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2019 Video Game Reviews Done Quickly

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Last year around this time (on this day to be precise), I did a full year review of the all the video games I played. I composed tiny reviews for 23 games. This year it looks like the magic number 23 again. Sounds like a trend.

So, these are the games I completed in 2019. Some of which may not have been released in 2019. And when I say complete, I mean either I 100%’d it, finished the main campaign story if it is open-ended or has end-game content, or I consider it done enough that I won’t be revisiting it. Also the order below is roughly Jan through Dec, for when I completed the game, and not necessarily when I started the game. You’ll get the idea as you read the list.

Onward…

Red Dead Redemption II (2018): I technically beat this game January 1st 2019, but mostly played it in December, and did a little blurb in last year’s review, so we’ll just start with this:

“[…] this game is a technical marvel, from game-play to visuals. Rockstar Games has always paid incredible attention to the most mundane of details. It means their games take 5-6 years to make, but the time pays off.”

Astroneer (2017-2019): Astroneer started out as an early access game that Wayne and I played in 2017. The 1.0 version came out early 2019, with achievements and an actual end game. The game is a fun mining/crafting game. You start on a planet and have to mine and gather materials to build a spaceship to travel to other planets. There’s a very deep crafting system that allows you to refine the raw materials into alloys and then build buggies, and trailers, and solar panels, and air-purifiers. Each thing to help make the primary task easier. I never fully completed this game, but do jump in every once in a while. It has terrible lag when playing in co-op and I’m not sure if that’s been resolved yet/ever.

Horizon: Zero Dawn (2017): Horizon Zero Dawn would be the sole Playstation game for 2019, and I actually started this game in 2017, but just never got around to completing it. After completing Spiderman and God of War last year, I figured it was finally time to wrap up Horizon Zero Dawn. Game takes place in a post apocalyptic lust world, where machine-like dinosaurs rule. You play as Aloy, trying to find out what hapened to the world. Again, this was another game that just didn’t grab me initially. I would play here and there for a bit but couldn’t stay interested. Primarily due to the difficulty curve, as it just felt like a grind to play. I dropped the difficulty down to Story mode and had an absolute blast for the rest of the game. I haven’t tried the DLC, but I really should. 2020 will be a big year for me in the Playstation realm, with Death Stranding out now, and The Last of Us II release mid-2020. I also want to play Uncharted 4 and Uncharted Lost Legacy which are in the queue (aka: shelf).

Planet Alpha (2018): Planet Alpha is a fun side-scroller platformer game, similar to Inside or Limbo. You wake up on an alien planet and must try to escape. There are more puzzle elements at play as you can adjust the day and night cycles which will use to navigate each level. You’ll notice that side scrolling walking puzzle games are my go-to this year. I just appreciate their pace.

Assassin’s Creed Origins (2017): Origins was the first major leap for the AC series into the next gen, with 4k visuals on the Xbox One X. And it is a pretty game. I even posted a large photo album of in-game screen shots. I’ve always liked the AC games and this was no different. They modernized the RPG elements with leveling, and gear pickups which is a nice adjustment. 2020 I’ll be getting in Odyssey, and then I should be fully caught up, until Vikings comes out I guess.

DOOM (2016): 2.5 years after I started playing this game I finally pushed myself to finish it. There was nothing wrong with the game that caused me to take so long, it’s just very intense. Very in-your-face, loud metal music playing, gore and nonstop frantic combat. After each level I was just left very white-knuckled, a little jumpy and short of breath. So I would have to put the controller down for a few months at a time before getting back into it. This year I decided to just play it consistently and push through to the end. Very solid game, lots of fun, and gorgeous on the Xbox One X.

Crackdown 3 (2019): This game is exactly like Crackdown 1 and 2. Disappointed that it took so freaking long to make, and the waiting for the cloud-based destruction wasn’t even in the campaign, but attached as a multiplayer component. Verdict: not worth the wait.

