Video Game News -2013 E3 Conference-

Another E3 had come and gone. Here are some of the biggest news:



Microsoft has announced a new XBox 360 model, which design was inspired by its successor. It is already out in N. America. The company also revealed that they will release two free games per month for XBox Live Gold members, and the first two games are Halo 3 and Assassin's Creed III.

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Microsoft's newest console will be out worldwide this November. It will include:

1. Xbox One console with 500GB hard drive
   
2. Blu-ray drive and Wi-Fi included in console
   
3. Kinect peripheral
   
4. Xbox One Wireless Controller
   
5. Free 14-day trial of Xbox Live Gold
   

The prices will be $499 in N. America, €499 in Europe, and £429 in England.

There will also be a "Day One" bundle for those who buy the XBox One on release day at major retailers. It will come in premium black with a limited edtion Xbox One Day wireless controller. The bundle will include these four games and bonuses:

1. Ryse: Son of Rome – Exclusive multiplayer map and sword with bonus attributes.
   
2. Forza Motorsport 5 – Access to four cars tuned to the top of their class.
   
3. Kinect Sports Rivals – Exclusive sporting equipment that separates your Champion from the rest of the world.
   
4. Dead Rising 3 - Exclusive Frank West and Chuck Greene Tribute Packs with bonus attributes.
   

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New XBox Live Will Have Reputation System and New Currency

To deal with unruly gamers online, Microsoft has introduced a reputation system in which players can rate other gamers positively or negatively. The company hopes it would be used to weed out troublemakers and cheaters as well as allow players to have more control over who they play with. The Xbox Live for the system has also changed so that people will use local currency instead of Microsoft Points to buy games, DLCs, etc.

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Ryse: Son of Rome will be on of the Xbox One's launch games. The game will focus on Roman general Marius Titus, the main protagonist.



The next entry for Killer Instinct has been announced for the XBox One. No other information has been revealed so far.



Microsoft and Insomniac announced a new franchise for the XBox One called Sunset Overdrive, which is a “high-energy open-world shooter set in the not-so-distant future.” Insomniac boss Ted Price called it a "living world game" where new challenges, weapons, etc. are available every day due to the power of the cloud.



Players can create their own action-adventure games with Project Spark by using SmartGlass and Kinect. The creator can also manipulate and control his or her game, which can be shared online, while others are playing it. The game will be available for the Xbox One and Windows 8.



Minecraft is coming to the XBox One. Microsoft promises bigger world and multiplayer aspects.



Microsoft and Remedy Entertainment showed off its real-time, in-engine footage of Quantum Break, a new action franchise.



Capcom has revealed that Dead Rising 3, which is being published by Microsoft, will be an XBox One exclusive and will be out this holiday. The game will use Smartglass as a support. It takes place three days after a massive outbreak and features new protagonist, mechanic Nick Raymos. The setting is a dense, open world and there will be no load times. Players can use anything as weapons and combine items together. Zombies will be attracted to your every move, but luckily you can move around by driving.



The developer of Panzer Dragoon announces that they have changed its game, Crimson Dragon, from being a Kinect title for the Xbox 360 to a Xbox One title. There is no mention on the changes.



Last and not least, a new Halo game has been announced. It will be out next year.

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Sony revealed the design of its newest console at its E3 conference. The PS4 has a 6x speed Blu-ray drive, 8 GB of memory and 500 GB hard disk drive, which is user upgradeable. It is also region-free. The console will support used games and won't require gamers to be online 24 hours or authenticate once a day. Gaikai’s cloud service, which allows the PS3, PS4, and Vita to stream PS3 games, will be available next year for the PS4.

However, online play will no longer be free. In order to play online, gamers are now required to have PS Plus membership, which will cost $5 per month for a yearly subscription. For a one-month subscription, it will cost $10 for a 30-day subscription in N. America and €6.99 in Europe. Sony has offered a 90-day subscription for Japan for 1,300 yens ($13).

The PS4 will come out this holiday for $399 (N. America), 399 euros (Europe), and 349 pounds (Great Britian).

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During its press conference, Sony announced that over 140 games are being developed by first-party and third-party developers for the PS4 and over 100 of them will be available in the first year. The launch games are: Killzone: Shadow Fall, Driveclub, and Knack. Other games being developed are:



Infamous: Second Son, which will be out in Q1 2014. The main protagonist, Delsin Rowe, will have his older brother, Reggie, as an ally who will accompany him during his journey in Seattle.



Ready at Dawn's new game, The Order: 1886, takes place in Victorian-Era London in an alternative history. In this game, technical advances are necessary for mankind's survival. No release date has been posted yet.



From the maker of Bastion, Transistor is a sci-fi action RPG game. The main character wields a powerful weapon and is on the run from forces who are after it.

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Sony's Japan Studio is collaborating with Q Entertainment to develop a free-to-play RPG 2D game, Destiny of Spirits, for the Vita.



