E3 2012: Doom 3: BFG Edition Melts Your Retinas in Stereoscopic 3D

Look ma, I'm in stereoscopic 3D!

When John Carmack gets antsy, we gamers reap the benefits.

The id Software programming genius, who admitted to us he was "bored" after finishing his latest game engine -- the id Tech 5 that powers Rage -- is adding a little special sauce to the upcoming Doom 3: BFG Edition. The re-release -- which includes the original Doom 3 (now with simultaneously wieldable flashlights and weapons!), the Resurrection of Evil expansion pack, retail versions of the Xbox Live Arcade ports of Doom and Doom II, and new content -- will add a host of new technical bells and whistles to the eight-year-old game: HD resolution, a buttery smooth 60fps framerate, and, slickest of all, stereoscopic 3D HDTV support.

We liked the Cacodemons better when they were bright red, like giant balls of acne.

We played a bit of it in stereoscopic 3D mode, and perhaps the highest compliment we can pay it is that it not only looks and feels like a modern game, but the 3D feels so natural it's as if the game included it from Day One. Whether it's worth repurchasing and playing through again with these visual boosts remains to be seen, but regardless, we're hoping Carmack finds himself with idle thumbs more often.

Ryan McCaffrey has been covering the Xbox world for 10 years. He used to own a DeLorean, which is weird. Follow him on Twitter, catch him on Podcast Unlocked, and drop-ship him Taylor Ham sandwiches from New Jersey whenever possible.

Source : ign[dot]com

Sci-Fi Icon Ray Bradbury Dies

Celebrated science fiction author Ray Bradbury, whose classics include Fahrenheit 451 and The Martian Chronicles, died Wednesday. He was 91.

The prolific writer's works also include The Illustrated Man, I Sing the Body Electric, Dandelion Wine, and Something Wicked This Way Comes. Many of his works were adapted for film and television, most notably Francois Truffaut's adaptation of Fahrenheit 451 and the TV miniseries version of The Martian Chronicles starring Rock Hudson.

His TV credits include The Ray Bradbury Theater, an anthology series which he also hosted, as well as The Twilight Zone.

You can read Bradbury's full obituary here.

Source : ign[dot]com

E3 2012: 13 Things We've Learned About Assassin's Creed III

After seeing so many trailers and demos for Assassin’s Creed III, you might start to think you understand the game. But then you start to think about it, and you realize you don’t actually know anything. How the heck is Connor navigating trees so fluidly? How is that combat happening? And what is going on with the boats?

Today we were able to finally ask Ubisoft a few questions during a live demonstration of the game that took us through the Frontier, the naval Caribbean segment we saw during Sony’s press conference, and Boston. One thing we quickly learned - there’s a lot going on in this game that’s different, but much of it is behind the scenes to make this game still feel like Assassin’s Creed - albeit a massively upgraded one.

Connor’s Two Hands

We’ve been hearing a bit about two-handed combat, but without much detail. Basically players are able to assign two types of items to Connor - tools to his right hand, and weapons to his left. The weapons are more hand-to-hand items like his tomahawk or hidden blade. Tools tend to be a bit more about range and also have multiple functions - say his bow and arrow or a pistol. These aren’t just used for combat, but can be used for hunting and more functional ideas along those lines.

The Stunning Kills

You’ve seen some impressive kills in ACIII, something that seems even more prevalent than in previous AC titles. Similar to other games in the franchise, a lot of this is contextual, based on enemy location as well as the items that Connor has available to him. In Boston we saw Connor, musket in hand, run up behind a British soldier who was talking to a fellow Redcoat. The assassin jammed the musket through the enemy facing away from him, then fired the weapon to kill the second man. It’s stunning, but it all worked because of every precise detail of that moment. Change any part of that scenario, and things play out differently.

Navigating the Wilderness

One interesting thing about everything we’ve seen regarding Connor in trees or climbing  rocks - it’s not as different as you might think. Ubisoft is doing a lot of work behind the scenes to make sure that moving through the forest isn’t all that complicated. In previous games, navigating the city was about ‘reading’ visual clues - seeing where roofs were positioned, judging distance and how buildings flowed from one to the next. That’s actually the same here.

What’s key is how Ubisoft has ‘gamed’ the trees themselves, using ‘Y’ branches almost as junction points that allow players decide if they want to adjust their movement. The same actually applies to some elements of the city - as the designers implemented some of the wilderness ideas, they realized some of it would apply back to the ‘pre-urban jungle’ of early America.

