Gear Live E3 News and Coverage

This year, E3 had one of those showing that only happens once every 8-10 years. E3, the Electronic Entertainment Expo, is the biggest video game conference in the world, and it's where game publishers show off what they're working on. E3 2014 was unique because it was the first one after the release of two major consoles--the Xbox One and the PlayStation 4. Developers got to show for the first time full portfolios dedicated to the new hardware, and it was glorious. There was a lot to see during both the Microsoft Xbox and Sony PlayStation media briefings, and Nintendo surprised many with game announcements of its own. I figured I'd whittle things down and share the ten games I was most excited about, in no particular order.

Continue reading "10 upcoming games I can’t wait to play"

Nintendo has announced that the next verion of Mario Kart is set for a spring 2014 release. Mario Kart 8 will be released on the Wii U, bringing new 3D effects and anti-gravity racing to Nintendo's struggling home console. Expect things like underwater racing, air gliging, motorcycles, and more. Nintendo even says that Miiverse will be deeply integrated into the title. Jump past the break for a look at the official trailer out of E3.

Continue reading "Mario Kart 8 set for Spring 2014 Wii U release [Video]"

Nintendo has made a major announcement, saying that it will not be holding it's regular annual E3 media briefing this year. The E3 press conferences held by Sony, Microsoft, and Nintendo are usually the highlight events of E3, setting the stage for the rest of the event by letting us know what each of the Big 3 have coming over the next year. With Wii U sales not meeting anywhere near Nintendo's expectations (and even falling short of the updated guidance,) alongside corporate reshuffling at Nintendo of America, one has to wonder if the move to not hold a major press event is because the company is putting out fires internally. Nintendo says that it will, instead, hold two smaller events at E3 for media and distributors, limited only to showing off new games.

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One of the updates you can expect when the Fall Xbox Dashboard Update drops is the addition of a web browser. That's right, after seven years, the Xbox 360 will finally be getting Internet Explorer. During the Microsoft E3 Media Briefing, it was mentioned that a browser would have been cumbersome previously, but with the introduction of the Xbox SmartGlass app alongside Kinect integration, users will be able to easily browse the web on their Xbox 360 console.

Nintendo just finished presenting its annual E3 Media Briefing, and they went all out on letting us know about the games that'll be coming to the Wii U console. In addition, the company put together a video tour of the Wii U GamePad itself, allowing gamers to learn more about the unique peripheral and all it can do. Get a look at the video above.

Sony may not have made mention of the Playstation Move Racing Wheel during its E3 Media Briefing, but the Playstation Blog has all the details on the accessory that's targeted at LittleBigPlanet Karting and other Move racers. The company says that the oddly-shaped Move Racing Wheel, saying that it will offer "precise motion tracking" despite its weird looks. You can pick one up in the fall for $39.99, but you'll need to supply your own Move controller to make use of it.

During the Sony E3 Media Briefing, it was announced that the Playstation Vita would be getting a new coat of paint, along with an exlusive bundle. The "crystal white" model will be Wi-Fi-only, and will ship with Assassin's Creed III: Liberation, along with a 4 GB memory card. Pricing has yet to be revealed, but that's probably because the PS Vita Assassin's Creed III bundle won't launch until October 30th, as that's the release date for the game.

In addition to the Halo 4 trailer from this morning's Microsoft E3 2012 Media Briefing, we've also got the full gameplay video as well. In the trailer, which you can view after the break, you get over 5 minutes of content showing off new enemies in the Halo world, and new abilities for Master Chief. 343 Industries looks to be off to a great start with its new Halo trilogy. Halo 4 will be available on November 6.

Continue reading "Video: 5 minutes of glorious Halo 4 gameplay footage from E3"

This morning during its E3 2012 Xbox 360 Media Briefing, Microsoft brought us the first Halo 4 full-length trailer, and it's a thing of beauty. If you didn't catch it, we've got it for you above. Great stuff. Halo 4 hits stores on November 6, 2012.

E3 is right around the corner (a.k.a. next week) and word has slipped that Microsoft is planning to introduce a product called Smart Glass at the event. Xbox Smart Glass will be a companion application that you use with the console that will allow you to send video to the Xbox 360 from a smartphone or tablet, similar to what you can do with an iOS device and Apple TV using AirPlay. The cool part? Aside from naturally running on Windows 8 tablets and Windows Phone devices, Smart Glass will also run on iOS and Android in a multiplatform play for supremacy. About time, Microsoft.

Read More | Examiner

Looks like Microsoft is finally ready to bring Internet Explorer to the Xbox 360 after many years on the market. It turns out that the company has been testing an Xbox-optimized version of Internet Explorer 9 that supports the Bing voice search feature that's currently available on the platform. As with most things that Microsoft builds for the Xbox 360 these days, IE will have deeply-integrated Kinect integration, allowing users to speak web pages into existence, and wave to navigate. No word yet on availability, but E3 is just a few weeks away, and we'd bet that we'll see it in all its glory there.

