Friday 15 June 2018

E3 2018: all the announcements from gaming's biggest show

E3 2018 is arguably the biggest event in the gaming industry calendar and it’s taking place right now in Los Angeles. The official E3 2018 dates are June 12 to June 14, so the show is now in its final day.

TechRadar has the exclusive scoop on some of E3's biggest news: Netflix is bringing a Minecraft: Story Mode to its service. Minecraft: Story Mode on Netflix will be a five-part episodic adventure and will be available to stream later this year. 

Additionally, TechRadar also broke the news that Telltale Games is developing a game based on Netflix's hugely popular Stranger Things series. 

Of course, we've played games! Emma Boyle rounded up 10 big things you need to know about Assassin's Creed Odyssey and told us why Cyberpunk 2077 might be the reason she leaves the real world, while Nick Pino went hands on with Super Smash Bros. Ultimate (and actually won). 

Nick also played Spider-Man on PS4, and writes it's the game fans have waited their entire life for. And Emma took Skull and Bones for a sea-worthy spin. 

One of the most compelling games we played at E3 is called Concrete Genie. It deals with bullying and what it's like to be a creative teenager who'd rather paint than fight. It's a beautiful, moving tale, and one we highly recommend.

You can bet we've got opinions about the biggest gaming show on Earth. Our Matt Hanson writes that Microsoft's showcase makes him glad he's a PC gamer, while Emma Boyle notes the PlayStation E3 event was a bad presentation of good games.  

Joe Osborne writes that Nintendo Switch finally leaned into its multiplayer niche at E3 2018, while Damien McFarren dissects what worked and what didn't at Ubisoft's E3 conference. 

We also grilled a Microsoft VP about whatever happened to VR on Xbox One X, plus found out from Microsoft that cloud streaming will complement Xbox consoles, not replace them. 

We’ve collected all the biggest announcements, rumors and speculation from this year’s show for your perusal, so read on for our constantly updated guide on what's new from this year’s show. 

Cut to the chase

  • What is it? The world’s biggest annual gaming expo in Los Angeles
  • When is it? Show dates are June 12 – 14

The announcements of E3 2018

Nintendo

Nintendo rounded out the press conference portion of E3 2018 with its signature fun and charm. 

It was rumored long before E3 2018 started, but now it’s been confirmed: Battle Royale hit Fortnite is coming to Nintendo Switch and it’s available on the Nintendo Switch eShop right now.

An inordinate amount of time was spent on Super Smash Bros. Ultimate, but being the biggest SSB game, who can blame 'em? 

This game includes every single character from the mascot-filled fighting series, including characters that were only available via downloadable content on Wii U, and non-Nintendo characters like Sonic, Pac-Man, and Snake (from Metal Gear Solid).

We got a look at this year's Pokemon Let's Go, but Nintendo didn't dive into the 2019 RPG of Pokemon. 

For an in-depth take on Nintendo's E3 conference, check out Joe Osborne's piece on how Nintendo Switch leaned into its multiplayer niche during its big Direct broadcast.

And for a quick look at the coolest things Nintendo announced at E3 2018, then check out our round up of the five most exciting games Nintendo showed off.

Sony

Sony did something different with its PlayStation E3 showcase this year, and whether you liked it or not, it still delivered when it came to great games. 

The Last of Us 2 was treated to a new trailer, one showing Ellie fighting for her life and that perfectly set the tone for the game. 

There's so much buzz around Death Stranding, it's deafening, and a new trailer unveiled at E3 will only serve to strengthen that buzz.

Ghost of Tsushima came out strong with a stunning, artful trailer at E3, showing a huge open world, combat reminiscent of Assassin's Creed and the importance of stealth in the game. 

And everyone's favorite spider-inspired superhero got a gorgeous trailer of his own. The Marvel's Spider-Man trailer featured a who's who of villains, from Electro to Vulture. Not only does the footage give us a good look at combat, it really showcases the traversal mechanics; Spidey moves fluidly both on foot and through the air. 

While it will be some time yet before we can play many of Sony's most-talked about games, one thing that might tide us over is the release of Call of Duty Black Ops 3 on PlayStation Plus for free starting today. Hey, it's something, right?

If you're short on time or just want to know what the coolest of the cool was from the PlayStation conference, have we got the roundup for you. 

PC Gaming Show

Don't think E3 is just about console gaming. The PC Gaming Show gives lots of love to PC games, and this year's installment didn't disappoint.

If you watched Jaws or Deep Blue Sea and thought, "I'd love to play a game where I'm the shark," then Maneater is the game for you. It's the new open-world, single-player Action RPG from Blindside Studios, and it looks like a ridiculous(ly) good time.

