Watch Dogs Companion App Detailed June 13, 2012

The big reveal at this year’s E3 seemed to be Watch Dogs, which premiered at the Ubisoft Media Briefing.  If you want to learn more about the premise and details of the game, I recommend checking out our coverage of the announcement here.

But there’s more to the story than just what was shown at the Media Briefing.  Ubisoft was also showing off a companion app during the E3 demos for the game.  The app, which was shown running on a tablet, interacted with the player’s game and granted deeper immersion into the game’s world.

With the app, which you can run on your tablet device as you play the game on your platform of choice, tracks your game progress by keeping a record of all the decisions you made during each sequence.  You’ll also be able to see an entire map of the Chicago hub (yes it’s an open world game taking place in Chicago), the layouts of all the buildings inside the game, and background information with locations on targets.

You’ll also be able to keep track of the progress of your friends in the game (completely agnostic to whatever platform they’re playing the game on) as well as compare notes as to what decisions they made to get through certain sequences with you.  Since you’ll be able to join your friend’s games and either provide them assistance or work against them in a not yet demoed competitive mode, using this app to determine how your friend plays the game could give you an advantage which can either help you help them, or help you beat them.

It’s a fascinating new feature which fits in perfectly with the game’s premise.  I know this ties in with what Microsoft is hoping to do with SmartGlass, and what Nintendo is working on with the Wii U, but this feature fits in perfectly with the game’s premise, that digital information is the greatest weapon and it can be gotten at any time by a device that simply fits in your pocket.

Watch Dogs is coming in 2013 to PC and Consoles.

Lollipop Chainsaw Midnight Release Details June 11, 2012

Living in Southern California?  Have I got an event for you to check out.  GameStop is hosting a midnight release party for Lollipop Chainsaw tonight from 9PM-12:30AM PST at the GameStop in West Hollywood.  The game’s writer and the stars of the game will be in attendance and there’s going to also be a costume contest for the best zombies and cheerleaders at the event!

You can check out all the details for the party here on the game’s official twitter feed.  The event is going to be hosted at the West Hollywood GameStop 7100 Santa Monica Bvd, Suite 117.

Don’t know anything about the game?  Let me show you this official game trailer.  I wasn’t able to check out the game at PAX East 2012 so this was the first trailer I saw of the game.  I think it pretty much speaks for itself.

Lollipop Chainsaw is coming June 12th, 2012 for Xbox 360 and Playstation 3.

UPDATE:  Here’s the game’s official launch trailer!

Halo Waypoint Updated With Kinect Support June 10, 2012

Halo Waypoint, a free downloadable app for the Xbox 360 where you can view the latest news about Halo, track your game statistics, and learn more about Halo’s expanded universe, has just been updated.  While there are some new stability and performance improvements in the update, the new version of Halo Waypoint now offers support for the Kinect, giving a whole new way to navigate the program without the need of a controller.  There is also a new Halo 4 section in the program where you can view the most recent trailers, screenshots and behind the scenes videos for the new game.

The Halo Waypoint launched in 2009 around the time of the release of Halo 3 ODST, and pretty much set the stage for the Xbox 360 to bring in non-game related applications like Hulu and Crackle.  It gave Halo users expanded capabilities and goodies for downloading the app, and gave both players and non-players the opportunity to learn more about the series everyone has been playing for the past eleven years.

Halo Waypoint can be downloaded for free from the Xbox Live Marketplace for the Xbox 360.  If you already have it downloaded it will ask you to download the update when logging in.  You can also get Halo Waypoint apps for iPhone, Android and Windows Phone 7.

Disney Epic Mickey 2: The Power of Two Release Date June 9, 2012

During its showing at E3 2012, the developers of the highly anticipated multiplatform sequel to the Wii-Exclusive game Disney’s Epic Mickey have set a release date for the game along with a brand new trailer and behind the scenes documentary for it.  Take a look!

The game adds cooperative play to the series, continuing some time after the events of the first game.  Mickey Mouse returns to the Wasteland, and this time he has the assistance of his brother, Oswald the Lucky Rabbit, the first creation of Walt Disney.  Both characters have their own abilities.  With Mickey armed with his ability to use Paint and Thinner, Oswald is armed with new features such as a special remote control that can assist while navigating the Wasteland.

Don’t know anything about Mickey’s brother Oswald the Lucky Rabbit?  Check out this documentary about him.

