Wolfenstein: Youngblood Announced
Today at their E3 conference, Bethesda announced Wolfenstein: Youngblood, a co-op shooter sequel set in the 1980's. It will be available in 2019.
Players will play as B.J. Blazkowicz's twin daughters, although you can play it solo as well.
This appears to be a spinoff of sorts instead of a proper numbered sequel or DLC for Wolfenstein 2: The New Colossus, similar to the Death of the Outsider spinoff of Dishonored 2. We gave Wolfenstein 2 a 9.1 when we reviewed it late last year.
Prey DLC Mooncrash Announced
Bethesda and Arkane's 2017 atmospheric shooter Prey is getting its first batch of DLC.
Dubbed Mooncrash, the downloadable content, which launches today, will feature an infinitely replayable rogue-like mode. Players will fight to escape a TranStar moon base, with the enemy encounters, loot to acquire, and challenges to face, being different every time.
As detailed on Bethesda's official site, Mooncrash can be purchased as standalone DLC for $19.99. Prey: Digital Deluxe, which includes the base game and the DLC, is available as well.
Additionally, three free updates for Prey are available tonight. Story Mode will allow a casual way to play through the narrative, Survival mode will offer a new level of challenge, and New Game + will give players who already completed the game incentive to dive back in.
Play Quake Champions for Free for a Limited Time
Quake Champions is available to play for free during a special trial period ahead of release.
An early version of the game can be downloaded and played for the next week for no cost by visiting the Quake website.
Quake Champions is focusing on esports, and Bethesda said it has new competitions planned for QuakeCon and DreamHack Winter.
Quake Champions was revealed at Bethesda's E3 2016 press conference. It spend a year in closed beta, amassing a crew of familiar faces like Wolfenstein's BJ Blazkowicz along the way. Quake Champions left closed beta and entered Early Access on August 17, 2017.
Bethesda Announces Doom Eternal, Sequel to Doom
At the Bethesda E3 2018 press conference, executive producer Marty Stratton and creative director Hugo Martin announced Doom Eternal, a sequel to 2016's Doom reboot.
Doom Eternal will have "twice as many" "badass demons" compared to the rebooted game. The teaser trailer during the conference offered a taste of "Hell on Earth" in Doom Eternal.
Stratton and Martin revealed that more details about Doom Eternal will be revealed at QuakeCon in August.
The Doom reboot was originally announced in 2008 as Doom 4. The game then went radio silent for years, finally reemerging as the game we know at QuakeCon 2014. It eventually was released on May 16, 2016 for PC, Xbox One, and PS4, with a Switch version following on November 10, 2017.
The Elder Scrolls Online Wolfhunter and Murkmire DLCs Announced
At Bethesda's E3 conference, the studio announced two new expansions to The Elder Scrolls Online, Wolfhunter and Murkmire.
Wolfhunter will arrive first and be a new dungeon DLC based around werewolves. Murkmire will be a story DLC that arrives later this year set in the Blackmarsh region, which Bethesda says will have a deeper dive into Argonian culture and lore.
ESO recently released its Summerset expansion, which we said makes the game feel fresh again.
Xbox Exec on Letting Studios Explore New Ideas
Microsoft is providing its studios the creative freedom to explore new franchises and ideas, and Microsoft Studios head Matt Booty spoke to IGN about the company's approach going forward.
"It really comes back to people and ideas. I can't get into specifics, but I'll say that every one of our studios has got some kind of incubation going on and has got some kind of ideas," Booty told IGN. "I think it has less to do with sort of a franchise and kind of this sort of set path, and more to do with 'is there a core of an idea that's out there?'"
Booty went on to note that he worked with Mortal Kombat co-creator Ed Boone, and discussed what he learned during that time and how it applies to Microsoft Studios' approach going forward.
E3 2018: Cyberpunk 2077 Trailer Message Reveals Release Date Details, Free DLC, No DRM
The debut trailer for Cyberpunk 2077 came at the end of Microsoft's E3 2018 press conference, and developer CD Projekt Red snuck in a full FAQ for their upcoming game, a possible alternate reality game, along with a bunch of download codes for The Witcher 3.
The hidden FAQ could be read by combining messages hidden in two frames near the end of the video.
A transcription of the text is as follows:
Halo Infinite Announced, Will Focus on Master Chief
Microsoft revealed a new Halo game at the start of its E3 2018 briefing, Halo Infinite.
As Microsoft detailed, Infinite will employ the new Slipspace Engine, which was created by 343 Industries specifically for Halo. Check out the reveal trailer below:
According to a post on Halo Waypoint, the studio heard "loud and clear" that players weren't fond of how little time Master Chief was featured as a playable character in Halo 5. As such, Halo Infinite will center around Master Chief and continue his story after what transpires in Guardians.
Additionally, Halo Infinite will feature a new, modernized art style—showcased by Master Chief's new Helmet in the trailer—that pulls from the "most iconic and historic parts of the Halo franchise" as well as feedback from players.
E3 2018: All News, Trailers, and Gameplay From the Microsoft Press Conference
Microsoft’s E3 2018 press conference kicked off on Sunday, June 10 at 1pm PT in Los Angeles with tons of teasers, news, announcements, and trailers for new and returning games. Xbox staples like Halo and Gears of War made highly-anticipated returns, we got our first substantial look at Cyberpunk 2077, we learned more about Fallout 76, the new game from Dark Souls developer FromSoftware made a surprise appearance, and so much more.
Below you’ll find a breakdown of all the major announcements from Microsoft’s E3 2018 press conference and where to watch all the new trailers and gameplay demos shown off.
The Drastic and Unexpected Changes Coming to Battlefield 5
Recently, I ransacked the IGN game library for physical copies of every Battlefield going all the way back to 1942. As I worked my way through the series, a pattern began to emerge: for every innovative entry there was an iterative one. For every Battlefield 2, there was a Battlefield 2142 that, while thematically distinct, did little to advance the series mechanically. So when I sat down to play Battlefield V at EA Play I was fully expecting Battlefield 1 with building. What I got was a sneak peek at the most revolutionary Battlefield in the last decade.
The sheer number of major gameplay changes in the build that I played was staggering. Health no longer regenerates past a certain point without aid, ammo reserves are drastically reduced, anyone can revive a downed squadmate, and enemies can no longer be marked using the spotting system. Gone are the days of shooting the red doritos. Hitting the spot key now tags a location that’s useful for enemy snipers and tanks, but mostly useless for infantry on the move.