The appearance of Keanu Reeves at the Microsoft Xbox E3 2019 briefing where he announced the release date for Cyberpunk 2077 was unquestionably one of the most memorable events of the entire show (at least so far). Now, it’s revealed that Microsoft went to great lengths to ensure that Reeves’ appearance was kept a secret.

Xbox boss Phil Spencer explained to Variety that Microsoft used a stand-in for Reeves during rehearsals. Not only that, but Reeves was referred to with a codename. The report goes on to say that Reeves didn’t set foot inside the Microsoft Theatre until the morning of his appearance.

Also in the interview, Spencer acknowledged that he wasn’t sure how it would all go down. He said he’s seen some celebrity endorsements fall flat over years. But after seeing a brief from developer CD Projekt Red–which had the idea for Reeves’ appearance–Microsoft was convinced that it was going to be “very authentic,” Spencer said.

CD Projekt Red spoke to GameSpot at E3 this week regarding how they got Reeves involved. They approached him about a year ago for the role, and the studio said the part he plays–Johnny Silverhand–would only work with Reeves. “It was always him or no one else for the role,” CD Projekt Red’s Miles Tost explained, adding that he was happy the news didn’t leak.

Check out the video embedded above to learn more about how CD Projekt Red brought Keanu Reeves on board for Cyberpunk 2077. You can also read the GameSpot story linked below to learn more about the role Reeves plays in Cyberpunk 2077.

After years of development, Cyberpunk 2077 is finally releasing on April 16, 2020 across PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and PC.

• E3 2019: Keanu Reeves Is A Big Deal In Cyberpunk 2077’s Story

More E3 news:

• Zelda: Breath of the Wild 2 teased
• New Xbox console, Scarlett, revealed
• Xbox Scarlett details: 8K, 120 FPS, SSD
• Elden Ring is From Software and George RR Martin’s new game
• Cyberpunk 2077 release date announced
• Final Fantasy VII Remake release date announced
• Marvel’s Avengers revealed

from GameSpot – Game News https://www.gamespot.com/articles/microsoft-went-to-great-lengths-to-keep-keanu-reev/1100-6467739/

Electronic Arts considered developing a Mario Party-style Simpsons game, but it was too ambitious and it was ultimately canceled. The news comes from an E3 2019 Coliseum livestream where series producers Matt Selman and J. Stewart Burns spoke about it for what appears to be the first time. Selman mentioned the game after host Aaron Bleyaert asked the panel which Simpsons game was their favorite to work on.

“My favourite game to work on was the Simpsons party game that never came out that we just got paid for,” Selman said with a laugh. “At the time there was a trendy kind of, Mario Party, lots of mini-games … we briefly discussed getting on that bandwagon.”

Burns said the Simpsons party game was going to span around 20 different party games, but he estimated it would take a year to make each one, and that was simply not possible.

“It looked like it was going to be a 20-year project or longer because I don’t think we were going to get one of the party games done in a year,” he said. “That was not my favorite thing to work on. It was great when we heard it was not going forward. That was our fault, not EA’s.”

Burns added that he felt like the Simpsons production team owed Electronic Arts the mobile game Tapped Out after the unannounced party game fell apart.

Tapped Out went on to become very popular and lucrative, and it’s still operating today more than six years after its initial release in 2013. The game continues to receive new updates, the latest of which is called “Royale.” Its new content pokes fun at battle royale games like Fortnite.

It’s unclear what developer was tasked with working on the unannounced and unreleased Simpsons party game, and it’s also unknown if any actual development was done on the title or if it was only conceived in the planning stage.

Whatever the case, it’s almost always exciting to hear about unannounced games and think about what they could have been. This is also true for the Simpsons party game. There are seemingly countless opportunities for fun and silly Simpsons-style mini-games. You could imagine something about Homer eating donuts, Bart skateboarding, or Barney drinking as many beers as possible. The possibilities are pretty much endless.

Also during the livestream, Selman talked about how much he enjoyed 2007’s The Simpsons Video Game for its meta-narrative in particular, even if the gameplay wasn’t all that great. He also enjoyed how God was the final boss.

