The E3 2017 press conferences (opens in new tab) have been and gone. Overall it feels like a solid yet safe year for games on all platforms – while there were a few surprises, no-one really shocked the global audiences with bold, daring software or calamitous, cringe-worthy presentations. If we had to put a score on this year’s E3 show it’d be 7/10. Good, but not something you’ll be playing in six months unless you find it in the bargain bin. That said, there are some obvious winners and losers of E3 2017 so far – the stuff that either stood out or underwhelmed. Also, this isn’t necessarily us declaring specific games and publishers as ‘winners’, it’s more about us celebrating the stuff that made us whoop and cringe during the past few days. Check back tomorrow for more impressions as the show unfolds. Now, as is tradition, let’s start with the winners…

Want to skip straight to the Losers (opens in new tab)?

THE WINNERS OF E3 2017 (so far)…

Ubisoft, generally

A few short lines after telling you that we wouldn’t be declaring a press conference winner in this feature, we can confidently and hypocritically say Ubisoft won E3. Why? The most obvious reasons are the games: Assassin’s Creed Origins (opens in new tab) is a superb reboot for the franchise, Beyond Good & Evil 2 (opens in new tab) is the sequel we’ve waited so long to enthuse over, Far Cry 5 (opens in new tab) has a dog, and Mario + Rabbids (opens in new tab) is a fresh and funny take on two beloved franchises. More than that, Yves Guillemot, who assumed comparing duties this year instead of show regular Aisha Tyler, was an earnest and enthusiastic host, which really struck a chord with the viewers and perfectly reflected the tone of Ubisoft’s line-up of games. The point when Nintendo legend Shigeru Mityamoto appeared on stage to share a moment of genuine passion for games with Guillemot was a genuinely heart-warming one, bested only by the sight of Michel Ancel coming close to tears when he finally unveiled his passion project, Beyond Good & Evil 2, at the climax. Whether you agree that Ubisoft was the arbitrary ‘winner’ of E3 2017 or not, we can all safely say that these moments of collaborative, shared joy are perfect examples of the force for good, inclusion, and commonality that games should always strive to be.

Everyone in Wolfenstein 2: The New Colossus

It’s not often that everyone – literally every character – in an eight minute gameplay trailer can be described as ‘winning’. And yet, in the Wolfenstein 2: The New Colossus (opens in new tab) footage all the major characters stand out in an overwhelmingly positive way. There are lovely moments on each side of the conflict, even though Wolfenstein’s master-race is comically vile. Even milkshake guy, the cheery Nazi who is clearly about to get his face caved in by a fire-extinguisher (wielded by hero, BJ Blazkowicz) manages to captivate the viewer in his own creepy way. Blazkowicz, the resistance fighters, even mech-hound Leisel… they all have neat little moments that show off exactly how much fun you’re going to have in game. The only exception here, actually, is legions of Nazis who all die rather horribly at the hand of our pal, BJ. Sorry guys. Especially to you, the one who gets the axe in the back. Ouch.

Far Cry 5’s dog

Who’s a good boy (opens in new tab)? Boomer, to be specific, is a very good boy indeed. Not only is he more than happy to enthusiastically lick your character’s face off in Far Cry 5, but the loyal mutt can attack Montana’s religious cultists on command, take on grizzly bears without flinching, and even play fetch with a semi-automatic machine gun – extremely handy if you’re looking for something to defend yourself with in the heat of a firefight. Far Cry 5’s stage demo at Ubisoft’s E3 press conference was full of new details and edge-of-your-seat action, but it was Boomer who captured everyone’s hearts and minds that day, and rightly so. There’s a good chance this four-legged bundle of fur could steal the show altogether when Far Cry 5 finally hits stores next February. 

