Gamespot's Site Mashup

Gamespot's Site MashupE3 2014: Disney Infinity 2.0 is Magnificently MaleficentE3 2014: The Brilliant Chaos of Not A HeroE3 2014: Can Homefront: The Revolution's Story do Justice to its Pretty Visuals?E3 2014: Powering Up Dragon Ball Xenoverse to the Next-GenerationE3 2014: Etherium is a Mashup of the Best of PC Real-time StrategyE3 2014: Titan Souls is Part Shadow of the Colossus, Part Dark Souls, and All FunE3 2014: How Thief and Dishonored inspired Styx: Master of ShadowsE3 2014: The Finer, Fake, Fantasy Football of Blood Bowl 2E3 2014: Hellraid Makes Fighting Demons Seem Really DullE3 2014: Street Fighter 5 Won't Be Pay-To-Win, Yoshinori Ono saysE3 2014: The Talos Principle is a Philisophical Puzzle Game That's as Smart as It Is BeautifulE3 2014: Taking Down An Army in Hyrule WarriorsE3 2014: Staying Alive in Dying LightE3 2014: Connecting Star Fox on Wii U with Project Guard and Project Giant RobotE3 2014: Super Smash Bros for Wii U Wii Fit Trainer Gameplay

http://auth.gamespot.com/ Gamespot's Everything Feed! News, Reviews, Videos. Exploding with content? You bet. en-us Thu, 12 Jun 2014 04:57:51 -0700 http://www.gamespot.com/articles/e3-2014-disney-infinity-2-0-is-magnificently-maleficent/1100-6420432/ I have given Disney Infinity executive producer John Vignocchi a lot of my money. Well, OK--I didn't give Vignocchi that money directly, but I did spend it on a bunch of <a href="/disney-infinity/" data-ref-id="false">Disney Infinity</a> figures. For all the problems I had with the initial release of the game, I simply couldn't help myself; my Disney obsession, and my love of the Infinity toybox, was just too strong. In fact, as I headed for my appointment with Vignocchi, my primary concern was whether I'd be leaving the meeting with another figure for my collection. (And when all was said and done, I did manage to nab a new figure, one of Spider-Man nemesis Venom.)Disney Infinity 2.0 is in the works, and it promises so much more than the original Disney Infinity ever did. The demonstration began with a look at the upcoming Spider-Man playset, in which you can tool around Manhattan, which is four-and-a-half times as large as the city was in the Incredibles playset. If you're a comics fan, then you surely knew that Marvel is now under Disney supervision--and if you're an Infinity fan, then you already knew that Marvel characters were coming to the game. I enjoyed seeing Spider-Man in action; his wall-climbing and web-slinging looked fun and fluid, and very different from anything I'd seen in Disney Infinity before.<div data-embed-type="video" data-ref-id="2300-6419511" data-width="100%" data-height="100%"><iframe src="/videos/embed/6419511/" width="100%" height="100%" scrolling="no" frameborder="0" webkitAllowFullScreen mozallowfullscreen allowFullScreen></iframe></div>"There was no real difference between Jack Sparrow and Barbossa," Vignocchi told me. "With Marvel superheroes, and with Disney Infinity as a platform moving forward, we really want you to have the investment in our characters, and make sure all these characters truly feel different." The level cap for every character--even those you played in Disney Infinity 1.0--will be 20 (up from 15), and all those older characters will be forwards-compatible. Every time you earn a level, you will earn skill points, and you can spend those on upgrades and new moves. All of the new characters will feature those attributes, and all of the characters you import will immediately receive the proper number of skill points for you to use in the same way. "That Buzz Lightyear you got in 2013 will feel and play and act different in 2014," said Vignocchi. And because the skill tree will have more options than there are points to earn, you can make your version of Buzz different from your friends' versions. It's a way of giving you even more ownership of Buzz--both the in-game character, and the figurine that represents him.I can't help it--I'm excited. I am particularly excited to play on the newest consoles, as the game will perform better on them. (Frame rate dips and screen tearing could be nuisances on the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3.) The bad news is that Disney Infinity 2 will not allow you to stuff more objects into your toybox than on other platforms if you play on the PlayStation 4 or the Xbox One, since sharing across platforms would then no longer be possible. Does my excitement strike you as odd? After all, I'm a grown man without children playing a Disney game and collecting figurines. As it turns out, however, I am not a single blip on the Infinity radar--and adult collectors like me aren't the only surprises that surfaced for the Disney Infinity team.<figure data-align="right" data-size="medium" data-img-src="http://static1.gamespot.com/uploads/original/1197/11970954/2559313-ironfist_3-x2.png" data-ref-id="1300-2559313" data-resize-url="" data-resized="" data-embed-type="image"><a href="http://static1.gamespot.com/uploads/original/1197/11970954/2559313-ironfist_3-x2.png" data-ref-id="1300-2559313"><img src="http://static1.gamespot.com/uploads/ignore_jpg_scale_medium/1197/11970954/2559313-ironfist_3-x2.png"></a></figure>"We were surprised by what our demographic is," said Vignocchi. "We had thought, for example, that we'd be 70/30 [percent] boys to girls, but it got down to about 60/40, and then after the holidays, it went to 55/45." Vignocchi is very aware of the sizeable female audience, and the upcoming figures feature plenty of women--Black Widow, Maleficent, and Merida from Brave have already been announced, and others are on their way. The other surprise, of course, was how Disney Infinity was appealing to the older crowd. "When we started looking at our demographic set, we were appealing to as many 6 to 12 year-olds as we were to what we call non-parent adults, guys like you and me that have cats."Cats are people too, John.My cat is probably not as interested as I am in the game's new destruction system, which showcases lots of flying rubble and makes combat feel a lot more impactful. Nor is he as interested as I am in how Marvel characters will be able to cross over into each others' playsets, unlike the Disney characters, who are confined to their own. In fact, some characters will have unique crossover content; for instance, Iron Man will have unique content in the Spider-Man playset that will tie into Spidey's story. I like to think my cat would be excited by the additions to the Disney Infinity toybox, however, such as the randomly generated structures and racetracks that keep you from having to piece large segments together bit by bit if you'd rather avoid the tedium.<div data-embed-type="video" data-ref-id="2300-6419484" data-width="100%" data-height="100%"><iframe src="/videos/embed/6419484/" width="100%" height="100%" scrolling="no" frameborder="0" webkitAllowFullScreen mozallowfullscreen allowFullScreen></iframe></div>Watching the new toybox in action, I asked Vignocchi about the robustness of the tools. Having played a good deal of <a href="/project-spark/" data-ref-id="false">Project Spark</a> in recent months, I have often wished I had the sheer number of objects to mess around with as I do in Disney Infinity. On the other hand, I have always wanted more control of object behavior in Infinity, and my dream creation tool would be one that combines the huge number of objects available in Disney Infinity with Project Spark's coding features. The Infinity 2.0 toybox won't offer the complex options of Project Spark, but it does allow for a lot more fine tuning than the original did. There are 20 new logic toys that allow you to create storefronts, limit inventories, remove creative powers from players, and connect two levels together. There are even templates you can place that insert full games directly into the world, such as racetracks that allow you to set checkpoints.You can even insert speech bubbles, though doing so requires an Internet connection, so that the appropriateness of your text can be verified. (Disney Infinity is a family game, so keep your naughty words to yourself!) But it's nice to know that the game has found an audience with all kinds of families--single-parent families, families with both boys and girls, and most importantly, families consisting of a lonely 42-year-old and his aging cat.<a href="http://www.gamespot.com/e3/">See more coverage of E3 2014 →</a> Wed, 11 Jun 2014 23:56:00 -0700 http://www.gamespot.com/articles/e3-2014-disney-infinity-2-0-is-magnificently-maleficent/1100-6420432/ http://www.gamespot.com/articles/e3-2014-the-brilliant-chaos-of-not-a-hero/1100-6420429/ <a href="/companies/roll7/" data-ref-id="false">Roll7</a>, developer of <a href="/olliolli/" data-ref-id="false">Olli Olli</a>, has something brilliant in the works, and it's called <a href="/not-a-hero/" data-ref-id="false">Not A Hero</a>. It's a 2D, pixel-art, cover-based shooter, and it's utterly ridiculous.Although there are several environments in the game, the levels I saw all began in buildings. In Not A Hero, it is your job to clear out the enemies hiding behind every door. You might also have to collect a bunch of shoes, or you could be tasked with saving a bunch of illegally held puppies.