfits disintegrate makes sure to alert you every time a new inch of skin has been shown. After all, this is the game that infamously started out on the 3DS as an attempt to get 3D boobs onto the system. Yet despite the very obvious gimmick, the games somehow managed to be solid games behind all the behinds.

No one can hide from my sights.

Shifting the focus from boobs to butts slashers to shooters is Senran Kagura: Peach Beach Splash, the latest spin-off for the PS4 that trades in the girls’ swords and kunai for water guns. In the three-on-three mode that was featured in the demo, we were thrust into a fast paced third person arcade shooter where the goal was to douse your opponents in water until their health drained. Tying the mechanics back to the series’ roots are slower melee attacks that allow you to knock opponents away with their traditional weapons, one example being Shiki using her scythe between her legs to deal extra damage. Once the enemy is downed, rather than stomp them before they can be revived like in Gears of War, approaching them switches to a first person perspective where you proceed to spray their boobs or butts until that piece of clothing comes off, forcing them to flee in shame. Of course, if you want to be a gentleman about it, you could douse their face and keep their clothes intact. The winning team was the first with a certain amount of KO’s, so using special items, coordinating with your team to back you up as you finish off wounded enemies, and having them protect you when you need to refill your water all comes into play, giving Peach Beach a layer of depth that you wouldn’t expect on the surface.

But most of all, I was taken aback by how much fun the game was. Honest to God, it was probably the most fun I had with a single game at the entire show! Feeling like a weird cross between Tracer’s gameplay from Overwatch with the fast moving dual pistols, Splatoon‘s focus on spraying your opponents into submission and Senran Kagura‘s trademark presentation, and I’m finding myself very interested at how well this game turns out. Will it be the next eSport spectacular where gamers from around the world can watch South Korea strip the opposing countries naked in giant arenas? Probably not. But if the game develops a small following of cooperative teams, I could see this being a blast online. With guest character DLC, a full single player story mode and multiple ways to customize your ninjas, I’m hoping that the final version lives up to its promising start. But me? I just want to be reunited with my Renka.

Senran Kagura: Peach Beach Splash is set for a summer release.

E3 2017: ‘Final Fantasy XII: The Zodiac Age’ Improves A Fatal Flaw In The Original

by Josh Jackson

Final Fantasy XII seems to be a polarizing game among fans, with the crowd split between thinking it’s one of the best games in the franchise to calling it one of the worst. I fell in the latter group, because despite its streamlined gameplay, more intimate story that focused on individual conflicts over a world altering calamity, and bringing MMO inspired combat to mainstream RPGs in a way that set the foundation for titles like Xenoblade Chronicles, the level up system was atrocious. After a good 15-20 hours in, the open ended License Board, which consisted of upgrades that you couldn’t see until your position on the board was adjacent to them, led me to unlocking so many useless stats and abilities that nearly my entire party was unusable at key points in the story. Picture Final Fantasy X‘s Sphere Grid, but instead of being on a set path until you could unlock special items to infiltrate other boards, every grid was open, connected, and you couldn’t see what each stat boost did until you were pretty much on it.

I couldn’t have been the only person with this complaint, since the international version of FFXII added the Zodiac Job System. This revamped format essentially revived the Job System, asking you to assign each new party member a specific job, each of which has a specific License Board to ensure that you’ll only unlock upgrades relevant to their role. Unfortunately, this version never saw the light of day outside of Japan until The Zodiac Age, the upcoming HD remaster of the last sixth generation Final Fantasy game.

On top of bringing over the improved leveling system, The Zodiac Age includes the ability to fast forward gameplay. Since most battles are fought in real time, with your AI party members acting on their own based on the instructions or “Gambits” you assign to them, level grinding could become an automated chore. Now that you can speed up your actions, simple to moderate encounters will be a breeze as they speed through. You might want to be careful using this against the higher ranked opponents however, since you’ll want to maintain your utmost attention when every move counts.

All in all, I’m excited to step back into Ivalice and give Ashe, Vahn, Balthier and Basch a second shot, especially since the original License Board was the only thing keeping me from enjoying the game the first time around. With that obstacle out of the way, I’m looking forward to experiencing what can be another top notch RPG experience, only this time with the benefit of the PS4’s power. What were your feelings about the original License Board, and where does Final Fantasy XII fall on your list of the best games in the series? Be heard in the comments below!

E3 2017: Talking ‘Resident Evil Vendetta’ & More With Hiroyuki Kobayashi!

by The_acz

This past week at E3, I had the pleasure of talking with Capcom’s Hiroyuki Kobayashi, Producer of Resident Evil 4, 6, and the animated CG films including the upcoming Resident Evil Vendetta. We talk about the differences between making a Resident Evil film versus the games, and what those differences mean for creators.

