f . qfee 5 x ‘ ‘ THE CREATORS OF GONE HOME REAGH FOR THE ys

POWERUP

REWARDS

AS A PRO, NOBODY SCORES

MORE THAN YOU

PowerUp Rewards Pro members get

perks and rewards worthy of the IN EXCLUSIVE OFFERS best in gaming. Here are some of weds EVERY MONTH cis the great benefits you score: ei ><

FEATURED BENEFIT OF THE MONTH ~ | ~ | , BW /O PRE-OWNED GAMES q | AND ACCESSORIES —

UF a Vs

BUY &@ OFFERON

C PRE-OWNED r WEE FE Games | F XKce (WORTH UPTO $55) | i

BX /O oNGAMES AND

EXTRA ACCESSORIES | —. VWikEUil pale

QP OF GAME INFORMER Be MAGAZINE

IMVUED

Your PowerUp Rewards benefits are now available anywhere. Download the GameStop App to get the most power from your membership.

JULY’S rein VIEIVIDEN EXCLUSIVE OFFERS

Reap the rewards with these great deals. No secret handshake required.

Ya OFF SAVE Wy ee bs

on a Pre-Owned Xbox One Kinect The Order: 1886 when you purchase any Pre-Owned Xbox One system

THERORDER

18 86

bs

u > Offer valid during 7/8 - 7/21. REG. $39.99

Offer valid 7/6 -7/12. While supplies last. Limit one per household.

PowerUp Rewards Pro members can access these offers in the GameStop App or by logging into PowerUpRewards.com.

visit gameinformer.com daily for the latest and greatest, and follow @gameinformer on Twitter

De)

ANDY McNAMARA

EDITOR-IN-CHIEF andy @gameinformer.com

Read my column or comment on this letter at gameinformer.com/mag or follow @GI_AndyMc

s someone who has attended every Electronic Entertainment Expo since its inception in 1995, this was one for the record books. It’s hard to say if it’s the best in E3’s 20-year history, but there is no denying that it was the strongest of the last decade and that it supercharged the industry and gamers alike. | left with a renewed excitement for the industry | love so dearly. | heard E3 2015 dubbed many things over the five-day event: The Return of Triple A, The Year of the Woman, and The Year of VR. The crazy thing is, | believe every one of these is right, and that was the reason the show was so powerful. Independent developers still had an amazing showing at this year’s E3 (and as you may have noticed, an indie title from the groundbreak- ing studio behind Gone Home also dons our cover this month), but there was no denying the power of big budget triple-A at this year’s show. Last year, the blockbuster lineup was thin, but this year the line of promising big games extended around the block (check out the Hot 50 starting on page 46 - you won’t be disappointed). Return of the Triple A? Check. Gamers the world over have been demanding more choice in who they play, and this year it finally feels like game developers and publish- ers are listening. More games that featured female protagonists or the ability to play as a female lead were shown than ever before. The industry still has a long way to go on the diversity front, but this year was a great step in the right direction. Both Microsoft and Sony revealed new series that featured a female lead in ReCore and Horizon Zero Dawn, respec- tively. Tomb Raider and Mirror’s Edge stood tall with their returning leading ladies, and other titles like Dishonored 2 and Assassin’s Creed Syndicate gave players the option to play in new ways. To top it off, games that featured character creators like Fallout 4 let players continue to play their adventures however they want to play. Year of the Woman? Check. Finally, while virtual reality still has a long way to go, we played more VR games this year than before that felt more like games than just demos. | still think VR has to overcome some hurdles before it becomes a mainstream enter- tainment medium, but some of my best memo- ries of this year’s E3 were found in the strange and wonderful VR space. VR may not have won E3 yet, but it most certainly left its mark. If you read this issue and don’t find something to love, then you may be reading the wrong magazine. Enjoy the issue.

Cheers,

ep) ane tl ® ~ G O O

\\' ‘

Tacoma

Fullbright made a splash in 2013 with the contemplative character- and narrative-focused Gone Home. We had a chance to take a deep look at the studio’s next project, Tacoma, which takes players to space to explore a mysteriously abandoned space station as they play with gravity and try to figure out what happened. by Kimberley Wallace

E3 Report Card: Microsoft

——

E3 Report

ail E3 Report Card: Sony

The Future Of Virtual Reality

regulars

4 Feedback This month readers ques- tion our Nintendo coverage, share which Star Wars char- acters deserve their own dedicated video games, and reminisce about a time when military shooters cov- ered multiple eras, and not just the future.