<figure data-align="center" data-size="large" data-img-src="http://static1.gamespot.com/uploads/original/1539/15391776/2563451-8919718443-Not-A.png" data-ref-id="1300-2563451" data-resize-url="" data-resized="" data-embed-type="image"><a href="http://static1.gamespot.com/uploads/original/1539/15391776/2563451-8919718443-Not-A.png" data-ref-id="1300-2563451"><img src="http://static1.gamespot.com/uploads/ignore_jpg_scale_super/1539/15391776/2563451-8919718443-Not-A.png"></a></figure>But that's only where the humor starts. The gameplay and story take it even further. I got to play Not A Hero today, and what I saw was hilarious, chaotic, and downright fun.The "cover system" in Not A Hero is composed of simply moving into the background at some strategic locations to hide from enemies. You can then pop out of cover to shoot bad guys when they are exposed, or slide like an action hero to another location. When I played it, gameplay quickly became a series of long slides punctuated by jumps into cover. Although it is possible to walk normally, I saw no reason to do so when I could slide swiftly between places of cover instead.When I engaged in combat, chaos ensued. Bullets were flying everywhere, enemies were charging me, and I struggled to time my shots correctly so that I jumped out of cover right when the enemies stopped firing. The game is meant to be difficult, and it showed: the villains ruthlessly pursued me as soon as I paused to reload, jumping on the opportunity to sprint over, rip me out of cover, and beat me to death.After one particularly heated battle, one of the developers directed me to an item on the ground. He told me to pick it up because it would come in handy soon. Sure enough, when I climbed the stairs in the building to the next floor, I found myself in a hallway between two doors, with about eight enemies contained within two rooms. The developer told me to deploy the item I had just picked up into one of the rooms. When the enemies stepped on it, a massive fireball engulfed the room. The item was a proximity mine.That was my first encounter with items in Not A Hero. Most of the items I saw were bombs in different forms, and they caused explosions that wrought carnage throughout entire rooms. These were not localized explosions by any means; they were chaotic, uncontrollable, and undiscriminating. I died at the hands of my own explosive devices several times when I did not get out of the rooms before they detonated. But when it worked, I watched in awe as an area was consumed by flame.At one point, when I stood in the rubble of a completed room, I found an item drop that changed things up even more. The next time I entered the fray, my bullets started flying around and bouncing off walls, only stopping when they hit an enemy. I had picked up ricochet bullets, which made each battle even more wild as all I had to do was shoot in a random direction and wait. Over the course of the demo, I also found explosive and incendiary rounds, which caused expectedly huge amounts of destruction.<figure data-align="center" data-size="large" data-img-src="http://static1.gamespot.com/uploads/original/1539/15391776/2563456-6553488910-27254.jpg" data-ref-id="1300-2563456" data-resize-url="" data-resized="" data-embed-type="image"><a href="http://static1.gamespot.com/uploads/original/1539/15391776/2563456-6553488910-27254.jpg" data-ref-id="1300-2563456"><img src="http://static2.gamespot.com/uploads/ignore_jpg_scale_super/1539/15391776/2563456-6553488910-27254.jpg"></a></figure>When I completed the level, a cutscene played, showing off a little of Not A Hero's story. According to the developer, this cutscene was brand new and a little rough. Even so, it contained some of the funniest text I've ever seen in a video game. Instead of attempting to create any semblance of cohesive narrative, the creator seems to have embraced the idea of making the cutscenes pretty much incomprehensible. The one I saw was composed of randomly selected words and phrases that the game pulls from a huge database of names, interjections, and colloquialisms. As a result, every cutscene is different, and the insults leveled at my character in the cutscene I saw ranged from the mundane to the absurd. It's a novel idea, and it's hilarious, and I can't wait to see how the other cutscenes play out.Not A Hero follows in the punishing and chaotic footsteps of <a href="/hotline-miami/" data-ref-id="false">Hotline Miami</a> and meshes beautiful destruction with an art style similar to <a href="/gunpoint/" data-ref-id="false">Gunpoint's</a>. Roll7's take on the 2D cover-based shooter is pure fun--something that I can imagine playing again and again just to see the fireballs rolling through the rooms, or to see my character flinging himself along the ground like he's in an action movie. It's only an advantage that there's strategy behind the chaos. Although its staying power is uncertain, underneath the absurdity of Not A Hero is a legitimately interesting game full of potential. I eagerly await Not A Hero's arrival in late 2014 for the <a href="http://www.gamespot.com/pc/" data-ref-id="false">PC</a> and early 2015 for the <a href="http://www.gamespot.com/vita/" data-ref-id="false">PlayStation Vita</a> and <a href="http://www.gamespot.com/ps4/" data-ref-id="false">PlayStation 4</a>.<a href="http://www.gamespot.com/e3/">See more coverage of E3 2014 →</a> Wed, 11 Jun 2014 23:53:00 -0700 http://www.gamespot.com/articles/e3-2014-the-brilliant-chaos-of-not-a-hero/1100-6420429/ http://www.gamespot.com/articles/e3-2014-can-homefront-the-revolution-s-story-do-justice-to-its-pretty-visuals/1100-6420431/ I was as confused as anyone when Crytek picked up the <a href="/homefront/" data-ref-id="false">Homefront</a> licence from a crumbling THQ back in 2012. After all, why would anyone want the licence to a game that didn't review particularly well, and partly contributed to the downfall of its publisher? It's hardly like there's much goodwill attached the name. Yet, here we are at E3 2014, where Crytek has finally taken the wraps off its take on the Homefront series--and what a familiar take it is.<div data-embed-type="video" data-ref-id="2300-6419449" data-width="100%" data-height="100%"><iframe src="/videos/embed/6419449/" width="100%" height="100%" scrolling="no" frameborder="0" webkitAllowFullScreen mozallowfullscreen allowFullScreen></iframe></div>Crytek hasn't strayed too far from the themes of the original Homefront. Set in 2029, two years after the events of Homefront, the story revolves around the continued occupation of the United States by the Greater Korean Republic. The western states have been freed from its control, but over in the east, it's very much the leading power. Cue a move to a dystopian version of Philadelphia, a city in the iron grip of the KPA. The citizens are living under military control, with constant surveillance being carried out by armed guards and cameras scattered around the city.An oppressed, dystopian version of a real-world city isn't the most challenging of settings, but it has meant Crytek is doing something very different to what it does with its Crysis series. In Crysis, you're very much the all-powerful muscle-bound guy on a one-man crusade to save the world (or four-man if you play in four-player co-op). In Homefront, you play as Ethan Grady, a regular guy who's simply trying to kick-start the uprising that will lead to revolution. You have no special skills as such, other than you're not too bad with a gun and at scrounging useful tools from abandoned buildings.<figure data-align="right" data-size="medium" data-img-src="http://static4.gamespot.com/uploads/original/1197/11970954/2547289-homefront+the+revolution+announce+4.png" data-ref-id="1300-2547289" data-resize-url="" data-resized="" data-embed-type="image"><a href="http://static4.gamespot.com/uploads/original/1197/11970954/2547289-homefront+the+revolution+announce+4.png" data-ref-id="1300-2547289"><img src="http://static1.gamespot.com/uploads/ignore_jpg_scale_medium/1197/11970954/2547289-homefront+the+revolution+announce+4.png"></a></figure>That act of scavenging and dealing in guerrilla tactics is very much the focus of Homefront: The Revolution, or at least that's how Crytek is selling it. You can smash security cameras, and make makeshift remote bombs from an RC Car (as seen in our stage demo above). Then there are your weapons, which can be tweaked on the fly using bits and pieces you've found. How the game's focus on guerrilla tactics holds up remains to be seen, particularly as the demo quickly moves into run-and-gun action after its sneakier moments.My biggest worry, though, is that Crytek hasn't had a particularly good track record when it comes to narratives, or at least, I haven't found the likes of <a href="/crysis-3/" data-ref-id="false">Crysis 3</a> and <a href="/ryse-son-of-rome/" data-ref-id="false">Ryse: Son Of Rome</a> all that appealing. Homefront: The Revolution's story might not be the most original out there, but it's being deeply integrated into the game, meaning it's got to hold up if players aren't going to lose interest.Crytek's strengths have always been in visual design, and there's no denying that Homefront: The Revolution is a very pretty game. Naturally, it's running on the latest version of Cryengine, and the crumbling city of Philadelphia looks stunning. Being set at night certainly helps with that. The darkened alleyways of the city, dimly lit by street lamps, and the flickers of light peeking through a window from a nearby drone have been expertly done. The game is only being made for more modern systems (Xbox One, PlayStation 4, PC, Mac, and yes, even Linux) and it definitely shows in how gorgeous it looks. I just hope there are brains behind the beauty.