The Gardens Between (2018): This was a fun little puzzle game. Game starts as two young friends are about to be separated as one is moving away, and the game is told from the perspective of their memories together. Each one, its own little island, from the perspective of the child’s imagination. You control the two players simultaneously, and you do so by moving time forward and backwards, as the characters walk their path. Very simple mechanic, and a fun little heartfelt game as a result.

39 Days to Mars (2019): Another little fun 2-D puzzle game that I played in co-op with Nichole. The concept is you and your friend are going to fly the most unreliable spaceship to Mars. Everything at some point will break down during the trip, and you’ll come across space squids that will ink your ship and you’ll need to catch with a fishing net and eventually a space kraken. The in-between times when your ship is not falling apart, you’ll need to make tea and sandwiches. The game is made with co-op in mind and the co-op puzzles are all paper-craft types which can be both funny and frustrating to pull off. This game did not end up in divorce.

Wolfenstein II: The New Colossus (2017): I have very much enjoyed the Wolfenstein reboot games. They are very polished and have solid dual wielding gunplay mechanics. Difficult at times, but I felt this had a shorter, but tighter story than the previous two. Only issue I had was when I was about halfway through, I accidentally wiped my game save. And had to start from the beginning. But that was my fault.

Anthem (2019): Alright, first of 4 big 2019 AAA titles I played this year. EA/BioWare’s big new IP. A lot of complaints got thrown at this game on launch as it made a lot of weird decisions in its design, and didn’t have any satisfactory end-game content. For me, I don’t care about end-game content. That’s a weird term. The campaign is over, the game is over. Move on. Why do you need more? They have made a lot of changes to the design and added more content over the past year, but gameplay remains relatively the same. Big positive ease-of-use improvement is you can changes your weapons mid-mission now. Which, why that was a limitation on launch, I’ll never know. This game wanted to be the next Destiny, so why didn’t they make it more like Destiny, instead of handcuffing the player at every opportunity? Because EA? I enjoyed the story and gameplay a lot. I actually wrote an “in progress” review for this game back in March.

Shadow of the Tomb Raider (2018): Third and maybe final (?) in the Tomb Raider reboot series. A very solid conclusion to the series if it does end. A tighter story than the last one, but with more tombs which is nice. Gorgeous as always. Gameplay hasn’t really changed since the 2015 reboot, they just keep adding more and more outfits.

FAR: Lone Sails (2019): Another side-scrolling puzzle type game, similar to Limbo, Inside, and Planet Alpha. This time you play a little dude controlling what can be best described as a desert sailboat? A large machine with wheels, and a sail. You start off with very little, but as you progress, your ship gets upgraded with better wheels and a sail. You need to pick up fuel as your progress, and you need to repair your ship as the story moves along. The sail helps conserve fuel, but if you are not paying attention, you can crash into walls or checkpoints if you don’t stop in time. A quiet, somber game with an enjoyable soundtrack.

Celeste (2018): This game won Best Independent Game, and Games for Impact in last year’s Game Awards which inspired the purchase. The game is a 2-D platformer with speedrunning in mind. All about speed and finesse. Retro look and feel. The game gets very difficult near. Each level also has a few collectibles and a b-side to encourage replayability. The story is about a girl who is suffering from depression and anxiety, and her goal is to climb this mountain and reach the peak. The subject matter touches on struggling with anger and doubt, and defeat, and overcoming those emotions.

Submerged (2015): 3rd person combat-free game in which you explore a flooded city in a boat, and must scale the buildings to find the medical parcels to help your brother. Easy achievements, can be completed in a day. Nothing exciting worth writing about.

Gears 5 (2019): 2nd big AAA title for 2019. Follow up to Gears 4, following the events of the Gears team, with the focus on Kait Diaz as she discovers the origins of the Locust and her family. Good looking, a little buggy with the robot, Jack, as a playable character. Story was pretty routine, but the large open level segments where you surf around on the skiff really took me out of the game, as these segments were just large and void of anything. Close quarters, narrow alleys and crumbling buildings is where Gears thrived. Back when it was dark and scary. Now it’s bright and open and I don’t like it. Also you end up fighting robots a lot now. Two thumbs neither up nor down. Just sideways. Meh. They put a lot of emphasis on all the different multiplayer modes, and escape modes which I was not interested in.

