First Screen Shots Of NBA Live 2013

Microsoft's E3 Press Conference Coverage - Call Of Duty: Black Ops 2

 
     Call of Duty.  The franchise that everybody loves to hate, but also according to sales records, the one that everyone loves to buy.  For the ninth installment in this long running, wildly successful, and now annual series, Treyarch will be releasing Call of Duty: Black Ops 2.  While the title is not much of a surprise, some gamers may or may not be surprised to find out that the setting is in the not so distant future with mechanized war machines a la Metal Gear.  Earlier footage of the game even showed off men riding on horseback into battle.  While many have been clamoring for a change to the tried and true, yet aging, COD formula, few can honestly say they expected this.

    
In this E3 demo, we were given a glimpse of some gameplay from the campaign of Black Ops 2.  To be honest, despite what seems to be a big shift in the setting of the game, the gameplay seems to be largely unchanged.  Still presented in the ever popular first person view, Black Ops still packs the realistic weapons with extreme detail down to the brand of holographic optics and slots of the picatinny rails.  Another thing we've gotten used to is the modern, and sometimes seemingly futuristic, support weapons and gear that we're able to play around with.  This demo was not short on those either.  We saw the player take control or aircraft, and order small arms fire from small drones on the fly just to name a few.  While many players may have been turned off by the news of the new setting at first, I think they can rest assured that the COD they know and love is still intact.

    
However, I think that some may argue that the series still hasn't evolved enough.  The gameplay is still largely an adrenaline packed, blockbuster film worthy sprint from set-piece to set-piece with some shooting and story delivered to you on the fly via radio chatter.  The campaign of these games seem to be more focused on presenting itself as a feature film more so than the realistic combat shooter that it appears to be with so much attention to detail.  But then again, who plays COD for the campaign right?

     Well, I'll be quick to admit that I do.  I'm the guy that everyone yells at for sucking on team deathmatch.  I enjoy the short lived thrills that the campaign delivers, even if they are a bit cheesy and fantastic at times.  Also, with Treyarch at the helm, it's been confirmed that the popular Zombies mode will be making it's return on the newest release.  With what seems like something for everyone, it's hard to find fault with Treyarch's approach.  Even if the gameplay is still inching closer to its expiration date, it's promising to see that Treyarch is at least trying to do something to keep this franchise firing on all cylinders.

Microsoft's E3 Press Conference Coverage - Resident Evil 6

  
 Not many game companies these days can brag about having a franchise as long running, or with as many entries, as Resident Evil.  Capcom is planning to continue to breathe life into the series with its latest installment, and official sequel, Resident Evil 6.  At E3 we were shown a demo which included a good bit of gameplay following series veteran Leon Kennedy trying to make his way through a zombie infested city.  He's accompanied by a female protagonist along the way making it somewhat reminiscent of Resident Evil 5.

     The series seems to be continuing to move away from its survival-horror roots in favor of a more action oriented play style.  This might come to the dismay of some fans who wish that the series would return to it's roots.  However, Capcom has promised that each of the three playable characters will have distinct playstyles which will allow them to blend fast paced action and survival horror between character plotlines without it seeming too out of place.  Chris Redfield has been rumored to have the more fast paced gameplay of the three characters, though after watching the E3 demo, it seems that Capcom is still going for a more overall action thriller theme altogether.

     RE6's E3 showing brought pretty much what fans were expecting.  The graphics look good with crisp textures and detailed backgrounds and the lighting is dark creating a fitting atmosphere for it's horror based plot.  Capcom has been listening to fan feedback, albeit slowly, and has made some changes to the controls that are quickly evident.  Finally, moving and shooting will be a possibility as the series slowly catches up on incorporating mechanics that seem to almost be a requirement these days.  Close combat from RE5 also makes its return in the form of prompted quick time events that allow the player to escape enemy attacks and deal damage to enemies without expending ammo.

