A teaser page has also been set up on The Sims' website here.

This is an excerpt from the full story which was originally featured on gamrReview, read the full version here - The Sims 4 Set for Gamescom Reveal - News

My demo started with the main character, Red, who was about to start a show. She's one of the best singers around but after being attacked by assassins she becomes partially “processed” and mute. The only thing that saved her was a strange sword called the Transistor which teleported her clear across town. Sadly it killed someone while doing this, a man that Red apparently knew very well. At this point I noticed something I love about the presentation: every object has a little stat along with the name. So the Transistor has a stat underneath that says “Kills: 1” and a poster says “Posted: 45 days”. These give little tidbits about the environment that I really enjoyed.

The man wasn't dead, though, instead his consciousness was put inside the sword, and thus you have your narrator for the mute main character. Bringing new powers into your sword by downloading people into it somehow becomes a common theme and was used twice in the relatively short time of the demo. Whenever you come upon someone that has been partially processed you'll see their name and then your sword guy will have a one sided conversation with them (you can only hear his half) and they'll join him in the Transistor.

This is an excerpt from the full story which was originally featured on gamrReview, read the full version here - Transistor Demo Brings More Questions Than Answers - Preview

The demo was set in a loony bin, which probably means that Ray's revelations didn't go over well with his loved ones. Flicking the right analog stick at an object you can interact with will grab onto it. If you do this while holding the L or R button you'll read someone's thoughts. So the first thing I did was read the thoughts of my cell's guard, who was apparently really bored with the guard game. Next up I peeled off the wall of the cell next door to reveal a woman who was convinced she was a spider on the hunt. Specifically she was on the hunt for men with a fly face. That doesn't seem to be very common so I took the idea from her head and tossed it on the face of my guard buddy. Result? instant fly man. She took him away to do who knows what and I was free to roam the asylum.

At this point you basically have free reign. There are some orderlies around who will shock you if they see you but you'll just be remade at the nearest printer so it's really no big deal. Moving can be done swiftly using waypoints that appear as thumbtacks tacked into the background. Flick your arm towards them and you'll be instantly transported.

This is an excerpt from the full story which was originally featured on gamrReview, read the full version here - Telekinesis and Telepathy in Stick it to the Man - Preview

Blackguards is set in a fantasy world akin to Dungeon and Dragons. The gameplay is split between two different perspectives: the vast overworld, where you can go into towns and shop, and the unexplored regions where you can encounter random enemies. The main part of the game, however, is the battle grid. Here the play area is divided into hexagon tiles and each turn you and your opponent must strategically position your forces to win the day. 

Where the innovation comes in is the game’s use of choices to decide how the battle will play out. Scattered throughout you will find objects that you will be able to interact with or characters to converse with that will affect the course of the game.

This is an excerpt from the full story which was originally featured on gamrReview, read the full version here - The Next Level of Strategy in Blackguards - Preview

The demo started with a sleeping Ogden dreaming of the best times. Not only was it set during his triumph over the dragon, but he had hair! The graphical improvements were obvious but soon the gameplay improvements from moving up a generation were clear as well. Monsters are now clearly on the map and avoidable, in similar fashion to Chrono Trigger (and with a battle system that's similar to that old gem as well). It's definitely turn based but positioning matters. If enemies are grouped up close enough you can use a spin attack, which is free and relatively weak, but which hits an area instead of just one monster. I also noticed that when Ogden came upon a weaker group of enemies he won instantaneously without a fight, just like in Earthbound, my personal favorite RPG of that era.

While trekking through the dream space I noticed new monsters as well, but they were all rock based. There were Magirocks (a rock with lipstick and a witch's hat), as well as Lycanthrocks (half wolf, half rock). I also noticed that during a battle it's possible for other monsters to come upon you and join in. After about 10 minutes I came upon a dragon that told me a bunch of prophecies about a flamebringer when I kicked his keister.

This is an excerpt from the full story which was originally featured on gamrReview, read the full version here - Travel Back to the SNES-era with Dragon Fantasy Book II - Preview

Whenever someone asks an expecting family what gender they're hoping for the classic answer is “I just hope he has all his fingers and toes”, which is a funny way to say what every parent thinks: they just want their child to be healthy. There's little in the world more heart rending then when someone you love has a life threatening illness because you know you're powerless to do anything about it.