Geekscape: So, the Resident Evil animated movies have been a little different from the games. What made you guys choose to tell these stories in film instead of a video game format?

Kobayashi: In the video games, the focus is more on playing the games, so you can’t easily develop deeper characters or deeper stories, but in the movie, we’re very happy to be able to show more of the backstory of the three main characters, and the drama among these people.

Geekscape: Which part of the movies has been your favorite part to develop? You talked about being able to develop the characters further, what has been your favorite part?

Kobayashi: For me, I really wanted the movie to be able to tell a story without knowing the background stories of any of the characters, and I think we succeeded in that, and I’m fond of that. We really wanted a good balance of horror and action, and I feel we succeeded on that too.

 

Geekscape: Exactly where in the Resident Evil timeline does this take place? Is this in between any of the games or does it have its own separate continuity?

Kobayashi: So, this one takes place right after the game Resident Evil 6.

Geekscape: How has it been, making the movie under Sony? Have they been supportive of your ideas and the crew?

Kobayashi: So, this is the third movie that we made with Sony Studios, and we always have a good time making the films; every film has a new story and characters, with different people taking the place of the main characters, and we really enjoy working with each other.

Geekscape: Resident Evil’s  4, 5, and 6 were sort of a middle trilogy before 7 and starting something new. What was your favorite title of that trilogy to develop?

Kobayashi: I, myself, only produced 4 and 6. 4 was kind of challenging because we did a total remodeling of the game. So for me, 4 has more of my thoughts behind it, so it’s more more memorable.

Geekscape: Resident Evil 6 was 5 years ago, do you look back at the game and think you would change anything, or are you happy with what the story ended up as?

Kobayashi: I feel I did the best I could do with 6. I feel the four characters had good, human drama between them.

Geekscape: So, you said that in these animated movies, you enjoy fleshing out the characters and developing them more. Who was your favorite character to expand upon for this movie?

Kobayashi: My favorite character is Leon. The motorcycle scene and the battle scene on top of the building were among my favorite scenes. There is a scene that takes place in a lodge where Rebecca, Chris, and Leon are conversing and those kinds of interactions are those that you can’t do easily in the games, so I’m really happy to show this part of the world.

Geekscape: And the film is getting a limited theatrical release on June 9th, isn’t it? Are you excited to have the film in theaters?

Kobayashi: I didn’t expect it to be released theatrically, so I’m really happy to have heard that news, and I’m very excited about it.

Geekscape: You were also the producer for some of the Devil May Cry games. Is there any chance of seeing the series come back sometime soon? Will Dante return?

Kobayashi: I can’t comment on that, but if you want to see Dante, he’s over at the Marvel vs. Capcom booth right there!

And there you have it! It was a pleasure being able to sit down with Mr. Kobayashi and talk about these films. Resident Evil: Vendetta in select theaters June 19, on Digital June 20 and 4K, Blu-ray and DVD July 18.

 

 

 

E3 2017: Blast Processing Through ‘Sonic Mania’!

by The_acz

After a delay or 2, Sega’s highly anticipated Sonic Mania will finally be releasing on August 15th, 2017.

Developed by a highly respected Sonic fan game community member Christian Whitehead, the game is a celebration of everything Classic Sonic. This week at E3 I got the chance to play the game and can easily say that this game has shot up my most anticipated list for 2017. Not only is this a great tribute and celebration to Classic Sonic, but just Sonic as a character in general. Let’s quit stalling and get into it!

The demo allows you to choose any of the 3 characters in the game: Sonic, Tails, and Knuckles. You also get the choice between Green Hill Zone Act 2 and the new Mirage Saloon Zone Act 2. I was able to try out both levels and loved both of them! The characters feel exactly how they felt in Sonic 3 + Knuckles. It’s as if they were ripped right out of the classic genesis games and placed directly into this new iteration. Of course the sprite work and animation for the characters look better than ever!

 

Mirage Saloon is the new zone in the demo and is really fun. You’ll be racing through sand loops that disintegrate when you run over them, jumping off swivel chairs in bar that propel you across the screen, and get shot out of a gun at high speed. There’s tons of alternate routes to take, and there are even some references cameos that are sprinkled throughout the level that reference some forgotten Sonic characters (see image above). Green Hill Zone 2 is also a great stage.

You don’t expect much since by now people have played through Green Hill Zone, but the difference here is that the layout is completely different! This is not the same Green Hill Zone from the Original Sonic. It’s completely different  and feels great to re-experience an old zone with new life.  even the music is different. The theme has a bit more synthetic/techno feel to it now and sounds wonderful still. The zone ends with a boss fight against Dr. Eggman in the Death Egg Robot. All you need to do is hit the top of the robot a couple of times, but it’s not exactly a walk in the park. Not only do you need to hit the top of his head, but you only have limited space to run away. Once you reach the ledge, you better hope you have one hit left because you might die the first couple of times trying to take him down.

