See, Murdered casts you as the ghost of detective Ronan O’ Connor, murdered under mysterious circumstances prior to the game’s start. As a ghost, Ronan finds himself trapped in “the Dusk”, a limbo between dimensions where he can roam the real world, but he cannot physically interact with anything, and no one can see or hear him. 

 Given that Ronan is a detective, this proves to be a problem. However, there are various subtle ways that he can influence himself in the real world. Part L.A. Noire, part Heavy Rain, part Ghost Trick: Phantom Detective, Ronan must use his various spectral powers to investigate areas in the game to get the clues he needs to find the identity of his killer. 

This is an excerpt from the full story which was originally featured on gamrReview, read the full version here - Murdered: Soul Suspect Is a Classic Noir Yarn with a Ghastly Flavor - Preview

So with much enthusiasm I rushed  to play the demo of the PS Vita version of the game on E3’s show floor, but unfortunately I was a bit disappointed by the linear nature of the demo. The Metroidvania aspect is what I’m looking forward to most in this game, after all, but I ran with it. The demo seems to indicate that this is the beginning of the game, and even the greats like Super Metroid and Castlevania: Symphony of the Night begin with highly linear segments. Oddly enough, the narration at the beginning of the demo indicates that Arkham Origins Blackgate takes place three months after its console counterpart. Sticklers for story may want to play the home console version first, then, but I didn’t see anything that indicated that Blackgate would spoil Arkham Origins. 

The demo begins with Batman chasing down Catwoman across the rooftops of Gotham. Blackgate is a side-scroller, but it exists in many planes of depth as Batman travels left and right. The camera often shifts perspectives as Batman turns a corner, and he often goes into the background or the foreground when traversing to a new area (think Donkey Kong Country Returns).

This is an excerpt from the full story which was originally featured on gamrReview, read the full version here - Batman: Arkham Origins Blackgate Puts The Dark Knight in Your Hands - Preview

Thankfully, I can say that Deadpool is not only a faithful adaptation of the comic, but an incredible amount of fun.  

The floor demo starts with Deadpool lounging in his apartment, waiting on a phone call from High Moon Studios (the meta stuff starts right off the bat) to accept his video game idea proposal. High Moon rings and rejects him, but change their minds after some “explosive” persuasion from Deadpool, after which he starts the “game”.  

This is an excerpt from the full story which was originally featured on gamrReview, read the full version here - Deadpool Breaks Through the Fourth Wall Into Your Living Room - Preview

The demo on E3's show floor was the same showed off at Microsoft's press conference on Monday, beginning with players controlling Roman general Marius Titus as he leads his soldiers on a beach assault against an enemy fortress. Allusions to Saving Private Ryan are plentiful and annoying, but it can't be denied the game looks great. I wasn't super impressed with the visuals during Microsoft's press conference, but seeing it up close really sells me on the power of Xbox One's visuals. The promise of playing FMV quality games now seems closer than ever. 

If only playing the gameplay inspired such confidence. Combat is definitely a little more engaging than the quick-time event-laden press conference demo would suggest (though there are a LOT of quick-time events, more on that later). There's a standard sword attack that is used to hit enemies with. There is a shield bash attack that is used to hit enemies where the sword attack doesn't work. Riveting! Surprisingly, I'm actually a big fan of the the block move, performed by moving the control stick in the direction of an enemy's attack and pressing the A button. It's simplistic and easy to pull off, but there's a viscerality to it that makes the game at least somewhat engaging, and the response times are quick despite the "heavy" feel of the gameplay. It evokes feelings of the recent Batman: Arkham games, though admittedly not nearly as enough finesse is required.

This is an excerpt from the full story which was originally featured on gamrReview, read the full version here - Ryse: Son of Rome Doesn't Inspyre Confydence - Preview

Developed by Terrible Posture Games,Tower of Guns is a fast-paced, twitch first-person shooter that immediately evokes nostalgia for the ‘90s classics. Levels take place in foreboding yet wide open industrial interiors, almost immediately beginning with a relentless assault from a wide variety of robots and other death machines meant to kill you as efficiently as possible. Unlike today’s cover-based first-person shooters, however, Tower of Guns relies on quick movements, solid reflexes and lots of strafing to make it out alive. 

