Final Fantasy VII Remake had the big blowout it deserved at Square Enix’s E3 conference last night, which gave us our fair share of gameplay. One reveal during the event was that this first game would be covering just Midgar, yet would be two discs all on its own. This led us to wonder how many games total Final Fantasy VII Remake may be in the end, but it sounds like Square Enix isn’t even sure at this point.

The original Final Fantasy VII was split into three discs, with the Midgar portion taking quite awhile to play through. A lot of people had speculated that perhaps the remake would be split into two, with the first being Midgar and the second being the rest, but that may not be the case after a tweet from Kotaku’s Jason Schreier, who spoke with Final Fantasy VII Remake producer Yoshinori Kitase at E3.

This was followed by someone responding to Schreier saying that Square Enix certainly knows and just isn’t saying, in which he went further by saying “No they were very clear – Kitase said they’re in the process of planning out the scope for game 2 right now.”

It is very interesting to hear that they don’t even know how many parts the game will be at this point. This tells us that we probably won’t be seeing the second game for awhile now. Hopefully these won’t be spaced too far apart though, especially if there are more than two entries in the end.

Final Fantasy VII Remake releases exclusively for PS4 on March 3, 2020.

Super Mario Maker 2 is set to launch in only a matter of weeks, with the game looking better in almost every way than the already great first game. More recently, the game has received a lot of flack for the reveal that online multiplayer would be exclusively matchmaking, thus not allowing you to play with your friends online. We were hoping this might change in the future and Nintendo confirmed today that online multiplayer with friends would indeed be coming to Super Mario Maker 2 in the future.

Even with how much Nintendo has shown us about the game in the past, it was still a bit surprising how little they showed of it during their E3 Nintendo Direct this morning. The main reason for that though is that they saved it to show off during the Nintendo Treehouse segments after the fact, which mentioned the online multiplayer.

During this segment, it was revealed that Super Mario Maker 2 will be getting a post-launch update that will allow players to play with their friends online rather than only in random matchmaking. No timeline was given for this, though the way they spoke made it sound like it would be sooner rather than later after launch. Hopefully it is something we’ll get very soon after release, but at least we know it is indeed coming at some point.

Super Mario Maker 2 will release for Nintendo Switch on June 28.

The Legend of Zelda: Link’s Awakening remake for Nintendo Switch was first announced earlier this year, with Nintendo showing off even more during today’s E3 Nintendo Direct and the following Treehouse segment. In addition to all this new information about the game, a special edition of the game was announced as well known as The Legend of Zelda: Link’s Awakening Limited Edition.

This announcement was made by Nintendo of Europe, which revealed this great looking collection. Not only do you get the game itself, but also a steelbook that looks like an original Game Boy, which The Legend of Zelda: Link’s Awakening first debuted on back in the day. In addition, you also get a 120 page artbook as well. All of this then comes in a bigger box that looks fantastic, even though the final design could vary.

While this was announced for Europe, we have yet to get an announcement from Nintendo of America yet. While all the versions of The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild were released in the US, the special edition The Legend of Zelda: Majora’s Mask 3D never was released here, so there is a precedent for this. Hopefully we will get this one though, as we all know it would sell out very quickly and make Nintendo a lot of money without question.

The Legend of Zelda: Link’s Awakening will release for Nintendo Switch on September 20. Stay tuned for further details on if this edition ends up making it to the West and we will make sure to keep you posted if and when pre-orders go up for it.

Dragon Quest XI: Echoes of an Elusive Age released last September for PS4 and PC to rave reviews, though Nintendo Switch owners were left waiting for the previously announced version on that platform. The Square Enix E3 conference last night simply stated that the game was coming this fall, but the Nintendo Direct for E3 revealed that Dragon Quest XI: Echoes of an Elusive Age Definitive Edition S is coming to Nintendo Switch on September 27.

Rather than just being a port to the Nintendo Switch, Dragon Quest XI: Echoes of an Elusive Age Definitive Edition S is so much more than that. In Japan, the game also released for Nintendo 3DS with a top down classic 2D visual style that we never got in the West at all. This game includes that as an option for playing as well, which really pushes the idea of it being the definitive version.

Those who have complained about the soundtrack in the original will also be happy here, as this one will have a fully orchestrated soundtrack option to change it from the more classic style that the PS4 and PC releases had.

Look for Dragon Quest XI: Echoes of an Elusive Age Definitive Edition S to release for Nintendo Switch on September 27.

We first saw the release of amiibo alongside the release of Super Smash Bros. for Wii U, with an amiibo released for each and every playable fighter. With the addition of so many fighters in Super Smash Bros. Ultimate, this has led to many more characters being released as amiibo and there are still more to come. We already had release dates for upcoming amiibo next month and now eight more have been given release dates.

Following up on the release of Pokemon Trainer, Isabelle, and Pichu coming next month, four more amiibo are coming on September 20th, including three from the Super Smash Bros. Ultimate line with Squirtle, Ivysaur, and Snake The other is the Link’s Awakening amiibo we already told you about.

A couple months later in November, we will be getting amiibo for Incineroar, Chrom, and Simon Belmont. Lastly, we have the announcement and images for both Dark Samus and Richter for an unannounced month in 2020. It would be assumed these will come in the first few months, but there is no guarantee for that.

Not including the Fighter Pass characters of Joker, Hero, and Banjo-Kazooie, this concludes the base roster amiibo for Super Smash Bros. Ultimate. The question now is whether or not we would get additional amiibo for drastically different looking characters such as Princess Zelda, but that has yet to be announced in anyway at this point.

There might not be the amount of amiibo released as there once was a few years ago, but they are still steadily releasing them every few months. In addition to the various Super Smash Bros. Ultimate amiibo that are still releasing, Nintendo announced a brand new adorable amiibo for the upcoming The Legend of Zelda: Link’s Awakening.

Nintendo really surprised us during their Nintendo Direct earlier this year that announced The Legend of Zelda: Link’s Awakening as a remake of the original for Nintendo Switch. This Game Boy classic is one of the best in the series and people are really excited to see it return.

One of the first things people noticed about the game is the unique art style, which is very different from anything the series has ever done. This is on full display with the brand new amiibo announcement for the game that is seen in the image above.

The Link amiibo from The Legend of Zelda: Link’s Awakening is set to release alongside the game itself on September 20th, which is pretty common with new Nintendo releases.

If previous The Legend of Zelda series amiibo are any indication, you will want to lock down a preorder for this one as soon as it goes up, as they tend to sell out pretty quickly.

People were really hoping for the reveal of a brand new Banjo-Kazooie game during Xbox’s E3 conference on Sunday, but were left very disappointed yet again. That left the E3 Nintendo Direct as fans of the series’ last hope for seeing the duo return and they did not disappoint us like Xbox did, as Banjo-Kazooie was revealed as an upcoming DLC fighter for Super Smash Bros. Ultimate.

Banjo-Kazooie and Rare as a whole have a major history with Nintendo, as the first two entries in the series release for Nintendo 64 before Rare was acquired by Microsoft. Since that time, we’ve only gotten Banjo Kazooie: Nuts & Bolts for Xbox 360 and nothing else.

There have been rumors that Nintendo and Microsoft were playing very friendly behind the scenes as of late, with that being why Cuphead came to Switch, as well as a rumor that Ori and the Blind Forest coming as well.

This all culminated in the reveal trailer for the third DLC character in Super Smash Bros. Ultimate near the end of the E3 Nintendo Direct, which started off very similarly to the King K. Rool reveal from last year. In that reveal, they trolled us with King Dedede before showing King K. Rool. This time, we get Duck Hunt trolling us instead, but then it is revealed that Banjo-Kazooie is actually in the game.

The duo look great in action, pulling moves directly from the games of the past. The visual style is also just like the classic games and not the ugly Nuts & Bolts version. Banjo-Kazooie will also come with a Spiral Mountain stage, which looks like it should be a lot of fun.

Banjo-Kazooie will be coming to Super Smash Bros. Ultimate sometime in Fall 2019.

The No More Heroes franchise began on the Nintendo Wii with two well regarded entries before kind of dying off for awhile until Travis Strikes Again: No More Heroes earlier this year. While that game could be fun, it was very different from what the series have been before as a spin-off. We had hoped the game did well enough to get a full fledged sequel to the mainline games and Nintendo answered that question during their E3 Nintendo Direct with the reveal of No More Heroes III.

Starting off with a trailer, you might not have guessed this game was part of the No More Heroes franchise. The visuals look similar at first, but then quickly someone gets into a mech suit and flies into space to take on some sort of alien invaders.

Very quickly one of the mech suits comes off and we see the reveal of everybody’s favorite bad boy Travis Touchdown, confirmed this is indeed a new No More Heroes game. We don’t really get to see much of the game, but this trailer serves as more of a way to get us hyped for what is to come.

No More Heroes III will be coming exclusively to Nintendo Switch sometime in 2020.

Square Enix is having a major presence during Nintendo’s ongoing E3 Direct with reveals involving Dragon Quest teaming up with Super Smash Bros. Ultimate, but that is not all. Another rumor that has been around for awhile was that the Japanese only Collection of Mana would be finally coming to the West, which was confirmed during the Nintendo Direct.

Collection of Mana comes with the first three original games in the series, Final Fantasy Adventure, Secret of Mana, and the one game that has never released in the West, Seiken Densetsu 3, known as Trials of Mana here.

This collection is something that people have been asking for for awhile in the West, because we have never had the opportunity to play the third game whatsoever to this point without importing it. To have all three in one collection definitely helps with what are harder to obtain games.

Making this even better was the reveal at the very end that Collection of Mana will be available later today on the Nintendo eShop. That means there will be no more waiting, as you can get it as soon as it is put on the store. A physical release of the game will not be coming until August 27, so you’ll have to get if digitally if you want it today.