At the end of the day, I can’t recommend Sonic Mania enough. This is the Sonic game that fans were hoping they’d get when Sonic 4 was originally announced. Everything from the physics, to the speed, and the sprites just feel right. both Modern and classic fans will find a good challenge with this game. Hopefully the game does well enough that maybe we can get a sequel? Only time will tell.

E3 2017: Discussing The Future Of The ‘Layton’ Series

by Natalie Kipper

On June 14, smack dab in the middle of E3 2017, I met with two members of Level-5 Inc. to discuss their latest project Layton’s Mystery Journey. The title will release on the Nintendo 3DS as well as mobile devices, both iOS and Android.

The choice to expand to the mobile platform stemmed from a desire to reach a broader audience, to create new fans while not alienating older ones. The mobile version will not follow the free-to-play model. It will have an as-yet unannounced price tag but that first purchase is all that is required to play the entirety of the game. They do plan to have in-app purchases of some variety but these are completely not required to enjoy the game (the 3DS version will not have in-app purchases). The mobile game can be played without wifi but you may want to log on each day to get the free Daily Puzzle downloads. Even without these downloads, Layton’s Mystery Journey contains over 500 hundred puzzles, more than any other title in the series.

For both the mobile and 3DS versions, the gameplay mostly remains the same at the core. However, while Professor Layton’s mysteries seemed to become grander and grander in scale with each installment, his daughter Katrielle’s game is much smaller in focus. She is just starting to establish herself as a detective and as such the tone is more light and even humorous at times. The color palette reflects this by including brighter tones. There are 12 chapters in the game’s story but there is the possibility for post-release DLC for both versions.

Another slight difference is that in the previous Layton games, the puzzles were created by the late Akira Tago. Layton’s Mystery Journey will feature puzzles from the mind of Iwanami Kuniaki. His background is in Mathematics compared to Tago’s in Linguistics. It should be interesting to see how this effects the feel of the puzzles.

Level-5 is all about portability with their games, which is why the move to mobile felt so natural. Their games are intended to be played on a handheld system. As wonderful as this is for mobile and 3DS players, owners of the Nintendo Switch are left out in the cold. The truth is Level-5 loves the Switch but the challenge with developing for it lies with the console’s hybrid nature. Yes, the Switch can be played as a handheld device (which is how Level-5 wants their games to be played) but as soon as you pop that Switch into its dock and the game goes onto the TV screen, that is where the problem arises. It is a shame but I am happy to be able to play Level-5’s beautiful games at all. Here’s hoping that they find a solution to this particular puzzle soon.

The message to new fans is that the game is “open to anyone at any age of any gender.” The game is great to pick-up and play and not intimidating, full of enjoyable moments from Katrielle’s journey.

As for extra incentives for past fans to play (if even need one), it was mentioned that there will homages to previous titles found in Layton’s Mystery Journey. They were mum on returning characters, though.

Because the mobile game launches first, Level-5 anticipates that portions of the story will be spoiled prior to the 3DS release. They aren’t concerned, however, as the main draw of the game is solving the puzzles. So even if the gamer knows the full extent of the plot going in, there is still incentive to play.

Layton’s Mystery Journey launche on mobile worldwide on July 20, 2017. It will launch on the Nintendo 3DS on July 20, 2017, in Japan, and in Autumn 2017 for the rest of the world.

E3 2017: Tiki Is Stealth Confirmed For ‘Fire Emblem Warriors’, Proving That Tiki=Waifu

by Josh Jackson

Immediately after Nintendo’s E3 presentation, we commented on how Fire Emblem Warriors had a lack of representation throughout the series, while other fans pointed out that everyone revealed thus far was a sword user as opposed to axe users, lancers, mages and archers. This second concern would soon be rectified, because although she wasn’t shown in game, the reveal of the upcoming Tiki amiibo confirmed that the popular manakete would be playable in Koei Tecmo’s hack and slash spinoff.

As one of the most popular characters in the franchise, Tiki was an amnesiac child rescued by Marth during the original Fire Emblem. Becoming extremely powerful over time with some patience and a truckload of experience points, Tiki is probably best known for her strong affection shown for her “Mar-Mar”. Returning in Awakening for the 3DS, the centuries in between the two games led to her taking an adult form, but despite the maturity and wisdom she gained over the years, her memories of her original adventure still remained a defining character trait.

Outside of Fire Emblem, Tiki played a prominent role in Tokyo Mirage Sessions: FE where she would power up the party by upgrading their skills, all while the team focused on returning her lost memories once again. Her appearance in Warriors might seem like a no brainer to longtime fans, but I’m incredibly excited to see what she’ll look like in action, especially with how beautiful Corrin’s dragon transformation animations were while playing the demo.

