Well that didn’t take long to make my E3. During Microsoft’s event today, the first trailer for the sequel to 2013’s Tomb Raider was shown.
Called Rise of the Tomb Raider, the trailer features Lara in therapy due to the events in the first game. We see that Laura has been changed by her adventure and is now becoming the Lara Croft we discovered in the days of the original Playstation.
Rise of the Tomb Raider will release Holiday 2015 (please do).
Let’s get E3 week started right with the new trailer for The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt.
The new trailer shows off the vast landscape the you will traverse as Geralt, the white-haired, stone-faced badass we have all come to love. It looks to be a showcase title for your new consoles.
Get ready to marvel at the beauty and then throw your controller in anger when you die from not stringing attacks together properly on February 24, 2015.
Mortal Kombat X was revealed only a few short days ago with a beautiful trailer (which you can see below) that shows how pretty fighting to the death can be. Now we already have the box art for the game which is not supposed to see release until sometime in 2015.
The cover features Scorpion because, Mortal Kombat.
I loved 2011’s Mortal Kombat and am more than ready for next-gen fatalities. Maybe some friendships too.
Last year’s E3 is but a distant memory. We now have shiny new consoles in front of us and now we are like an addict needing a hit. E3 is here to give us a fix, if only for a brief moment. Here are my predictions of what I think will happen as the unwashed masses descend on Los Angeles to play new games and bitch about how long we have to wait on them.
1. Unlike last year, Microsoft will win the press conference war.
Let’s not sugar-coat it, Microsoft got their ass handed to them last year. It was a beatdown of epic proportions. One that is still being seen today with the PS4 outselling the Xbox One by a good margin. Microsoft had an unpopular message (always online, Kinect must be plugged in, limits on lending games) and then to make matters worse they didn’t have their ducks in a row on the company’s message. One talking head would say one thing about always online then another would say something conflicting to that. It was as bad as bad could get. Then Sony shows up, announces the PS4 will play used games, not require an online connection AND be $100 cheaper. You could just see Sony with their arms wide open saying “we will take you in wounded gamer”.
This year will be different.
With no console announcements this year, Microsoft and Sony will have to focus on the games and just looking at games we know are in the pipeline, Microsoft has a lot more to offer than Sony. Microsoft will be showing off games like Halo 5, the unnamed Halo collection (Halo: The Master Chief Collection most say), Sunset Overdrive, Project Spark, Quantum Break, Fable Legends as well as rumored games Ryse: Son of Rome 2, Forza Horizon 2 and a possible early look at the next Gears of War.
That’s a damn lot of games.
Sony, on the other hand, has Drive Club, The Order: 1886 (which was just delayed to 2015) and…give me a sec.
Yes, Uncharted may be shown, but with all the problems at Naughty Dog over the past few months that is not a guarantee. What else could set our panties on fire? God of War? After the sales of God of War: Ascension is that really something that will help Sony? Guerrilla is working on a new IP that could cause some excitement.
See where I am going here? I am stretching to find Sony’s big moments. I hope they prove me wrong.
2. Super Smash Bros. Wii U will get a release date.
Expect a lot of gameplay shown and a heavy emphasis on the fighter since it will be Nintendo’s main selling point for the Wii U this fall.
3. We will see gameplay from both Assassin’s Creed: Unity and Assassin’s Creed: Comet.
And they will look nowhere near as fun as Assassin’s Creed IV.
4. A new Battlefield will be shown.
I cheated with this one. Battlefield: Hardline was already leaked. The part of this I am predicting is that it will be looked down on because of Battlefield 4’s complete lack of being able to work. Ever. The fact that Visceral, not DICE, is handling developing duties will not make gamers forget.
5. Sony will show off more of Project: Morpheus
Let’s hope it is more innovation than the next Move.
6. Zelda Wii U is shown in some way.
Whether it is pre-rendered video or gameplay, we will see a new Zelda. Don’t expect a release till late 2015 or 2016 though.
7. Same for Gears of War.
The new Gears of War will at most get a teaser trailer, but like Link, it won’t see release till 2016.
