According to key executive at EA’s core games label, Patrick Söderlund, the company is still committed to creating new IP, despite E3 mainly showing established franchises.

In fairness to EA, for once though, many of those we were very, very happy to see, such as Mirror’s Edge 2, Plants Vs Zombies: Garden Warfare and Star Wars: Battlefront 3.

Söderlund, speaking to CVG at E3, reiterated that EA has “completely new” intellectual properties in the making at its development studios.

However, the former DICE executive also argued that as long as EA’s games feel new, regardless of whether they’re based on new or existing IP, is “probably less relevant.”

He said: “If you look at our [E3] line-up, we showed Titanfall, a brand new IP from Respawn, Mirror’s Edge, which is a beloved return for many people, and Star Wars: Battlefront, which I think is a match made in heaven.

“Those are the three main new things, coupled with a game in Battlefield 4, which I think is a really big update to what we had before and a big leap forward in gaming on console and PC.

“On top of that we have a new studio working on Need for Speed. You may say that it’s the 18th or 19th version, but go play Rivals and talk to that team and you’ll see a passion and dedication to new and fresh things that I haven’t seen in a long time on Need for Speed.”

He added: “I feel really good about our line-up and feel like we have a lot of new games. Whether those are built on intellectual properties that we own and have been out there in the past or not… that’s probably less relevant.”

Söderlund said EA “absolutely has completely new, wholly owned IPs in development” which it “will present when they’re ready.”

He concluded: “Is new IP important to EA? Absolutely. Are we working on a lot of new things? Yes we are. Are some of those new things the rebirth of old existing brands like Mirror’s Edge? Yes. Are some of those things licensed properties like Star Wars? Yes.

“Do we have stuff in development that we haven’t announced that are new IPs? Absolutely.”

A little fact that is both worrying and exciting to me is that all PS4 titles will be required to support Vita Remote Play, with the exception of those that support specific hardware like PS4 Eye or whatnot.

This requirement wasn’t in place for the PS3, and Sony Computer Entertainment UK managing director Fergal Gara told GamesIndustry International that it gives the Vita a much needed “shot in the arm”.

“[Vita] is a very worthy and better successor to PSP,” Gara said.

“Where it’s been difficult has been proving the companion status for PlayStation 3. The fact is it was developed for PS4, much more than PS3.

“The number of things we could demonstrate and prove was limited – there’s been some good examples – but now we go into the PS4 era, that companion device will look far more clear. We’re optimistic it’s got a lot more legs left in it and the PS4 has given it a shot in the arm.”

Gara added: “When you consider something like Watch Dogs will be available for PS Vita via the Remote Play functionality it’s very exciting. And the fact the PS4 is coming out at a well-received price point means it’s not out of the question to own both.”

In May, as part of its full-year financial briefing, Sony published annual PlayStation hardware sales forecasts for the current business year, and this showed an expected decline in sales of its portable systems. A combined total of a lowly five million Vita and PSP sales were forecast during the period. That’s down from seven million handheld sales reported for the business year that ended April 2013.

When asked if Sony launched the Vita too early, Gara told GI: “That might be a point worth reflecting on in a year or two’s time and maybe we’ll be answering that as yes. It’s a little early to judge, certainly if it takes off now than we’ll reflect on it.”

Personally, I call bullshit. About the Vita being developed for PS4. Maybe it’s better suited, but as a owner myself, as clearly as it can be said, it’s simply a failure right now. Only PlayStation Plus saves it from being a total wreck. Sony themselves admitted that they were surprised by the lack of third party support for the system.

I am still hopeful that the PS4 will usher in a bit of a revival for the system, as well as the new game announcements, but since the machine has only ever been my FIFA station since I bought it, I won’t hold my breath. It’s sad really, because it does actually have potential.

I mean despite rampant piracy, the PSP was a hugely successful system, at least with regards to games, and I always had something to play on it. Maybe the Vita is too restrictive? Maybe it’s too costly to develop for it? I don’t know for sure, but I do know that I see minimal reason to have one right now unless portable FIFA is your greatest friend.

Let’s hope the PS4 era changes it.

There were some gamers that expected Sony to announce a price cut for the PS3 after unveiling the PS4 and its pleasantly surprising price of $399.

However, Sony Computer Entertainment UK managing director Fergal Gara told GamesIndustry International that a price cut for the PS3 isn’t being considered right now.

“There’s no plans as yet,” he said. “The PlayStation 3 is a system where it hasn’t been particularly easy to get the costs down.

“We continue to look at opportunities, there may or may not be any more, I genuinely can’t answer to that,” he added.

“But it will certainly be a more keenly priced machine in relative to PlayStation 4. It will sit there as a viable entry level machine for years to come. It will be different by territory as to how long its life is. There’s still a lot of love for PS3.”

The PlayStation 3 is far from over though, as we’ve just one of the year’s best games in Naughty Dog’s The Last Of Us and there’s still Quantic Dream’s Beyond: Two Souls and Polyphony Digital’s Gran Turismo 6 on the way. Hopefully GT6 is better than its dismal predecessor.

Ever since “The Red E3″, Sony Computer Entertainment America’s CEO Jack Tretton has become somewhat of a hero, and a loved figure in the industry. If you’re unsure why or missed E3, this article should clarify it for you. But that’s not the story here today.

Tretton has become the second PlayStation executive to suggest that Sony will fight a hard battle to make enough PS4 units to satisfy consumer demand and interest.

The first was Sony Computer Entertainment CEO Andrew House, who said last week that PS4 demand “may well outstrip supply”.

If you get confused with the CEO’s, keep in mind that Tretton is Sony America.

In a recent chat, Tretton told Forbes:

“I certainly think, given the technology that we’re offering, given the software lineup, given the price point we have, that we’ll have consumers interested in excess of what we’re able to manufacture.”

Tretton also stated last week that GameStop executives had informed him that the retailer would buy ”every single [PS4] unit” Sony can manufacture, further saying: “We’re excited about the momentum.”

Sony showed off the console at E3 for the first time, and confirmed a release this year in Europe and the US, with a price point that is $100 cheaper than Microsoft’s Xbox One.

While the PS4 will largely operate the same as the current PS3, the major difference is that you now need to pay to access online multiplayer, and by pay I mean you need a PlayStation Plus subscription. Sony has spoken about it on numerous occasions, appearing apologetic for it and also explaining why the change was happening and what the benefits are.

Capcom has stepped up to clarify that new IP Deep Down is not connected to its popular RPG franchise Dragon’s Dogma in any way.

Deep Down was revealed back in February as a PlayStation 4 title, and to this day we’re not quite sure if it’s an exclusive. However information here points towards the fact that it might be, especially since no Xbox One version has been announced yet, even after E3. Although the game itself didn’t appear at E3, in fairness.

The reason Capcom is clarifying this though is that people believed it was a re-branded Dragon’s Dogma 2, considering the nature of its reveal trailer which showed a character in armour fighting a giant dragon.

But Capcom’s senior VP Christian Svensson responded to these questions on the company’s official forum, saying, ”No new [Dragon's Dogma] product has been announced so there’s nothing I can comment on there.”

He went on to further clarify, “For reference [Dead Rising 3] and Deep Down have nothing to do with Dragon’s Dogma.”

Deep Down is currently being developed by a brand new engine described as the “next evolutionary step from the MT Framework”. The engine, titled Panta Rhei, is apparently refined specifically to take advantage of the PlayStation 4′s hardware.

This furthers my belief that Deep Down is a PlayStation 4 exclusive.

Svensson simply said at E3 that there’s “no news” on the title as it’s still “far off”.

For some actual Dragon’s Dogma news, word is that a spin-off of the game, called Dragon’s Dogma Quest, is set for release on PlayStation Vita later this year. It will be free-to-play, online, and feature a 2D art style, as early reports suggest.

Nintendo CEO Satoru Iwata has made a rather interesting announcement, saying that the company will use the free-to-play model to introduce and gain interest in new IP, as these games need to earn the “trust” of consumers.

Iwata says that, while Nintendo’s leading platforms Wii U and 3DS afford the company flexibility with software monetization, Nintendo will only pursue free-to-play with franchises that aren’t established.

“We are not planning to offer, for example, Mario or Pokémon games in a free-to-play format,” confirmed Iwata in a recent E3 analysis briefing.

“With games like Mario and Pokémon, we already have a sufficient degree of trust with our consumers who are willing to pay a certain sum of money to purchase our products as packaged software.

“On the other hand, what are we to do when we want to offer a completely new product whose value consumers are yet to understand? Consumers are not sure if it is worth outlaying a certain sum of money for such a product.

“In such circumstances, our current platforms (Nintendo 3DS and Wii U), which give us various monetization options that would not have been possible on past Nintendo platforms, enable us to make propositions in a free-to-play format,” he said.

As it stands right now, free-to-play games often get criticised for the way they enforce overly restrictive measures in order to force players into the microtransactions system, which can be quite expensive over time. Iwata instead stressed the importance of a model that doesn’t extort the player.

“On the other hand, free-to-play games, if unbalanced, could result in some consumers paying extremely large amounts of money, and we can certainly not expect to build a good relationship with our consumers in this fashion.,” said Iwata.

