Batman: Arkham Origins

Batman: Arkham Origins is an upcoming video game being developed by Warner Bros. Games Montreal and released by Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment for the PlayStation 3, Wii U and Xbox 360 video game consoles, and Microsoft Windows. Based on the DC Comics superhero Batman, it is the successor to the 2011 video game Batman: Arkham City, and the third installment in the Batman: Arkham series. The game's main storyline is set several years before that of 2009's Batman: Arkham Asylum and follows a younger and less refined Batman who becomes the target of assassins on Christmas Eve. It is scheduled for release on October 25, 2013.
A spin-off game, Batman: Arkham Origins Blackgate, is scheduled for release alongside Arkham Origins for Nintendo 3DS and PlayStation Vita.

Gameplay

Arkham Origins will feature similar gameplay to its predecessors. The Remote Claw is a new gadget which allows Batman to target two objects and pull them together allowing him to knock enemies together or hit them with objects. Tethering two walled-points together creates a tightrope that Batman can traverse. Some gadgets present in Batman: Arkham City return in Arkham Origins, including: the Cryptographic Sequencer, which is used for hacking security consoles; the batarang, a throwing weapon; and Explosive Gel.
The game introduces a fast travel system, allowing Batman to remotely summon his plane, the Batwing, to transport him to other areas of the game world quicker than gliding or grappling can allow. Enemy tower installations prevent Batman summoning the craft in some areas and must be first disabled using various gadgets and abilities to make the Batwing available; the Batwing is not player controlled. Some towers can only be disabled when the player has obtained the necessary equipment. Combat introduces a tracking system which assesses the players' efficiency, highlighting various achievements in battle such as avoiding damage and using gadgets. Combined with chaining attacks together, the performance is rewarded with experience points. These points can be used in a branching upgrade system to enhance Batman's abilities and gadgets, allowing players to upgrade multiple paths or specialize in one. The martial-artist is a new enemy type who is capable of countering Batman's own counters.

Development

In July 2012, it was reported that Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment (WBIE) was looking to make Rocksteady Studios's next Batman game a prequel based on the Silver Age of Comic Books, and featuring the characters Superman, Wonder Woman, Green Lantern, and the Flash. The report suggested that the game would explore Batman's first confrontation with the Joker, and that it would have a release date of no earlier than 2014. In August 2012, Paul Dini stated that he would not be involved in writing a sequel to Arkham City. He had not been included in writing for any of that game's downloadable content (DLC), including the story-based "Harley Quinn's Revenge" DLC, and said that Warner Bros. and Rocksteady suggested that he take work elsewhere if offered. He added that he had taken on other projects that would prevent his involvement until 2013. In February 2013, it was reported that a new game in the Batman Arkham franchise would be released in 2013, and that Rocksteady would not be acting as the developer.
Batman: Arkham Origins was announced on April 9, 2013 with Canadian studio Warner Bros. Games Montreal (WB Montreal) serving as the developer. The studio previously worked on the Wii U adaptation of Batman: Arkham City, which allowed them to familiarise themselves with the modified Unreal Engine 3 development engine utilized Rocksteady, developer of the first two Arkham games. WB Montreal opted not to heavily modify the established combat system, believing it already worked well, but are introducing new enemy types to provide opportunities to use new tactics and combat moves to defeat opponents. Rocksteady provided advice on the technology, game mechanics and engine, but WB Montreal was allowed to develop the story independently. The plot was partly inspired by the comic book series Batman: Legends of the Dark Knight, and the graphic novel Batman: Year One detailing the first year of Batman's career, with Arkham Origins being described as a "Year Two" story.^[23] The story is written by Dooma Wendschuh and Corey May with input from DC Comics and comic book writer Geoff Johns. Eric Holmes serves as Arkham Origins creative director.

