Square Enix E3 2021 Showcase Includes New Eidos Montreal Game, Babylon's Fall and More
The E3 2021 schedule has been revealed but Square Enix has provided even more details for its own showcase. Square Enix Presents: Summer 2021 will take place on June 13th at 12:15 PM PT/3:15 PM ET and is a 40 minute long showcase. It will include the world premiere of a new title developed by Eidos Montreal, an update on PlatinumGames' Babylon's Fall and new details on the Marvel's Avengers expansion Black Panther – War for Wakanda.
Life is Strange fans can expect a "deep dive" into Life is Strange: True Colors and a "first look" at Life is Strange: Remastered Collection. Babylon's Fall recently had a closed beta page pop up on SteamDB so it's likely that more gameplay and a possible release date will be provided. Of course, there's also the possibility of Final Fantasy Origin, a rumored Souls-like developed by Team Ninja and set in the world of Final Fantasy 1, making an appearance.
E3 2021 kicks off on June 12th with showcases by Ubisoft and Gearbox Entertainment. It will run till June 15th and feature titles from Xbox Game Studios, Bethesda, Warner Bros. Games, Take Two Interactive, Capcom and much more. Stay tuned for more details in the meantime.
Horizon Forbidden West – Free Climbing, World Size and More Revealed
As if all of the new details on Horizon Forbidden West weren't enough, Guerrilla Games has also discussed mechanics like free climbing. During the State of Play showcase, Aloy used the Focus ability quickly to locate spots that could be used for climbing. However, in practice, she's capable of climbing almost any surface. Game director Mathijs de Jonge revealed to IGN that, "In terms of the traversal and the human combat, this was a point from Horizon Zero Dawn, where we wanted to improve the mechanics. And this [State of Play] is a showcase for that, to show you can now free climb anywhere in the world.
"We hand annotated lots of the rocks, the cliffs, the mountain sides. But at some point, we changed that to an automatic system that just detects if there is a latch somewhere in the geometry. So now the entire world, everything is automatically annotated. That means you can climb anywhere." Of course, it will be limited in settlements. "There is more hand-placed, controlled exploration going on there. But outside of the settlements, in the open world, you can climb anywhere."
He also said that the quick Focus highlighting spots to climb doesn't necessarily mean those are the only ones. "I think some people think that you have to [use the Focus] to be able to climb, but that's not true. This is just for light, for low light conditions, to be able to highlight them so you can actually see them better. But the player could climb anyway without having to ping."
Speaking about the world design, Horizon Forbidden West has a bigger world than its predecessor and while the true scale wasn't revealed, there's more of an emphasis on packing it full of content. "The map is a little bit bigger, but in general, we've really looked at increasing the density, and adding more content, making sure there's a lot more to do for the player across the map, and then making that content also engaging by telling little micro-stories."
New underwater exploration is also a key part of the game's appeal. Narrative director Benjamin McCaw said, "Exploration is really the theme. And it's not enough for us to just show underwater. We wanted to make sure that it's every bit as beautiful as what you see in the natural world above it. But it wasn't just enough that you could swim around underwater. We wanted to do some things that are really surprising and interesting. And I think that's where some of the story stuff comes in, and we just absolutely can't wait for players to see what they're going to experience."
Horizon Forbidden West is set to release in holiday 2021. It will be coming to PS5 and PS4 with a lot of playtesting and development on the latter being done. Stay tuned for more details soon especially as Guerrilla Games decides on a release date.
E3 2021 Schedule Revealed, Includes Square Enix, Bandai Namco, Gearbox and More
With E3 2021 starting next week, a schedule of events and presentations has finally been revealed. It's a tentative schedule (which is why there aren't definite times for everything) but should give an idea of what to expect. Along with Alex "Goldenboy" Mendez, Jacki Jing and Greg Miller will serve as hosts.
The broadcast pre-show starts at 1 PM PST but the event kicks off properly with conferences by Ubisoft and Gearbox Entertainment on June 12th. On June 13th, the pre-show starts at 11:45 AM while the Xbox and Bethesda Games Showcase is set for 1 PM EST. "Special presentations" from Square Enix, the PC Gaming Show and Future Games Show are also confirmed with Warner Bros. Games, Turtle Rock Studios' Back4Blood and 24 Entertainment being featured.
June 14th sees the pre-show starting at 11 AM EST with press conferences from "several indie developers" and presentations from Take Two Interactive, Mythical Games, Freedom Games, Razer and Capcom that will occur throughout the day. Interestingly, Verizon and Intellivision are also being featured. June 15th sees the pre-show beginning at 11 AM EST and Nintendo's E3 Direct presentation starting at 12 PM EST.
Events by Bandai Namco, Yooreka and GameSpot are also on the cards with the Official E3 2021 Awards Show capping off the event. Over on ResetEra, The Game Awards creator Geoff Keighley said, "Just to set expectations here, while Square has an event, I would not describe these others in the headline as the 'presentations' you're imagining." So don't expect extensive pressers for everything. Stay tuned for more details in the coming days.