As it turns out, all SE has to do is show off Final Fantasy, Dragon Quest and other JRPGs for it to do well. And when Marvel’s Avengers is also revealed? Magnificent.

Here is the good and bad (there was nothing ugly about this show) of the Square Enix E3 showcase:

The Good

Final Fantasy VII Remake

I’m not the biggest fan of Final Fantasy VII, but I’d be lying I said this remake didn’t look amazing.

As detailed in a recent trailer, battles take place in real-time, allowing characters to move and attack freely. However, the developers saw fit to include the ATB guage, which rises over time, allowing access to more powerful attacks and spells when it fills.

By including both, players will be able to approach battles tactically — something that they’ll appreciate when fighting bosses. If the Guard Scorpion boss is indicative of the bosses in Final Fantasy VII Remake, players will have to take advantage of weaknesses, weak points and positioning to come out ahead.

Oh, and we finally got our first look at Tifa and Sephiroth in action, both of whom look positively brilliant.

Final Fantasy VII Remake comes out for the PlayStation 4 on March 3, 2020.

Dragon Quest Builders 2

At long last, Dragon Quest Builders 2!

In a game blending elements from Minecraft and the core Dragon Quest series, the player will embark on a multi-island journey where they’re tasked with taking down an evil cult who has captured the builders and banned building and cooking.

Naturally, players will have an assortment of new tools to reach this end, such as flying and underwater travel, co-op play, and fast-travel. It’s also got buildable cars and enhanced combat.

In short, it has more of everything a fan would want: more action, more building, and of course, more fun.

Dragon Quest Builders 2 arrives on the PlayStation 4 and Nintendo Switch on July 12, 2019.

Romancing SaGa

Be honest: how many of you remember Romancing SaGa 3 and SaGa Scarlet Grace were expected to arrive in the West?

Hell, you wouldn’t even be blamed if you forgot it existed at all.

Fortunately, it seems that Square Enix didn’t forget either detail, reconfirming that SaGa 3 and Scarlet Grace are indeed a thing and will be coming to the West.

It’s slated to arrive for the PlayStation 4, PlayStation Vita, Nintendo Switch, Xbox One, PC and Mobile, but word is still out on when it will actually arrive.

Final Fantasy 8 Remastered

Believe it or not, there were two things particularly surprising about this announcement.

First off, Square Enix didn’t forget that Final Fantasy 8 actually exists, and opted to bring it to modern platforms.

Second, it’s coming out in 2019 for the PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch and PC.

Crazy world.

Marvel’s Avengers

After an eternity of waiting, the Avengers are ready to assemble before the world.

We still don’t know much about gameplay, but we do know the game is set to take place five years after A-Day, a day that was supposed to celebrate the opening of the Avenger’s West Coast Headquarters, but became one of tragedy after their ship was hijacked and destroyed, killing thousands of people in the nearby area. It was their greatest failure, and that moment turned Captain America, Iron Man, Black Widow, Thor and the Hulk into outlaws.

Despite that though, the five will need to reform their once-disbanded team in order to confront a new threat that his risen to power in their absence.

As you might have realized, this is an original story, but there will be iconic moments from the larger cinematic universe. A big part of this universe will be comprised of DLC, but developer Crystal Dynamics promised they’ll all be free.

Marvel’s Avengers is due out on May 15, 2020, for the PlayStation 4, Xbox One and PC. A beta will be available on PS4 for players who pre-order.

The Bad

Kingdom Hearts 3 Re:Mind

What was once one of the most-anticipated Kingdom Hearts titles, has become the series’ most divisive, and Square Enix is doing everything it can to piece everything back together.

The first attempt came in the form of Critical Mode, and the second is DLC titled, Re:Mind.

We don’t know much about it for the time being, but we clearly see that it will feature a playable Aqua, Roxas and Riku, as well as a new transformation, Oathkeeper, for Sora. And from what director Tetsuya Nomura has mentioned, more content such as an extra boss will be added too.

Honestly, it’s a laudable effort, but much of what made Kingdom Hearts 3 so disappointing for many were things already in the base game that a DLC can’t fix.

Can Kingdom Hearts 3 be fixed? We’ll have to wait until this Winter to find out.

Dying Light 2

Shown twice, burned twice.

One would assume that after being shown during Microsoft’s press event, a repeat appearance would warrant more information or gameplay, right?

Nope! All we saw this time around was footage from the most recent trailer, along with some stuff from the initial one.

There’s some cool stuff going on, like how the player has to constantly keep track of how far their infection has progressed, or how UV can be used to keep humans from turning. But surely it wouldn’t hurt to show actual gameplay during at least one of the presentations?

The Ugly

Nothing! It was a beautiful presentation. Judging from Square Enix’s trend though, next year’s showcase might be a nightmare.

Finale

That’s it for the good, bad and ugly of Square Enix’s E3 event. What were your favorite (and least favorite) parts of the event? Do you think Square Enix did a good job overall? Leave your thoughts in the comments below.

Marvel’s Avengers has been one of the most anticipated games for a lot of people for awhile now, especially after the success of Marvel’s Spider-Man last year. That is why Square Enix chose to close out their first live E3 conference in a number of years with the game, where they revealed one platform will have some exclusive benefits over the others.

Near the end of the presentation involving Marvel’s Avengers, it was revealed that PS4 owners will receive some sort of unique benefits involved with the game, though they did not go into details about that would mean. However, they did go a step further to reveal that PS4 owners will have early beta access to the game when the beta is ready to go.

The term unique benefits is definitely different from the usual terminology of “exclusive content,” so you have to wonder what they mean. This partnership between Square Enix and Sony is nothing we haven’t seen before in a game like this, as games like Destiny and such have had plenty of exclusive content.

With the way Marvel’s Avengers is setup, it’s likely that these unique benefits could be in the form of different costumes or something, but we’ll have to wait and see what Square Enix has up their sleeve closer to the release of the game on May 15, 2020.

Square Enix revealed a long time ago now that Crystal Dynamics and Eidos were working on an Avengers game, which Square Enix announced would finally be unveiled at E3. That very reveal came during Square Enix’s E3 conference, which revealed the game to the public with lots of information.

Marvel’s Avengers starts on Avengers Day, a celebration in San Francisco that turns deadly and leads the Avengers to be disbanded. Five years later, the story picks up where the Avengers have to come back together against a major enemy force that shows up.

Similar to Marvel’s Spider-Man, story plays a major role here and it looks like it is going to be an emotional journey with the different characters coping with the aftermath of Avengers Day.

Marvel’s Avengers has a major cast too behind it with five major names voicing the Avengers. This includes Nolan North as Tony Stark/Iron Man, Troy Baker as Bruce Banner/Hulk, Laura Bailey as Natasha Romanoff/Black Widow, Jeff Schine is Steve Rogers/Captain America, and Travis Willingham is Thor.

The game is very story driven and is designed for up to four player co-op, but can be experienced solo as well. There will be additional post-launch heroes and regions to get as well, but they will not be hidden behind lootboxes or anything and will be completely free.

Marvel’s Avengers will release on May 15, 2020 for PS4, Xbox One, PC, and Stadia.

Marvel’s Avengers: A-Day Official Trailer E3 2019

Final Fantasy VII Remake has been the most anticipated Final Fantasy related project entering E3 this year, with us finally getting more information and the release date. What we certainly weren’t seeing coming though was the return of its original followup in Final Fantasy VIII, but Square Enix surprised us all with the reveal of Final Fantasy VIII Remaster.

While not a full remake like Final Fantasy VII, getting Final Fantasy VIII Remastered is a major deal for fans of this underrated PlayStation classic. In recent years, we’ve gotten ports for Final Fantasy VII and Final Fantasy IX from that generation on multiple platforms that were based on the PC releases from the past.

There was talk that something had happened with the source code on Final Fantasy VIII, so it makes sense that we’d get more of a remaster than a flat out port with the PC enhancements. The game obviously is not remade from the ground up though, so you cannot expect the visual level of Final Fantasy VII Remake.

With all the recent Final Fantasy re-releases, it’s great to see Final Fantasy VIII finally joining in on the party. With all the changes the series has seen in recent entries, this would be a good time for people to try out what was one of the most different at the time and perhaps it will reach a whole new audience that missed out on the game in the past.

Final Fantasy VIII Remastered will release sometime in 2019 for PS4, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch, and PC.

Final Fantasy VII Remake got the big blowout treatment tonight during Square Enix’s E3 conference, including plenty of gameplay that looked fantastic. This all ended with the reveal of multiple editions for Final Fantasy VII Remake, including a collector’s version known as the 1st Class Edition.

Starting with the Deluxe Edition, you will not only get the case, but also a special steelbook case, an art book, and a mini soundtrack CD. No price was given yet for this, but usually editions like this are $10 to $20 more than the basic version.

On top of that, Square Enix also announced the Final Fantasy VII Remake 1st Class Edition, which will be an exclusive to the Square Enix online store. This version is pretty much the same thing as the Deluxe Edition, but you will also get a Play Arts Kai Cloud Strife and Hardy Daytona figure.

Due to the figure, this version is much more expensive, retailing for $329.99 on the Square Enix Store, which you can now pre-order right here.

We saw something similar to this with both Dragon Quest 11 and Kingdom Hearts 3 having Square Enix Store exclusive collector’s editions, so it’s no real surprise to see that happening again here.

Tom Clancy’s The Division 2 was one of Ubisoft’s biggest releases this past year, serving as a solid sequel to the original. Ubisoft has had plans to expand beyond just the game industry with this franchise though, with a movie previously being announced and they had some big news to reveal about the project at E3 2019.