The other certainty is that her amiibo is sure to become rare like all of the other Fire Emblem amiibo before her, so you better be ready to jump on that pre-order when it becomes available if you want to keep your collection complete. As far as the people who have better things to do with their time than wait in line for a plastic figure, well…

Fire Emblem Warriors and the amiibo are scheduled for a Fall release.

E3 2017: New Japan Pro Wrestling Stars WILL Be In The North American Release Of ‘Yakuza 6’

by Josh Jackson

Too often, the most awesome crossovers in Japan never see the light of day here in the West. Licensing can be a nightmare, so companies will oftentimes find it more logical to remove or edit references from outside companies altogether than work through all the red tape that would allow every region to experience these cool easter eggs. When I got to speak to Sega about the upcoming Yakuza 6, the only real question I had was whether or not the gang based on the stars of New Japan Pro Wrestling would be included in the North American release. Needless to say, I was satisfied when their inclusion was confirmed outside of Japan!

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Taking place in a fictional version of Japan’s seedy underworld, Kazuma Kiryu might as well be a wrestler himself as he comes out of retirement for what has to be the tenth time to brawl with the worst criminals in the country. Only this time, one of the opposing games is made up of real life wrestlers from the top to bottom of the NJPW card. Including Kazuchika Okada, Tetsuya Naito, Hiroshi Tanahashi, Hiroyoshi Tenzan, Satoshi Kojima nd Toru Yano, it’ll be so exciting as a fan of both properties to be able to go toe to toe with the company’s best. Check out Naito’s game play below as we impatiently wait for Yakuza 6 to release early next year.

NJPW coming to the video game realm isn’t anything new. The recently released Tekken 7 

New to Yakuza? Check out the E3 trailer below and get caught up, then let us know what other crossovers you’d like to see down the line in the comments below!

E3 2017: ‘Crash Bandicoot N Sane Trilogy’ Looks Beautiful, But Feels Off

by The_acz

Last year people were jumping for joy when Sony announced that they’d be remastering the first 3 Crash Bandicoot games for an HD trilogy collection back at E3 2016.

Flash forward a year to E3 2017 and there are only 2 weeks left until the game game CRASHES (pun very intended) onto store shelves. People have also gotten the chance to play numerous demos which have left a lot of people. . . . . . mixed. I myself recently got the chance to sit down and try the game, and what did I think? Ehhhhhh.

My play time was spent on Crash 3: Wrapped since it’s my favorite out of the trilogy. I played Orient Express and Midnight Run, The Coco tiger levels where you play on the great wall of china. The first thing I have to say is that I absolutely love the graphics. Everything is colorful, vibrant, and has some sort of energy to it. Even Coco herself is more expressive as she has more facial animations, and even victory poses just like Crash.

So both the music and graphics are ace, but sadly the most disappointing part of N. Sane is the fact that the gameplay feels. . . . . off. I’ll be the first to admit that while I love Crash 2 & 3, the first one is a tad dated and doesn’t feel nearly as good to play as 2 and 3. With this trilogy, it feels a bit like they took the physics from the first game and just transferred them to the other titles without realizing that they had a much faster and different physics than the original. As a result, the levels end up feeling slower and the characters end up feeling a bit heavier than what they originally were.

The controls also feel slightly delayed. Many times when I tried to move out of the way of an oncoming barrel it felt like Coco was moving a second or 2 after I actually moved her. Same thing happened when I tried jumping over dragon or a piece of broken road. This threw me off a good number of times, and even caused me a game over with at least 6 lives. Obviously I don’t want to say the devs didn’t care about what they were making because I’ve seen many interviews and can tell that they’re very passionate about this project, and that they want Crash to have a future.

The ability to play as Coco fully in the previous 2 games (bosses excluded) is a really cool addition and shows how much they care about making this a great package, but at the same time, it’s very important for those games to still feel like those games. Perhaps they’re still working on the game right up to its release and are still trying to nail down the physics, but in the end, the game was a bit disappointing to me. That’s not to say I don’t want it to succeed though. If you’re not bothered by how the gameplay in Crash 1 feels, you should be fine and will love this collection. I still wish the best for this game and hope it sells well so we can see Crash return with a brand new game, but for me, I’ll stick to the originals.

E3 2017: We Teased Our Brains And Tasted Tea At The Layton Cafe

by Josh Jackson

Clever ladies and gentlemen were tasked with solving puzzles found on the Professor Layton social media pages to find the Layton Cafe leading up to E3. As the clues came together and the location became known, clever puzzle masters were able to track down the restaurant, which was transformed into a celebration of all things Layton to celebrate the series’ tenth anniversary. Luckily for people like me who are terrible at any form of thinking, it happened to be right in the middle of one of the busiest locations in downtown LA.