What Remains of Edith Finch (2017): In the 2nd half of 2019 I started playing a lot more, smaller, indie games. Games that I could run through in a short time. I had a very specific goal for Extra Life 2019 to reach 250K Xbox Gamerscore. When I started this in July I needed 14k to reach my goal. Indie games are usually pretty quick, and easy to 100% for 1000G. WRoEF was one of these game with an interesting story about a large family, where all the family members die. The daughter/narrator returns home to this weird house as the last remaining member of this sad family, and reads/plays through the family journal to tell the story of each family member, and their unfortunate death. One story was of a boy who was on a swing-set and believed he could do a full 360 loop around the tree branch. He succeeded, and subsequently flew off the swing and cliff and died. This story told in first person view actually caused me motion sickness and had to stop playing for a day. Another story was of a baby drowning in a bathtub. That one kinda messed me up for a bit, as a new dad.

Call of Duty: Infinite Warfare (2016): At any given time, Activision has 3 different teams working on Call of Duty titles. This iteration primary took place in space, in the future, and had you flying a space ship for a chunk of levels. This game won the award for having the most down-voted announcement trailer. Good game though. Pushed the bar for visuals for a COD title and was fun to play with the futuristic weapons. With COD titles you pretty much know what you’re getting into, which is why I don’t buy them new.

Guns, Gore, and Cannoli 2: Sequel to Guns, Gore and Cannoli 1 – go figure. 2-D side scrolling shooter game, like the old Metal Slug games. Played in co-op on Extra Life night (supports up to 4 players), completed in 1 sitting. Fun, humourous and a cartoony art-style.

Diablo 3: Nichole and I started this game in 2017, and it took us 2 years to finish it. Top down dungeon crawler game with lots of loot and fun gameplay combat. Equally fun in co-op except when you’re waiting for the other person to manage their loot and gear, and attacks, and spells, and, and, and…

Far Cry 5 (2018): Fry Cry games really became fun to play around Far Cry 3. 3 had a good story. 4 was fun. Primal had a good story and no guns (which was different). 5 was tedious. When 4 was introduced, they introduced Co-op in the most broken way. You could join a friend’s game, gain xp, and help unlock outposts, but you’ll make no progress in the single player campaign. So you don’t unlock achievements or any story progress. So why bother playing in co-op at all? Wayne and I beat the game begrudgingly. We beat “HIS” game that is.

STAR WARS Jedi: Fallen Order (2019): 3rd big AAA title of the year. And probably my top game of the year (without counting the next game). a fun Star Wars story about a unknown Jedi, taking place after Revenge of the Sith and Palpatine’s Order 66 which turned the clone army on the Jedi Council. Force powered individuals are in hiding and this story is about finding a codex of force enabled children before the Republic does. Fun platforming and light-saber wielding gameplay with force push and pull powers. Made by the Titanfall developer. In a time where EA has the exclusive rights to make Star Wars games, and so far they’ve only turned out Battlefront multiplayer crap, having a Single Player focused game, that doesn’t get cancelled, and its actually GOOD, is a relief.

Honourable mention:

CONTROL (2019): I’m currently in the middle of this game, so it can’t be officially included in this list. But its a neat one. kinda like Psi-Ops / Second Sight. You play a female agent who arrives at a large building that deals with strange anomalies. All the staff have been taken over by this strange force, and you use a gun that is alive(?) to fight your way out of problems. You also have telekinetic powers, and can throw objects around and create a shield made of concrete. Made by the develops of Alan Wake and Quantum Break. Also the main character has internal dialogue with herself/you the play. Its bizarre, and cool. And will likely win Game of the Year at this year’s Game of the Year Awards (which take place tomorrow, Dec 12).

Top 5:
SW Jedi Fallen Order
Shadow of the Tomb Raider
Wolfenstein II
Horizon: Zero Dawn
The Gardens Between

Bonus: I also plan to do a “My Top Games of the Decade” list before the end of the month. Pray for me as I enter that rabbit hole.