For those fans of Player Unknown's Battlegrounds who just felt like it could use quadruple the player count, Mavericks: Proving Grounds might just be the game you've been waiting for. Mavericks features 400-player, last-man standing games, which opens in beta on August 18. That's nothing; the open-world MMO-shooter game will eventually support up to 1,000 players. 

Satisfactory is the latest building adventure game from Coffee Stain Studios and from the looks of its first trailer, it’s almost like a first-person SimCity game. On the PC Gaming Show stage, Coffee Stain Studios announced the first closed alpha in the coming months and users will be able to sign up for updates on the Satisfactory website.

Short on time, then check out the 10 most exciting PC games from this year's PC Gaming Show!

Ubisoft

Ubisoft's E3 2018 press conference didn't disappoint, with big announcements, new game trailers and even stunts in the theater. 

Skull and Bones got a brand new cinematic trailer, and it shows the gritty realism of the game in stunning detail. Plus, there's a new gameplay trailer that reveals even more about the anticipated 2019 title.

Ubi rolled right into Beyond Good and Evil 2, revealed as a prequel to the action in the first game. Jade also makes a return as a main character. After years in the cooker, this game is starting to feel very real.

Fans of Nintendo should be pleased to learn that Ubisoft and Nintendo are teaming up once again, this time with Starfox coming to Starlink: Battle for Atlas. The game launches on October 16 for PS4, Xbox One and Nintendo Switch, though Starfox will be a console exclusive just for the Switch version of the game.

Finally, Ubisoft ended its keynote with the game everyone is waiting for: Assassin's Creed Odyssey. Set in ancient Greece, you play an outcast Spartan hero, either Alexios or Kassandra. The trailer is gorgeous, of course, and sets the stage for what should be an epic odyssey that's out on October 5.

Bethesda

Bethesda's E3 showcase got off to a slow start, but after a Rage 2 reveal (which has a distinct Mad Max vibe), things really started to pick up.

Doom Eternal was announced as a sequel to the 2016 Doom release. This time, hell looks like it's come to Earth. It's dark and depressing, but should make for one heck of a game.

The hotly anticipated Fallout 76 was already discussed during Microsoft's keynote earlier on Sunday, but Bethesda still had huge news: the Fallout 76 release date is November 14. Oh, and almost just as big was that the game will feature online multiplayer, though you'll still be able to play the game solo.

VR continued to be a big theme for Bethesda as two new VR titles were announced: Prey Typhon Hunter and Wolfenstein Cyberpilot. And speaking of Wolfenstein, a new chapter in the franchise was announced in the form of Wolfenstein: Youngblood. 

Though it wasn't expected, Bethesda also played a super-short teaser clip for Elder Scrolls 6, confirming it's in the works. We literally have almost nothing else to go on, expect that it is a game that exists.  

Turning to mobile, Bethesda revealed a new game called Elder Scrolls: Blades. It will bring a massive first person RPG experience "with console quality graphics" to your phone. Look for it to launch in mid- to late 2018.

Finally, Bethesda announced it's developing its first new original franchise in 25 years. Like Elder Scrolls 6, there's not a ton to go on right now, but we do know that it's called Starfield and it's set in space. It looks to be as epic as Fallout and The Elder Scrolls, so it should be something lots of people will be scrambling to play, whenever it releases.

Microsoft

Microsoft took the E3 2018 stage to show off a whopping total of 50 new games, 18 of which the firm brags will be day-one exclusives to Xbox One consoles and Windows 10 PCs. With that many games, these are the major highlights:

The show kicked off with a nebulous look at the next Halo game. It's called Halo Infinite, so it's currently unknown whether this is the sixth mainline game in the franchise or a spin-off. No release date was given, nor was much of any information beyond a CG trailer.

Some more of Fallout 76 was shown off as well, but expect a fuller look at publisher Bethesda Softworks's own keynote late on June 10.

Crackdown 3 was officially confirmed to release in February 2019, with a brand new trailer and a few more details revealed, as well as an even more Terry Crews-looking main character.

Some more footage of Kingdom Hearts 3 was shown off as well, particularly a world based around the Frozen universe, though we already knew that we won't be seeing this one until January 29, 2019.

Forza Horizon 4 was shown off in detail, with developers touting mass multiplayer and dynamic environments with weather effects that open and close off new paths.

A new trailer for Shadow of the Tomb Raider was also unveiled, showing players what to expect when it lands on September 14 of this year.

