STACK #141 Jul 2016

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led the way for the engaging week ahead. Most of the media briefings commenced with a message of condolence to the families of the victims in the Orlando nightclub shooting in Florida, an awkward paradox given some of the content themes on show for the preceding duration of the press conferences. Focus, as expected, was placed on the format holders, with Microsoft taking the floor at the Galen Center on Monday morning. Here, a quality line-up of gaming titles were presented, including more on the anticipated Gears of War 4, to satiate Xbox One owners. But it was the unexpected news of not one, but two new consoles that jolted even the most somnolent of jetlagged international travellers awake. Rumours surrounding the introduction of new hardware for both the platform holders leading up to E3 were rife, but no one expected two from Microsoft; speculation in Los Angeles surrounding the company’s strategy was in hot debate. The attractive Xbox One S, finished in Stormtrooper white, is heading to stores this August and comes with an internal power supply (praise be!) and 2TB of storage. Alongside a tweaked controller (still not as sublime as the Elite), the Xbox One S will feature 4K and HDR support. This makes it a good option for consumers looking to buy a cost-effective Ultra HD player. And then there was Project Scorpio. Breaking with the traditional 10-year console cycle, and just three years after releasing the Xbox One, Microsoft lifted the covers on its next console. Due to arrive in 2017, Scorpio will be packed with six teraflops of power and will feature true 4K gaming. Details surrounding the console are scant, but presenting two

broadside that barely let the

That's an E3 fact... A staggering audience of 42 million watched E3 content on Twitch.

assembled and global audience pause for breath. No hardware

announcements were made during the briefing, and with little emphasis on VR outside of a price point, a release date, and the

Presenting two hardware additions

fact it will feature 50 games at launch, it was all about games, games and more games. The introduction of Hideo Kojima on stage, along with his new project, Death Stranding , practically brought the house down. A revamped God of War , trading Greek mythology for Norse lore, was a talking point, but it didn’t lessen the ecstatic crowd response when Kratos stepped out of the shadows in the trailer. The news that three Crash Bandicoot titles are being remastered in a single mash-up, and that Insomniac are busy making a Spider-Man game, was the icing on the cake. In the ten years of attending E3, we would be hard pressed to remember a more passionate, or indeed louder, response to a Sony press briefing. The company, still riding high on the phenomenal success of the PS4, put everything into a slick presentation of its software, and it paid dividends. EA chose to leave the embrace of E3 back in January, instead holding its own event, EA Play, next door at the Nokia Theatre, bringing its games directly to the fans. This was our first port of call on the day E3 began. Organised with military precision and free of bustling crowds, the event was a highlight, with all of the games playable for both press and the community. The three must-see titles on our list were Battlefield 1, Titanfall 2, and STACK office favourite FIFA – and it couldn’t have been easier. The Battlefield 1 demo, probably our

GAMES

at one E3 was unprecedented

presumably Project Scorpio, continues to be an important focus for the company. A live orchestra provided a spectacular introduction and continued to accompany the duration of Sony’s one hour and 20 minute press conference. The format holder, utilising a stunning augmented stage design, fired an unremitting software

new hardware additions at one E3 was unprecedented. Cross- play, the gaming integration across Xbox One, PC and

That's an E3 fact... From the 70,000 attendees, 50,300 were video game developers, analysts and journalists.

Death Stranding

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