Cancer in particular is an overly simple term for what is really an array of different conditions which each require their own strategy with little hope of a single magic bullet cure. I've been to quite a few seminars on the topic and there's a lot of work being done in the field with some really heartening results. Even these are usually years off from human testing, let alone being an affordable drug. Right now the best you can do is hope and try to deal with the situation in some way for both you and your loved one.

This is an excerpt from the full story which was originally featured on gamrReview, read the full version here - Utter Despair and Hope in That Dragon, Cancer - Preview

Rain's story is introduced through some beautiful water color paintings that tell the story of a boy excited to go to a circus. Unfortunately on the day of the circus it begins to rain and it looks like he's in for a day of boredom. As he gazes out into the rain he notices the outline of a young girl and their eyes meet before she is chased off by the outline of a creature. The boy quickly dashes after the two and finds that he too is now invisible. Now he must not only catch up with the girl, but discover how he has become translucent and how he might get back to normal.

One thing I love about Rain is how the storyline is told through text that simply appears along with the gameplay. You'll walk along and on the wall you'll see the narration. I believe I saw this first in a Splinter Cell game and I think it's a brilliant way to keep the storyline from getting in the way of the gameplay. Contextual actions like “examine” are also presented in a similar way.

This is an excerpt from the full story which was originally featured on gamrReview, read the full version here - Lose Yourself in Rain - Preview

Our demo began with a story-only segment, showing the interaction on a train between B.J. Blazkowicz and a Nazi named Frau Ingel. Ingel is pretty sadistic, testing Blazkowicz (who was undercover) on the validity of his Aryan heritage. Blazkowicz passes her test, and moves on to a cheesy B-movie romance scene with a girl in another cabin. This fit well with the tone of past Wolfenstein games.

The developers walked through a more standard linear FPS section, fighting through the wreckage of a train (maybe the same train?). The game plays like a pretty standard FPS, with just a bit more insanity on top of it. Blazkowicz will, for example, dual wield pretty much anything, including full shotguns. Enemies are a mix of Nazis and advanced cyborg creatures. The sci-fi future skin may make this look a bit different from the Wolfenstein of old, but it's still as ludicrous and unbelievable as ever.

This is an excerpt from the full story which was originally featured on gamrReview, read the full version here - Wolfenstein: The New Order is Mostly Old - Preview

My goal seemed to be to take out a white dragon who had escaped to the inside of a volcano. After a few minutes of dodging rock outcroppings and killing weaker enemies I came upon a long dragon-like creature that swam in and out of the lava and thus out of range of my attacks. The fireballs he shot were easily avoided, and when he got close my secondary weapon worked like a charm so it was pretty easily manageable.

As I traveled through the level I was able to collect jewels that increased my score but as far as I could tell they didn't serve any other purpose. My dragon's movement had quite a bit of momentum to it so these jewels were tough to maneuver for, but they were a fun distraction when no enemies happened to be on screen.

This is an excerpt from the full story which was originally featured on gamrReview, read the full version here - Crimson Dragon Makes its Return - Preview

At E3, I got a chance to spent some time on the game, and as I would hope and expect, the game plays and feels just like the original Wind Waker. The only change is that the game looks much better. In fact, it looks really good and provides a fantastic feeling of nostalgic memories. For those who have yet to play this game, The Wind Waker HD will be a great Wii U release. For those, like me, who have already played the game, it will most likely only be bought by the hardcore Zelda fans looking to dust off an older classic.

Nintendo had 2 areas up for demonstration at E3. The first begins right where Link began his quest almost 11 years ago: Outset Island. To fill the need of truly highlighting the new inventory features, Nintendo provide Link with several items from his arsenal at the start of the game, but outside of that, nothing has changed as far as the demo is concerned. The hard-to-find 100 Rupees are still hidden under Link's home, Aryll is still on-top of the watch tower, and life goes on per usual on the palm tree filled island of Outset.

This is an excerpt from the full story which was originally featured on gamrReview, read the full version here - The Wind Waker HD Goes Gyroscopic - Preview

Although a sequel to the Metro 2033 book does exist (Metro 2034), Metro: Last Light bares no resemblance to this tome and instead features an original narrative exclusive to the game. Last Light picks up the narrative strand of 2033 one year after its conclusion, and begins with a reflection on the impact of the original's 'normal ending' (there is no Mass Effect style choices-consequences system here). Artyom, now a ranger occupying the pivotal D6 military facility, is informed that a Dark One has been found alive near the station and it is his job to destroy the creature. Our hero, internally conflicted by his almost complete genocide, sets out to investigate the sighting with plans other than destruction for the creature. What follows is a morally ambiguous game of cat and mouse through the dingy Metro and dangerous Overground, taking in the Nazi Reich, Communist Red Line and disparate groups in between the extremes. Rightly or wrongly, each group is attempting to recover humanity through its own methods and ideology; as Artyom notes, whether they destroy the rest of the world does not matter, for the only world they know is that of the Metro. War is coming to the Metro, and the motions are set. 

