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Marcus Fenix returns in Gears of War 4’s E3 2016 trailer and Windows 10 launch confirmed

Introduced on the E3 2016 stage by series co-creator Rod Fergusson, Microsoft’s latest Gears of War 4 trailer features a wild night on Sera with JD Fenix and friends as they battle a never-before-seen enemy. And be sure you watch until the end for the return of JD’s “old” man, Marcus Fenix.

Here’s what the Xbox Wire had to say about the new gameplay trailer:

The demo features JD Fenix and his friends Kait and Del as they fight for survival against ferocious new enemies amidst violent wind flares that bring new dynamic gameplay as they rip through the lands of Sera and alter the battlefield.

Gears of War 4 takes place in the course of one night as JD, Kait, and Del embark on a desperate mission to rescue the ones they love and discover a monstrous new threat. It’s a game that’s more intimate, but at the same time more epic and intense than any previous Gears game.

Gears of War 4 will be available on October 11 for the PC and Xbox One as part of Microsoft’s Play Anywhere program. That means player will receive both versions of the game with a single purchase, and be able to jump back and forth between versions with the same cloud save. Microsoft also promised to include cross-play between Xbox One and Windows 10 users for all co-op modes and 4K support on Windows 10.

Oh, and Horde Mode will return in Gears of War 4 with “new classes, skills and abilities tied to cards and more.”

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Nintendo announces Mario Party: Star Rush at E3 2016

Hey Nintendo fans, remember those new “Super Mario” Amiibo figures the company revealed a day ago? Well, they’re going to launch alongside a new entry in the Mario Party series on November 4… Mario Party: Star Rush.

The “Rush” part of the title is quite apt, as every player in Mario Party: Star Rush will be able to take their turn at the same time, a first for the series. Players will also recruit familiar Nintendo characters to help them conquer the map:

This new Mario Party game for Nintendo 3DS takes the fan-favorite series in new directions to make it more fast-paced and portable friendly. The main mode, “Toad Scramble,” uses a new open style of map that allows up to four players to move around freely instead of traditional linear space movements. Also, because the four players roll dice at the same time, players no longer have to wait for others to finish their turns. Players pick different-colored Toad characters to navigate the game map, and familiar characters from the Super Mario series are scattered all over the map. As players encounter these characters, they will help the player throughout the game.

Mario Party: Star Rush is in development for the 3DS, and you can watch an extended gameplay demonstration with from Nintendo Treehouse team after the break. (more…)

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Nintendo slaps an October 7 release date on Paper Mario: Color Splash

The Paper Mario series will return this Fall in Paper Mario: Color Splash for the Wii U. During this week’s E3 Expo, Nintendo announced that the game will be available on October 7. They also revealed the Koopalings will appear in the series for the first time as Mario tries to restore the missing colors to Prism Island:

In this new Paper Mario game, the story begins as Mario and friends arrive on Prism Island and need to solve the mystery surrounding Toad characters that have lost their color. Mario and his new partner Huey join forces to learn more about what is happening on Prism Island, and also to collect missing Paint Stars.

Nintendo’s Treehouse Live series took a deeper look at Paper Mario: Color Splash yesterday, and you can check out the entire 40-minute video after the break. (more…)

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See all six announced characters from Injustice 2 in this video

Ed Boon, the Creative Director at NetherRealm Studios, stopped by the PlayStation LiveCast studio yesterday to show off a little bit of Injustice 2 at the 2016 E3 Expo.

All six announced characters (Batman, Superman, Aquaman, Supergirl, Atrocitus, and Gorilla Grodd) get a chance to fight it out and the gameplay video even shines a spotlight on returning features like Super Moves, the Clash System, and stage transitions. Also, for the record, Aquaman still has the coolest Super Move… though Supergirl’s isn’t far behind.

Injustice 2 will be released for the PS4 and Xbox One sometime next year.

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Dragon Quest VII will be released for the 3DS on September 16

Nintendo and Square Enix have announced that Dragon Quest VII: Fragments of the Forgotten Past will be released for the 3DS on September 16. Fragments of the Forgotten Past is actually a remake of Dragon Warrior VII, which was the last game to carry the “Dragon Warrior” name when it was released in North America in 2001.

Developer by Artepiazza, the portable version of the game will include polygonal graphics for the first time and a completely revamped script. But the expansive job system (players can take on more than 30 different vocations) and the classic turn-based battles will remain unchanged.

The Nintendo Treehouse team sat down with developers from Artepiazza and Square Enix at this year’s E3 Expo. You can catch their chat, along with nearly 30 minutes of live gameplay, after the break. (more…)

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Xbox Store Today: Trials of the Blood Dragon, Monkey King Saga, E3 Demos

If you’re looking for new games on the Xbox Games Store this week, you won’t find much, but you will find a handful of new games and a few E3 demos that are definitely worth talking about.