-iRogan

E3 2016 – Bethesda Press Conference

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BETHESDA E3 2016:

Finishing off day zero of E3 2016 is the Bethesda press conference, like last year, holding their own solo event away from the convention itself. EA also did this earlier today with EA PLAY. Why these two studios have decided to do this is unclear. Is it so they get their own spotlight before the mass media coverage that starts tomorrow. Is it because they feel that E3 is a media only event, that gamers are included, so they host their own public shows. It’s unknown.

Either way, let s get to the show already.

QUAKE Champions

A quick teaser for QUAKE Champions is revealed and Pete Hines takes the stage.  Pete thanks the fans, welcomes us to the Bethesda E3 briefing and announces Quake Champions. What ID does best. Fast crazy FPS games. Gorgeous visuals, only for the PC without a frame rate cap.

Pete Hines also discusses the big hits from the last year:

  • Fallout Shelter
  • Elder Scrolls Online Console Launch
  • Fallout 4
  • Doom

We are then introduced to Elder Scrolls: Legends, a Strategy Card game in the Elder Scrolls Universe. Will have a single player and multiplayer story, available across all platforms.

Fallout 4 Additions and Fallout Shelter

Next up is the Bethesda Game Studio where we are introduced to the new additions coming to Fallout 4: Contraption Workshop, Vault-tec Workshop, and Nuka-World.

As well, a big new update is coming to Fallout Shelter, which includes new locations, new enemies, update combat system, new characters and quests. As well, it’s coming to PC.

Skyrim Remastered

Coming out October 28th, a remastered edition of Elder Scrolls: Skyrim. Also, Skyrim mods coming to consoles.

PREY

Raphael Colantonio from Arkane Studios takes the stage and quickly ackowledges the work that half of Arkane Studios is eorking on: Dishonored 2. But his team has been working on PREY.

A reboot of the franchise that never saw its sequel. A first person psychological sci-fi thriller that takes place on  a space station overrun by aliens. You’ll need your wits, weapons and mind-bending abilities to play this game. Out next year, more info at Quakecon later this year.

DOOM

New updates coming to DOOM are announced. More free updates coming to Doom Snapmap, new construction modules, new props, logic options, and the ability to make campaign-like stories that include the weapon wheel.

Two new team modes are coming to Doom Multiplayer soon. Later in the summer 3 new free-for-all modes will be released, and then later in the year, the first batch of Premium DLC will drop, including new maps, new playable demon, new guns, armour, and equipment.

A DOOM demo is also available now for free, and includes the fist level. For a limited time.

Elder Scrolls Online

Celebrating the One Year Anniversary of ESO released on consoles, and now has 7 million players online. A quick highlight package is shown, and the the Dark Brotherhood DLC expansion is announced for console. Also “One Tamriel” which automatically levels the game for all players, and drops the restriction barriers for all zones, so you can play with your party, no matter what level your character is. Never been done in an MMO before.

Bethesda VR

The team quickly announces that they are working on VR for their games: DOOM and Fallout 4, and is available to try on the game floor. Will be available on the VIVE Platform for the PC

Dishonored 2

The presentation wraps p with a huge chunk dedicated to Dishonored 2 from Arkane Studios, and Harvey Smith takes the stage. In Dishorored 2, like its predecessor, we play a supernatural assassin in a steampunk city. A lot of love has been put into the new location with a new custom game engine: The Void Engine, which brings a lot of atmospheric enrichment to the world.

D2 takes place 15 years after the events of the first game and gives the player the choice of playing either character: Emily Kaldwin, or her father from the first game, Corvo Attano. Both have their own unique set of abilities. Once you pick, you can’t switch.