Ubisoft held their E3 2019 conference this afternoon and featured a lot of information about not only The Division 2, but also games like Watch Dogs Legion and Tom Clancy’s Ghost Recon Breakpoint. They also moved beyond gaming with new information about Tom Clancy’s The Division movie information.

It was previously revealed that Jessica Chastain and Jake Gyllenhaal were going to be starring in the movie, which were definitely two major gets for the movie as two of the biggest stars in Hollywood. Ubisoft’s big reveal during the presentation today though was that Netflix had acquired the rights to The Division movie.

This means that rather than a theatrical run, The Division movie will instead be coming exclusively to Netflix. This news can be seen as both a good and bad thing. The good news is that the likelihood of the movie actually happening is probably higher, as theatrical movies tend to get in development hell a lot more often. However, this also means the movie will not be a big budget spectacle either that could have been enjoyed best on a big screen otherwise.

Either way, we’ll have to see if The Division can continue the trend of solid video game movies that we’ve seen that have included Tomb Raider, Rampage, and most recently Detective Pikachu.

It started off strong with Watch Dogs: Legion, but unless you were a big fan of Tom Clancy-branded titles, you could have left and not missed a thing. It wasn’t a bad presser necessarily, but it wasn’t exciting.

So, without further adieu, here’s the good, bad and ugly of Ubisoft at E3 2019:

The Good

Watch Dogs: Legion

Watch Dogs is back and it looks like your means to complete your objective will be a communal effort.

Taking place in a post-Brexit London, the country is in total disorder with an authoritarian regime in charge, filling the skies with armed drones and armed soldiers walking through the streets.

Fortunately, you won’t be fighting against this regime alone, you’ll be one of many — part of a resistance force known as DeadSec. Anyone — even an old lady — can be a part of this resistance force, and they all have their own unique talents that will better suit them in different scenarios. Furthermore, they have their own backstories and special quests to undertake.

Watch Dogs: Legion is due out for the PlayStation 4, Xbox One and PC on March 6, 2020

Tom Clancy’s Ghost Recon: Breakpoint

Ghost Recon is returning to its roots, once again focusing on single-player — at least as far as the latest entry, Breakpoint, is concerned.

As actor John Bernthal detailed, his unit, the Wolves, are the toughest military unit in the world, and they will complete any mission they’re assigned. And as the name of his unit implies, members operate in packs, with this being reflected in the gameplay by players taking along AI-controlled teammates.

It wasn’t the most stellar of announcements, mind you, but this change has been something fans have requested for awhile, so its nice to see Ubisoft give them what they wanted.

Tom Clancy’s Rainbow Six: Quarantine

A new Rainbow Six is coming and players will be going up against a virus.

Before continuing, this won’t be a replacement for the ever-popular Siege. Rather, it will work complement it.

Unfortunately, we’re only left to speculate over the nature of the game since there’s barely any information about it. For now, all we know is that it’s a Tactical 3-player PvE Co-Op that will do to the genre similar to what Siege has done to PvP.

Lofty aspirations, to be sure, so let’s just hope it pans out well.

The Bad

Mythic Quest

Who doesn’t love “Always Sunny’s” Rob McElhenney?

No one, that’s who.

Unfortunately his charm wasn’t enough to sell me on Mythic Quest, a sitcom that parodies the world of video game development.

Don’t get me wrong — with the minds of Sunny veterans Charlie Day and Megan Ganz, as well as McElhenney starring as the main character, you know the show is going to be an absolute riot.

The problem? It’s exclusive to Apple Plus TV, and is expected to air sometime this fall.

Yet Another Subscription Service

After having my hopes for an “Always Sunny” video game dashed, Ubisoft decided to twist the knife by making another announcement involving another subscription service — it’s own.

Called UPlay Plus, players will be able to pay $14.99 per month to gain access to new releases later this year, such as Watch Dogs: Legion and Ghost Recon: Breakpoint, along with more than 100 existing Ubisoft games, at launch.

In addition, subscribers will be automatically entered into Ubisoft-related betas and early access programs.

And to sweeten the deal, Ubisoft is granting free access, for a limited time, to those who sign up over the next two months

Honestly, it’s not a bad offer — especially since the games come with all their DLC, but it’s just telling of the times that subscription services are the “in” thing right now.

The Ugly

Nothing particularly ugly this year, but one does have to wonder why Ubisoft decided to reveal it’s most intriguing titles first.

Finale

That’s it for the good, bad and ugly of Ubisoft’s E3 event. What were your favorite (and least favorite) parts of the event? Do you think Ubisoft did a good job overall? Leave your thoughts in the comments below.

Ubisoft surprised us all at E3 last year with the announcement that all of the DLC for Tom Clancy’s The Division 2 would be coming to the game for free, rather than requiring a season pass of any sort. We’ve had a few content updates since launch back in March, but Ubisoft gave us the full breakdown of the upcoming Year One content for The Division 2 during their E3 conference today that even takes us outside of Washington D.C.

Arriving in July is Episode 1 titled D.C. Outskirts: Expeditions, which takes you outside of the city and into the woodlands surrounding it to visit areas like a presidential compound and the National Zoo.

Episode 2 is titled Pentagon: The Last Castle and will be arriving this fall. The Pentagon has been taken over by the Black Tusks, which introduces a second eight player raid into the mix yet again.

Lastly, they revealed a trailer for the upcoming third episode that will be titled Coney Island: Homecoming. This one takes you completely away from D.C. and back closer to the setting for the first game as you go to Coney Island. This update will be coming in early 2020, so we have awhile to wait for that one. In the meantime, check out the trailer for it below.

Tom Clancy’s The Division 2 E3 2019 Episode 3 Teaser Trailer

Tom Clancy’s The Division 2 released back in March and is just about to get an influx of new content with the upcoming year one content that starts next month. Ahead of that release, Ubisoft is giving players a chance to try out the game for no cost whatsoever with an upcoming free play weekend.

Ubisoft announced the upcoming free play weekend for The Division 2 during their E3 2019 conference that was just held this afternoon. This revealed that players will be able to try out The Division 2 completely free this coming weekend from June 13 through June 16.

This free play weekend will be available for everyone on Xbox One, PS4, and PC, so make sure to take advantage as early as possible to get as much playtime with the game as you can while it is free.

In addition, the game is currently on sale for up to 40% off and will be through June 24th, so you can buy the game after trying it out. Making it even better, your progression is also carried over from the free play weekend as well, so you can play to your hearts content this weekend before purchasing.

Don’t miss out on The Division 2’s free play weekend from June 13 through June 16.

Game subscription services are all the rage these days, with services out there such as Xbox Game Pass and EA Play offering tons of games for a monthly subscription price. We had heard some rumblings as of recent that Ubisoft would be joining the party and they confirmed that at E3 with the reveal of Uplay+.

Uplay+ is a game subscription service that will launch first for PC in September 2019 and feature more than 100 of your favorite Ubisoft games like The Division 2 and Assassin’s Creed Odyssey, as well as access to the upcoming beta for Ghost Recon Breakpoint.

When Uplay+ launches on September 3, 2019 for PC, it will cost $14.99 per month to get access to each of these games, which is a good bit more expensive than its competitors so far. There are a lot of modern and classic games include though, so your mileage may vary on whether or not it’s worth it to you.

That wasn’t it for the announcement though, as Ubisoft also revealed that Uplay+ would be coming to other platforms in 2020, with the only one named being Stadia. Google’s Stadia is definitely becoming a pretty prominent name at E3, so it’s really interesting to see the big publishers getting involved with the streaming only platform.

For those interested, you can pre-register for Uplay+ at uplay.com right now.

The Just Dance franchise making an appearance at E3 has become as much of a sure thing as series such as Call of Duty and FIFA. Now celebrating its 10 year anniversary, Ubisoft revealed Just Dance 2020 during it’s 2019 E3 conference with another dance break like in past years.

Rather than kicking off the show with the series, Ubisoft decided to hold Just Dance 2020’s reveal for the middle of the show this year. In this section we got a dance party on stage to Panic! at the Disco’s “High Hopes” among a few other songs.

However, there was really no new information revealed about the game itself in this segment outside of a release month and platforms, with Ubisoft quickly moving onto the next game. The platform reveal though was rather interesting for a couple reasons.

The release month is not a major surprise, with it set to release in November. The surprise though is with the platforms. PS4, Xbox One, and Nintendo Switch are not surprises at all, but in addition Just Dance 2020 was revealed for Stadia and the Nintendo Wii. Yes, the Nintendo Wii that first released in 2006 and has been out of production for years now and not the Wii U.

Just Dance has always had a big history with the Wii, as it was what helped to propel the series to be successful. This is similar to how the FIFA series still released for PS2 for years beyond the life of that console, so it’ll be interesting to see how much longer Ubisoft keeps this one coming.

Looks for Just Dance 2020 to release in November for PS4, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch, Stadia, and Wii.

Just Dance 2020 – Official Song List: Part 1

It has been a few years since Watch Dogs 2 released, but there have been rumors for years about a London setting for the next game. This was finally revealed during the Ubisoft 2019 E3 conference today, with a very interesting game mechanic being confirmed as well in the form of permadeath.

Rather than having a specific protagonist like the previous two games, Watch Dogs Legion instead introduces an entire resistance of characters that you can play as during the game in a London that has been taken over by extremists.

Just like was leaked last week, you can switch between various characters in the game, rather than just having one player to play as in the game, which is definitely a departure from the past entries. The gameplay segment shown during the conference shows how these playable characters can die while playing, with them being permanently dead at that point too. At this point, you have to select a different character to play as after that point from the population found in the game.