Horizon Forbidden West Features "Greatly Expanded Melee" Combat, New Workbench for Upgrades
Along with a host of other new details, Guerrilla Games also discussed the revamped melee combat in Horizon Forbidden West. With the skill tree being completely overhauled to accommodate different kinds of playstyles, melee-focused builds will now have more chances to shine. As revealed by game director Mathijs de Jonge in an interview with Game Informer, melee combat has been "greatly expanded" and different combos can be unlocked from the skill tree.
Each combo has a unique purpose – the one seen in the State of Play showcase doled out multiple hits with one dealing exceptional damage. There's another called Resonator Blast where attacking a foe will build up charge in the spear. Upon fully charging, it can be pasted onto an enemy and targeted to explode, causing massive damage (which makes it ideal for larger foes).
The Workbench is a new addition to the experience with the weapon and armor upgrade system seeing some changes. It will be present in various settlements and, upon acquiring different resources from animals, plants and machines, you can upgrade Aloy's gear. Upgrades are done over multiple steps for improved attributes and damage but instead of slotting mods, this time players will unlock new skills and damage/ammo types. This gives a bit of a Monster Hunter-esque vibe to the system though we'll need to see it in more detail.
Horizon Forbidden West is planned to release in holiday 2021 for PS4 and PS5. Development is on track but Guerrilla Games requires a bit more time to finalize a release date. Stay tuned for more details in the meantime.
Horizon Forbidden West Has Other Returning Characters and Brand New Companions
When Horizon Forbidden West was showcased in Sony's latest State of Play, many were surprised to see Erend from the first game making a return. Speaking to Game Informer, narrative director Benjamin McCaw said there will be other characters returning along with some brand new companions as well. "You will absolutely see more returning characters and you will meet some new companions that I think players are really going to enjoy."
McCaw also said that the team wanted to allow Aloy to spend more time with her companions, both in the main story and side quests. "This is something that we thought a lot about after the last game came out. One of things we wanted to do was really increase the amount of time that Aloy spends with her companions. This is true on the main quest as Aloy ventures into the Forbidden West. It's also true of the side quests.
"What we really wanted was a lot more face time. We wanted people to grow that emotional attachment that they had with their companions. That's been a major focus of development for us on the story side and the quest design side." Of course for the time being, these companions can't be revealed. As for why Erend in particular was brought back, McCaw said, "I mean, why wouldn't you bring back Erend?"
Noted to be a favorite for both fans and the writing team, Erend is described as fun even though his behavior masks a lot of pain. "That's something that makes him very entertaining." He also fulfills a "very specific role in the story" and helps to provide ties to Aloy's past "to sort of make sure that she's the same person and comes alive in the same way."
With regards to the world design, players can expect several iconic American landmarks and many, many more locations to explore. There will be a variety of terrain and climate types, including some cold places for those who enjoyed The Frozen Wilds expansion.
Horizon Forbidden West is currently set to release for PS4 and PS5 this holiday season. Development is on track though it's not completely certain yet whether it will launch this year.
Wasteland 3 Developer Details Choices and Consequences in The Battle of Steeltown
Choice and consequence mechanics are the lifeblood of any traditional CPRG, and as a game that caters to that crowd more than anything else, it goes without saying that Wasteland 3 puts particular emphasis on that. Having the freedom bolstered by mechanical depth to make a wide variety of choices in any given situation, and then seeing those choices change the story and impact the world and characters in satisfying and unpredictable ways, was one of the many things that made Wasteland 3 so good.
It makes sense, then, that developer inXile Entertainment wants to keep that going in the game's expansions. In a recently released video, Wasteland 3 game director David Rogers talks about the choice and consequence mechanics in The Battle of Steeltown, the RPG's first expansion. Rogers goes over the variety of choices that will be available to players, and the kind of far-reaching and large-scale impact those choices will have on the story. Watch him talk about it in the video below.
Wasteland 3 is available on PS4, Xbox One, and PC. The Battle of Steeltown is live today. The game's going to get another expansion down the line as well.
Horizon Forbidden West – A Lot of Development, Playtesting is Done on PS4
Much has been made about Horizon Forbidden West's visuals on PS5, especially after the recent State of Play showcase. But what about the PS4? Though Guerrilla Games hasn't revealed any footage of the PS4 version, it's still working to ensure that previous-gen owners have "a great experience."
Speaking to Game Informer in a new video interview, game director Mathijs de Jonge revealed that much of the development and playtesting has already been done on PS4. "A lot of the development has taken place on the PlayStation 4 and a lot of playtesting is also done on PlayStation 4 so we are ensuring that owners of that console will have a great experience and that the game will look fantastic on that console."
Of course, the PS5 affords the potential to go much further. As de Jonge notes, "Visually we can add a lot more detail. Graphically, the rendering technique for the underwater scenes is special on the PlayStation 5 — it has extra detail and extra systems. Like the wave technique is better on that system as well." Of particular note is the lighting for Aloy on PS5 which has much more definition. "We use a special cinematic lighting rig that on PS4 is only used in cutscenes because the game is not running and we have more processing power in those scenes.
