While Scalebound showed off the potential of the console in handling a full-fledged Unreal Engine 4 title, Quantum Break showcased the power of Remedy’s Northlight Engine and the sheer attention to detail paid to its lighting and presentation. Then there was Crackdown 3, which is an entirely different matter. Let’s break down each game and see how they set standards in their own ways.

Scalebound

It’s hard to believe that so many Unreal Engine 4 games are on the horizon, especially since we’ve seen what the engine can do for games like The Vanishing of Ethan Carter on PS4 (which essentially kept the same assets but managed to look so much better). We weren’t expecting all that much from Scalebound but wow, did it create an impression. From the open world setting and boss battles to the action RPG combat mechanics and dragon commands, topping it all off with four player co-op, Scalebound truly shows off what the Xbox One would be capable of.

In many ways, Scalebound reminded us of fantasy rpgs which are characterized by large open areas, armoured soldiers and general art direction. As of now, it seems that the game is running at 1080p resolution though we can’t 100 percent confirm this until raw footage is made available but it definitely seems to be targeting 30 frames per second. The cut-scenes run in real-time, which is impressive, but it was the dragon that caught our eye. Platinum has implemented a good number of skeletal points, allowing it to move realistically, and when you factor in physically based rendering for characters to allow for details like skin and scales, it looks all the more compelling. As stated earlier, we honestly didn’t expect this much when Scalebound was first teased at E3 2014.

Thankfully, Scalebound is as much about the finer details as well. Blades of grass would shift realistically as the dragon rummaged through them and lighting effects and draw distance looked good. There seem to be some performance issues with regards to the frame rate dropping below 30 FPS with very slight screen tearing. It’s to be expected when there are so many characters on-screen and a dragon which supposedly has a massive resource budget, along with everything else. We’ll see how that pans out for Scalebound when it’s showcased next.

Quantum Break

Remedy Entertainment’s Quantum Break has afforded several different opportunities to study its visuals due to the number of times it’s been showcased in recent years. This year’s Gamescom presentation is quite different from what we’ve seen before and perfectly reflects the finer tuning Remedy has done on the title. Quantum Break’s gameplay appears to have made the leap into the cinematic presentation that its developer has been hyping up for so long.

The Northlight Engine, a new engine created especially for Quantum Break, capably handled the game’s slow motion, bullet time sequences, dynamic physics and unique aesthetic. It was the real-time lighting which looked absolutely gorgeous especially when viewing the time lapse shots near the end of demo. Along with high quality depth of field and heavy bloom and perhaps the best volumetric lighting effects we’ve seen in a while all come together in a fascinating manner.

The overall performance itself is also noteworthy since Quantum Break ran smoothly at 30 frames per second with V Sync and showed very little screen tearing. Of special note is Remedy’s use of Umbra seems to have helped improve occlusion methods, along with different effects which perfectly highlight its appeal. Again, we’ll be paying close attention to the final product to see just how good it looks compared to this demo. For now though, we’re pretty stoked.

Crackdown 3

What can we say that hasn’t been said till now? As far as technology goes, Crackdown 3 is simply insane, outstripping what’s possible on any console, much less what any single mega PC is capable of. The scale of destruction and the intensity displayed is unlike anything seen thus far. This is perhaps the first game we’ve seen this console generation that isn’t just a simple upgrade, making it absolutely impossible on previous gen platforms.

Crackdown 3 essentially makes a case for cloud computing with the game engine rendering the on-screen action while the complex physics calculations needed for the destruction are done on off-shore servers. This makes Crackdown 3’s multiplayer, where the full extent of the destruction can be experienced, dependent on the cloud. Since Gamescom, Microsoft has released some more information regarding the player’s Internet connection and how gameplay can vary depending on how your ISP works. Nonetheless, enough effort is being put in to ensure that your world state is properly in sync with other players in this mode.

Any skepticism we may have regarding the cloud’s working and just how reliable it will be is somewhat assuaged by Cloudgine developing the core engine while Reagent Games handles the art assets and overall gameplay. There are plenty of other questions though. How good of an internet connection will one need for the multiplayer? How much is it costing Microsoft in terms of resources? What will the level of destruction be in the single-player mode? Crackdown 3’s multiplayer mode is set to launch in summer 2016 so more information will eventually be coming.

Square Enix’s Final Fantasy 15 Presentation Falls Flat

Remember when Square Enix promised a “major presence” for Final Fantasy 15 at Gamescom? What we actually got was a new cinematic trailer set before the game’s current events, Stella replaced by a new character named Lunafreya, vague details about everything other than the back-story surrounding the game and a bunch of illustrations. Yes, that’s right – there was no gameplay showcased. At least the publisher redeemed itself somewhat by announcing that Final Fantasy 15 would be out “before 2017” which pretty much confirms a 2016 release date. But still, having skipped E3 2015 for Gamescom and simply delivering…that? No bueno.