This is something we never really see in gaming, so hopefully it will be executed as well as it appears in the gameplay videos shown during the conference. An idea like this is certainly ambitious, so we’ll have to wait and see when the game releases on March 6, 2020.

Watch Dogs Legion E3 2019 Gameplay Walkthrough

With Assassin’s Creed appearing to be taking the year off again, people were speculating forever that we’d finally get a third Watch Dogs game this year in its place. After many leaks and rumors as of recent, Ubisoft confirmed the title of Watch Dogs Legion last week. During their E3 conference, they have now given the game its grand reveal, complete with a release date.

As has been teased for years now, Watch Dogs Legion takes place in London. However, this world in Watch Dogs Legion is much more dystopian than we’re used to from the previous two games in the series. Extremists have taken over the town, so hackers have now taken over as part of a resistance with multiple playable characters.

The darker tone definitely felt much more like the first game in some ways than the over the top sequel, but there’s still some comedy to be found in the dialogue for sure here.

During the big reveal to kick off the Ubisoft 2019 E3 conference, it was revealed that Watch Dogs Legion will be coming on March 6, 2020. This fits right in the slot that games like The Division 2 and Ghost Recon Wildlands have filled in recent years, which has been a good release spot for Ubisoft.

Watch Dogs Legion E3 2019 Official World Premiere Trailer

Most of what it did show were either games that we knew about or updates for pre-existing titles, so there wasn’t too much to be surprised over. That said, all it needed to show was Doom Eternal and offer a release date, which it did; so while the event was relatively lackluster, that reveal was no-doubt a beautiful, gory win.

As for everything else? Well, here is the good, bad and ugly of Bethesda’s E3 2019 event:

The Good

The Elder Scrolls: Blades

Announced during E3 2018, The Elder Scrolls: Blades is finally coming out for mobile platforms tonight.

It also happens to be free, so if you happen to like The Elder Scrolls, then you lose nothing by taking a swing at this.

Oh, it’s also set to come to the Nintendo Switch in the Fall, and your progress can be transferred, so that’s definitely something to look forward to.

Ghostwire: Tokyo

After establishing itself as one of the go-to studios for horror titles, Tango Gameworks is pivoting and delving into action-adventure.

Don’t let that fool you though — Ghostwire: Tokyo is definitely spooky, featuring a Tokyo whose citizens have started to suddenly disappear due to the work of a “strange, new evil.”

Your job? Use a host of spectral abilities to figure out what’s going on.

It’s certainly an intriguing premise, and it’s definitely a nice change of pace to be placed in a horror-filled setting and not be forced to run from everything.

Unfortunately, there’s no release window just yet.

The Bad

Whether it was confusing announcements or lazy releases, it’s clear that this wasn’t Bethesda at its best.

Fallout 76

Fallout 76 had a tumultuous first year, but it looks like Bethesda is looking to turn things around during its second.

Coming this year is Wastelanders, a free expansion that brings a plethora of new additions to the game, including dialogue trees and NPCs; as well as Nuclear Winter, a 52-player battle royale mode.

Honestly, I don’t have much to say about the battle royale addition because the mode is low-hanging fruit, but how ridiculous is it that we’re finally getting Fallout staples after a year? The game explains it by saying that everyone’s work in the Appalachian Wasteland has encouraged NPCs to repopulate the area, but I don’t buy it.

It’s great that those who stuck around can finally play the game they envisioned when rumors of a Fallout MMO first emerged, but this is all stuff that should have been in from the onset.

Better late than never, I suppose.

Too Much Focus On Smartphones

What does The Elder Scrolls: Blades, Commander Keen and The Elder Scrolls: Legends have in common?

They’re mobile games!

Regardless of whether you love mobile games or not, one has to wonder why Bethesda spent so much time during its conference discussing them. You’re at a conference populated by people with high-end PCs and/or current-gen consoles, and this is what you bring? This is what you build up hype for?

Really?

Orion

It seems Bethesda is investing in streaming tech and decided E3 would be a great place to announced it.

Why?

Again, you’re at a conference filled with people with high-end PCs and/or current-gen consoles, so what do you do? Showcase something most people don’t really care about? Bold move.

The worst part about this is that the showcase assumes the streamer would be in areas with high bandwidth. What happens when someone uses the tech in the middle of nowhere? I don’t know, and Bethesda probably doesn’t know either.

The Ugly

Doom Eternal

What can I say? Hideous demons. Non-stop action. Endless gore.

This is what fans have come to expect from the Doom franchise, and Doom Eternal has delivered in spades. And if that isn’t enough, the multiplayer, Battlemode, looks equally brutal, allowing one slayer to go up against two demons with different abilities.

Pre-orders will include the “Rip and Tear Pack,” which includes the “Doot Revenant Skin,” “Throwback Shotgun Weapon Skin,” and “Bonus Campaign Master Level.”

On top of that a Deluxe Edition featuring a “Year One Pass” (includes two downloadable contents), “Demonic Slayer Skin,” and the “Classic Weaposn Sound Pack” will also be available, while a Collector’s Edition will double down on those goodies by further adding an exclusive Steelbook designed by Mondo, “The Gift of Argent Power” 11×17-inch lithograph, lore book by id Software and wearable Doom Slayer helmet.

Doom Eternal is due out for the PlayStation 4, Nintendo Switch, Xbox One and PC on Nov. 22.

Finale

That’s it for the good, bad and ugly of Bethesda’s E3 event. What were your favorite (and least favorite) parts of the event? Do you think Bethesda did a good job overall? Leave your thoughts in the comments below.

With games like Cyberpunk 2077, Battletoads and Phantasy Star Online 2, fans certainly have something to be excited about; though, honestly, the event as a whole didn’t seem to be good as last year’s. Well, at any rate, here are the good, bad and ugly of Microsoft’s E3 2019 event:

The Good

Cyberpunk 2077

Cyberpunk 2077 is back and it looks like Keanu Reeves will be joining the fun!

The presentation focused mostly on the protagonist, V, a fully customizable character, and how your choices during an early event will have an impact on his friends’ fate.

Honestly, we’ve seen so much of this game thanks to a 50-minute gameplay demonstration at last year’s E3 and Gamescom, that all we’ve really wanted was a release date, and CD Projekt Red and Reeves were more than willing to share — April 16, 2020.

Cyberpunk 2077 will release on the PlayStation 4, Windows PC, and Xbox One.

Battletoads

Battletoads has achieved meme status in recent years, so Microsoft finally wised up and commissioned Dlala Studios to make a new one.

Technically, we already knew about its existence since 2018, but we were treated to gameplay this time around, blending the nostalgic fast-paced and zany gameplay with a handcrafted and equally zany aesthetic.

And speaking of nostalgia, word is still out on whether it will be as difficult as the original.

Oh, word is also still out on when it arrives.

Tales of Arise

At long last, we have a new Tales game coming to consoles — Tales of Arise.

We actually knew about this in advance due to a leak, but it’s still exciting nonetheless. Not only because of the announcement, mind you, but also since Bandai Namco is finally giving the series a graphics overhaul — something it desperately needed.

Unfortunately, we don’t know much about the characters, plot or what kind of adjustments will be made to Tales’ combat system, but I’m sure more will be revealed in the near future. Perhaps Tokyo Game Show?

That said, we do at least know its coming in 2020 for the PlayStation 4, Xbox One and PC.

The Bad

Before continuing, it’s worth mentioning that the following titles look great. The issue here is that their trailers didn’t really do them justice — we left with the same level of information we came in with.

The Outer Worlds

We had our first look at Obsidian Entertainment’s The Outer Worlds during The Game Awards 2018, and it’s looking like everything we’ve come to expect from the developer.

Unfortunately, this years showing didn’t expand much upon what we already knew: it’s a player-driven story that takes place on-board a colonist ship at the furthest reaches of the galaxy. You were in hibernation, but awoke to find yourself in the midst of a plot to that threatens to leave the ship in shambles. And, as expected, your choices will depend on the way the story unfolds.

We saw some sparse amounts of gameplay this time around, but nothing really worth mentioning.

At least it confirmed a release date: Oct. 25, 2019

Dying Light 2

After so much anticipation, I can’t find the words to express how disappointed I found this trailer to be.

Sure, we we were offered a premise, but it’s really not all too different from what was presented in the original — an infected young man trapped in a city that’s falling apart due to a disease. In fact, we got more from the first viewing than this one!

To its credit, some parts of the trailer do suggest that some zombies will be more dynamic, with some being able to latch on to the player even as they’re climbing.

Beyond that though? Nothing.

Dying Light 2 is due out for the PlayStation 4, Xbox One and PC in Spring 2020.

The Ugly

Gears of War 5

What a trailer.

For those unaware of the context, protagonist Kate Diaz is currently in possession of a medallion that gave her visions of the Locust Queen — as well as change her personality, apparently.

What do these visions mean? What is her connection to the Locust? In Gears of War 5, Marcus Fenix will help her find out.

She better hope they find those answers too. Seriously, look at her — it’s like her head’s splitting.

Fortunately, we won’t have to wait too long to find out if she does, as Gears of War 5 is set to arrive on Sept. 10.

Finale

That’s it for the good, bad and ugly of Microsoft’s Xbox E3 event. What were your favorite (and least favorite) parts of the event? Do you think Microsoft did a good job overall? Leave your thoughts in the comments below.

The official E3 2019 weekend kickoff is underway and first up to show off some games is none other than EA with their EA Play. Of course the very first game that they gave us was the much anticipated Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order and with a 13 minute trailer of breathtaking visuals and gameplay, this is shaping up to be one of the most ambitious titles in the series history.

The demo starts off with the protagonist, Kestis, sleuthing his way around the environment with is little droid buddy BD-1 , who will no doubt be the most popular part of the game. As he traverses the path, he also uses various force powers to navigate his way into a prison on the Wookie planet Kashyyk. This includes using Force Pull to bring a tree vine his way so he can swing onto another platform, and Force Push to create an opening to another hallway.

