Category Archives: stick of truth
Ubisoft at E3 2013
Mat Paget
So because we don’t have that big of a team, and I wanted to stay sane over the course of the week, I wanted to take it easy for this year’s E3, especially since I’m not actually going to be there. Instead of writing a bunch of words that no one will probably read, I’m going to post the trailers to some of our favourite titles that we are, and you should, definitely keep an eye on.
Ubisoft’s conference wasn’t fantastic. They did show a couple of games that looked genuinely fantastic, but the reason the majority of their conference was a bore is because they were saving their heaviest hitters for Sony’s conference. I’ve decided to throw some of the demos shown there into this article (eg. Assassin’s Creed IV and Watch Dogs).
[NEWS] This South Park Episode Is Actually a Videogame
Mat Paget
South Park seems to be emulated perfectly in Obsidian Entertainment’s South Park: The Stick of Truth. So much so, in fact, that I almost can’t believe it’s actually a videogame. Not because it’s something that would be way too amazing to ever be something we could play, but because it’s so identical to an actual episode of South Park. You can check out the video below to see for yourself.
You, me, and everyone else will be able to play part in what seems to be one big interactive episode of South Park sometime in 2013.
Microsoft at E3: You’ve Read It, Now Watch it!
Mat Paget
Splinter Cell Blacklist
Madden NFL 13
In a Nutshell: Microsoft at E3 2012
Mat Paget
First thing up was a live-action movie that lead into a look at Halo 4, the upcoming entry in Xbox’s fabled franchise. The setting was a tropical jungle planet, and the gameplay looked absolutely incredible. The view was from behind Master Chief’s helmet, as if you were the man behind the armour. There was also a viewing mode reminiscent of Arkham City‘s detective mode, or the Predator’s thermal vision in the movie of the same name, where invisibile enemies would be revealed to the player.
Following a small opening speech by Don Mattrick was a reveal of the next Splinter Cell game from Ubisoft’s Toronto studio. Splinter Cell: Blacklist brings the series to Iraq, where players must stab dudes in the throat. The game seems to be leaning more towards action than stealth, but from what was shown, that seems like a good thing. The presentation also showed off the ability to use Kinect as a way to distract, or lure, enemies. Players will also be able to use Kinect to make commands in the heat of battle. The game will follow suit with Confrontation, and feature a co-op mode.
FIFA 13 shows off why its “Better with Kinect.” Its mostly used for subbing players, setting up formations, commanding the players, or calling the ref a ****. Now it’s Madden NFL 13‘s turn, and hey! That’s Joe Montana! Joe calls his plays, yells at players to get into formation, calls for the center to hike the ball, and runs it in for a touchdown!
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| Halo 4! It looks really awesome! |
Fable: The Journey is shown, and it brings a look at the enemies and release date. It still looks like an on-rails game, but hopefully Peter Molyneux and Lionhead can prove us all wrong.
And here comes a look at the newest entry in the Gears of War saga. Gears of War: Judgment is on fire, and will be out in 2013. No gameplay was shown, but a young Baird confirms more thoughts that the game is a prequel to the trilogy.
New action-racing game in the Forza series, Forza Horizon, for the Xbox 360 has a lot of dubstep. Unfortunately, no gameplay was shown, but it looks like the game will be more like Criterion’s racing games opposed to past entries in the series.
Xbox is making things simple by using Kinect to travel through the menus of the Dashboard. Selecting movies will be made as easy as saying the genre, or title, of movie you’re looking for. There are also thirty new media providers for Xbox Live, including Nickelodeon, Paramount Movies, and Machinima. The NBA, and NHL, are joining MLB on Xbox Live, and you’ll be able to get 24 hours of ESPN Live Programming, seven days a week, right on your Xbox 360, as well.
Xbox Music was also announced, and has over 30-million songs to choose from.
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| Splinter Cell: Blacklist! It also looked really awesome! |
And apparently some fitness thing is coming to Kinect. Oh, Nike is bringing their innovative training facilities to homes everywhere in Xbox 360, and Kinect. Kinect Training is supposed to be good for athletes, or even people who are just starting. It’s coming this Holiday 2012, and appears to be a retail product.
Smartphones aren’t actually that smart, but Xbox SmartGlass will make sure they’re intelligent enough for you. SmartGlass will make it so your phone, tablet, and TV are connected. Watch a movie on your tablet, and then continue it on your TV. Your tablet will then transform into an information dock about the piece of content you’re viewing.
Now for some demos of SmartGlass being used with games. Madden NFL 13 plays are shown, and being selected, on a tablet. In Halo 4, data will be accessible on your tablet, including single-player campaign, and multiplayer, information.