<a href="http://www.gamespot.com/e3/">See more coverage of E3 2014 →</a> Wed, 11 Jun 2014 23:10:00 -0700 http://www.gamespot.com/articles/e3-2014-can-homefront-the-revolution-s-story-do-justice-to-its-pretty-visuals/1100-6420431/ http://www.gamespot.com/articles/e3-2014-powering-up-dragon-ball-xenoverse-to-the-next-generation/1100-6420430/ "Warriors, gather here!" a deep voice booms. Its cadence struck a familiar chord in me, as the camera panned across barren terrain and landed on the back of a recognisable orange gi. It was the uniform of Goku, iconic lead character of an anime series that is nearly 30 years old. He clashed with another familiar face, Vegeta, and the duo made a show of exchanging blows.The scene is a classic Dragon Ball Z battle recreated within<a href="/dragon-ball-xenoverse/" data-ref-id="false"> Dragon Ball Xenoverse</a> (XV), the latest entry in the Dragon Ball series of fighting games. Developed by Japanese studio Dimps, who previously worked on the <a href="http://www.gamespot.com/reviews/dragon-ball-z-budokai-3-review/1900-6113248/" data-ref-id="1900-6113248">well-received Dragon Ball Z: Budokai series</a>, Dragon Ball Xenoverse marks the first time the series will be hitting the PlayStation 4 and Xbox One consoles.<figure data-align="center" data-size="large" data-img-src="http://static2.gamespot.com/uploads/original/280/2802776/2563457-1866650590-25611.jpg" data-ref-id="1300-2563457" data-resize-url="" data-resized="" data-embed-type="image"><a href="http://static2.gamespot.com/uploads/original/280/2802776/2563457-1866650590-25611.jpg" data-ref-id="1300-2563457"><img src="http://static1.gamespot.com/uploads/ignore_jpg_scale_super/280/2802776/2563457-1866650590-25611.jpg"></a><figcaption>Frieza gets decked by Goku.</figcaption></figure>I was treated to a viewing of a very early version of the game with global producer Shoya Yamazaki. It featured Goku engaged in one-on-one battles with a variety of familiar enemies including Frieza, Cell, and Buu. As a long-time fan of the Dragon Ball Z anime, seeing such battles take place again resonated with me.For all their similarities however, these fights felt different to the anime counterparts I held in my memory. Energy blasts looked brighter, characters had gained visual depth that was absent in the anime, and Goku's signature kamehameha move pulsed with a newfound blazing energy.<figure data-align="right" data-size="small" data-img-src="http://static1.gamespot.com/uploads/original/280/2802776/2563458-0554751416-25611.jpg" data-ref-id="1300-2563458" data-resize-url="" data-resized="" data-embed-type="image"><a href="http://static1.gamespot.com/uploads/original/280/2802776/2563458-0554751416-25611.jpg" data-ref-id="1300-2563458"><img src="http://static2.gamespot.com/uploads/ignore_jpg_scale_small/280/2802776/2563458-0554751416-25611.jpg"></a><figcaption>Vegeta vs. Goku</figcaption></figure>Sure, the characters looked the same and their trademark moves remained conceptually unchanged, but the aesthetics in Dragon Ball XV brought the universe to a new level of vibrancy. And although the game will also see release on the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3, I was assured that developer Dimps was "building this game as a next-gen game".Characters in Dragon Ball Xenoverse sport real-time animations during battles, as evidenced by the grimaces I witnessed on Goku's face during his fight with Cell. It was a small feature that had no impact on battles where mechanics were concerned, but added a nice little touch of authenticity. Fights occurred at a speedy pace and looked flashy, but Yamazaki assured me the combo system had been created with the goal of allowing the game to be more "accessible".More skilled fans will still be able to enjoy the more complex mechanics however, thanks to a combo layering system that would be present in the game, he added. Combos could be mixed up with different move input order, and holding down a button for longer grants it harder impact.<div data-embed-type="video" data-ref-id="2300-6419561" data-width="100%" data-height="100%"><iframe src="/videos/embed/6419561/" width="100%" height="100%" scrolling="no" frameborder="0" webkitAllowFullScreen mozallowfullscreen allowFullScreen></iframe></div>Transformations haven't been part of the Dragon Ball series of fighting games before, but will be introduced in Dragon Ball Xenoverse. Characters will be able to transform into their available super saiyan modes in-game, negating the need for multiple versions of the same character in the selection menu.Despite my concerns that players would have a smaller pool of characters to choose from as a result of this, Yamazaki was confident that the full game would feature a large array of characters. He pointed to the game's inclusion of a mysterious new city, as well as the teaser for a new unrecognisable character as some examples of new features that would make their way into the released game.Dragon Ball Xenoverse brings a 30-year-old anime universe to life on a new generation of consoles. Based on the brief glimpse I was shown, I am eager to see whether the full game will offer both long-time fans and newcomers a fun fighting game experience as rich as it is vibrant.<a href="http://www.gamespot.com/e3/">See more coverage of E3 2014 →</a> Wed, 11 Jun 2014 23:02:00 -0700 http://www.gamespot.com/articles/e3-2014-powering-up-dragon-ball-xenoverse-to-the-next-generation/1100-6420430/ http://www.gamespot.com/articles/e3-2014-etherium-is-a-mashup-of-the-best-of-pc-real-time-strategy/1100-6420428/ The real-time strategy genre used to be one of the PC's most prolific. Check out any sale day on Good Old Games and you'll be stunned by the number of RTS games from every era, depicting every army size, and with a boggling number of unique twists. But the genre seems to have stagnated. <a href="http://www.gamespot.com/starcraft-ii-wings-of-liberty/" data-ref-id="false">StarCraft II</a> remains an esports juggernaut, whilst Relic's focus in <a href="/company-of-heroes-anthology/" data-ref-id="false">Company of Heroes</a> and <a href="http://www.gamespot.com/warhammer-40-000-dawn-of-war/" data-ref-id="false">Dawn of War</a> has shifted to smaller, tactical battles. Let's not even talk about <a href="/command-and-conquer-4-tiberian-twilight/" data-ref-id="false">Command & Conquer 4</a>. Etherium is the RTS that seeks to do something different, by picking and choosing the best elements from the genre's past heavyweights and crafting a new skeleton from them.<figure data-align="center" data-size="large" data-img-src="http://static1.gamespot.com/uploads/original/1536/15366587/2563435-2449305-etherium-06.jpg" data-ref-id="1300-2563435" data-resize-url="" data-resized="" data-embed-type="image"><a href="http://static1.gamespot.com/uploads/original/1536/15366587/2563435-2449305-etherium-06.jpg" data-ref-id="1300-2563435"><img src="http://static1.gamespot.com/uploads/ignore_jpg_scale_super/1536/15366587/2563435-2449305-etherium-06.jpg"></a></figure>The wars fought within resemble a science fiction gold rush for a powerful substance called etherium. This is your currency for standard RTS purchases like base buildings and units. The three-race interplay results in factions that all need etherium for different reasons, and all use it in surprisingly different ways. One of the most impressive of these concerned a race that was able to use it to control climactic weather events--volcanic eruptions, sandstorms, and more. These weather events occur naturally depending upon the current map climate, but I've seen few strategy games where a race is dedicated to harnessing the power of the environment itself. If you're more old-school and just want to rush the enemy base with a line of tanks, Etherium lets you do that, too. Developer Tindalos Interactive doesn't want to preclude you from pursuing the playstyle you find most fun, despite the different abilities each race has access to.<figure data-align="right" data-size="medium" data-img-src="http://static1.gamespot.com/uploads/original/1536/15366587/2563437-2549110-etherium-08.jpg" data-ref-id="1300-2563437" data-resize-url="" data-resized="" data-embed-type="image"><a href="http://static1.gamespot.com/uploads/original/1536/15366587/2563437-2549110-etherium-08.jpg" data-ref-id="1300-2563437"><img src="http://static2.gamespot.com/uploads/ignore_jpg_scale_medium/1536/15366587/2563437-2549110-etherium-08.jpg"></a></figure>These abilities appear on a bar at the bottom of the screen, and can be called in from the epic space battle that rages overhead. I've never seen a strategy game that gives you a reason to pan the camera skyward, away from the map itself, but Etherium attempts to unify the presence of off-map abilities with the action on the ground. Buying more tanks sees a dropship fly down from an orbital carrier to deposit them in a deployment zone. Calling in an orbital bombardment allows you to see the massive shells literally being fired from orbit. You don't control the battleships overhead, but they add an impressive sense of scale to the fight--and occasionally shoot at each other, too.<blockquote>Buying more tanks sees a dropship fly down from an orbital carrier to deposit them in a deployment zone.</blockquote>Back on land, the map itself is divided into territories, much like the Company of Heroes series. Capturing a monolith within that territory allows you to build in it. You're not limited to forward deployment zones, either--you can build your most important buildings at the front, if you choose. Units themselves come linked as squads, so you don't need to micromanage hundreds of individual soldiers and vehicles. Tindalos hopes this will make the RTS more accessible.