Disney Epic Mickey 2: The Power of Two is coming November 18th, 2012 for the Xbox 360, PS3 and Wii.

Unreal Engine 4 Elemental Demo June 9, 2012

Epic has revealed the next generation of graphical game engines at E3 2012 and boy does it look just as groundbreaking as its previous incarnation did when it was first revealed.

Unreal Engine 4 is the latest graphical engine developed by Epic Games, the makers of Gears of War and Unreal Tournament, and is intended for the next generation of consoles and PCs.  The increase in graphical fidelity and effects power is unquestionable.

For those of you who want to know when actual games will be coming that will use this technology, here’s some information for comparison.  Unreal Engine 3 was first shown in 2004, a year prior to the announcement of that era’s next generation consoles.  Epic would release their first game to use it in 2006, the highly successful Gears of War for the Xbox 360.

My question is, when will Epic release their first game for it, and what is that game going to be?

Kojima Productions E3 2012 Briefing June 6, 2012

Twenty-five years after the first Metal Gear game was released in Japan, Konami is ready to show the next entry in the Metal Gear saga to the world at this years E3.  It’s been four years since we’ve last seen a Metal Gear game, and the wait has been excruciating.

In this fantastically produced documentary Hideo Kojima and other members of Kojima Productions and Platinum Games talk about the enduring legacy of the Metal Gear franchise, its history, and some tidbits about the new game.  It’s a great watch.

Metal Gear Rising Revengeance is coming Early 2013 to Xbox 360, PC, and Playstation 3.

Halo 4 Spartan Ops E3 2012 Gameplay Trailer June 5, 2012

The most anticipated feature I am looking forward to in the upcoming game Halo 4 is the newest feature this game is bringing to the Halo franchise, the Spartan Ops mode.

Pegged as an entirely separate cooperative campaign from the main story, the Spartan Ops game follows the story of Majestic Squad, operating out of the UNSC Infinity.  They’re investigating a separate portion of the planet Requiem, the same planet that Master Chief finds himself on in this new game.  The mode itself will support anywhere from one to four players.

Spartan Ops will launch its first episode alongside Halo 4.  After that new episodes will be released through Xbox Live for free to Halo 4 owners.  Spartan Ops is designed to bridge the gap between the stories of Halo 4 and the eventual Halo 5, and new episodes will be released up to Halo 5’s eventual release.

This trailer was not shown at the Microsoft E3 Media Briefing, but it is being shown on the E3 show floor.  Enjoy!

Halo 4 is coming November 6th, 2012 exclusive to Xbox 360.

Dead Space 3 E3 2012 Trailer, Co-Op Announced June 5, 2012

Dead Space 3 was announced at the EA E3 2012 Press Conference and was the very first game shown.  I can think of no better way to set the scene as the way that EA chose to set the scene, by showing this trailer.

Issac Clark and Ellie believe they have found The Source, the planet where The Markers have come from.  The planet is frozen solid and who knows what dangers are on the planet itself.  During the turbulent landing, Issac Clarke and Ellie are separated, and it is unknown if she had survived.  However, Clarke and Ellie didn’t enter the planet alone, they took with them private mercenary John Carver, and together, Clark and Carver must investigate the planet, find Ellie and stop the Necromorph outbreak once and for all.

But wait, Issac is not alone.  He has always been alone through every previous Dead Space game.  Well, this game is going to have cooperative play.  John Carver will be playable during the game’s single player campaign, allowing a second player to drop in and drop out and assist during the game.  In fact, that was the gameplay that was demoed live at the EA E3 2012 Press Conference.

Dead Space 3 is coming February 2013 for Xbox 360, Playstation 3 and PC.

The Last of Us E3 2012 Demo June 5, 2012

Probably the most anticipated PS3 exclusive game at Sony’s E3 2012 Media Briefing was the game that Sony gave the honor of showing last.  The Last of Us, a new game done by Naughty Dog, the creators of the highly successful Uncharted series, premiered at the Spike TV VGAs in December 2011 and has been on our radars ever since.

In the game, a fungal infection that normally only dangerous to insects and has the ability to take control of its host like a parasite, has become dangerous to humans.  Now with a major outbreak, the cities are in quarantine and locked off by military force.  Anyone going in or out must submit to checkpoints for screening.  However, the people inside those quarantined areas are pretty much on their own to fend for themselves.

Well, for the first time, we’re being shown actual gameplay, take a look for yourselves!

The Last of Us is coming exclusive to the Playstation 3.