Countering

There is a fundamental similarity to countering in AC that still applies to this version - react to your opponent’s attack to throw them off guard. However, Ubisoft views the concept more as a combo ‘opener’ which will give Connor a host of options. As always, his two-handed style gives him access to both a weapon and a tool. Add in the more context-sensitive kill animations and that’s how you’ve been seeing some of the more artful material out there.

Bringing the ‘Flawless’ Playing to the Players

How many times have you watched a demonstration of a video game, and been amazed, only to get the game home and realize you can’t actually do anything you just saw? The level of precision and flawless execution some developers have when presenting their games can sometimes be stunning - and it’s because they rehearse the same sequence over and over. One of Ubisoft’s goals this time around was to bring that kind of polished, incredible experience directly to the players, to make it more accessible. What you’ve been seeing from ACIII so far is designed to be relatively easy to execute, and based on what we’ve learned at E3, it seems as though you won’t have to throw out everything you’ve learned about AC to do it.

More Killing

Two moments really stood out to us in the Frontier demo - the spot where Connor grabs a musket from a rack, stabs a man with its bayonet - without stopping his pursuit of a target - and then the air assassination that ended that chase, which was clearly scripted. Air assassinations will now be able to be performed by any weapon, not just the hidden blade. So players wanting to recreate that airborne musket attack can do just that - and not in the flashy sequence we saw that typically signals the end of a mission.

The running assault is part of Ubisoft’s attempt to make the game more aggressive, more fluid and to change up the dynamics of the game ever so slightly. And it’s easy to pull off. Just run up to a target and hold the attack button. Connor will take out his prey and keep moving.

Navigating the High Seas

ACIII’s boat sequence first revealed at Sony’s press conference was certainly impressive, but how would it work? Steering a sail-driven, cannon-loaded ship would not seem to be the easiest thing. During a live demo of that sequence, Ubisoft told us the development team had considered going for a more ‘simulation’ approach, meaning the boat would handle as it should, but decided the controls should be a bit more true to their franchise - fluid, responsive and fast.

Killing on the High Seas

Connor will have access to two broad types of attacks while on the ocean - a swivel turret and the broadside cannons. The swivel turret allows for quick, positioned shots with typical cannon balls. It’s designed specifically to target weaker points on ships, which will be helpful as we’ll explain below.

The broadside cannons are more restrictive in when they’re used, but have more shot options - chain shots to take out masts, grape shots to sweep soldiers off of decks, and even heat shots which, get this, are on fire. A quick selection menu similar to Connor’s typical weapons layout allows him to access these different types.

Executing these attacks is very simple, as each type of cannon is mapped to L1/LB or R1/RB. Holding down an attack button will allow Connor to place his attack with the swivel mount or lay out a dynamic grid showing the width and depth of his broadside attack. Releasing the button will then signal to fire. Keeping the broadside attack button pressed will hold the attack for the right moment, narrowing the grid if Connor needs to strategically focus on one specific area.

Mission Variety

At first glance, these boat segments might seem a bit trivial. While they’re only a small part of the larger game, Ubisoft has built in some mission variety so players aren’t simply going out to sea to blow up some targets. In addition to some navigational type goals - getting from point A to B while moving through narrow passes surrounded by rocks, the actual battle goals will differ. Sometimes Connor will need to destroy a ship. Sometimes he must disable it. And while Ubisoft’s demo ends with a scripted sequence in which Connor and his allies board an enemy vessel, we were told that would eventually be more in the control of players.

The Occupation

Seeing a short sequence set in Boston allowed us to see how the city life is more dynamic than ever before. The citizens, resentful of the occupying British forces, will actually help you take on your enemies, luring them down alleys while you wait around the corner. The more you help them, the more they’ll favor you.

Cloak and Dagger

Moving through crowds in stealth is far easier now. Connor must no longer insert himself into a small mob - he only has to be around a couple people. Similar kinds of visual Animus clues will allow players to know when Connor is ‘cloaked’, but the most helpful of these are small white ‘strands’ that reach out from the assassin and the civilians. If those disappear, players will know they’re more exposed. It’s simple but will allow a more seamless crowd navigation, which was something that significantly limited options in past games.

Welcome to the Indoors

Though the AC franchise has featured indoor elements, they were always separated from the city segments. There was no seamless transition from one to the other without some loading. While bigger indoor moments will still no doubt need this, players are now able to access interiors through open windows and doors, and these actually serve as chase breakers, which is a concept AC multiplayer fans will know well. If Connor is being chased by troops, he can jump up a building and escape by passing through it to the other side. It’s a way to add more options and build a more dynamic environment.