Read More | The Verge

The God of War series is a long-running franchise with tons of fans, most of whom have assumed that the series was over with God of War III killing off the main character, Kratos. But then there is God of War: Ascension, a game only recently announced by Sony.

The game continues to follow the story of Kratos, a rage driven war machine bent on killing the gods. God of War: Ascension is said to take place before the first game, serving as a prequel to the series. Sony held a conference showing off something never before seen in the God of War series--multiplayer. In this interview after the conference we learn that a player can customize their character and align themselves with a god to earn their favor. It will be interesting to see what else God of War: Ascension has for us, E3 is almost here.

Continue reading "God of War: Ascension Multiplayer details"

E3, the huge video game trade show, is almost upon us, and companies are starting to send out invites for the media briefings that'll feature all the huge announcements that set up the rest of the year. The biggest briefings, of course, are those held by Microsoft, Sony, and Nintendo, and today we received our invite for the Xbox Media Briefing. Turns out it'll take place on June 4, 2012 at 9:00 am PDT, and we'll make sure to have all the news for you right here as it happens.

Deadly Premonition, the popular PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 title, is getting a re-release for the PS3. This new release of the game promises to include better graphics and PlayStation Move support, alongside new scenarios to play through. This information was revealed when Toybox Games founder Yasuhiro Wada let the news slip at GDC. We can expect to hear a lot more about the game at this years E3 event.

After much secrecy from Irrational Games, Bioshock Infinite's release date was finally announced last week. If you live in the United States, you can expect to pick up a copy on October 16, while international gamers can expect to see it in stores a few days later on October 19. Also, it may be worth noting that the PC version of the game will be released on the same dates. That's very unusual, but hey, this is Bioshock after all.

We don’t expect to hear too much more about the game for a while, at least not until E3 2012.

That's right, Ubisoft officially announced Assassin's Creed III with its cover art being revealed, and it reveals a lot. As you can see from the image on the right, it appears as though our hero is in fact going to be of Native American descent (at least partly) and that he will be in the time of the American Revolution. Just peep the tomahawk in the hand, as well as the American flag in the background. We can also very clearly see an old-timey pistol in the image as well.

With the American Revolution setting, we suspect that there will be the killing of a lot of Red Coats in the near future. Stabbing and shooting our way into history as possibly the most interesting assassin ever. The release date for Assassin's Creed III has yet to be revealed by Ubisoft, though we are sure to hear more about it at this year’s E3 event. If you would like to make your own inferences about the game, also check out the Game Informer Magazine cover art below.

Continue reading "Assassin’s Creed III cover art leaked, confirmed by Ubisoft"

While Nintendo focused their E3 2011 Wii U efforts on the tablet-style controller for the new platform, many gamers wondered why they were to quiet about the console itself. In fact, many wondered if the Wii U controller was the console, and if it was just a new accessory for the current Wii system. Nintendo cleared it up later during E3, but all the press photos they released focused on the exciting controller. We're guessing they simply thought that the controller was the big deal (which it is,) and that no one would care about the actual console when it's over a year away from launching (although they were wrong there.) Above is an image of the Wii U console. Not much to see, but at least we can see that it is certainly not a Wii. Oh, and yes, it does 1080p.

One of the biggest complaints with the Microsoft Kinect for Xbox 360 is its space requirement. For the depth-sensing cameras to function properly, Microsoft recommends a good eight feet between the Kinect sensor and your body. That's a lot of space, especially for all the apartment and dorm room dwellers out there.

Nyko might have fixed that problem with the Zoom, a surprisingly simple and affordable Kinect attachment that seriously cuts down on its need for room.

The Zoom is a wide-angle lens attachment that fits over the Kinect, changing how it sees the room. With a wider angle, it can see more laterally, but doesn't have as much depth. According to Nyko, this means the Kinect needs up to 40 percent less space than without the Zoom. Because it's just a set of lenses that fit over those on the Kinect, it doesn't need any power or complex installation; it just slides on.

The Nyko Zoom will retail for $29.99 when it ships later this year.

Continue reading "Nyko Zoom lets you stand closer to Kinect"

Nintendo has announced Star Fox 64 3D for the Nintendo 3DS portable. The game will support both analog movement, as well as supporting the Nintendo 3DS accelerometer, allowing you to simply tilt the console to fly throughout the vast levels. The other big feature touted is that you'll be able to see the faces of up to three other friends who you are playing multiplayer with, thanks to the Nintendo 3DS front camera. Each player will have a small box over their vehicle, where you can see exactly who is in control. Star Fox 64 3D will be available in September 2011 in the US.

Nintendo has announced Kid Icarus Uprising, a new Nintendo 3DS title, this morning at its E3 2011 media briefing. They'll also be releasing a set of cards that, when used in conjunction with the 3DS cameras, allow you to do some augmented reality gaming as well. Kid Icarus Uprising will be released later this year.