“In order to have a favorable long-term relationship, we would like to offer free-to-play games that are balanced and reasonable.”

In the same briefing, Iwata cited the lack of Wii U games this year on the necessity for software to be more polished and offer more value than before.

I’ve read some comments where some gamers have accused the free offering of DriveClub to PS Plus members at the PS4′s launch as being a “watered down” version of the game.

Turns out, that may not entirely be true.

Evolution Studios, recently chatting to VideoGamer, spoke a bit about where the free PS Plus edition and the retail version differ. In their eyes, the differences aren’t much.

Senior designer Ben Gouldstone said that it’s basically a “slight” difference in content.

“The only difference between the PS Plus edition and the boxed retail is that there’s a slightly scaled down version of content…

“We haven’t released specific details about what we’re going to refine for the PS Plus Edition yet, but in terms of the gambit of features, you’re going to be able to issue challenges, you’re doing to be able to do asynchronous online races, you’re going to have all of the single player content in terms of events. The specifics we haven’t gone into yet but you’re going to have the full gaming experience.”

Gouldstone claims that the reason the content was cut from the PS Plus Edition was in order to get the downloadable version “immediately into someone’s hands”, instead of for commercial reasons.

It hasn’t been confirmed yet, but cut content is expected to include certain cars and tracks.

“This game is huge,” he continues, “and to have the full scale download as the initial [PS plus] release, it was a conscious decision to make it as slick as possible.”

I hope, true to his word, that it’s as close to the retail version as possible.

Sony has provided more details on some of the changes and improvements made to PlayStation Plus on PS4, as well as spoke a little about what will still be available to consumers who opt not to subscribe.

Firstly, Sony told VideoGamer that both auto-updates and the “social features of PS4″ will not require a PlayStation Plus subscription. Previously, auto-updates on PS3 was a unique feature to PS Plus.

Furthermore, Catch-up TV and online movie services will still be free for all PS4 owners, although it’s possible that an additional fee may be required to access PlayStation 3 titles once the Gaikai streaming service is introduced in 2014.

Most significantly was Sony’s confirmation that a PlayStation Plus account will be required to play online, and Sony stated that this will allow it to “invest significantly” in PlayStation Network in order to help lower downtimes and improve its overall performance.

“It is time to charge, but it is time to charge and still continue to deliver phenomenal value,” SCEE UK & Ireland MD Fergal Gara told VideoGamer at E3.

“A PlayStation Plus subscriber for PlayStation 4 comes away with a hell of a lot. First of all, the subscription applies across all three platforms [PS4, PS3 & PS Vita], so if you have the three platforms then you have an instant game collection on all three. So that’s hugely powerful in its own right. But it is true to say that the online multiplayer element for PS4, you do require the subscription in order to [make use] of that.

“If you choose not to subscribe we are still gating relatively little in many senses, so access to online catch-up TV and online movie services sit outside of the gate, for example. The social features of PS4 and PS4 games sit out of the subscription service… things like auto-updates on PS4 sit outside of PlayStation Plus, so we’re trying to be as balanced and as fair as we possibly can. If you choose to pay the subscription, yes, you get one important element of modern-day gameplay, but you also get fantastic value in games, including the PlayStation Plus Edition of DriveClub.”

It’s unclear what Gara means by the PS4′s “social features”, but we’d assume that he’s referring to the console’s broadcasting and video sharing.

This is different to Xbox LIVE, which requires a subscription to use features like Netflix and 4OD.

It’s undecided whether PS Plus users will have to pay more to access PS3 titles through Gaikai.

“In short, we haven’t decided,” said Gara when asked about the firm’s plans to introduce extra PS Plus price levels for backwards compatibility streaming.

“The Gaikai developments are exciting. The Remote Play feature which we’re particularly excited about not just benefits PS4 but PS Vita – that uses some Gaikai technology.

“But secondly, the full cloud gaming service comes a bit later – we announced that 2014 will start to see that introduced for PS3 titles in the US, and we’ll start to see a gradual increase in consoles, titles, devices and countries involved as we go forward, so there is a plan there to bring the PlayStation experience to more devices out of the cloud using the Gaikai that will broaden over time.

“Will that be part of PlayStation Plus? I genuinely don’t know. Will that require some other, different charging mechanism? Perhaps. We just haven’t sat down to answer that question yet.”

The PS4 will be out worldwide this Christmas, although we haven’t yet determined whether “worldwide” includes South Africa. We’re listening closely though.

I would say that this is a mind-blowing moment for gaming. First of all, Naughty Dog’s universally acclaimed PS3 exclusive title, The Last Of Us, is naturally sitting at UK number one game this week.

That’s the unsurprising part. It’s also worth noting that the game helped drive a surge in the games market, in addition to Nintendo’s new 3DS game Animal Crossing: New Leaf, which was number two. Word is that between the two games, Sony and Nintendo accounted for half of the boxed game sales in the UK last week.

It’s the third biggest weekend for game sales, and already, after it’s barely been out for more than a weekend, The Last Of Us is the third best selling game of the year, according to Chart-Track. It’s behind Tomb Raider and BioShock: Infinite right now.

That is incredible. But the good news doesn’t stop there, for Naughty Dog and Sony.

According to MCV, and get ready to pick your jaw up from the ground, The Last Of Us has grossed more in its first two days on sale than box office hit Man of Steel.

That. Is. Ridiculous.

A PlayStation 3 exclusive title made more than a Superman movie? I understand the obvious price difference between one copy of the game versus movie tickets, but the movie is also in 3D and more significantly, Man of Steel’s audience was allegedly three times the size of the game’s.

Estimates from the movie trade press suggest that the film made over £3m at the box office in the UK on Friday and Saturday. Numbers for The Last Of Us are not allowed to be shared at this point, but MCV says that it “comfortably” made more money than Man of Steel over the same time period.

To finish off with one more fist bump, The Last of Us is also the biggest UK launch of a new video game IP since 2011′s LA Noire.

Here is the full top 20 for the week ending June 15th:

1. The Last of Us
2. Animal Crossing New Leaf
3. GRID 2
4. Tomb Raider
5. FIFA 13
6. Injustice: Gods Among Us
7. Far Cry 3
8. The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim
9. Luigi’s Mansion 2
10. Assassin’s Creed III
11. Dead Island: Riptide
12. Rugby Challenge 2: Lions Tour Edition
13. LEGO Batman 2
14. Call of Duty: Black Ops II
15. Donkey Kong Returns
16. BioShock Infinite
17. The Walking Dead
18. Grand Theft Auto IV
19. LEGO The Lord of the Rings
20. Remember Me

Scott Rohde, head of Sony Worldwide Studios Software Product Development, recently said that the company has been working towards a $399 price for the PS4 for years. It was always the target.

Rohde said that the moment Sony unveiled the launch price of the PS4 at their E3 conference was an amazing feeling for the whole development team.

When asked about how it felt for Sony, Rohde responded:

“Absolutely great. It was an amazing feeling. Absolutely. We went nuts. We were just like everybody else because this plan has been in place for years. Developing a new console takes a long time.

“With a goal that was set in motion about three or four years ago, we saw this at the February event about how we talked to all the different developers. You know, what do you like about the PS3, what would you like to see changed, that’s all real. All that happened. Our goal was to build the most powerful console at a price that was affordable and we set that target at $399. All the great engineers in Japan, Mark Cerny was leading all those teams, everything all came together.

“The developers said what they wanted, eight gigs of the fastest ram available, all these things that developers wanted, still managed to do that in a machine that was super slick looking and still did it for $399 and that’s why it’s a moment we’re very proud of. That was accentuated when our competitors announced that theirs was $499.”

Rohde said that there was a lot of celebrating for Sony when Microsoft’s price tag was announced. The staff were high-fiving and getting all excited because the price difference would naturally make the PS4 look significantly better as a platform choice.

“As soon as it was announced there was running up and down the aisles, “woohoo!”. That’s going to make our announcement that much better.”

Personally, I’m happy with the price. I expected it to be $50 cheaper or so due to the Xbox One coming with a compulsory Kinect, but the difference is certainly larger than I, or anyone that I know, expected.

A show-reel that introduces the next generation of gaming, to get us all excited about the future of our favourite form of entertainment.

Note: this is an eGamer production. Made by me.

Click to reveal games in order of appearance.

I have to say that after the buzz of E3 has worn off, I do laugh at the fact that Microsoft made us all so paranoid of Sony’s silence. My PS4 predictions on the day of E3 turned out to be almost fully correct, and I’m happy about that. However, it’s kind of funny if you think back to February when Sony revealed the PS4, they pretty much confirmed you can use the PS4 “old-school” and be “totally offline”, and also stated that you can play used games. But because of Microsoft, we all were biting our nails with worry.

Now, Andrew House,  CEO of Sony Computer Entertainment, recently speaking to Yahoo! Games during E3, spoke about the company’s policies on ownership, saying “if you buy it, you own it.”

House rightfully said that there is an “increasing nervousness” about what content ownership means, and also said that Sony doesn’t think of this issue as a “storm in a teacup”, adding that it takes these matters very seriously.

“You could argue that it’s a storm in a teacup – a very vocal minority of passionate gamers,” House commented. “This huge outpouring of feeling around the concept of ownership of content. But I have to say I don’t see it that way.