Knox, the foul-mouthed monkey in Beyond Good & Evil 2

Knox, the boisterous chimp who shows up in Beyond Good & Evil 2’s cinematic reveal trailer hails, as far as we can tell, from a small neighbourhood in Croydon, South London. At least that’s what his incredible accent suggests, the sound of which was almost as splendid to the ear drums as his creative use of expletives and all other manner of curse words from the English dictionary. If you needed any proof that Beyond Good & Evil had grown up, look no further than the opening conversation between Knox and Pey’j – the crime lord pig with a taste for dumplings – where the F bomb is dropped more frequently than an off-script Aisha Tyler gaff at a Ubisoft presser. Monkey dominates the spotlight for the entire trailer of BG&E2, and not a single word in the sentient ape’s obscenity-filled vocabulary is wasted.

Mario’s ghost hat

Mario’s ghost hat won E3. How could it not? Mario’s ghost hat can control dinosaurs and bring cars to life. Mario’s ghost hat could, if it chose to, compel you to do feral and heinous things without your consent. And you would remember them. Mario’s ghost hat makes you watch, helplessly, mouthing hollow screams, while a stranger makes snug dungarees out of your psyche and throws your body about like a smashed pancake. For some reason they didn’t cover any of this in the Nintendo Treehouse – perhaps they were worried the hat was watching – but the demo of Super Mario Odyssey (opens in new tab) looked wonderful nonetheless. It has the same relentless tumble of intuitive ideas that defined Mario’s move to the 3D, and it’s different enough to feel fresh from previous games. Best of all, it’s hard to imagine all the weird, wonderful stuff the game will let you do – a refreshing feeling in this world of brutal melee takedowns and no-scope headshots. Or maybe that’s just the ghost hat talking. Fun fact: this terrible parasite is only called ‘Cappy’ because its true name in unpronounceable in the human tongue. 

90s cover bands

For some reason, known only to the gods, E3 featured a number of trailers with bizarre covers of 90s anthems as their soundtracks. Duran Duran’s ‘Ordinary World’ was the backing to the brain-bending Evil Within 2 (opens in new tab) trailer, and featured not one but three different vocal styles. While some might describe it as a horrifying auditory mess (and, if you’re being generous, you’d say that was perfectly fitting for a game as weird as EW2), there’s little doubt it’s catchy. Similarly, the downbeat cover of Seal’s ‘Crazy’ could be heard playing behind the Skull and Bones (opens in new tab) trailer. Overall, then, 90s cover bands had a cracking E3 and should enjoy their time in the spotlight before returning to their usual lives playing your mate Gary’s wedding in Skegness Social Club.

Small monsters

If you’re a pint-sized critter or a monster designed to fit in a pocket (or rather, be imprisoned in a plastic ball of hellish suffering), then you’re one of E3’s winners. Congratulations – have one of those tiny bottles of Cava to celebrate. Some of this year’s hottest games, like Pokemon for Switch (opens in new tab), Ooblets, and Ori and the Will of the Wisps (opens in new tab) all feature very small monsters. It’s not all about being cute either – the zombie hordes, who totally count, are the highlight of PS4’s Days Gone (opens in new tab), and the LSD creature and cat-monkey monsters are two of the highlights of the new Wolfenstein trailer. Even Rabbids, animals that are anatomically foul when you really stop to think about it, are on the up now that they’ve borrowed some of the Mushroom Kingdom’s cool. 

Uncharted 4

A prison break action-adventure starring two thirty-something men who punch and wise-crack their way out of maximum security? A sombre character study of a PlayStation icon who, in his old age, appears to be having a bit of a mid-life crisis? A gorgeous-looking third-person shooter replete with emergent gameplay and brutal fisticuffs combat? I’m talking about three different games of course (A Way Out (opens in new tab), God of War (opens in new tab), Days Gone), but these synopses could equally be used to describe Naughty Dog’s Uncharted 4. It turns out critics weren’t kidding when they called the final Uncharted a ground-breaking title when it released last year, as several games at E3 appear to be treading across this very same newly broken ground as a result. Naughty Dog told us we’d seen the last of Nathan Drake for good, but his rugged fingerprints could be found all over the show floor this year.

