The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild

"Open your eyes. Open your eyes! Wake up Link!"

~Princess Zelda

I have to admit Nintendo has a hit coming with The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild. Finally we have an adult link game which means there will be some hardcore action going down for our protagonist Link.

From the trailer, looks like there will be a lot of opportunity to take advantage of the open world environment to slay enemies such as dropping rocks, setting grasslands on fire and hang gliding to new areas.  I also so a mysterious stone called the Sheikah Slate on Link's side that looks like it has magical properties to create blocks and entrances.  In the past, Link made use of words and magic but this time the developer wanted to add a new wrinkle in the Zelda franchise with the use of technology.

The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild is really a change in pace from what the franchise was known for, but I feel this time around Nintendo is really trying to adapt to the new expectations gamers have for top performing games.

Features:

• Explore the wilds of Hyrule any way you like - Climb up towers and mountain peaks in search of new destinations, then set your own path to get there and plunge into the wilderness. Along the way, you'll battle towering enemies, hunt wild beasts and gather ingredients for the food and elixirs you'll need to sustain you on your journey.
• More than 100 Shrines of Trials to discover and explore - Shrines dot the landscape, waiting to be discovered in any order you want. Search for them in various ways, and solve a variety of puzzles inside. Work your way through the traps and devices inside to earn special items and other rewards that will help you on your adventure.
• Be prepared and properly equipped - With an entire world waiting to be explored, you'll need a variety of outfits and gear to reach every corner. You may need to bundle up with warmer clothes or change into something better suited to the desert heat. Some clothing even has special effects that, for example, can make you faster and stealthier.
• Battling enemies requires strategy - The world is inhabited with enemies of all shapes and sizes. Each one has its own attack method and weaponry, so you must think quickly and develop the right strategies to defeat them.
• amiibo compatibility - Tap the Wolf Link amiibo (sold separately) to make Wolf Link appear in game. Wolf Link will attack enemies on his own and help you find items you're searching for. We will also introduce new The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild series of amiibo at E3 this year.

Resident Evil 7: The Beginning Hour E3

In honor of Resident Evil 20th year anniversary, Capcom treated us to a like teaser gameplay for Resident Evil 7: The Beginning Hour. 

Seems like this installment will center around some cult called the "The Family". In the trailer, you will have to escape imprisonment in their abandoned home.  In the beginning, you are watching a video of the previous victims/prisoners, and now you are the new prisoner.  

A first for Resident Evil, you play in first-person and as a character who is absolutely weaponless. Comparisons will definitely be made to survival horror franchises likeAmnesia or Outlast, although the overall feel of the demo was definitely more akin to Hideo Kojima and Guillermo del Toro’s P.T. demo. In fact, that demo is The Beginning Hour’s most obvious influence, which would normally put it in sort of an awkward position if it weren’t for the fact that both Silent Hills and Allison Road have been canceled. Resident Evil 7, on the other hand, has the best chance of finally delivering the experience teased in P.T.

There seems like there will be a lot of puzzle solving and jump scares to keep you on your toes. I fell like the days of the hack and slash or Hollywood run and gun resident evils are done. Seem like developers took note of the fans saying the game got too cheesy and copied too much of MW 3rd person zombie stuff.  Resident Evil 7 will be out for XBO, PS4, and PC, and will be fully playable in VR on Jan. 24, 2017.

Dead Rising 4 and E3 2016

I can't believe E3 is here already!  I guess with tv shows like xplay and stuff being cancelled, there isn't a lot of gaming news and hype around the event.  One particular game that I can't wait to get my hands on is Dead Rising 4.

I'm liking the return of our survivalist reporter Frank West as the main character.  There was downloadable content in Dead Rising 3 to play as Frank West, but it's not the same as having a whole game to yourself with a pioneer.   

It looks like the game will take place around Christmas in the town of Willamette.  Not information has been provided on the story or why Frank West is rampaging on zombies here, but I like the elemental gadgets and tricked out vehicles that I saw in the trailer.  It looks like there will be an emphasis on crafting like in Dead Rising 3.  I'm hoping we get more content this time around because I blew through Dead Rising 3 in a weekend.

Dead Rising 4 is expected to be release around Christmas time on December 6, 2016.