No Sony E3 2019 Press Conference; Here’s Why PlayStation Skipped The Big Event

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E3 2019 is one of the world’s biggest and most important video game conferences, and it’s going on right now–press conferences began this weekend and continued early this week. While the show may be in a state of undeniable upheaval, many of the industry’s biggest players are still coming to the show, including platform-holders Microsoft and Nintendo, as well as Square Enix (occupying a time normally held by Sony). Even Google held a Stadia Connect event just before E3. For the first time in the show’s history, however, the third major platform-holder–Sony PlayStation–is not attending. So, what gives?

Sony confirmed in late 2018 that it would not attend E3 2019 because it was looking for other “inventive opportunities” to connect with its own community.

“PlayStation fans mean the world to us and we always want to innovate, think differently and experiment with new ways to delight gamers. As a result, we have decided not to participate in E3 in 2019,” a PlayStation representative said at the time.

Despite not attending E3, Sony did recently generate some excitement one of PS4’s big upcoming exclusives, releasing a new Death Stranding trailer and announcing a release date of this November. Before that, it shared the first details about its next-gen PlayStation console, PS5. Although it does not yet have an official name (we’re simply assuming it will be the PlayStation 5), we have learned all about its specs and other elements of the console.

This year is the first time that Sony has opted to skip E3 since it entered the video game business in the mid-90s. While Sony has completely bowed out, other companies have adjusted their E3 plans in recent years.

Microsoft, for example, relocated its floor space from the show floor at the Los Angeles Convention Center to the nearby Microsoft Theatre in 2018, something that it is doing again this year. Nintendo, for its part, stopped conducting live stage shows at E3 in favor of broadcasting its popular, often shorter, pre-recorded Nintendo Direct briefings.

Sony, too, tried something new with its E3 2018 briefing. The company opted to conduct a somewhat-bizarre “guided experience” that focused on just four games over the course of the evening. The reaction from the community was mixed.

E3 2019 isn’t the only major event this year that Sony is skipping. The company recently confirmed it will not host its annual PlayStation Experience this year. “We wouldn’t have enough to bring people all together in North America to have that event,” PlayStation boss Shawn Layden said. “We don’t want to set expectations really high and then not deliver on that. It was a hard decision, but we have determined that this year we will not hold PlayStation Experience.”

While Sony won’t be at E3, the show is still expected to bring a lot of big news. Microsoft already announced its new Xbox console, Scarlet, as well as a From Software-George RR Martin game, Elden Ring.

For more on E3 2019, check out GameSpot’s feature where we break down why E3 2019 will be different than past years and what to expect.

More E3 news:

from GameSpot – Game News https://www.gamespot.com/articles/no-sony-e3-2019-press-conference-heres-why-playsta/1100-6467178/

Nintendo E3 Direct: Banjo-Kazooie, Dragon Quest’s Hero Are Next Smash Bros. Ultimate DLC Characters

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Update: Just as teased, Nintendo revealed the next playable character for Super Smash Bros. Ultimate during its E3 2019 Direct. However, there was not one, but two new fighter reveals. Nintendo kicked off the presentation by announcing the Hero from Dragon Quest XI, who’ll be joining Smash Bros. Ultimate’s roster this summer. It appears his alternate costumes are the Heroes from Dragon Quest III, V, and VIII, and he’ll be joined by other protagonists from the series’ history for his Final Smash. Then at the end of the Direct, Nintendo unveiled Banjo-Kazooie. The original story follows.

Nintendo has been mostly quiet about what it plans to show off during its upcoming E3 2019 Direct, but we now know at least one thing that will definitely happen during the livestream. Following the finals of the Super Smash Bros. Ultimate World Championship tournament this past weekend, the company confirmed that it will reveal the game’s next playable DLC character during its E3 Direct today, June 11.