Samus Aran

Here’s a sad truth: the only (non-compilation) Metroid games that have come out in the last 9 years are 2016’s Metroid Prime: Federation Force and 2010’s Metroid: Other M. The former barely has Samus Aran in it at all, and the latter trades her usual determined and independent demeanor for that of a petulant woman-child. It’s been a rough almost-decade for the futuristic bounty hunter. But at E3 2017, the acid tide finally turned. Nintendo revealed that in September we’ll return to a relatively unsung chapter of Samus’ glory days with Metroid: Samus Returns (opens in new tab). It’s a total remake of Metroid 2: Return of Samus and it’s the new side-scrolling Metroid we’ve been waiting for since 2004’s Metroid: Zero Mission. After that? Metroid Prime 4 is coming to Nintendo Switch (opens in new tab). We don’t know when… but it’s happening. Welcome back, Samus.

Assassin’s Creed Origins

It’s been two long years since the last Assassin’s Creed, but the series’ planned comeback could well be the return to form that fans have been so patiently waiting for. An ancient Egyptian setting is the brilliantly ambitious location of choice for a sequel that plans on reinventing Assassin’s Creed from the ground up, as Ubisoft takes more direct cues from the action-RPG genre to lend new life to the order. The mini-map is gone, crafting finally plays a valuable role, and the series’ trademark awkward combat is a thing of the past; who’d have thought that 49BC would be the year that made Assassin’s Creed feel fresher than ever?

The sea

You could practically taste the salty ocean breeze wafting through the halls of the LA Convention Centre this week, as many virtual seafarers were seen navigating the perilous waters of their fictional worlds shown at E3. I’m not just referring to the pirating antics of Sea of Thieves (opens in new tab) and Skull and Bones either, as jolly as each of those gameplay snippets were. Kratos was spotted atop a boat in God of War, as was Assassin’s Creed Origins’ Bayek, while The Crew 2 (opens in new tab) has turned the Pacific ocean into a whole new playground for aspiring sailors in its open-world sequel. Hell, even Mario dove in on the action, turning into a fish to explore the deep blue sea without ever having to come up for air. Sadly, his bloated corpse was later discovered washed up on a beach in New Jersey.

Terry Crews

Terry Crews is a winner for being Terry Crews. For roughly 30 seconds he loaned some of his shouty-mouthed winning to the Microsoft press conference, to help get people excited about habitual gaming skiver, Crackdown 3 (opens in new tab). 

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The post The winners and losers of E3 2017 appeared first on Game News.

Yup, Pokemon for Nintendo Switch is definitely A Thing That Is Happening. There are no details or screens to go on, but the game was described as a “core Pokemon RPG” developed by Game Freak (opens in new tab), so this won’t be a spin-off like Pokemon Snap or Pokemon Colosseum. I suppose it could be like the Pokemon Dungeon series, but hopefully we’ll get something a bit more substantive than that. Dream and speculate as you will, fans.

Make sure you check out our full E3 2017 schedule (opens in new tab) to stay tuned for all the details as they arrive, and check out our roundup of all the E3 2017 trailers (opens in new tab).

The post A “core Pokemon RPG” is coming to Nintendo Switch – the dream of home console Pokemon is real appeared first on Game News.

• Looking for the best games to play on Nintendo’s console right now? Our guide to the best Nintendo Switch games (opens in new tab) has you covered

Rocket League confirmed for Switch! 

A sizzle reel of totally real people having fun with the Switch in the real world confirmed a few Nintendo Switch ports for Rocket League (more on that later) and FIFA 18.  