“I think we saw a lightning rod for feeling that has been bubbling up – that doesn’t just apply to games, but to entertainment overall. I think there’s an increasing nervousness about what ownership of content means. In the absence of physical goods. When that nervourness was starting to migrate into control over physical goods that consumers have purchased, that was a bridge too far.

“I want to be very clear about where we have been on this issue: I think there’s a danger we could be seen to have reacted and capitalised on a situation. When we first announced PS4 in February, people were saying, ‘Oh, Sony’s being coy’ – almost with some implicit suspicion.

“It struck us as very odd. We had no intention of changing our position – it hasn’t changed from what it’s been for the last fifteen years. We believe that if you buy it, you own it, you’re able to do with it what you want.”

With all this said, it remains safe to say that this year’s E3 will go down as one of the most memorable in gaming history. It’s become a bit of an inside joke to label it as “The Red E3″.

Next-gen is definitely exciting though, and I personally can’t wait to get my hands on a shiny new PS4.

But I’m doubtful of it arriving in SA this year, and we might only see it out early next year.

Dean Hall, the designer of popular Arma 2 mod DayZ, has suggested that his upcoming standalone version of the game may not be released on Xbox One due to publishing and patching restrictions. However, the game is on track for PC as usual and could possibly release on PS4.

“We’re happy to see DayZ on any console but there is a… I guess one problem,” Hall told us. “The console needs to not charge for us to do updates and it needs to be indie title friendly.”

When asked whether Microsoft and Sony are charging for patches, Hall replied: “As far as I’m aware, Microsoft is, Sony’s not. And Sony allows you to self-publish.

“But who knows? Maybe Microsoft will change. From our perspective, we need self-publishing because DayZ would be a great digital download title.”

Hall added that Sony is preferable due to their free patching policy, because there are a lot of bugs in DayZ that need constant fixing.

“It’s gonna take a long time for us to be able to iron this out and we don’t wanna have to be paying ten, twenty thousand dollars – whatever it is – every time we wanna do an update.”

Hall’s sentiments are in line with those from Phil Fish, the creator of the famous indie title Fez, who opted out of a patch fix because it would cost ”tens of thousands” of dollars.

Elsewhere, in another interview with Eurogamer, Hall revealed how he spoke with both Sony and Microsoft about DayZ on next-gen consoles.

“Yeah, we talked to both of them. But, as I’m sure you’re aware, Sony lets you self-publish and they don’t make you pay for updates. Microsoft requires you to have a publisher. They have no digital distribution strategy and they require you to pay $10,000, or whatever it is, for updates.”

When Eurogamer asked about Sony as an option, Hall replied:

“Oh, absolutely. We like them. I like what I saw on the PS4,” Hall said.

“I like what I saw on the Xbox in a lot of cases as well. I’m not shitting on them. I’m kind of hopeful that Microsoft has just forgot to talk about its indie support. Maybe I’m being a bit naive.”

When Hall was asked why he hasn’t signed on with Sony yet if the deal sounds good, he replied that his main priority right now is getting the PC version of DayZ standalone up and running.

“That’s definitely something we’d look at, but we have to do the PC version first. Once we get the alpha out, that’s a good time for us to run it up on a [PS4] dev kit and see what happens.”

Hall appeared optimistic about getting the game on next-gen consoles, and suggested that it wouldn’t be a problem to port the game to the PS4 or Xbox One.

“With this new generation of architecture it’s not a problem for us,” he explained.

“It’s totally achievable. The only barriers are the ones console manufacturers put up in the way of indie devs. That’s the only barrier now. I’d love to see this on Xbox Live. I’d love to see it on PS4.”

With regards to the Wii U, he simply said, ”I don’t know. I haven’t really looked into it much. I doubt it.”

There’s no release date yet for DayZ standalone, but when asked for an update, he said, “It’s very close. We’re at a point where we need people to play it and tell us whether it’s good or not.”

There you have it, folks. Based on what Hall is saying, it’s more likely that DayZ will release on PS4 in the future, than on Xbox One. Unless Microsoft lifts the reigns a little bit on those indie barriers.

The Last Of Us is one of the year’s most anticipated games, and since the embargo on reviews lifted last week, it’s been showered with praise at every corner. I’ve stuck true to form and have tried to avoid all of the praise so I could go into the game with a clean slate and experience it for myself. With the multiplayer included, since the mode wasn’t available for other reviewers before the game’s official release date. So having played through everything this game has to offer, it’s time to give my usual overly long analysis and get to the heart of what this game is all about. To make the longest of stories short, it’s awesome, you should not hesitate to go and get it. But if you want the actual in-depth reasons, or perhaps if you enjoy reading my reviews (I can dream, can’t I?) then kindly proceed.

I really want to tell you about this story, and why I consider it to be great. But I can’t bring myself to spoil anything. For instance the opening twenty minutes of this game is incredible, and I feel it would ruin the introduction if I detail how events play out. What I will say, is that the game focuses on Joel, a ruthless and cold man who has been changed after the loss of his daughter, and from having to do anything it takes to survive. He makes do as a smuggler, trading with survivors outside of the city of Boston. Due to certain unfortunate events, Joel and his partner Tess strike up a deal with the Fireflies, a group of insurgents who rebel against the authorities that govern the quarantine zones, in order to get some of their valuable stash back. The deal is simple. In exchange for their gear, Joel and Tess need to smuggle a young teenage girl, Ellie, out to a small group of Fireflies hiding deep within the city. It’s not long before things inevitably go south, and it’s up to Joel to get Ellie to her destination safely.

I’m going to explain a key element of a good narrative here using a simple quote from Shakespeare, of all people. Brevity is the soul of wit, he says. Simplicity is key. Get Ellie to the Fireflies, and survive. That is essentially the core of the story, and The Last Of Us never loses sight of that. Entirely to its merit. You’ll always know the objective, what the characters are after, what the ultimate goal is, and why. There’s nothing more that needs to be said there, and that allows the game to focus entirely on the journey, and the characters it follows. This game is Joel’s story, and it’s Ellie’s story. The characters in this game are so well defined, so intriguing, that each and every cutscene is a welcome sight to learn more. Much like The Walking Dead, The Last Of Us’ strength is that it’s not really about the zombies or fungal infection. It’s not really about some complicated government conspiracy. It’s not about being too smart for its own good. It really is about two characters and their journey in a world that has long lost its humanity. It’s about how these characters grow, what defines them, and what they’ll do to survive.

Where The Last Of Us differentiates itself, in what turns out to be one of its strongest story elements, is that Ellie was born after the outbreak of the fungal infection. Whereas Joel is aged and has lived in both worlds, Ellie knows only the world post-apocalypse. This makes for an awesome dynamic between Joel and Ellie, as his cold nature and impatience meets her childlike wonder and curiousity towards a world condemned to the history books. But make no mistake, Ellie is not a helpless or innocent kid, as she’s experienced the horrors of the new world. Nevertheless, throughout the game Joel becomes somewhat of a mentor and father figure to her. Their dialogue is fantastically written, their interactions golden, and their character growth wonderfully paced. There are also plenty of little optional story moments you can find through exploration, that add a little bit more to these characters. The Last Of Us doesn’t do a whole lot new with its story, but Naughty Dog has taken a premise and elements you’d think we’d be sick to our stomachs of, and presented it all in a fresh, compelling and outstanding way.

More often that not, I completely forgot about the infected. I rarely found myself classifying this as a zombie game. Beneath all of that, The Last Of Us is all about heart. It’s not often that I see games where the developers’ passion is so tangible that I can feel it at every corner when playing. Naughty Dog is simply gifted. If they ever lacked in story before with the Uncharted series, they’ve more than made up for it in The Last Of Us. It’s stellar. It’s emotional without trying too hard, you can relate to its characters, it makes sense, and above all it’s gripping. The only point to make clear is that it has a slow start. After the riveting introduction, it takes about two hours to get into it and to glide through all of the semi tutorials. But it’s never slow in a way that it becomes a chore to play, and the characters will always pull you through. After all, if I had to actually criticise it for being slow, then I’d pretty much have to criticise most of my favourite games, movies and TV series. Being slow isn’t a problem. Having no pay off or reasons to justify the slowness is. And The Last Of Us certainly has plenty of pay off.

I could write this entire review just talking about the story and what Naughty Dog has done right. Let me just cut it here by saying that even the ending of this game is good, and completely satisfying. But let’s move onto the gameplay. As a massive fan of survival horror myself, it was always my worry that The Last Of Us would fail to live up to the challenge of scarcity and effective resource management, and simply litter the floor with ammunition and resources. But I was genuinely surprised here. Somehow, the game finds the right balance, and I played it on Normal. I would absolutely love to fire up a new game plus or play it on a harder difficulty level to experience it all again. Let me tell you something about myself. I’m a conservative player. I keep a tight hold of my resources, use them sparingly and tactically, and rely on my fists and brain where I can help it. Even doing that, and stocking up a decent amount of resources and ammo, it took one intense fight to run me almost completely dry. I used nearly everything in my arsenal. And that’s when I knew that The Last Of Us had gotten it so right.