10 Connect We have our annual report cards for Microsoft, Sony, and Nintendo’s E3 press conferences, as well as additional reporting from the show. We played with virtual reality and discuss the games we weren’t able to get our hands on.

46 Previews We played a lot of games at E3 this year. As it turns out, that’s the whole purpose of the show. From the big AAA titles, to the small indie games that are easy to miss, we’ve returned with our annu- al list of 50 games we think are worth your attention.

84 Reviews This issue is all about looking forward to the future of video games, but that doesn’t mean we didn’t spend plenty of time in the present. We have reviews for Batman: Arkham Knight, Splatoon, and Blizzard’s long-in-beta Heroes of the Storm.

100 Game Over There were a lot of games at E3 this year, but that didn’t distract us from a few big-name titles that were nowhere to be seen. Games like Zelda Wii U and Final Fantasy XV were absent this year, and we missed them.

CORRECTION: In our Lego Dimensions preview last issue, we said that the game was for one player. It supports local two-player co-op. Additionally, the game is coming out September 27.

contents 3

4 contents

You Must Build A Boat

<i” re = eee SE =

Just Cause 3

Splatoon

games index

ADZ0 fic six ave a causce,aus Sayeed neuen 89 AGM tot tacirectaaten selene: 82 ASHEN 3 .32.0c2ccec2edrscacaneseacan 22 Assassin's Creed: Syndicate........... 86 Batman: Arkham Knight .............. 94 Battleborn............ . 82 Be@lOW: assssog sets g eee 22 8B Beyond Good & Evil2 ..... . 100 Call of Duty: Black Ops Ill . . oie AE Crackdown ............. ... 100 CUPNOAG: bis.g.de eisai aie die ave ckave eaaue, sie 79 Dark’ Soulsiliti.s::..<w2c0csscieenr arcane eee 56 Destiny: The Taken King.............. 68 Deus Ex: Mankind Divided............. 63 Devil May Cry 4 Special Edition......... 95 Dishonored 2. ............000 00 seen 22 Disney Infinity 3.0................00. 78 Divinity: Original Sin -—

Enhanced Edition.................0. 84 DOOM ctinicesitiaadbactaad teas 60 DreaM$:: s:3.2 002 nchercecnesascee as 22 Edge of Nowhere . . 80 Fallout4 .... . 47 Fatal Frame........... . 22 Final Fantasy VII Remake. . . amie 2e Final Fantasy XV....... ....100 Flame in the Flood, The............... 91 FORHONOP sic cctut diamiinndiaarebined 71 Forza Motorsport6................0. 83 Game of Thrones:

Episode 4 — Sons of Winter........... 98 Gears of War4.................00008 75 Ghost Recon: Wildlands............... 58 GIGANTIC sa. cote dtcdeoes cated eave 91 Halo 5: Guardians.................0.. 66 Heroes of the Storm ................. 97 HLM ANNs, Sais es aus cn, ans dian dusmidyane Sieh aus Rea 76 Horizon Zero Dawn ................0.. 52 INSIDE: ic oc cdrics mie acdoras tie aseaenee 100 Just Cause 3..... 54 Kingdom Hearts Ill. . . . 22 King’s Quest ....... ers Last Guardian, The ................0. 66 Legend of Zelda: Tri Force Heroes, The .... 74 Legend of Zelda Wii U, The............ 100 Lego Dimensions.................... 89 Lego Jurassic World ..............0.. 98 Mad Max...... 2.0... cece eee eee eee 81 MaGiCka:2:..: ices tareddcae de naman sie 98 Mario & Luigi: Paper Jam .............. 79 Mass Effect Andromeda. .. . . 22 Massive Chalice. . . oe. 98 Master of Orion................0000. 87 Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain.... 62 Mighity'NO. 9:2 3.0s2¢03.2i0a des scteads 82 Need For Speed............00 eevee 69 Nier New Project [Working Title]........ 22 NO: Man'S:SKY 3 cascsasedssedasesaciars 68 Project Setsuna..................... 22 Rainbow Six Siege...............0005 70 Ratchet & Clank.................0008 84 REC ORGS 3s activins cucsauaca cyusvninsena anausiie = 22 Rise of the Tomb Raider............... 55 Rock Band4.......... . 89 Ronin....... ... 98 Scalebound.... - 100

Sea of Thieves. . Bead South Park: The Fractured but Whole ....