It’s no surprise that EA would want to try to make its own Mario Party-style game, as Nintendo’s franchise is enduringly popular. The latest instalment, Super Mario Party, has sold more than 6.4 million copies which makes it one of the Switch’s most successful games.

The Simpsons Video Game in 2007 was the latest Simpsons console/PC game. During the livestream, Burns said the producers are always thinking about how they could make more Simpsons titles, but, sorry, there is no word yet on if Hit & Run 2 will ever happen.

More E3 news:

• Zelda: Breath of the Wild 2 teased
• New Xbox console, Scarlett, revealed
• Xbox Scarlett details: 8K, 120 FPS, SSD
• Elden Ring is From Software and George RR Martin’s new game
• Cyberpunk 2077 release date announced
• Final Fantasy VII Remake release date announced
• Marvel’s Avengers revealed

from GameSpot – Game News https://www.gamespot.com/articles/revealed-at-e3-2019-a-mario-party-style-simpsons-g/1100-6467738/

Microsoft’s X0 event is returning this year. Xbox boss Phil Spencer confirmed during the Inside Xbox livestream this week that X019 will be held in London this November.

Microsoft says fans can expect “news, first looks, and plenty of surprises.” The show will begin with the “biggest Inside Xbox episode of the year,” Microsoft teased.

The company said it’s expecting “thousands” of people to attend, and more details will be announced at Gamescom in August. No venue has been announced for X019, while ticketing details are also unknown at this point.

Microsoft brought back the X0 event in 2018 with a show that took place in Mexico City. it was a big show for Microsoft. At the event, Microsoft announced the release date for Crackdown 3, an Xbox One X discount, the buyout of inXile, and more.

As for Microsoft’s showing at E3, the company made a series of huge announcements such as Project Scarlett, Elden Ring, a Cyberpunk 2077 release date, and more.

More E3 news:

• New Xbox console, Scarlett, revealed
• Xbox Scarlett details: 8K, 120 FPS, SSD
• Elden Ring is From Software and George RR Martin’s new game
• Cyberpunk 2077 release date announced
• Final Fantasy VII Remake release date announced
• Marvel’s Avengers revealed

from GameSpot – Game News https://www.gamespot.com/articles/after-e3-and-scarlett-reveal-more-xbox-news-coming/1100-6467736/

One of the biggest challenges that Star Wars: Jedi Fallen Order‘s developers face is creating a game that has engaging mechanics, but also fulfills the fantasy of being a Jedi. It may sound easy on paper but striking the right balance is tricky, and there’s a long line of mediocre Star Wars action games that serve as a testament to that.

At E3 2019, the scuttlebutt has been that Jedi Fallen Order is a game in the same mold as From Software’s Dark Souls, Bloodborne, and Sekiro. These games are mechanically demanding and deliver a potent sense of accomplishment, but it’s hard-earned–not the kind of approachable experience that hooks an audience as broad as Star Wars’. And therein lies the challenge.

Respawn’s solution is what it calls “thoughtful” combat, and this is also what is most reminiscent of From Software’s games. At E3 2019 I got a chance to play Jedi Fallen Order, with the bulk of my hands-on spent in a combat arena getting a better handle of what this “thoughtful” combat entails.

The arena itself was no-frills, a plain open area where I could run around and swing my lightsaber to cut down any enemies in my path. Further out, there were walls where enemies could be placed to fire blaster shots from a safe distance. My opponents were a cannon-fodder Storm Trooper, a blaster-wielding variant, aggressive Purge Troopers, and surprisingly deadly KX-Series Security Droids.

Almost immediately, Jedi Fallen Order feels a lot looser than Dark Souls; the general speed of movement and responsiveness is closer to Sekrio, though its feedback doesn’t quite feel as sharp and satisfying. The “thoughtful” part of combat comes in how you manage your enemies and crowd control, and then the efficiency with which you dispatch them.

