Doom Eternal took center stage at Bethesda’s E3 2019 press conference. After a lengthy gameplay demo and the announcement of a November 22 release date, Bethesda showed off a special Collector’s Edition for the game–complete with Slayer helmet.

It was one of two sets of bonus goodies shown for Doom Eternal. The first was the Deluxe Edition, which includes a Year One Pass with two pieces of DLC, a Demonic Slayer skin, and a Classic Weapons Sound pack. The second was the Collector’s Edition that includes all that, plus a Lore Book, lithograph, Steelbook case, and the wearable Slayer helmet.

The gameplay demonstration itself showed a few notable features too. The HUD has a “Demonic Corruption” meter, and it appeared to imply interplanetary travel. It also presented a few weapons, including a flame thrower and grenade launcher.

Check out our full press conference schedule to follow along with all of the events as they happen.

from GameSpot – Game News https://www.gamespot.com/articles/e3-2019-doom-eternal-collectors-edition-includes-a/1100-6467584/

As part of Bethesda’s E3 2019 briefing, the publisher showed off new footage from its anticipated Doom sequel, Doom Eternal. Developers Marty Stratton and Hugo Martin announced on stage that the game aims to be the “ultimate power fantasy.” Earth is on the brink of annihilation, and demons have overrunn the world. You must defeat them all.

As with 2016’s Doom, you’ll have a variety of mega-powerful weaponry at your disposal with which to dispatch the otherworldly creatures you face. The new trailer and gameplay footage showcases new demons and some kind of ghost dog, as well as a number of what appear to be new environmental traps.

There also seems to more color in the world in Doom Eternal compared to the earlier release. A lot of heavy music was shown in the trailer, and, though not confirmed, it sure sounds like Mick Gordon is back to do the music again.

In addition to the new gameplay footage, Bethesda revealed Doom Eternal’s release date: November 22. The publisher also showed off Doom Eternal’s special Collector’s Edition, which comes with a variety of goodies–including an actual Slayer helmet.

from GameSpot – Game News https://www.gamespot.com/articles/e3-2019-new-doom-eternal-trailer-revealed/1100-6467581/

The cloud gaming market is quickly filling out with competing platforms and technologies and Bethesda isn’t staying on the sidelines. The publisher announced at E3 2019 that it’s working with cloud streaming, and claims its technology makes streaming a lot faster–and a lot cheaper.

As announced during its E3 press conference, Bethesda’s cloud streaming tech is “a game- and platform-agnostic technology that optimizes game engines for streaming” called Orion, according to Bethesda’s Orion website. Instead of focusing on hardware like Google or Microsoft, Orion is a technology that’s added to game engines to improve their streaming capabilities on all platforms.

Id Software chief technology officer Robert Duffy and Bethesda director of publishing James Altman said on-stage that Orion’s big push is in minimizing latency, which can be an ongoing issue with streaming games over the internet. Bethesda says Orion is 20% faster per frame than streaming games without it, reducing the time it takes for the game to react to you pushing a button while you’re playing. It’ll also help players who have internet data caps or live far away from data centers, sucking up 40% less bandwidth than non-Orion games, according to Bethesda.

During the press conference, Bethesda showed Doom streaming on a mobile device in 4K and at 60 frames-per-second with Orion. The company also said that the reduction in bandwidth cost will mean that users will be able to play games at max settings regardless of distance from data centers or data caps.

Bethesda also announced during the press conference that players can sign up to try the technology for free through Doom’s slayerclub.com website. Signing up earns members 50 Slayer Club points even if they’re not chose for the public trial. “The first trial will be for iOS 11+ devices; however, your registration will be logged for future interest in participation on other platforms, including PC and Android,” the website says.

from GameSpot – Game News https://www.gamespot.com/articles/orion-is-bethesdas-entry-into-the-cloud-streaming-/1100-6467583/

During the Bethesda E3 press conference, Tango Gameworks director Shinji Mikami announced his studio’s new game, Ghostwire Tokyo. The action-adventure game is set in Tokyo and has you fighting to rid the city of supernatural evil. A trailer provided a hint of what that means.

In the trailer, whole crowds of Tokyo citizens suddenly vanish into thin air, their discarded clothes the only clue they were there at all. While most of the remaining people (rightfully) freak out, one long hooded figure calmly surveys the city. Armed with a bow and arrows, they’re clearly hunting something. Turns out that something is a bunch of supernatural creatures, most of which look like modernized interpretations of Japanese yokai.

Ghostwire Tokyo creative director Ikumi Nakamura described the game as “spooky.” The game will not be a survival horror game like some of Tango Gameworks’ previous titles. You take on the role of the archer seen in the trailer, exploring the world and facing challenges in order to learn why people are disappearing and figure out a way to stop the phenomenon.

On your journey, you’ll meet many spirits. Nakamura warns that some will be peaceful, but others are quite dangerous. It will be up to you to deduce whether what’s befalling the city is entirely paranormal, or if there’s a normal human element at play.

Ghostwire Tokyo did not get a release date.

from GameSpot – Game News https://www.gamespot.com/articles/e3-2019-hunt-down-japanese-yokai-with-a-bow-in-gho/1100-6467574/

The next big installment in the Call Of Duty franchise is Modern Warfare, a game looking to reimagine what the series is about, pushing it in new thematic directions while maintaining the blockbuster-style feel the games are known for. At the same time, Activision is also looking to push the popular shooter in a different direction: mobile phones.