Design

Holmes described the choice of a Christmas setting as a purposeful juxtaposition between the joyful time of year and the grim world of Gotham City, such as decorative Santas by gothic gargoyles, and Christmas lights offering dim lighting in dark alleyways. The city itself was described as a place dislodged from time and space, featuring 1930's stylized and older buildings contrasted with Batman's futuristic technology beyond even modern gadgets. The New Gotham area of the game was designed for vertical movement, allowing the placement of enemies at different heights above and below Batman to create areas dense with activity. A dynamic weather system was implemented during development that could alter gameplay, such as wind and snow combining to reduce visibility and render sniper enemies more vulnerable to Batman's stealth. The idea was discarded when it was decided that the feature could not be completed within the development time the team had available. The game world features a high-contrast of darks and lights with few balancing colors, and exaggerated shadows. The city was broken down into assorted neighborhood zones like residential, industrial and commercial. To fit the Christmas theme, the zones were then decorated according to their type, so the industrial setting features little reference to Christmas, the commercial area has corporate decorations, and residential areas have lights in the windows.
In designing the less-experienced Batman's outfit, the designers aimed to make it look "assembled versus manufactured" as if pieced together from various individual parts. Holmes said, "[Batman's suit is] not something that was made in a factory. He's taken pieces of tech either he's invented, he's fabricated or things from the Wayne facilities, and he has make this costume out of these pieces." To emphasize the mystery and fear instilled by Batman in the early stage of his career, art director Jeremy Price and the design team made greater use of silhouettes and film noir-style low-key lighting to make the character more imposing. Holmes acknowledged that Black Mask is not as well known as some of Batman's other rogues such as the Joker and Penguin, and said that extra work was required to provide enough characterization to make him interesting and scary.
It was initially reported that veteran Batman voice actor Kevin Conroy would not return to voice the character, with the developers opting for a younger voice to correlate with the early career of Batman. In May 2013, Roger Craig Smith was announced as the voice of Batman, and Troy Baker as the Joker. Conroy stated at the 2013 Dallas Comic Con that he had been working on "the next Arkham", leading to rampant speculation that he would reprise his role as Batman in Arkham Origins. As Conroy was unclear, it is unknown if he will have another role in Origins, portray an older Batman in the game or was referring to an unannounced game.

Batman: Arkham Origins is scheduled to be released worldwide on October 25, 2013 for the PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, Wii U, and PC platforms. In addition, the spin-off game, Batman: Arkham Origins Blackgate will be released along side Arkham Origins for the Nintendo 3DS and PlayStation Vita. A digital comic book of the same name will be released alongside the game. The comic will be the first of DC Comics' DC² Multiverse initiative, featuring dynamic artwork and sound, and the ability to make choices while reading that modify how the story progresses, with multiple outcomes possible.

Pre-order bonuses

Deathstroke will be made available as a playable character usable in all of the game's challenge maps, and featuring his own unique weapons and abilities. The Deathstroke pack includes two alternate outfits for the character and two additional challenge maps.

Castlevania: Lords of Shadow 2 is out this winter

Castlevania: Lords of Shadow 2 will be hitting the PS3, Xbox 360 and PC "this winter", according to a new trailer that's just been released by Konami. (It's worth remembering that "this winter" could mean 2014.)
The sequel to 2010's rather good Lords of Shadow picks up where the last game left off with an old and pretty knackered-looking Dracula mooching around in his castle annoyed that he can't die. From there, players will be thrown into a game that offers opportunities to explore both the castle itself and a surrounding city.
According to Enric Alvarez, the game director at MercurySteam, the engine has been adapted to let you explore the game without loading interruptions - although it sounds like the whole thing's still primarily linear. "We wanted the game's world to grow organically and not level to level. In Lords of Shadow 2 you'll be able to walk freely all over the game's universe without loading times and with a very organic and real feeling." As previously reported, you'll also be able to spin the camera through 360 degrees, which makes a change - and it sounds like you'll still be able to rely on the cinematic camera from the original game if you don't fancy that.
Dracula's armed with three new weapons - a Blood Whip, a Void Sword, and Chaos Claws, the last of which can be used to break down enemies' armour - and magic's also been dropped in favour of Dracula's Blood, which must be earned through kills.
The trailer below is suitably gloomy and portentous, as Zobek (played again by Patrick Stewart) pays Dracula a visit and offers him the gift of mortality in return for a little help with something. Cue battles against gold-plated angels and a giant robot, shots of stuff falling over in a grim cityscape, teleporting baddies, and a welcome bit of work for Robert Carlyle, who returns as the lead.

Lightning Returns: Final Fantasy XIII delayed

Square Enix's role-playing game pushed to February 2014 for Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3.