First level that is shown is the Dust Districts that has random weather that can assist with assassinations as it effect visibility. The player has the ability to join different factions or work alone and there is a lot more work done to make the game more vertical. We are shown Emily’s new Mesmerize talent, which distracts enemies and holds them in place and will allow you pass unseen. The Far-Reach talent is also shown, with allows the player to reach distant ledges, as well as grab enemies. The Domino talent is showcased. This talent allows you to tag multiple enemies, and whatever happens to one,will simultaneously effect them all. Finally the Shadow-Walk ability turns you into a silent creepy shadow that crawls along the floor and can take out enemies unseen.

The biggest gameplay addition is the Timepiece. This device allows you to see the past through a lens in the level or area you are in. You can also jump into the past, interact with the enemies, and jump back.

Dishonored 2 will be available on the Xbox 1, PS$, and PC November 11, and if you pre-order any of the digital editions, you get the Definitive Edition of Dishonored 1 for free.

All the global Bethesda teams are shown on screen waving. Thank you to the fans. Goodnight.

Definitely a good way to wrap up the night. Bethesda’s conference I think was stronger than EA’s, but I think EA’s was hurt by some early leaks. I am most excited for Dishonored 2 and the newly rebooted PREY. A strong conference that hit all the key points, and was over just as quick.

I’m excited for the free copy of Dishonored 1 when pre-ordering 2. I’ve always wanted to replay D1, but couldn’t bring myself to buy it again on the latest-gen. Now I don’t need to.

See you tomorrow with E3 Day 1.

-iRogan

 

 

 

E3 2015 – Bethesda Press Conference #BE3

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BETHESDA E3 2015 Showcase :

–Bethesda‘s first stand-alone press conference at E3 starts big, a day before E3 officially starts. It starts off with a promo video showcasing the staff and different studios under the Bethesda umbrella. It then moves onto a promo trailer showing its recent games in: Skyrim, Dishonored, Rage, Battlecry, Wolfenstein, Doom, and The Evil Within.

-Pete Heins takes the stage to epic music.

“Welcome to the first ever press conference for Bethesda Gameworks. Welcome all.”

DOOM

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-The show starts off with DOOM. id Tech 6, or id Tech 666 ;). Marty Stratton takes the stage, from id Software. DOOM based on 3 foundations: Bad-Ass Demons, Big F’n Guns, and Fast Movement. Trailer based on mars again, and the game looks gorgeous and runs smooth. We’re in a mining facility, lots of molten steel. Climbable objects, brutal melee, lots of blood. Double Barrel shotgun is brutal, blowing enemies to chunks. Boost jump, and climbable platforming – more verticality. Game is fast and smooth, and slows down, slow-motion, when switching weapons. Showcases a lot of different weapons, chainsaw being the highlight. The melee looks contextual. Body part specific melee.

–DOOM multiplayer, fast paced arena mode, showcasing power-ups and vertical levels. Quick trailer shows what the DOOM multiplayer will look like.

-Next quick trailer announced DOOM Snapmap. Community in-game mod tools allows players to create their own maps and game types that can be shared to the online community. Shared across all platforms.

-Before Marty leaves, we’re back into the single player mode, in Hell. A couple new guns are shown, with difficult combat with new baddies, and the boost jump-stomp. The enemies get highlighted in either a blue or red coating which means melee is an option, not sure what the difference between the two colours mean. Final stand-off between the main guy and a HUGE bad guy where the BFG is brought up and fade-to-black. DOOM is announced for Spring 2016 on Xbox One, PS4, and PC.

-Pete Heins is back on the stage talking about DOOM Snapmap. He announces the network background for all their current games, and game in the future: Bethesda.net. This is where content creation will be housed.

Battlecry

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-Team Fortress style game is showcased, showing the work that’s been done of the past year. Cartoony art style showing lots of different characters and attacks. Sign-up for the global beta is open now.

Dishonored 2

original

-Harvey Smith and Raphael Colantonio directors at Arkane Studios on the stage to talk about Dishonored. FPS, stealth based story. Trailer for Dishonored 2: Pre-rendered video showing the new world, new powers, new bad guys, new hero? A new female protagonist. And a brief glimpse at the original mask. Fade.

-Two optional playable characters this time.

