In our demo, Elverdam pointed out a series of barges floating on the river surrounding the mansion. At the end of the fashion show, these launch fireworks to illuminate the night sky and dazzle guests. However, with a little effort, Agent 47 can also set these off early to lure guests out of the mansion, spread a little confusion among the guards, and slip through the cracks in the security unseen.
There have also been a number of other smart tweaks in other areas. The Instinct mode, for example, is less about telling the player exactly what to do and what’s around them, and instead now represents Agent 47’s innate assassin’s intuition. It shows enemies in his immediate surroundings that he could conceivable hear or see, and points of interaction that he’d naturally gravitate to.
Of course, since it is based on Contract modes, that means other players around the world can create new scenarios and designate the dozens of other NPCs in the area as a new target for Agent 47. Which means the sheer variety of strategies available to players is almost overwhelming.
What we’ve seen so far is highly promising. Using Absolution’s Contracts mode as a foundation on which to rebuild the classic Hitman experience has obviously worked for IO Interactive. Even this early, it seems the studio has confidently struck a balance between the approachability of Absolution, and Blood Money’s depth and freedom.
Devolver Digital has released a new trailer for Mother Russia Bleeds, a side-scrolling beat-em-up in the same vein as Streets of Rage, but with an aesthetic style reminiscent of Hotline Miami.
The game was shown at Sony's E3 press conference, and has been described as an "ultra-violent co-op brawler."
Mother Russia Bleeds is set in an alternate U.S.S.R. where a group of imprisoned street fighters rally against an oppressive criminal authority and crippling drug addictions. Naturally, they do these through the medium of punching, kicking, and inflicting an alarming amount of violence on others.
Check out the trailer below.
Devolver has released a fact sheet describing the game's features.
Merciless Struggle: Pull yourself up from the cold, hard ground to punch, claw, and stab your way through the mostperverse elements of society from a wretched human testing laboratory to decadent S&M club.
Powerful Narcotics: Embrace your crippling addiction with a quick injection to crush skulls, snap necks, and tear fleshfrom bone in a drug-fueled maniacal rage. Find your next fix flowing through the veins of your fallen foes and jam yourneedle into their convulsing bodies to fill your beloved syringe.
Savage Game Modes: Bust skulls and break some jaws in a slew of intense gameplay modes including the classicarcade campaign, the brutal survival mode, and the soul-crushing boss rush mode.
Online Co-Op: Crack your knuckles and select a combatant to go it alone or rumble alongside friends in an ultraviolentco-op ruckus with up to four players online or locally.
As E3 2015 draws to a close, The Entertainment Software Association (ESA), which organizes the event, announced on Thursday that the show drew more than 52,200 total attendees. This includes developers, analysts, journalists, and enthusiasts from 109 countries around the world. Even was named winner of the 2015 E3 College Game Competition.
What was your highlight of E3 this year? Let us know in the comments below.
Danny sits down with Marketing Head of Xbox, Aaron Greenberg, to discuss the the strong lineup for Xbox One later this fall, this year's Microsoft E3 Press Conference, and much more.
I thought that last year would be the last time I purchased a Call of Duty game. But then I sat down and tried Black Ops 3 multiplayer, and something clicked again. I didn't have to dedicate my mind to constantly thinking about mechanics, movement, or weapons. I could just play, I could rely on Modern Warfare muscle memory.
The changes extend naturally into the core of the gameplay; the new, slow jetpack jump is ancillary to the movement rather than front and center, the new character skills enhance but don't dominate games, and the handful of new grenades are simply slight tweaks on old ideas. It's a better game than past Call of Duty titles, but it's not radically different.
Playing Black Ops 3 made me realize that maybe the key to revitalizing Call of Duty isn't to dramatically change it, but rather to jettison some of the accumulated elements that weigh it down. That's what Black Ops 3 does. There aren't an overwhelming amount of different perks or attachments, but rather the exact ones that you want and expect to be there. All of the weapons fit into the Call of Duty mold.
When my demo ended, I said, "Call of Duty is back." And that's what it feels like. Black Ops 3 seems to channel the experience of old Call of Duty games. It's the first time I've ever thought that incremental changes have made a game significantly better. Its small refinements are what make Black Ops 3 so fun.
And when you do get into combat, its turn-based system immediately forces you to make strategies and think through your actions. This is where Bedlam breaks with FTL and makes its own mark: Its combat is difficult from the beginning of the game, and it feels most like chess in its execution. Your characters have no set order and you can move twice a turn. I was most impressed with the style of the combat, however: your characters finish enemies off with flourishing, brutal animations. My favorite was when my mutant character spat green slime on an enemy, dissolving it to bones. Unfortunately, the simple act of selecting and moving your characters can be frustrating; I often clicked wrongly and wasted moves, or accidentally attacked an enemy that I wanted to inspect.
Problematic controls aside, Bedlam's combat shows great promise. Every encounter is a chess match, requiring all of your wits to line up shots properly and protect your characters. It's way more strategic than FTL, and it actually makes battles interesting and suspenseful rather than chores that you want to avoid.
Bedlam shines most in its exploration, however. I continually wanted to drive my Dozer deeper into the Mad Max-inspired wasteland and to see what was in the next sector. The little stories told at every junction fleshed out the world and added humor to my bumbling, ill-fated expedition. The developer has added small, amusing additions to the framework of the game, making something as simple as selecting your crew or jumping into a battle funny and interesting.
Bedlam channels FTL and Mad Max to great effect, but it also differentiates itself and brings an original take to the roguelike formula. I found myself drawn into the world and immersed in the tactics of combat, and I felt genuinely motivated to play again and push it further when I ran out of gas and died. If the developer tightens up the controls, Bedlam could inspire the passion in players to keep coming back and to forge their own stories in the game.
Among the indie games Sony showcased during its E3 press conference this week,
Eitr also impressed me with both its graphics and sound. This is a visually striking game, with a very dark, gorgeous pixel-art aesthetic that feels perfectly suited to this sort of experience. Combat moves are also wonderfully animated in a way that really stands out by being paired with the retro visuals.
In terms of music, there typically isn't a lot--it's very subtle most of the time, offering a creepy ambiance as you make your way through an area. When facing a boss, it really kicks in; the one I faced was accompanied by some intense music that inadvertently caused me to become too aggressive.
I walked away from my brief time with Eitr impressed. I do hope that the full game offers enough opportunities for exploration so that it doesn't feel like you're traveling down a linear path. Even without that, there are enough elements at work here--including those I didn't get to see in-depth, like a skill tree and gems with different effects that can be equipped--that make Eitr look promising.
Greg and Nick sit down with Brandon Routh of Arrow and Superman Returns fame at the actor's first E3.
Keita Takahashi and Robin Hunicke drop by the GameSpot stage at E3 2015 to give us an extended demo of their new digital playground game.
Kinda Funny breaks down the Horizon Zero Dawn trailer.
Danny sits down with Marketing Head of Xbox, Aaron Greenberg, to discuss the the strong lineup for Xbox One later this fall, this year's Microsoft E3 Press Conference, and much more.
GameSpot played as rebels and imperials on planet Hoth in the upcoming DICE title.
Greg Miller talks to Alfredo about his unhealthy obsession with Destiny and why The Taken King is perfect for Destiny Addicts.
GameSpot beats the toughest section of the Crossing Souls E3 2015 demo.
Join the fearless Dick Starspeed in this cheesy 80's sci-fi homage.