Lightning Returns: Final Fantasy XIII has been delayed. Square Enix today announced that the role-playing game will launch in North America on February 11, 2014, followed by a launch on February 14 in Europe.

The game was previously targeted to release this fall. No rationale for the delay was provided.
Lightning Returns: Final Fantasy XIII is the final entry in the Final Fantasy XIII trilogy. It takes place within the world of Novus Partus, which contains four islands. The game chronicles the last 13 days of the game's universe.
Gamers will control Lightning, as she seeks a way to save the world from extinction. Lightning Returns: Final Fantasy XIII retains the Paradigm Shift combat system, except now players can move Lightning around the battlefield and swap weapons instantaneously.
The news comes just days before the 2013 Electronic Entertainment Expo in Los Angeles. Square Enix will reveal the future of Final Fantasy during the show, which may include a deeper look into the previously announced Final Fantasy title for the PlayStation 4.

Diablo III Hitting PS3 and Xbox 360 in September

Blizzard has announced that Diablo III will be released on Xbox 360 as well as PlayStation 3, and both versions will be available on September 3.
A post over on Battle.net also confirmed that pre-orders for the game are open now, and anyone who does so will get the experience-boosting Infernal Helm item to speed up their passage through Sanctuary.
Back at the PlayStation 4 announcement conference in February, Blizzard announced that it would be bringing the game to PlayStation 3 and PlayStation 4. This is the first time an Xbox 360 version has been mentioned, but there's still no word on whether the game will make its way to the Xbox One as well.

While we don't know for certain, seeing as Blizzard has confirmed PlayStation gamers won't be able to play with their PC brethren, assume the same to be true for the Xbox 360 version.
We'll have more on the console version of Diablo III from E3, which starts next Monday.

E3 2013 | What To Expect From Microsoft, Sony & Nintendo

E3 2013 is going to be utterly insane. With the next console generation breathing down our necks, the 'Big Three' of Sony, Microsoft and Nintendo are going head to head in a battle for hearts, minds and pre-orders. Coy digs will be taken. Terrible teleprompted jokes will be cracked. Dubstep will reign supreme.
Sadly, I won't be attending personally this year (of all years, argh!), but I've danced this dance enough times to know broadly what to expect from the all-important press conferences scheduled for June 10th. Microsoft, Sony and Nintendo will use this platform to address us directly; showing us exclusives, revealing entirely new franchises and confirming third-party support. We've pieced together everything we know so far, as well as our own experiences at E3 from previous years, to present you with a comprehensive breakdown of what the three console manufacturers will bring to the table.
Note that the following article is one part confirmed fact, two parts informed guesswork and a soupçon of rampant drooling speculation. I've endeavoured to make it clear which is which - and of course, there'll still be plenty of surprises along the way!

Microsoft (June 10th, 17:30 GMT)

Let's start with the Redmond heavyweight, since they'll be holding their press conference first and have been making headlines aplenty over the last fortnight. Microsoft will look to supplement (and in many ways, make up for) the Xbox One's entertainment-loaded reveal event with a presentation concentrating on games, exclusives, DLC announcements and features.

After a brief hardware recap about Kinect and the new controller, accompanied by a montage of developer interviews, we can expect Microsoft to get down to business. We'll see more of the previously-announced Forza 5 and Quantum Break, alongside perhaps another small showing from EA Sports - who will naturally save much of the detail for their own E3 briefing. We'll undoubtedly get a look at Ryse, Crytek's Kinect hack & slasher, and another SmartGlass demonstration. I'd be surprised if Activision didn't turn up to show some live Call Of Duty: Ghosts code, too, which was noticeably absent from their schizophrenic developer diary that mainly focused on cute dogs and clever fish.
Then we come to the new stuff, at which point, I need to segue from dead certs to a bit of jigsaw-esque guesswork.

Rare are supposedly bringing a "historic IP" along to E3. Killer Instinct rumours have been doing the rounds for months, but a recent titillating report suggests that another Banjo & Kazooie title might make an appearance. Maybe both. Rare may be a shadow of their former selves, but have the manpower to develop multiple games in tandem. Another sports game would probably be a good fit as a Kinect 2.0 tech demo too.
Black Tusk, one of Microsoft's first-party studios, will likely reveal their debut franchise (rumoured to be a Sci-Fi shooter), while another Crackdown title from Ruffian would be an absolute blinder and a breath of fresh air. Fable 4 is looking increasingly likely, not least because new forums have opened and an HD remake of the original Fable has been confirmed for Christmas. Coincidence? Not likely.