22 SplatOON ss sid bsccd Banc ddae a hancdeanaes 96 Star FOX Zer0s ici ieee enki sec eee de 85 Star Wars: Battlefront................ 72 Street Fighter V...................0. 81 SUNSCUs sic sd cick naitacen dikwn diacnerabcaans 98 Super Mario Maker ................0. 62 Swords of the Coast................. 87 TACOMA. 22:5. 002 2.020 cece sceeaee seat ae 36 Transformers: Devastation .. . 90 Uncharted 4: A Thief’s End... 50 Unravel .............00. . 78 Until Dawn... ... 88 Witness, The. - 100 XCOM Qisni.suc ducers de aise ecsavais aaiaue’e de 64 You Must Build a Boat................ 95

5 ASCENT GUM

ae

-..AN ESCALATING WINTERMINT

STIMULATE YOUR SENSES

2014 Wim. Wrigley Jr. Company. All Rights Reserved. 5° Ascent;? Wintermint? Stimulate Your Senses” and all affiliated designs are trademarks of the Wm. Wrigley Jr. Company or its affiliates.

Contact Us

feedback@gameinformer.com

Futuri Sale

ar

o& Vp free DLC; and the legality of Let’s’Play vid

ll debatedsbpysreaders this month, while ot

s high

Star Wars characters worthy of their own games. Onnot!

Back To The Future? | am to blame! Every year | mindlessly shelled out money for the newest Call of Duty game. Many people did the same thing and aside from Battlefield, Activision now basically has a monopoly on the military shooter. The problem | have with this is that | hate futuristic shooters — games that have technology that does not exist, robots, and post-apocalyptic settings turn me off in the worst way! That is all that recent Call of Duty games have fea- tured, and Black Ops III is no different. This is why competition is a good thing, because now there is a serious lack of past- and modern- day shooters because companies are afraid to invest against Activision’s big gun!

John Patterson

via email

I’ve been playing Call of Duty for a few years and am more and more impressed with each new game. However, every time the next game is announced there is always a long line of people waiting to get on the hate wagon. Most of them complain because they want more WWIl-era games and not the futuristic stuff. I’m just curious why they would want to play the same old boring game year after year when the futuristic elements make the experience much more exciting and challenging. | think they’ll complain about it until it comes out and they (or their par- ents) buy it — then they’ll complain more but secretly love it.

Brandon Showaker

via email

The fact that Call of Duty: Ghosts, Advance Warfare, and Black Ops III have all focused on futuristic warfare certainly doesn’t help refute the age-old criticism that “all Call of Duty games are exactly the same.” While that assertion still isn’t true (sorry, haters), the near-future setting clearly doesn’t appeal to all Call of Duty fans. We hope the series’ rotating devel- oper lineup goes back to exploring differ- ent eras and conflicts in the future — if they don’t you can be assured someone will eventually fill that vacuum.

Expiration Date? Do you think there will ever come a time when game companies decide to release all their old DLC for free after a game becomes so many years old? | think it’s unfair that games that are probably getting little-to-no sales still think they can charge people the same price for DLC, even though sometimes you can buy a used or new copy of the game for less than the cost of their season pass. | also think it would be a great way to incentivize people to go back and replay some of their old favorites, or even buy games they never played. Jose Arias Chicopee, MA

We don’t see how it’s “unfair” for com- panies to continue charging money for their own DLC, but giving it away for free would certainly be an incentive — which is exactly why Respawn made all of Titanfall’s DLC free a year after the game launched. However, given the popularity of game-of-the-year editions and remas- ters, we don’t expect other developers will be as generous with their older titles; if there’s a chance to make more money on a game, most companies will take it.

| recently read your damage-control article on Adam Orth (Game Over, issue 266) and was insulted. You’re trying to humanize him in the wake of him showing his true colors. It is an increasingly disturbing trend from the media — not only in the gaming industry, but for any corporate blunder that may come to light in this country. I’ve also noticed that when the big boys like Sony, Microsoft, Bungie, and EA Sports promise the world and then don’t deliver, you cover for them without even blinking an eye. Why are you covering for these corporations and the people working for them that are blatantly lying to the consumer?