<figure data-align="left" data-size="medium" data-img-src="http://static1.gamespot.com/uploads/original/1536/15366587/2563439-2549112-etherium-10.jpg" data-ref-id="1300-2563439" data-resize-url="" data-resized="" data-embed-type="image"><a href="http://static1.gamespot.com/uploads/original/1536/15366587/2563439-2549112-etherium-10.jpg" data-ref-id="1300-2563439"><img src="http://static3.gamespot.com/uploads/ignore_jpg_scale_medium/1536/15366587/2563439-2549112-etherium-10.jpg"></a></figure>The single-player campaign does not follow a story--it plays out more like a board game, with planets to attack and territory on them to conquer. It's reminiscent of the single-player campaign that was introduced in Dawn of War's expansion pack, Dark Crusade, and continued into <a href="http://www.gamespot.com/warhammer-40-000-dawn-of-war-ii/" data-ref-id="false">Dawn of War II</a>. Personally, this is what I prefer from a single-player RTS campaign; other strategy games that attempt to tell a story seem to leave the actual warfare by the wayside. So, if you're a fan of any of the RTS greats I name-dropped here, Etherium could be your next, long-awaited strategy hit.<a href="http://www.gamespot.com/e3/">See more coverage of E3 2014 →</a> Wed, 11 Jun 2014 22:38:00 -0700 http://www.gamespot.com/articles/e3-2014-etherium-is-a-mashup-of-the-best-of-pc-real-time-strategy/1100-6420428/ http://www.gamespot.com/articles/e3-2014-titan-souls-is-part-shadow-of-the-colossus-part-dark-souls-and-all-fun/1100-6420427/ The developers of Titan Souls sure talk a big game. Being inspired by <a href="/dark-souls/" data-ref-id="false">Dark Souls</a> and <a href="/shadow-of-the-colossus/" data-ref-id="false">Shadow of the Colossus</a> means they've set their sights on two of the greatest games ever created. How in the world could any game possibly live up to that pedigree? Well, I am not going to get crazy by saying Titan Souls blows those two masterpieces out of the water (though that would have made for an attention-grabbing headline). But I don't think that comparison is out of place, either. This is an expertly designed, punishing action game in which bosses are your only foe (hello, Shadow of the Colossus) and any small mistake is cause for you immediate death (is that you Dark Souls?). But don't worry about how it stacks up to its progenitors. Instead, enjoy Titan Souls for what it is: Another challenging adventure in which the thrill of victory is everything.Things start simply enough. You play as a lone wanderer in a very foreign place. As you walk through the world, you see writing etched on the walls, streams running down mountain paths, and caves beckoning you to enter. It's almost peaceful. There are no animals to harm you or people to get in your way. It's just a lovely place to exist, reminiscent of <a href="/the-legend-of-zelda/" data-ref-id="false">The Legend of Zelda</a> by way of <a href="/superbrothers-sword-and-sworcery-ep/" data-ref-id="false">Sword & Sorcery</a>. The music adds to the dreamy atmosphere. A soulful melody warms your heart and calms your senses. Titan Souls would be a great place to take a vacation.<figure data-ref-id="1300-2563427" data-img-src="http://static1.gamespot.com/uploads/original/725/7253563/2563427-titan1.png" data-size="large" data-align="center" data-resize-url="" data-resized="" data-embed-type="image"><a href="http://static1.gamespot.com/uploads/original/725/7253563/2563427-titan1.png" data-ref-id="1300-2563427"><img src="http://static1.gamespot.com/uploads/ignore_jpg_scale_super/725/7253563/2563427-titan1.png"></a></figure>And then you enter one of those caves. The music suddenly shifts, becoming enraged and energetic, as a colossal boss rushes toward you. Isn't that always the case? You're relaxing on a beach in New Zealand when a cube creature tries to kill you. Well, you're not just going to wait to get flattened, are you? Dodge out of the way! The cube moves so fluidly you'd swear its sides were greased, and you have to run as fast as you can to keep it from squishing you. How could you even attack the darn thing when you're running for your life? And then it lunges in one direction while you dive in another, and you've bought some breathing room to mount your own attack. Aim carefully (and quickly, you only have a split second), and fire your arrow at is weak spot.<figure data-ref-id="1300-2563428" data-img-src="http://static1.gamespot.com/uploads/original/725/7253563/2563428-748396.png" data-size="medium" data-align="left" data-resize-url="" data-resized="" data-embed-type="image"><a href="http://static1.gamespot.com/uploads/original/725/7253563/2563428-748396.png" data-ref-id="1300-2563428"><img src="http://static2.gamespot.com/uploads/ignore_jpg_scale_medium/725/7253563/2563428-748396.png"></a></figure>Did you land the hit? Congratulations, you just defeated your first boss. Yup, it only takes one hit. Of course, if you had been squished first, than you would have perished just as quickly. And if you had missed? Well, you can call the arrow back toward you while its still airborne, or pick it back up once its on the ground. So you see, even though the fights are incredibly frantic, you can't panic. Spamming your attack is going to lead to failure and frustration. Take your time, play smart, and end that monster's life like all the best hunters do.Not every boss in this easy. Yes, once you hit any of their weak spots, you win, but sometimes you have to do a little work to get to that point. Against a gelatinous blob, every hit slices it in half. So there's a whole group of bouncy monsters trying to flatten you as you create more and more hostile threats to get to the weak point burred under layers of fat. And if you die (which you often will), the music stops on a dime. It's really a great effect. Your heart is racing as you sprint around an arena, you're nodding your head to the infectious tunes. And then you get too close to your foe, end up dead, and everything just stops. The screen goes black, the music dies, and you're left with your own sad thoughts.<figure data-ref-id="1300-2563429" data-img-src="http://static1.gamespot.com/uploads/original/725/7253563/2563429-748398.png" data-size="medium" data-align="right" data-resize-url="" data-resized="" data-embed-type="image"><a href="http://static1.gamespot.com/uploads/original/725/7253563/2563429-748398.png" data-ref-id="1300-2563429"><img src="http://static3.gamespot.com/uploads/ignore_jpg_scale_medium/725/7253563/2563429-748398.png"></a></figure>One of the most appealing things is that there's no character upgrade. Having trouble killing that barebacked yeti? You can either move on to another battle, or get better. It's a great system because you know that it's your own skill that needs enhancement, so instead of looking for an easy way to victory by improving your speed or power, you're looking within to figure out how you can do better. Everyone is on the same page, all the time, so you have no one to blame for failure but yourself.One thing that I noticed is that at the start of every fight you see an odd assortment of characters on the screen. It seemed like a foreign language announcing who your foe was, but I wasn't sure. I asked the developers if we might see a nod to <a href="/ico/" data-ref-id="false">Ico</a> or <a href="/nier/" data-ref-id="false">Nier</a>, in which you learn the language of your enemies on a second playthrough. They didn't want to answer, which makes me think they're cooking up something interesting for New Game+. But for now, I'm just anxious for my first playthrough. Titan Souls isn't coming out until early next year (like every other game!) on the PC, and slightly later on PS4 and Vita. It's going to be a long wait for me. I love difficult games that are fair, and the mysterious premise further cements Titan Souls as a game to watch out for.<a href="http://www.gamespot.com/e3/">See more coverage of E3 2014 →</a> Wed, 11 Jun 2014 22:29:00 -0700 http://www.gamespot.com/articles/e3-2014-titan-souls-is-part-shadow-of-the-colossus-part-dark-souls-and-all-fun/1100-6420427/ http://www.gamespot.com/articles/e3-2014-how-thief-and-dishonored-inspired-styx-master-of-shadows/1100-6420420/ <div data-embed-type="video" data-ref-id="2300-6419629" data-width="100%" data-height="100%"><iframe src="/videos/embed/6419629/" width="100%" height="100%" scrolling="no" frameborder="0" webkitAllowFullScreen mozallowfullscreen allowFullScreen></iframe></div>What happens when a small, stealthy goblin vomits out a clone of himself, which runs under a giant crate, attracting the attention of guards, while the original goblin cuts the hanging cable to crush the guards--and clone--beneath? You get one of the coolest interactions that I saw in my half-hour demo of <a href="/styx-master-of-shadows/" data-ref-id="false">Styx: Master of Shadows</a>. Cyanide's take on the stealth genre is about using the environment against the AI in creative ways, and in that regard, the developer points to games like <a href="/thief-the-dark-project/" data-ref-id="false">Thief: The Dark Project</a>, <a href="/dark-messiah-of-might-and-magic/" data-ref-id="false">Dark Messiah of Might and Magic</a>, and <a href="/dishonored/" data-ref-id="false">Dishonored</a> as key inspirations.Every level in Master of Shadows is impressively large, with imposingly tall towers instilling an oppressive, totalitarian vibe about the world. This size allows for a focus on exploiting verticality to gain the upper hand--just like in the scenario described above. The eponymous Styx may be small in stature, but he is incredibly nimble and surprisingly resourceful. Small drainpipes, pots and nooks serve as hiding places, while his climbing abilities allow him to quickly scale the environment and explore one of each level's many alternate approaches.