Xenoblade Chronicles 2 is anime to the max 

“The game is fun. The game is a battle.” So sayeth the wise Reggie Fils-Aime, greeting us from the virtual realm of a greenscreened room. Talk of the Switch’s strengths led to a trailer for Monolith Soft’s Xenoblade Chronicles 2, with giant airships, grassy fields, and anime battles aplenty. Our hero Rex joins forces with a woman who identifies herself as “the driver of the Aegis”, as they team up to go on a journey to Elysium (but not before Rex very inappropriately reaches for her chest). What followed was some battle footage, Rex half-heartedly shouting “Take THIIIIIIS!” and swords clashing to and fro. It’s all extremely anime in a good way, with Xenoblade Chronicles 2 set to be released Holiday 2017. 

A new co-op Kirby adventure is on the way 

That gluttonous pink puffball Kirby is headed to Nintendo Switch with a gorgeous 2.5D platformer featuring four-player co-op, as your band of chipper, circular adventurers combine for goofy-yet-effective battle formations. The as-yet unnamed Kirby game is coming sometime in 2018. 

A proper Pokemon game is coming to Nintendo Switch (praise Pikachu!)

Nintendo’s Shinya Takahashi was up next to discuss the public’s warm reception to the Switch, promising more multiplayer games made for on-the-go gaming. He then handed it off to Tsunekazu Ishihara from The Pokemon Company, who reiterated that Pokken Tournament DX is headed to Nintendo Switch. With all that out of the way, here’s the juicy announcement: the promise that Game Freak is currently developing a “core RPG” Pokemon (opens in new tab) for Nintendo Switch, though there’s nothing to show off just yet. The game won’t be out for a long while – next year at the very earliest – but hey, you can’t rush Pokemon perfection. 

Metroid Prime 4 confirmed 

Glory be, a new Metroid Prime (opens in new tab) – a Nintendo Direct announced something Metroid fans actually want! This was nothing more than a title announcement, but it’s something to go on after years of silence for the beloved first-person franchise. 

A new yarn Yoshi game looks appropriately adorable 

Yoshi’s fuzzy yarn incarnation is back, as he explores 2.5D cardboard dioramas in what looks like a mix of Yoshi’s Island and LittleBigPlanet. The main gameplay mechanic is the ability to switch the world’s orientation on the fly to solve puzzles or discover the path forward, and there’s also support for two-player co-op. Like the new Kirby, this Yoshi sequel doesn’t yet have a name, and will be coming in 2018. 

Fire Emblem Warriors sets up the stakes 

Next was a look at the story of Fire Emblem Warriors, in which a giant evil dragon comes down and throws a kingdom into chaos. The plot centers on two royal siblings separated from their parents, with the many heroes of the Fire Emblem series coming to their aid on the journey to reclaim their kingdom. You’ll be able to play as this Fire Emblem dream team when Fire Emblem Warriors debuts in Fall 2017. 

The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild’s Expansion Pass content looks promising  

Nintendo’s Eiji Aonuma gave a quick shoutout to the The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild (opens in new tab) items in the Switch version of Skyrim, then offered us a look at Breath of the Wild’s DLC packs (opens in new tab). Pack 1, entitled The Master Trials, includes the Trial of the Sword, in which Link’s dropped into an area naked and must fight for his survival with only the bare essentials at his disposal. Other additions include the Hero’s Path Mode and Master Mode, plus new armor – complete with a Tingle outfit – and a Korok Mask to help you find every last Korok. Pack 2, entitled The Champion’s Ballad, focuses on the four Champions from the many tribes of Breath of the Wild – and they’ll all getting their own amiibo, which will of course be compatible with Breath of the Wild. 

More Mario + Rabbids footage, plus a Rocket League port with exclusive content 

Reggie’s on a beach now! He talked up the multiplayer competitions happening at E3 2017: the Splatoon 2 World Inkling Invitational, Pokken Tournament DX Invitational, Arms Open Invitational will all crown a champion this week. Next up, we got some more footage for Mario + Rabbids Kingdom Battle (opens in new tab), which we saw at the Ubisoft E3 2017 press conference, revealing ice-themed worlds, more corrupted Rabbid enemies, and a few more humorous cutscenes. Mario + Rabbids Kingdom Battle will be available on August 29th.

