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.

Concrete is no match for the Batmobile in Batman: Arkham Knight

Rocksteady returns to its Batman series with Arkham Knight, taking a more original approach with a new antagonist and incorporates the Batmobile. The gameplay video above highlights how the Batmobile moves, especially in combat with its ability to strafe left at right. When in driving mode, the power of the Batmobile shines through, plowing through barriers as if they were made of styrofoam. And while the Scarecrow is being positioned as the main villain of the game, the Arkham Knight looks to be taking the role of making Batman's job harder as he takes a more militaristic approach to crime in Gotham. Batman: Arkham Knight was originally slated for late 2014 but was pushed back to 2015 when it will come for the Xbox One, PlayStation 4, and PC.

The Division paints a gruesome picture of Christmas in New York

Ubisoft gave another look at their upcoming MMO shooter The Division at both the Microsoft E3 presentation and its own E3 presentation this year. In the gameplay video above, a team cascades down on a base of operations, taking it from opposition through teamwork, tactics, and planning. A careful eye will spot one of the players on the team of four is supporting through use of a tablet as he uses drones and turrets. Ubisoft also released a cinematic trailer, as seen below, highlighting the narrative connotations for why the players will be fighting in The Division. The use of stop-motion and the small ambient details paint a picture that lets your mind fill in the gaps of how gruesome life is after what remains. The Division, which originally was slated for a late 2014 late, is now pushed back to 2015 for the Xbox One, PlayStation 4, and, thanks to a petition, PC.

A conceptual look at the next Mirror's Edge

It's been a year since DICE showed off anything about the next Mirror's Edge game. Rather than show a normal CG trailer, they elected for a more conceptual look, talking about some of the ways they're building off the first Mirror's Edge. The main things they focus on are movement through the environment, looking at the world as a puzzle to solve through parkour. That parkour also plays into combat, using acrobatic moves and geometry to get the upper hand against enemies. The video doesn't show a gun in Faith's hands at any point, only in enemies', so hopefully it will stay that way into the final game. While DICE didn't announce a release date for the next Mirror's Edge, it is known that it will be coming to the Xbox One, PlayStation 4, and PC.

The dual sides of combat in Dragon Age: Inquisition

BioWare showed off more of Dragon Age: Inquisition at the Microsoft E3 presentation with a focus on the action gameplay, as seen in the new trailer above. During the EA E3 presentation, however, they went deeper into the mechanics of combat, highlighting the tactical mode, where combat can be paused and the player can issue commands as in previous Dragon Age games. GameSpot has a video showing more action-orientated combat where the camera takes an over-the-shoulder third-person view of the battle. Dragon Age: Inquisition releases for the Xbox One, PlayStation 4, and PC on October 7.

Monster hunting finally comes to The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt

Geralt of Rivera, the White Wolf, is a Witcher, a monster hunter. But beyond narrative concessions, there hasn’t been much actual hunting of monsters in a Witcher game. That changes with The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt. GameSpot has a video of the gameplay segment CD Projekt RED showed off during the Microsoft E3 presentation, where Geralt sets off tracking a griffin. Using his heightened senses, he follows the griffin through an area of the open-world called No Man’s Land, until finally coming to battle with the griffin. The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt is the conclusion to CD Projekt RED’s Witcher series and releases for the Xbox One, PlayStation 4, and PC on February 24, 2015.

Square Enix announces two new Tomb Raider sequels

Not only did Square Enix announce a sequel to 2013's Tomb Raider, Rise of the Tomb Raider, during the Microsoft E3 presentation, but during the post-show on Spike, they also announced another sequel, Lara Croft and the Temple of Osiris. The announcement trailer for Rise of the Tomb Raider shows Lara with a therapist, talking over her frustrations and anxieties over what happened in the previous game. It might be an interesting framing device if that's how Rise of the Tomb Raider is structured, but it works well enough for the trailer. Supposedly, the name Rise of Tomb Raider implies there will be a lot more focus on tombs and exploring in the sequel than the first game. Lara Croft and the Temple of Osiris, however, is a follow-up to Lara Croft and the Guardian of Light, which I reviewed when it came out in 2010. It's an isometric puzzle platformers with twin-stick shooter controls, and with up to four player co-op now instead of just two, I can only imagine how complex and intricate the puzzles will be. Rise of the Tomb Raider is scheduled for holiday 2015 for, presumably, the Xbox One, PlayStation 4, and PC, while Lara Croft and the Temple of Osiris has no date announced yet, but has been confirmed for the Xbox One, PlayStation 4, and PC.

Assassin's Creed Unity features co-op and crowds

While Assassin's Creed is an annual franchise, it still finds way to set itself apart each year. This year's Assassin's Creed Unity does that by moving the setting to Paris during the French Revolution and introduces a new assassin, Arno Dorian. Unity has a big focus on crowds, as can be seen in the singleplayer demo above. Navigation seems to be streamlined as well, making the transition from rooftop to ground quicker and smoother. But Assassin's Creed Unity also incorporates a co-op feature, a natural evolution of the Wolfpack mode from Assassin's Creed 3, allowing you to go on missions with three others to create interesting and new assassination techniques. You can see a demo of a co-op mission below. And because Assassin's Creed games always have trailers set to succinct music, you can also watch the Assassin's Creed Unity cinematic trailer set to Lorde's cover of "Everybody Wants to Rule the World." Assassin's Creed Unity releases for the Xbox One, PlayStation 4, and (tentatively) PC on October 28.

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.

The spirit of Need for Speed

Over the weekend, I saw Need for Speed.

Typically, movies based on video games turn out to be a mess, mostly because the cast and crew try to strike a balance between being faithful to the source material, while also trying to make it open to wider audiences who generally have no idea about the game it’s based on. For example, the last movie I saw based on a video game was Prince of Persia back in 2010, and as far as I remember, there were no ostrich races in the 2003 game.