<figure data-align="center" data-size="large" data-img-src="http://static2.gamespot.com/uploads/original/1197/11970954/2507436-styx-07.jpg" data-ref-id="1300-2507436" data-resize-url="" data-resized="" data-embed-type="image"><a href="http://static2.gamespot.com/uploads/original/1197/11970954/2507436-styx-07.jpg" data-ref-id="1300-2507436"><img src="http://static1.gamespot.com/uploads/ignore_jpg_scale_super/1197/11970954/2507436-styx-07.jpg"></a></figure>It's Styx's ability to disgustingly clone himself that allows you to toy with the enemies like few other stealth games. Control can be switched between the clone and Styx on-the-fly, allowing you to distract, lure, and confuse guards. The clone can be made to explode into a cloud of smoke, or consumed by Styx to recover some of his amber--the game's equivalent of mana.<blockquote>It's Styx's ability to disgustingly clone himself that allows you to toy with the enemies like few other stealth games.</blockquote>Styx is infused with the magical substance, and a tattoo on his arm glows to indicate when he his hidden in shadow. Sound also plays a role, with enemies able to hear your footsteps, and some blind monsters are more sensitive to aural disturbances. Other enemies can actually smell you, too, requiring you to keep distance from them and find ways to remove them through exploiting the environment. From torches to snuff out, water to spit in and poison (which guards may choose to drink), and precarious ledges to kick enemies off, Cyanide is filling Master of Shadows' levels with interactive elements that you can transform into deadly opportunities.<figure data-align="left" data-size="medium" data-img-src="http://static2.gamespot.com/uploads/original/1197/11970954/2549999-styx-09.jpg" data-ref-id="1300-2549999" data-resize-url="" data-resized="" data-embed-type="image"><a href="http://static2.gamespot.com/uploads/original/1197/11970954/2549999-styx-09.jpg" data-ref-id="1300-2549999"><img src="http://static2.gamespot.com/uploads/ignore_jpg_scale_medium/1197/11970954/2549999-styx-09.jpg"></a></figure>Much like Dishonored, a skill tree allows you to unlock new magical abilities that layer even more opportunities upon those already offered by the level design. You can choose the ability to hear your heart beating when you're about to get spotted, allowing you a small window of advance warning that you should find some shadow. Amber vision allows you to see enemies through walls--but, unlike Dishonored, this is a high level ability that is very difficult to unlock. With what Cyanide estimates to be a 15 hour singleplayer story, and the ability to replay levels to ghost through them or attempt speedruns, Styx could be one of the most competent stealth games since Dishonored itself. Did I mention you can vomit up goblin clones?<a href="http://www.gamespot.com/e3/">See more coverage of E3 2014 →</a> Wed, 11 Jun 2014 22:26:00 -0700 http://www.gamespot.com/articles/e3-2014-how-thief-and-dishonored-inspired-styx-master-of-shadows/1100-6420420/ http://www.gamespot.com/articles/e3-2014-the-finer-fake-fantasy-football-of-blood-bowl-2/1100-6420424/ Warhammer's most leisurely spinoff, the turn-based interpretation of American football known as the appropriately violent-sounding Blood Bowl, was missing some key features in its first PC adaptation. Namely, a deeper singleplayer campaign, as well as a robust multiplayer metagame. These two major features are making their way to Blood Bowl 2, the sequel that takes the fake fantasy football setting and runs with it. Over the goal line. For three points. See, I know about sports.Blood Bowl 2 dives deeper into the management aspect of this strange fantasy football universe in its singleplayer campaign. There are the usual aspects such as signing players, firing players--but the game embraces its position in the Warhammer universe by also tasking you with killing players on opposing teams. The developer, Cyanide, hopes to never issue players with exactly the same objective twice--though how it plans to accomplish this was not elaborated upon. Objectives such as these need to be fulfilled within matches, in addition to winning the actual game of football itself.<figure data-align="center" data-size="large" data-img-src="http://static1.gamespot.com/uploads/original/1536/15366587/2563422-2549926-bloodbowl2-10.jpg" data-ref-id="1300-2563422" data-resize-url="" data-resized="" data-embed-type="image"><a href="http://static1.gamespot.com/uploads/original/1536/15366587/2563422-2549926-bloodbowl2-10.jpg" data-ref-id="1300-2563422"><img src="http://static1.gamespot.com/uploads/ignore_jpg_scale_super/1536/15366587/2563422-2549926-bloodbowl2-10.jpg"></a></figure>Cyanide sees the game as a parody of American football, as well as a turn-based interpretation of its ruleset, as filtered through Games Workshop's original tabletop game. A new cards system allows you to deploy actions such as rerolling dice, healing injured players, or bribing the referee.<blockquote>Not only will the AI adapt to your play, but it will have a character of its own.</blockquote>The developer hopes the singleplayer campaign will not be as repetitive as that of the first game, with the introduction of multiple AI playstyles that are tailored to represent each of the game's different races--dwarves, dark elves, skaven and the like. So this time, not only will the AI adapt to your play, but it will have a character of its own that draws upon the lore of the race you're currently facing.<figure data-align="left" data-size="small" data-img-src="http://static1.gamespot.com/uploads/original/1536/15366587/2563423-bb2.jpg" data-ref-id="1300-2563423" data-resize-url="" data-resized="" data-embed-type="image"><a href="http://static1.gamespot.com/uploads/original/1536/15366587/2563423-bb2.jpg" data-ref-id="1300-2563423"><img src="http://static2.gamespot.com/uploads/ignore_jpg_scale_small/1536/15366587/2563423-bb2.jpg"></a></figure>The relatively recent, massive surge in e-Sports popularity hasn't gone unnoticed by Cyanide either; the developer plans to include fully customisable leagues with support for up to 1,000 players (or AI) in each. The developer has seen what makes DOTA 2 so interesting, and hopes to instil some of that persistence within Blood Bowl 2. If it means I'll have a better understanding of the rules of American football by the end of a 1,000 player tournament, then count me in.<a href="http://www.gamespot.com/e3/">See more coverage of E3 2014 →</a> Wed, 11 Jun 2014 22:25:00 -0700 http://www.gamespot.com/articles/e3-2014-the-finer-fake-fantasy-football-of-blood-bowl-2/1100-6420424/ http://www.gamespot.com/articles/e3-2014-hellraid-makes-fighting-demons-seem-really-dull/1100-6420425/ Hellraid is all about combat. It's about bashing huge monsters with axes, smashing skeletons with swords, and shedding the blood of the creepiest creeps who ever did creep. Such a game sounds like a lot of bloody fun. A dark medieval atmosphere. Gruesome creatures ready to crush your skull. Giant hammers that you wield as if you are made only of muscle. These are the ingredients of a successful melee action game.But boy does Hellraid look boring.<div data-embed-type="video" data-ref-id="2300-6419288" data-width="100%" data-height="100%"><iframe src="/videos/embed/6419288/" width="100%" height="100%" scrolling="no" frameborder="0" webkitAllowFullScreen mozallowfullscreen allowFullScreen></iframe></div>I spent 20 minutes or so at E3 2014 watching developer Techland demo the game to a room filled with increasingly impatient members of the press. The demonstration focused on story mode in which you try to stop an infernal invasion. The level in question was a gothic monastery--the sort you would find in a number of classic video games, and in fact, Techland has hired the services of an architect versed in the kind of structures Hellraid has you exploring. There's a bit of Diablo at work in Hellraid; you pick up loot and gold, and level up your abilities as you progress. But the focus is on the combat, which looked to have some initial appeal in the way you could hear the clash of steel on steel, and in the way you need to dodge about to avoid taking damage, as well as to maximize damage by stabbing meanies in their hindquarters.You aren't limited to melee weapons, though they were the focus of the presentation. Occasionally, however, the player would switch to a magical staff that spewed forth lightning, which came in handy when dealing with skeletal archers. Techland says that weapons provide a lot of variety, and that you can customize your loadout to best suit your play style. Additionally, you can enchant your weapons to make them more effective in combat. There was a lot of groaning during the demo as hellish creatures moaned and growled, particularly during the few boss fights I saw, which feature grotesque demons filling the screen.<figure data-align="center" data-size="large" data-img-src="http://static3.gamespot.com/uploads/original/536/5360430/2556774-hellraid-screenshot-2-1080p.jpg" data-ref-id="1300-2556774" data-resize-url="" data-resized="" data-embed-type="image"><a href="http://static3.gamespot.com/uploads/original/536/5360430/2556774-hellraid-screenshot-2-1080p.jpg" data-ref-id="1300-2556774"><img src="http://static1.gamespot.com/uploads/ignore_jpg_scale_super/536/5360430/2556774-hellraid-screenshot-2-1080p.jpg"></a></figure>There are other ways to deal with foes, such as smashing a chain and causing a hanging light fixture to fall on the fiend beneath. And Techland promises a variety of locations, including outdoor arenas and labyrinthian castles. But what I saw during the demo was wholly uninspired, a string of one smashing encounter after another until my eyes were tired of the bland gothicness of the setting, and my brain was aggravated by the tedium of seeing and hearing the same combat moves used again and again against the usual suspects. There just wasn't a lot to it, to the point where one mission objective simply stated "defeat evil." Hellraid felt tired, and the promise of visiting hell in the final levels of the game isn't enough to spark my enthusiasm.Some better narrative context, some imaginative settings, and more interesting enemies could help bring some life to Hellraid, however, and the combat system looks like a solid foundation upon which to build a game. It's up to Techland, then, to put that combat to use in a game that inspires the fear and awe a game called Hellraid deserves. Here's hoping the developer does just that.