Gamescom: EA Press Conference

EA’s Gamescom press conference on Wednesday brought us a closer look at some of the publisher’s biggest titles for the next year.

Aaryn Flynn, general manager for Bioware Edmonton and Montreal, took to the stage with a gameplay demo of Bioware’s upcoming title Dragon Age: Inquisition. Set to hit stores on November 18 in North America, the fantasy RPG promises a focus of story and in-depth character customization.

In Inquisition, you can switch between the player character and any of your companions. You can also use the Tactical Camera feature to position your teammates and assign them actions, which can give you a strategic advantage in combat.

The presentation stressed the increased scope of Inquisition. With more than a million words in dialogue and over 150 hours of gameplay, Flynn said the game is “the biggest story we’ve ever told.”

Following a string of teaser videos released last week, the reveal of BioWare’s mysterious new game was one of the most anticipated parts of Gamescom. At the press conference, we finally got a look at Shadow Realms, an online role-playing game where the world of the fantastic and mundane meet.

Developed by BioWare Austin, the game will depict a battle between supernatural forces in a modern setting. Inspired by classic pen-and-paper RPGs like Dungeons & Dragons, the game pits four party members against a fifth player in the role of the villainous Shadowlord.

BioWare has said Shadow Realms will have a focus on storytelling and the game will have an episodic format.

A demo for Battlefield: Hardline’s single-player campaign showed a game that is radically different from previous installments in the series. Dead Space developer Visceral Games has teamed up with EA Digital Illusions for this cops-and-robbers action game.

The gameplay highlighted a stealth mechanic and non-lethal takedowns as an alternative to guns-blazing action. The demo suggested that the game will be less linear than past Battlefield titles, with the option to take different approaches to obstacles.

There were also announcements for updates to EA’s online titles. A new map pack will be added to Titanfall later this year and a digital expansion to Star Wars MMO The Old Republic will give players “guild flagships” and customizable houses.

Gamescom: Sony Press Conference

While largely uneventful, Sony’s press conference at Gamescom offered a look at some promising games.

The press conference took place at Gamescom, the games industry trade show in Cologne, Germany.

In keeping with the PlayStation 4’s “indie-friendly” image, Sony announced a slew of titles from indie developers that will be coming to the console. The lineup included original titles, like The Tomorrow Children and Hellblade, as well as a few PC ports, such as Papers, Please, The Vanishing of Ethan Carter and DayZ.

We got our first look at Rime, an open-world adventure/puzzle game from Tequila Works. Lacking the graphical power of AAA gaming, indie developers often go for a more stylized look. Reminiscent of The Legend of Zelda: Wind Waker, Rime’s premiere boasted a visually stunning cel-shaded artstyle that helped it to stand out from the pack.

Mike Bithell, creator of Thomas Was Alone, showed off a trailer for Volume, a futuristic stealth game inspired by the legend of Robin Hood.

A new trailer for Far Cry 4 revealed the specifics of co-op system introduced at E3. Each PS4 copy of Fary Cry 4 will come with “10 Keys to Kyrat,” passes that allow another PS4 player without a copy of the game to join you for two hours of co-op gameplay. To me, the revelation that the free co-op feature is so limited comes as a bit of a disappoinment.

Hideo Kojima made his first ever appearance at Gamescom to show off the new capabilities of the cardboard box in the upcoming Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain.

During the press conference, it was also announced that Destiny is officially the most pre-ordered new IP of all time at Gamestop. It seems the previous record holder, Watch Dogs, didn’t hold the title for very long.

UPDATE: An “interactive teaser” for new horror title T.P. was announced at the press conference. When the teaser was completed, we learned that the game is actually the latest installment in the Silent Hill series.

Developed by 7780s Studio, Silent Hills is being helmed by Hideo Kojima and Guillermo del Toro. Norman Reedus, best known for his role as Daryl in The Walking Dead, will be playing the protagonist. This reveal is definitely the most interesting thing to come out of the trade show so far.