Microsoft at last announced Gears of War 5, of course an Xbox exclusive and a continuation of sci-fi story line with a focus on drama.

Finally, CD Projekt Red took this opportunity to show off its long-awaited Cyberpunk 2077 game in much detail, though still no information on release date.

If you want to see the 10 most exciting games Xbox showed off during its E3 2018 keynote, we've got them rounded up for you right here. 

EA

EA kicked E3 2018 off with a bang on June 9. The gaming giant wasted no time giving viewers trailers and big announcements for some of its most storied franchises. 

The FIFA 19 release date was revealed as September 28 of this year, while it was also announced we have to wait a little longer for Anthem, which won't be out until February 22, 2019. 

Madden NFL 19 is blitzing its way to PC, the first time for the American football franchise in years, and a new Star Wars title is coming that's set between Episodes 3 and 4. It's called Star Wars: Jedi Fallen Order. 

Battlefield 5 got a new trailer as well, and we also learned it will feature a cut-throat Battle Royale mode, much in the vein of Fortnite and PUBG.

Finally, there's a new service called Origin Access Premier, giving users access to a trove of over a hundred past games from EA and other publishers plus access to EA's newest releases, including Madden 19, FIFA 19 and Battlefield 5. 

And everything else

New games and hardware teases aren't all we're getting at this year's E3. There's been some other, just as exciting news announced as well. 

The good vibes from Nintendo's announcement that Fortnite is on Nintendo Switch soured a bit when it was discovered gamers with a PSN account couldn't do cross-play with those on Switch. The same is true the other way. 

On the plus side, from Thursday, the Switch version of the incredibly popular Battle Royale shooter will get built-in voice chat functionality. 

Xbox head Phil Spencer took the time to address how the Xbox app on Windows 10 doesn't consider the needs and wants of PC gamers first, and acknowledged work is being done to improve the situation.

Turtle Beach has a new pair of gaming headsets designed specifically for Battle Royale games and game modes.

You can get For Honor for the price of absolutely nothing – albeit the Starter Edition of the game – if you head on over to Uplay. The offer is live now, and will run through until June 18 (so basically for the remainder of E3 week).

Sega has revealed that it’s bringing a trio of titles from the console format to PC, including two games from the Yakuza series. It’s the first time that this big-hitting franchise has debuted on the PC, and Yakuza 0 is leading the charge, with the game already up for pre-order on Steam with a launch date of August 1.

External graphics cards, or eGPUs, will allow PC games ported to Mac to look and perform nearly as good as their original versions. And one of the first games we'll get to see work with this wizardry is 2015's Rise of the Tomb Raider, producer Feral Interactive announced during E3.

Lenovo isn't sitting on the sidelines, instead revealing an overhaul to its Legion brand of gaming PC hardware, including brand new laptops and desktops. These new pieces of hardware drop the extreme gamer aesthetic in favor of something more widely palatable.

Seagate revealed a brand new SSD that's designed exclusively for the Xbox One. The Game Drive for Xbox SSD will be available in 2TB, 1TB and 500GB capacities, with the 2TB option able to store more than 501 downloaded games, as well as downloadable add-ons, and achievements. It can be yours this summer in the US and in the autumn in the UK. 

We'll have lots more from E3 throughout the week, so stay tuned from our game impressions and more from the show floor. Until then, turn to Page 2 for all of our earlier E3 predictions. 

E3 2018 is now a matter of days away and we're watching all of the pre-show leaks and announcements with a rising excitement for the week to come. 

This is the biggest show of the gaming calendar and it brings the best and brightest names in the industry together in Los Angeles to show off what they've got planned for years to come.

Whether you're a PlayStation, Xbox, Nintendo, Ubisoft, Bethesda (we could go on forever) fan, we guarantee there'll be an announcement that will get you hyped up during this show. New games, new hardware, seriously re-watchable trailers. They're all going to be here. And so are we. 

TechRadar will be on the ground at this year's E3 and you can expect to find the latest news and views right here from day one. 

So when is E3 2018?

The next incarnation of E3 will officially start on 12 June and run to 14 June 2018, with press conferences starting from June 9. As with most previous years, the show will take place at the huge Los Angeles Convention Center and will include all the usual conferences, keynotes and hands-on booths on the show floor.