-Lastly, Dishonored Definitive Edition, HD remake with DLC – available this fall.

Elder Scrolls Online

-Now available on the consoles with the latest update Tamriel Unlimited. Quick trailer showing the new content.

Elder Scrolls Legends

-Strategy card game – with the Elder Scrolls heroes and history. Free to play, on PC and iPad.

Fallout 4

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-Pete Heins jokingly says the conference is over, much to the crowd’s chagrin. Heins gets confused at the crowd’s dismay, and the fans chant Fallout 4. He quickly remembers why everyone is here.

–Bethesda has won 3 consecutive Game of the Year awards with Oblivion, Fallout 3, and Skyrim.

-Todd Howard is introduced and comes to stage. Howard says the E3 is the best week of entertainment ever. Games are the best form of entertainment.

-The team started designing Fallout 4, after Fallout 3 back in 2009, but obviously had to do so slowly, as they were working on Skyrim. Discusses the teams attention to detail, showcasing the concept art of Fallout. Quick art reel.

–Fallout 4 starts in the world, before the bombs start falling. Player creation starts. Option to play as a female. Quick tour of the house and the world before the bombs. References to the past game’s notables, with Nuka Cola, or Sugar Bombs. Next up, registration for the Bomb Shelter, where you set your vital stats. The city sirens start blaring and everyone is running towards the vault, when the atom blast detonates.

-Skip ahead, 200 years later, sole survivor of Vault 111. Introduction to the wasteland. Enormous dynamic world. Create who you want, go where you want, do what you want. Player freedom is priority #1.  Dynamic volumetric lighting is shown. Conversation system still a mainstay. Conversation are dynamic, and the game can be played in first person or 3rd. You can walk away from a conversation whenever you want.

-Introduced to the dog, Dogmeat, and dog commands. Everything is contextual.

-VATS is back, and shows slow-motion bullets.

-Game is based in downtown Boston. Quick reel of the many different locations that can be visited.

-Introduction to the new Pip-boy. Showcases layered armor system. Mini-game options in the Pip-boy. Real edition of a Pip-boy that supports a cell phone available in the collector’s edition, and has a pip-boy app as a second screen experience.

Fallout Shelter – iPhone Game

-Vault micromanagement game based in the Fallout world. Vault dwellers can level up, and can be sent out to the wasteland to gather resources and collect items. Vault can grow with new additions.

-Game is free. No timers, no internet connection required. Available tonight.

Back to Fallout 4

-Player can rebuild the world, in-game, in real time. People will arrive to your settlement. Can build crops, and power generators. Can run wires to terminals and lights, and defenses. You can build your own little settlement and community. Need to build defenses as the settlement will get attacked by raiders.

-Many settlement sights are available throughout the world that can be grown and built up. Completely optional.

-Crafting works on weapons too. 50 base weapons and over 700 modifications for those weapons. Can even modify our own power armor.

-Play how you want: FPS, 3rd Person, or through VATS. Quick video showing the variety of the game, weapons, and characters. Play how you want.

-Thank you to all from Bethesda to all the fans. Thank you for the patience. Game will be released November 10th, 2015, to much applause.

-Pre-E3 over and done with Bethesda.

-Up next is Microsoft’s at 9:30am tomorrow morning. See you in the morning.

-iRogan

NEWS – Some Catching Up to Do

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Alright, we have some catching up to do, so let’s stick to the big stuff, shall we?

Today we’ll talk more about: Star Wars Battlefront, Dishonored, Assassin’s Creed, The Last of Us, Rainbow Six Siege, DOOM, Need for Speed, Halo MCC, and Evolve.

 I’ll also briefly talk about the games I have on the go and up-coming, and plans for E3.

Star Wars Battlefront: No Ironsights, Squads or Classes
EA and Dice are doing away with some of the expected FPS features included in their previous games like Battlefield. Star Wars Battlefront won’t have ironsights for its common blasters, but some rifles will still have scopes. Looks like you’ll be shooting from the hip. Also, there will be no more Classes or Squads. You can outfit your character however you see fit, with the items you’ve unlocked, and there will be a “partner” system, that will allow you to see your friend on the UI, and will allow you to spawn on them.