Even more exciting is that Kestis also brings out his inner Nathan Drake as he climbs walls and even does some wall running which brought back memories of Titanfall. Once Kestits does engage enemies in combat, he doesnt hold back with his abilities, and this also means using the lightsaber. Right away, the third person camera view mixed with some roll dodging made us remember the times we freaked out during out Dark Souls and Bloodborne playthroughs, and this combat style looks like it borrows some of those mechanics.

However, Kestis has a lot more as his disposal, he can use Force Speed to nearly stop time and run around his opponents to catch them off guard, or for laughs pull a Stormtrooper into one of their blasts from their rifles. Lastly, Kestis can maximize his Force Pull by grabbing his enemies and slicing through them with the lightsaber, making for a cruel end for anyone unfortunate to be on the receiving end.

We also got to see Kestis take on a couple of mid-level bosses, Darktroopers who wielded double sided plasma spears. They both appeared to have a stamina bar, as each time they were hit the bar decreased in length before leaving their health bar open for attacks. This also applies to Kestis, who has his own bar, as well as some stim packs to heal himself. The demo ends with a giant robot charging over to Kestis who readies his lightsaber to counterattack.

Overall, we were very impressed with this demo, and it shows just how far the development has come for Respawn Entertainment. If the final product is anything like this Alpha showing, then we can’t wait to get our hands on it later this year when it comes out. Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order launches on November 15 for the PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and PC.

You can check out the gameplay demo here:

Monster Hunter fans got a taste of the franchise’s future with the reveal and demonstration of Monster Hunter: World at E3 2017 earlier this week, and now it looks like we’ll get to have an even greater taste as the off-screen recording of the behind closed doors presentation for the game has been leaked online.

The 22-minute presentation for Monster Hunter: World appeared on Chinese video sharing website Bilibili. It should be noted that the video was shot from an off-screen angle and the quality isn’t all too good, however, it does provide viewers with a chance to see more of the upcoming title.

Monster Hunter: World, directed by Kaname Fujioka and Yuya Tokuda, is set to be the next mainline entry in the series. Unfortunately for Nintendo fans who have long enjoyed exclusive access to the series since its introduction to said family of consoles in 2009, World will only be available for the PlayStation 4, Xbox One and PC, thus leaving them more than a little annoyed with Capcom. However, deciding to forgo Nintendo exclusivity and bring the series to a wider audience could be the “necessary evil” need for Capcom to make the series more recognizable and popular in the West where it has failed to find a solid foothold.

Monster Hunter: World is set for a worldwide in early 2018. The PlayStation 4 and Xbox One versions will arrive first, while the PC version will arrive some time after.

In the span of a few short weeks, Capcom has announced not one, but two new entries in the franchise: Monster Hunter XX for the Switch and Monster Hunter World for the PS4, Xbox One and PC. With two new games on the horizon, one would think Monster Hunter fans would be excited, right?

Well, not entirely. If said fan happens to be a Nintendo fan in the U.S., then they’re likely to be pretty upset at this point. Why? Because for the first time in nearly a decade, Monster Hunter might not be available for any Nintendo system in the West.

To understand their current frustration, you must understand the series’ history. Monster Hunter was introduced to the PlayStation 2 in 2004 and remained exclusively for the Sony family of systems until 2009 when Monster Hunter G was ported to the Wii (JP only) and Monster Hunter Tri was released for the Wii. Since then, with the exception of Monster Hunter Portable 3rd (JP only) for the PlayStation Portable and PlayStation 3, the series has been a Nintendo staple. In fact, much of the success of the Nintendo 3DS can be attributed to the popular franchise.

Despite its success on Nintendo’s platforms, it seems that Capcom is willing to forgo its traditional fans and make a serious push with the series in the West by making Monster Hunter World — the next main title in the series — available for every major platform except the Switch. This, of course, leads to many Nintendo fans’ first gripe: World won’t be available on the Switch. Yes, the series started out with Sony, but it has been with Nintendo for longer and has been thriving while doing so. It wasn’t unreasonable to expect World to debut for the Switch even if there was evidence suggesting the opposite.

Next, unlike World which will at least be available to the West as part of a series-first worldwide release, XX might not be available in the West whatsoever. At first, the chances of it coming to the West was null when Gamespot reported Capcom had no plans to localize the aforementioned title, but the company soon clarified its statement, later saying it has no plans to localize the game “at this time.”

“Just to clarify: our official response is we have not announced any plans to localize MHXX at this time.”

At the very least, the door is open on this one; but Capcom has also set a precedent for making JP only releases of the franchise even after making its worldwide debut.

So now with two Monster Hunter iterations in the works, Western Nintendo fans now have to face the possibility that they may not be able to play either of them in a satisfactory setting (The Asian version of XX will be available from certain distributors in the future, but those versions of Monster Hunter typically don’t have an English option). Yes, this is probably the smartest move for Capcom with this series: bringing the series to three of the four major platforms in the West will greatly widen its audience. Being more popular will hopefully make the series even better in the future, but with all this going on, its not hard to see why Nintendo fans are feeling a bit out of the loop.

Day two of E3 2017 is in the books and we got a chance to get hands-on with some of the biggest games of the show today.  Kyle thinks Call of Duty: WW2 is really effing good.  Well, his real thoughts were far more vulgar, but you get the point.  He goes hands-on with the new war mode, divisions, and team deathmatch in this year’s shooter.  Kyle also takes a new Guardian for a spin in Destiny.

Bandai Namco had a suprisingly good lineup this year that did not contain anything Dark Souls related.  Kyle got a chance to play Ni No Kuni 2 and DragonBall FighterZ, both of which he walked away impressed by.  The Project Cars 2 team was apparently throwing shade at all other racing games when it comes to who has the most realistic racer on the market.

Kyle finished his day up by putting his hands on Assassin’s Creed, getting palsy with a dog companion in Far Cry 5, sailing the high seas in Skull and Bones, and trying to avoid playing the Crew 2 at all costs.

This is our day to wrap-up for Attack of the Fanboy at E3 2017.

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In addition to the story trailer, Nintendo showed off 26 minutes of gameplay for Fire Emblem Warriors showing off a mission and a bunch of the game’s mechanics.

If you have any fears that Fire Emblem Warriors will be a simple reskin of Hyrule Warriors or not try to remain faithful to its source material, then you’ll pleased to know that everything which was shown will put those fears to rest. FE Warriors is its own game through and through and not only incorporates a good many of the Fire Emblem series core mechanics, but its quite clear Koei Tecmo is improving the Warriors series from both a mechanical and gameplay perspective.

(Scroll down to the bottom if you want to get straight to the action)

To start, unlike previous Warriors games, the player has the ability to give commands to an allied character. By going to the pause screen, its possible to send off one of your characters to an an allied base or enemy base to help defend or assault it, respectively. Furthermore, players can switch between any allied character at will, allowing them to take direct control of a certain character when the situation demands. The ability to switch between characters at will and order them around the map is important because of the weapon triangle system imported from the Fire Emblem series — if a lance user is left to their own devices, they might wind up in an encampment filled with axe users; when this happens, players can opt to have them leave the area or reinforce them with a sword user.

While on the subject of the weapon triangle, there are quite a few other things that have been brought over from the main Fire Emblem series and woven in seamlessly. The pair-up system is in full effect in Fire Emblem Warriors, with players having the option of having two characters join forces and gain access to Dual Attack and Dual Guard. Not only that, but a unit’s stats will also increase so long as they’re paired-up together. Of course, there are some downsides to using the pair-up system. If two units are paired with one another, then you lose map coverage as they always have to be within close vicinity of one another. Therefore, players will need to assess whether they want to sacrifice a unit’s combat prowess in exchange for having greater potential control of the map and vice-versa. Support Bonuses were also confirmed by the announcers, but it remains unclear what gameplay benefits these provide.

As is always the case in Fire Emblem, leveling up is also in FE Warriors though the intricacies behind it remain unclear. For example, the characters seen in the demonstration can gain points in Magic, but there doesn’t appear any way for them to make use of that particular stat. Additionally, individual level ups appear entirely random, but each character might have unique maximum stats easily attainable by the maximum level. There’s also the possibility there will be items which permanently boost your stats. It’s all conjecture at this point.

Lastly, there’s an arena mode where players can select a character of their choosing and fight against six characters chosen at random. They go through a few waves of generic opponents before fighting a single enemy, they then move on and fight another enemy who’ll call for help when (s)he at 50 percent health and that process will repeat two more times when players go on to fight the third foe. Just like in the original Fire Emblem games, this looks like a good way to level up outside of the story mode.

Of course, there are still many mechanics from previous Warriors games that are present in Fire Emblem Warriors, such as Storm Rush and Rage Mode/Attack.

The game looks great so far and the demonstration really did a good job showcasing much of what the game has to offer. All I’m waiting on at this point is for a wider variety of characters, both in their weapons and the titles they represent. Here’s to hoping those expectations will be fulfilled when the game arrives this fall.

Check out the gameplay video below (0:40 – 26:20):

During its press conference at E3 2017, Nintendo released the latest trailer for the Koei Tecmo developed Fire Emblem Warriors for the Nintendo Switch. The latest trailer shows off glimpses of its story (there’s another dragon!) and three more playable characters: Corrin, Ryoma and Xander.

As a fan of the series ever since I played Fire Emblem Gaiden when I was younger, anything bearing the Fire Emblem name will be an instant sell. Despite that, however, I can’t help but feel slightly disappointed with Fire Emblem Warriors at the moment — the roster is too “safe” and the series as a whole isn’t really represented. Don’t get me wrong: I like the three newcomers — despite any reservations I might have about about Fire Emblem Fates itself. However, by including three characters from Fates, Nintendo has effectively represented the series with characters from the same four games yet again.