In a video message, Super Smash Bros. Ultimate director Masahiro Sakurai congratulated the winning team and provided an update on the game’s DLC. “As for me, I’ll be continuing my work on the next DLC fighter, and more information regarding that will be shared in the Nintendo Direct for E3 2019, so I hope you’re looking forward to it,” Sakurai said.

Nintendo of America president Doug Bowser also teased that fans wouldn’t want to miss Tuesday’s Direct. “I think many of you are gonna want to tune in next week to see what, or who, [Sakurai] may be talking about,” he said. Bowser also announced a Super Smash Bros. Ultimate Online Open tournament, which will kick off this month. The four winners of that will compete in Super Smash Bros. Ultimate at the Evo 2019 championships this August.

Nintendo has already released two DLC characters for Super Smash Bros. Ultimate. Piranha Plant, who was offered for free to early adopters, arrived in February, while Persona 5’s Joker launched in April. There are still four DLC characters coming to the game, although Nintendo hasn’t revealed their identities yet.

Joker and the remaining four fighters are included in the Fighters Pass, which runs for $25 USD. Each of the DLC characters comes with a brand-new stage, as well as several music tracks and a handful of new Spirits drawn from their series. The character packs can also be purchased individually for $6 USD. Nintendo says all of Smash Bros. Ultimate’s DLC characters will be released by February 2020.

Nintendo’s E3 Direct presentation airs at 9 AM PT / 12 PM ET / 5 PM BST on June 11. In addition to revealing the next Smash DLC fighter, we know the broadcast will focus on Switch games coming in 2019, including Luigi’s Mansion 3, Marvel Ultimate Alliance 3: The Black Order, and The Legend of Zelda: Link’s Awakening. You can find out when and how to watch Nintendo’s E3 Direct here.

That wasn’t the only announcement to come out of Nintendo’s pre-E3 tournaments. Following the Splatoon 2 World Championship, Nintendo announced the date and theme of the game’s final Splatfest event, which will take place from July 18-21. Following the Splatfest, Nintendo will release the game’s 5.0 update. You can find more news and announcements from E3 on GameSpot’s E3 2019 hub.

E3 2019 Conference Schedule

More E3 news:

from GameSpot – Game News https://www.gamespot.com/articles/nintendo-e3-direct-banjo-kazooie-dragon-quests-her/1100-6467506/

Call Of Duty: Modern Warfare MP Screens Revealed And Spec Ops Confirmed At E3 2019

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The first screenshots from Call of Duty: Modern Warfare‘s multiplayer mode emerged online today, providing a first look at the online mode for Infinity Ward’s military shooter.

The screenshots were released as part of the game’s appearance at the E3 Coliseum event. Captured in-game on Infinity Ward’s new game engine, the first image shows a character in a Ghillie suit who is wielding a silenced sniper rifle. The second image confirms that the Juggernaut suit from 2007’s Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare is returning.

The Juggernaut suit in Modern Warfare

It was also confirmed during the event that the co-op Spec Ops mode from previous Modern Warfare games will return in the new game. No details were provided, but developers said fans can look forward to more details in the time ahead as Infinity Ward works on making it look perfect before showing it off publicly.

The Infinity Ward developers also shared more insight into Modern Warfare’s story. Like the original game, story plays out from multiple perspectives. In some sections, you’ll play as a Tier 1 SAS operator alongside Captain Price, and in others you’ll play as a CIA SAD operator who gets embedded with a local militia in the game’s fictional Middle Eastern country.

The Tier 1 operator is Kyle Gerrick, who is a British Army officer who now works counter-terrorism. He’s voiced by Elliot Knight. The CIA SAD operator goes by the name Alex, and he’s voiced by Chad Michael Collins. A third character, Farrah, who is not playable, is voiced by Claudia Doumit.

