You Will Probably Only See 50% of Dying Light 2’s Content in Your First Playthrough
The big buzz-phrase during Dying Light 2’s extremely impressive E3 demo was “narrative sandbox.” Throughout the 30-odd minute gameplay demonstration, developer Techland pushed the idea that even if you finish Dying Light 2, you’ll probably only see around 50% of its content based on the decisions you make throughout. It’s a liberating premise that promises for some great watercooler chat with other people playing, as theoretically, there are hundreds of thousands of variations on how your story could play out.
The demo kicked off with new protagonist Aiden Caldwell, a purposefully morally blank guy whose personality you can shape with your decisions, helping a ‘man of the people’ named Frank. Frank is trying to bring together two warring factions in order to help with the water crisis; the most urgent problem in Dying Light 2’s world is severe drought, caused by those with means hoarding the H20. The Peacemakers and The Renegades are at odds with each other, though Aiden doesn’t trust either of them to behave in this particular scenario.
Luigi’s Mansion 3 May Be One of 2019’s Funniest Games
As someone who played through the original Luigi’s Mansion half a dozen times on the GameCube, I’m so glad to see the unique, fun ghost hunting gameplay remains intact, with some ability enhancements that offer a bit more depth. But in my time with both Luigi’s Mansion 3’s single and multiplayer, what struck me most was the way it takes advantage of its absurd supernatural trappings, both intentional and unintentional, to bring so much joy.
Luigi’s Mansion 3 moves the action from a mansion — or several mansions — to a hotel with an exaggerated verticality and gregarious architecture that would fit nicely in the world of A Series of Unfortunate Events. Trapped in with a busted elevator and on a mission, Luigi will explore a host of floors, each with their own theme, like the medieval floor I played through in the single-player portion of the demo. It’s a less cohesive style than the first Luigi’s Mansion, but the variety could really allow for some fun, and wacky, ghosts and scenarios, like the jousting ghost miniboss I encountered in the demo.
Nintendo’s Focus Remains on Current-Gen, Not Next-Gen
“Before we talk about next-gen, let's talk about current-gen.”
This was the general theme of Nintendo of America president Doug Bowser’s response to my inquiries about Nintendo’s future console plans. It’s no surprise they’re unwilling to spend time looking ahead, at least in terms of hardware. As Bowser himself explained to me, the Switch is still in its prime years, pulling in a recent tally of 34 million units sold to date. From their perspective, why distract from the booming success of the Switch?
“In the US, the momentum has been strong for the last five months or so,” Bowser said. “We've been the number one selling console.”
Empire of Sin: Prohibition Mob Strategy Game Announced
During this morning’s E3 2019 Nintendo Direct, Paradox Interactive and Romero Games announced Empire of Sin, a strategy game set in prohibition-era Chicago.
In Empire of Sin, players can build their own criminal empire as one of 14 different bosses, trying to grab hold of the seedy underworld of organized crime in 1920s Chicago. The game uses randomly generated starting conditions, so players need to adapt to outsmart and outlast their opponents. Empire of Sin is coming to PC, PS4, Xbox One and Nintendo Switch in 2020.
Players are tasked with hustling, charming and intimidating their way to the top in this character-driven, noir-inspired game. Raise an empire by taking part in seedy enterprises like speakeasies, union skimming or casinos, and building a team of loyal mobsters. Players can defend and expand their territory by taking part in turn-based, strategic combat: goons can be strategically recruited to build strong chemistry and maximize combat damage.
Spyro Reignited Trilogy, Alien Isolation and More Announced For Switch
Spyro Reignited Trilogy, Alien Isolation, Ni No Kuni and many more have been confirmed for a release on Switch.
In a sizzle reel during Nintendo's E3 Direct, a raft of games were confirmed or reconfirmed - here's all of them (with release dates/windows if included):
- Spyro Reignited Trilogy - September 3, 2019
- Hollow Knight: Silksong - Coming soon
- Ni No Kuni: Wrath of the White Witch - September 20, 2019
- Minecraft Dungeons - Spring 2020
- Elder Scrolls Blades - Fall 2019
- My Friend Pedro - June 20, 2019
- Doom Eternal - Coming soon
- The Sinking City - Fall 2019
The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild Sequel Announced
Nintendo has announced a sequel to The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild at E3 2019.
In a surprise final announcement, we saw a trailer that showed us a return to BotW's version of Hyrule, but with a seemingly much darker tone. The game seems to centre on Link and Zelda adventuring together.
There's a lot to unpack here. The True Ending to BotW saw Zelda shorn of her powers, but intent on rebuilding her fallen kingdom. The new trailer shows her with much shorter hair, perhaps implying that some time has passed since the ending of that game, and the start of her adventures with Link.
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Animal Crossing: New Horizons Delayed to 2020
Animal Crossing for the Nintendo Switch now has a firm release date, a title, and some impressive gameplay to show, but it also will not release during its originally announced 2019 launch window.
During the E3 2019 Nintendo Direct, Nintendo confirmed the next AC will be called Animal Crossing: New Horizons, and will be released on March 20, 2020. Nintendo's Yoshiaki Koizumi said during the Direct that "We need to change its release date to march 20, 2020. To ensure the game is the best it can be, we must ask that you wait a little longer than we thought."
While we unfortunately won't be able to play New Horizons this year, Nintendo did show off a pleasant bit of Animal Crossing footage that gives us a sense of what this new adventure holds.
Cadence of Hyrule Release Date Announced
Cadence of Hyrule: Crypt of the NecroDancer Featuring The Legend of Zelda (that title is insane) will be released on Friday, June 13.
The indie-Ninty crossover game - which takes NecroDancer's to-the-beat dungeon crawling and slaps on Zelda characters, features and music - had already been confirmed for a June release, but it's nice to know we'll be getting a little post-E3 treat.
For more on IGN's E3 coverage, stay tuned to IGN's E3 2019 hub. Be sure to also check out the list of confirmed E3 2019 games, as well as the list of games that won't be at E3 2019.
Marvel Ultimate Alliance 3 Expansion Pass Announced
Marvel Ultimate Alliance 3: The Black Order is getting several pieces of content after its launch later this year.
During the Nintendo E3 2019 Direct, Nintendo confirmed the Nintendo Switch-exclusive is getting a season pass that will begin offering content this fall. The three confirmed pieces of expansion content will focus on Marvel Knights, the X-Men, and Fantastic Four.
No release cadence, nor details about what content the season pass will include, were offered during the Nintendo Direct. But a new Marvel Ultimate Alliance 3 trailer did highlight a number of the heroes and villains coming to MUA3, including Ghost Rider, Elektra, MODOK, Mysterio, and more.
Nintendo and Team Ninja recently confirmed more X-Men characters coming to Marvel Ultimate Alliance 3, and we recently learned many more new Ultimate Alliance 3 gameplay details.
Pokemon Sword and Shield Will Some Pokeball Plus Features
Pokemon Sword and Shield will allow players to use the Pokeball Plus accessory, although not to its full extent.
Announced in the E3 Nintendo Direct, the Pokeball-shaped peripheral can be used by transferring your caught monsters and taking them on walks, offering unspecified bonuses. However, it can't be used as a controller as it was in Pokemon Let's Go! Pikachu and Eevee.
We learned a lot more about Sword and Shield in a Pokemon broadcast last week, which confirmed new legendaries, the reappearance of roaming Pokemon, and a November 15 release date.