Nintendo round-up | E3 201912/6/2019  While Mario himself was fairly quiet, there was plenty of news from Nintendo’s special Direct for E3. Here are all the biggest announcements.
Ghost-busting with Gooigi Luigi is back in the torchlight once again with Luigi’s Mansion 3. His customary poltergust now has some new abilities like slam, which can throw ghosts overhead to deal damage to them and nearby enemies, and suction shot, which lets you take ghosts’ shields from them, lowering their defences. The playful Nintendo visuals are in full effect in this new title, and reach their peak in the globular form of Gooigi, an all-green copy of our protagonist who is controllable remotely or by a co-op partner to solve puzzles or tackle enemies - just keep him away from water. There’s also an out-and-out online multiplayer mode, The ScareScraper, where up to four Luigis (and another four Gooigis…) must clear rooms, save lost Toads and solve puzzles in a spooky hotel. Get away from it all with Nook Inc. There was finally more news for Animal Crossing fans as well, as we got a first proper look at Animal Crossing: New Horizons. This latest chapter puts you on a deserted island in a tent to build up your town from scratch. You can have friends along this time too, with up to eight islanders able to explore the world at the same time and take part in a whole host of island activities. Crafting makes its debut in the series and elements seen in mobile titles are being included to make this what looks like the most comprehensive Animal Crossing entry to date. Fans will have to wait a little bit longer to get their hands on it however, as the game now comes out next year, on 20 March. The bear and bird come to Smash Bros. The Hero from Dragon Quest was confirmed to be entering the fray in Smash Bros. Ultimate (appearing as a number of forms drawn from across multiple entries in the series) and there was another Smash surprise in store: Banjo-Kazooie are raring to go. Rising to prominence in the title of the same name back in the 90s, Banjo and Kazooie have long been fan-requested combatants, and finally those wishes have been answered. The reveal showed off a few of their moves as well as a stage based on Spiral Mountain, the hub area for Banjo-Kazooie itself, and an ultimate move featuring the colourful critters the jinjos. The hits keep on coming Elsewhere, we got a first proper look at Link’s Awakening, a remake of the Legend of Zelda title released on the Game Boy back in 1993, which will return with a cheerful new art style on 20 September. We also saw the official, on-camera introduction of new Nintendo of America President Doug Bowser, complete with a suitably corny chit chat with his fire-breathing namesake. There were a slew of JRPGs including Trials of Mana, Collection of Mana, Fire Emblem: Three Houses, as well as the return of Travis Touchdown in No More Heroes 3. The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt is on its way to the Switch, along with a number of other ports, including Resident Evil 5 and 6 and dozens of indie releases. Finally, there were highlights like Astral Chain from Platinum games, a remake of Panzer Dragoon and, for all the sports fans, Mario and Sonic are teaming up again for the 2020 Olympic Games. If you want to learn more, Nintendo will likely be sharing more information and gameplay footage on a number of the above titles as part of their Treehouse Live E3 coverage, which draws to a close tomorrow. Did you check out the conference? What are you most excited about so far? Let us know in the comments, and, from me and all of the team, thank you for checking out our E3 coverage.
Ubisoft round-up | E3 201911/6/2019  Ubisoft opened with a customary musical performance, except this time it was the orchestral melodies of the Assassin’s Creed Symphony, instead of the energetic pop of Just Dance kicking things off. Fans of the latter need not be disappointed, however, as Just Dance 2020 made its exuberant appearance later in the show, dancing pandas and all!
