Best shooters and action games of E3 2016: Battlefield 1, Gears 4, COD: Infinite Warfare and more
One of the best-served genres in gaming each year is the good, old fashioned shoot-em-up. From first-person to sideways-scrolling shooters to more esoteric blast-a-thons, there’s always plenty to choose from, and plenty are launched or shown at E3.
Additionally, there are plenty of action games where a gun and bullets aren’t part of the mayhem, but there’s still more than enough viscera and gore to go around.
That’s why we’ve put together a selection of our favourite shooters and action games from this year’s show, along with short reasons why, for you to check out. All of them are worthy contenders for your cash on the build up to Christmas and beyond.
Just flick through the gallery above to find out our faves. They’re listed in no particular order and, bar one or two, are generally multiplatform, for PS4, Xbox One and PC.
We’ll also be adding to this list as we see more on the E3 2016 show floor.
READ: E3 2016: All the launches, games and consoles at the show
And we’ll be putting together similar round-ups of our favourite driving, sports and adventure games, plus RPGs too, which you’ll be able to see on Pocket-lint soon.
This is the new Sony PlayStation VR Aim Controller
At the start of E3 this week, Sony announced a first-person shooter alongside a new controller called PS VR Aim.
The PS VR Aim is shaped so the user can hold it like a rifle pulled into the shoulder or fire from the hip. The controller uses a similar system to the Move controllers, meaning it will mirror your movements in the real world. So, if you point the gun to the side, it’ll move that way (independently of your head movements). Pulling off badass shots without even looking should now be a gaming possibility.
PS VR Aim will work with Farpoint, which is described by its indie developer, Impulse Gear, as an “unnerving space adventure set on a hostile alien world”. After you crash land, you have to fight to survive and explore the planet’s secrets. Your only hope of escape is to keep moving, with the PS VR Aim of course, which is considered “the most realistic and precise way” to control Farpoint.
Pocket-lint
Pocket-lint got a chance to see the VR Aim controller on the showfloor at E3 this week and could see that it has all the same controls found on the standard DualShock 4, including two analogue sticks, four face buttons, two bumpers, two triggers, a directional pad, Share and Options buttons, and another button mapped to the DualShock’s touchpad button (but there’s no touchpad on top).
The two triggers are in different positions, naturally, allowing the controller to be handled like a gun. VR Aim is also ambidextrous, as its R1 button for re-loading is mounted on either side of the trigger and beneath your index finger. Keep in mind Sony’s PlayStation VR headset works with the controller to bring your wrists and arms into VR, adding that extra layer of precision to the experience.
Pocket-lint
Also, this is not Sony’s first gun controller. It developed the Sharpshooter back in 2010. They look similar, but Sony said its VR Aim is more accurate and has less delay. Impulse Gear said it developed Farpoint to work specifically with VR Aim controller, too. Presumably, the controller will come in a bundle with Farpoint. It’ll also, hopefully, be compatible with more games in the future.
We don’t know much else right now. While the PS VR is available for pre-order, there is no sign of the VR Aim just yet.
Zelda: Breath of the Wild preview: Prepare to lose your breath
In among the halls at the E3 gaming expo Nintendo has dedicated a giant space to Zelda. It’s an escape from the bustle outside, with its own real grass and trees, a day-to-night lighting system, sound effects and all Nintendo’s usual quirk running to the maximum. It might sound like someone’s plonked a giant garden centre slap bang in the middle of a gaming exhibition, but Nintendo has pulled it off, the mood is set for us to take a deep breath and dive into 35-minutes of Zelda: Breath of the Wild.
We’re excited. After all, this game is a big deal and has been in the making for what seems like forever. Sure, we still have to wait until 2017 before it will actually be released – as the Wii U’s swan song and the opening gambit for Nintendo NX. It is, therefore, a game on which Nintendo is hanging huge hopes. It has to succeed.
It’s clear the game has been in development forever too, because the Wii U immediately shows its age and fidelity limitations: this isn’t the ultra-crisp gaming that many have come accustomed to with new-gen consoles and PC rigs. Even so, Nintendo has dunked Zelda in a bucket load of style and painted a new feel for the game; one that feels at once truly Zelda and sincerely beautiful. Sweeping reeds, a painterly style, lingering backdrops that tease the lands you’ll be exploring later in the game. We can’t wait to see how the NX version will ramp things up – that’s the version everyone will really want to play.
