Following our flood of content from last week's E3 Media & Business Summit, we'll be highlighting noteworthy previews and features that may have gotten lost in the shuffle.

Imagine a game that takes Dawn of War, mixes it with Company of Heroes, removes base building altogether and adds RPG elements. If you can paint that puzzling picture in your mind, you'll have Dawn of War 2. And this is no exaggeration.

In fact, Dawn of War 2 directly borrows graphical and gameplay elements from Company of Heroes. For instance, CoH's cover system--wherein cover was rated with colored shields, and soldiers' future positions were marked with green dots--is exactly copied in Dawn of War 2. Sticky bombs and grenades are deployed with timers in exactly the same fashion as the World War II shooter.

No longer a traditional RTS, developer Relic has actually deviated from the genre even more with this project than they did with Company of Heroes. Dawn of War 2 could now be described as a small-scale tactical RTS, with a surprising amount of RPG flavor.

The focus of the sequel is clearly on micromanagement and squad-based... Read more

In every way but its name, Project Origin (PC, PS3, 360) is unquestionably F.E.A.R. 2.

Though former publisher Vivendi has retained the rights to the F.E.A.R. name, developer Monolith Productions has retained all of the shooter's hallmarks and story: slow-motion shooting, unsettling atmosphere and creepy dead girls galore.

Getting my hands on an early build of Project Origin's Xbox 360 version at last week's E3, it was immediately clear that the developers have worked hard to improve upon F.E.A.R.'s previously established foundation.

The demonstration level took me to the streets of a ruined city populated with shock troopers, but these punks were different than the soldiers I mowed down... Read more

Following our flood of content from last week's E3 Media & Business Summit, we'll be highlighting noteworthy previews and features that may have gotten lost in the shuffle.

It's been a good few years for sequels—less of the radical changes and outlandish departures, and a more pronounced focus on making improvements where necessary while preserving what already functioned well.

Capcom's Resident Evil 5 (PS3, 360) is definitely among those games—one of only two titles that successfully inspired cackles of glee as I witnessed my own head cut free from my body.

The other, of course, is Capcom's incredible Resident Evil 4 (GCN, PC, PS2, Wii), a game from which this latest chapter in the company's long-running survival horror saga draws a great deal of inspiration. The successes of RE4 are intact and accounted for in this follow-up: a solid control scheme, an excellent camera, and the ... Read more

Following our flood of content from last week's E3 Media & Business Summit, we'll be highlighting noteworthy previews and features that may have gotten lost in the shuffle.

EA Redwood Shores' sci-fi survival horror effort Dead Space (PC, PS3, X360) can best be summarized as Resident Evil 4 in space, and no, that's not a bad thing.

Capcom's Resident Evil 4 represents some of the best that survival horror has to offer. Dead Space expands on that, adding in a delicious layer of sci-fi goodness.

One such example of that sci-fi application is the holographic projector in main character Isaac's visor. Instead of switching to a different screen, maps and videos are projected directly in front of Isaac. Item selection is likewise handled... Read more

Following our flood of content from last week's E3 Media & Business Summit, we'll be highlighting noteworthy previews and features that may have gotten lost in the shuffle.

Ever since I first glimpsed the game at GDC, I've been hopeful that Mirror's Edge would deliver on its promise of simple-yet-skill-based first-person Price of Persia-esque platforming.

Now that I've actually had a chance to go hands-on with the title, I'm fairly confident that it will end up being one of my games of the year.

In other words, Mirror's Edge is flippin' sweet. The controls are incredibly simple to learn, but the nuances of the gameplay make it rather difficult to master... Read more

It was somewhere between ordering my army of blue-blooded Max Rebo soldiers to crush an enemy civilization, and conquering the galaxy from the comfort of a spaceship that resembled a four post bed, when I realized they had pulled it off. Spore is great. My primary concern with the game was that there simply wouldn't be enough to do--that the goals or missions provided would be too boring or infrequent to offer much outside of the game's sandbox creation.

Don't get me wrong, the missions are often simple--but they are not boring. While the civilization level of the game is not as fully featured as a real RTS, it is nevertheless fun to play, and comes alive when taken in the context of the game. The galactic stage is a combination of elements, all tied together with a few photon torpedoes and close encounters.

But rather than wax on for a few dozen paragraphs, I'll simply attempt to relate what I encountered while playing the latter half of Spore for a full Earth hour.... Read more

Like many others, I was consumed by the first Geometry Wars on Xbox Live Arcade. The downloadable Xbox 360 title had a simple concept--survive against an ever-increasing armada--and simple multi-directional shooting controls that made it just perfect for either short or long-term bursts.

It was so simple that I've been unsure as to how creator Bizarre Creations could deliver a worthy sequel. Multiplayer and new enemies seemed like obvious choices, but could Bizarre really iterate on the core gameplay all that much?

Well, yes.