Ragnarok Odyssey Ace, an enhanced version of last year's Ragnarok Odyssey, will have new content and improved gameplay. It will be out on the Vita and PS3 this winter for N. America and Europe.



Dragon's Crown, a 2D side-scroller RPG, will be out in N. Amercia on Aug. 5th for the Vita and PS3.



XSeed has released the story summary for fourth game in the Ys series. In Ys Celecta: Sea of Trees, adventurer Adol Cristin has lost his memories and is trying to recover them. Upon his arrival in the town of Casnan, he met a thief who claimed to know him. They were then enlisted to map the land of Celecta, a sea full of trees. Many had attempted the task but none had ever returned. Now Adol must complete this task while determining who he is. At the same time, he must figure out who is his allies and who is just trying to use him.

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Aksys will release the third BlazBlue game to N. America for the PS3. The game will have a complete roster and no DLC characters. However, there will be DLCs for color variation and voice packs. According to producer Toshimichi Mori, the story for the series is 80% done.

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Pikmin 3, the newest Pikmin game in the series, will be available on the Wii U.



The latest Super Smash Bros. will have returning characters (Mario, Bowser, Link, Samus, Kirby, Fox, Pit, Donkey Kong, and Pikachu) as well as new ones (Mega Man, the Villager from Animal's Crossing, and Wii Fit trainer). The game will be out next year for the Wii U and 3DS.



Donkey Kong's newest game, Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze, will be heading to the Wii U this November for N. America and next year for Europe. In this game, a Viking from the North Seas had taken over Donkey Kong Islands. In order to take it back, Donkey Kong has to find other islands. The game will have two-player simultaneous multiplayer; Diddy Kong and Dixie Kong are playable.



The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker HD will available on Sept. 29th in Japan and this October for N. American and Europe. Some changes have been made to improve the game's overall tempo. One of them is the Tingle Tuner; in the original game, players used it to connect the Gamecube with the Gameboy Advance. Now players will receive the Tingle Bottle, in which players can send Miiverse messages and screenshots by placing them into bottles and sending into sea where it will wash onto other players' shores.



Super Mario 3D World, the first 3D Wii U game, will have four-player co-op and competitive multiplayer featuring Mario, Luigi, Princess Peach, and Toad. Each character has unique abilities (e.g. Peach can hover mid-air). It will also have a new power-up; the Cat costume will allow Mario to climb walls and scratch enemies.



The newest Mario Kart game, Mario Kart 8, will have an anti-gravity karts, allowing players to ride upside-down and on walls. Previous features (gliders, underwater racing, and motorbikes) will be available. Players can also post highlight video on the Miiverse or compete against each other in a 12-player multiplayer mode. The game will be out next spring.

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Platinum Games revealed more information on the sequel, Bayonetta 2. Bayonetta will have new weapons and powers such as Umbra Climax, which allows her to summon demons. The game will have two gameplay modes: Normal (the classic control scheme) and Touch (players can use the touch screen). Fellow witch Jeanne (non-playable) will join Bayonetta and perform combination attacks with her.



Monolith Soft's unnamed RPG will be a large-scale open-world RPG, where players can explore the world seamlessly.



Atlus's Shin Megami Tensei IV will be out on July 16th.

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Namco Bandai has revealed the gameplay trailer for Dark Souls II at Microsoft E3 conference.

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CD Projeckt Red announced that The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt will also be available on the Xbox One as well as PS4 and PC. The game will feature a "multi-region, open world" with "hand-crafted nonlinear quests". For the Xbonx One version, players can use the Kinect to voice spell commands or quick-switching in combat. The Smartglass allows them to manage inventory or to develop their characters.

In the debut trailer, the developers also put in a hidden message, which can be read in the third link.

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Game creator Hideo Kojima has confirmed that Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain will be heading to Playstation 4 and Xbox One. He also promised that the graphics would be much improved compared to the E3 trailer, which was based on the current generation texture and model.

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Square Enix announced that Final Fantasy VERSUS XIII has been renamed to Final Fantasy XV. The main character is Noctis, who is the crown prince of the kingdom of Lucis. Unfortunately, he is forced out of his city due to an attack from the enemy, Nifiheim. The company also hinted that there could be possibilities for more sequels.



The company also announced that Kingdom Hearts III is being developed as well. In this game, Sora and Riku set out to stop Master Xehanort, who is determined to start a war against the "tyranny of light" because he believes that it will bring a balance to light and darkness. While Riku and Mickey search for former keyblade wielders, Sora, Donald, and Goofy are tasked to find the Seven Guardians of Light as well as the Key to Return Hearts.

Both games will be on the PS4 and XBOne.

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Bungie and Activision showed off their co-created game, Destiny. In this shooter game, you play as a guardian who is tasked on protecting the last city on Earth. The game will be available for PS4 and XBOne.

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