These greater themes are presented to Artyom in a microcosmic style, introducing and explaining wider events through the people he meets, the conversations he hears and the scenarios he participates in. This works on a certain level, and is understandable within the wider context of the series (Artyom is but an individual dragged by greater forces), but it does at times force the narrative into uncomfortable moments; minor events are given great build-up, while monumental, game-changing instances are swept away with little comprehension, explained in notes are off-hand comments.

Last Light's strong narrative is well supported by the linear style of play. In a generation where linearity is seen as a wall preventing the player's natural ability to make choices within a game, it is refreshing that linear titles like Last Light and BioShock: Infinite can guide and thrill a player by removing choice and open-world 'freedom' and replacing it with refined, exhilarating set-pieces and narrative. One does not read The Great Gatsby and question the choices made by the author narratively, wishing to create a different path, or novel, so why is it expected of video games to remove the expert story-teller and allow gamers to fritter willy-nilly? 

Linearity is at once a design choice but also a necessity for the environment of the Metro; this is a dark, dank world, restrictive in movement and direction. The atmosphere created by this claustrophobia, the constant sense of danger coupled with outposts of humanity is probably Last Light's finest attribute. Foreboding and intense, at once horrifying and hopeful, the player is gripped and engulfed by the darkness before being enriched and enthralled by the tender humanity that sprouts in the dark. Almost, almost, the game shoots itself in the foot with the incessant darkness and bleakness; Last Light is so consistently dark and dangerous that when the worst moments of humanity strike, the player is almost saturated to the point it barely registers. This is saved by that rarest of things in gaming - genuine humanity. As the Reich measure people's heads and the Soviets check their height, you feel for the desperation of those flung between a rock and a hard place. In the Theatre station, the famous Moscow Theatre is carried on by a small, hopeful cabaret show. Children cry, adults weep, but they just get on with things. In the Metro, everyone is an outcast, but some are more outcast than others.

All that considered, one could assume that we are discussing Pasolini's Oedipus Rex and not a video game. As a sequel, Last Light improves on the gameplay of 2033 in nearly every respect. Gone is the loose engine and unpredictable gunplay, replaced by a highly polished, smooth and consistent engine that handles every situation in style. There are no lost bullets here; lead slugs into flesh with satisfying aplomb, and any missed shot is due to your own wonky aim, and not the fallibility of the engine. Although the game could be accused of being slightly easy on normal mode, the other interpretation is that it has a well-tuned learning curve, training and improving the player as the enemies get harder. Understandably, the weapon selection is restrictive due to the sparse nature of apocalyptic life, but they are still satisfying and clunky in combat.

At its heart, Last Light is a stealth game reliant on sleuth and patience to make it through the Metro. Light indicators show your visibility, while the lack of ammunition resolves the player to silent, lethal or non-lethal take-downs on the enemy. These enemies, in particular humans, unfortunately lack the humanity of their station counter-parts. For the most part they are blazing idiots, walking into fire, missing bodies they are stood on and failing to do their job with any sort of realism. For such a generally well-considered game, this is a huge oversight that can somewhat blight the otherwise consistent impression of a genuinely dangerous world.

This is an excerpt from the full story which was originally featured on gamrReview, read the full version here - Metro: Last Light - Review

The first title is Pac-Man: Championship Edition DX+, an expansion to Championship Edition DX that will add several new features to an already fantastic game. Among these are personal progress charts that track how you perform on each playthrough, an upgraded leaderboard system, friend competitions and all sorts of different types of achievements. Best of all, the expansion is free to players who already own the original DX version, though you can purchase additional maps based on other Namco-Bandai properties like Dig-Dug for a small price. Pac-Man: Championship Edition DX+ will be releasing later this summer for PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, Windows 8 and Steam.

The next title, and one that I am personally very excited for is Pac-Man Museum, a collection of several Pac-Man games from the 1980’s through to the 2000’s. So far only three titles have been confirmed: the original arcade Pac-Man, Pac-Man Championship Edition and Pac-Man: Battle Royal. I got a chance to try out Battle Royal against one of the game’s developers and can safely say that not only am I amazing at Pac-Man but that the game is extremely fun to play and looks great running in high definition. Pac-Man Museum will be releasing this winter for PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, Wii U, Steam and Nintendo 3DS.