Once inside, we were greeted with photo ops with the Professor and the new protagonist in town, Katrielle Layton, more free pastries than we could ever hope to eat, and a menu full of entrees with a gentlemanly twist. Of course, we couldn’t call this a Layton Cafe without plenty of puzzles to be solved, which there was no shortage of thanks to brain teasing toys and our table mats serving as riddles. Yes, just like the games, nearly every object in the cafe was just waiting to be turned into a mystery to solve. In the very likely event that I were to crash and burn, we were all gifted with a Picarat to celebrate ten years of the Professor’s adventures.

Check out our photo gallery below, showing off the transformed Tom’s Urban, complete with some of the best pastries I’ve ever had. If you’re like us and can’t wait to dive into a new Layton adventure after a four year haitus, make sure to make room for Kat when Layton Mystery Journey: Katrielle and the Millionaire’s Conspiracy, (formerly Lady Layton,) comes to iOS and Android platforms on July 20, with the 3DS version following about a month afterwards.

E3 2017: Exploring New Donk City In ‘Super Mario Odyssey’!

by The_acz

Earlier this week marked the first public playable appearance of Super Mario Odyssey, and boy, did the 7th layer of hell open.

If you weren’t there by 6 AM waiting for the West Hall doors to open, chances are you weren’t going to be able to play the game that day or at all! Luckily, I braved the morning craziness and can successfully report back on what I played and what I though about it. So pick up a chair and listen to the magic that is the Super Mario Odyssey E3 2017 demo.

The demo contains the choice of two worlds that you can choose: The Metro Kingdom also known as New Donk City, and The Sand Kingdom. I’ll be covering what happens in the New Donk City demo. The big sell of Odyssey is that the game is a return to it’s 3D open world roots ala Super Mario 64 & Super Mario Sunshine. While New Donk City may looks small in the trailers, it’s a pretty big place once you’re dropped in and playing the game itself. This opens up with Mario and Cappy on a building being instructed to meet up with Mayor Pauline (YES! That Pauline.). Now usually the objective of the demo is to meet up with Pauline and help her assemble a music band for a performance at night, but you can easily ignore it to explore the city, and here’s when things get fun.

Instead of doing the preferred mission, I decided to take advantage of my 10 minutes by aimlessly wandering around New Donk City trying to find as many secrets and other moons as I could. I gained one of them by throwing my hat onto a random civilian playing with an RC car (which was briefly shown in the trailer). The RC car did not control well, and as a result ended up being more frustrating than fun, but that’s something that can easily be fixed before the game launches. As for other secrets, I found plenty of other moons by just walking into a random alleyway and finding a small house which had a slot machine I could gamble on for coins, hearts, and moons. It was so bizarre, and yet amazing to find. I was also able to posses many other things during my demo such as a pair of binoculars, a ball of lightning, and more! All controlled well and felt great to use

In the end, Super Mario Odyssey is an amazing game with a massive amount of potential. While Zelda: Breath of the Wild may still be getting a lot of love and GOTY nominations, there’s no doubt in my mind that Mario is about to give Link a run for his Rupees this October. I personally can’t wait for more reveals about this game, but to be honest, I may just go media blackout on this game from now until release. Seeing as how much this demo has gotten me excited to play the full version, that may be all I need right now.

E3 2017: So There’s A Lap Dance Mini-Game In ‘South Park: The Fractured But Whole’

by Josh Jackson

As we all know, South Park is not a series that is willing to shy away from the offensive. Even in the video game realm, The Stick of Truth came with its own brand of controversy, leading it to be banned in certain countries. Even where it was allowed to see store shelves, we can never forget the anal probe scene where you played through your character having their colon scrambled, or adventuring through Mr. Slave’s ass as you approached the final battle. Not to be outdone, The Fractured But Whole had its own surprise in the form of a lap dance mini game, as witnessed at Ubisoft’s booth during E3.

Infiltrating a strip club as your custom character, (who’s serving as the sidekick for Scott Malkinson and his diabetes), the two fourth graders find their way into the VIP lounge where a pair of drunk businessmen are too wasted to tell the difference between the strippers and the kids. In order to manipulate them for their own means, Scott and your character do what strippers do in the VIP lounge. After being greeted by a friendly screen alerting you that a lap dance mini-game is actually about to start, you’ll rotate the left stick and tap buttons while the men comment on how your eight year old character is killing their boners. Just… watch the video below and see for yourself. Sorry for the lack of sound, but the demos were tied to headphones!

My jaw was on the floor for the entire sequence, and you know what? I’m even more excited to pick up The Fractured But Whole later this year! A slight hunch tells me that this will be one of many controversies that the game will face when it’s released, but would you want it any other way in a South Park game? The fact that it was in the public demo just shows that they’re doubling down on the outrageous humor, and it will be all the better for it.

South Park: The Fractured But Whole is scheduled for an October 17th release on PS4, Xbox One and PC. You know, unless it’s delayed again.