8. Microsoft will make Games with Gold mean something.
Playstation Plus is worth so much more than the $50 you pay. My PS3 and PS4 are loaded with so many games that I will never be able to finish them. Microsoft introduced Games with Gold last year and while they get a participation ribbon for trying, it has offered up paltry efforts compared to Plus.
This year should change things now that free games will be coming to the Xbox One. Rumors are that Ryse: Son of Rome (which I liked) will be one of the free offerings. With Microsoft making an effort to bring newer games to the 360, Games with Gold should take a step in the right direction.
That’s all I got so far. Give us some of your predictions for this year’s E3. I will be back after the show to see how my list did. I am going to say I get 5 out of 8.
Games!
Almost two years after its surprise reveal at E3 2012, Watch Dogs is finally ready for everyone to hack away to their hearts content. The game was originally planned for release in November 2013, but was delayed only a few weeks from release with no new release date given which, of course, made the internet throw around its theories of a broken game.
The delay was only six months and the impression of first reviews think it was a good thing. Let’s see if Ubisoft has a new franchise worth our time.
IGN– 8.4/10
“It can last a lot longer than 20 hours though, because Watch Dogs is extremely good at distracting attention away from the main story with a steady stream of side quests and minigames. I’m a big fan of the gang hideout missions, which really let you test your stealth skills as you take down well-guarded targets (though it’s kinda strange that they ask you to keep the gang leader alive but are cool with murdering everyone else).”
Game Informer– 8.5/10
“On the other hand, the on-foot action is entertaining from the get-go and only becomes more engaging as you unlock new abilities. Hacking items adds a meaningful dimension to combat, allowing you to effortlessly hop between camera feeds to get the layout of the environment, tag foes, and activate traps. The solid shooting mechanics make full-scale firefights enjoyable, but Watch Dogs’ combat really shines with a stealth-minded approach.”
Giant Bomb– 3/5
“The other thing that sets Watch Dogs apart from the typical open-world game is the way its online action is structured. While it still has the same boring online race mode that every open-world game seems to have these days (does anyone actually still want to engage in an open-world race in a game that wasn’t built for racing?), it also has a handful of cat-and-mouse-like modes where one player has to get close to another player to steal something from them. These online invasions pop up against your will, forcing you to deal with another player before you can proceed. The rewards for succeeding in this mode are minimal and they seem to always pop up when you’re trying to start another mission, making them feel like a hassle that’s preventing you from doing the thing you actually want to be doing.”
Polygon– 8/10
“In fact, despite its open-world trappings, Watch Dogs does the most with its inventive abilities and great mechanics when it has the most structure. Story missions frequently enable and even encourage a lengthy recon phase. Any new assignment always involved my search for a CCTV camera which would then spider outward like cracked glass as I went from camera to laptop to junction box and on and on, spying weakness, marking targets.”
Gamespot– 8/10
“Watch Dogs’ narrative may win no awards, but as an open-world playground, the game rightfully deserves to be mentioned with heavyweights like Grand Theft Auto and Saints Row. This playground isn’t just loaded with stuff to do, as most such games are; it’s loaded with lots of terrific stuff to do. I lost myself for an hour solving chess puzzles. Other times, I shot up aliens in several of Watch Dogs’ augmented reality games.”
Joystiq– 4/5
“To the game’s credit, the temptation to peek exists without formal judgement, and there are no good or evil points to earn in your approach. Your reputation as a terrorist determines how likely it is for someone to call the cops on you, especially if you’ve been driving on the sidewalk, but the game is happy to let you spy, stalk, or brutally intervene when criminal activity appears in a dank alley.”
Now everyone that writes about this movie for the next two years can stop using the popular “untitled Batman vs. Superman movie” because Zack Snyder’s team-up film that will lead into Justice League has an official title; Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice.
Good thing they already announced that Justice League is coming after this, otherwise the internet would be exploding right now because of the subtitle. As far as titles go…it works. Don’t get me wrong I am super ready for this damn movie and I am in the camp that thinks that Ben Affleck is going to own his role, but the title reads like a studio think tank idea.
Of course Justice League 0.5 wouldn’t have worked as well.