The Ghillie suit from Modern Warfare multiplayer

Infinity Ward’s Taylor Kurosaki also talked about the controversial re-casting of Captain Price. He’s voiced by Barry Sloane in the new game, while Billy Murray voiced him in the original. Kurosaki said it’s similar to when Daniel Craig took over for Pierce Brosnan as James Bond. The movie producers didn’t want to find someone who looked like Brosnan, but rather someone who could embody the spirit of James Bond. The game is true for Price, Kurosaki said.

Modern Warfare launches on October 25 for PS4, Xbox One, and PC.

More E3 news:

from GameSpot – Game News https://www.gamespot.com/articles/call-of-duty-modern-warfare-mp-screens-revealed-an/1100-6467732/

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

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Since Microsoft’s E3 2019 press conference, we haven’t stopped thinking about Keanu Reeves. The Reeves-surgence is in full swing thanks to John Wick (and to his excellent appearance in Netflix’s Always Be My Maybe), and now CD Projekt Red has somehow had the foresight to include him in Cyberpunk 2077. From the trailer, though, it wasn’t clear how big a role Reeves’ character would have in the game.

During a behind-closed-doors presentation at E3 2019, we saw nearly an hour of Cyberpunk 2077 footage that strongly indicates Reeves has a very big role in the game’s story. He plays Johnny Silverhand, a major character from the Cyberpunk 2020 universe (the tabletop game on which 2077 is based). In the demo we saw, Johnny appears as a hologram that’s apparently in your character’s head, and he acts as a guide of sorts through key moments.

“He’s a primary character in the game,” lead quest designer Pawel Sasko told GameSpot. “He’s the front man of the Samurai band… The Samurai band is the one from [Cyberpunk] 2020, from the original sourcebook. He was the guy who was extremely charismatic, and very lively, and loves life, and goes in gun in-hand. There were extremely bad things that happened to him in 2020.”

This is less weird than it might sound; your character, V, has a biochip embedded in their brain, and that’s apparently where Johnny resides. He was killed in the Firestorm Cyberpunk 2020 sourcebook but exists on the chip as a “digital ghost,” Sasko said.

“He ends up as a digital ghost, and your whole relationship starts with him, and it’s really complex,” Sasko said. “You can develop it through the whole game. So he is absolutely throughout the whole game from beginning almost to the end.”

Because it’s in your brain, Johnny will stick around for a significant part of the game, and your relationship with him is a large part of the story. That is way more Keanu Reeves than we expected at first, and it’s looking like that’s a very good thing.

“You can develop [your relationship with Johnny] towards different resolutions I would say, and that happens in the late game and finale, and so on… so really important part of the game,” Sasko said. “One thing I could add is it’s not absolutely completely true that he’s a really nice guy. He has his own agenda. There are things going on between you, and he may not always like what’s going on. I think that’s something that we could emphasize here. There’s this play between [Johnny and V]. This play, I would call fight, slow pushing, one pushing another, seeing where are the boundaries.”

Cyberpunk 2077 now has a release date: April 16, 2020. Look out for more Cyberpunk news as E3 goes on, including how the team got Keanu Reeves involved in the first place.

More E3 News:

from GameSpot – Game News https://www.gamespot.com/articles/e3-2019-keanu-reeves-is-a-big-deal-in-cyberpunk-20/1100-6467728/

Todd Howard Talks Next-Gen Starfield At E3 2019; It’s Bethesda’s First New IP In 25 Years

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Appearing on GameSpot’s E3 2019 Live Show stage, Bethesda boss Todd Howard spoke at a high level about one of the company’s ambitious upcoming games which was announced at E3 2018: the sci-fi title Starfield.

Howard explained that Bethesda’s goal with Starfield–which is Bethesda’s first new IP in 25 years–is to have it stand apart from the wealth of science fiction stories out there in media.

“There is a lot of science fiction. There’s less in games actually; there’s more in movies and television,” Howard said. “And for us, that’s a world and IP and game we’ve thought about for a decade. It’s our first new IP in 25 years.”