Dishonored Next-Gen Release?
Looks like there might be a Definitive Edition release of 2012’s Dishonored; a fantastic game that I’d like to play through again. Fingers crossed.

New Details on the next Assassin’s Creed
Assassin’s Creed Syndicate will feature two main playable characters, one of whom is a woman. Brother and sister duo – Jacob and Evie Frye. The game will take place in Victorian London in 1686. The brother will be taking the lead in the story in terms of playtime, approximately 75% of the story. October 23rd, 2015 release date on the PC, Xbox One and PS4.

The Last of Us’ Left Behind DLC Now Standalone
Playstation and Naughty Dog’s The Last of Us was one of 2013’s greatest games. The Left Behind DLC featuring Ellie is now available as a standalone package, no longer requiring The Last of Us game.

Rainbow Six Siege Release Date
Ubisoft’s Rainbow Six Siege has found its release window: October 13th, 2015.

DOOM Gameplay Teased, Full Reveal at E3
Bethesda has revealed that it will be showcasing its DOOM reboot at its E3 press conference on June 14th. I’ll discuss my E3 plans at the bottom.

Need for Speed 2015
Electronic Arts and Ghost Games are rebooting Need for Speed, and it’s titled just that: Need for Speed. EA promises “deep customization, authentic urban car culture, a nocturnal open world, and an immersive narrative that pulls you through the game”. Seems like it’s going back to the Underground days? Release date is November 3rd, 2015, and will require an online connection.

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“It’s been going from studio to studio, and creatives were creative, but there wasn’t really a strategic way of thinking of what the brand is and what it stands for,” EA Executive Producer Marcus Nilsson. “For sure, it’s been delivering great experiences, but not experiences that can build on top of each other to become better and better necessarily.

“If you look at the last few games – Hot Pursuit, The Run, Shift, Rivals, Most Wanted – and you asked people, ‘What does Need for Speed stand for?’, you’d get a million different answers.

Halo 3: ODST Re-mastered Now Available
The re-mastered edition of Halo: ODST for the Halo Master Chief Collection, is now available for those who played the game during the launch window.

Evolve’s New Arena Mode Free
Evolve has a new update and it’s free, and it’s a new mode: Arena. The 4 Hunters face off against a stage 2 monster in that typical 4 v 1 method. The change is that it’s in a small enclosure now, and it’s best of 3. No longer are the hunter’s required to  track down and chase the monster. Take-Two recently announced that Evolve is permanent franchise for the publisher, joining Borderlands, Grand Theft Auto, among others.

So I recently went through my queue of games that I currently have on the go:

Assassin’s Creed Chronicles: China
Assassin’s Creed IV – Blag Flag
Battlefield Hardline
Borderlands – The Pre-Sequel
Contrast
Destiny
Far Cry 4
Splinter-Cell: Blacklist (Xbox 360)
State of Decay
Tales From the Borderlands
The Crew

Contrast I should be able to wrap up pretty quick. Unmechanical is a quick puzzle game I just finished recently, and there’s a review for that on Friday. I recently completed Sniper Elite III as well, with a review around the corner.

I have a few games on the shelf waiting to be played: Metro 2033 and Last Light bundle, Badland GOTY that I picked up today, Assassin’s Creed Unity (after IV), Shadow of Mordor. I’d like to give The Evil Within another shot, but who knows. Also, out in the wild is Evolve, Alien Isolation, and Wolfenstein: The Old Blood. These are homeless, out on the streets, looking for a nice warm home on my hard-drive.

Lastly, E3 is just around the corner. I’m going to be posting a new section for E3 news on the title bar, and I’ll be watching the press conferences on Sunday, June 14th, and Monday June 15th, and live blogging those all day.

Exciting stuff is just around the corner: New Games and deals tomorrow, early reviews and What I’m playing on Thursday, an iReview on Friday. Stick around, as I’m back.

-iRogan