And hey, remember Rocket League from the beginning of the show? Yes, it’s coming to Nintendo Switch, complete with exclusive customization items, exclusive battle cars (fingers crossed for Captain Falcon’s Blue Falcon vehicle), and cross-network play, coming Holiday 2017.

Super Mario Odyssey shows off a crucial new power, plus prehistoric and gothic realms 

We start out with a mysterious shot of a tyrannosaurus rex stomping around – but wait, what’s that? It’s Mario’s trademark cap (now with googly eyes) resting atop the dino’s giant noggin, and out pops Mario. This is actually a demonstration of Mario’s new ability in Super Mario Odyssey (opens in new tab): the power to inhabit NPCs’ bodies by throwing your cap at them. What followed was a rapid-fire showcase of Mario’s many new forms (complete with his trademark mustache) using this power, including Goombas, Koopas, Bullet Bills, Cheep Cheeps, and many more new creatures – even taxi cabs and those ‘normie’ humans walking around New Donk City. Mario’s regular form also has some new costumes like a poncho plus sombrero combo and the stars-and-stripes outfit from NES Open Tournament Golf. 

We also caught a glimpse of new worlds, like the aforementioned prehistoric realm that lets you platform across dinosaur bones, and a gothic setting that evokes A Nightmare Before Christmas. Some segments even graft Mario onto walls as a 2D cutout, akin to The Legend of Zelda: A Link Between Worlds. The whole trailer was scored to a delightfully peppy jazz number “Let’s Do the Odyssey”, and the game’s coming sooner than we thought: October 27, 2017, exclusively to Nintendo Switch. And with that, the Nintendo Showcase for E3 2017 came to a close!

Make sure you check out our full E3 2017 schedule (opens in new tab) to stay tuned for all the details as they arrive, and check out our roundup of all the E3 2017 trailers (opens in new tab).  For more E3 2017 highlights, check out our PlayStation E3 2017 recap (opens in new tab) and Xbox E3 2017 recap (opens in new tab). 

The post Nintendo E3 2017 Recap: Best of Nintendo at E3 2017 appeared first on Game News.

It’s not just the addition of a single-player story campaign that does it, though that does already look fantastic, plays brilliantly, and promises an epic, 30-year chunk of serious, currently unknown Star Wars narrative history to boot. Battlefront 2 goes beyond that. This isn’t a game simply concerned with filling out its universe with sheer volume. Rather, developer DICE is doubling (maybe tripling) down on the depth and intricacy of ways to inhabit that universe, to really interact with it.

Nowhere does this become more apparent than in the game’s signature multiplayer. Now significantly fleshed out in every area, deepened in its systems, and chiseled into a far more intricate form, Star Wars Battlefront 2’s competitive combat is clearly on a mission to overturn all accusations of the lightweight and the shallow that were so long (rightly) leveled at its predecessor.

The change in attitude is immediately obvious from the load-out screen. With four truly distinct, purposeful classes available, Battlefront 2 is clearly a game with strategy on its mind. With its squad-spawn system – which drops players into the battleground as an impromptu unit, with Battle Point bonuses for sticking together – matching the same number in its player cap, Battlefront 2 obviously wants you to find meaningful purpose, and coordinate abilities for the greater good. The randomised nature of squad make-ups might admittedly not always make for the most balanced team-building, but hey. This is still Star Wars Battlefront, with its core mindset of immediate, accessible fun. But it’s certainly now making an effort to balance the hoots with smart shooting.

In my matches – playing an Imperial side – the four available classes couldn’t be more separate or complementary in their archetypes. The Assault trooper is your standard all-rounder, all medium-range combat and grenades. Then there’s the Specialist, the tricksy sniper class with the trip mines. The Heavy is the slow-moving master of the Gatling blaster and mobile shield. The Officer, meanwhile, sports a relatively weak pistol, but can sound a rallying cry to buff any troops in an immediate radius. If you’re less confident in shooting, but great at support, this is the character for you.