To recap, whenever Nintendo has had the option of putting Fire Emblem reps in crossovers or spin-offs, characters from Fire Emblem: Shadow Dragon and the Blade of Light/Mystery of the Emblem, Fire Emblem: Path of Radiance/Radiant Dawn, Fire Emblem: Awakening and Fire Emblem Fates have always been used. Granted, Roy from Fire Emblem: The Binding Blade appeared in Super Smash Brothers Melee, but he was absent in Brawl and only appeared once again in Smash Brothers Wii U because he won a popularity contest. Now with Marth, Chrom, Corrin, Ryoma and Xander all confirmed to appear in Fire Emblem Warriors, only Fire Emblem: Path of Radiance/Radiant Dawn has yet to be represented and I’d be shocked if Ike or even Micaiah didn’t make the cut.

Of course, I understand why these titles have been repeatedly used by Nintendo to represent the series. For example, Shadow Dragon was the first Fire Emblem game in the series and Path of Radiance was the first Fire Emblem available outside of Japan on a console. But it strikes me as odd that a series with twelve entries only consistently has four games representing it, especially when Nintendo has made it clear it is trying to increase the popularity of the brand.

Showing off characters from some of the lesser known entries is exactly what Nintendo needs to do in order to attract newcomers (sure, there’s Fire Emblem Heroes, but many people steer clear of Gacha games) and keep the attention of those who have just recently started out. Not only that, but some of these entries are among the most unique and influential in the series. For example, there’s Genealogy of the Holy War which was the first game in the series to have a pre-promoted Lord character, as well as “child” units and the skill system. With that in mind, why not include Sigurd or Julia (who would add some variety since she’s a magic user)? Meanwhile, there’s Thracia 776 which is regarded as the most difficult entry in the series; so why not include Leif? Then there’s also The Sacred Stones, which introduced trainee classes and the branching class-change system; so maybe Eirika and Ephraim would like to enjoy some time in the limelight.

Then, of course, there’s Gaiden or Fire Emblem Echoes: Shadows of Valentia as its presently known. Not only is it set in the same universe as Shadow Dragon, but both games are connected to  Awakening. If Nintendo is serious about remaking its previous games using “Echoes” as the moniker, then it has to add references to the game when it can — especially since its the “newest” game in the series. That said, Celica would be an awesome addition to the game, as she’s not only important to the game’s lore, but she is interesting gameplay wise with her ability to use swords, as well as black and white magic.

All in all, I have faith Fire Emblem Warriors will have an interesting cast, but I’m worried it won’t have a varied cast. Sure, you could only include characters from the more popular titles and the game would still be great, but if the game truly wants to showcase “heroes from other worlds” then Nintendo will have to include characters from more than just four or five of them. Fire Emblem has a long and interesting history, and now is the time for Nintendo to show that off.

Pete Hines took the stage at Bethesda’s E3 Press Conference announcing two new virtual reality titles from Bethesda.  One, which we knew about is a Fallout 4 virtual reality game, and the other is a Doom VFR title.

Neither of the two titles are a huge surprise as Bethesda had working prototypes of both games at their E3 conference last year.  However, they do seem to have come quite a long way since then, with additional features showcased in trailers for the two games.

During the presentation they called Fallout VR a full length open world game with near limitless content, playable entirely in VR.  Last year when went hands-on with the games they used warping around in Fallout 4 VR, it’s unclear if that is still the case but we didn’t see any of that in the trailer.

Fallout 4 VR Trailer

https://youtu.be/jspdtha3t1k

DOOM VFR Trailer

Microsoft’s E3 2017 Press Conference is in the books for this year and as expected Microsoft revealed a number of new games, their new console, and some new features that are coming to the Xbox ecosystem.  The most anticipated news was the price and release date announcements for what is now known as the Xbox One X.  Previously known as the Scorpio, the Xbox One X will launch on November 7th, 2017 and is priced a little on the high side at $499.  From there all of the focus was on games, past and present.

Xbox One X Announcement Trailer

Forza Motorsport 7 Confirmed and Revealed

Microsoft has a penchant for bringing cars out on stage to showcase their Forza driving series and this year was no different.  Alongside the debut of Forza 7, Turn 10 also debuted a Porsche Supercar.  Forza Motorsport 7 was confirmed to be running at 4K 60FPS on the Xbox One X.

https://youtu.be/Dokpy_KIuyA

Metro Exodus Announced Showed in 4K

4A Games made their debut on the Xbox 360, so it’s only fitting that the first gameplay was shown for the game on the Xbox stage.  Looking like a generational leap from the last game in the series, Metro Exodus showed off some impressive visuals that are possible on the Xbox One X.  The game is slated to arrive in 2018.

Assassin’s Creed Origins Debuted Egpyt Confirmed

Ubisoft debuted Assassin’s Creed Origins at the Microsoft Press Conference, showing off both a large gameplay segment of the game and a trailer.  After a year-long hiatus the gameplay and reveal trailer certainly looked good and gameplay changes seemed to change some parts of the Assassin’s Creed mechanics.  Although it certainly still looks familiar, even in the ancient Egyptian setting.

Trailer

Gameplay

PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds Xbox One Exclusive

It seemed only natural that one of the PC’s most popular games would come to consoles, but PUBG is coming exclusively to Xbox One.  PlayerUnknown took the stage to reveal the first Xbox One gameplay and said it would be arriving later this year.

https://youtu.be/m0Tnp-3W3z4

Deep Rock Galactic Announced

Announced as a Xbox One console launch exclusive, Deep Rock Galactic is a four player cooperative first person shooter.  Looking something like a cross between Minecraft and No Man’s Sky, Deep Rock Galactic features elements of exploration, combat, and looting enveloped in a unique art-style.  Coming from Coffee Stain Publishing and Ghost Ship Games no release date was given for Deep Rock Galactic.

State of Decay 2 Continues to Look Great

The development for State of Decay 2 appears to be coming along well.  The game which is slated to arrive in 2018 is an Xbox One and Windows 10 Exclusive.  A little bit more detail about the scenario for State of Decay 2 was revealed in the lengthy gameplay trailer.  Survivors that have been abandoned by the military must make tough decisions survive the zombie apocalypse.  Though it does sound like it will rely on some of the original game’s mechanics in gather survivors and building a community.

The Darwin Project Announced

The Darwin Project was announced at Microsoft’s Press Conference and it looks to be jumping into the Battle Royale genre in an interesting way.  Nothing was said about the game, but the gameplay revealed what looked like a reimagining of the genre with players having special power-ups and abilities.

Minecraft is going 4K

If you thought Microsoft was going to leave Minecraft out of the Xbox One X 4K party you’d be mistaken.  Today they announced that Minecraft would be getting an update for Xbox One X with 4K textures, bigger servers, crossplay features and other content that will be coming to the game down the line.  This will unify Minecraft across mobile devices, Windows 10, Virtual Reality and on on consoles.  A new graphics pack was also announced called the Super Duper Graphics Pack that will arrive later this year.

https://youtu.be/Nq_Q77bJ3H0

The Black Desert is to Coming to Xbox One

The Black Desert released a couple of years ago on PC, but is coming to the Xbox One.  Announced with this new trailer, it’s not the most popular MMO on the market today, but neverthess will be arriving on as a console launch exclusive on Xbox One.

The Last Night Announced for Xbox One

Another console launch exclusive for Xbox One, The Last Night is artistic, two-dimensional platformer set in a cyberpunk world where the main character faces a world of adversity due to a childhood accident.  The game features four unique districts to explore with infiltration style gameplay.  The Last Night is slated to arrive in 2018.

The Artful Escape Announced as Console Launch Exclusive

Sea of Thieves Gets a Lengthy New Gameplay Reveal

We haven’t heard much about Sea of Thieves in a while.  Rare’s shared world experience is still on track for a 2018 release and the latest gameplay walkthrough gives us a bigger taste of what’s to come.  Treasure hunting, pirating, blowing up skeletons, that’s what was showed off this year for Sea of Thieves.

Terry Crews Gets Everyone Pumped For Crackdown 3

In retrospect, the bombastic nature of Crackdown and Terry Crews is a match made in heaven.  Good thing the casting director for the latest trailer had the foresight to hire the Old Spice guy to get people excited for the latest gameplay reveal for one Xbox One’s most anticipated exclusives.

https://youtu.be/k_9fG8hPCi0

Code Vein Gameplay Showcased

We’d already heard a little about what to expect from Code Vein when Bandai Namco announced the game earlier this year, but the gameplay trailer for the game was the first we got a chance to gander at.  Dark Souls fans will likely be looking forward to Code Vein when it launches in 2018.

Super Lucky’s Tale Announced

Super Lucky’s Tale is a console exclusive for the Xbox One and it’s an all-ages platformer.  The game features 4K Ultra HD graphics for Xbox One X and is also a play anywhere title.  The game is slated to launch alongside the Xbox One X on November 7th, 2017.

Dragonball FighterZ Revealed

Ori and the Will of the Wisps Confirmed

We knew another Ori game was coming from Moon Studios and today we got a reminder of just how great that studio is at both audio and visual design.  The Will of the Wisps is an all-new adventure but it looks like Ori will be returning and will have a new friend to help.

This second game in the Ori series is said to take players beyond the forest of Nibel.  Ori and the Will of the Wisps is another game that will optimized for the Xbox One X with enhanced visuals, 4K assets, and feature Xbox Play Anywhere functionality.