Take a look at the video below, and let us know just how disgusted you are.

E3 2017: Lick Your Way Through A Living Prison In ‘Mary Skelter: Nightmares’

by Josh Jackson

As most of us know by now, Japanese RPG’s can get pretty weird. Last year alone, we took a return trip to a world where game console goddesses saved the world from the disgruntled spirit of the Sega Dreamcast, and became pop stars who defended Tokyo from the evils of the entertainment industry. But I can comfortably say that I have yet to play anything like Mary Skelter: Nightmares, a new dungeon crawling RPG by Compile Heart that tasks you with leading a party full of gothic lolita versions of our favorite fairy tale heroines to freedom as they fight their way through a living prison. Except they’re hardly the prancing, singing princesses you might be picturing, because their insatiable blood lust leads them to go wild as they soak up the blood of their enemies. What’s the best way to bring them back to their senses? Naturally, you lick them clean.

Trust me when I say that you’re going to to need to get used to the trying act of making these attractive anime girls lick each other, because your success in battle directly correlates with how close they get to losing control. Doing damage, landing critical hits and finishing off strong opponents leads to larger blood splatters. Once one of the girls absorbs a certain amount of blood, they transform into their most powerful state, greatly improving their damage and abilities in the process. If that blood continues to pile up however, the girl will eventually go berserk, forcing her to lose all control and attack friend and foe alike. Licking has the added benefit of healing the affected party member, but when the rest of your girls are tied up with casting support spells, attacking enemy monsters or taking advantage of elemental weaknesses, Jack, your character, has a special weapon that can calm the girls down instantly. Don’t draw too much attention to him though, because if he’s out of commission, there will be no one to control the girls, leading to a game over.

Monsters and blood aren’t the only dangers in the prison, because the prison itself serves as both a lethal opponent and a helpful ally depending on the situation. Each area in the prison is guarded by a boss that hangs around outside the prison walls. These cheaters can attack you from the outside without allowing you to fight back, forcing the team to be on their toes as they dodge incoming hazards during exploration, all while avoiding the traps that the prison itself holds. The benefit however, is that some traps can be used to your benefit. Activating the right ones at the right time can damage the boss, bringing them down to your level and allowing you to battle them with a more traditional turn based system. As you play, the dungeon will also have its own set of desires that you’re asked to fulfill for combat bonuses. For example, if its feeling lustful, continuously licking will satisfy its need for waifu on waifu action. And you thought the showers were the only place that you had to worry about perverts in jail.

What made Mary Skelter stand out to me more than anything was its ability to keep you on your toes at all times. I’ve played plenty of first person dungeon crawlers where traveling becomes a chore after awhile since you can only look at the same walls for so long before it gets old. This game doesn’t give you the chance to get worn out out since you’re constantly under attack. With its unique mechanics, the ability to take characters like Alice, Sleeping Beauty and Cinderella and customize their classes and abilities to make your custom fairy tale fighting squad, being able to de-level your characters to power up low level classes, and the focus on the dungeon as its own entity, and its easy to see why such an interesting take on the genre has piqued my interest. Besides, haven’t you always wanted to taste Snow White?

Mary Skelter: Nightmare will release on the PS Vita this summer.

E3 2017: Nintendo’s Booth Was Amiibo Heaven! Take A Look At 2017’s Offerings

by Josh Jackson

When it comes to Nintendo products, you know we’re all still hopelessly addicted to amiibo, the interactive figurines that have cornered entire sections of our homes. Like a pusher in the center of New Donk City trying to set us up with our next fix, the company had all of their new toys to life characters on display ahead of their 2017 releases.

This hodgepodge of plastic run the gaming gamut. From Bayonetta to Final Fantasy‘s Cloud, the just announced Tiki and Chrom from Fire Emblem, Samus and a Metroid, the four Champions from Breath of the Wild, and Bowser in a pimp suit, it’s hard not to see how there’s something for everyone when it comes to yanking those $15 out of your pocket. And those Link’s. So many Link’s…

Check out our gallery below and check them out for yourselves! I’m hoping that we get even more surprises as the year pushes forward, (namely those Monster Hunter Stories and BoxBoy amiibo that are currently exclusive to Japan). Which ones are you looking forward to the most? Do you already have your pre-orders down? And how are you going to explain bringing a dozen more toys in the house to your roommate/parents/significant other!? Share your strategies with us below so we don’t lose all of our relationships.

E3 2017: Yes, ‘Super Mario Odyssey’ Will Feature Co-Op

by Derek Kraneveldt

Briefly: Super Mario Odyssey remains one of the coolest-looking games that was shown off at this year’s E3. The title looks to bring a ton of new ideas to the series, and the idea of being able to play such a breathtaking Mario title on the go is beyond exciting. 