Let me clarify something. Please, if you value a challenge and want to experience real intensity, go to the options menu and disable Listen Mode. This is an ability that lets you hold down the R2 trigger, slow down the game and see enemies through walls. I used it for the first two hours of the game, but once I turned it off everything became so much better. I respect the fact that the game made it optional. I would have hated it if it was forced or if it couldn’t be turned off. Casuals or those who don’t want a challenge can use it freely, but the hardcore crowd and those that do can remove it. With it, I found things too easy. It’s hard to feel afraid and tense when you know exactly where enemies are and how many are in the room. There were moments in this game where, without Listen Mode, I dashed out of gunfire only to run into a small room with three enemies, and had to backtrack frantically. There were other moments I had thought I’d gotten everyone, only for a bullet to whiz past my head when I was out in the open and exposed. And there were golden moments where I remained in cover for minutes, while an eerie, tense silence drifted over the area as I tried to locate enemies and make my first move.

That’s what you’ll be missing if you use Listen Mode. Without it, a single fight could take ten minutes or more, depending on how you approach them. I treasured fights. You’ll encounter human opponents far more than infected, and each one is a great experience. In your arsenal you’ll have guns with limited ammo, and resources which are used for the game’s crafting system. In real time, you can take out your backpack at any time and craft from a selection of items if you have the available resources. Things like medpacks, shivs, molotov cocktails, smoke bombs or shrapnel mines are all extremely valuable in a fight. But resources are quite limited, and you’ll have to make your crafting decisions based on necessity or tactics. If resources or ammunition is low, you’ll always be able to rely on stealth, brute melee force or distractions, whether by throwing a bottle or brick. Your options are aplenty. Sneaking up behind enemies or stunning them let’s you knock them out with a sleeper hold, violently kill them in open combat, silently off them if you have a shiv, or use them as human shields.

The gameplay is of course unique to you and your approach, as in whether you want to use guns, distractions, stealth, brute force or explosives, or all of them. You can go full stealth with sneaking, shivs, smoke bombs and a bow, or you can give in to your inner maniac and take to bopping your foes with baseball bats, your fists and fire axes, gunning others down and using bodies as shields. But above all, the game is about adapting. Once an enemy was trying to sneak around my cover, and I was low on health so I couldn’t exactly take him out while under fire from enemies in front of me. As he neared, I picked up a nearby brick, threw it at him, lunged out and charged him against a wall, brutally introducing his face to it and slipping into the cover he had gotten me close to. The game is filled with moments like these. Like I said though. It’s about how you play the game. So I can’t exactly tell you how tactical or varied this game is, only how awesome it can be. It’s really up to you, and how you play this game, what difficultly setting you select and whether or not you choose to use Listen Mode.

I’d like to hand out quite a bit of praise to the enemies in this game. The Last Of Us has some of the best AI I’ve experienced. In the absence of Listen Mode, enemies can do a wide range of things to make encounters feel varied, whether they choose to remain silent in cover not giving away their position, or to charge at you with shotguns or melee weapons, or to flank you, flush you out of cover or ambush you straight up. Rarely in games these days do I feel like enemies are actual threats rather than bodies to dispose of. Even the infected spice things up nicely. While the early stage infected are merely grunts that run at you and need to be dealt with, the real fun comes in with the Clickers. These are completely blind infected that are distinguished by their eerie clicking noises, and they flock to sound like moths to a flame. If you aren’t dead silent, or if you fire a gun or make any mistake, they’ll charge at you with frightening speed and instantly kill you if they grab onto you. If you haven’t bought the necessary upgrade to defend against that, that is. Clickers are essentially able to make you crap your pants, and they can be terrifying when they surprise you or come at you in numbers.

Quite often I’ve noticed infected fleeing after I fire at them, or making attempts to deceive me. One particular moment I treasure was when I was fighting off a group of infected, and I had not noticed that the Clicker in the group had actually run off, found a way behind me through a door I had not covered, and killed me. It scared the hell out of me. In general, AI is a difficult and unpredictable thing to get right in games, particularly since every player will have a different experience on different difficulties, but I feel safe to say that The Last Of Us has some of the best I’ve seen. Enemies actually demonstrate behaviours and exploit your mistakes, and try their best to get you off guard. Unfortunately, the same can’t be said of your friends. Thankfully, they can actually kill enemies and aren’t useless, but a few times they stood irritatingly around or blocked me. Luckily, Naughty Dog understands there is no fool proof system, and so allies can’t break your cover, get spotted to ruin your stealth or be killed cheaply. At the most they can be grabbed onto and you’ll have a time limit to save them, although this doesn’t happen often. I think the little bit of immersion lost is worth sacrificing to completely avoid frustration.

The last aspect of gameplay I could possibly talk about would be the upgrade system. I like the way the game approaches it. You’ll upgrade your weapons using parts, and they’re extremely limited. Whether you’re increasing fire rates, reload speeds, clip capacity and so on, each weapon has its own unique set of enhancements. You’re also able to craft an additional sidearm and primary firearm pouch, which enables you to have two of each in your inventory. The inventory system is actually quite clever. All items will go into your rucksack, and you won’t be forced to drop guns if you want to pick up another one. Rather, if your pistol runs dry for instance, you’ll have to open your rucksack and hold X to swap it out for a revolver. The same can be said for swapping out, say, a hunting rifle with a shotgun or bow. It’s simple, but it’s very effective, and it’s a creative way of providing an inventory system that doesn’t limit players but still adds choice and further options and dilemmas to the great gameplay.

The Last Of Us does everything it can to be good value for money. The single player experience will take you well over twelve hours to get through, and even then you’ll probably want to start a new game plus or try out a harder difficulty level. Failing that, there is a pretty great multiplayer component waiting for you. After playing it a fair bit, I can’t quite call it revolutionary or life affirming, but it’s no doubt a high quality offering that, at least to me, doesn’t play like Uncharted with less ammunition, which is a concern I heard from a few people, and it certainly does enough to differentiate itself. It’s definitely a mode you should at least try out. You’ll start out by picking your faction, either the Hunters or the Fireflies. You’re able to change your faction if your clan dies, or if you survive long enough to win. The multiplayer supports up to eight players, where the norm is four against four in fairly large maps.

It’s a bit of a tough one to explain. There are two game modes, namely Supply Raid and Survivors, both of which require you to eliminate your enemies, except in the latter there are no respawns. Two modes is a bit limited, but it’s the system and gameplay that makes it all worth it. There’s a system in place where you’ll manage a number of characters over a period of 12 weeks, each match being one day. If you do well in multiplayer, you’ll grow your group and be better able to support them. However, doing badly will cause you to lose members or even result in some falling sick. You’ll need a certain number of supplies to maintain your group, and these are acquired in online matches, whether found, picked off dead bodies or rewarded at the end. You’ll also need to monitor your group’s status, and develop their skills to empower you as survivors. What this system essentially means is that loss has real consequences, basically weakening your overall strength, while victory takes you further and gives you access to better equipment. There’s a surprising amount of customisation, as you can unlock clothes, emblems, weapons and perks, of which there are many. Now, let’s get to the meat of it.

Where the multiplayer shines is with the gameplay. Scavenging for items and crafting still plays an important part of the game, as do tactics. Listen mode is available for all players, but it’s very balanced, as it’s usage is extremely limited and you can’t see enemies who are stationary. There’s a very methodical and slow pace to the multiplayer. In other shooters, I often try to play stealthily and pace my game very slowly, but of course that can always be broken by some twat with a machine gun, full body armour and a shotgun for dessert. But because you can easily be killed in this game, and maps are quite large, cover and stealth are very valuable. I once went about four minutes without even seeing an enemy, slowly making my way through cover and hiding spots, only to finally stumble across an unknowing enemy, who I beat to death. It felt really great. Four against four allows for freedom in your play, and I suffered no cheap deaths or ever felt useless, despite my low rank and limited equipment.

With any new multiplayer offering, it’s very difficult to say whether it will catch on or if it’s an instant hit. After all, it depends solely on whether players take to it and get invested in it. In its favour though, I can say that finding a game was extremely easy and quick, and I didn’t really have any trouble online. What I can say for certain is that the multiplayer is high quality and very entertaining. And more significantly, even if it wasn’t anything to rave about, I wouldn’t be too harsh on the game because it’s really not like time spent on the multiplayer hurt the single player in any way. And that makes me happy, because I can effectively consider the multiplayer as a great extra, rather than being tacked on or unnecessary. It’s certainly interesting, and you should give it a shot once you’re done with the single player.

Graphically, The Last Of Us is stunning, and is Naughty Dog at its best. It’s certainly getting as much out of this generation as it can, holding nothing back. The game’s cutscenes especially look absolutely phenomenal, thanks to enhanced motion capturing and higher detail. Everything about this game is pleasing to the eye, and it’s stunning for a post apocalyptic world. It hasn’t let that limit its artistic direction in any way, and I don’t want to spoil the story direction, but there’s plenty of beauty to witness in this game. I have to also give the highest amount of praise to the voice acting, dialogue and sound, which is the best Naughty Dog has done. If you have any experience with their Uncharted titles, well, you’ll know exactly what kind of quality to expect here. It’s among the best you’ll find on the PS3.