Summoning Assassins

The concept of an assassin’s guild is back, and while we don’t know how or if Connor will recruit and train allies, we do know they are capable of doing more than killing now. With a quick menu selection, Connor was able to summon assassin’s dressed as British soldiers, who then placed our hero in handcuffs to lead him past a military checkpoint. Ubisoft called it the ‘Wookie Maneuver’ though we’re sure that’s not the official term.

What day is it again? Rich is an executive editor at IGN, and isn't even sure where to find his normal signature. It's E3, after all. He's totally on Twitter and stuff. Follow him there.

Source : ign[dot]com

E3 2012: Kirby's Anniversary Collection Gets a Name, Release Date

It's hard to find anyone talking about the normal, six-year-old original Wii here at E3 2012, as Nintendo's focus has entirely shifted toward the release of Wii U later this year. But that doesn't mean the current console has nothing new on the horizon itself – in fact, it's still got one more Kirby game on the schedule before everything turns to U.

"Kirby's Dream Collection: Special Edition" is its name, and you'll be able to pick up your copy in stores this September. This is the final branding and time frame Nintendo has given to the 20th anniversary collection of classic Kirby games announced earlier this year, to celebrate the Pink Puffball's two full decades of service in supplying floating, smiling fun to Nintendo fans.

Nintendo's still not talking about just which classic Kirby games will be making the cut for this Wii disc, but with its release now confirmed to be only three months away we shouldn't have to wait too much longer to get that list. Likely candidates include those titles that have already been re-released previously on Wii via the Virtual Console service – Kirby's Adventure from the NES, Kirby's Dream Land 3 from the SNES and Kirby 64: The Crystal Shards from the Nintendo 64 are just three of the many possibilities.

Source : ign[dot]com

E3 2012: IGN Australia's Day 1 Wrap

Day one of E3 2012 is done and dusted. So what was crackin'? The Aussie team at the show sound off.

Cam:

My three jaw-dropping, ball-numbing highlights for the day are:

The Last of Us

Wow. Today's demo was nothing short of bone-crunchingly unreal. Sure, it was an expansion on what we saw at the Sony press conference yesterday, but it answered a number of important questions that I had about The Last of Us. Sadly, you'll have to stay tuned to IGN to hear about it, as we're under embargo until Thursday (Pacific) for coverage and, well, let's just say that Naughty Dog's not just a cute name. They actually do have a Rottweiler that they set on members of the press that break their embargos.

Assassin's Creed III

Ubisoft Montreal are showing off three different Assassin's Creed III demos here at E3. (Yes, that's three for III at E3.) No doubt you've already caught the frontier demo from the Ubisoft press conference, which highlighted the series' new lead Connor and his brutal hatchet-led combat and affinity with the forest. The Sony presser busted out the second demo, which was a look at the incredible naval battles in the game. Dynamic weather, tactical movement and incredible water physics all add up to an element that feels integral, as opposed to tacked on. You can't tell this story without naval combat, and Ubisoft wants to get it right. While this aspect is hardly a sim, players will still have to pay attention to things like timing their shots carefully in heavy swells - you can't shoot through that mountainous wave that just reared up. Expect naval combat to come into play during the main story five or six times.

The final demo is set in Boston - one of two major cities in the game. The gameplay mix feels familiar, yet has enough fresh elements that it's clearly going to be a blast. The combat is both flowing and brutal, with significantly improved animations and better use of context. Connor's hatchet really is an awesome weapon too, not that the bow and rope dart (which allows players to string up enemies from on high) don't come into their own as well. The way enemies spin and crumple when hit looks spot on, while Connor's animations are seamless, grounding his agility in the real world. Speaking of which - see an open window? Why not go into it and straight through the house? Coming back to the gameplay mix, the blend mechanics have changed for the better. Now having two people in close proximity is enough to blend in and become unseen.

Similarly, Connor will strike up a conversation with anyone he poses near while avoiding detection. It's also worth mentioning that while the ability to call on assassins from Brotherhood is gone, players can earn the right to whistle for a crew of allies disguised as British soldiers. They'll surround the player - as though captured - allowing you to walk straight through checkpoints. Boston looks quite convincing too. And it should - the team has recreated period versions of both New York and Boston as accurately as they can. All the major thoroughfares and structures of the time are accounted for, only on a one to three scale. Three demos? Barely enough. Good thing there's a kick-ass CG trailer too.