Since the game’s initial announcement last year , the main question about the game on every gamer’s mind was in regards to multiplayer. The Wii U’s under appreciated Super Mario 3D World and its intense, insane four-player multiplayer led to some of the most fun times I’ve ever had playing a video game. 

Revealed today on Nintendo’s Treehouse livestream, the company revealed that while the game won’t have the same frantic multiplayer mode as the last title, it will feature two player co-op. 

In co-op mode, Mario no longer controls Cappy. The second player will control the newly-living hat, who can fly around, attack, and control some camera movement. He (it?) is also invincible, so you can play with a non-gamer spouse or even your kids, and they won’t be able to cramp your style too much. 

According to Polygon, it sound like Nintendo may have even added a few teamwork-oriented puzzles to the game to force players to work together. 

In any case, while I’d love a more in-depth multiplayer mode, I’ll take what I can get, and Super Mario Odyssey looks freaking fantastic. 

Rewatch the game’s E3 trailer below, and let us know if you’ll be picking this one up on October 27!

E3 2017: Sony Offers Silly Reasoning For Being The Only Console Not Offering Cross-Platform Play

by Derek Kraneveldt

Briefly: The entire internet seemed pretty disappointed with nearly every. single. publisher at this year’s E3 Expo (save for Nintendo, surprisingly). As wrong as the internet was about the convention as a whole (it was super great and I can’t wait to buy Skyrim two more times for two distinctly different reasons), every gamer on Earth rightly jumped for joy when the once pipe-dream that was Cross Platform play suddenly became a reality.

We’ve heard a lot of talk of building walls over these past six months — but this weekend, a longstanding virtual wall humbly began to crumble, and this is a trend that I certainly hope garners even more support over time.

The wall begins to crumble, that is, unless you’re playing on Sony’s platform.

Microsoft showed off their first Cross Platform title during their Keynote on Sunday with a gorgeous new version of Minecraft. It’s trailer began by showing off the Xbox One X version’s fancy new still-very-blocky graphics and talking about massive new server upgrades, among other things, before showing off a pixellated iPad, iPhone, Nintendo Switch, and a window (for Windows, duh).

That’s right. Later this year Xbox Owners will be able to play Minecraft with their pals playing on another platform, including Nintendo’s latest console. Yep, Nintendo, that company that makes the best games, but is so conservative with online capabilities that they’re typically not even worth trying. The same Nintendo that’s never really offered any useful form of online voice chat because you shouldn’t swear at kids when they beat you at Mario Kart 8. That Nintendo.

Today, the way-more-fun-than-it-has-any-right-to-be Rocket League was revealed to be coming to the Nintendo Switch, with developer Psyonix noting that Cross-Platform play would be supported on every platform that Rocket League can be played on… again, except Playstation.

Eurogamer had the chance to speak with PlayStation global sales and marketing head Jim Ryan about cross platform play, who noted:

It’s certainly not a profound philosophical stance we have against this. We’ve done it in the past. We’re always open to conversations with any developer or publisher who wants to talk about it. Unfortunately it’s a commercial discussion between ourselves and other stakeholders, and I’m not going to get into the detail of that on this particular instance. And I can see your eyes rolling.

Sony had to have been one of the first companies to support some semblance of cross platform play, with Final Fantasy XI having PS2 and PC players playing in the same servers. Obviously I’m speculating here, but Ryan’s response almost sounds like he thinks that it’s silly that he doesn’t have a different answer to give. He mentions stakeholders specifically — could this have been shareholder led decision? In any case, I  don’t think that Sony or anyone else would have guessed that Nintendo would have been announced as a cross platform partner. Maybe the Switch truly is the rebirth of the company from a core values level.

When asked about Minecraft specifically, Ryan gives a canned, classic Nintendo answer (except that he works for Sony and Sony is totally being the Nintendo in this situation):

We’ve got to be mindful of our responsibility to our install base. Minecraft – the demographic playing that, you know as well as I do, it’s all ages but it’s also very young. We have a contract with the people who go online with us, that we look after them and they are within the PlayStation curated universe. Exposing what in many cases are children to external influences we have no ability to manage or look after, it’s something we have to think about very carefully.

This entire debacle just seems like an extremely shortsighted move from Sony — if Sony’s decision to block cross platform gaming is a monetary one, I don’t really see how it will benefit the behemoth in the long run, especially if we begin to see cross platform multiplayer become a more regular occurrence. Naturally, I’m going to pick up the version of a game that will let me play it with the most friends, which won’t be Sony’s console in most cases. On top of that, if I’m a parent looking to buy a new console for the family, am I going to choose the one that will allow my kids to play Minecraft with their iPad touting friends, or limit them to just other Playstation owners? That’s a pretty easy decision to make.