To begin with, I went up against the vanilla, hits-head-on-roof brand of Storm Trooper, who like to stand at a distance and take potshots with their blasters. To take them out, I simply waited for them to fire a shot and then guarded at the very last second to deflect the incoming fire back and take out the trooper. The guard button can be held down to deflect all incoming fire in random directions, but to actually return the shot requires specific timing. These enemies are incredibly fragile and, if you get close enough to them, a couple of lightsaber swings brings them down.

The second variant of Storm Trooper was wielding an electric baton of sorts and, as such, was very aggressive, quickly moving into range to deliver up-close melee attacks. Here, I got to put the counter system to work and, as a strike was about to land on me, pressed the guard button to turn the table on the enemy and create an opening for myself. This will no doubt be familiar to those have played Sekiro, though, again, the timing feels a little more lenient. Like deflecting blaster shots, there is a simpler way to deal with these enemies, and that is to hold down the block button to nullify attacks. However, Jedi in training and hero of Jedi Fallen Order, Cal Kestis, has a defense bar and every attack chips away at it, so turtling for extended periods of time isn’t an option.

Almost immediately, Jedi Fallen Order feels a lot looser than Dark Souls; the general speed of movement and responsiveness is closer to Sekrio

And that’s where the dodge comes in handy. Pressing the B button on the Xbox controller while holding a direction made Cal dash, but with a second tap of the button, he’d roll away. This, it turned out, was particularly useful for getting away from the Purge Troopers, who are a considerably more formidable enemy. Taking them down involved a careful dance of landing a swipe and then dodge-rolling out of the way of their sweeping attacks. Occasionally they’d spin their double-sided energy weapons around themselves, but by pressing the dodge button without a direction, Cal could do a last-second dodge that narrowly avoids the incoming attack without disengaging from battle, slowing down the action. Occasionally, I’d pull these last-second dodges off in quick succession and be rewarded with a front kick animation that would create some space.

The final enemy, the Security Droids, were undoubtedly the trickiest customers. While slow, they would bear down on me and deliver powerful punches that, unless parried, would deplete Cal’s health in just a few blows. They’d also throw in an unblockable grab, during which Cal would be slammed into the ground. These guys required a little more finesse to destroy, and by finesse, I mean using a very handy Force ability that would lock them into place to give you a good window to land a powerful Focus Attack.

Taken individually, each element of Jedi Fallen Order’s combat is fairly simple and I daresay uninteresting. However, it’s when the game throws a bunch of different kinds of enemies at you together that the “thoughtful” part of it really clicks. With Blaster Troopers dotted around, baton-wielding troopers closing the gap, and a Purge Trooper circling, Jedi Fallen Order’s combat becomes a process of target prioritization and threat management. I quickly used my Force powers to trap the Purge Trooper in stasis, then double jumped away from the incoming attackers so I could get enough time and space to bait the troopers perched on walls to fire at me. I deflected blaster shots back to take them out of the equation, and by that time had enough breathing room to land a series of counter-attacks that left just me and the Purge Trooper in the field of combat. With the odds evened, I could carefully engage and disengage, dodging through its flurries and countering the slower, more telegraphed strikes.

And that’s when it all clicked into place. At this stage, it feels like Respawn has done a good job of having a two-tiered gameplay experience, with the first being one that can be enjoyed by those looking for a simple but satisfying, almost button-mashy style of combat. The second, however, offers greater depth for those who want it, inviting them to consider how they approach each scenario, how best they can use their abilities and Force powers to give themselves the edge, and then executing in an efficient way. There were further considerations in combat that, sadly, we didn’t get as much of an opportunity to experiment with, like Force pulling enemies towards you, which looked like it would be very useful for taking out the Troopers with flamethrowers, and the Force Push. On top of that, there was a skill tree that wasn’t available in our demo, so it seems there’s further depth. But, as it stands, Jedi Fallen Order feels like it could be a satisfying Star Wars action experience. It may even double up as an approachable entry-point into the world of Souls-likes.

from GameSpot – Game News https://www.gamespot.com/articles/e3-2019-a-close-look-at-star-wars-jedi-fallen-orde/1100-6467734/