E3
The yearly E3 conference in Los Angeles shows off the industry’s brand new toys, where smug companies pimp their warez (both soft and hard) for whooping journos and eager fans. But what came out tops this year?
XBOX ONE VS PLAYSTATION FOUR
Microsoft went games heavy with sixteen new titles, but were ultimately speared in the digital gut by Sony who unveiled that the PS4 will impose no restrictions on sharing and reselling games. Ouch!
METAL GEAR SOLID V: THE PHANTOM PAIN
Games genius Hideo Kojima put his wee excited face on and revealed the new game will be episodic like a TV series, hopefully not like Mrs Brown’s Boys.
THE WITCHER 3: WILD HUNT
The new CD Projekt RED title will be open-world, a series first for The Witcher. With a sprawling map full of surprises and tangents, apparently it’ll take 40 minutes to traverse it on horseback. In the game, that is.
X
Monolith Soft unveiled a new open-world mech title for Nintendo known only, for now, as X. The multiplayer robobattling is created by the team who made Xenoblade, so it’ll be champion.
SUNSET OVERDRIVE
The Xbox One exclusive from Insomniac Games sees imaginative use of weaponry such as, what looks like, a gun that fires vinyl records. Cue mass hipster fainting session.
p r ev i ew s
Beyond: Two Souls
Grand Theft Auto V
Rayman Legends
Release Date: 08/10/13
Release Date: 17/09/13
Release Date: 30/08/13
(Sony) PS3
Starring none other than Ellen Page and Willem Dafoe, this supernatural thriller about a young girl haunted by an invisible entity. With the ability to play as the ghost itself, there’ll likely be a less passive approach to the gameplay than with David Cage’s previous masterpieces, plus he’s also promised that each segment is different, never repeating sequences or actions.
(Rockstar) Xbox 360, PS3
Based around three disparate criminals, GTA V’s Los Santos is set to be the biggest city yet and the three unlikely partners will set about taking apart the streets in the pursuit of the almighty dollar. Looking like it’ll mix the strongest elements of the previous titles and discard the chaff (cough, Niko Bellic’s moaning face, cough), it may be the series’ glorious return to form.
(Ubisoft) Xbox 360, PS3, PSV, Wii U
The long-awaited direct sequel to Rayman Origins continues its predecessor’s fresh take on old-school platforming as you control the cheery gaming icon and his pals in a running, jumping and kicking adventure through mythical worlds hidden in paintings. Just never ask how Rayman manages all this without a visible set of limbs. 81