This is an excerpt from the full story which was originally featured on gamrReview, read the full version here - Pac is Back! - Preview

The title is a 3D platformer/adventure game where you must help save the citizens of Pac-Man’s world from nefarious ghosts. To do this, Pac-Man can use the powers found within several costumes to give him an edge against the spectres. During my time with the game I managed to find an iguana power-up that allowed Pac-Man to use his now long tongue to swing across chasms and swallow enemies from a distance. Apart from this the game features a lot of running and attacking enemies, and while the gameplay is simplistic and repetitive it is definitely in line with what would appeal to the game's target younger audience.

This is an excerpt from the full story which was originally featured on gamrReview, read the full version here - Pellets and Poltergeists in Pac-Man and the Ghostly Adventures - Preview

The International 2013 will be held August 7-11 in Seattle, so the official launch will be in early August at the latest. The game will still be free to play with access to all heroes in the hero pool being free as well, which means it will continue to be funded by the purchase of cosmetics, tournament tickets and TI3 compendiums.

DotA 2 is already the biggest game on Steam by some margin, so an official release will only bolster those figures.

This is an excerpt from the full story which was originally featured on gamrReview, read the full version here - DotA 2 Set to Release in the Summer - News

The trademarked ‘over the shoulder’ view that has been a series staple since Resident Evil 4 feels right at home with a proper controller (much moreso than the clunky setup from the handheld version). The Wii U version also comes with full gamepad integration for menu and inventory navigation (although it’s not as good as Zombi U's implementation) and off-TV play. So now you can play a game that was ported from a handheld to a console on a controller that doubles up as a handheld... whoa.

One of the best features of Resident Evil: Revelations on the Nintendo 3DS, Raid Mode, is thankfully back and made better than ever thanks to the revamped residentevil.net website, Miiverse integration, and a whole slew of new features that have modernized the experience to console levels. Raid Mode is the perfect model for how co-op integration should be handled in the Resident Evil series.

While the visuals are definitely in high definition, it’s still very apparent that Resident Evil: Revelations was originally a 3DS game. This is most noticeable when it comes to some of the animations and the environments. That being said, it does look quite good when played on a large HD-TV; the characters in particular are of note. Also the art style, namely aboard the Queen Zenobia, is excellent and really adds to the tension of the environment.

The soundtrack also makes the trip over from the 3DS pretty well. The tunes and ambient noises have been modified to sound great on a full sound system and the sound design comes off as very crisp. The voice acting is also solid, though it wouldn’t be Resident Evil without some cheese thrown in for good measure and Revelations is no exception. The story, while one of the best in recent series memory is saddled with some frankly hilarious dialogue and exposition that, while it can take you out of the ‘horror’ mood, is definitely ‘Resident Evil’. 

Clocking in at around 10 hours and the many more you will sink into Raid Mode, Resident Evil: Revelations is a decently long game. I do have an issue, however, with charging almost $50 for a port of a game that was never that expensive to begin with, let alone one that came out just over a year ago. Don’t get me wrong, Revelations is a great game made better by stronger hardware, but it just seems odd to pay so much for something so clearly ported from a handheld system, although Capcom have promised some DLC for Raid Mode in the future so it’s not all bad news when it comes to value for money.

The difficulty has also ramped up considerably from the original release thanks to the addition of an Infernal Mode that will leave you with even less ammunition and tougher enemies that come in greater numbers. Beating this mode will require some serious patience and dedication namely in the early goings of the game as enemies that are usually only met much later in the game pounce on you early and often.

As of writing, Resident Evil: Revelations is available on the 3DS, Wii U, 360, PS3 and PC and I can safely say after spending time with a few of these that the console version is the one to get. The full controller definitely only adds to the experience, although unfortunately that experience does indeed feel like a 3DS game up-resed for home systems with some of its handheld specific quirks still present. That being said, if you’re a fan of Resident Evil you really can’t go wrong with any version of the game on any system.

This review is based on the Wii U version of Resident Evil: Revelations.

This is an excerpt from the full story which was originally featured on gamrReview, read the full version here - Resident Evil: Revelations (WiiU) - Review

I had a long time to play Rune Factory 4 at E3 2013 but oddly enough the best way I learned about it was simply through the help menu. Farming seems to be largely back to normal. There's a farm right outside your main character's residence which you can tend to yourself as well as other farms further away that you can reach by airship. The XSEED representative told me that monsters can still be set to do most of the farming work, but the nearby farm didn't have a stable. So I'm thinking that monsters are more necessary on those far away farms while the nearby farm is meant to be tilled the old way.