Tower of Guns’ retro sensibilities were enough to sell me on the product, but its rogue-like design elements and randomly generated levels and enemy placement add a whole new layer of uniqueness and replayability. Like other rogue-likes such as Binding of Isaac, FTL, and Dwarf Fortress, death is permanent in Tower of Guns, prompting the player to restart with a whole new set of levels to try it all over again. Terrible Posture Games' head Joe Mirabello was quick to clarify that the levels are not fully randomly generated, instead composited from a selection of 30 already designed maps, but the levels felt different and distinct enough to keep me engaged during my time with the game. 

This is an excerpt from the full story which was originally featured on gamrReview, read the full version here - Tower of Guns is the Rogue-Like Doom Clone You Never Knew You Wanted - Preview

What better way to do that than with Spin the Bottle, a Wii U indie game that forces players into the most awkward situations possible?  

KnapNok Games’ Spin the Bottle is a virtual reinterpretation of the classic game we all played as teenagers, but instead of getting us to kiss each other, it instead forces us to engage in similarly awkward situations (don’t worry, the game is family friendly). First, players gather around the Wii U Game Pad to spin the virtual bottle. If the bottle lands on a player, that player and the spinner are then led into one of the several minigames that incorporate the original Wii Remote, but also involve moving your body around. These mini-games often involve pushing players' comfort zones, to hilarious and awkward results. 

This is an excerpt from the full story which was originally featured on gamrReview, read the full version here - Indiecade: Spin the Bottle Brings the Wii U Up Close and Personal - Preview

Wii Fit Trainer will have moves that are, according to director Masahiro Sakurai, "really quite healthy for her," incorporating yoga and other excercise stretches into her move set. Maybe she can help the other Smash newcomer, Mega Man, losen his joints a little. 

Here's the reveal trailer below:

This is an excerpt from the full story which was originally featured on gamrReview, read the full version here - Wii Fit Trainer is Super Smash Bros.' Newest Playable Character - News

After the non-ending of 2012‘s Final Fantasy XIII-2, many fans felt like they were kicked in the pants. Lightning Returns hopes to rectify that, seeing the return (obviously) of Final Fantasy XIII’s original heroine Lightning as she tries to undo the time-shattering calamity of XIII-2’s end. Our E3 demo began with Lightning in what appeared to be a derelict, barren, industrial complex of sorts filled with monsters. Her task: track down Snow Villiers, whose alignment with good or evil is now up in question (as shown by his now ambiguously evil clothes).

Final Fantasy XIII brought huge changes to the series back in 2010, and Lightning Returns changes the formula up even more. For the first time in a main Final Fantasy game, you only have a party of one, with Lightning being the only playable character. Combat works similarly to the last two games, continuing the Active Time Battle and Paradigm shifting systems. What’s new this time around are Lightning’s “Schemas”, various outfits she switches between in real time via the press of  the shoulder button. Much like the job system of previous games and the dressphere system of Final Fantasy X-2, each outfit allows Lightning to use different sets of abilities, such as an outfit that features mostly melee attacks, a sorceress outfit for magic, and one that features a mix between the two. I only had access three outfits during my demo, but the final game will feature more.

This is an excerpt from the full story which was originally featured on gamrReview, read the full version here - Will Final Fantasy XIII's Conclusion See Lightning Strike Twice? - Preview

Super Mario 3D World looks to be the Wii U follow-up to the 3DS' Super Mario 3D Land, but with the addition of four-player multiplayer, featuring, for the first time in a main-entry Mario game since 1988's Super Mario Bros. 2, Peach as a playable character in addition to Mario, Luigi, and Toad. 