The E3 2018 press conference schedule

  • EA – June 9 at 11am PT/ 7pm BST
  • Microsoft – June 10 at 1pm PT/ 9pm BST
  • Bethesda – June 10 at 6.30 pm PT/ 2.30 am BST
  • Ubisoft – June 11 at 1pm PT/ 9pm BST
  • Square Enix – June 11 at 10am PT/ 6pm BST
  • Sony – June 11 at 6pm PT/ 2am BST
  • Nintendo – June 12 at  9am PT/ 5pm BST

What's coming from... Sony at E3 2018

Sony has now confirmed that its press conference will take place on Monday June 11 at 6pm PT/ 2am BST. 

With PS4 Pro having already been introduced fewer than two years prior to E3 2018 - effectively extending the lifecycle of the generation by a good few years at least - we won't be hearing anything major on the hardware front. We’d bet our houses that PS5 is already in early development, but Shawn Layden has already confirmed that no hardware will appear at the show. 

He's also confirmed that the presentation will focus on four main Sony exclusives: Death Stranding, Ghost of Tsushima, Spider-Man and The Last of Us Part 2. Fans can expect deep dives, development updates and new trailer for all of these titles as well as announcements from third-party publishers and indie developers. 

Before the show even starts, Sony has been counting down the days with brand new announcements which have included a brand new PS4 and PS VR game called the Tetris Effect, a February 22 release date for its upcoming zombie survival title Days Gone, and a brand new game from Bandai Namco and Dontnod called Twin Mirror.

What's coming from... Microsoft at E3 2018

Microsoft has now confirmed that its plans for E3 2018 but this time they're a little different. Taking a leaf out of EA's book, Microsoft is moving things away from the Los Angeles Convention Center show floor in order to host a more fan-focused event in the Microsoft Theater. 

Though Microsoft will still have a presence on the traditional show floor, this space will be dedicated to the streaming service, Mixer. This admittedly goes some way to explaining those show floor plans that were doing the rounds which suggested Microsoft would be a much smaller show floor presence; turns out they won't even be in the building.

Even Microsoft's press-briefing is moving location. Breaking out of the Galan Center, it too will be held in the Microsoft Theatre on June 10 at 1pm PT/ 9pm BST.

This change appears to be in response to the increased attendance numbers and scale of the show which has resulted from opening the doors to the public. 

“Not only does the Microsoft Theater allow us to centralize our Xbox presence at E3,” Mike Nichols, Corporate Vice President and Chief Marketing Officer said, “but its size enables us to include even more fans and partners in the Xbox E3 2018 Briefing than ever before.”

Though we now know when the show is happening and where it's taking place, we still don't have any idea what exactly will be announced. After the big reveal of Xbox One X in 2017, we’re expecting a more software focused affair.

Halo 6 [insert forgettable subtitle here] will serve as the final chapter for 343 Industries’ post-Bungie trilogy, and while we don’t think the developer will be moving on from Master Chief anytime soon, we imagine the next Covenant-bashing title will be marketed as a big turning point in the series. Gears Of War 5 might get a showing (we think it’s a touch early, but you never know) and rumors abound that Fable may be getting a reboot, leaving hopes of a Fable 4 appearance. 

We're sure fans will want to know what on Earth is happening with Crackdown 3.

But what about VR? Xbox has invested heavily in HoloLens, and while the only game-related content we’ve seen showcase so far remains an interactive Minecraft world, we’re hoping we get to see it relaunched with a proper gaming slant. 

What's coming from...Nintendo at E3 2018

Nintendo has confirmed that its traditional broadcast and Treehouse Livestream will be taking place from Tuesday June 12 at 9am PT/ 5pm BST. 

With a new Zelda and a new Super Mario already out in the wild, we’re expecting Ninty to start rolling out its other tried and tested franchises. It’s high-time for a new Smash Bros, built from the ground up for Switch, and one that embraces the eSports scene that’s formed about Brawl and Melee over the years.

Nintendo has confirmed that Smash Bros will be a big focus for the show, getting a good chunk of the presentation, appearing first in the livestream and having a large section of the show floor to itself. 

Kirby and Yoshi are also set to get new adventures in 2018, so we’re fully expecting Nintendo to showcases gameplay from both. Yoshi’s Wooly World was a side-scrolling hit on 3DS, so what we’ve seen so far suggests a platformer in a similar vein will follow suit. We’re also hoping (however unlikely it might be) that Animal Crossing might finally be coming to Switch with a new entry. Please, please, please, Nintendo…

Metroid Prime 4 could appear, whether it be at Nintendo’s E3 show or in a special Nintendo Direct beforehand. The recent revival on 3DS has been well received by fans, so we’ve high hopes for Samus Aran’s next full fat adventure. Finally, there’s the one everyone’s been asking for: a Switch-based Pokémon. We now know that this core Pokemon RPG on Switch will launch in late 2019 and we hope to see more about it at this year's show. Or perhaps even more about the 2018 releases, Pokemon Let's Go Eevee and Pikachu. 