What this comes down to in practice is a distinctly less arcadey experience, where strategy, placing, teamwork, and the timed use of asymmetric abilities are fundamental to the gameflow. No longer will you simply run-and-gun, letting blind luck and fast trigger-fingers dictate your fate. The inclusion of accuracy-boosting ironsights this time around speaks volumes to DICE’s intent, immediately making both the pace of the game and the lining of shots a whole lot more deliberate. Battlefront 2’s weapons still retail the ‘powerful but spammable’ identity of the first-game’s gunplay, for the sake of accessibility – the Specialist, for instance, can still make a pretty good fist of a rapid-fire stand-off if caught out at close-range – but there’s much greater facility for using them with thought and intent this time around, and much greater reward when you do.

As I play more, I discover that the combat model’s newfound purism is further shaped and reinforced by the more physical framework of map design. The Naboo city of Theed in particular might look like a fairly straightforward, urban skirmish-zone on first glance, but once down into those blaster-torn streets, it can be an unforgiving meat-grinder of a place. A picturesque location through and through, but one hiding a great deal of brutality in its layout.

Long, open promenades offer long-range death-by-Specialist to any unwary Assault trooper emerging too quickly from the corner of an enclosed street. Tight alleyways double up as safe flanking routes and godforsaken, multi-kill death-traps if a Heavy happens to control one, or someone has laid booby traps. Cavernous throne rooms hold vital objectives, but are lethal in their openness, should you even make it past the uncompromising choke-point sieges at their doors. To get around challenges like these you’ll need to think a lot harder, work a lot harder, and operate as a tighter team than ever before. It’s not quite Battlefield, in either scale or intent, but the influence of DICE’s other big FPS can be felt through and through. This is a Battlefront with immediate fun, but also the potential for a gratifying amount of longer-term depth.

Even the appearance of enhanced special units and abilities has been made less cartoonish, and entirely more fair and logical. Power-up icons are now a thing of the past, meaning that such rewards are now truly rewards, rather than the product of stumbling upon the right, recently-spawned icon at the right time. In Battlefront 2, a generously accruing pool of Battle Points – doled out as payment for a multitude of in-game actions – will act as currency, dictating the (frequent) availability of an array of bonus load-outs on spawn. And while AT-RT robo-legs, troopers with jump-packs, and Naboo fighters might feel excessive bonuses to have so readily on hand, in practice, each is remarkably well balanced, strategically purposeful, and thoughtfully designed. Extravagant sci-fi wonder toys they may be, but they’re also far too easy to waste in uncareful hands. And besides, this is a Star Wars FPS. Surely the point is to have as much cool, cinematic Star Wars stuff going on as possible, right? No-one really wants to skimp on the X-Wings.

Star Wars: Battlefront 2, then, is a much more gratifying game to play than its predecessor. Surprisingly so, in fact. No longer reliant on the shock and awe of Star Wars authenticity – though providing that in spades, with settings and characters now taking in all three eras – it now provides a different sort of authenticity too. A DICE authenticity. A serious, competitive shooter authenticity. It doesn’t come at the expense of the all-welcoming accessibility the series still obviously craves, but it is most certainly there. As such, there’s no small chance this could finally be the game we’ve been hoping for since that assault on Hoth in 2013. 

Make sure you check out our full E3 2017 schedule (opens in new tab) to stay tuned for all the details as they arrive, and check out our roundup of all the E3 2017 trailers (opens in new tab). 

The post Star Wars: Battlefront 2 multiplayer hands-on: Still accessible, still spectacular, but this time there’s a dash of real, Battlefield depth to go with it appeared first on Game News.