Tacoma Dated for Release

Tacoma is another in the line of games that have made multiple appearances at E3 with Microsoft, and this year we finally get a release date for the game in a brief trailer.  Tacoma will in August for the Xbox One.

Cuphead Gets a Release Date

Cuphead is finally coming out.  After years of hype and multiple appearances at E3 a release date for the stylish platformer has been given.  Cuphead will arrive on September 29th and Microsoft has begun taking pre-orders for the game.

ID@Xbox

It wouldn’t be a Microsoft Press Conference without an ID@Xbox montage.  The trailer showcased numerous games that are coming to the Xbox One from indie developers.  A massive list of games including:  Osiris, Paladins, Raiders of a Broken Planet, PUBG, Unruly Heroes, Fortnite, Battlerite, Surviving Mars, Robocraft, The Artful Escape, Astroneer, We Happy Few, Fable Fortune, Dunk Lords, Brawlout, The Last Night, and others highlighted the growing list of self published titles.

Life is Strange: Before the Storm Revealed

LIFE IS STRANGE: BEFORE THE STORM is set in Arcadia Bay, three years before the events of the first game in the series. Players will take on the role of a rebellious 16 year-old Chloe Price who forms an unlikely friendship with Rachel Amber; a beautiful and popular girl destined for success. When Rachel’s world is turned upside down by a family secret, it takes this new-found alliance to give each other the strength to overcome their demons.  Before the Storm is set to arrive on August 31st, 2017.

Shadow of War Gameplay Walkthrough

Shadow of War got a brand new gameplay walkthrough that demonstrated some of the new mechanics in the game.  While a lot of the combat elements of the game have been retained, a new menu system prior to assaults allows you to customize battles in new ways.

Backwards Compatibility Announced for Original Xbox Games

Backwards compatibility is being extended to original Xbox games.

Bioware’s New Game Anthem Steals Spotlight

Bioware has apparently been working on something pretty massive that closed out a decent showing for Microsoft’s E3 Press Conference.  Revealing Anthem, a cooperative game that allows four players to play in an open world full of diverse challenges.  Ashen looked like EA’s take on Destiny, offering cooperative gameplay and the rewards of loot around every corner.

Players use different Javelin Exosuits that can be equipped with unique weapons and abilities as well as gear that is found, earned, and crafted.

The Last Night has been announced for Xbox One and PC, offering artistic cyberpunk platformer.

“The Last Night is what we call post-cyberpunk – it’s not the kind of dystopia the genre is famous for, rather it depicts an alternate direction for society. One where the fight for survival doesn’t mean food and water, but a purpose for living. Human labour and creativity has been rendered obsolete by AI, so people are now defining themselves by what they consume, not what they create,” says the developer.

Further details about the game give the trailer some substance.  The main character is Charlie, a lower class citizen who isn’t able to function in a world that has grown technologically due to a childhood accident.

The Last Night started as a prototype game for a cyberpunk gamejam and won the competition.  The small development team then continued to work on the concept to flesh it out into a full game, apparently.

The release date for The Last Night has been set for 2018.

The initial reveal trailer certainly fit that bill, you can check out The Last Night’s gameplay reveal below:

The Last Night Reveal Trailer

Microsoft announced a big console exclusive today with PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds being announced for Xbox One.  The creator of the game announced today that Battle Royale title would arrive on Xbox One later this year.

It was also revealed that PUBG would recieve Xbox One X enhancements to the game.  Right now, PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds is currently in Early Access so it’s unclear whether it will arrive in the Xbox Game Preview program for Early Access titles in development or if it will be a finished product.

Right now the game recieves updates on a weekly and monthly basis and is definitely rough around the edges.  Despite that, the multiplayer title offers survival style gameplay for solo players or teams.

Unfortunately for PlayStation 4 owners, PUBG does not appear to be heading to that platform.  You can check out the reveal trailer for the game below:

PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds on Xbox One

https://youtu.be/m0Tnp-3W3z4

Microsoft has revealed their newest console, the Xbox One X.  The console is set to arrive on November 7th, 2017.  Formerly known as the Xbox Scorpio, the Xbox One X is slated to be the most powerful console on the market with true 4K gaming.

The technical specifications carry forward from the console’s reveal earlier this year.  Microsoft claims that the Xbox One X is 40% more powerful than any other console on the market.  Capable of outputting true 4K at 60FPS.   The more powerful Xbox One X console specs will allow for better textures, smoother frame rates, and faster loading times, regardless of your display or television.

The Xbox One X will support 4K Ultra HD for Blu-ray and streaming content.  It will feature HDR support for gaming and video, as well as Dolby Atmos for sound.

Some of the existing Xbox One library will upgraded for the Xbox One X, with first party titles like Gears of War 4, Forza Horizon 3, and Halo Wars 2 getting free updates from Microsoft with 4K assets.  Phil Spencer also revealed their are a number of developers that will be updating their games for the console.

The console will be compatible with the all of the accessories of the Xbox One or Xbox One S.  Furthermore, Microsoft claims that all games will look better and load faster on the new console.

Physically speaking, the Xbox One X is the smallest console that Microsoft has ever built when putting it up against all of the other consoles in the Xbox library.

The price for the Xbox One X has been confirmed for $499. 

It’s just a few hours before Microsoft’s big E3 press event, but the answer to the biggest question on everyone’s minds might have very well been answered before it even begins: the price of the Xbox Scorpio.

Speaking on twitter earlier today, video game journalist/event organizer/host Geoff Keighley, the Xbox Scorpio will cost $499.  “I can now say with confidence Project Scorpio is $499. Unless something changes today, that is what will be announced,” said Keighley

As with all rumors, this one needs to be taken with a grain of salt. That said, if anyone were to have knowledge about the subject ahead of schedule, then it would be Keighley. Furthermore, for him to go public with this statement just hours before Microsoft is set to make its announcement means that he has quite a bit of confidence in the price point.

As one might expect, the comments following his proclamation have left the gaming community in two main camps. Those in support of the price aligns with what they expected, and if anything, a pretty good deal, considering the specs and potential performance of the Xbox Scorpio. Meanwhile, those against the price note the price is far too high, even if the specs might warrant it, and if power is what you’re after, than you can simply build a Gaming PC.

All in all, $500 makes sense as a price point and is the one I considered most optimal in a previous article. As mentioned before, the price perfectly aligns to the specs and alleged features the console will possess. While it would be definitely ideal for the price to be $399 or $449 (for consumers, at least), it wouldn’t make much sense for Microsoft. Retailing it for the former would mean that Microsoft would be selling it at a loss, while the latter would an awkward price given the Scorpio’s advantage and Microsoft’s position compared to its competitors. A $499 price means that unlike with the original Xbox One (which only reached that price due to being bundled with the Kinect), the consumer is only paying for pure power this time around.

Of course, the validity of any ongoing discussion hinges on whether this proclamation turns out to be true, as even Keighley admits there might be a last minute change of plans. For example, though improbable, Microsoft could take note of comments and reduce the price.

For now, we’ll just have to wait until 2 p.m. PST / 5 p.m. EST and see what unfolds.

The big day has finally arrived for Microsoft: its highly anticipated E3 Press Conference. Later today (Sunday, June 11) at 2 p.m. PST / 5 p.m. EST, Microsoft will finally reveal to the world what they have been waiting for since it was noticeably absent at last year’s E3: Project Scorpio.

It should be no surprise that Microsoft has been losing to Sony in both power and sales in the console war, but this press conference could prove to be a major turning point for the company as it has more stuff to showcase this year than its prime competitor. And, of course, it will need to do this in order to overtake Sony which has been resting on its laurels ever since this current generation began.

That said, there are three categories of things that we should expect Microsoft to show off this year: Hardware (Scorpio), Games/Services and Pricing.

Hardware

The thing on everyone’s mind is what is currently known as Project Scorpio, and at this point, there is barely anything known about the Scorpio’s specs and capabilities that Microsoft has left to tell us.

Microsoft has made it a point to know long before the upcoming conference that the Scorpio is poised to be the most powerful console ever, leaving everything Sony has to offer in the dust. What’s more, we know that one of Microsoft’s primary goals for the Scorpio was for it to be able to run all current Xbox One games, which generally range in native resolution from 900p to 1080p, at their default frame rate but in 4K resolution.

Additionally, we know that the Scorpio was built with the hardware capabilities to support the high-end VR, due to an announcement from Phil Spencer at E3 2016. The company recently doubled down on that at GDC 2017, saying its working to bring mixed reality headsets to the Xbox One platform. Unfortunately, in a recent announcement, Microsoft revealed it’s primary focus is on mixed reality for Windows 10 PCs, so there is little reason to expect that the company to say anything about VR for its consoles during today’s press conference.

That said, there are still several things that Microsoft needs to showcase. First off, it will need to prove the upgrade to gameplay performance and presentation is worth the upgrade. Second, it will need to effectively showcase what 4K gaming looks like, especially if the console will feature 4K gaming by default like we’ve been led to believe. Lastly there are the bare minimum requirements that Microsoft will have to meet, such as name, design, release date and price (which will be covered later).

Games/Services

Microsoft, just like Sony, has been seeking out partnership deals with major developers in a bid to secure exclusive content for their consoles. And surprisingly enough, Microsoft has been doing a better job of it than Sony, but the problem is that many of those games have either missed the mark or got cancelled. As a result, Microsoft has often been left to compete against Sony (which still has some exclusive titles to speak of) with third-party games that are available on both systems.

The advent of the Scorpio is Microsoft’s chance to reverse those fortunes — if the new console is as impressive as it claims, the next step will be for the company to lure developers towards its system and produce worthwhile titles that can properly compete with Sony.