Thankfully, while it doesn’t sound like support is being actively talked about, it doesn’t sound like it’s been completely ruled out, either. Ryan closed saying “I don’t think anything is ever a done deal. Anybody who is dogmatic in that manner is typically a fool. That said, to my knowledge, there is no live conversation ongoing at the moment.”

As a gamer whose Dualshock 4 controller has a permanent place on my coffee table: Sony, we’re disappointed in you.

Which multiplayer titles would you like to see made available on all platforms? Be sure to sound out below.

E3 2017: The 3DS Remake of ‘Mario & Luigi: Superstar Saga’ Has A Promising Side Story

by Natalie Kipper

This year’s Electronic Entertainment Expo may have just started but Nintendo is already giving fans awesome news left and right. One tidbit I am particularly excited about is Mario & Luigi: Superstar Saga + Bowser’s Minions for the Nintendo 3DS, a remake of the Gameboy Advance fan-favorite, Mario & Luigi: Superstar Saga. If you have played the more recent Mario & Luigi: Paper Jam (reviewed here), you are likely familiar with the series’ lighthearted tone and the battle system, which focuses on timed button presses to do extra damage or dodge incoming attacks.

From the looks of things, the main storyline remains the same. Peach loses her voice, thanks to a curse from a brand-new enemy and for a nice change of pace, Bowser gets kidnapped. However, this remake will also have an additional mode called “Minion Quest: The Search for Bowser.” In this mode, you play as Bowser’s bumbling underlings, lead by a Goomba with a flag on his head because reasons. Alongside Captain Goomba will be familiar faces like Shy Guy and Boo (and judging by the newly unveiled amiibo, Koopa Troopa as well).

“What is this I hear about amiibo?” you ask. As all us amiibo addicts would hope, with this game comes the release of two additional Super Mario series amiibo, Goomba and Koopa Troopa. The previously released Boo amiibo along with these two will have read/write functionality with the game. Consider me intrigued! Other Super Mario series amiibo are compatible in some capacity as well but no other information was given at this time.

Mario & Luigi: Superstar Saga + Bowser’s Minions as well as the Goomba and Koopa Troopa amiibo are scheduled to release on October 6, 2017.

E3 2017: Xbox One Backwards Compatibility Expands To Original Xbox Titles!

by Derek Kraneveldt

Briefly: We can’t exactly file this one under ‘total surprise’, but it’s still a cool piece of news from Microsoft’s just-concluded E3 conference.

Yep. After making nearly 400 Xbox 360 titles backwards compatible with Xbox One, Microsoft has announced that original Xbox titles are next in line for the backwards compatibility treatment.

Details on the program itself are scarce as of now, but Xbox head Phil Spencer notes that “OG games will look better and play better across the Xbox One family,” while noting that fans can expect the first backwards compatible titles to be available later this year (with one of his favourites, Crimson Skies, being among the first few).

As someone who largely missed out on the first generation Microsoft console, this came as pretty exciting news to me. Which games would you like to see added to the list? What was the best part of the Microsoft presentation? Sound out below!

Geekscape Games Podcast: Level 112 – ‘CovfE3’

by GeekscapeStaff

Join Adam, Courtney, Derek, Josh, Juan and Shane as they discuss the last week in video games!

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This Week:

We talk more about Far Cry 5 and why Shane absolutely loves it. Shane admits a deep dark secret. A lot of Nintendo prE3dictions. Overwatch has a new map and better loot boxes. Oh, and Juan’s back!

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Nintendo Reveals E3 Schedule! ‘ARMS’ Tournaments, ‘Super Mario Odyssey’, & More!

by The_acz

It’s been 5 years since Nintendo stopped doing live E3 press conferences (never forget Nintendo Land fireworks), and ever since then, People still wish for Nintendo to return to that format every year (even though the Nintendo Digital Events are fine and better).

Yesterday morning, Nintendo released their E3 2017 plans as well as tickets to board the Nintendo hype train. The Nintendo E3 2017 Spotlight will air at 9AM PST and will feature Only Nintendo Switch games heading towards the system this year. Afterwards, the stream will transition into Nintendo Treehouse Live where the Treehouse crew will non stop showcase the newly announced Nintendo switch games as well as 3DS games. There will also be live Splatoon 2 and ARMS Tournaments from the 13th to the 14th.  Find out more below Are you excited for E3? Tell us in the comments below!

 

Strap In! E3 Is Going Public!

by The_acz

While the ESA has dabbled in the past with public E3 events like E for All and E3 Live just last year, it looks like those days are finally about to come to an end.

Yes, For the first time ever this morning, E3 has announced that the popular gaming Expo will FINALLY be opening up to the public. What does this mean you ask? This means that beginning February 13th 2017 at 9 PM PST, you’ll be able to buy a public E3 ticket for just $150 if you’re part of the first 1,000 (the other 14K will be $250.) Are you excited to finally get the chance to attend E3?

Do you think this is a good idea? Tell us in the comments below!