“Now, through the power of Xbox, the magic of Kinect, and the intelligence of Xbox SmartGlass,” Internet Explorer is coming to the Xbox 360 by the end of this year. We’re taken to the Project Prometheus website, and are shown one of the latest trailers. Charlize Theron has a flamethrower. The browser can also be controlled by your voice, tablet, or smartphone.
Xbox Live Entertainment will be coming to Windows 8 tablets, and PCs.
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| Xbox SmartGlass in action! |
Crystal Dynamics shows off some new Tomb Raider gameplay. Lara is being stealthy while she uses a bow to pick off enemies. She also obtains a shotgun, but seems to be partial to her bow, and stabbing dudes in the throat. The environment can also be used as a weapon, such as shooting lanterns to light a group of enemies on fire. Skip forward a bit, and Lara is falling down a waterfall, using the shotgun to break through objects in her way. A scene similar to Jurassic Park II is shown, where she reaches for a bag, but then the glass beneath her breaks. Shortly after she falls, she uses a parachute to guide her into safety among a group of trees.
Three new titles are being shown. Ascend: New Gods is a brutal-looking Fantasy game, where a giant red guy with a sickle obliterates hordes of enemies. The red guy takes on a huge boss-like enemy, and it’s coming out in 2013. It looks like a God of War-type game.
The second game is from Twisted Pixel, and it’s called LocoCycle. All the charm that they’re known for is back, and it’s coming in 2013. It sort of looks like Tron.
Last, but not least, Matter is shown. It’s made for Kinect, and is coming in 2013. I’m going to take a wild guess, and say that it’s a puzzle game.
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| THIS ALSO LOOKED REALLY AWESOME! |
Next up, a Resident Evil 6 demo is shown. Leon picks up his partner in what appears to be a zombie apocalypse. Gameplay is shown, which consists of Leon walking and shooting, jumping around, rolling on his back, and taking cover. No HUD is shown, much like the Dead Space series. Peeking around corners seems to be a significant part of the game. Leon uses an axe to cut off a zombie’s head, and now he’s dual-wielding! Skip forward a bit, and Leon’s running away from a huge explosion of vehicles, but don’t worry! He jumps into a helicopter, and is being groped by a zombie. He manages to kick it off, but they’re not safe yet. THE PILOT’S DEAD. They land the helicopter into a train, which sends it flying through a parking garage, right into a bunch of neon signs. They fall out of the helicopter, and right into an immense crowd of zombies, ending the demonstration.
A brand new Kinect title called Wreckateer is shown. Players fire catapults, and control the cannon balls in the air with their hands. Special shots include linked cannon balls that adapt to your wingspan, and what seems to be some sort of airplane that will be able to be flown into a plethora of explosives.
The next thing up is a look at South Park: The Stick of Truth. It’s a trailer that looks exactly like the show we’ve come to know and love after all these years. The back-and-forth between the boys is here, and it looks like it’s shaping up to be a really funny game. And here come Trey Parker and Matt Stone! There goal was to put players into an episode of South Park. They discuss about how they had to actually map out the town of South Park, since they had no idea where anything actually was. And now they’re off to continue work on the game!
Unfortunately, this is where our stream stopped working for a while, so we may have missed a thing, or two.
But we do know that Dance Central 3 was revealed with music that seemed to spawn several generations (including The Hustle, my personal favourite). Usher is now singing, and showing off some dance moves, which I’m sure is impressing many of the attendees.
Don Mattrick finishes off with a few closing words, and wishes everyone a great E3!
Oh, wait… there’s another game to show. That game is Call of Duty: Black Ops 2. It starts in Downtown Los Angeles with the President being chaperoned by a group of buff-looking guys. Lots of big explosions are shown as L.A. is being attacked. Some really intense action scenes are presented, such as the main protagonist hanging over an overpass. The scene makes it seem like something from an Alien Invasion movie, which is fitting considering the futuristic setting. I’d like to make it known that they aren’t being attacked by aliens.
Players are then given a choice on how to proceed, a big change for the Call of Duty franchise. A new sniper rifle is being shown that allows players to shoot through walls, and other obstacles. One thing is for sure, this is definitely Los Angeles. Seeker drones are shown flying through a mall. Perhaps players will encounter something similar as a new enemy? Flying sequences will take place in the game, as well. There was a crack about the computer handling it, so this may just be an on-rails segment. Hopefully, Treyarch gives the player some control. Everything looks futuristic, but believably so. It looks like a breath of fresh air in the Call of Duty series.
And that’s it! Microsoft had a really strong showing this year, and has effectively made a lot of people anxious to get their hands on several games.
And remember, kids… The Future is Black!
GameSparked 