Even more exciting, all four characters now have different abilities (unlike the clones of the New Super Mario Bros. series). Satoru Iwata showcased how Peach has the ability to hover in the air, Toad can run faster, and Luigi can jump higher and farther, just like they're abilities in Super Mario Bros. 2

Super Mario 3D World will be available this holiday season. Here's the debut trailer for the game:

This is an excerpt from the full story which was originally featured on gamrReview, read the full version here - Super Mario 3D World Announced for Wii U - News

The trailer doesn't show much other than a tease, showing a post-apocalyptic setting, bikers in torn leather and nuclear fallout.

And then, just after anticipation has built to the breaking point, the title is revealed: 

F̶a̶l̶l̶o̶u̶t̶ ̶4̶ Mad Max. 

This is an excerpt from the full story which was originally featured on gamrReview, read the full version here - Mad Max Game Revealed, is not Fallout 4 - News

The new trailer, introduced by Tetsuya Nomura, showcases absolutely nuts gameplay. Considering this is still somehow a party-based RPG, I have no idea how this game is going to play. But I am excited.

In related Final Fantasy news, following the Final Fantasy XV announcement, Sony announced that Final Fantasy XIV Online: A Realm Reborn would be heading to both PS4 and PS3.

This is an excerpt from the full story which was originally featured on gamrReview, read the full version here - Final Fantasy versus XIII is now Final Fantasy XV - News

This will be Ready at Dawn's first original IP for a home console (all their previous titles being portable or ports). Here's the reveal trailer: 

This is an excerpt from the full story which was originally featured on gamrReview, read the full version here - The Order: 1886 Revealed as PS4 Exclusive - News

Sensationalism aside, Microsoft’s and Hideo Kojima’s introduction of Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain for Microsoft’s press conference set the stage for what matters most at E3: the games. Microsoft’s most prevalent criticism over the last few E3‘s, as well as their Xbox One reveal last month, has been for the company’s focus on television, sports, and, well, things not really related to games. Microsoft’s E3 press conference, for better or for worse, changed that perception. Microsoft made good on their promise of fifteen exclusive Xbox One games, which as of today now officially include Dead Rising 3, Forza 5, and Quantum Break. 

After an absolutely stellar opening from Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain, Microsoft jumped into their presentation. But before rushing right into the new Xbox One games, Microsoft showed they still remain committed to the Xbox 360, beginning with some of the most interesting news of the show: A new Xbox 360 model that is designed to look more in line with the Xbox One, trailers for Dark Souls II and a brand new indie game titled Max: The Curse of Brotherhood, a side-scrolling platformer which evoked stop motion films such as Coraline and ParaNorman. Whatever cynicism I had going into the conference, the charm of Max briefly warmed my icy heart. 

This is an excerpt from the full story which was originally featured on gamrReview, read the full version here - Xbox Brings the Games: Thoughts on Microsoft's E3 Conference - Article

Nothing much other than that announcement given, not even platforms or a release date. Although Peggle came out for virtually ever platform, both Plants vs. Zombies 2 and Garden Warfare were revealed to be iOS and Xbox One exclusives, respectively, maybe Peggle 2 will have a similar platform exclusivity. Perhaps we will hear more about it this week during E3. 

This is an excerpt from the full story which was originally featured on gamrReview, read the full version here - Peggle 2 Announced at E3 - News

The first two games, originally developed by LucasArts, famously drew upon the Battlefield series but transported its team-based gameplay into the Star Wars universe. So it's very fitting that DICE would take up the reigns of the franchise. 

Star Wars: Battlefront will be developed in the Frostbite 3 engine, alongside Battlefield 4, Dragon Age: Inquisition, Need for Speed: Rivals, and Mirror's Edge 2, all of which were also showcased at EA's conference. 

Star Wars: Battlefront is the first EA Star Wars game revealed since EA acquired the rights from Disney to exclusively publish Star Wars games earlier this year. Check out the brief teaser trailer below. 