The untitled Batm…had to catch myself there.
Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice will release on May 6, 2016.
There are a few certainties after Sunday’s Extreme Rules PPV and last night’s Raw:
1. The Shield can not have a bad six-man tag match…ever.
2. HHH may get a bad rap, but he is the best in-ring talent in Evolution by a mile, even over Orton.
3. Adam Rose will be HUGE!*
*Assuming WWE doesn’t fu** up his character, which they most likely will.
I can’t help it. I am a Rosebud. The artist formerly known as Leo Kruger is another addition from NXT that I hope catches on with the “average” fan. His entrance is just the icing on the cake. Yes, he is doing a wrestling version of Russell Brand, but he is doing it damn well.
Let’s all bow our heads as Christina Aguilera sings Ave Maria for Dean Ambrose’s U.S. Title reign. He doesn’t defend it for most of the year, then after a face turn, he defends it in multiple matches and loses it in a 20-man battle royal.
Lesson of the day kids: it is always more fun to be the bad guy.
Evolution may be a mystery, but Batista’s beard being awesome is not.
It looks like we are heading for Evolution vs. The Shield numero dos at Payback. Which you would think Evolution would win because WWE is all about swapping wins, but Hollywood Dave will be packing up his beard, tights, and skinny jeans after Payback to promote Guardians of the Galaxy. Would it be good for The Shield to drop the match to a team that won’t be on Raw for over two months?
Negative, Ghost Rider.
It seems the initial plan was for Batista to feud with Daniel Bryan and lose at Payback, but Drax put the squash on that. He felt that losing clean at WrestleMania and then again at Payback right before he went to promote Guardians was not the best thing for him…and I agree. He is not The Rock. His movie career is about to take off so I have no problem with him protecting his character a bit. He is signed for another year and a half, there is plenty of time for a feud with Bryan.
Side note- Here is a breakdown of reasons I like Rusev. 60%- Lana, 30%- Lana’s legs, 10%- the inexplicable boner I get whenever Lana yells “CRUSH!” when she closes her fist.
Is WWE trying to use Rusev to rid the roster of the unused minority talent? Not a conspiracy theory, just an observation. Xavier Woods, R-Truth and now Kofi. Is he Russian or a racist? Next thing you know they will put Donald Sterling in his Titantron along with Putin. I actually would not put it past WWE to try and use the Sterling stuff in a story. Let’s not forget this is the company that had Randy Orton talk about Eddie Guerrero burning in hell a month after he died.
Why couldn’t Cesaro just beat RVD clean? He did at the PPV. Are they protecting RVD in some way? We have seen him lose to everyone in his career. I know he is only here for three months at a time, but losing to Cesaro two nights in a row is not a bad thing.
Cesaro’s music is slowly growing on me. I was not a fan the first few times I heard it, but like working with someone who wears too much Axe Body Spray, it becomes easier to handle. Although I do still miss his Swiss rap theme.
Daniel Bryan’s year has been uplifting highs and horrible lows. Winning the title at Wrestlemania was one of the most memorable moments in thirty years of the show, then he loses his father only a week later in some kind of My Name is Earl twist of karma and now his feud with Kane can only be described as laughable.
I am not comparing the feud with the death of his father, but it is not what he needs right now. He made it through Extreme Rules and from all I have heard (still have not seen the match) had a great Extreme Rules match with Kane. To extend this feud another month tells me a few things:
1. They had no other plan ready after Batista pulled out of the feud.
2. WWE is trying to see if fans will follow Bryan through a bad program/trying to sabotage his reign. Pick one…or both.
3. They are secretly filming See No Evil 2 and we have no idea.
It is a bit eerie how this is the way Benoit’s title reign went after he won at WrestleMania XX. He beat HHH, feuded with Kane, then lost at Summerslam, which I expect Bryan to do. Let’s just hope for Brie’s sake Bryan doesn’t own a Bowflex.
This is not Raw related, but I did want to mention something I think TNA got right (for once) and that is Eric Young winning the TNA title. Yes, it smells of another TNA copycat story with Young being their bearded wonder like Daniel Bryan, but I have been a longtime EY fan and he deserves a run. Fans have supported him through every insane story he has been a part of over the last decade. Really, if any other wrestler had to do some of the things he had they would have quit.