<a href="http://www.gamespot.com/e3/">See more coverage of E3 2014 →</a> Wed, 11 Jun 2014 22:15:00 -0700 http://www.gamespot.com/articles/e3-2014-hellraid-makes-fighting-demons-seem-really-dull/1100-6420425/ http://www.gamespot.com/articles/e3-2014-street-fighter-5-won-t-be-pay-to-win-yoshinori-ono-says/1100-6420426/ <div data-embed-type="html"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet">The SFV news today about a pay to win model is not accurate and isn't something we're planning for. — Yoshinori Ono (@Yoshi_OnoChin) <a href="https://twitter.com/Yoshi_OnoChin/statuses/476840797719904256" rel="nofollow">June 11, 2014</a></blockquote><script charset="utf-8" type="text/javascript" src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" async=""></script></div> <div data-embed-type="html"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet">Sorry for the confusion! We're still in early planning stages and will share more at a later date. — Yoshinori Ono (@Yoshi_OnoChin) <a href="https://twitter.com/Yoshi_OnoChin/statuses/476840892934787073" rel="nofollow">June 11, 2014</a></blockquote><script charset="utf-8" type="text/javascript" src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" async=""></script></div> Reports today from<a href="http://www.sponichi.co.jp/society/news/2014/06/11/kiji/K20140611008345230.html" rel="nofollow" data-ref-id="false"> Japanese media</a> that unannounced game Street Fighter V will use a "pay-to-win" model are false, Capcom producer Yoshinori Ono said on Twitter."The SFV news today about a pay-to-win model is not accurate and isn't something we're planning for," Ono said. "Sorry for the confusion!"Street Fighter V is not even announced, but Ono teased, "We're still in early planning stages and will share more at a later date."If you're eager for Street Fighter V, you might want to get comfortable. Last year, Capcom producer Tomoaki Ayano said that the game <a href="http://www.gamespot.com/articles/no-street-fighter-v-until-2018-capcom-producer/1100-6412556/" data-ref-id="1100-6412556">might not be released until 2018</a>.The most recent core Street Fighter game was 2009's <a href="/street-fighter-iv/" data-ref-id="false">Street Fighter IV</a> for Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, and PC.<a href="http://www.gamespot.com/e3/">See more coverage of E3 2014 →</a> Wed, 11 Jun 2014 22:03:00 -0700 http://www.gamespot.com/articles/e3-2014-street-fighter-5-won-t-be-pay-to-win-yoshinori-ono-says/1100-6420426/ http://www.gamespot.com/articles/e3-2014-the-talos-principle-is-a-philisophical-puzzle-game-that-s-as-smart-as-it-is-beautiful/1100-6420421/ There's no greater pressure than playing a game in front of its developers. For action games, any embarrassing pratfalls can be explained away by my place as a novice, so even though I cringe with every failure I rack up, I can at least use ignorance as a defense. When it's a puzzle game and my brain is fizzling out, well, there's nowhere for me to hide. So if you saw me when a bright red face and anxious hand-wringing, it was because I had to play The Talos Principle in front of the very people who had made it. Despite my desperate need to find a hole to scurry into, however, I was enamored by the beautiful world that lay before me, and the cunning puzzles in wait. The pressure of that moment may have been great, but my misery gave way to a fantastic experience I had previously known nothing about.If I had known before seeing The Talos Principle that the development team behind Serious Sam had created it, my expectations would have been slanted. Surely, a puzzle game from people who make twitch-based shooters would be a disaster. Those two design philosophies are polar opposites, right? So what kind of puzzle game could they deliver? Well, maybe the discrepancy isn't as great as it first appears. The first inkling of The Talos Principle began when the team were trying to figure out more complex puzzles than blue key opens the blue door. And once they traveled down that rabbit hole of the mind, they realized how much they had to say, and eagerly flexed their talents that had lain dormant before.<div data-height="100%" data-width="100%" data-ref-id="2300-6419357" data-embed-type="video"><iframe src="/videos/embed/6419357/" width="100%" height="100%" scrolling="no" frameborder="0" webkitAllowFullScreen mozallowfullscreen allowFullScreen></iframe></div>The Talos Principle is a first-person adventure set in a gorgeous land in which towering trees and enticing vistas demand your attention, letting you spend time to take in the sights before you go about your business. Of course, I couldn't spend my entire time with the game staring at trees, so I set off down a dirt path to see what mysteries awaited. Rooms branched before me, each leading to a puzzle room in which I had to figure out every aspect--from the tools to the objectives--for myself. Clearly, this is my kind of puzzle game. I would rather spend hours devising a solution than be pointed in the right direction, so long as the puzzles are interesting and fair.<figure data-ref-id="1300-2563404" data-img-src="http://static1.gamespot.com/uploads/original/725/7253563/2563404-url.png" data-size="medium" data-align="left" data-resize-url="" data-resized="" data-embed-type="image"><a href="http://static1.gamespot.com/uploads/original/725/7253563/2563404-url.png" data-ref-id="1300-2563404"><img src="http://static1.gamespot.com/uploads/ignore_jpg_scale_medium/725/7253563/2563404-url.png"></a></figure>Foolishly, I entered a "hard" puzzle first, and quickly backtracked to find something more my speed. Ah, easy. Now there's a tune I can whistle. Once I walked inside an open-roofed enclosure, I found a tripod with a funny gadget on top. This computerized wizardry short-circuited a nearby gate, letting me push deeper into the puzzle. I then found another one. My only goal, I soon realized, was to commandeer two of these at once, knowing that neither I nor the contraptions can pass through a closed gate. Easy enough, right? Well, it took a little bit of fiddling (this is where the embarrassing part comes in) before I realized I could just set up that gadget on either side, letting me take both with me. Oh well, live and learn. At least I stumbled on the solution without much help.Another puzzle involved linking those tripod gadgets in unison to refract a laser beam into a couple different portals. And though I saw only a few of the puzzles, they do seem appealing enough to build an entire game around. But I don't want to just describe the mental gymnastics I went through. There's much more to The Talos Principle than these puzzles, and that's a big part of the reason I'm anticipating its release later this year.<figure data-ref-id="1300-2563406" data-img-src="http://static1.gamespot.com/uploads/original/725/7253563/2563406-the_talos_principle_-_screen_4a.jpg" data-size="medium" data-align="right" data-resize-url="" data-resized="" data-embed-type="image"><a href="http://static1.gamespot.com/uploads/original/725/7253563/2563406-the_talos_principle_-_screen_4a.jpg" data-ref-id="1300-2563406"><img src="http://static2.gamespot.com/uploads/ignore_jpg_scale_medium/725/7253563/2563406-the_talos_principle_-_screen_4a.jpg"></a></figure>The Talos Principle is being billed as a philosophical puzzle game, which sounds strange at first, but was downright intriguing once I realized why. A voice from the heavens would talk to me during odd moments, extending the puzzling beyond the raw solutions that make up the action. I had to figure out who was talking, and why, not because it was another goal, but because I was curious. And when I reached a computer terminal, I started when I saw that my hands were robotic. What kind of creature was I? I entered commands, starting a conversation with the computer. It wouldn't tell me who I was, or where I was going, but it made me curious to find out more.After getting a taste of The Talos Principle, I cannot wait to uncover more of the mystery. Just navigating that computer dialogue was enough to draw me in. There were so many choices in what to write that I eagerly awaited each response, so I can only imagine what lies in the finished product. But even just as a pure puzzle game, it has interesting concepts that I'd love to explore. Yes, I struggled to complete even basic tasks when the judging gaze of the development team was staring a hole in my back, but that doesn't matter now. My favorite part of E3 is discovering something I had never even heard of before, so I'm thankful that The Talos Principle is now in my life.<a href="http://www.gamespot.com/e3/">See more coverage of E3 2014 →</a> Wed, 11 Jun 2014 21:37:00 -0700 http://www.gamespot.com/articles/e3-2014-the-talos-principle-is-a-philisophical-puzzle-game-that-s-as-smart-as-it-is-beautiful/1100-6420421/ http://www.gamespot.com/articles/e3-2014-taking-down-an-army-in-hyrule-warriors/1100-6420423/ The Zelda name has always been associated with adventures and puzzle-solving. While iconic protagonist Link has saved the world numerous times before, he has always achieved this through a combination of wit and action.