First, there was shock

YVES GOT SOME BACKUP, VIVENDIY’ALL FUCKED NOW pic.twitter.com/rNRNSJ9crbJune 12, 2017

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MARIO SHOT AND KILLED A THING! WTF EVEN IS THIS!June 12, 2017

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“Wahoooo! Contact!”“I’ve-a been shot by an enemy sniper!”“I’m-a bleeding out!”June 12, 2017

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Can’t believe they’re announcing Mario XCOM in this, the year of bizarro rabbit Luigi. #E3June 12, 2017

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Then there was reasoning

I mean I hate those rabbids so fucking them up as mario sounds OKJune 12, 2017

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Is this canon? pic.twitter.com/BYK8LNbAcaJune 12, 2017

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same pic.twitter.com/NYcFNWveoVJune 12, 2017

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Mario kissing a rabbid is the new sonic kissing a human #UbiE3June 12, 2017

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Then excitement

Ok, #MarioRabbids looks good. Another must buy on #NintendoSwitch for me.June 12, 2017

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Disney and Final Fantasy was an unexpected but awesome mix. Now Rabbids and Mario in an X-COM style game? You had me at Rabbids Peach. June 12, 2017

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thatsmyfetish.gif pic.twitter.com/Nz9NEJopDaJune 12, 2017

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This is the best Mario Party game I’ve ever seen.June 12, 2017

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Make sure you check out our full E3 2017 schedule (opens in new tab) to stay tuned for all the details as they arrive, and check out our roundup of all the E3 2017 trailers (opens in new tab). 

The post The internet reacts to Mario + Rabbids: Kingdom Battle – Mario shot and killed a thing WTF appeared first on Game News.

Thing is, Wolfenstein doesn’t appear to be doing anything especially creative or innovative. It isn’t trying to sell the player on some fancy new technology, asking them to perform feats never before seen in other shooters, nor is its world – of Nazi-occupied America – a particularly fresh concept. Yet it oozes intrigue and insane, positive vibes from every scene of the equally mad 8 minute reveal footage. Check it out below. Go on, watch all of it – especially the ‘post credits’.

Much as it was back in 1992, Wolfenstein is a pure FPS game. You turn up to shoot an increasingly tough and numerous army of enemies, with an increasingly massive and more ludicrous arsenal of weapons. That’s its core, and the rest is window-dressing. Much as it did 36 years ago, Wolfenstein understands the fundamentals of what makes a shooter great – the actual gunplay itself feels satisfying, and it’s the progression of the gameplay itself (not necessarily the story) that is King. Everything else in the game is designed to feed into this fundamental philosophy, and enhance it in satisfying ways. Even though I haven’t played a single second of The New Colossus, it’s wonderfully apparent that this is how the game is being made. Again. The 36 year old formula holds true, even if the window dressing has been made dramatically more attractive.

It’s telling that BJ Blazkowitz, a character forged exclusively out of testosterone and gruff one-liners during the most macho period of history ever, feels modern and relevant in 2017. The scene where he dangles the resistance fighter over the elevator shaft and tries to convince them he’s “not a Nazi” is genuinely funny, and the payoff with the dud grenade is wonderfully pitched. Blazkowitz hasn’t simply become a parody of his deeply late-80s/early-90s self, though – he’s contextualised beautifully within a game that knows who its hero is, and how its players expect him to be used. Even his brand new ‘bullet-proof mask’ is built to play with one of the most basic of shooter tropes: the headshot. He’s the hero Wolfenstein needs – just as he was in New Order – and the only type of character who can realistically carry that pure FPS action this franchise has always been known for.

Even the Collector’s Edition is perfect!

Pre-order Wolfenstein 2 (opens in new tab) and get this amazing Terror Billy figure. It’s so good.

Even in the cut-scenes you get a sense of the enjoyment and entertainment you’ll get from the game, as BJ smashes his way through an army of Nazis. It’s a tease; a hint at the powers you’ll wield and the sheer joy you’ll have using them. Blazkowitz, being a creation of the early-90s, is allowed to revel in the violence, and he gives players an excuse to do that too.

