All Articles: E3 2018

Capcom’s Resident Evil 2 remake wins “Best of Show” at E3 2018 from Game Critics Awards

The “media and influencer outlets” represented by the Game Critics Awards have selected this year’s Best of E3 winners. Capcom crawled away with “Best of Show” thanks to the Resident Evil 2 remake.

Meanwhile, Media Molecule’s Dreams won “Best Original Game,” while fellow Sony stablemate Marvel’s Spider-Man won “Best Console Game” and “Best Action/Adventure Game.” The Game Critics Awards honored a rather diverse slate of games this year, giving “Best PC Game” to BioWare’s Anthem, “Best AR/VR Game” to Tetris Effect, and “Best RPG” to Kingdom Hearts III.

Unsurprisingly, the massively-popular Super Smash Bros. Ultimate took home “Best Fighting Game.”

Among non-playable games, a “Special Commendation for Graphics” was awarded to CD Projekt Red’s Cyberpunk 2077, Naughty Dog’s The Last of Us Part II, and Sucker Punch’s Ghost of Tsushima. The Last of Us Part II also received a “Special Commendation for Sound” and Cyberpunk 2077 also collected a “Special Commendation for Innovation.”

The full list of winners can be found after the break. (more…)

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Anthem nabs five nominations in Game Critics Awards’s Best of E3 2018 roundup

Every year, the Game Critics Awards, a consortium of more than 50 major publications that cover the video game industry, gets together to choose the best games at the E3 Expo. The nominees for “Best of E3 2018” were announced this morning, and BioWare’s Anthem lead the way with five nominations (including “Best of Show”).

From Software’s Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice is also in the running for “Best of Show,” and it’s standing close behind Anthem with four total nominations. After that, a mob of games collided in third place with three nominations apiece (including Battlefield V, Dreams, Marvel’s Spider-Man, Resident Evil 2, and Super Smash Bros. Ultimate). All but Battlefield V and Dreams are also up for “Best of Show.”

The PS4 was the most-honored platform with 58 nominations, followed by the PC (with 55), the Xbox One (with 51), and the Switch (with 10).

Several games that clicked with fans at home during the pre-E3 press conferences (including Cyberpunk 2077, Death Stranding, The Last of Us Part II, and many others) weren’t eligible for nomination because they weren’t available to play by the judging panel.

But most of those games will likely get another shot next year (especially since I expect to be old and gray before Death Stranding is released), and you can find all of this year’s nominees after the break. The winners will be announced this coming Monday, July 2. (more…)

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Dragon Ball FighterZ will be released for the Switch on September 28

Bandai Namco has announced that Dragon Ball FighterZ will be released for the Switch on September 28. But that’s not all.

Fans who pre-order Dragon Ball FighterZ on the Switch will receive instant access to SSGSS Goku and Vegeta at launch. And the publisher will also gift pre-order purchasers with a downloadable copy of Dragon Ball Z: Super Butoden (a Super NES game that was never released outside of Japan) as soon as you press the “Buy Now” button at your favorite online retailer.

And in case you missed it, you can view Dragon Ball FighterZ’s E3 Trailer from earlier this month after the break. (more…)

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E3 2018 Aftermath: Nobody “Won” This Year’s Expo Because It’s Obvious That Everybody Did

I don’t want to speak for the entire world, but I think it’s pretty safe to say that there’s no point in arguing about who “won” this year’s E3 Expo. Looking back at what each consolemaker and third-party publisher unveiled during their press conferences, it almost felt like Oprah had commandeered hosting duties for the entire week… you get a sequel… and you get a sequel… they get sequels… everybody gets a sequel!

Though I add that even though exciting new entries from nearly every long-running franchise dominated this year’s E3 Expo, there was also still plenty of new and unique stuff announced.

And while the three consolemakers spent the week firing on all cylinders, Nintendo especially drove this point home with their reveal of Super Smash Bros. Ultimate. After it became clear that every character from the franchise would be making a reappearance in Ultimate, Nintendo stopped on Solid Snake and threw a meme-ready “Everyone Is Here!” caption up on the screen.