“Our goal is it has its uniqueness where it stands up with Fallout and Elder Scrolls and Starfield, and it’s its own thing. We spend a lot of time on tone. Not just game flow, but how does it feel so you look at it and say, ‘That’s Starfield’ versus Star Trek or Star Wars.”

Unfortunately, because it’s so early, Howard is talking about specifics about Starfield at this stage. The game skipped E3 2019, which was the same for Bethesda’s other major upcoming game, The Elder Scrolls VI. Howard has talked about how both Starfield and The Elder Scrolls VI may not release until the next-generation of consoles come out.

Starfield and The Elder Scrolls VI did not appear at Bethesda’s E3 2019 briefing this week. The publisher instead revealed a Fallout 76 battle royale mode, while Dishonored studio Arkane announced a new game called Deathloop and The Evil Within studio Tango Gameworks revealed Ghostwire: Tokyo. You can check out GameSpot’s Bethesda E3 2019 news recap to see all the big reveals.

More E3 news:

from GameSpot – Game News https://www.gamespot.com/articles/todd-howard-talks-next-gen-starfield-at-e3-2019-it/1100-6467731/

Rune Factory 4 Special Hands-On Impressions from E3 2019

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Rune Factory 4 Special Hands-On Impressions from E3 2019

Rune Factory 4 is coming to the Nintendo Switch, but how well does the town of Selphia manage the transition to a stronger platform?

source /preview/8608-rune-factory-4-special-hands-on-impressions-from-e3-2019

Grandia HD Collection – Meeting with GungHo at E3 2019 and Hands-on Impressions

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Grandia HD Collection - Meeting with GungHo at E3 2019 and Hands-on Impressions

While no news of a release date, we got to capture some footage for the game and clarify a few details.

source /feature/8611-grandia-hd-collection-meeting-with-gungho-at-e3-2019-and-hands-on-impressions

Gods & Monsters, a Beautiful Action Adventure Title, Revealed

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Gods & Monsters, a Beautiful Action Adventure Title, Revealed

Take a pinch of Zelda, a smattering of color, and a heap of Greek mythology, and you get one of Ubisoft’s newest titles.

source /news/8612-gods-monsters-a-beautiful-action-adventure-title-revealed

E3 2019: Sarah Connor Will Be In Gears 5, And Linda Hamilton Will Voice Her

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During the Microsoft E3 press conference, The Coalition released new trailers for Gears 5 and revealed additional details about the game–including a new PvE mode called Escape. The developer also announced a Terminator crossover for Gears 5, where you’ll be able to play as the Terminator or Sarah Connor.

During our E3 2019 Gears 5 Stage Show (embedded above), GameSpot video producers Mike Mahardy and Lucy James asked The Coalition studio head Rod Fergusson about the crossover. The rest of the interview covers the new Escape mode and how Gears 5 changes the traditional Gears of War formula.

“It was just one of those things where we’ve always been fans of the Terminator franchise and we’re here coming back with James Cameron and Linda Hamilton and we’re just very excited,” Fergusson said. “When you look at Sarah Connor as a character, she really resonates with us in terms of how we’re telling Kait’s story. Kait went from this outsider civilian into this warrior who’s trying to save humanity. It’s kind of the same story for Sarah Connor. And so this idea of bringing these two franchises together in a really cool way is exciting to us.”

In Gears 5, Sarah will be voiced by the actress behind the original character. “Linda is actually going to do the voice of Sarah Connor,” Fergusson said. To play as Connor or the Terminator, you must either pre-order Gears 5 or buy and play the game within the first week of its launch. Of course, that means if you’re a Game Pass subscriber, you qualify without having to buy the game. Just remember to download Gears 5 within the first week of its release.

Gears 5 is coming to Xbox One and PC on September 10.

More E3 news:

from GameSpot – Game News https://www.gamespot.com/articles/e3-2019-sarah-connor-will-be-in-gears-5-and-linda-/1100-6467730/