Let’s not forget that EY did have the finger pointing in the air before Bryan. Because now that he is champion, you really “Don’t Fire Eric”.
Till next week!
We are in the middle of the Stanley Cup playoffs and EA has announced that NHL 15 will be the first game in the series to go next-gen when it is released this fall. The game will have a new broadcast team of Mike Emrick and Eddie Olczy and also feature an NBC Sports Game Day Presentation.
Like with past titles the cover athlete will be voted on by fans, but this year will be done differently. Voting will be done on Twitter on Twitter Vote Thursday’s where fans will use the hashtag #NHLCoverVote and then hashtagging their favorite players from the available players that are:
-Boston Bruins Patrice Bergeron #NHL15Bergeron
-San Jose Sharks Logan Couture #NHL15Couture
-Los Angeles Kings Drew Doughty #NHL15Doughty
-Colorado Avalanche Matt Duchene #NHL15Duchene
-Ottawa Senators Erik Karlsson #NHL15Karlsson
-Toronto Maple Leafs Phil Kessel #NHL15Kessel
-St. Louis Blues T.J. Oshie #NHL15Oshie
-Montreal Canadiens P.K. Subban #NHL15Subban
Spider-Man, Spider-Man, yada yada yada. You know how it goes.
While Spidey did not beat Captain America: The Winter Soldier’s take last month, it brought in $92 million which is $30 million more than the reboot grossed in its opening weekend two years ago. Sony should feel confident about their future plans with Spider-Man and his expanded universe. In three weeks the film has grossed $369 million worldwide.
1. The Amazing Spider-Man 2- $92.0 million/ $92.0 million
2. The Other Woman- $14.2/ $47.3
3. Heaven is for Real- $8.7/ $65.6
4. Captain America: The Winter Soldier- $7.7/ $237.1
5. Rio 2- $7.6/ $106.4
6. Brick Mansions- $3.5/ $15.4
7. Divergent $2.1/ $142.6
8. The Quiet Ones- $2.0
9. The Grand Budapest Hotel- $1.6/ $51.5
10. God’s Not Dead- $1.7/ $55.5
No more rumors or speculation needed. The cast for Star Wars: Episode VII has been made official in a statement by Disney. The announcement also came with a photo of the cast meeting with director JJ Abrams.
The Star Wars team is thrilled to announce the cast of Star Wars: Episode VII.
Actors John Boyega, Daisy Ridley, Adam Driver, Oscar Isaac, Andy Serkis, Domhnall Gleeson, and Max von Sydow will join the original stars of the saga, Harrison Ford, Carrie Fisher, Mark Hamill, Anthony Daniels, Peter Mayhew, and Kenny Baker in the new film.
Director J.J. Abrams says, “We are so excited to finally share the cast of Star Wars: Episode VII. It is both thrilling and surreal to watch the beloved original cast and these brilliant new performers come together to bring this world to life, once again. We start shooting in a couple of weeks, and everyone is doing their best to make the fans proud.”
Star Wars: Episode VII is being directed by J.J. Abrams from a screenplay by Lawrence Kasdan and Abrams. Kathleen Kennedy, J.J. Abrams, and Bryan Burk are producing, and John Williams returns as the composer. The movie opens worldwide on December 18, 2015.
We already knew Mark Hamill, Harrison Ford, Carrie Fisher and Peter Mayhew were returning and that Adam Driver had been cast as a villain. The names that people will notice are Andy Serkis and the awesome Max von Sydow as well as Anthony Daniels and Kenny Baker returning as C-3P0 and R2-D2.
Oscar Isaac had been rumored over the past few weeks to be in the cast and that was proven true today. John Boyega is best known from Attack the Block and will be joined by About Time’s Domhnall Gleeson and relative unknown Daisy Ridley to fill out the cast.
The additions of Serkis and von Sydow especially make me excited about the next trip to a galaxy far, far away.
Filming is set to begin next month. Star Wars: Episode VII will release on December 18, 2015.