More outlandish reports suggest that Dead Rising 3 could well make an appearance as a timed exclusive, alongside sequel showings from Mirror's Edge 2, Prey 2, Homefront 2, Dark Souls 2 and even Beyond Good & Evil 2 of all things. Grab a pinch of salt, but I'd love to see that happen. Respawn Studios are rumoured to be working on an Xbox-exclusive shooter, which might make its debut, along with some Kinect-enabled family games from first and third parties.
Oh, and a Halo 5 tease probably wouldn't go amiss either.

The Xbox 360 will also get a little loving. We've been promised a "huge" announcement, which one of our readers (stevenjameshyde) suggested could well be some timed exclusive DLC for GTA V, in keeping with the precedent set by GTA IV.
Many questions will go unanswered, mind. The glitzy bombastic E3 presentation probably isn't the right platform for discussing the Used Game debacle, which will likely be cleared up by subsequent press releases and interviews. There's also a 50/50 chance of getting a firm RRP - though it would be great to receive solid pricing details, this could overplay their hand if Sony doesn't follow suit later that day.
Speaking of Sony...

Sony (June 11th, 02:00 GMT)

Sony are currently enjoying a strong position, having secured the PlayStation 4's role as a dedicated games machine directed squarely at a savvy gaming audience. Following a great big dubstep montage (there's always a great big dubstep montage) of current-gen and next-gen footage, Sony will probably start by showing us what the PS4 actually looks like.
As always, the crowd will cheer uproariously.

Once the applause dies down and we get a little hardware recap, Sony's conference will be more about consolidation than megaton reveals. Killzone: Shadow Fall will almost certainly get another live demo, while gameplay footage - if not live code - will break cover for DriveClub and InFamous: Second Son. We'll get another look at Knack, perhaps, alongside a couple of surprises from Sony's first-party studios. Personally, I'd love Naughty Dog to reveal something (possibly Uncharted 4), and Sony Santa Monica to at least tease a new direction for God Of War (Egyptian Gods please!) if not an entirely new franchise.

Sony's massive support for indie studios will likely lead to a bit of a PSN showcase, both for next and current-gen. Some enthusiastic auteurs will probably bound onto the stage or screen, keen to discuss their wares and stress how supportive Sony have been in terms of securing funding and an open platform to develop on.
In terms of Third Party participants, Bungie have RSVP'd to deliver the true Destiny reveal we've all been waiting for. Activision could well let us scope out Diablo III, while some other major titles will likely use the event as a springboard. Square Enix have promised a major reveal, which could well be Final Fantasy Versus XIII, and we can expect some other surprises from left-field. Ubisoft might also turn up for a bit to stress their support, as they've frequently done in years past, and talk about some exclusive content.

The PS3 will get some serious attention. With titles like Gran Turismo VI, Beyond: Two Souls and Rain in the pipeline, it's clear that there's still much to discuss on the current-gen front. PlayStation Vita will probably play a minor role, perhaps with confirmation that all PS4 titles will support Remote Play functionality. This could well be the opening salvo, though we'll have to wait and see.

Sony will probably be keen to demonstrate that the PS4 is also capable of being an entertainment device by confirming some participating TV/streaming providers (likely a slide full of logos) and a deeper look at the social media Share button in action. We may also get some details about how PlayStation Plus will work going into the next-generation, though this could be saved for GamesCom and a more region-specific show.
The Last Guardian also reared its perpetually-delayed head recently, but you absolutely shouldn't get your hopes up. It will be interesting to see whether Team ICO's long-awaited title will move to the PS4, however. Whenever that happens.

Again, beyond the odd coy comment, we probably won't get a firm 'yay or nay' about used games regulation, but we'd love to be proven wrong. If Sony actually plans to foster an open ecosystem, an explicit confirmation would deal their rival a killer blow (that said, they'd probably have already confirmed it by now if they had nothing to hide). Pricing - especially European RRP - may also be withheld until GamesCom.