Project P-100

Anyone else every heard of this? After a disappointing press conference, Nintendo had this potential Wii U gem playable on the booth, and it's looking like a whole lot of fun. In development at Platinum Games (Bayonetta, Vanquish, Revengeance, BOO-YA!), the team is calling Project P-100 "mass hero action". Why? Because you're not on your own: you're controlling a colourful team of characters, that follow the player Pikmin-style. From an almost top-down perspective, the enemies you come across on the city streets absolutely tower over your diminutive crew, but you attack like a ferocious pack of rats... if said rats were anime-infused and bursting with life and colour. And if they could team up like Voltron to bust out a variety of over-the-top moves. Players draw in formations on the touch screen, which then let them hit with special attacks or recruit new members.

Another neat touch is when the game switches to an over the shoulder third person perspective on the touch screen, whenever a building is entered. It's not going to set the world on fire, but in a lacklustre lineup, Project P-100 has been one of only a handful of Wii U titles that have stood out so far.

A disappointment?

Batman Arkham City: Armoured Edition

Sorry guys, but it's just too late. You need to come to the table with something exclusive where Batman is concerned. An Arkham City port with a few touch screen bits and bobs? Not good enough. Also - having Rocksteady endorse the Wii U when the game's not even being developed by that studio isn't a good look.

Pure stealth.

Luke:

Highlights:

Forza Horizon

It's probably no surprise Forza Horizon is one of my biggest highlights for the day; at least, aside from some of the stuff you guys have already covered. My biggest concern about Forza Horizon, the handling model, was immediately put to rest. Forza Horizon's handling model has been lifted straight from Forza Motorsport 4. Not only that but, with many of Playground Games' staff hailing from Codemasters, it's been honed to suit Horizon's many dirt roads by some of the most experienced off-road developers in the business.

Colorado seems like kind of a random choice for an open-world at first but once you see some of the incredible stretches of road Playground has built you'll realise why the team chose it. Rocky mountain passes, winding country roads, straight-shot freeways – it's terrific.

It's bordering on fascinating just how comprehensively Forza Horizon succeeds where Test Drive: Unlimited 2 failed – and we've only seen a very thin slice of it.

Watch Dogs

Watch Dogs remained as impressive as it had been at Ubisoft's press conference yesterday, although the demo's climax was played out in a slightly different manner. I felt even more impressed by it after this session; as amazed as I was yesterday I did feel the massive firefight in the intersection that resulted in several civilians being killed in crossfire was quite grim. It would appear you can tackle this encounter in different ways, however. In this demo  main character Aiden Pierce engaged the enemies at the scene from the elevated rail line above, rather than street level. We also saw a short snippet of the driving model, as well as the ability to interact with the city from inside your car. While being pursued by the police, Pierce hacked a bridge ahead and began to raise it. He managed to jump over it but the cops behind could not follow. The team also highlighted some of the tablet connectivity for Watch Dogs, using an iPad to view and use a fully-interactive map of the city. Your move, Wii U.

Tony Hawk's Pro Skater HD

Tony Hawk's Pro Skater HD was great too. I eventually found a free moment to track down a pod and play it, and I did not regret making the time. I selected Ollie the Magic Bum and School II and my ears were immediately assaulted by the sweet strains of Swedish punkers Millencolin's 'No Cigar', easily one of my favourite Tony Hawk tracks ever. It's actually quite cute just how successfully THPS HD made me feel 17 again. It's a little tricky to get used to, after the more grounded nature of EA's Skate series, but it has a real old-school charm to it that I found fairly infectious.

Lowlight?

The Nintendo Press Conference

The biggest disappointment of the day for me has to be the Nintendo press conference. For a little background, I'm not a Nintendo aficionado. As a kid I had a PC; we never had Nintendo or Sega consoles. If you had to choose a word to use to describe my state of mind regarding Nintendo's famous franchises it would be 'ambivalent'. In fact, I've always been slightly put off by the whooping and unwavering adulation that appears to go on at these Nintendo press briefings. However, as this was my first time at a Nintendo conference I decided to go in with an open mind. My body was ready. I wanted to see Nintendo in a brand-new light. I wanted to get excited about the Wii U.

Unfortunately I'm not. No price, no release date and nary a single technical specification. About the only thing we've learned about Wii U from E3 2011 to E3 2012 is that they've finally figured out how to get it to support two controllers. Surprises were lean. Mass Effect 3? I don't really see the point of this. The final part of a trilogy (a trilogy that's most rewarding when built upon the decisions you made and the characters you've met and lost in the previous two games) that launched six months ago? Scribblenauts Unlimited? I seriously admire Scribblenauts, but these days you can get it for next to nothing on iOS. Nintendo Land ? This doesn't interest me in the slightest, and taking the better part of a month to explain every mechanic in one of the associated minigames was probably a bit much.