David Staab

via email

Well, that’s the first time we’ve ever

been condemned for “trying to human- ize” someone. Orth’s 2013 comment that gamers who don’t like always-online restrictions should “deal with it” was cer- tainly misguided (as we said at the time), but it shouldn’t make him a pariah for the rest of his life. We’ve never shied away from criticizing big companies when it’s earned (including all the ones you listed). However, those companies are still made up of human beings. People make mis- takes - and more often than not, they learn from them. If you’re insulted by us giving someone a second chance, there’s plenty of unabashed hate and cynicism on the Internet for you to read.

| rarely find myself disagreeing with your responses to people’s letters, but in the case of YouTubers profiting from Let’s Play videos (Let’s Pay, issue 266), you guys are wrong. The games are copyrighted and someone’s intel- lectual property. What people like Pewdiepie are doing is no different from what Napster did in the early 2000s, unless they get expressed written permission to use the games by the companies that make them. After all, how many CDs did you go and buy after down- loading a song from Napster? Metallica’s Lars Ulrich sued Napster and won. That legal prec- edent makes LP vids nothing more than piracy and bootlegging.

Ben Abernathy

via email

We’ve never seen a topic draw so many false comparisons as the legality of Let’s Play videos. Simply put, Let’s Players recording commentary over gameplay video is nothing like illegally downloading a copy of a song. There’s a real legal case to be made that LP videos qualify as fair use, be it as parody, commentary, criticism, or other type of transformative work. Additionally, watching a game is not the equivalent to

PHOTOS FROM THE VIDEO GAME INDUSTRY

playing one; unlike an MP3, the gameplay experience differs depending on the player, especially in titles featuring choice-driven narratives. There currently is no clear legal precedent one way or the other, so until a case goes to court, the issue is up in the air. However, one thing is for certain: No one wins when game companies try to strong- arm YouTubers into compliance with threats of litigation.

“Why are people cool with there being so many Call of Duty games, but complain that there are too many Final Fantasy, Zelda, and Mario games?”

You have that completely backward.

“Why do they not make the games for all systems like they did in the ‘90s?”

That never happened. “My friend dared me to ask you guys to hide a picture of

a slipper somewhere in your next magazine. Please?”

Done. Happy hunting!

“i likes sports”

“why does no one address game play like a lack of hardcore game modes hate ricochet call of duty hate

death cam battlefield if a player kills is same as deaths score should be 0”

What’s your most anticipated game coming out of E3 and why?

Minnesota United FC stopped by to shame Bertz and Kato in FIFA 15. From left to right: Brent Kallman, Eric Durkee, and Tyler Polak.

Recently Kim caught up with Wattam creators Robin Hunicke (Journey) and Keita Takahashi (Katamari Damacy). Sadly, no junkballs were rolled.

continued on page 10

feedback 7

POWERUP

REWARDS

GET TO KNOW THE PROS

Say hello to the friendly faces of PowerUp Rewards.

) ae i: 46

VICTOR / Smyrna, TN

Xbox, PS4, or WiiU? All 3! I've owned each of them more than once.

Best moment of your gaming career? Shooting Handsome Jack (Borderlands). | really loved/hated that guy.

How long have you been a gamer? 3 weeks....wait that’s not right.

Give us your best gamer pickup line. I've got next.

What's the best thing about being a member of the GameStop family? Doing what | love and Protecting the Family.

MIKE / Smyrna, TN

What kind of gamer are you? Recreational. | just like to unwind and have fun with games. | play mostly RPG's but some action games and platforms also.

How long have you been a gamer? 30 plus years.

What's your gaming setup? PS4, PS3, PS2, Genesis, NES, SNES, N64, GameCube, Wii, WiiU, Xbox 360.1 use Sony Pulse sometimes on my PS4 and PS3 but mostly game without a headset.

What's the best thing about being a GameStop customer? There’s so many things. Where do | start? Getting treated like Caesar and being fed grapes is probably tops though.

If you could play co-op with anyone (alive or dead), who would it be? | would love to play Rock Band or Guitar Hero with Elvis Presley. The King is alive!!!

HOTTEST STUFF FROM THE

rPUYVVER UP REVWARWJS VAIALVUU

It’s time to tally those points and treat yourself fo something awesome.

3 a PlayStation. Store

Reward Certificate

Reward Certificate

Reward Certificate

Metal Earth Models Keychains Gaming Accessories 12,490 POINTS Starting at Starting at 6,500 POINTS 5,000 POINTS

Don't see anything you can’t live without? See tons of other items available to redeem at PowerUpRewards.com. New items are being added all the time.

All PowerUp Rewards Catalog items are while supplies last.