"But for the PlayStation 5, we have plenty of processing power so we can have that lighting always available so she always looks great with that lighting set-up traveling with her anywhere."
Horizon Forbidden West will also have a 60 FPS performance mode on PS5, though more details on the resolution and ray tracing weren't provided. There are also Valor Surges, special abilities unlocked from the skill tree (which has been completely overhauled in both design and the options available). By performing tactical actions like headshots and removing components from machines, players can charge the Valor Surge bar and unleash these abilities.
Currently, Horizon Forbidden West is slated to release on PS4 and PS5 this holiday season. Though development is on track, de Jonge notes that the team needs a little more time to decide on the release date. This is in line with PlayStation Studios' head Hermen Hulst noting that a release this year wasn't quite certain just yet.
Horizon Forbidden West Will Have a 60 FPS Mode on PS5
Sony has surprised people with confirmations of several games being cross-gen games rather than PS5 exclusives, including the likes of God of War: Ragnarok, Gran Turismo 7, and, of course, Horizon Forbidden West. Many have brought up concerns about whether or not that will end up hampering design ambitions- and though it remains to be seen exactly how true it is, we can at least be assured that from a performance perspective, the PS5 version of the game isn't going to be making any sacrifices.
In a recent interview with Julien Chièze (which you can watch in its entirety below), Guerrilla Games confirmed that Horizon Forbidden West will feature a Performance Mode on the PS5, which will allow players to play the game in 60 FPS.
That raises the question of what resolutions the game will be targeting across different graphics modes, and whether there will be any ray-tracing support, but it's still good to know that 60 FPS is going to be an option. After all, in a fast-paced action game like this one, better performance can be crucial.
Meanwhile, Guerrilla Games have also provided details on the new Valor Surges mechanic and the completely overhauled skill tree in the game. Read more on that through here.
Horizon Forbidden West is in the works for PS5 and PS4. Sony says the game's development is on track, and though a 2021 launch is currently the plan, that isn't quite certain just yet.
Horizon Forbidden West's Skill Tree Has Been "Completely Redesigned", Valor Surges Explained
Game Informer recently had an interview with Horizon Forbidden West director Mathijs de Jonge to learn more about the game. One key system from the State of Play showcase was Valor Surges which allowed Aloy special abilities like knocking back enemies. de Jonge went into more details about this, including how Valor Surges could be unlocked from the revamped skill tree.
"Valor Surges are a new addition and the way you acquire them is via the skill tree, which also has been completely redesigned and repopulated with new skills. The skill tree is designed to support many different play styles, and each play style has Valor Surges that you can unlock by spending skill points on them. The player can choose which Valor Surge is active at any moment," said de Jonge.
As for Valor Surges, they have an energy bar that must be built up by "playing tactically." This means performing headshots on enemies, removing components from machines and so on. Along with filling your XP bar (since it's considered tactical combat XP), they will charge the Valor Surge's bar. "So by playing tactically, you are rewarded by being able to execute these powerful moves. [These are] big payoff moments that you can use to your advantage, like the 360 blasts, which knocks back your enemies."
It's also worth noting that the old skill tree has been "completely thrown out the window." de Jonge notes that, "We kind of started over. There's a whole new skill tree. Also, visually, everything, it's completely new. We spent a lot of time on giving more options to the player and [having] more cool options to play with. As for which playstyles and how exactly it works, I think that's something we'll go into later when we can actually show it to you because it was not part of the demo, so I cannot really explain it yet."
Horizon Forbidden West is currently on track to release for PS4 and PS5 this holiday season, which is reiterated in the interview. PlayStation Studios head Hermen Hulst spoke yesterday about how the release date isn't completely certain just yet, which de Jonge talks more about in the interview. Give it a listen below and stay tuned for more details.
"Nothing Has Been Decided Yet Regarding Virtua Fighter 6" – Sega
Virtua Fighter is one of the biggest, most important fighting franchises of all time, and its legacy has endured even when the series itself has been on ice for prolonged period. Which is why, of course, it's so good to see it back again. No, we don't have a new game in the series to play even now, but the recently released Virtua Fighter 5 Ultimate Showdown has remade a beloved entry in the series. But what exactly does that mean for the future of Virtua Fighter as a whole?
In a recent interview with Famitsu (via Siliconera), chief producer Seiji Aoki spoke about just that. According to Aoki, Sega hasn't yet made any decision regarding a Virtua Fighter 6 (even though he personally would like to work on a new game in the series).
"Nothing has been decided yet regarding Virtua Fighter 6, so I cannot make any statement," Aoki said. "But if you ask me whether I want to create it or not, I do want to create it."
As you'd expect, Aoki added that one of the purposes Virtua Fighter 5 Ultimate Showdown is going to serve will be to judge interest in and demand for the series, which should inform any decisions about its future.
"This title [Ultimate Showdown] will let us know whether there are demands and potentials for Virtua Fighter," Aoki said. "We want to hype it up so it can connect to the next one."
Virtua Fighter 5 Ultimate Showdown, meanwhile, is available on PS4. For PS Plus subscribers, it's going to be available for free until the end of July.