The game begins with Link awaking in a pool, having been in a slumber for 100 years. Calamity Ganon, depicted as a dark force around Hyrule Castle, is about to become all powerful. It’s typical Zelda stuff, as ever. Link doesn’t know it yet, but he’ll be tasked to stop that happening.
Story set, it’s time to get to the controls. Giant GamePad in hand and it’s not the most comfortable setup, plus the odd arrangement of buttons feels awkward – run and jump sit at total opposites as one example. There’s that Nintendo quirk again. But once we’ve got used to shooting arrows, slashing through the undergrowth and clubbing bad guys (whose deaths are realised in a kid-friendly puff of smoke) it’s manageable. The integration of GamePad’s three-dimensional controls are limited too; it can be used to aim arrows by facing the pad itself at the target, but we much preferred to just use the d-pad.
Nintendo
There are heaps of controls to get accustomed, given the breadth of Link’s arsenal this time around. It’s the most RPG-like Zelda ever. For example, clothing plays a more integral role than before, with climate a factor – you can’t go into the icy hills wearing a thin shirt, for example, you’ll need a proper padded top for that. Other items and food can be collected and crafted, too, with cooking playing a role this time around.
Amiibo – Nintendo’s real-world toys that instigate in-game characters – is also compatible. We synched the Wolf Link Amiibo with the Gamepad, a lone wolf who can help with hunting and attacking enemies. It’s not possible to designate tasks to him, which we thought would have added an additional layer of tactics, but then it’s not essential to use Amiibo to play the game, hence keeping the game accessible for all. Wolf Link can only be summoned once a day.
Combat-wise Breath of the Wild feels more free-flowing and less locked-in the some Zelda games before it. The usual shielded defence, timed weapon attacks and skipping about to avoid bad guys is at the game’s core. Weapons wear out, so collecting spare clubs and tree branches might come in handy. But in this Zelda the environment can be used too: we set fire to some bushes, for example, while rocks can be rolled down hills to strike enemies. There are all manner of possibilities, such as explosive lanterns which can be shot down to explode and, we suspect, Nintendo will have gone fully creative on other ways to despatch the bad guys.
Nintendo
The game is huge too. Looking into the distance it’s possible to pick-our mountains and a volcano, all of which will be accessible. Open the map and this giant world makes itself apparent. Big doesn’t always mean best, of course, so we’ll have to see how fast-travel and horseback riding are integrated to expedite travel when it’s needed.
First Impressions
From combat to puzzles, shrines and runes, collectibles and puzzles, Zelda: Breath of the Wild has all the make-up of a classic Zelda title, wrapped into a different, stylised skin. Despite slightly fussy controls (not nearly as bad as StarFox though) it’s certainly shaping-up to be the best Zelda ever. And with the power of NX revealed in 2017 for the game’s launch, we’re doubly excited to find out just how much better it will look.
Best driving and sports games of E3 2016: FIFA 17, Forza Horizon 3, Steep, GT Sport and more
If it’s quality sports games you’re after you are in for a real treat this coming year, whether that be ball, extreme or motorsports. The 2016 E3 videogames convention is jam packed with amazing looking titles that offer conclusive proof the industry has got the hang of this new-generation console malarkey.
From the traditional racers such as Gran Turismo Sport, to open-world online epics such as Forza Horizon 3, and proper rallying in all-new WRC6, there’s driving games catered for different tastes.
READ: E3 2016: All the launches, games and consoles at the show
Other sports titles range from the traditional, such as Madden NFL 17 and NBA 2K17, to the unconventional, such as Ubisoft’s new extreme sports title Steep.
Even FIFA this year has changed things up by adding a story mode, The Journey, to give the game some added extra for action on and off the pitch. The new game from EA is hotly contested by Konami’s PES 2017, which is tipped to be the best footie game of the pair.
We’ve selected our favourites from the show floor and also given our brief thoughts and release date of each game. So without further ado, here are the best sports and driving games from E3 so far: click on this gallery link (mirrored below) for a full-screen experience.