On Your Mind

@ Star Wars Dream Games @ E3 Anticipation

@ Indie Adoration

@ Black Ops Opinions

@ Irate Nintendo Fans

@ Copyright Confusion

(Left) This month, Joe, Kim, and Wade visited Fullbright to get the lowdown on the studio’s new game, Tacoma. In honor of Gone Home, they also rummaged through the team’s belongings while they weren’t around.

(Right) Brian Shea got some one-on-one time to talk with Yu Suzuki about the incredibly surprising resurrection of Shenmue Ill. Dreams really do come true!

continued on page 12

10 feedback

ab

A New Star For Star Wars

In issue 265, we asked readers what Star Wars character is worthy of their own game. We received a ton of creative ideas starring iconic characters from the original trilogy, but surpris- ingly a near-sighted scrap pile turned out to be one of the most popular choices.

I think the full depth of Jar Jar has never been fully explored. The game could be an origin story, where you start off as a tadpole or whatever the hell their young are. You could even implement the Kinect’s motion sensors to teach Jar Jar how to flail his arms as he grows up and use voice commands to teach him famous quips such as, “Meesa scared!” and his most memorable line, “Aaaaaaaah!”

Steven Bender

I want to see R2-D2 star in a puzzle game, where he humbly hacks devices and floats from place to place. The twist? There’s a battle going on in each level, such as a gunfight or a clash between Jedi, and you have to solve the puzzles while trying to avoid being destroyed.

Martin Johnson

I want a Jabba the Hutt strategy game where you manage an entire intergalactic crime syndicate. You could choose where to send illegal goods, which smugglers you would hire, and how to smuggle contraband into planets. You would also compete with other crime lords and manage your estate as you fight to become the biggest crime lord in the galaxy.

Louis Chiarito

LLLP LALLA LALLA LLAMA MMMM MMA AMMA AMAA AMMA MMA MALL MAA ALAMAL LALLA MAMMA AA AMMA MMMM ddd dd

—B TST fil sstia 3

a ini! © |

; eatin Gi - }

u eT ‘ seit yi 7s eine | | a tT WOH! its: - s — te eet ses : 3 an s | j IT 4 “8 tl Wiss am aaa? : hit eascaerees (ao fei a = = Tey = gee He ery et TT im) Si Wats, | ee Sams Mise ac om gore? = ae @ font mall iS peat ses Pitt. aval! imma ; ‘e | a] all Wiel, .: = seas =i ret) (Siti = * aac = 7 y HL il + A te UH isi Ht site: fue bene “bs! $8853 " i 15 3833 cas sea8 Som seeac ‘mt = seen = eaee 2 + eeae il 4 Sean 38 3

BECAUSE! DON'T PRESS PAUSE. EVER. #ReasonsNotToSmoke

¥ tH

With a toxic mix of over 7,000 chemicals in a single puff, any reason is a brilliant reason not to smoke. Share yours.

4 Nino Valencia

WY — We still don’t understand why Wf. a y t —_ ioe Master Chief needs a cloak, but it AIG Al definitely gives him a bit of flair

>

L_. : 4)

©)

S WV ~ — — b 2AXQ 2 Arthur Lashkiba ’ We would play the hell out of a Destiny/Limbo crossover game

\ . _ 3 Jason Speight Xx Here’s what it looks like to be ~< on the receiving end of one of

Sagat’s rising attacks

4 April Borchelt Real friends? Or does Link just want the Rupee?

Submit your art for a chance to win our monthly prize. Please include your name and return address. Entries become the property of Game Informer and cannot be returned. Send to: Game Informer Reader Art Contest | 724 First Street North, 3rd Floor | Mpls, MN 55401 or Email to: ReaderArt@gameinformer.com

t) Who needs virtual

reality? This year at E3, Kato caught up with legendary

pro skater Tony Hawk at an actual skate park.

Mike and Reiner got

the thumbs up from Platinum Games’ Yusuke Hashimoto and Nintendo's Shigeru Miyamoto and Yugo Hiyashi. Not for their

piloting skills, mind you.

12 feedback

TO EACH THEIR OWN SATISFACTION

Y

AQ GQ 8

NOTABLES

microsoft report card

sony report card

nintendo report card

hot e3 trailers

virtual reality status update

best gear of e3

After two years of cautiously ramping up their efforts, both Sony and Microsoft finally found their comfort zones at E3 2015.