We also imagine there's a chance Nintendo will announce some new kits for its upcoming Nintendo Labo accessory which is now available worldwide. 

What's coming from... EA at E3 2018

We now know that EA Play will be returning to Los Angeles' Hollywood Palladium from June 9 until June 11, just before E3 itself officially kicks off.

EA has confirmed that, as you'd expect, fans will get the chance to see and play the latest EA Sports titles such as Madden 19, FIFA 19, NHL 19 and NBA Live 19 (if the latter performs well enough in the meantime). 

It's now also been confirmed that the new Battlefield game will make an appearance though we still don't know anything about what the game will actually involve. 

Anthem, the new monster-hunting IP from Canadian developer Bioware, looks to right the wrongs of Mass Effect Andromeda with its mashup of Lost Planet, Dark Void and Destiny. Its dynamic environments, volatile weather patterns and co-operative action certainly have our attention, and though its release date has recently been pushed back, it’s going to one of the show’s biggest takeaways with a brand new "inside look."

More details about what else will appear at the show are yet to be confirmed. 

What's coming from... Ubisoft at E3 2018

Ubisoft has now confirmed that its press conference will be taking place on June 11 at 1pm PT/ 9pm BST. 

Outside of more details on the now-confirmed Assassin's Creed Odyssey, we’re fully expecting Ubisoft to roll out the only other remaining Tom Clancy franchise worth its salt: Splinter Cell. With Michael Ironside rumoured to be returning to voice Sam Fisher, we’re excited to see a post-MGSV Splinter Cell and how it improve on the grossly underrated Blacklist. We also expect to see a little more information on The Division 2 now that it's been confirmed.

Then there’s the big one: Beyond Good & Evil 2. This was the surprise reveal of E3 2017, and while the game is certainly in the early stages of its development, 2018 will mark the original game’s 20th anniversary, so we’re hoping for a little more insight into its world and the nature of the game to come. Oh, and could we see Rainbow Six Siege 2? With one of the biggest communities outside of COD and Battlefield, a follow up on Siege could well breach its way onto the stage in LA.

What's coming from... Bethesda at E3 2018

Bethesda has now confirmed its presence at E3 2018 by revealing its press conference will take place on Sunday, June 10 at 6.30 pm PT. A short trailer announcing the presentation showed figures representing Bethesda's big franchises: Elder Scrolls, Doom, and Fallout. But it didn't say exactly what kind of reveals we can expect, but we are sure that Rage 2 and the newly announced Fallout 76 will appear. 

At this years show we think there are a few things that we can probably expect to see in addition to these games, including another expansion for the Elder Scrolls Online and some new additons to Quake Champions. 

On the less certain side, we're fully expecting to see a new AAA announcement from Bethesda this year. With a new Wolfenstein, a reboot of Doom, a new Dishonored and a return to Fallout released recently many are hoping for a some kind of Elder Scrolls return. However, as has been said before, Bethesda has plans for two more games before the Elder Scrolls 6, so we could see a brand new IP from Bethesda this year or perhaps even a sequel to Doom. 

We imagine there will also be some DLC announced, perhaps for Wolfenstein 2, and we could also hear some more about that mobile game the company has been working on.

We're also expecting some more Switch port announcements - Dishonored on Switch would be a welcome announcement.

What's coming from... Square-Enix at E3 2018

Square-Enix didn’t have a huge presence at E3 2017, but 2018 will be a huge year for the Japanese publisher so it's unsurprising that the publisher has announced its very own showcase for June 11 at 10am PT/ 6pm BST. The Final Fantasy 7 Remake (or at least the first episode) should be one of its biggest selling points, as this’ll mark three years since its official announcement in 2015.

Kingdom Hearts 3 is also due to drop in 2018, and with Square-Enix having re-released every other entry with increasingly nonsensical subtitles, it’s time for something new. With Toy Story and Big Hero 6-themed worlds already confirmed, fans are already chomping at the bit for time with Sora, Donald and Goofy.

Then there’s the Tomb Raider sequel, Shadow Of The Tomb Raider. With Eidos Montreal (of rebooted Deus Ex fame) in the development hot seat and Uncharted having coming along with two outstanding entries since Rise Of The Tomb Raider, we’re fully expecting Lady Croft to take back her treasure hunting crown from Nate, Chloe and Nadine.



from TechRadar - All the latest technology news http://www.techradar.com/news/e3-electronic-entertainment-expo
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