First up is Trials of the Blood Dragon (Xbox One), Ubisoft and RedLynx’s mashup that combines “the top notch gameplay of Trials with the unique style and attitude of Blood Dragon.” That means players can expect a lot of side-scrolling stunt action set within a ridiculously over-the-top universe. But I guess that’s to be expected when your main character is named Rex Power Colt. Also available this week is Monkey King Saga (Xbox One), a top-down tower defense game based on the Journey to the West, one of history’s earliest novels.

However, if you’d rather try out a few free games this week, both id Software and WB Games have added new demos to the Xbox Games Store this week in honor of the E3 Expo. Doom was released a month ago, but anyone who skipped out on the gloriously gory first person shooter can try out the first level now. Meanwhile, Lego Star Wars: The Force Awakens will be released in two weeks, but fans can try it out now.

More information on both of this week’s new releases can be found after the break. (more…)

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Nintendo reveals more about how the world of Zelda: Breath of the Wild works… weapons, food, weather, secret Shrines, more

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It’s safe to say that The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild is like nothing fans of the franchise have ever seen before. And the game’s reveal trailer only scratched the surface of what’s possible in Link’s next adventure.

That includes the Shrines of Trials, magical areas hidden around Hyrule that’ll reward players with Spirit Orbs:

Shrines of Trials: More than 100 of these locations are scattered around the world for players to find, and in some cases finding the Shrines can be a puzzle in itself. As a result, Shrines offer more compact challenges that can be solved in a variety of ways. In order to earn a Spirit Orb from the monks who designed these challenges, players must overcome challenges or solve puzzles.

Shrines will also contain Runes, powerful items that grant special powers to Link:

Runes: While exploring Shrines, players can earn Runes. For instance, the Magnesis Rune can help Link lift and toss metal objects. The Remote Bomb has two different types of bombs: rolling spherical ones and cubical ones that stay in place. The Stasis Rune briefly stops moving objects, while the Cryonis Rune freezes water and causes an ice pillar to appear.

Link has always carried a large arsenal of weapons in his fight against Ganon, but Breath of the Wild will add breakable weapons to the series for the first time, and give Link the ability to temporarily slow time with special offensive and defensive maneuvers:

Weapons and Combat: The game contains a wide variety of weapons, many new to the series. Players must find weapons or take them from enemies, but weapons wear out as you use them. Players can also time offensive and defensive maneuvers to temporarily slow time and connect with a flurry of strikes against their opponent.

But perhaps the biggest chance to the Zelda formula is the addition of food consumption and changing weather. Instead of gathering Hearts, Link will search for fruits and vegetables or hunt animals for meat. Players can also experiment with different dishes to create a meal that provides a temporary boost. And with the changing weather patterns, Link will need all the help he can get. Especially since his sword can channel lightning:

Food: In another break with conventional gameplay for the series, players hoping to replenish their Hearts or score some easy Rupees will come up empty when they cut grass. Link can forage for a variety of foods in his environment, including apples and mushrooms. He can also hunt for food. Consuming uncooked foods gives him a modest health increase, but cooking different kinds of ingredients together will result in dishes with different effects, such as cold or heat resistance, for a limited amount of time.

Climate: From snowy areas to desert heat, Link must dress appropriately for the weather. If he needs to stay warm, he can don appropriate clothing, warm himself with a fiery torch or even eat food to maintain his body temperature and his health. Link also needs to be careful during lightning storms – if he is equipped with metal equipment during a downpour, he can find himself attracting deadly lightning bolts.

Finally, Breath of the Wild is compatible with three new Amiibo figures, as well as the Wolf Link figure from Twilight Princess HD.

There’s a lot more to digest with The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild, but we’ll have plenty of time until it’s released for the Wii U and NX sometime in 2017.

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See ship-to-ship combat IN SPACE from Infinity Ward’s Call of Duty: Infinite Warfare

Even though they’re one of the world’s most-profitable publishers, Activision doesn’t host their own E3 Press Conference. Instead, the company has always partnered with Microsoft or Sony to promote their latest projects on gaming’s biggest stage. Things weren’t any different this year as Sony presented a brand new gameplay trailer for Call of Duty: Infinite Warfare during their showcase.

In the trailer, fans of the franchise can watch as Call of Duty goes into space for the first time. Players will be able to take part in ship-to-ship dogfighting and even eject from their fighter to breach an enemy ship.

The trailer ends with a sneak peek at Call of Duty: Modern Warfare Remastered, along with an offer for PS4 owners to get it early. Anyone who pre-purchases the Digital Deluxe Edition or Legacy Edition of Infinite Warfare will receive access to Modern Warfare Remastered’s campaign on October 5. But even if you pre-purchase, you’ll have to wait until the official launch day to jump online in a multiplayer match.

Call of Duty: Infinite Warfare will be released for the PS4 on November 4. It’ll also be available for the PC and Xbox One (alongside Modern Warfare Remastered) on the same day.

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