With the mistakes of the past like bundled Kinect and the always online debacle disappearing in the rearview mirror, Microsoft focused all of its efforts on its game lineup, showing off new titles like Gears of War 4 and Keiji Inafune’s ReCore, fan service collections like Gears of War: Ultimate Edition and Rare Replay, and outlining hardware improvements like a revamped dashboard, a new Xbox One bundle with a 1TB hard drive, and back- ward compatibility with Xbox 360 games.

Still holding its pole position globally in hard- ware sales, Sony used its E3 platform to cater to the PlayStation 4’s hardcore base. After showcasing new first-party IP like Guerrilla Games’ Horizon Zero Dawn and Media Molecule’s Dreams, the publisher finally revealed the revamped Ueda title The Last Guardian and even gave stage time to Yu Suzuki to unveil his Shenmue III Kickstarter.

Nintendo once again forewent a live press conference in favor of an E3-flavored Nintendo Digital Event video. Classic franchises like Super Mario Bros., Zelda, Metroid, and Star Fox drove the discussion as always. The big N also doubled down on the moneymaker Amiibos but those expecting a 2D Metroid or some grand announce- ment for the Wii U successor were left wanting.

An impressive slate of third-party games and another advancement for virtual reality techonolgy rounded out the best E3 we've seen in years. Read on for a compre- hensive recap of everything you need to know about the platform holders, technology, and games that wowed the Game Informer staff.

(+10)

connect 15

MICROSOFT NAILS THE IMMEDIATE & DISTANT FUTURE

“These games make up what | believe is the greatest games lineup in Xbox history,” said Xbox head Phil Spencer onstage. This set the tone for the pre- sentation and teed up gamers’ expec- tation for some big announcements. For the most part, the conference lived up to fans’ hopes.

First out of the gate was 343 Industries head Bonnie Ross to show off Halo 5: Guardians. This open- ing salvo over-delivered with a new trailer, new campaign gameplay, and the announcement of the large-scale Warzone mode, in which 24 players battle it out against each other and NPC enemies.

Directly after that, Microsoft debuted a new first-party title called ReCore. This collaboration unites Mega Man creator Keiji Inafune’s Comcept studio and Armature, a studio consisting of sev- eral ex-Retro team members (Metroid Prime). The only other internal new franchise was Rare’s pirate-themed Sea of Thieves, which takes an online multi- player approach to Assassin’s Creed IV: Black Flag’s ship-to-ship battles and island exploration. The developer also

an in qyuegeeee=

any companies say that their announced Rare Replay, a collection : of 30 of its classic games coming to pres> conference is all about Xbox One in August. ReCore seemed the games, but they always to garner a better reaction than Sea of . : : . Thieves, but we’ll have to see more of slip in some informational both titles before weighing judgment. tidbit on a video streaming service, a Most of the spotlight went to eat i 1 ih ie returning Microsoft franchises. Forza ealth tracker, or sales numbers. This Motorsport 6 debuted a new trailer year, Microsoft delivered a presentation after a new Ford GT was lowered . from the ceiling, because why not? 100-percent devoted to gaming. Timed Xbox One exclusive Rise of

the Tomb Raider showed off a tense live gameplay demo of Lara scaling

a snow-covered mountain. The free- to-play Fable Legends popped up to announce cross-platform multiplayer

16

A NEW TAKE ON BACKWARD COMPATIBILITY

In one of the show’s bigger surprises, Microsoft revealed the fruits of a longtime quest to make Xbox One backward compatible with Xbox 360 games. Only certain games will work, however. Mass Effect, Super Meat Boy, and Geometry Wars Evolved are already available for preview program members, and 100 titles will be available for all this holiday, with hundreds more expected going forward.

If you already own an approved game digitally,

between the Xbox One and Windows 10 PC editions (Xbox Live Gold is still required on consoles). The biggest announcement belonged to Gears of War 4. Developed by The Coalition (formerly Black Tusk) the holiday 2016 title already had a live gameplay demo to show featuring an all-new cast and return to the creepy atmosphere of the first game. Microsoft also con- firmed the long-rumored Gears of War: Ultimate Edition, a full remake of the first game, and a surprise open mul- tiplayer beta that was playable during the week of E3.

The standard assortment of third- party publishers appeared to show off their titles on the big stage and announce special Xbox One bonuses. Bethesda showed new in-game footage of Fallout 4 as Todd Howard announced the realization of a longtime dream — mods created on PC will finally work on Xbox One. Bethesda later clarified that it hopes to bring mods to PlayStation 4 eventually as well.