Rotating crops is a big concern as soil can get overworked and become less fertile so sometimes it's best to just leave the soil unused for a while. The soil even has its own experience and levels. Experience is gained by harvesting crops from that particular plot of soil. If the soil increases its level you'll see gains in how fast crops grow as well as the quality and quantity of crops on that particular square of soil and even their chances of surviving poor weather. All in all I'm hopeful that these changes mean that farming isn't the throwaway game mechanic that it was in the last title.

This is an excerpt from the full story which was originally featured on gamrReview, read the full version here - Rune Factory 4 Brings Farming Back to its Roots - Preview

The basic gameplay between Company of Heroes 1 and 2 has remained basically the same, which is a very good thing. Instead changing this up the developers have focused on making the experience more dynamic and immersive than ever before. The big additions this time around are dynamic weather effects (blizzards, etc.) that will affect the course of the battle. These storms (apart from being the most heinous looking storms I have ever seen in a game) will have all sorts of effects on the combat, forcing you to either move your units to shelter, or strike during the storm and take advantage of your opponent’s handicap.

This is an excerpt from the full story which was originally featured on gamrReview, read the full version here - Company of Heroes Heads to War - Preview

For those not in the know, Deponia is a series of traditional point and click adventure games starring the oft-unlucky Rufus whose ultimate goal is to escape his life in the slums of Deponia and head to the rich floating city of Elysium along with his love interest, Goal. To accomplish these missions Rufus has resorted to cloning not only himself but Goal as well, resulting in some pretty unique experiences where you can switch between multiple copies of yourself to solve a puzzle. The developers are aiming for roughly 20 hours of gameplay - an extremely good length for a game of this genre.

Artistically, Goodbye Deponia is a very well put together game. It features frame by frame animations and hand drawn visuals, making it look like a comic book come to life. The writing and setting is also very colorful and hilarious too, with the game feeling more like a grown-up Saturday morning cartoon than a point and click adventure game, as evident by the developer’s penchant for bearded babies throughout. The final game will also include full voice acting with some of the original actors returning to their rolls as well as feature translations into many different languages.

This is an excerpt from the full story which was originally featured on gamrReview, read the full version here - Hello, Goodbye Deponia - Preview

The game is a 2D/3D platformer. What this means is that the hub world, boss battles and special sections are played as in a 3D platformer and the principle game is a standard 2D platformer. Now I’m going to be perfectly honest, I didn’t much care for the controls, they felt far too loose and imprecise, something that I suspect is caused by the game using the same jumping mechanic for the 3D and 2D sections. I really do hope that this issue gets ironed out before the game is released because apart from this issue this has the potential to be an excellent title.

Visually the game updates the look from the Genesis original excellently. The level I got to play through feels like a toy box come to life and the world as a whole looks very interesting (I'm getting pretty tired of ‘dark’ Mickey worlds). The sound design is also very ‘Micke’, with jaunty tunes that will have you bouncing along and Mickey’s trademark voice throughout.

This is an excerpt from the full story which was originally featured on gamrReview, read the full version here - Return to the Castle of Illusion - Preview

The first title in this rundown is Domo Jump, starring everyone’s favorite bizarre Japanese mascot. In this game you tilt your iPad to steer Domo to the next ledge and more food. Konami is positioning this game as a ‘quick time waster’ and from my play through of it, it’s more of a waste of time. The tilt controls just seem very unresponsive and it was often hard to get Domo to move even while holding the iPad sideways. The game is free to play but will be supported by microtransactions. It is releasing this summer across all iOS devices.

Next up is MLB Live Challenge, a title that is sure to appeal to fantasy league players and baseball aficionados. In this game you select your favourite baseball team and sim through an entire season one game at a time. The fun comes in building your team via trading cards and betting on the results. Every day real-life results are uploaded to the game and you can earn a higher score for correctly predicting the outcome of said results. I was surprised at how deep the experience was and while I am not the biggest baseball fan I can definitely see the appeal to die hard fantasy leaguers. The game is also free to play but will have some microtransactions throughout. MLB Live Challenge is releasing this summer for all iOS devices.

This is an excerpt from the full story which was originally featured on gamrReview, read the full version here - A Tour Of Konami Mobile - Preview