I get the controller capabilities are neat, but between smartphones, tablets and PS Vita these kinds of experiences don't exactly seem out-of-reach for Microsoft or Sony either. I'm just not sure side-scrollers and minigames are really the best way to showcase the drastically increased horsepower under the hood of your new HD console.

What else did they announce? They announced some kind of karaoke game that literally no-one will play the way the actors in the sizzle reel did, and they unveiled Wii Fit U to a room full of the least-surprised people in North America.

Where are the Nintendo heavy-hitters? I don't care about them but I know plenty of dedicated gamers most certainly do. Where was HD Zelda, or HD Mario Kart? You know, the kind of stuff that really would've sent a shockwave around the place.

I think this image pretty much sums up the entire Nintendo conference.

No Zelda announcement? Link is sad...

Luce:

Alright, another 'day' done and dusted. I use quotation marks around 'day' because I think we've been at this for 15 hours! That's the same amount of time those medical students spent at the hospital in the first season of Grey's Anatomy, and we all know they worked really damn hard! It's been a day of ups and downs, hits and misses, and sub par coffee we like to call 'dirty water.' Here are my highlights - and a single lowlight - for Day One of E3 2012:

Beyond: Two Souls

David Cage presented an extended action sequence in Quantic Dream's latest game, Beyond: Two Souls. The action-orientated demo acted as a counterpart to the onstage presentation at Sony's press conference yesterday, playing out like a thriller evocative of some of the more Fincher-esque moments in Heavy Rain. Indeed, the demo felt very much in the spirit of Qantic's previous game, but its narrative - the heart of any Cage project - is far more ambitious. In fact, Cage stated that the game "doesn't belong to any existing genre," and later that its perspective on death had "never been seen before in movies or games."

The demo saw protagonist Jodie and her invisible spirit companion Aiden eluding the cops through a series of action sequences, beginning with a tense escape from a train and ending in all out body-possession carnage. You'll hear our fleshed out thoughts on the demo later in the week, but suffice to say Beyond is another momentous effort from Cage and team to circumvent traditional video game storytelling and gameplay in the pursuit of the emotional journey. The plot is intriguing, the motion capture not too weird, and Ellen Page seems to be hitting the right notes for Cage's vulnerable character. And of course there was the passionate presence of Cage himself as he lead us through the demo - no wonder the guy sells Sony this nutty stuff, he's one of the most charming guys in the industry.

PlayStation AllStars: Battle Royale

I've been hearing a few grumbles here and there from fellow journalists who believe this to be unworthy of time because of it's clear 'inspiration' from a certain other Melee title. I say, screw that! By that logic, we should all have boycotted every single FPS ever for its similarities to DOOM. Having some hands on time with AllStars proved to me that Sony CAN get this balance right - much of it comes down to well-balanced characters and compulsory offensive fighting, and much of it comes down to Fat Princess. No seriously, watching her being bounced around the screen like a fat pink marshmallow by ripped Demi-Gods is really amusing. Plus, a co-op game looks as seamless on the Vita as it does on the TV, a genuine success story amongst all the other mixed-platform efforts that seem to be so in trend this E3.

Super Mario Bros. U

With its lack of any announcements to distinguish itself from last year's conference, Nintendo's presser was not met by much love this year. In fact, Super Mario Bros.U probably punctuated it with its one and only 'wow' moment, and even then the charming Lego City Undercover gave it a run for its money. But Super Mario Bros. U, or at least its co-op - the only mode I tried - works beautifully in practice. As a Wiimote-controlled-Mario rockets himself across the screen, the omnipresent player with the Wii U gamepad is able to build platforms for Mario to reach difficult heights or leap over gaps. While not riveting on paper, it's satisfying in practice, thanks to the traditional speedy pace of Mario gameplay which insists on a steep co-operative learning curve. Communicate, practice, and eventually you'll achieve an intuitive synergy, baby.

That Wii Fit U Trailer

Nintendo's Wii Fit U E3 debut trailer was like a couple of white-toothed stock photo 'I love salad' models awkwardly met 5 minutes before being tasked with pretending to 'work their core' by pretending to luge down a pretend mountain in a pretend living room. Oh hey, that's what actually happened! Watch at your own peril; you may regain your virginity.

Oh, and just in case you were wondering who won the battle of the press conferences this year...

Source : ign[dot]com