EA debuted Plants vs. Zombies: Garden Warfare 2 and promoted its

subscription-based EA Access service on Xbox One, offering a free week to all during E3. Players could try the newly added Titanfall and be tempted to sign up by the future inclusion of Dragon Age Inquisition.

Ubisoft showed off new trailers for The Division and Rainbow Six Siege, revealing an exclusive first beta in December for the former and free copies of the Rainbow Six Vegas games playable on Xbox One via backward compatibility with the latter (see sidebar).

Bandai Namco announced Dark Souls III with a trailer, but no Xbox exclu- sive features were touted. Surprisingly absent from the third-party roundup was Activision, which has offered Call of Duty DLC first on Xbox platforms for many years. At Sony’s press conference later in the day, Activision revealed that the DLC-first deal has moved over to PlayStation 4 for Call of Duty: Black Ops Ill. This is a big blow to COD fans who invested in the Xbox One thinking it would always have an advantage in accessing new multiplayer maps before

other platforms.

Indie games received their own showcase in the middle of the show under the ID@Xbox banner. Titles like Tacoma, Ashen, Beyond Eyes, and Cuphead showed off trailers outside of the traditional indie sizzle reel and all pledged some kind of Xbox exclu- sivity, whether it be forever or timed. As an added exclamation point on the indie lineup, DayZ creator Dean Hall announced his new game, lon, is coming first to Xbox One and PC.

lon, along with games like The Long Dark, Sheltered, Elite: Dangerous, and DayZ, were the first titles to be confirmed for the new Xbox Game Preview program. Inspired by Steam’s Early Access, this allows players to purchase and play a game before it is in a finished state. Microsoft requires every title in Game Preview to offer a free trial period so that gamers can sample the offerings and see if a game is in a suitable state before they hand over money.

Microsoft showed support for virtual reality and augmented reality tech alike.

»>—— Final $raile

it will simply appear in your account. If you own the disc, you put it in the Xbox One and the system will download the digital version. These 360 games also support DLC, cloud saves, achievements, and multiplayer as long as the game’s servers are still active. Publishers must approve backward compat- ibility support for their games, but other than that almost any game should be able to make the jump. As an added perk, companies like Bethesda and Ubisoft are including free copies of Fallout 3 and the Rainbow Six Vegas games with Fallout 4 and Rainbow Six Siege, respectively.

The Xbox One controller is being bundled with the Oculus Rift at launch, and Xbox One games will be playable using the Rift via streaming games from the console to a Windows 10 PC.

Microsoft also showcased its aug- mented reality driven HoloLens tech thanks to a special camera that could display what the AR visor shows. The Minecraft demo came across well, but our later hands-on tests showed that AR elements are limited to a floating rectangular viewing area in front of one’s face instead of the enveloping experience shown onstage (read more on page 24).

Also on the hardware front, Microsoft revealed a new official Elite Xbox One controller featuring extra buttons, swappable components, and adjust- able analog stick and trigger resistance (read more on page 32).

First-party games like Quantum Break, Scalebound, and Crackdown were no-shows, though Spencer promised that they would appear later in the year at Gamescom in Cologne, Germany.

Since the rocky reveal of the Xbox One two years ago, Microsoft has steadily improved its subsequent E3 showings. The failed Kinect wasn’t mentioned once in the entire press conference, confirming its slow and silent death. To fill the futuristic gaming void, the company is wisely hedg- ing its bets with both VR and AR. In the meantime, consumers aren’t forced to pay for the tech (as with Kinect) or deal with half-baked gim- micks. In the short-term, we get backward compatibility with the Xbox 360 and some massive exclusive games from established franchises while we wait for promising new games like ReCore and Gears of War 4. “If you've been waiting to move from your Xbox 360, now is the time,” Spencer said. With last-generation titles drying up and a lineup like this on the horizon, we’re inclined to agree.

connect 17

18

SONY’S BIG SURPRISES LEAN TOWARD THE HORIZON

efore E3, PlayStation CEO Andrew House admitted to investors that Sony’s first-party lineup this year was “a little sparse,” but that didn’t mean the company had a boring E3 press conference. While there weren’t any surprise first-party announcements to bolster the PS4 in 2015, the shocking reveals of Final Fantasy VII Remake and Shenmue III and the warm receptions given to The Last Guardian and Guerrilla Games’ new IP Horizon Zero Dawn set the company and its system up for the future.

by Nfaliheu Fale

While Sony doesn’t have a lot of first-party software to trumpet from now until the end of the year, the E3 address didn’t devolve into beating the audience over the head with slide

shows of numbers touting how well the PlayStation 4 is doing. Instead, Sony focused almost exclusively on talking about software.