The Last Of Us is simply brilliant. With it, Naughty Dog has delivered their finest work yet, and in the end the most credit I can give to the game is that I got everything I wanted from it, and was completely satisfied when I finished it. Truthfully, and as direct as I can be, I wanted nothing more from this game. There was nothing it lacked, and not many ways it could have been better. That’s the best thing I can say about it and, make no mistake, that’s about the highest praise I can give to it. The Last Of Us is easily one of the best games on the PlayStation 3, and you should not miss out on it if you can help it.

Welcome to my playthrough of id Software’s horror shooter classic, Doom 3. This was a reboot of the Doom franchise that begins a completely new story, having nothing to do with the first two games. It was a highly acclaimed horror title that went on to become a classic, and I’ve always wanted to play it. Join me to see what Doom 3 is made of.

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Fifteen minutes of gameplay footage for Airtight Games and Square Enix’s upcoming Murdered: Soul Suspect has emerged courtesy of IGN and E3.

The demo is complete with commentary, so you can find out a lot about the game.

It definitely looks intriguing, and the concept alone of trying to solve your own murder by influencing the world as a ghost is very cool and original.

Murdered: Soul Suspect will be out in early 2014 for PC, PS3 and Xbox 360.

No news of a next-gen version yet.

We said that Sony won E3, and that seems to be showing in the strong pre-order numbers and interest in the console.

In a recent conversation with the Wall Street Journal, this kind of strong response was unexpected, and Sony has had to increase its sales forecast as a result, which is a very positive thing for the company.

“Sony Corp is raising internal sales projections for the forthcoming PlayStation 4 videogame console amid positive signs about demand for the device,” according to the Wall Street Journal.

Furthermore, Sony Computer Entertainment CEO Andrew House admitted that unfortunately for those who haven’t pre-ordered yet, “demand may well outstrip supply.”

GameStop was another to echo this “sentiment” to the Wall Street Journal.

There’s word going around that some rogue GameStop stores around the US are taking an active role in informing customers about the Xbox One’s many hoops and restrictions.

GameStop is handing out flyers which tells customers about these restrictions, such as being forced to connect to the internet every 24 hours for validation.

GameStop stores around the US are taking an active role in telling customers about the Xbox One’s many caveats. They’re putting out flyers informing customers about the restrictions of the console like needing to be connected to the internet every 24 hours and others.

A number of reports around the internt confirm this news, but it’s apparent that these flyers are a store by store thing, and it could just be some stores taking matters into their own hands, possibly to avoid any liability for consumers who aren’t aware of these restrictions.

A picture of this flyer hasn’t emerged yet, so don’t take it as solid fact, especially since it’s being rumoured to be happening at select GameStop stores throughout the country.

Considering GameStop was quick to jump in bed with Microsoft and tell us that everything is going to be alright, I think this is simply them trying to avoid liability, or it’s a few stores that genuinely believe consumers need to know and perhaps even dislike the Xbox One’s policies. Either way, it’s always good if consumers are being informed, so kudos to them.

As soon as EA starts to talk about appealing to a wider audience or making something more action orientated, then I start to worry. But I’m going to keep it in my pants for now, because I loved the Mirror’s Edge 2 announcement and the trailer looked incredible.

So far, we know for sure that the game will be open world, as confirmed by EA.

Now, we’re learning that Mirror’s Edge 2 will take on a more ‘action adventure’ path than the original game, due to innovations and gameplay enhancements that can be achieved on next-gen technology.

That’s according to EA Games’ executive vice president Patrick Söderlund, who told CVG at E3 that the next installment will refocus the Mirror’s Edge formula but stay true to the core of the original.

“What I can say is we’re taking more of an action adventure approach on it than maybe before,” Söderlund said.

“First-person, running redominantly – this will be more of an action adventure game, but true to what the first one was to a large extent.”

Söderlund went on to say that EA has considered a number of concepts for the game over the years, but opted to settle on one that would require more power than the current generation of consoles provide.

“The interesting part is that it was a game that could only be built in [next-generation] Gen-4 and that was cool – I liked that. Because what they’re doing, you can’t do – it’s not possible on the current generation,” said Söderlund.

“It is obviously something that we know a lot of people want and fans have asked us for for many, many years. But more importantly, it’s a game that DICE wanted to build. They think that the first one was a great first attempt but it didn’t really deliver on the true vision that the guys had for that IP,” he admitted.

“If you do the same thing again then it’s not going to work. You have to be very, very honest with yourself and look at what went right and what went wrong. It’s obvious that people loved the art direction, loved Faith and loved the idea of what you did in the game.

“I think we missed completely on the game being too difficult, people keep falling down and the notion of constantly running away wasn’t maybe greatly perceived. On top of that there were a bunch of other problems with it, but again we look at what’s great with it, we do more of that and we fix the things that were broken.”

The game was revealed for PC, PS4 and Xbox One, but Söderlund hints that more major revelations are coming.

“On top of that, even more so we add new things to it,” he continued. “The innovation… I can’t talk about. I wish I could! Because I’m excited about it. The ID and vision for the game, coupled with the timing is what made it make sense. That’s why we are making it.”

No release date has been announced yet, but I assume 2014 is reasonable.

The console boxes for the PS4 and Xbox One seem to have been revealed, and you can take a look at them in the gallery down below.

The Xbox One box seems rather ordinary and bland, staying in line with the console design, while the PS4 one is being all shiny and bling, which is what Sony seems to like.

They’re just boxes though!

A bunch of screenshots and concept art has been released for The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt, and they look absolutely stunning. You can check them all out in the gallery down below.

The game will be out on PC, PS4 and Xbox One in 2014.

A bit of interesting information has been leaked regarding something Sony might be up to with the PlayStation 4. On the same day as their E3 2013 press conference, Sony trademarked the phrase “Bid for Greatness”.

This isn’t part of its marketing campaign for the PS4, Greatness Awaits, but rather something else that is eye-catching.

The trademark, which PlayStation Lifestyle uncovered, says:

Arranging and conducting auctions in the field of computer games, virtual game assets and tropies; Arranging and conducting incentive reward programs to promote the sale of computer games, virtual game assets and tropies; Auction services; Providing consumer information in the field of computer games and video games

Sony will probably be silent on this if asked, but of course it’s anyone’s guess as to what this could be.

It appears to be tied to their ad campaign, and looks like it will be something to enhance the PS Plus experience.

Hopefully we’ll find out in the coming weeks.

Titanfall was one of the games I liked the most at E3 this year. It’s a game from the creators of the Call of Duty series, Respawn Entertainment, and is coming to PC, Xbox 360 and Xbox One in early 2014. It’s curious why EA is publishing Xbox One exclusive games and content, and the conspiracy theorist in me would say there’s a greater appreciation for Microsoft’s unlikable policies.

But there’s no proof of that, so on we go to the interview with Eurogamer.

Various rumours have been emerging that Titanfall only has Xbox exclusivity for one year, and so Eurogamer asked whether a PlayStation version is a possibility for the future. The website asked both Respawn and publisher EA the same question at E3.

Starting with Respawn, lead artist Joel Emslie, who left Activision’s Infinity Ward and followed Vince Zampella and Jason West after they were fired, told Eurogamer that the team wants Titanfall to be played by as many gamers as possible.

“When you boil it down, we would love to be everywhere, but we’re just starting out,” Emslie explained.

“It comes down to quality, not quantity. We have a fantastic relationship with Microsoft. It just boiled down to, okay, how can we hit this as hard as can and get it on as many platforms as possible and deliver the quality, the 60 hertz, out of the gate? That was the goal.

“We of course would want to go further in the future with stuff, but we’re just starting out. It’s pretty frustrating! We want to be everywhere. We want to put Titanfall everywhere, but that’s where we’re at. We’re starting there.”

The Xbox One is effectively an always-online console and connects to the internet once every 24 hours for verification. It basically guarantees developers that players are always connected to the internet, and games will benefit from the 300 servers that Microsoft has installed in order to boost Xbox Live capabilities.

“We’re making a multiplayer-focused game so you want to be online,” Emslie added. “It’s plain and simple. We’re really in love with the Xbox One. Obviously it’s more power on a console, and we’re going to take full advantage of it.”

Eurogamer put it more plainly, asking: will PlayStation gamers ever see Titanfall?

“It’s definitely not out of the question,” Emslie replied. “We have a huge appreciation for the fans. Coming out and showing it to everybody, we’re super nervous and wanted to make sure everybody loved it. We love all our fans, whatever console they support.

“So yeah. We want to make everybody happy, but this is where we’re at right now.”

In short, from Respawn Entertainment’s point of view, a PlayStation version isn’t impossible, and is something they’d like. But of course, publishers and money talk, and EA helped get Respawn off the ground about three years ago.

“Obviously a business relationship between Electronic Arts, Respawn and Microsoft led to this,” said EA Games Label boss Patrick Söderlund, who is directly responsible for managing Titanfall.

“There are always reasons for that, but we can’t go into them.”

Eurogamer inquired whether, from EA’s perspective, Titanfall could come to PlayStation after Xbox exclusivity has ended.

“We haven’t communicated anything on that, and I can’t comment on that right now,” Söderlund replied, and then added: “We’re proud to be exclusive to Xbox.”

It’s strange for me because EA has, over the years, released nearly all its games as multiplatform titles to reach the widest audience, including Mass Effect once it acquired publishing rights.