For me, that’s what the entire Expo felt like this year. Like Tangina, the diminutive medium from Poltergeist, publishers and developers of all stripes let the world know that all are welcome… (more…)

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E3 2018 Aftermath: 9 Games That Were Missing In Action

E3 brings developers, journalists, and fans together for a celebration that is like the video game version of Christmas (or at least, it’s the day when we find out what to ask Santa for six months later).

And while there were so many projects announced, revealed, discussed, and dissected, some people still felt let down because the games they were pining to see were a no show. There were no brief teasers, no tiny morsels of information, just nothing. Radio silence from their developers.

So what were the biggest games you were disappointed you didn’t see at E3 2018? Because I have a few of my own… (more…)

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Sony showed off the first gameplay trailer for The Last of Us Part II at E3 2018

The 2018 E3 Expo may be over, but we’re still digging through all the huge announcements and trailers that dropped during the big show… like the first Gameplay Trailer for The Last of Us Part II.

Developer Naughty Dog has previously shown that the world of The Last of Us Part II can be a harsh place, and this bleakness is still very much present in the 12-minute Gameplay Trailer, but there’s also a bit of hope as Ellie is shown living something of a normal life in Jackson (and possibly even falling in love with a young woman named Dina). Oh, and the developer also squashed the “Joel is dead” rumors with a quick bit of dialogue at the beginning of the trailer.

Director Neil Druckmann talked a bit about what fans can expect to see in the trailer (and the full game) at the PlayStation Blog:

In The Last of Us Part II, Ellie is now 19 and has found a semblance of peace and normality living in Jackson. She’s had a chance to be a teenager and forge lasting relationships. When that peace is disrupted by a violent act, Ellie is thrust into a brutal journey of retribution, fueled by a need to bring those that have wronged her to justice, pushing her to her very limits.

From the way Ellie plays to the way she navigates through this hostile world, you’re going to feel her physical, emotional, and mental state expressed through every facet of gameplay. We’ve completely overhauled our engine, developed new combat mechanics, created a new analog stealth system, and revamped our animation system to fully express Ellie’s desperation, resourcefulness, and unique agility.

We’re also upping the stakes and tension of the world. Our environments are broader, more complex, and more detailed–bringing unprecedented realism, verticality, and player choice to the world of The Last of Us. The human enemies you’ll encounter are now more threatening and capable, using sophisticated communication and environmental awareness to create intense, more dynamic stealth and head-on combat encounters.

The Last of Us Part II is currently in development exclusively for the PS4, but a release date has yet to be announced.

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Gears of War franchise goes turn-based in the upcoming Gears Tactics

The 2018 E3 Expo may be over, but we’re still digging through all the huge announcements and trailers that dropped during the big show… like Microsoft’s announcement of Gears Tactics.

The Coalition’s Rod Fergusson got on stage at Microsoft’s E3 Briefing to talk about the turn-based strategy game, which is currently in development exclusively for the PC:

I’m excited to also announce a true Gears of War PC experience in a completely different genre, Gears Tactics. You create a whole new squad, 12 years before Gears of War 1, as they hunt the Locust monster-maker responsible for destroying whole cities. It’s our take on the classic turn-based strategy genre with a character-driven story, faster [and] more aggressive gameplay, a customizable squad and equipment, and of course, it wouldn’t be a Gears game without massive boss battles.

Gears Tactics is currently in development at Splash Damage, and Microsoft plans to announce more details about the game at a later date. The short teaser trailer from the Microsoft E3 Briefing has been embedded above.

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Nier: Automata is coming to the Xbox One on June 26

In case you missed it, Square Enix and Microsoft will bring Nier: Automata to the Xbox One on June 26 as Nier: Automata – Become As Gods Edition.

Invaders from another world attack without warning – unleashing the machine lifeforms. To break the deadlock, a new breed of android infantry is sent into the fray: the YoRHa squad. Highly-acclaimed and award-winning Nier: Automata is a fresh take on the action role-playing game (RPG) genre that gracefully blends mesmerizing action with a captivating story.

The Become As Gods Edition will include the original game and all previously-released downloadable content. This includes the 3C3C1D119440927 expansion with three additional sub-quests, as well as several cosmetic in-game items (“Grimoire Weiss Pod,” “Retro Grey Pod Skin,” “Retro Red Pod Skin,” “Cardboard Pod Skin,” and “Machine Mask Accessory”).

A trailer for the Nier: Automata – Become As Gods Edition has been embedded above.

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