Nintendo (June 11th, 15:00 GMT)

Rather than being stuck between a next-gen rock and a hard place, Nintendo's decision to hold a global Nintendo direct livestream on June 11th instead of a full-on presentation seems inspired if a little risky (being that their major challenge is still reaching the mainstream audience who don't follow gaming news).
Put simply: we expect Mario.

Three Mario games in fact. Judging by a recent tweet, we'll receive firm details (and hopefully footage) of a Wii U Mario Kart, the next Super Smash Bros. and a brand new 3D Mario game designed exclusively for the system. A new Zelda title has been heavily tipped - reported to be one of the biggest and most labour-intensive games Nintendo has ever produced - and chances are Yoshi will take us on a tour of his upcoming island. Without wanting to sound too impatient, Retro Studios are also long overdue to reveal what the heck they've been working on these past few years.
On the second and third party fronts, we can expect to see much more of Bayonetta 2 and The Wonderful 101, and potentially a full reveal of Monolith Soft's mysterious "X." Since it's either a prequel or sequel to Xenoblade Chronicles, one of the best JRPGs ever made, we can't help but hope for a drool-inducing gawk at the first properly next-gen roleplaying game. With luck, the Fire Emblem x Shin Megami Tensei crossover will also break cover.
We suspect that Nintendo will try to keep the focus on the Wii U as much as possible, with the 3DS only getting a brief mention. Since their handheld has been dominating Nintendo Direct broadcasts of late, it's probably time that the home console got a stint in the spotlight - perhaps even a new hardware line and the phasing out of the lacklustre 8GB Basic edition?
Some pleasant surprises would be nice. As a Starwing (sorry American readers, but I'll always call it that) fan, it'd be great to see a brand new take on the franchise, while Samus needs to strut her bounty hunting stuff. However, more surprises would be very welcome indeed - new IPs, new mascots and an attempt to breathe life into the slightly stuffy Nintendo roster. Preferably from smaller studios and even plenty of indies thanks to their arrangement with Unity. Don't, erm, bet on it though.
It's easy to doomsling, but since Microsoft mishandled their reveal event in terms of core audience appeal, Nintendo's box that plays good games could well position itself cleverly as a cut-price alternative.  There's an opportunity here, but Nintendo needs to seize it with both hands to avoid a bit of a sales rout this Christmas, and third party developers ignoring the platform out of hand. No pressure, then.

Halo: Spartan Assault is a Twin-Stick Top-Down Shooter

With all the attention surrounding the Xbox One, it almost seems as if Microsoft has forgotten its other gaming platform, Windows 8. Thankfully, gamers who are wondering what to play on their Windows tablets and phones will soon have the chance to experience the latest game in Microsoft's flagship franchise, Halo. Halo: Spartan Assault is a new top-down, twin-stick shooter due out this July for Windows 8 devices.
While it's a bit of an arcade experience, the requisite Halo freedom is there in full force. Players will be able to customize their roles on the battlefield through various loadouts, and will also be able to hop in and out of familiar vehicles like the Wraith or the Warthog. It's all part of the same seamless sandbox experience we're used to on the console. The only difference is that now we're looking down at it all from above. Players control the movement of their character or vehicle with the left stick, and control the direction of fire with the right stick. Options to lob grenades or enter vehicles are available with a simple tap.
The story marks the return of Sarah Palmer, the UNSC Commander and veteran of the First and Second Battle of Requiem. The whole context of the game borrows from the Spartan Ops model, which has players running through missions in a tactical simulator, complete with daily challenges. In a sense, the tablet and phone version of the game serves as the simulator through which the player is meant to relive the storied battles from the Halo lore. As the player completes challenges, he or she will unlock new content for Halo 4 and Waypoint.

You can see from the trailer just how good the game looks. This being Halo, that's not necessarily surprising, but it does show just how far developers can push the graphics on the current generation of mobile devices. The animations, effects, and overall style of the game make it as authentic a Halo experience as possible. Halo Spartan Assault pushes the hardware well past the line at which you immediately follow "it looks good" with "for a tablet game." The audio, provided by Skywalker Sound, completes the presentation.
I'm less confident in Microsoft's marketing line that Halo is always at the forefront of Microsoft devices, as it ignores the lack of Halo content on Windows-based PCs over the last six years, including Halo 3, ODST, Reach, Halo 4, and, yes, even Halo Wars. That said, the growth of Halo on a new platform is encouraging.