Along with the expected new enemies and four-person offline multiplayer, Geometry Wars 2: Retro Evolved 2 packs five new modes in addition to the original's Survival. Why no online multiplayer? "There's too much going on to do this over Live," explained Microsoft director of digitally distributed games Scott Austin.

King fills the battlefield with frequently appearing and disappearing... Read more

Considering our exhaustive coverage of Rock Band 2--most of which I have personally written or had some hand it--I knew about nearly all of the the tweaks that Harmonix community manager Sean Baptiste was running me through.

But knowing about it is one thing, whereas seeing it in action is something entirely different. Once I'd actually experienced the ease of custom setlists--something I've been waiting for since the very first Guitar Hero--well, in the words of Baptiste, "I peed a little."

Quite frankly, the redesigned song selection menu--which pretty much mimics Rock Band's in-game music store--is a godsend. Searching through the massive tracklist and finding that one specific tune is super easy now that you can jump directly to a letter instead of scrolling through everything.

Considering that the the combination of on-disc tracks and weekly downloadable content will result in over 500 Rock Band tracks by the year's end, that's... Read more

As Batman constructed bouquets of flowers out of the remnants of destroyed roof fixtures, LEGO Batman producer Richard Earl said "There's a lot of things Batman will do that you won't see Christian Bale do in [The Dark Knight]."

Indeed, the world's greatest detective embarks on a much more lighthearted adventure in Traveller's Tales LEGO Batman, the latest in the developer's series of franchise-warping adventure titles. At a demonstration at the Warner Bros. booth at E3, the general atmosphere exuded less of the dark and harrowing action and more of the slapstick that the LEGO games are known for.

Unlike many other previously released Batman games, LEGO Batman isn't directly tied to any specific film or television adaptation—it draws from several forms of media featuring the Caped Crusader. But the goal, added Earl, was to create... Read more

The story of Mortal Kombat vs. DC Universe revolves around some kind of cataclysmic event, a major rift in space and time which causes Batman to run into Scorpion at the grocery store, and then they fight, but Batman doesn't kill him because he has to bring him to justice.

Alright, that may not be entirely accurate, but that's not the important thing. The important thing is that Mortal Kombat vs. DC isn't terrible. Despite the Teen rating, there are still fatalities, and plenty of blood, and some relatively interesting moves. Watching the Flash repeatedly zip from one side of the screen to the other, juggling an enemy with punches, was sort of funny. That's what I would do if I was the Flash.

On the MK side of things, Scorpion looks like Scorpion, and still uses the most awkwardly infamous video game weapon known to man, like the Gordon's Fisherman from hell. Sonya does her thing, kicking and punching and being the only human of the bunch. Mortal Kombat is so weird.

Much has been made about the DC hero characters' lack of fatalities. As Batman, a Midway rep demonstrated a "brutality," which consisted of the Dark Knight pounding Sub-Zero into the pavement, up to his ears in cement. Even though Batman didn't kill him, I knew he was being evil, because his Bat-eyes were glowing yellow.... Read more

I played Castlevania Judgment at E3 next to famed Konami producer Koji Igarashi. An awesome experience to say the least, but admittedly somewhat awkward.

On the one hand, Igarashi's presiding guidance of the series—serving as the series' producer since shortly after 1997's Castlevania: Symphony of the Night—has brought about some of my favorite Castlevania games, including the DS entries Dawn of Sorrow and Portrait of Ruin.

On the other hand, Castlevania Judgment is not a Castlevania game... Read more

Keiichi Yano, head of Elite Beat Agents and Gitaroo Man developer iNis, describes the studio's upcoming Xbox 360 karaoke title Lips as "the ultimate party singing game." After belting out a few songs, I'm inclined to agree that it certainly has the potential.

The big draw of Lips isn't its tracklist, of which only three songs have been confirmed--Duffy's "Mercy," "Bust a Move" by Young MC, and "Young Folks" by Peter, Bjorn and John.

And while the motion-sensitive wireless microphones certainly have the potential to add an entirely new element to the karaoke genre, Yano wasn't talking specifics.

No, what sets Lips apart from everything else--from Sony's SingStar to Harmonix's Rock Band--is the fact that you can stream songs off your iPod or Zune. The game then applies a vocal reduction filter to those tracks, the very same one used ... Read more

Flower is an odd game to describe. In fact, I'm not sure it's technically a "game" at all.

The downloadable PS3 title continues in the serene, calming atmosphere of thatgamecompany's PlayStatin 3 creature-eater life simulator flOw. Thus far, it seems there's no way to fail, no way to die. My two-level demo had no enemies whatsoever.

Instead, the game is all about blowing flower petals throughout a level, all the while gathering a larger cloud of petals and revitalizing a barren landscape. The controls are a simple, one-button setup: hit a face button to blow the wind, and tilt the Sixaxis to control its direction.

Wait, don't go. I know the concept sounds fruity. But something about blowing a giant cloud of flower petals is intrinsically fun. And when combined with the serene music and gorgeous visuals, it's more than just fun; it's relaxing... Read more

A few friends told me on E3's show floor that playing Mega Man 9 was like being a kid all over again. That's a fair assessment, but I think it goes a bit further.