Microsoft’s ID@Xbox initiative means that indie games should already be covered. Now all that’s left is for past games that had been announced recently to come to get firm release dates and arrive. Leading the pack is Undead Labs’ State of Decay 2, the follow-up to 2013’s State of Decay, which was announced at E3 2016 and is scheduled for a 2017 release. In addition, there’s Studio MDHR’s Cuphead which is slated for a mid-2017 release. Lastly, there’s Fullbright’s timed Xbox exclusive, Tacoma. That title was announced several years ago and now would be the prime time for an update on its status.

As for first-party titles, Crackdown 3 and Forza Motorsport 7 are likely to be shown off this year (along with possible release dates), as is Rare’s multiplayer pirate adventure, Sea of Thieves.

Third-party titles should also receive a special mention because they should look better on a Scorpio than any other system, hence incentivizing both players and developers to play/produce titles on Microsoft’s systems, rather than Sony. One title where we might see this play out is Middle-earth: Shadow of War, as Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment had explicitly described an upcoming title supporting Scorpio (and PS4 Pro) upon its announcement. This would be an excellent time for Microsoft to show off what the game looks like in 4K resolution and emphasize that players won’t be getting the same experience elsewhere.

Lastly, there’s Microsoft’s Xbox Play Anywhere initiative. Since taking over the company’s gaming division three years ago, Phil Spencer has made it a goal to bring the Windows 10 and Xbox ecosystems closer together and the Scorpio will likely be the piece that ties everything together. We’ve already seen that Microsoft has little issue with making first-party titles such as Gears of War 4 and Forza Horizon 3 available on PC as part of the initiative and we’ve also seen third-party titles like Resident Evil 7 biohazard appear as part of the service as well. With Scorpio promising 4K resolution, it stands to reason that Microsoft would try to bring more third-party developers on board with initiative, as well as make more high-end PC games available on the console. If you’re going to have a console that can offer the same experience as a high-end PC, then you might as well have the same games available for both, right?

Pricing

To be fair, price could arguably be packed into the hardware section earlier, but the importance of this aspect is incredibly hard to overstate.

With all of its purported features, including non-gaming ones such as the inclusion of a 4K Blu-ray drive, many have been left to wonder just how much the Scorpio will cost. As it stands, the most expensive console on the market is the PS4 Pro at $399.99 and Microsoft is now in the non-enviable position of figuring out a price for a console that can actually be competitive with its rivals while still remaining true to its specs.

The immediate assumption would be that Microsoft prices the Scorpio at $399 making it perfectly in-line with the PS4 Pro, but with the console’s specs considered, it feels like Microsoft would be just be underselling its tech and selling the console at a loss. Meanwhile, $449 would be an interesting proposition — it would come $50 higher than the PS4 Pro (which is fair considering the tech), yet $50 under the original price of the Xbox One. Considering Microsoft’s present situation and past decisions, this would be a good price point for the console, though the price is still an awkward one.

Everything considered, the price that makes the most sense for the Scorpio would be $499. This would make it the most expensive console on the market, but it would be still be worth it considering everything the console brings to the table. That said, pricing a console at $499 is what partially necessitated the need for the Scorpio to begin with, so Microsoft might be apprehensive (understandably) to do it again. Granted, unlike with the Xbox One, what the Scorpio offers would actually warrant the price.

There is no point in going beyond this price, as anything higher than that is pure suicide. $550 is an awkward price and $600 and above is pure insanity — Microsoft saw what happened to Sony and the PS3 when it debuted at this price and there is no way it would risk doing the same to itself in its current position.

At the end of the day, Microsoft will need to offer a price for the Scorpio that can both attract newcomers to its system as well as convince pre-existing Xbox One (S) owners to upgrade. Remember, the PS4 is priced between $250-$400 and the Switch is $300 and both are incredibly attractive despite not holding a candle to the Scorpio tech-wise; Microsoft will need to be careful during its event or the Scorpio could very well be dead on arrival.

Today EA Play 2017, EA’s annual event for E3, took place in Los Angeles. The company showcased a number of titles and had some surprises up there sleeves. People predicted that the company would showcase new games but no one expected BioWare to reveal a compelling new franchise. Below you’ll find all of the announcements from the conference in the order they were revealed. EA Play started off slow but definitely ended with a bang.

Madden NFL 18

This year, the latest entry in the Madden franchise will have a story mode which looks rather deep. Madden NFL 18: Long Shot focuses on a player’s rise to greatness. Hopefully the developer can deliver what they’re promising.

Battlefield 1

EA announced that there are over 20 million Battlefield 1 players on all platforms. DICE also promised new content in the coming months. However, you’ll have to wait until September for major changes.

FIFA 18

EA revealed a brand new trailer for FIFA 18. The title is still using the Frostbite engine and feature even better graphics. The campaign continues the story of FIFA 17’s protagonist so consider it a true sequel.

Need for Speed Payback

Need for Speed Payback is EA’s answer to The Fast and the Furious. The developer revealed gameplay from the hotly-anticipated title and all I can say it that it has a lot of action.

A Way Out

The developers of Brothers: A Tale of Two Sons, the incredibly touching twin-stick adventure game, are back with another experience. A Way Out is basically Prison Break: The Game. The title is out in 2018 on PlayStation 4 and Xbox One.

SEED

SEED is a division at EA which is always looking for new gaming concepts. They’re focusing on AI at the moment and maybe we’ll see their enhancements in future games.

Project Scorpio

EA praised Project Scorpio and discussed how it can render true 4K visuals. Patrick Soderlund used Madden NFL 18 as an example to highlight how everything will look sharper and more realistic. While it’s unclear if the game runs at native 4K, Soderlund definitely made it sound like it did. More information about the console and Madden NFL 18’s visuals will be revealed at Microsoft’s press conference tomorrow.

Anthem

Anthem is BioWare’s new game which is coming to Xbox One and Project Scorpio. Just like Madden NFL 18, we should know more about the experience at Microsoft’s E3 press conference tomorrow. From what we know, Microsoft has marking rights, however, they might just be announcing the game. According to the teaser, it might also run at native 4K on Project Scorpio but we’ll have to wait until Sunday for official confirmation.

NBA Live 18

Let’s face it, the NBA Live series hasn’t exactly set the world on fire. Despite that, NBA Live 18 was announced. It looks like EA wants to challenge 2K Games again. Here’s hoping it at least gives them some competition because NBA Live 16 was an absolute disaster.

EA Access

EA Access is going free for a week to celebrate EA Play 2017. Xbox One owners can receive the discouts and play all the free titles available in The Vault. Games like Dragon Age: Inquisition and Star Wars: Battlefront are a lot of fun so if you aren’t an EA Access subscriber and want to try out the service, now’s your chance!

Star Wars: Battlefront II

EA revealed a lot of gameplay footage from Star Wars: Battlefront II. We’re talking around 30 minutes of it. It seems as though they ran out of announcements so they let a group of people play the game for the remaining time. It’s mostly the same footage which leaked this morning.

Overall, EA Play 2017 was a good event even though it wasn’t what fans were hoping for. Many were expecting the company to at least tease the upcoming Star Wars game from Visceral but that didn’t happen. Hopefully Microsoft will reveal some compelling footage from Anthem which blows us away. Until then, many will remain disappointed.

It’s been four years since we’ve seen a college football game in some shape or form, but now the sport will be making a return in the latest in Electronic Art’s Madden series, Madden NFL 18.

During Electronic Art’s EA Play news conference at E3 2017, the company showed off a trailer for Madden NFL 18’s story mode which features college football as a focal point. The trailer, titled “Longshot,” shows the protagonist, Devin Wade, who has been out of the University of Texas and out of football for several years where he served as the team’s star quarterback prior to his departure. Throughout the story, we’ll see Wade work his way up in the college football world in the hopes of achieving his dreams and being drafted and competing in the NFL.

Electronic Arts hasn’t produced a college football since 2013 when it had to cancel its NCAA Football series (1993-2013) following a class action lawsuit which alleged that EA Sports and the NCAA licencor used thousands of college football players’ likenesses without their permission. The suit was eventually settled in 2015 with the athletes receiving a combined $60 million.

E3 2017 begins on June 13, with press conferences starting today. EA Play was the among the first of these conferences where the Electronic Arts showed off new titles and other goodies coming in the near future, including a new Bioware IP and DLC for Battlefield 1.

505 Games has revealed a new trailer for Koji Igarashi’s Bloodstained: Ritual of the Night ahead of E3 2017 next week. This time around, footage shows off something that hasn’t been seen in any trailers or gameplay demos — a boss.

The boss in this trailer is named Bloodless who can control blood with her mind. In an interview, Igarashi reveals that her dress is actually made out of blood and it actually falls apart when she receives damage. While this may seem like a good thing for the mildly perverted, this also makes Bloodless far more dangerous as that blood will spill onto the ceiling and floor for her to use at will. Blood on the floor can be absorbed by the boss for some unclear benefit, while she can also cause blood to rain down from the ceiling to damage the player. You can protect yourself from the rain by hiding beneath umbrellas floating around the room, but Bloodless can also use those very umbrellas as projectiles to harm you. On top of that, there are the attacks that she can use herself, such as shooting a massive stream of blood from the umbrella she’s holding. All in all, it looks like the battle will be one of those that get more difficult the longer it lasts.

In addition to the boss fight, we also get to see the Church map, as well as Miriam’s Spear Throw, Resist Holy and Optmizer skills, and her whip, rapier and katana weapons.

Bloodstained: Ritual of the Night will have an alpha available for Kickstarter backers at some point in August, according to Igarashi. Meanwhile, the final version of the game is expected to arrive for the PlayStation 4, PlayStation Vita, Nintendo Switch and Xbox One, as well as the Linux, Windows and Mac in the first half of 2018.

Check out the latest trailer below: