The many meanings of X in Mortal Kombat X

After spending their time with Injustice, NetherRealm Studios is returning to the Mortal Kombat franchise with the 10th installment, simply called Mortal Kombat X. The announcement trailer above shows off the vision they're going for with brutal hits and interactivity within stages. GameSpot has a video of gameplay which was shown during the Sony E3 presentation. Creative director Ed Boon stated Mortal Kombat X is a continuation from Mortal Kombat in 2011 and the story goes as far 25 years into the future, introducing some new characters such as D'Vorah, Ferra/Torr, Kotal Kahn, and Cassie Cage, the daughter of Johnny Cage and Sonya Blade. Mortal Kombat X is releasing in 2015 for the Xbox One, PlayStation 4, and PC.

Call of Duty jumps into the future with Advanced Warfare

Sledgehammer Games is finally getting their hand in the Call of Duty series this year with Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare. As the name implies, the setting is pushed into the future to 2054 where exoskeletons, hover bikes, drones, and jetpacks are all part of your arsenal. The gameplay trailer, titled Induction, debuted at the Microsoft E3 conference and highlights the new engine designed specifically for current-generation consoles, while High Moon Studios is working on the previous-generation versions. Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare will release for the Xbox One, PlayStation 4, Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, and PC on November 4.

Metal Gear Rising: Revengeance review - slice and dice

I’ve never played a Metal Gear game before. The closest I’ve ever come is playing the beginning of the original Metal Gear on the NES, which held my attention for all of about five minutes before I took the cartridge out and replaced it with Super Mario Bros. 3. Metal Gear Rising: Revengeance, a spin-off of the Metal Gear Solid series, recently released for PC almost a year after its console release, and for someone like me it’s the perfect window into the Metal Gear series.

Alien: Isolation - The difference an S can make.

Remember how terrible Aliens: Colonial Marines turned out to be? From its retconning narrative that conflicted with the films, despite its position as the official sequel, to its stilted animations and unspectacular gameplay, it unquestionably set a low-point for the Aliens franchise in video games.

Back in October of last year, Sega copyrighted the name of the next Aliens game, Alien: Isolation. The reveal trailer for it released today and it might be the Aliens game we’ve always wanted.

Alien: Isolation takes places 15 years after the events of Alien, where you play as Amanda Ripley, the daughter of Ellen Ripley. As a Weyland-Yutani engineer, Amanda takes a mission to recover the black box of the Nostromo, the last ship her mother served on. When Amanda arrives at Sevastopol space station where the black box is located, things start to go bad.

One of the main things that makes Alien: Isolation stand out from past Aliens games is that it has more to do with Alien than Aliens. It’s a survival horror game, not a first-person shooter. You don’t have a gun or any other way to defend yourself other than hiding in lockers or other compartments similar to Amnesia: The Dark Descent. There’s no HUD with a motion tracker, though you can hold one up to see if anything is nearby similar to the flashlight in Doom 3. And there’s only one alien on the space station, stalking you the entire time similar to Nemesis in Resident Evil 3: Nemesis.

Creative Assembly looks to be finding a way to capture the vibe of great horror games and combine them into Alien: Isolation. I never would have thought the developer behind the Total War series would make something so intriguing. Take a look at PC Gamer’s preview, which covers the built-from-scratch engine Creative Assembly is using and how the alien is completely AI driven, which makes sense given their Total War background. Alien: Isolation is scheduled for the Xbox One, Xbox 360, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 3, and PC sometime late 2014.

The Wolf Among Us review - game noir

I’ve never read a single issue of the Fables comic, but that makes me the perfect audience for The Wolf Among Us.

It takes a simple premise and flips it on its side. All the fairy tales we heard about as kids, Little Red Riding Hood, Snow White and the seven dwarfs, Jack and the beanstalk, they’re all real. But rather than living happily ever after, they were forced from their homes by ‘The Adversary’ and now live in a place called Fabletown in New York City, where they live among normal people hiding their true identities with spells called glamour making make them look human.

Superpowers are the glue that holds Saints Row IV together

On paper, Saints Row 4 shouldn’t work.

Originally conceived as an expansion to Saints Row The Third, it takes place in the same city, reuses some of the same jokes and gags, and has some of the same tired activities. But with a different premise, the introduction of new characters, and a varied narrative, Saints Row 4 feels like one whole cohesive game wrapped around the concept of superpowers.

Gamescom Batman: Arkham Origns trailer introduces Firefly

Warner Bros. Montreal showed off a new trailer for Batman: Arkham Origins at Gamescom, introducing one of the newest of the eight assassins to threaten Gotham on Christmas Eve. Firefly joins the list, which already includes Deathstroke, Deadshot, Bane, and Copperhead. However, those aren’t the only villains who appear, with the Joker playing a significant part, and if you’re careful, you can see the Penguin appearing briefing in the trailer. Batman: Arkham Origins releases for the Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, and PC on October 25, with its handheld counterpart, Batman: Arkham Origins Blackgate, coming to the Nintendo 3DS and PlayStation Vita on the same day.

Prepare for new Titanfall gameplay demo from Gamescom

Respawn unveiled a new Titanfall video showcasing multiplayer gameplay during EA's Gamescom press conference. The video plays out like a singleplayer campaign mission, tasking the player with defending a pilot named Barker from capture. We follow a single soldier from ground, to titan, to air on a map called Angel City in an attrition mode gametype. The video also shows the epilogue of the match as the pilot escapes to the evac ship after defeat. It will be intriguing to see how this match might play from the opposing team, showing what a victory entails. Titanfall is coming exclusively to the Xbox One, Xbox 360, and PC sometime in spring 2014.

Assassin's Creed 4 transitions from land to sea in E3 gameplay debut

Ubisoft finally unveiled gameplay of Assassin's Creed 4: Black Flag at Sony's E3 press conference, and while there were some hiccups, it looks to bring stealth back to the series. The most intriguing part of the demo was the seamless change from land to sea as Edward Kenway, grandfather of Conner Kenway from Assassin’s Creed 3, jumps from rooftop to rooftop to the back of his ship the Jackdaw, instantly taking command of it amongst a sea battle. Along with a new cinematic trailer below, Ubisoft also showed off a new gameplay trailer, featuring the song "Half Circle" by Full Moon Run, at their press conference. Assassin’s Creed 4: Black Flag releases on October 29 for the Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, Wii U, and PC, with Xbox One and PlayStation 4 versions coming later this year.

Need for Speed: Rivals focuses on the pursuit

Need for Speed: Rivals is sounding more and more like the perfect blend of Hot Pursuit and Most Wanted after its showing at EA's press conference. Set in an open-world build in the Frostbite 3 engine, Rivals will take a stab at blending singleplayer and multiplayer by populating the world with other players while online, meaning races and pursuits between other players could happen at almost any time. Meanwhile, Rivals also has a complete singleplayer campaign for both cops and racers. Ghost Games is putting a focus the pursuit, giving tools such as spike strips and EMPs that were absent in Most Wanted. You can see the full reveal trailer shown at the press conference below. Need for Speed: Rivals releases for the Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, and PC on November 19, with Xbox One and PlayStation 4 versions coming later.

Batman spreads his wings in this E3 Arkham Origins trailer

The newest trailer for Batman: Arkham Origins was unveiled during Sony’s E3 press conference showing a noticeably younger Batman, Bane, and Joker. Developed by Warner Bros. Montreal instead of former studio Rocksteady, Arkham Origins is set as a prequel taking place during the early years of Batman’s career. Because of this, Mark Hamill and Kevin Conroy are not returning as the voice of the Joker and Batman, instead recruiting Troy Baker, who voiced Booker DeWitt in BioShock Infinite, and Roger Craig Smith. Arkham Origins takes place on Christmas Eve in Gotham as Black Mask puts out the call for five assassins to take down Batman. Three of those five, Bane, Deadshot, and Deathstroke, have been named so far with Penguin being rumored as a fourth. Batman: Arkham Origins releases on October 25 for the Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, Wii U, and PC.

Battlefield 4 brings down the building with multiplayer

DICE introduced two new gameplay demos this week, one at the Microsoft press conference and another at the EA press conference, showcasing both the singleplayer and multiplayer aspects of Battlefield 4. A total of 64 people on were live on stage playing the multiplayer demo on PCs, but next-generation consoles will also support up to 64 players. While the singleplayer trailer below has the player gauntlet through a scripted escape sequence off an aircraft carrier, the multiplayer shows the level of fidelity Battlefield 4 brings with its destruction on the new Frostbite 3 engine. Battlefield 4 releases on October 29 for the Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, and PC, with Xbox One and PlayStation 4 versions coming later this year.

Titanfall drops in at this year's E3

Nearly three years after its formation by former Infinity Ward founders Jason West and Vince Zampella, Respawn Entertainment finally unveiled their game, Titanfall, as the exclamation point on Microsoft’s E3 press conference. Titanfall is first-person shooter featuring a hybrid gameplay mix of on foot pilots and mechs called Titans. Despite being multiplayer only, the game aims to blend fast-paced round-based multiplayer with the cinematic singleplayer aspect of modern shooters. Built on the Source engine, Titanfall is designed to offload physics calculations and AI to servers, making matches run smoother and faster on consoles. You can see the full reveal trailer showcasing more of the story of Titanfall below. Scheduled for release in spring 2014, Titanfall will be exclusive for the Xbox One, Xbox 360, and PC.

New Watch Dogs blackout demo in time for E3

Watch Dogs, the stand-out game from E3 2012, is back this year again with a brand new CG trailer and lengthy gameplay demo during the Sony press conference. The demo shows off the interconnected city of Chicago and the various ways players can manipulate the environment to plan their escapes. It’s nice to see hacking in game that uses it as a gameplay mechanic rather than a simple minigame. The demo also highlights second-screen capabilities with a tablet. Watch Dogs is coming to the Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, Wii U, and PC on November 19, with Xbox One and PlayStation 4 versions coming later in the year.

Saints Row 4 is clearly the Citizen Kane of video games

A new Saints Row 4 trailer released just in time for E3. The President of the United States is stuck in a Zin simulation and it's up to the Saints to get him free, including Pierce, Kinzie, Shaundi, Shaundi from Saints Row 2, newcomer Asha Odekar, the return of Benjamin King from the first Saints Row, and Keith David as himself as the Vice President of the United States. Unlike the Power-induced trailer for Saints Row The Third, this trailer plays accompanied by dramatic music that would fit more appropriately for an Oscar-nominated movie. All of this, of course, while the President of the United States shoots aliens in the streets of the city naked. Saints Row 4 releases on August 20 for the Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, and PC.

Lara Croft and the steady hand of death

Tomb Raider is easily my most conflicting game this year so far. Don’t get me wrong, the controls are precise, the transition from the old blocky grid-like movement to modern free form running is great, and the visual fidelity is outstanding, especially with TressFX enabled. But there’s one small section of Tomb Raider I’ve gone back and forth on, changing my mind whether it’s executed poorly, or its subtle nuances make everything fit together.

Fast cars and cops are back in Need for Speed: Rivals

EA announced a new Need for Speed game, Rivals, will be coming later this year. Though it's not the first Need for Speed title to use Rivals (that honor goes to the 2005 PSP exclusive Need for Speed: Underground 2: Rivals), it will use the same Frostbite 3 engine appearing in other EA games, including Battlefield 4 and Dragon Age 3: Inquisition. Need for Speed: Rivals aims to combine the open-world of last year's Most Wanted with the exciting police chases of Need for Speed: Hot Pursuit. Surprisingly, Criterion Games, who announced at E3 last year it would oversee all future Need for Speed games, is not developing Need for Speed: Rivals. Instead, a Gothenberg-based studio called Ghost Games will be handling development. However, the creative director of Most Wanted and Hot Pursuit, Craig Sullivan, joined Ghost Games to oversee the project. Along with the return of Autolog, Rivals will include a new feature called AllDrive, allowing players to seamlessly drop in and out of single and multiplayer races. Need for Speed: Rivals arrives for the Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, and PC on November 19, with Xbox One and PlayStation 4 versions coming at a later time.

Call of Duty: Ghosts is real and coming this November

Following the announcement of Call of Duty: Ghosts with a live-action teaser trailer, the first gameplay trailer appeared at last week's Xbox One presentation. Along with the trailer, developer Infinity Ward showed a behind-the-scenes look at the new engine powering Ghosts, comparing soldier and dog textures from Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 to Call of Duty: Ghosts. You read that right; Call of Duty: Ghosts will feature a dog as part of your squad that can help sniff out bombs and, presumably, play fetch. While plots details are sparse, Call of Duty: Ghosts is set sometime in the future, 10 years after a global event leaves the United States crippled and no longer one of the world's strongest countries. Call of Duty: Ghosts releases for the Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, Wii U, and PC on November 5, with Xbox One and PlayStation 4 versions following shortly.

Set sail with Edward Kenway in Assassin's Creed 4: Black Flag

As previously rumored, the next installment in the Assassin's Creed series is indeed heading to the high seas with Assassin's Creed 4: Black Flag. This time taking a step back in history, rather than moving forward, with Edward Kenway, father of Haythem Kenway and grandfather to Conner from Assassin's Creed 3. Set during the golden age of piracy, Kenway sails through the Caribbean encountering historic pirates such as Blackbeard and Anne Bonny while plundering treasure from the the king he once served, attempting to redeem himself as a 'man of quality' to his family. Black Flag will improve on the sailing and naval combat first seen in Assassin's Creed 3, giving players the option to explore the open sea as well as deserted islands. Assassin's Creed 4: Black Flag is due to release for the Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, Wii U, and PC on October 29, while PlayStation 4 and Xbox One versions will arrive sometime later in the quarter.

Saints Row 4 PAX East Demo

If you weren't able to make it to PAX East in Boston back in March, Volition and their newly-minted publisher Deep Silver recently released a video showing off the gameplay demo they were showing for Saints Row 4. The video highlights some of the crazier parts of Saints Row 4, including a virtual Steelport, the dubstep gun, superpowers, a mech-suit, and aliens. Originally created as the expansion Enter the Domintarix for Saints Row: The Third, whole parts including missions, story, and voice-acting were thrown out in order to not feel like an expansion, instead going for a full-fledged sequel where the player is the President of the United States. As the the video above shows, the more eccentric parts of Enter the Dominatrix remained. Saints Row 4 releases on August 20 for the Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, and PC.