Who knows, maybe I’m right about EA’s liking of Microsoft’s policies and their empowerment of publishers, or maybe I’m very wrong and EA and Microsoft simply enjoy their partnership.

Titanfall will be out in Q1 or Q2 of 2014 for PC, Xbox 360 and Xbox One.

Out of the very few negative aspects to the PlayStation 4, perhaps the biggest one is that starting from the next-gen console, gamers will need a PlayStation Plus account in order to play online. Sony Worldwide Studio President Shuhei Yoshida provided some answers and details as part of a larger interview on the Japanese gaming site Game Watch.

Before I get there, to anyone wondering, Sony basically has confirmed that this was done to help the company make up for its freely available media services, reduced console cost and many added features to PlayStation Network.

Firstly Yoshida-san was reassured gamers that “multiplayer on PS3 and PS Vita will remain free of charge” as it is currently, and he continued on to explain why the company is moving towards a required subscription model with PlayStation 4.

“We’re focusing on new services and online, like the “Share” button I previously mentioned and the ability to play using mobile devices with the cloud feature. Our plan is to continue to invest in the future, but investing like this is not compatible with our previous policy that  involved reducing costs by every mean to keep the service free.”

The man even apologised for placing an extra cost on consumers.

“I apologize for the financial burden on our users, but on PS4 it’ll also provide early access to beta versions, free games and discounts like on PS3 and PS Vita. In addition to that PS Plus members will receive for free a special edition with slightly reduced functions of DriveClub.”

Yoshida was sure to specify that not all online functionality will be closed of to those that don’t sign up for PS Plus.

“While direct competition in real time won’t be possible [without PS Plus] for instance in the case of DriveClub, asynchronous online gameplay and receiving data from other players will still be free of charge.”

Lastly, Yoshida was asked if players need a PS Plus subscription to play MMORPGs such as Final Fantasy XIV: A Realm Reborn and The Elder Scrolls Online.

“You will need it to enjoy online multiplayer. This will also depend on the judgement by the publishers, and there will be some free to play titles that you’ll be able to play without needing a PS Plus subscription, like PlanetSide 2 and DC Universe Online.”

Some very interesting details from Yoshida-san here, but the thing I admire the most is how Sony has seemingly humbled since its arrogance with the PlayStation 3′s launch. Even if you’re cynical and consider it nothing more than good PR, it still feels pretty damn good to be spoken to with consideration, and given good explanations for our fan concerns.

Microsoft’s Xbox Chief Marketing and Strategy Officer Yusuf Mehdi has defended the Xbox One’s policies and the company’s way of doing things, which makes me again wonder whether these policies will be dramatically changed in any way. Altered in various ways, perhaps, but I do not think they’ll be significantly changed. Not to mention Don Mattrick said get an Xbox 360 if you don’t have internet.

“This is a big change, consumers don’t always love change, and there’s a lot of education we have to provide to make sure that people understand.”

That’s what Mehdi said, which is a diplomatic way of looking at it, if nothing else.

The massively negative reactions so far haven’t surprised Mehdi, as he said that the response has been “kind of as we expected.”

In an in-depth interview with Ars Technica, Mehdi talked about how this temporary confusion and discomfort will be worth it for gamers and consumers once they adjust to a world without discs.

“We’re trying to do something pretty big in terms of moving the industry forward for console gaming into the digital world. We believe the digital world is the future, and we believe digital is better.”

Mehdi brought up home movie watching as a comparison, where trips to video shops have been replaced with Netflix streaming on every TV-connected device. On Xbox One, the concept of having all games exist as cloud-connected downloads allows for new features, like the ability to access your games library at a friend’s house.

The digital “benefits” will be available at launch, but Mehdi hinted that the DRM transition might unlock more game access and distribution methods in the future. “In the future, you can imagine the capability to have different licensing models, different ways that people have to access games. This all gets unlocked because of digital.”

Mehdi didn’t go into more detail, but when the interviewer suggested things like “all-you-can-play” Netflix for games, or purely digital game rentals, he wasn’t shot down. Mehdi simply said, “Sure. It could be a variety of ways.”

Mehdi also claimed that the switch to a world of strictly downloadable and online-connected games would enable “a diversity of business models” for publishers to benefit from and take advantage of.

“As you go into a digital world, what’s happening is publishers are choosing to have different business models, and consumers are saying ‘Hey, if I can’t resell the title, provide me a different way to get value to get into your game.’ And we think the market will be efficient in finding good models that work for consumers.”

Mehdi also said that Microsoft wasn’t “giving in” to publisher demands with its new game licensing terms and restrictions. According to him, the company was trying to balance the needs of its four  main “constituents,” which includes the consumer, who Mehdi said comes “first and foremost”, as well as game publishers, retailers, and Microsoft itself.

“Within that, we’ve tried to optimize, and I think we’ve found a great balance across all of those dimensions,” Mehdi said. “But there are tradeoffs. We do want to support everyone in that system, beginning with the consumer. But we want publishers to get paid for the great IP they work on. We want retailers to be able to drive and sell our products and make a profit. So we are trying to balance across all those.”

Mehdi pointed out that digital-only marketplaces like the iOS App Store have thrived despite having no physical media. Implementing a similar disc-free system on the Xbox One “may not [have been] the best thing for consumers, and it may not [have been] the thing they [would have] wanted,” Mehdi said, which is part of the reason Microsoft opted to keep discs as an option. However, he did concede that without discs, the licensing norms for the system “would be easier to understand.”

Mehdi spoke of the Xbox One’s sharing and transfering of games as a step up from other digital marketplaces, despite many seeing it as a step down or in the wrong direction from disc-based distribution systems. On the Xbox One, Mehdi said Microsoft has “tried to… bridge the two in a way that no one has done—to give you the power of digital and then give you all this power in physical. … We know we’re providing a lot more value to consumers, but in that comes a lot of need to clarify ‘how come disc, how come digital, how’s that work?’”

Currently, the internet is hateful about the way Xbox One removes the right to game ownership, as well as its use of online check-ins, and Mehdi said it was “hard to say” what the reaction from less attentive mainstream consumers would be. “I think it’s fair to say there’s a segment of consumers at this show in particular who really pay attention, who are very passionate about all aspects of gaming, and that we listen to closely. In a broader set of community, people don’t pay attention to a lot of the details. We’ve seen it in the research, we’ve seen it in a lot of the data points.”

Mehdi pointed to the success of the initial pre-orders for the Xbox One, which began once Microsoft ended its press conference on Monday. “Amazon basically says they are on path to sell out… Amazon is saying it’s one of their best-selling consumer products. We’re seeing the same thing from other retailers.”

In fairness, PlayStation 4 pre-orders were also a quick sell-out on Amazon after Sony’s press conference on Monday. Still, Mehdi said “it’s very clear there are a wide variety of other consumers that love to game that are excited about what we have to offer with Xbox One,” Mehdi said.

Mehdi also defended the fact that the Xbox One will sell for $100 more than the PlayStation 4, suggesting that the money spent will be worthwhile to consumers looking for the “best value” in their next console. In addition to exclusive titles and games, Mehdi said players would see value in the Xbox One being “backed by 300,000 servers backed by Microsoft that enable incredible game experiences.”

Mehdi also said that the included Kinect provides for better gameplay and “ease of use for the entire system.” Furthermore, features like live TV support and exclusive NFL and Skype partnerships will help show consumers the Xbox One’s “tremendous value.”

“We want to have our offering be differentiated relative to all others,” he said. “It has value that is in so many areas that is not in competing systems… That is a thing that each consumer will choose… and ultimately consumers will decide which is better. It’s a big market.”

It’s more and more looking like Xbox One is an elitist console, on top of just being a very restrictive one. If you aren’t one of the supported countries at launch, your Xbox One simply won’t work. You won’t be able to play any games on it. It’s as simple as that.

According to Joystiq, the console’s always-on game registration feature will only be available in the 21 targeted countries at launch. So if you’re here in South Africa, or say you live in Portugal, then your console will effectively be a Blu-ray and movies player, and nothing else.

The list below reveals the supported countries for Xbox LIVE at launch, and also be sure to check out the inevitable PlayStation 4 troll afterward.

In the gallery below, you’ll find the Xbox One pre-order product information, which is worth your time to read.

• Australia
• Austria
• Belgium
• Brazil
• Canada
• Denmark
• Finland
• France
• Germany
• Ireland
• Italy
• Mexico
• Netherlands
• New Zealand
• Norway
• Russia
• Spain
• Sweden
• Switzerland
• United Kingdom
• United States

The official box art, as well as a much of new screenshots, have released for Guerrilla Games’ upcoming Killzone: Shadow Fall, which will be releasing on PS4 this year, presumably as a launch title for the console. Check out the screens in the gallery down below.

At E3 2013 the Thief reboot from Eidos Montreal was one of the highly anticipated next-generation games to showcase itself on the floor. You can check out a full 11 minute gameplay demo above.

To be honest, after watching it, I really like the movement and stealth and slow pace to the game, as is true to the spirit of the franchise, but I find myself disliking the combat quite strongly. I know it’s optional for players who don’t want to stick just to stealth, but the system itself seems to break what Thief is about, with you able to take on numerous enemies at once with a cheap slow-mo system.