   
     Speaking of quick time events, there were plenty throughout the short demo.  With Capcom pursuing a more cinematic experience within the game, they seem to be overdoing the quick time events in an attempt to keep the player feeling like he's in control.  I personally am not a fan of excessive use of QTEs, but my personal pet peeves aren't a reason to write this one off.  Resident Evil is a much beloved franchise and with a growing library of titles holding the brand that were not so good to be honest.  It's nice to see an official sequel trying to get the series back on track.  However, with Capcom trying to do so much to turn the series into something completely different from what it started out as, only time will tell if fans will be so willing to try what the developers plan to serve.

Peter Connected Just As Well As Microsoft Did

Microsoft's E3 Press Conference - Tomb Raider

     Tomb Raider is a series that despite is success at the box office and several video game releases that sold very well, always failed to peak my interest.  However with the franchise seemingly taking a sharp turn with its upcoming title, I have to admit I get a little more excited every time I see it.  

 

      The newest installment into the series will take the form of an origin story showing off the beginnings of the series' popular heroine, Lara Croft.  This means that Lara will appear noticeably younger this time around and will likely exhibit more green behavior as she is slowly transformed into the the seasoned veteran that we controlled in the earlier games.  Her characters appearance really gives the player a sense that Lara isn't exactly a snug fit for her environment and that the challenges she's sure to face may could certainly be more than she is able to bear.  Origin storytelling has been a very well received approach to exploring and fleshing out  characters that fans already know and love.  This game seems to be following the formula, though I can't say that's necessarily a bad thing.

     Speaking of formulas, Crystal Dynamics (the developer behind Tomb Raider), seems to be borrowing quite a few equations from the folks over at Naughty Dog.  Much of the presentation bears a striking resemblance to the critically acclaimed Uncharted series.   Once again, that's not really a bad thing.  Lara moves and reacts to her environment in realistic ways that show things about her character that would normally be shown in cheesy cutscenes.  The demo also shows us that CD seems to be taking another page out of Naughty Dog's book and ratcheting up the action with huge set-piece moments. 

     That's not to say that fans of the series won't be getting more of what they love.  The developer promises that this will be a game of survival, action, and exploration.  That's good news because the environments that we find Lara traversing in the demo certainly seem to be worth spending a bit of time in.  Realistic lighting gives a soft glow that creates a dark and dreary environment for the young adventurer to navigate.  With the right amount of balance, we could be looking at a very promising game and a strong jolt to the series as a whole.  I just hope the developers don't rely too much on mashing the action button.

Halo 4 Campaign Demo

Get More: GameTrailers.com, Halo 4 - E3 2012: Debut Gameplay (Stream) HD, PC Games, PlayStation 3, Xbox 360

Microsoft's E3 Press Conference - Gears Of War: Judgement

    

We didn't get much more than a short teaser trailer for the new entry in Epic's wildly successful Gears Of War series.  However, we do know one thing about this new fan favorite.  Marcus Fenix will be sitting this one out.  What turns out to actually be a prequel to the events of the trilogy, Gears of War: Judgement will star series wise-ass and technical genius, Damon Baird.  The locusts will also obviously be making their return since the game is in fact a prequel to the other 3.

     At this point not much can be said about this game besides pure speculation.  No gameplay footage was shown off so at this point is hard to say whether or not this new Gears will be a breath of fresh air for the series or just another cover shooter worth a Redbox rental.  No official release date was given but we certainly won't be seeing this game until some time in 2013.  Hopefully, the time between now and then will be well spent making this game more than just another Gears of War.

Microsoft E3 Press Conference Coverage - Fable: The Journey

     
     I'm not even quite sure where to begin with this one.  At times I find myself wondering if this game is some sort of joke.  Fable, Lionhead's recently struggling franchise, tries to make a comeback with its Kinect exclusive game Fable: The Journey.  However, I'm finding it hard to understand who the targeted audience is for this new release.