Breakpoint’s starring antagonist, TV’s John Bernthal (The Walking Dead, The Punisher), was joined on stage by a dog as he discussed Colonel Cole D. Walker’s rogue army from the latest Ghost Recon. The Wolves, as they’re known, are made up of former Ghosts who inhabit the fictional island of Auroa. With their lethal technology and spec-ops training, it sounds like they’ll prove more formidable opposition than Wildlands’ Santa Blanca cartel and Unidad army. Further reveals included AI teammates for solo players, a community feedback program, and confirmation of a beta taking place 5 September. Post-launch support will include free updates and more crossover events, including a Terminator one (just like in Gears 5) that was hinted at during last night’s presentation. Ghost Recon Breakpoint is out 4 October on Xbox One, PlayStation 4 and PC. Gods, monsters and more Tom Clancy There was also new content announced for The Division 2. Episode 1 arrives in July and takes players on missions outside the Washington D.C. city limits as they track down a rogue ally, take on a dangerous outcast leader in a zoo and try to find a missing convoy. The latter takes place in Kenly College, and is said to be home to an “entirely new gameplay experience.” Episode 2 arrives later in the year and features more main missions, this time set in the Pentagon, and adds another 8-player raid. Episode 3, meanwhile, arrives early next year and brings back the New York City setting from the first game. Finally, it was confirmed that Netflix will be making The Division movie, which stars Jake Gyllenhaal and Jessica Chastain. New games announced during the show were Rainbow Six Quarantine and a new IP called Gods and Monsters. The former releases early next year and sounds like an extended take on Siege’s Outbreak mode, which saw players fighting their way through levels infested with monsters. In Quarantine, players will take on a “devastating parasite” with their operators in cooperative action. The trailer, while light on details, at least looks impressive. Check it out below. We were also only treated to a vague cinematic trailer for Gods and Monsters, a new title from the makers of Assassin’s Creed Odyssey. The game tells the story of a “forgotten hero on a quest to save the Greek gods.” It sounds like it’ll be an open world affair, with players able to fight mythical creatures and “explore a beautiful fantasy world where tricky trials, treacherous dungeons, and heroic feats await.” Gods and Monsters is out February next year on Xbox One, PS4, Switch and PC. Keep rollin’ rollin’ rollin’ rollin’ Another new IP revealed was Roller Champions, a “skill-based team PvP sports game that is as fun to watch as it is to play.” From the gameplay seen in the trailer, it looks like players race around an oval track on skates while trying to shoot a ball into a goal, as the opposition attempts to stop them. A pre-alpha demo is available to download now from Uplay on PC. Uplay takes on Xbox Game Pass Speaking of Uplay, Ubisoft announced a PC-only subscription service in Uplay+ during last night’s show. Players will be able to enjoy 100+ games through the service, including early access to the full versions of every new Ubisoft game, including premium editions and all their expansions. It’ll cost $14.99 (or regional equivalent) a month and launches this September. It’ll also be available through Google Stadia. What did you think of Ubisoft’s E3 presentation? Let us know below or over in the forums.
 The Pokémon Company and Game Freak today shared new information on Sword and Shield, the next set of mainline Pokémon titles.
Some of the new creatures players will come across are Wooloo, a sheep Pokémon, Gossifleur, a flowering Pokémon, and Drednaw, a bite Pokémon.
There was also an armoured crow Pokémon called Corviknight, which players can use to fast-travel to towns they’ve already visited. One of the major new features revealed during the stream was the Dynamax ability, a new power that lets players temporarily transform their Pokémon into super powered giants. Like Sun and Moon’s Z moves, players can only use this ability once per battle, with any Dynamaxed Pokémon reverting back to its regular form after three moves. Wild Dynamax Pokémon will retain their larger forms throughout encounters, however, with players able to team up with three other friends to take them down in new raid-like battles. Max Raid Battles can be played either online or via the Switch’s local wireless connectivity. Dynamax Pokémon also make an appearance during Gym battles, which return to the series following their absence in Sun and Moon. Finally, we got a glimpse of the regions’ new legendary Pokémon – Zacian and Zamazenta – one of which carries a huge sword in its teeth. Pokémon Sword and Pokémon Shield release 15 November on Nintendo Switch. What did you think of the latest Pokémon Direct? Let us know below or over in the forums.  Bigben and Zordix Racing have announced a new off-road simulator called Overpass, which will be making its way to PC and consoles later this year.
The game features a career mode where players must “manage their buggies and quads” as they try to win races and attract sponsors, while multiplayer has you competing against others to place the best track times.
Overpass is out this October on Xbox One, PlayStation 4, Switch and PC. What do you think of the game? Let us know below.  The Game Bakers have rolled out a free update for their boss rush title, Furi, across all platforms.