The rest of the trailer represents a perfect taster of what’s to come in New Colossus. Its supporting cast is a wonderful collection of stereotypes given fresh twists: the evil Nazi lady, the paranoid resistance fighters, the comic relief side-kicks (that scene with the robot arm and cookie made me laugh so hard). They’re basic enough to understand and complement the kind of action you’re getting from the game, yet quirky enough to be part of a genuinely interesting supporting cast. The friendly lunatics and the evil mad-people are perfect foils for BJ’s dead-pan, 90s persona. And they all fit wonderfully into the twisted, yet colourful and recognisable version of Nazi-occupied America. Too many games try to give us the grim reality of slave-camps and mass graveyards (thanks Homefront), but Wolfenstein – at least in the trailer – recognises that this is too unrelentingly dark to fit with its aesthetic. Sure, the Nazi in the diner is sinister, but in a light-hearted way. The trick that most of the best shooters manage is to dress up what is essentially the act of repeated murder in a way that seems justified and ‘feel-good’. Because they’re games, and we should enjoy playing them.

And that’s key; the thing Wolfenstein has always done. It makes playing a shooter feel good. It puts the shooting first, and throws everything else on top of it, because it knows that players will be happy to sample any kind of madness (what the hell is going on with that LSD trip at the end of the trailer?) if the thing they’re actually doing is entertaining. This is why New Colossus is one of the standout reveals of E3. It’s not fussy or over complicated, yet it still has heaps of depth and intrigue. For all its explosive bluster and action-packed variety, Star Wars Battlefront 2 (opens in new tab) failed to convince me it was a thoroughbred shooter. Anthem (opens in new tab) feels like a graphical showcase for Xbox One X (opens in new tab) and, despite the fact it’ll probably be excellent, the action plays second-fiddle to the world and the ‘volume of stuff to do’. Crackdown 3 (opens in new tab)? It’s all bluster and boasts, its sense of humour borrowed from the excellent Terry Crews.

Wolfenstein stands out a mile because it understands what shooter fans want and need. It presents its rock-solid action gameplay and cast of characters with a nod, a wink, and a surefire promise that – for the duration of the game – you’re going to have shed-loads of fun. You’ll laugh, you’ll die, you’ll get frustrated, you’ll win major victories, you’ll want to smash through every one of its comically evil foes. Wolfenstein understood that in 1992, it knows that now in 2017, and it’s virtually guaranteed to be one of the best games you’ll play this year.

The post Why a 25 year-old game is one of the most innovative, exciting reveals of E3 2017 appeared first on Game News.

Before we dive in, you can read our impressions of the single-player campaign (opens in new tab) with its giddying scale and focus on big set-pieces.

Still, please enjoy our observations as we sit back and catch our collective breaths. And check out the latest trailer too…

• The single-player still looks amazing
• Sentinels (a relatively new piece of lore) will show up to relay the Emperor’s wishes, post-mortem
• Battlefront community members were invited to test the game out and give feedback ahead of time
• Splitscreen co-op!
• Classes will impact not only your weapons and gear, but health as well
• Classes can be customized, so you’re not locked into one loadout
• You can play as a battle droid! Roger roger.
• John Boyega dropped in with a special announcement: Finn and Captain Phasma will be playable
• That weird planet with red dust from the The Last Jedi trailer is also in
• The game will feature “seasons” of content which will be free
• All post-launch heroes, maps, and modes: free
• Seriously. Free.
• One of the game’s maps is Naboo’s capital city, Theed
• Some maps and fights are broken into multiple phases (moving through a city, for example)
• Vehicles and troops are era-appropriate, ie. Vulture Droids and V-Wings for the prequel era
• AT-RTs look silly, but are super rad in combat
• There are no more vehicle tokens spread across the map
• Players will spend “Battle Point” to play with vehicles and Heroes
• Which includes Darth Maul, who seems crazy powerful
• Multiple heroes fighting for one team can be deployed at the same time
• Heroes are not necessarily restricted by era (meaning you could play as Rey on a prequel era map)
• Heroes who were also in the first game have new abilities, like Boba Fett’s new concussion rocket

Let us know what you think plus anything we missed!

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