<a href="/hyrule-warriors/" data-ref-id="false">Hyrule Warriors</a> sends the characters of the Zelda universe into the other end of the spectrum, throwing them into a chaotic battlefield which pits a single hero against hundreds of enemies at once in the style of <a href="/dynasty-warriors/" data-ref-id="false">Dynasty Warriors</a>. Once again there is much saving to be done, but this time around, the methods through which this is achieved are dramatically different.<figure data-align="center" data-size="large" data-img-src="http://static1.gamespot.com/uploads/original/280/2802776/2563415-hyrulewarriors.jpg" data-ref-id="1300-2563415" data-resize-url="" data-resized="" data-embed-type="image"><a href="http://static1.gamespot.com/uploads/original/280/2802776/2563415-hyrulewarriors.jpg" data-ref-id="1300-2563415"><img src="http://static1.gamespot.com/uploads/ignore_jpg_scale_super/280/2802776/2563415-hyrulewarriors.jpg"></a></figure>Curious if this new approach would be as enjoyable as it was strange to me, I picked up the Wii U GamePad to single-handedly face off against the enemy armies of Hyrule Warriors.As Link, I was pit against an invading army of moblins that stood in the way of recapturing Hyrule Castle. Numbers alone were not a concern however, as I quickly discovered that I was more than capable of taking out entire squads at a time with a few swings of my chosen weapon. Building combos was simply a matter of tapping one of the two attack buttons in quick succession. Combining and alternating the order of button presses would lead to different combos that were as flashy as they were destructive.Carving through large groups of enemies with naught but a few button presses left me as satisfied as I was incredulous. Here, in the world of Hyrule Warriors, Link was an untouchable and overwhelming force who could not be stopped.<figure data-align="right" data-size="small" data-img-src="http://static2.gamespot.com/uploads/original/536/5360430/2558161-wiiu_hyrulewarriors_scrn05_e3.jpg" data-ref-id="1300-2558161" data-resize-url="" data-resized="" data-embed-type="image"><a href="http://static2.gamespot.com/uploads/original/536/5360430/2558161-wiiu_hyrulewarriors_scrn05_e3.jpg" data-ref-id="1300-2558161"><img src="http://static2.gamespot.com/uploads/ignore_jpg_scale_small/536/5360430/2558161-wiiu_hyrulewarriors_scrn05_e3.jpg"></a><figcaption>It is good to see you on the battlefield, Zelda.</figcaption></figure>If the use of combos was not enough, I could also build up my special meter. When filled, I had the option to unleash a powerful, one-off attack that was effective at quickly clearing groups of enemies. The ability also served as a means of dealing a high amount of damage to tougher enemies, such as bosses.Physical damage could also be supplemented by the use of items. Acquiring bombs allowed me to destroy boulders that had previously obstructed my path towards objective points, and the effectiveness of items could be temporarily boosted by a power-up.Like the mechanics of combat, objectives were straightforward. The colour-coded minimap would flag the locations which required my aid, making it easy to simply rush past the hundreds of enemies that stood between me and my next objective.My fight was both hampered and aided by several familiar faces, with Impa and Zelda clashing with the forces of the evil Wizro. Indeed, the sight of Princess Zelda slicing up several moblins was especially entertaining.<div data-embed-type="video" data-ref-id="2300-6419404" data-width="100%" data-height="100%"><iframe src="/videos/embed/6419404/" width="100%" height="100%" scrolling="no" frameborder="0" webkitAllowFullScreen mozallowfullscreen allowFullScreen></iframe></div> The battle of Hyrule Castle culminated with a fight against the familiar beast Dodongo, who sported the same weakness for eating bombs. Despite not claiming most of the map territory, defeating Dodongo proved to be devastating enough to enemy forces to claim Hyrule Castle as my own. Not exactly what I'd call tactically sound, but rewarding nonetheless.The simplicity of combat in Hyrule Warriors was both its greatest strength and greatest weakness. Executing combos started off as feeling punchy and enjoyable, but quickly devolved into monotony. With the stage broken up by similarly themed objectives and a final boss battle, I can only hope that Hyrule Warriors offers up more variety upon its release.<a href="http://www.gamespot.com/e3/">See more coverage of E3 2014 →</a> Wed, 11 Jun 2014 21:29:00 -0700 http://www.gamespot.com/articles/e3-2014-taking-down-an-army-in-hyrule-warriors/1100-6420423/ http://www.gamespot.com/articles/e3-2014-staying-alive-in-dying-light/1100-6420419/ Let's face some hard truths: developer Techland's games have traditionally been a bit awkward to play. I know many people who love <a href="/dead-island/" data-ref-id="false">Dead Island</a>, and many others who found the combat and locomotion too clumsy to get past. <a href="/call-of-juarez-the-cartel/" data-ref-id="false">Call of Juarez: The Cartel</a>, <a href="/naild/" data-ref-id="false">Nail'd</a>, <a href="/chrome/" data-ref-id="false">Chrome</a>, and several other Techland games were missing that extra degree of refinement that kept them from rising to the top of their respective genres. When I sat down with Dying Light at E3 2014, I expected a game in this vein: an interesting, ambitious, and clunky experience that couldn't quite make the best of its many ideas.It's too soon to make a final verdict on Dying Light, of course, but what stood out to me most when playing was that the movement and combat actually felt good. In the first level I played, I wielded a couple of melee weapons, including a baseball bat. Smacking a zombie with a bat felt just as it should have: impactful, with a solid oomph. When I grasped onto a ledge and pulled myself up to the roof above, I could feel the weight of my character's body, but didn't notice any annoying sluggishness. It felt substantial enough to be realistic, but swift enough to be fun.<div data-embed-type="video" data-ref-id="2300-6419107" data-width="100%" data-height="100%"><iframe src="/videos/embed/6419107/" width="100%" height="100%" scrolling="no" frameborder="0" webkitAllowFullScreen mozallowfullscreen allowFullScreen></iframe></div>I should probably step back for a moment, however. Dying Light is an upcoming zombie action game with freerunning mechanics that was originally imagined as a Dead Island sequel. And the Dead Island connection is clear from the moment you lay your hands on a controller and start up the game. You must fight for survival in South American slums, where hordes of the undead are waiting to eat you alive. The first level I played was from early in the game--and my first action was to open a door and take in the world in front of me. It was a gorgeous but intimidating sight. As my eyes became accustomed to the light, I looked upon the downtrodden city. Game Producer Tymon Smektala told me to head towards the mission objective, and so I did, though I stopped to bash some some zombies along the way.Though I only had a few rudimentary weapons, the melee action had a nice heft. The first zombie I battered reeled backwards and suffered a broken arm, an event that was accompanied by a nifty visual effect that revealed the zombie's broken bones underneath, as if I were looking at them through an X-ray machine. In just a few moments, I had unlocked my first skill point, which I spent on a charged attack that took more time to perform but did massive damage. No matter how massive my damage might be, however, it was best for me to stick to the rooftops and avoid direct confrontation, and so I climbed to higher ground.<figure data-align="right" data-size="medium" data-img-src="http://static2.gamespot.com/uploads/original/1365/13658182/2559628-dyinglight_screenshot04c.jpg" data-ref-id="1300-2559628" data-resize-url="" data-resized="" data-embed-type="image"><a href="http://static2.gamespot.com/uploads/original/1365/13658182/2559628-dyinglight_screenshot04c.jpg" data-ref-id="1300-2559628"><img src="http://static1.gamespot.com/uploads/ignore_jpg_scale_medium/1365/13658182/2559628-dyinglight_screenshot04c.jpg"></a><figcaption>Altair? Are you out there?</figcaption></figure>The climbing and running in Dying Light feel good. The game isn't <a href="/mirrors-edge/" data-ref-id="false">Mirror's Edge</a>, so don't expect to feel as acrobatic as you did as Faith in that game. Instead, it felt as though I were a less gifted Assassin's Creed protagonist, or were Garrett as he felt in the recent Thief reboot. It didn't take long for me to get used to rushing, leaping, and climbing from a first-person perspective, and I took the chance to look down on the hordes below. Several zombies had gathered around a vehicle that had been rigged with a trap. Triggering the trap first caused the trap to make a racket that drew more zombies to it; a few seconds later, the car exploded, taking down a number of undead creeps with it.I like to explore in games, much to the dismay of producer Smektala, who really wanted me to get a move on and get to my destination. Several zombies were waiting for me there at a safe house, and they weren't exactly welcoming. They were defter than expected at evading my attacks, and it was clear that I wasn't ready to deal with them. It was time to find a better hideout. Again, off I clambered in my search for safety, walking down alleyways and shuffling along rooftops. Finally, I reached my destination, where my primary goal was to--take a nap?Yes indeed--a bit of sleep was needed, if only to advance the clock and re-enter the city at nighttime. Nighttime brings with it new challenges and new opportunities, and this section played something like a traditional stealth game. By activating a special vision mode, I would identify nearby enemies and reveal their vision cones on my map. I could also toss a firework to distract the undead if necessary, and truth be told, I did a poor job of keeping out of danger on my first nighttime jaunt. Soon, however, I was able to zig-zag between zombies and enter the second safehouse. It was time to breathe.<figure data-align="center" data-size="large" data-img-src="http://static5.gamespot.com/uploads/original/1365/13658182/2559632-dyinglight_screenshot08.jpg" data-ref-id="1300-2559632" data-resize-url="" data-resized="" data-embed-type="image"><a href="http://static5.gamespot.com/uploads/original/1365/13658182/2559632-dyinglight_screenshot08.jpg" data-ref-id="1300-2559632"><img src="http://static2.gamespot.com/uploads/ignore_jpg_scale_super/1365/13658182/2559632-dyinglight_screenshot08.jpg"></a><figcaption>Why are you beating up that zombie? He was just asking for directions!</figcaption></figure>My deep breath was interrupted by the next part of the demo, which gave me some higher-level toys to play with, including a handy firearm. I had a baseball bat again, but this time, well, this time it had spikes. The pressure was on to reach a distant tower, where a comrade was fighting for his life. I got a few shots in here and there, and waled on a number of zombies with my fancy bat, but by this time, I had become enamored with the slide move, which allowed me to sprint and then slide forward. I enjoyed knocking down zombies in this fashion; in fact, I enjoyed it so much that I had forgotten about my poor friend up in the tower. As you can imagine, I was too late. I arrived just in time to see him slaughtered, though I don't think it was my lethargic pace that killed him--I think that was supposed to happen, judging by how the game then thanked me for playing it. (You're welcome, Dying Light. I had fun playing you.)Dying Light was a surprise delight at this year's E3. Perhaps it's time to shed my preconceived notions of Techland's games and realize that the studio is playing with the big boys now. Here's hoping the full game is as slick and satisfying as this limited demo was.<a href="http://www.gamespot.com/e3/">See more coverage of E3 2014 →</a> Wed, 11 Jun 2014 21:14:00 -0700 http://www.gamespot.com/articles/e3-2014-staying-alive-in-dying-light/1100-6420419/ http://www.gamespot.com/articles/e3-2014-connecting-star-fox-on-wii-u-with-project-guard-and-project-giant-robot/1100-6420390/ Nintendo announced a new <a href="/star-fox-wii-u/" data-ref-id="false">Star Fox</a> for Wii U at E3 2014. Hooray! Developer legend Shigeru Miyamoto is on the project, trying to think of creative ways to make the maligned GamePad work with, presumably, doing a bunch of barrel rolls and ignoring Slippy.Nintendo is showing off Star Fox, which Justin Haywald has already played, and two other tech demos, titled Project Giant Robot and Project Guard. But the robots in Project Guard look like the same as the one in the Star Fox demo. Is there a connection between all three? Are these two tech demos indicative of what might appear in the new Star Fox? "You noticed something very nice there," said Miyamoto to GameSpot when quizzed on the similarities."Today, I'm only answering questions about the Star Fox games. But, there will be multiple different kinds of missions in the Star Fox games, so maybe something like that could appear. And I think the robot that came down from the helicopter is the same robot that you were shooting in the security game."<figure data-align="center" data-size="large" data-img-src="http://static2.gamespot.com/uploads/original/1197/11970954/2558128-starfox.jpg" data-ref-id="1300-2558128" data-resize-url="" data-resized="" data-embed-type="image"><a href="http://static2.gamespot.com/uploads/original/1197/11970954/2558128-starfox.jpg" data-ref-id="1300-2558128"><img src="http://static1.gamespot.com/uploads/ignore_jpg_scale_super/1197/11970954/2558128-starfox.jpg"></a></figure>As for the two tech demos, I had a go at Project Giant Robot and Peter Brown looked into Project Guard:<h3>Project Giant Robot</h3>My first robot was a joke. It had two heads instead of feet, for a start. But who can blame me? I also gave him a cannon for a crotch, because it looked a bit phallic, and stretched the torso so it was as long and thin as possible. Which is probably also a bit phallic, thinking about it.My first robot wasn't very good at combat. What a dick.My second robot, meanwhile, was a rock-em, sock-em fighting machine. With its thick, rotund legs it could easily withstand the attacks of its enemies, and its low centre of gravity meant that it was solid and stable. In Nintendo's Project Giant Robot tech demo, the objective is to stay standing. I still fell over occasionally.<figure data-align="center" data-size="large" data-img-src="http://static1.gamespot.com/uploads/original/1406/14063904/2563373-projectrobo.jpg" data-ref-id="1300-2563373" data-resize-url="" data-resized="" data-embed-type="image"><a href="http://static1.gamespot.com/uploads/original/1406/14063904/2563373-projectrobo.jpg" data-ref-id="1300-2563373"><img src="http://static2.gamespot.com/uploads/ignore_jpg_scale_super/1406/14063904/2563373-projectrobo.jpg"></a></figure>Designed in part by Nintendo legend Shigeru Miyamoto, Project Giant Robot is one of the company's tech experiments as it tries to figure out how to make games for the maligned GamePad. I'd say a fight between towering robots, both the size of skyscrapers and potentially made out of skyscrapers, is a good start. You swing the left and right sticks to swing your robot's left and right arms, and you plod forward using the right trigger. The robot's orientation is controlled by the GamePad's gyro, so you need to swing the thing around as you punch to try and build up the required momentum to floor your opponent. These robots fight against a backdrop of skyscrapers, with the GamePad screen taking a first-person view and the TV itself showing the robotic brawl from a helicopter.Fighting is all a question of balance, really, and I had the most success in building up a bit of momentum and then just steamrolling over any rival robots. I've always found that motion controls tend to work best when they're used alongside big, sweeping physical moments, which is a natural pairing for these colossal, lumbering machines. Make no mistake: this is not attempting to create precise, technical fights, and I'll admit that I only really won most bouts by simply falling on the opposition. But it was falling with style.<h3>Project Guard</h3>Based on screenshots and gameplay footage alone, Project Guard isn't a game that screams "excitement," but Shigeru Miyamoto's experimental Wii U tower-defense game will definitely keep you on your toes. The structure that you're trying to protect is in the middle of a labyrinth that's under invasion from robots, and you've got a dozen cameras equipped with laser cannons to monitor and destroy invaders. Each camera is represented on your TV, but you can only control one at a time, which is represented as a large screen in the middle, which is then surrounded by smaller screens from the rest of the array.<figure data-align="center" data-size="large" data-img-src="http://static1.gamespot.com/uploads/original/1406/14063904/2563374-projectguard.jpg" data-ref-id="1300-2563374" data-resize-url="" data-resized="" data-embed-type="image"><a href="http://static1.gamespot.com/uploads/original/1406/14063904/2563374-projectguard.jpg" data-ref-id="1300-2563374"><img src="http://static3.gamespot.com/uploads/ignore_jpg_scale_super/1406/14063904/2563374-projectguard.jpg"></a></figure>If you look down at the GamePad screen, you get an overhead view of the labyrinth and the position of cameras and incoming enemies. The only way to switch the active camera is by tapping camera icons on the GamePad, but that creates a problem: when you're looking at the labyrinth-map, you can't possibly monitor what's happening on the TV. Monitoring a dozen cameras, switching between them, and firing at incoming enemies is supremely challenging for one person.Project Guard begs for multiple sets of eyes. With a friend by your side, it's easier to keep track of every camera angle, but the action is still overwhelmingly frantic. It starts slow enough, but eventually, your partner is shouting: "Camera four, wait, camera five! Shoot! Ahh! Camera one! Camera one!" All of the direction helps, but it's still tough to keep up with every order coming your way. When someone's shouting in your ear, it's challenging to find the right camera on the GamePad, despite the fact that they're all clearly labelled.I can't begin to imagine how Project Guard ties into a Star Fox game, but I almost think it could stand on its own. Hold on a second, I have about 30 robots closing in on my post and someone's yelling numbers into my ear. I gotta go!<a href="http://www.gamespot.com/e3/">See more coverage of E3 2014 →</a> Wed, 11 Jun 2014 20:52:00 -0700 http://www.gamespot.com/articles/e3-2014-connecting-star-fox-on-wii-u-with-project-guard-and-project-giant-robot/1100-6420390/ http://www.gamespot.com/videos/e3-2014-super-smash-bros-for-wii-u-wii-fit-trainer/2300-6419662/ Wii Fit Trainer takes on Zero Suit Samus, Sonic, and Mario in Super Smash Bros for Wii U. Wed, 11 Jun 2014 20:50:00 -0700 http://www.gamespot.com/videos/e3-2014-super-smash-bros-for-wii-u-wii-fit-trainer/2300-6419662/

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