VIEW: The best sports and driving games from E3 2016 gallery
Alibaba founder: fake goods can be better than the real deal
If you use a contract factory in China to produce your goods, don’t be surprised if high-quality fakes pop up online. That’s the feeling of Alibaba founder and executive chairman Jack Ma, who stands accused of effectively endorsing counterfeit goods while speaking at an investor event. The Wall Street Journal quotes the executive as saying that “the fake products today are of better quality and better price than the real names.” It’s a big issue for Alibaba, since its consumer-facing retail portals have something of a reputation for being the place to go when you want a knock-off device.
The paper explains that Alibaba has been under pressure to do something about its piracy problem for a while. An anti-counterfeiting group attempted to include Alibaba amongst its membership, prompting luxury brands like Tiffany, Michael Kors and Gucci America to kick up a stink. The company even received censure from China’s industry regulator, which said that (retail portal) Taobao has “paid insufficient attention to the illegal business activities on Alibaba platforms.” The company derided the claim, saying that the report was “biased” and “malicious,” causing “serious damage” to Chinese businesses that operate online.
We’ve previously reported on the prevalence of Chinese companies that produce knock-off goods, especially in the technology space. Ma is, at least, correct that pirated devices are often made in the same factories and on the same lines, that the real gear uses. For instance, a third-party facility might have a contract to produce 30,000 sets of high-end headphones or microSD cards. But once the run is complete, it could be possible to rush out a further 10,000 with leftover parts and some cunning alterations to the name — Boots by Drew or SpanDisc.
At the same event, Ma said that Alibaba isn’t the villain here, describing his company as the “leading fighter of the counterfeits.” He added that “every fake product we sell, we are losing five customers,” but conceded that it was “human instinct” for people to look for cheaper products. Which means that the folks patrolling our borders for Fakebits and Fauxheisers won’t get any downtime in the near future.
Update: This story has been corrected to reflect that Jack Ma is the founder and executive chairman of Alibaba, but is no longer acting CEO.
Source: WSJ
PlayStation didn’t need a new console at E3
Sony didn’t show a new, more powerful PlayStation because it didn’t have to. But it still had the best show at E3. PlayStation repeated its strategy from last year by focusing on the games. The event was filled with exciting trailers, relaunched classics, release dates for highly anticipated titles and a better look at what’s going to come to its VR headset, which arrives in mere months. (And it was refreshingly short on small talk.) Sony played a smarter game than Microsoft.
Neo, aka the PlayStation 4.5, definitely exists. After the information leaked months earlier, Sony’s Andrew House told the Financial Times that the console would eventually launch with the PS4 still in stores. The new hardware is “intended to sit alongside and complement the standard PS4.” He also warned that it wouldn’t be on display at E3.
The Neo will obviously be more powerful than the existing PlayStation, outputting games and video at 4K (if you have the television for it). The company also insists that all future games will still run on PS4 hardware. The Neo would be for the hard-core gamer while the original remains the (cheaper) console for everyone else.
When it came to PlayStation hardware announcements at E3, the company limited it to a release date for a very important incoming peripheral: The PlayStation VR lands on Oct. 13th. And the company spent plenty of time hyping up a whole raft of games for its new toy.
At its E3 presentation, PlayStation unveiled VR Star Wars, Batman and Resident Evil 7 — as well as a Final Fantasy XV “experience,” whatever that is. It’s an attempt to draw fans of those properties to PSVR, which is important for both Sony and for virtual reality in general.
With an install base of over 40 million PS4s (and a lower price than the sort of PC you’d need for an HTC Vive or Oculus Rift), PSVR has the biggest chance of bringing virtual reality to the masses. Meanwhile, Xbox’s VR strategy hasn’t been spelled out explicitly. Microsoft is working with Oculus (it even had John Carmack onstage during its showcase), and HoloLens remains a completely different kind of product. (That’s not to mention the confusing messaging surrounding its new Xbox consoles.) Where is Xbox VR or VR One? When is it coming? How much will it cost? PS VR starts at $400 and goes on sale in mere months. It’s all known, and it’s coming soon.