    
     The most mind boggling change being made to the series is that it is now a Kinect controlled game.  This usually means that much of the control will be stripped from the player in favor of gimmicky, and usually ridiculous looking, gestures to make the game feel more "realistic".  This thought was solidified when I realized that in most, probably all, of the gameplay footage that I saw, the character was standing motionless on screen while enemies jumped, ran, and flew all around him.  For such an in depth and ambitious experience that Fable has its roots in, it really seemed like three steps backwards to be making it into a Kinect game.  It's almost as if they're trying to fix the gas leak by changing the oil.

    
     Most of the showing consisted of very visually unimpressive gameplay footage of the character standing around casting spells with some short clips of a guy looking truly ridiculous doing command gestures to emphasize the Kinect functionality.  The game doesn't only look ugly and seem to be light on mechanics, but it appears that the overall in depth RPG feel of the past games won't be making a return.  Instead, we'll be getting what seems to be a watered down casual experience, set in a hardcore fantasy universe.  So, again I ask, exactly who is the audience for this game?  I can say with confidence, that I am not a part of it.

Microsoft E3 Press Conference Coverage - Splinter Cell: Blacklist

   
     Ubisoft's long running Splinter Cell series is making it's return with Splinter Cell: Blacklist.  The plot seems to run along the usual lines of "terrorist plot needs to be stopped and you're the one that has to do it".  I wouldn't let that deter your interest though because the game is looking great.
     The visuals are very nice but the hardware is really starting to show it's age.  It's obvious that Ubisoft is doing it's best to squeeze every bit of performance out of an aging console generation.  Nevertheless, the visuals are easily on par with some of the best the industry has to offer today.  Flags blow fluidly in the background, desert scenery looks realistically drab and drained of life, and Sam moves the way you would expect to see a human being move.

   As fans have come to expect from the series, Sam has the usual 007 laundry list of tools and gadgets at his disposal to aid him on his missions.  In this game, Sam has rejoined 4th Echelon giving him access to even more attacks that he can employ in real time on the battlefield.  This is where Kinect comes into play.  Functionality has been integrated so that now Sam can call in strikes to the battlefield and give commands to his support in 4th Echelon using simply voice commands.  A quick "Grim, Now!" and we see an enemy technical destroyed with what appeared to be a JDAM airstrike.  Kinect also made a splash during the demo when the player whispered a simple "Hey you!" into the Kinect microphone to draw the attention of a guard while hanging from the side of a building.
     Still not convinced to buy a Kinect?  No worries.  Sam still exhibits excellent control using the XBox 360 controller.  The execution system from Conviction makes a return here and makes for some very impressive looking cinematic neutralizations.  In one scene, we see Sam dispatch two foes via the execution system, run and vault over the hood of a truck, and then take out three more enemies with style without breaking a sweat.  When done correctly, it seems the game aims to make you feel like a true badass and, let's be honest, Sam shouldn't be considered anything less.

Microsoft's E3 Press Conference Coverage - Halo 4

     As is only appropriate, Microsoft kicked off it's E3 showing with the official sequel to its flagship series, Halo 4.  First we were treated to a short cinematic video showing the commissioning of one of the UNSC's new starships.  Shortly after, something goes horribly wrong and the ship comes crashing down onto a mysterious planet as the Master Chief looks on.  We're then dropped into some gameplay as the Master Chief fights to make his way to the crash site.  The covenant makes a return as they race to beat the chief to the ship.  However, along the way, the Chief is greeted by a new enemy.

   
 These new enemies quickly differentiate themselves from the covenant.  The small, scurrying, fast moving critters don't seem to be armed with any weapons and seem far more primal than their covenant counterparts.  As the Master Chief moves closer, Cortana recognizes their weapons are using Forerunner technology hinting at the origins of this new foe.

    
Halo 4 showed off some polished and certainly upgraded graphics but they're certainly nothing to write home about.  The lush forest setting was well detailed and the new HUD gives a more "in armor" feel with the setup seeming more like a direct "through the visor" experience than its predecessors.  The chief still moves rather stiff and the overall feel of the game is still very "halo".  Fans of the series will certainly have something to look forward to.  This footage makes it difficult to determine if this new iteration will have what it takes to draw in new players.  Only time will tell.