The Last Guardian kicked off the press conference with a brief gameplay demo (see our E3 Top 50 section start- ing on page 46 for more info on some of Sony’s first-party titles, including The Last Guardian on p. 66), not only prov- ing that the game is alive, but that its core concept is still in place. Given its numerous delays, we’re disappointed with the broad “2016” release time- frame, so while seeing the game run- ning on the PS4 is exciting, we’re not out of the woods yet.

Media Molecule’s Tearaway follow- up, Dreams, also received prominent stage time. The project was first unveiled a few years ago more as a philosophical tech demo than a tangible game. The concept is more crystalized now. Player creation is at the heart of Dreams, which technical director Alex Evans explained while showing a trailer of various environ- ments, characters, and different genres all created in the game with a PS4 controller. Whatever you create you can share, but how the characters and environments fit into traditional game structures and how intuitive the creation tools are remains to be seen.

Guerrilla Games’ new IP Horizon Zero Dawn stood on more firm foot- ing. The open-world action/RPG title built around a bow-wielding female protagonist in a distant future version of Earth where robotic animals roam the post-apocalyptic landscape. The polished demo showed promise for Guerrilla’s first departure from the

first-person shooter series Killzone.

New titles rightfully grabbed head- lines, but perhaps just as important is what the company is doing for existing titles and deals along the margins with third-party partners. Outright exclusives are rare these days, but Sony picked up a big coup by getting first dibs on Call of Duty: Black Ops III’s map packs and the beta in August, as well as those for future Call of Duty games. This is a role reversal with Microsoft, who used to have timed exclusives for the FPS franchise.

Sony also announced that its special relationship with Destiny continues with the Taken King expansion. PlayStation gamers get an exclusive strike, gear, and multiplayer map. Similarly, Disney Infinity 3.0, Hitman, and Assassin’s Creed Syndicate have exclusive content for Sony’s platforms.

The biggest third-party news, however,

Morpheus game RIGS was a standout at the show, but Sony did not announce a price or release date for the VR device

Uncharted 4: A Thief's End

were the reveals of Final Fantasy VII Remake and Shenmue III. The PlayStation 4 will be the pair’s first stop on home consoles, and we imagine Sony’s long relationship with Japanese developers and continuing success in the Japanese market (as compared to Microsoft) helped the company nab these exclusives. It’s worth noting, how- ever, that neither has a release date so we may not see them for a while.

Regardless of how far off the release of Shenmue III and FF VIl Remake are, they are powerful emotional talismans for many fans — a possibly important X-factor for a console manufacturer trying to convince the public that its system is the way to go. The footage for FF VII Remake shows the different take this title will take on the RPG classic, while Yu Suzuki is following his original course to complete the tale he set out to tell more than 15 years ago.

Yu Suzuki Kickstarted Shenmue Ill right after he announced it, but the frenzy was tempered after the fact by Suzuki and Sony’s unclear explana- tion of the project’s funding. On stage, Adam Boyes, SCEA vice president of developer and publisher relations, said Shenmue III was “very much their proj- ect,” but it later came out that Sony is helping fund the game since it met its Kickstarter goal. During the presentation it was odd that Sony was so enthusi- astic about the project, but not enough to back it, but afterward the question turned to why it needed gamers’ money in the first place for what will likely be an expensive project.

Yu Suzuki’s Shenmue III aside, indie development wasn’t as big a theme, even though Sony’s support of indie games hasn’t necessarily abated. Campo Santo announced Firewatch is coming to the PlayStation 4, and

»>—— Final

Dreams

The Last Guardian

publisher Devolver Digital put the spotlight on four games making their console debut on the system first: Ronin, Eitr, Mother Russia Bleeds, and Crossing Souls.

No new initiatives for PlayStation Now or Vita were announced, and the pair weren’t even directly mentioned, which underscores how unimportant they’ve become. Sony hasn’t announced PS3 games streaming for PS Now even though Now was out before Microsoft announced its Xbox One backward compatibility program with select Xbox 360 titles.

Uncharted 4: A Thief’s End concluded the press conference. The demo wouldn’t start at first, and then hung up when the gameplay portion started, but all was forgiven once it kicked in gear and the audience was taken on one of the series’ customary heart- racing, long action sequences.