The company didn’t need to add more noise by unveiling additional hardware. It would be crazy for Sony to try to pitch an upgraded PS4 at the same time as an accessory that costs as much as one. So it didn’t. In the meantime, PlayStation owners get to play with PSVR and save up for this future console upgrade if they want it. All the while Sony will be watching and learning. Is virtual reality going to be the next big thing? Or will we all be content playing on our 4K TVs? All of that will help shape the PS4 Neo, when it does eventually show itself.
Correction: A previous version of this article marked PSVR’s release date as October 17th, rather than 13th. We apologize for the error.
The ‘Pokémon Go’ wearable costs $35
Next month, Nintendo is going to fulfill the childhood dreams of thousands of people who grew up in the 1990s: It’s releasing Pokémon Go, an app that lets you catch pocket monsters in the real world using your smartphone. That alone is pretty exciting for fans, but if you’ve been following the game you also know that the app is getting a companion wearable that lets you play it without looking at your phone. Today at E3, Nintendo gave us a price for the wearable: $34.99.
For an accessory to a smartphone game that’s a pretty steep price, matching the cost of a new 3DS title. For die hard players, however, the Pokémon Go Plus wearable might be worth it: it’s the only way to play the game without pulling out your smartphone. Using it sounds pretty easy — if the wearable is blinking blue, there’s a Pokémon near you. Players can press the button to try to catch it. A rainbow light pattern means success, while a blinking red light denotes failure. Simple. Effective. Casual. Still kind of expensive.
On the other hand, there’s no other way to casually catch Pokémon during your morning jog. Nintendo didn’t give a hard release date for the app itself, but said the wearable will be out at the end of July. If you’ve been waiting for this one, you won’t have to wait much longer.
Crunchyroll’s parent creates a streaming service for geeks
Ellation isn’t content to serve geek culture solely through the anime you find on Crunchyroll. It’s launching a new streaming service, VRV, that unites some of the biggest media producers in the field, including Geek & Sundry, Nerdist, Rooster Reeth and Crunchyroll itself. VRV will have a free ad-backed version, but there will also be an ad-free premium subscription. And no, it’s not just aggregating what you’d see on YouTube — there will be exclusives (such as all of Cartoon Hangover’s content), including some that are only available for subscribers.
The VRV team hasn’t nailed down pricing for the service, which gets started in the fall and will initially be available only in the US. However, the big question may be whether or not it’ll be unique enough to reel in viewers. It’s not as if the target audience is uncomfortable with visiting multiple channels or websites to get its fix, and having a handful of exclusives may not be enough. Remember Vessel and its emphasis on early access to big-name videos? We wouldn’t blame you if you didn’t. VRV could help you wade through some of the online clutter, but it may need to generate a lot of must-watch content if it wants to keep you coming back.
Via: Wall Street Journal
Source: VRV, Crunchyroll
Nintendo’s ‘Ever Oasis’ is a dungeon crawler in the desert
Okay, Nintendo may have said it was only bringing The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild and Pokémon Sun and Moon to E3, but we all knew something else would show up during the show. Well, here it is — Ever Oasis, a brand-new action RPG for the Nintendo 3DS.
At glance, Ever Oasis looks kind of like a cross between Animal Crossing, The Legend of Zelda and Final Fantasy — tasking players with assembling parties of adventurers, exploring dungeons, solving puzzles and building up a town in the heat of a desert oasis. Believe it or not, that odd combination of game elements actually makes sense: Grezzo, the studio behind Over Oasis, is also the company Nintendo used to port Ocarina of Time and Majora’s Mask to the 3DS. And its director? Koichi Ishii, a man famous for working on Final Fantasy and the Seiken Densetsu (Legend of Mana) games.
Nintendo hasn’t given us a release date for the new game, but if town-management team-based dungeon crawling sounds like your bag, keep tabs on this one.
Use Microsoft Outlook to schedule a meeting at Starbucks
At March’s Build developer conference, Microsoft gave the full rundown on a number of Office extensions for Mac. Part of that announcement was a Starbucks add-in that allows you to send gift cards and book meetings inside Outlook. Well, that extension, er “add-in,” is ready for prime time. This means that you can easily send a “thank you” cup of coffee or schedule a meeting at your nearby Starbucks location while you’re looking at a related email. And if you need to place an order, the add-in will boot you out to the coffee company’s mobile app to input all the details for your Grand Soy Latte or Iced Americano.
Source: Microsoft
AIVAnet 