This is an excerpt from the full story which was originally featured on gamrReview, read the full version here - DICE's Star Wars: Battlefront Revealed - News

It's a tough battle in my head; there are so many cool little games I'm looking forward to seeing more of like Ys 4, Rune Factory 4, Dark Souls II, a plethora of Indiecade offerings, but the one game I think I'm most interesting in seeing more of would have to be X2, the apparent sequel to Xenoblade Chronicles. Xenoblade may not be the savior to the genre that some liked to call it but it was undeniably a fantastic game and the trailer from Monolith's next game looks extremely impressive. Pairing Xenoblade's overworld visual design with more powerful technology is likely to make one of the best looking RPGs in ages. Seeing something like Satori Marsh at night on new hardware would be pretty breathtaking. Now they just need to work on the party's AI and a gameplay tweak here or there and it'll be perfect. 

All that said, I've seen some forum goers theorizing that a new Earthbound/Mother title might be on the table, and if that's true then all the above goes out the window. The same can be said if The Last Guardian makes an appearance and lives up to what I've always hoped it would be based on Ico and Shadow of the Colossus. Sadly I think both of those events have a snowball's chance in hell of actually occurring, so for now I'll stick with X2.

This is an excerpt from the full story which was originally featured on gamrReview, read the full version here - Our Most Anticipated Games of E3 2013 - Article

These rumors have some validity however, stemming from the image below that is reportedly from E3 Insider, which is operated by ESA, the company behind E3. 

This image is far from a confirmation, but it IS listed on an official E3-affiliated web page. So there's that. 

This is an excerpt from the full story which was originally featured on gamrReview, read the full version here - The Last Guardian E3 Rumors Surface - News

The site is famous for being the home of millions of unsold Atari cartridges, the most prominent of which is 1983's Atari 2600 video game adaptation of E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial, one of the biggest critical and commercial disasters of all time and what is considered largely responsible for the video game crash of 1983. 

Faced with financial troubles and a heapload of game cartridges, Atari chose to dump E.T. and a plethora of other unsold cartridges at a landfill in Alamogordo, New Mexico. 

The story is so famous in gaming history that many consider it to be an urban legend. But now, thirty years later, the site will be excavated by Canada-based film and production company Fuel Industries for the filming of a documentary about the burial site. 

This is an excerpt from the full story which was originally featured on gamrReview, read the full version here - "Atari Dump" to be Excavated - News

Quantum Break will reportedy "blur the line between television and gameplay," furthering the focus on TV that Microsoft emphasized at their Xbox One reveal last week. Remedy is no stranger to the format, however, experimenting by structuring Alan Wake's single-player mode as a series of "episodes". 

Alan Wake and Max Payne are both some of my favorite games, so no matter what Remedy does I'm excited. There's been a lot of backlash against the Xbox One since its reveal, but Quantum Break has me truly excited for the system. I hope we learn more at E3. 

This is an excerpt from the full story which was originally featured on gamrReview, read the full version here - Check Out Quantum Break's Cover Art - News

However, this appears to not be the case. Today, Warner Bros. revealed that Roger Craig Smith (best known for his performances as Ezio Auditore in Assassin's Creed  and Chris Redfield in Resident Evil) would be taking on the iconic role. Perhaps even more interesting, it was also announced that Troy Baker (Booker DeWitt in BioShock Infinite, Jake Muller in Resident Evil 6) will be portraying the Joker.

This announcement seems contradictory to Conroy's statements yesterday at Dallas Comic-Con that he was working on the "next Arkham game." So, which is it? Many speculate that Conroy will be portraying an older Batman (Arkham Origins is a prequel to the first two games in the series). It's also worth noting that Conroy never explicitly stated that he was working on Origins, just the "next Arkham game." Is it possible that Conroy just inadvertently revealed the existence of a future Batman: Arkham title?

In any case, it remains to be seen what Conroy's involvement will be in Arkham Origins. Conroy, who most recently portrayed Batman in last month's Injustice: Gods Among Us, is considered by most to be THE definitive Batman, so I'm sure he'll return to this series in some capacity.

This is an excerpt from the full story which was originally featured on gamrReview, read the full version here - Kevin Conroy Will NOT Return to Voice Batman in Arkham Origins - News