One of the most notable new additions is Invincible Mode, which lets players skip a particularly tough boss fight or repeat a certain phase of an encounter to practice it. As the name suggests, you can also become immune to damage.
The mode is targeted at those who want to practice fights before attempting speed runs or players that want to better experience the game’s atmospheric setting and narrative. “We’ve been listening to Furi’s community about the features and improvements that they were hoping for and we have been releasing some of those over the months in our Steam version,” said Audrey Leprince, co-founder of The Game Bakers. “With the Freedom Update we’re happy to be able to share them with players regardless of the platform they play on.” To celebrate the update’s launch, Furi is currently discounted by up to 70% on Switch, Xbox One and PC. Let us know what you think of the new content below or in the forums.  It’s been quite the eventful day for Switch owners, with a whole host of indie titles announced for the hybrid console.
Another big announcement from today’s Showcase was a Legend of Zelda and Crypt of the Necrodancer crossover, called Cadence of Hyrule. This mashup between Brace Yourself Games’ rhythmic action game series and Nintendo’s iconic adventure franchise is due to arrive sometime this spring, but you can catch a glimpse of it in action below. Finally, The Bearded Ladies and Funcom are bringing their XCOM-like Mutant Year Zero: Road To Eden to Switch this summer. Sam described Road To Eden as a “strange game, but in the best way” in our review, highly recommending it to both role-playing and strategy fans alike. The Switch version is out 25 June, which coincidentally is also the release date of the game’s next expansion. A special boxed edition of the game will be available on Xbox One, PlayStation 4 and Switch that includes the base game plus the new DLC. You can check out all the indie news from today’s Showcase in the video below. Be sure to share your thoughts on the deluge of Nindies heading our way this year below or over in the forums.
 Backwoods Entertainment are bringing their indie title Unforeseen Incidents to Nintendo Switch later this year following a successful launch on PC, Mac and Linux.
Pendrell soon finds himself caught up in a fight for the future of mankind as he attempts to expose the truth and save the world from a deadly pandemic.
Those of you heading to EGX Rezzed in London next month will be able to see the Switch version in action, where it’ll be playable in the Downstairs Indie Room. Have you played Unforeseen Incidents? Looking forward to the Switch version? Let us know below.  Rebellion have confirmed a follow up to Sniper Elite 4 is currently in development, along with a standalone VR title that’s being worked on by Just Add Water (Oddworld, Gravity Crash).
The remaster will have “stunning new visuals and a host of new features,” including 4K and HDR support. It’ll also include new playable characters, a photo mode, online multiplayer for up to 16 players and comes with all previously released DLC. Sniper Elite V2 Remastered launches sometime later this year. You can check out the trailer below. Sniper Elite 3 Ultimate Edition also arrives in 2019, along with all previously released content and a few Switch-exclusive features, such as local wireless multiplayer and motion control support. Be sure to let us know what you think of all the Sniper Elite news below or over in the forums.
 Today’s latest Nintendo Direct has revealed the next set of mainline Pokémon games - Pokémon Sword and Pokémon Shield - which are coming exclusively to Nintendo Switch this year.
According to the game’s director, Shigeryu Ohmori, players will be battling their way through multiple gyms on the way to becoming a Pokémon champion.
We also got a look at the three starter Pokémon; there’s the chimp-Pokémon Grookey, a grass type, the rabbit-Pokémon Scorbunny, a fire type, and lastly the water-lizard type Sobble, which has the ability to turn invisible. “As we work on the development of these games, our goal has been to create the greatest Pokémon experience yet,” said Ohmori. “We’re challenging ourselves to try new things while still treasuring what makes Pokémon special.” Pokémon Sword and Pokémon Shield will be released simultaneously towards the end of the year. What do you think of the new games? Let us know below. 
Haven can be played solo or with a friend in co-op, and it looks like combat could be turn-based, judging on the image above. It’s been in development for the last two years and is coming to consoles and PC, although there’s no exact release window just yet. The Game Bakers will be providing more details in the near future, but in the meantime, you can somewhat satisfy your curiosity with the above images.
What are your first impressions of Haven? Let us know below or in the forums |
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