While I can remember playing a great deal of the first six Mega Man games on the NES, I can't remember playing a single one of them for the first time, learning the level structures and stumbling through the hazards. The knowledge is simply already there—not the case in Capcom's downloadable follow-up Mega Man 9.

But make no mistake, it is most certainly a Mega Man game. And though it is planned for appearance on consoles which pack exponentially more power under the hood, it's definitely 8-bit—the first new 8-bit game I've encountered as an adult... Read more

When I saw Halo Wars at last year's E3, the Ensemble-developed RTS prequel certainly looked impressive, though I couldn't say much about the game's fabled control scheme.

The entire game hinges on the success of its control scheme, on a player's ability to quickly zoom across a battlefield and issue commands to an entire army. That's really easy to do with a mouse and keyboard, not so much with an Xbox 360 controller.

Ensemble is certainly aware of this--additional control scheme work is part of why Halo Wars was just delayed into 2009, along with general balance tweaks and a crowded holiday season.

Yet even in its current state, I'm happy to report that the game's control scheme works quite well. It's not necessarily intuitive--then again, I can't imagine what button I would instinctively press to instantly select all troops--but I got the hang of it after five minutes.

All it takes is one button press to perform the basic tasks--jump back to your base, select all on-screen units, highlight all troops on a map, center on your... Read more

If you want to play more Crysis levels without having to deal with all the cost of fresh-feeling content, you're in luck.

Where to start? After thirty minutes of playing Crysis Warhead, I saw a couple new guns, some new particle effects, and a new mission. A mission that, outside of a dull scripted vehicle sequence, could have passed as content from the original Crysis.

Don't get me wrong: I very much enjoyed the original Crysis, and the stand-alone Warhead's $29.99 price point keeps the lack of new features from being insulting. Apparently Warhead will include a larger variety of enemies than Crysis, though I saw only the same standard soldiers while playing it. And it will supposedly be better optimized, so a few more of you might be able to run it. There will also be some new multiplayer maps, and a couple new modes.

Did I mention those explosion effects already?

I can at least confirm that there will be no new suit powers... Read more

Let me give you an idea of how absurdly detailed Empire: Total War is: the game accurately models buoyancy. Every musket ball is accurately modeled using the game's physics engine. The land battle maps are generated from NASA satellite imagery.

Empire: Total War is a model kit of a game. Based on my time with it, I can say that naval combat has been brilliantly realized, with a level of polish that honestly left me stunned.

I got a look at a lengthy naval battle, the Americans facing down the British. The game features dozens of ships, and all sorts were on display. Small sloops, larger frigates, ships of the line--even rudimentary rocket-armed ships and early steam-powered behemoths.

It is difficult to stress how fantastic the game looks in motion. Cannon fire is a sight to see: billowy smoke thundering from each broadside, masts accurately snapping and crashing onto the rolling waves. Crew effects have been added since last we saw a build, and now an impressive number of sailors can be seen running... Read more

The conclusion of Apogee's recently-announced Duke Nukem Trilogy for Nintendo DS and PSP will see the beloved game icon thrust into World War II--in a game that will, at long last, explain the origins of the Duke Nukem namesake.

"We plan on making Duke the Forest Gump of World War II," Apogee COO Terry Nagy revealed to Shacknews, referring to the fictional insertion of the Tom Hanks-played film character into major historical events.

"It was really Duke that sunk the Bismarck," he explained. "It wasn't the British." The Battle of Iwo Jima marks another historical Duke victory. "[Founder] Scott [Miller] absolutely loved the storyline, claiming that it was 'absolutely Duke.'"

Though the Nintendo DS and PSP releases will both use 3D graphics and share a common storyline, each version will deliver different gameplay... Read more

With such an extensive roster of remakes and revisions of classic titles both released and in development, it seemed inevitable that Square Enix would eventually return to its classic SNES RPG Chrono Trigger. Inevitability aside, it's a well-deserved retread.

As previously revealed, the title's Nintendo DS appearance is a straight port—no fancy 3D graphics, no voice acting. Simply the game as you likely remember it or a bit crisper, thanks to a sharp LCD screen.

Chrono Trigger DS takes advantage of the hardware in ways seen in other Square Enix DS RPGs, restricting the top screen to the game itself while map navigation, menu options and battle control are pinned to the system's touch screen.

While rooting through an unsuspecting neighbor's house or exploring a dungeon, a detailed map offering a full overview of the surrounding geometry will... Read more

Well, shucks. I'm not much for MMOs—my last oft-played MMO experience was years ago with CCP's Eve Online (PC)—but Cryptic Studios' Champions Online (PC, 360) might change all that.

Inspired by George McDonald's 1982 tabletop game, Champions Online marks developer Cryptic's second foray into the comic book MMO genre, following 2005's City of Heroes. The pervasive comic look of that game has seen an overhaul in Champions, with the comic shading and dark outlines around character silhouettes... Read more