That said, I do understand that demos are often shown off either on the easiest difficulty setting or with some developer adjustments made, so hopefully on harder difficulties or in the final game it works out pretty well. I do love the stealth though, and the graceful way Garrett moves. It’s awesome in motion.

The game doesn’t have a release date yet, but it should be out in 2014 on PC, PS4 and Xbox One.

Welcome to my playthrough of id Software’s horror shooter classic, Doom 3. This was a reboot of the Doom franchise that begins a completely new story, having nothing to do with the first two games. It was a highly acclaimed horror title that went on to become a classic, and I’ve always wanted to play it. Join me to see what Doom 3 is made of.

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Don Mattrick, President of the Interactive Entertainment Business at Microsoft, also known by me as the man with the Douche Smile, has made a bit of an ass of himself in a recent interview with GT, which was recorded on Sunday but only published yesterday.

According to Mattrick, the company isn’t concerned that its always-online (and various other) policies will prevent Microsoft from becoming an industry leader.

“Xbox has been created for gamers, by gamers,” Mattrick told GTTV. “I find it kind of ironic when people take a step back and think ‘this is a company that hasn’t thought about, at its core, what it means to have great games experiences.’ So, we’re going to deliver that. And I think in the long run, we’ll build a global leading product that people are going to love and embrace.”

When asked if Microsoft expected backlash regarding the Xbox One’s connectivity and anti used-game policies, Mattrick said “absolutely.”

“It’s a super passionate community of people. They’re loving what we do,” Mattrick said.

“It’s very important to them and they’re opinionated. And they’re smart. So they look at all those things and say ‘Hey, is this going to impact me in a negative way?’. And until you use it, it’s really hard to understand what all the advantages are.”

Here comes the part where Mattrick proves why I dislike him and his Douche Smile.

PlayStation Lifestyle has a more detailed quote from the source than Gamespot, which is why I’m switching sources here. It’s still the same interview, just with more taken from it.

Don Mattrick first said that their E3 press conference would prove why Microsoft decided to go with the 24 hour verification, and it would serve to help people “understand” the move. Mattrick also added that it made the One “future proof”.

He said “I think that people arguably could have gone the other way if we didn’t do it” and that “fortunately we have a product for people that aren’t able to get some form of connectivity – it’s called an Xbox 360″.

Does the first part make any kind of sense to you? And as for the second, well, up yours Microsoft. Below is the full quote which shows Mattrick’s asshole-ish behaviour.

If you have zero access, [the 360] is an offline device. I mean, when I read the blogs and thought about who really is the most impacted, there was a person who said ‘hey, I’m on a nuclear sub’ – and I don’t even know what it means to be on a nuclear sub [grins] – but I imagine it’s not easy to get an internet connection. I can empathize, if I was on a sub, I’d be disappointed.

PlayStation Lifestyle goes on to talk about the issue of military service, and I’ll reference it here as I don’t know the implications too well. According to the website, it’s a huge market of gamers, big enough to make GameStop establish stores on military bases. I didn’t know that personally, and it is quite an important point. Furthermore, there’s also the obvious sourness involved in shafting servicemen and women.

Mattrick added that, for most gamers, an online connection works for “the majority of the day”. Which, if this is true, makes the 24 hour log in useable, but not the cloud based rendering some Xbox One games will use.

Perhaps the biggest concern here is that, members of the eGamer team are expecting Microsoft to alter its policies in response to Sony’s obvious advantages, yet Mattrick’s words suggest Microsoft are confident of success despite them. So I guess the 24 hour verification will be here to stay regardless?

From a business perspective, Microsoft has invested money in developing these policies and Xbox One’s networking structure, so to throw all that down the drain now would have been a waste. Serves them right, I’d say.

The official PlayStation 4 FAQ sheet has been released by Sony, which details the console extensively, and tells you pretty much all you need to know about the console, what you’ll get in the box and about its DualShock controller and PlayStation Camera. Make the jump to read it in full.

For some highlights, here is what you’ll get when you purchase your console:

• PlayStation®4 system × 1
• Wireless Controller (DUALSHOCK®4) × 1
• Mono headset × 1
• AC power cord × 1
• HDMI cable × 1
• USB cable × 1

The DualShock 4 controller and PlayStation Camera will both be priced at $59.

In this video I react to even more misconceptions about the PlayStation 4, speak about why consumers were so happy at Sony’s restriction-free console announcements, and discuss the issue of PS Plus being required for online play. Finally, general commentary is given on the E3 presentation.

Highlights of the discussion include:

• Those who are smirking about how gamers celebrated for basic consumer rights, things we should have unquestionably.
• The gross misconception that Sony is doing exactly the same as the Xbox One because of Jack Tretton’s comments regarding DRM for third party titles being up to publishers.
• Some of my thoughts on the requirement of a PlayStation Plus account to play online with the PS4. 
• A bit of general commentary on Sony and Microsoft’s E3 conferences.
• Microsoft had a good E3 conference, a strong line-up of games and nice exclusives.
• *E3 conference reactions to come tomorrow.

Sony revealed the design for the PS4 game cases after finally ending the need for us to use our imaginations regarding what the actual console will look like. Not that it really matters what it looks like.

That said, here is what the game cases will look like. I like both the PS4 and Xbox One cases, as they’re simple and clean.

Check it out below.

A lengthy gameplay walkthrough of Batman: Arkham Origins has surfaced, courtesy of E3, and it shows off a game that is mostly sticking to the spirit of Arkham City, but with some cool new features.

One of these is a projectile gadget that latches onto an enemy and fires a rope to another target, whether human or structure, and brings the two together. So you can make two thugs clash heads from a distance, or string one up from a gargoyle. It can also be used to create tethered ropes to walk across, and there are new takedowns from these. Looks fun to use for the most part.

Then there are new enemy types, including hulking brutes and athletic enemies that can counter Batman’s attacks, which can lead to a number of chain counters between you and them.

You’d best see the video for more, and to hear the developer commentary.

The good news keeps on coming for the PlayStation 4, and the most recent batch of it is from President of Worldwide Studios, Sony Computer Entertainment Shuhei Yoshida himself.

In one brief tweet, Yoshida confirmed that the PS4 is region free.

He simply said, “And yes, PS4 is region free :D”

And in another tweet, he confirmed that the hardrive is upgradable.

“And yes, PS4′s HDD is upgradable like PS3 <3″

That’s all folks.

The PS4′s awesome price and lack of any strict DRM policies set the stage for Sony’s clear victory at E3 when the company announced them during its press conference.

According to Sony VP of Worldwide Studios Scott Rohde though, these policies were not created in response to those of the Xbox One.

Rohde, in a recent interview with Polygon, explained how it was always the plan.

“I literally have goosebumps right now, because that was always our plan,” Rohde said. “It’s something that we believe in. We know gamers come first; we know what they want. I was personally overwhelmed with the massive explosion on Twitter, with everyone essentially begging, ‘Please don’t do this Sony, please don’t do this PlayStation!’ It was so hard not to say, right away, ‘Well, we never were going to do that, but now let’s have a little fun and announce it in a fun way at the PlayStation press conference.’

“Could not believe how much the roof came down with that applause,” Rohde added. “It was awesome.”

At E3, Sony announced that the PS4 would launch for $399, a full $100 cheaper than the Xbox One. And again, Rohde said Sony had its eyes set on that lower price well in advance of its competitors.

“I mean, that was such an amazing message,” Rohde said. “We kind of had a feeling; we kind of knew we were gonna land a little bit cheaper than those green guys. When it was verified this morning, we’ve just been walking around with smiles all day.”

Those green guys. I laughed. And I keep laughing. And don’t stop.

In this video I talk about what I think of Sony’s public execution of Microsoft, and what it means for us right now, and of course why this is such a good thing for gamers.

Be sure to read the full round-up of Sony’s conference.

Ubisoft’s E3 2013 press conference was by far the most dull, but perhaps credit is definitely due for the amount of variety the keynote had. Some of us were jelly at the absence of Beyond Good and Evil 2.

For me there were just way too few really interesting games, too many CGI trailers, lack of actual game footage and no real surprises at all. It was the usual show.

That said, there was one extremely awesome new IP unveiled, called Tom Clancy’s The Division. But be sure to go through the full list down below to see how Ubisoft brought the variety.

E3 2013: Rocksmith 2014 Revealed — So It’s Annual Now?
E3 2013: Assassin’s Creed IV: Black Flag Trailers Land
E3 2013: Tom Clancy’s New Title Is A Console Exclusive MMO
E3 2013: Just Dance 2014 Lets You Party With Up To Five Friends
E3 2013: Rayman Legends Gets A Brand Spanking New Trailer
E3 2013: Ubisoft Announces Trials Fusion and Frontier
E3 2013: Get To Know The Crew
E3 2013: The Mighty Quest For Epic Loot
E3 2013: Ubisoft Releases A South Park Trailer

Bonus: So No Beyond Good & Evil 2? Ubisoft, I Am Disappoint

We’re not entirely sure how many of these are indies, considering PS4′s strong support of it, or how many of these games are timed exclusives, if any, but either way the numbers here are pleasing to the eye with regards to Sony exclusivity.