Call of Duty: Mobile is a standalone free-to-play game, developed by Timi, a studio owned by Chinese conglomerate Tencent. It aims to replicate the feel of the series across multiple game modes (including Team Deathmatch and Frontline) and familiar maps (like Nuketown and Crash), taken from existing Modern Warfare and Black Ops installments. And yes, perhaps unsurprisingly, there is a battle royale mode.

The game has, at the time of writing, soft-launched as a beta in Australia and India, with other regions to follow. To coincide with its release, GameSpot had to chase to speak to Activision’s Vice President of Mobile, Chris Plummer, about the company’s intentions with the title, as well as their overall positioning on mobile titles and their ever-contentious topics of microtransactions.

GameSpot: What has Activision’s success on mobile platforms been like so far, and how has that informed what you’re now trying with COD Mobile?

Chris Plummer, VP of Mobile, Activision: Activision has published premium mobile titles in the past. This aligned well with the state of the console and PC business at the time and they were all very highly rated experiences. Now, there is a much larger audience of players on mobile who are very comfortable with free-to-play games. We want to provide them with a world-class Call of Duty experience they can play, that brings together gameplay and content from across the Call of Duty franchise, in a free-to-play mobile game.

This game was made by Tencent’s Timi studio–what were some of the challenges working with a developer whose expertise is in titles for a completely different market?

There is always a learning curve at first when working with a team you haven’t partnered with before. I think Timi and Activision have done an incredible job at working together to deliver a fantastic game. The truth is, all games become even better when different points of view are taken into account. It’s true that tastes in the East and West are not identical, and we acknowledge that in various differences in the software and user experience for the East and West versions of Call of Duty: Mobile, but there are just as many great ideas that have surfaced from one region or the other that have made the overall global experience the best it can possibly be. I see this as a competitive advantage and something our players will appreciate.

It was only confirmed months after COD Mobile’s initial announcement that the game would be released in the West. What made you want to bring the title to other parts of the world beyond China?

Call of Duty: Mobile is an ambitious and feature-deep game. We’ve always wanted this title to launch for a global audience, so we’re working closely with Timi to ensure we’re addressing the needs and player tastes of fans in both the East and the West.

What is the demographic you’re hoping to capture with COD Mobile? Are these existing Call of Duty console players, or people whose primary mode of gaming is their smartphone?

We are casting a broad net with Call of Duty: Mobile. Mobile FPS players are likely to be the first in line to play, but there are tons of Call of Duty fans out there who are not playing mobile titles yet, who we hope to engage, as well as gamers who may have played Call of Duty, but don’t have the same amount of free time anymore. We have maps, modes, weapons and characters from Modern Warfare and Black Ops, so longtime Call of Duty fans will have an awesome time. And with mobile, you can engage anywhere anytime, at your pace, which makes it much more accessible to players who can no longer book an hour or two in front of their TV or PC for an extended gaming session on traditional platforms. We’re also offering a very wide selection of modes and ways to play on mobile, so no matter what kind of free time you have or how competitive you are, there is a mode for you in Call of Duty: Mobile. This is a Call of Duty hallmark and we are proud to be the only mobile FPS title to really deliver on it.

What drove you to make sure that COD Mobile was a console-like experience on mobile, rather than another genre of game that might be more commonly associated as being mobile-friendly?

From the start, our aim was to deliver a signature Call of Duty experience–above all other priorities. That made it easy to go deep on our FPS systems and Call of Duty content so there can be no mistake that this really is Call of Duty on mobile.

COD Mobile is entering a space that’s also populated by Fornite and PUBG Mobile. Is a battle royale mode something you considered for COD Mobile? Is it still something you’re considering?

Yes, as players in our regional beta tests will begin to see, Call of Duty: Mobile features a standalone Battle Royale mode that brings together Modern Warfare and Black Ops elements together into one distinct survival experience. It’s a ton of fun, and we’re excited for players to try it out. In fact, we have begun testing in some regions!

What kind of learnings have you taken from the monetization models on other Activision-owned mobile titles, and how have you adopted or adjusted that for COD Mobile?

There is little crossover from previous Activision mobile titles. Our design is more informed by where the mobile audience is today and what works for first-person action titles, while bringing our own experiences as a team that has considerable experience in making FPS titles, mobile games and free to play services too. Above all else, gameplay had to be right, because this is Call of Duty, and we are committed to delivering that above all else.

Have you considered any kind of tie-in content between COD Mobile and the upcoming COD releases coming to consoles this year? Is that something you’re looking to do?

Call of Duty: Mobile pulls together maps, modes, characters and weapons from across the Call of Duty franchise, including Modern Warfare and Black Ops series, so that’s our focus right now.

How do you regard the successes of social mobile games like Pokemon GO and Harry Potter: Wizards Unite, and how they might they inform Activision’s movements in the space?

It’s always a good thing to see a market grow by introducing new players and new interaction models. I like the fact that new mechanics and cultural phenomenons continue to emerge from mobile gaming. It’s really exciting! For us, we’re focused on delivering the definitive FPS action experience on mobile, bringing the signature Call of Duty gameplay, and a unique coming together of the franchise into one universal game for mobile players.

Call of Duty Mobile is available now on the App Store and Google Play for players in Australia and India.

from GameSpot – Game News https://www.gamespot.com/articles/call-of-duty-mobile-launches-on-ios-and-android-in/1100-6467568/