According to the PlayStation Blog, Sony’s Worldwide Studios team has more than 30 PS4 exclusive titles currently in development, 20 of which will release during the first year of the PS4′s lifespan. The PS4 games feature a total of 12 new IPs, which is a staggering number, and this includes the new game The Order: 1886 from Ready at Dawn, unveiled at the conference.

It was also revealed that globally, there are more than 140 games in development for the PS4 in total, and this includes games from Sony’s Worldwide Studios and development partners. Over 100 titles will be available within the first year of the PS4′s life.

And that, is how it’s done.

Sony, during its E3 press conference today, announced that Mad Max is coming to the PlayStation 4. Courtesy of the developers of Just Cause 2, Avalanceh Studios.

It will be published by WB Interactive and will feature exclusive Road Warrior content on PS4.

I’m sure that means it will be out on Xbox One as well.

No one, and I repeat, no one expected this to happen at E3 from Sony. If ever there was a more memorable moment, or a larger kick in the nuts…

Let me put it this way. After a roller-coaster E3 presentation that saw Sony making the exact same mistakes we hated Microsoft for, they then unleashed the ass-kicking of a lifetime, and it was magical. With smug certainty, they slowly sent Microsoft weeping to their mothers’ arms with each blow.

First, was this. With cold authority, Sony announced that the PlayStation 4 will have zero restrictions on used games, can be used totally offline and has no form of online verification whatsoever. You’ll be able to trade in games, sell to another person, lend to another person and keep games forever.

The crowd went absolutely ballistic. I’ll never forget the reaction, as they clapped for minutes, cheering and smiling and all grabbing their mobile phones to update social networks and send out messages.

Furthermore, Sony kicked Microsoft full on in the nuts with the above video.

If it wasn’t bad enough already, Sony then announced that the PlayStation 4 will launch this holiday season in the US and UK for $399 / €399 / £349, which is a full $100 cheaper than the Xbox One.

At least as far as the eGamer team is concerned, Sony won E3. And possibly the next-gen console war.

Update

According to a SCEI press release, the PS4′s DualShock 4 controller will set you back $60, and the console itself comes packed with a 500GB hard drive.

Splinter Cell: Blacklist appeared at Ubisoft’s E3 conference, which was downright terrible and dreadfully boring. It had lots of variety, and I credit that, but it was a pain to watch, featured too little actual gameplay and was really slow. Anyway, back to Splinter Cell.

A new trailer was showcased, and honestly it wasn’t much of a trailer. It was a bit distorted and difficult to follow. Maybe because we were bored and tired.

Check it out up above.

The game will release on PC, PS3, Xbox 360 and Wii U on August 23, 2013.

The title says it all, and at Electronic Arts’ E3 2013 keynote, they finally announced the game thousands of Star Wars fans have been waiting for, namely Battlefront III.

It’s nothing but a short teaser video, with no confirmation of release date or platforms, but somehow it feels worth it. Check it out up above.

Microsoft unveiled Dead Rising 3 at their E3 press conference, revealing it as an exclusive Xbox One title for this holiday season.

A bit odd since Dead Rising 2 was on PS3 as well, but as you were, that’s how it was announced. The game will feature a new hero, Nick Ramos, and is being developed by Capcom Vancouver and published by Microsoft.

Dead Rising 3 will continue the slaying of thousands upon thousands of zombies, and according the reveal has no load times, and anything can be a weapon with the crafting and upgrading systems. You’ll also have flare guns and other tools to distract zombies.

A new addition to the game is vehicles which players can drive freely, and according to the developers it is a “critical part of exploration.” However, you aren’t safe in your car as zombies will try to break your windows, latch onto the car and pull players out.

The game will feature SmartGlass integration, which can be used to call in artillery.

Dead Rising 3 will be a launch title for Xbox One.

Update: Microsoft SA has confirmed that the Xbox One will not release locally in November, however they have also stated that they are working on getting the local release date pushed forward. Currently, we have no release date to announce.

At E3 2013 Microsoft revealed the release date and price for their next gen console, the Xbox One.

Microsoft announced that the Xbox One will be out in November 2013 in 21 markets, whatever the potato that means. The console will cost 499 US Dollars, 499 Euros and 429 pounds in the UK.

Microsoft also announced that Microsoft Points are a thing of the past, and now purchase currencies will be local currencies for players. In other words, your country’s real money.

What do you think of that price?

Kojima Productions took the stage early on at Microsoft’s E3 conference and showed off the first in-game footage for Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain on Xbox One.

It was announced that the game will be open-world and deliver “a new breed of stealth,” real-time weather, various modes of transport including tanks, jeeps and horses, and “tactical espionage.”

The game also features “realistic passage of time” and “deeper stealth action.”

The characters shown included a female sniper named Quiet, a boy called Eli, and Ocelot, Emmerich, Code Talker, and Skull Face.

The game will also have SmartGlass functionality.

Based on the game footage, which you can check out up above, I’m not too sure about the voice actor, and to be honest I was disappointed by this demo shown, as it really didn’t make the game look that appealing. This is my favourite game franchise of all time, and that’s what made it a bit depressing.

The visuals look beyond insane though.

The game will be out on PC, PS3, Xbox 360, PS4 and Xbox One. No release date is confirmed yet.

At E3 2013, Microsoft announced a brand new model of the Xbox 360 early on in their conference. The new model is available from now, and is smaller, sleeker and quieter than the previous “slim” model.

Furthermore, Microsoft revealed that they will be bringing two free games per month to Xbox Live Gold members, the first of which will be Assassin’s Creed II and Halo 3.

Finally, it was said that “hundreds” of games are on the way to the Xbox 360 in the future.

Update

The picture is up above, and here is the official press release:

Microsoft invites everyone to join the fun with a brand-new Xbox 360

Microsoft today at E3 offered everyone who has yet to own an Xbox 360 or wants to update their existing console an irresistible new reason to jump in. Alongside the spectacular lineup of titles for its highly anticipated next Xbox entertainment system, Xbox One, Microsoft unveiled a fresh and exciting new design for Xbox 360. Shipping today to retailers across the U.S., U.K., Canada, Ireland and Australia, the new Xbox 360 will continue to roll out worldwide across all Xbox regions over the coming months, extending the life cycle and legacy of the celebrated console that has already sold 76 million units worldwide and has been the best-selling console in the U.S. for the past 28 months.

Sporting a sleek and stylish new design that resembles the Xbox One brand elements, the new Xbox 360 brings together a similar look and feel across the entire family of Xbox products. The new Xbox 360 appears stunning wherever it fits in the home and offers great performance. It is available in multiple value-packed editions for the same great prices as the existing console: $199.99 estimated retail price (ERP1) for the 4GB console, $299.99 ERP for the 250GB edition and $299.99 ERP for the 4GB Kinect Bundle.

“Xbox 360 offers unrivaled value — with more great games, an Xbox Live community with 48 million members, and a compelling lineup of apps, sports, movies, TV shows and music,” said Yusuf Mehdi, chief marketing and strategy officer, Interactive Entertainment Business, Microsoft. “We’ve taken all we have learned these past eight years and engineered a new Xbox 360 console that is elegant and accessible to anyone. There’s never been a better time to experience everything Xbox 360 has to offer.”

As a message of thanks to the millions of Xbox fans around the world for their passion and loyalty, Microsoft announced that every qualifying Xbox Live Gold member — new or existing — will receive two free Xbox 360 game downloads per month starting July 1 until Dec. 31, 2013, including popular titles such as “Halo 3” and “Assassin’s Creed II.” And to celebrate E3 in the month of June, Xbox Live Gold members will receive a free download of “Fable III.”3 In addition, for a limited time gamers can get a Day One 12-month Xbox Live Gold membership and play “Killer Instinct: Round One,” with the exclusive Shadow Jago character, on Xbox One. Players will also receive a commemorative Day One membership card.

In this video I talk about some misconceptions about the PlayStation 4, where Sony can differ from Microsoft’s Xbox One, and discuss Sony’s silence up until this point and what you should keep in mind going into E3, which kicks off today. It’s a little pre-E3 chat, with some points to keep in mind.

Highlights of the discussion include:

• A few misconceptions people have about the PS4 and how it will be similar to the Xbox One.
  
• Where and how Sony can differ from Microsoft.
• The differences in DRM between the PS4 and Xbox One.
• The fear (and hopes) we have about the PS4.
• Sony’s silence up until now, and Microsoft’s ongoing disaster.
• The concerns about both consoles, and the hope that Sony won’t follow suit where it can differ.
• The “wait for E3″ argument, as a little pre-E3 warning.
• I hope that E3 will be a blast with awesome games from both Microsoft and Sony.

I know one person who would consider it Christmas come early to see over ten minutes of Call of Duty: Ghosts action, and that’s our own Peloma. Also known as PeaPotato or PotatoPea.

The video footage shows two missions, Into The Deep up above and No Man’s Land, down below.

There’ll be plenty more to see at E3, which incidentally begins today, and we’ll be covering the entire event like a bunch of radioactive beavers.

Hello everybody and welcome to the next Highlight reel of eGamer’s YouTube channel! Here you’ll find it short and sweet, with some of the best parts of the weeks’ videos. Hope you enjoy it! Thank you so much for watching and supporting!

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