Microsoft has had an amazing turnaround as far as its perception goes over the last few months, and that has a lot to do with its great conferences that it held at E3 and Gamescom, where it made a bevy of exclusive game announcements, while also highlighting how the Xbox One would continue to grow and evolve as a machine.

This happened largely because of some thorough foresight and planning on Microsoft’s part- they had a lot of announcements and things to show off, and instead of just cramming them all into one conference, they made the wise choice to spread things out, and also sustain their momentum better that way.

“We actually planned E3 and Gamescom at the same time this year. We had enough content, I think, to show at two big shows. I kind of felt that way yesterday, I looked at the Quantum Break demo, which I thought was fantastic, and that could easily have been in our E3 show and vice versa. We treated Gamescom as a top-tier show and we had 90 minutes of content I was really proud of.

“It was nice to have the third party support. Just Cause looked really good, having Dark Souls in the show was great. All the teams spend so much time preparing for these shows, and many of them have games to ship this fall. The ability to juggle those things – I felt good about the show,” Xbox head Phil Spencer told Eurogamer.

It is a strategy that has paid off, and allowed Microsoft and Xbox to be the topic of discussion constantly, even as PlayStation seems to have had an off year following their otherwise stellar E3 showing. Whether or not this positive mindshare translates to increased marketshare for Microsoft remains to be seen, but they certainly deserve any success they get now if it does.

"Part of this could be due to the expectations I have from Remedy. This is a company that brought about Max Payne, which reinvented the third person shooter genre with its cinematic albeit cheesy story-telling and bullet-time gameplay."

However, it was the presence of Quantum Break, Remedy Entertainment’s third person action title/time manipulation exercise that stood out the most for me. This isn’t to say it was my favourite game of the conference (Battleborn says hello) but it definitely stood on its own among a crowded Xbox One line-up.

Part of this could be due to the expectations I have from Remedy. This is a company that brought about Max Payne, which reinvented the third person shooter genre with its cinematic albeit cheesy story-telling and bullet-time gameplay. However, there was a time when even Max Payne was seemingly beset by delay after delay. It always looked impressive but at the time, most people were just itching to finally play it. Ironically enough, Max Payne 2 released much more quickly afterwards.

The same could be said for Alan Wake. It had its takers with regards to the visuals and overall presentation. Heck, it looked good each and every time one saw it. But the final game didn’t really catch my fancy. It wasn’t the story or the combat that really dragged it down. The game was simply…there. And while that’s not bad, it’s certainly not what you’d expect from a title Microsoft was touting as blockbuster-caliber.

"In the time since Quantum Break last appeared, it seems like Remedy was working hard on the actual game itself rather than just looking for a way to connect it to the show."

Quantum Break is different, however. Despite the fact that it was built as a transmedia narrative, with the game presenting the side of the heroes while the TV show focuses on the villain’s story, Quantum Break stood out with its new fangled mechanics. Manipulating time in a free form fashion wasn’t exactly unheard of but Quantum Break took the science and ran away with it. For all that we thought we saw however, there was still an aura of mystery about the title.

Thankfully, by the time Quantum Break was showcased at Gamescom 2015, it was apparent what Remedy had been doing in its time – building a game for all these mechanics. Despite the Xbox Entertainment Division being shut down, a lot of focus was placed on the TV show as well with Aidan Gillen (“Little Finger” from Game of Thrones), Shawn Ashmore (X-Men series) and Lance Riddick (The Wire) starring in it. That’s a pretty compelling cast right there though it remains to be seen how the script holds up.

In the time since Quantum Break last appeared, it seemed like Remedy was working hard on the actual game itself rather than just looking for a way to connect it to the show. The Gamescom demo expanded significantly on what we thought we knew about the game, introducing the ability to freeze certain portions of reality and speed others up to achieve different effects.

"Whether it breaks sales records or simply tides over the Xbox One crowd remains to be seen but it sure looks like it’ll be fun."

And for as antiquated as it may sound, it was just the fact that I was seeing actual gameplay that I’d love to play unfolding before me that made Quantum Break so impressive. Crackdown 3’s cloud mechanics in multiplayer sound impressive, sure, but there wasn’t really much beyond that revealed. Scalebound looked bad-ass in its combination of Devil May Cry-like hack and slash and dragon commandeering but it was a modest beginning. The hooks for Quantum Break were right there, on full display – it was one of those moments where you’re simply sold on a game, regardless of what else you see from it.

Will that make Quantum Break an excellent game when it releases? Maybe not – there are plenty of people who hated Titanfall despite how impressed I was with the initial footage and beta (and the subsequent game, which I continue to enjoy). But it proves that Remedy – and by extension, Microsoft – aren’t simply waiting around for these kinds of blockbusters to just develop. There is work happening behind the scenes and it looks good, even if it takes time to deliver.

Maybe that’s something that should be kept in mind for many games stuck in development limbo. However, Quantum Break is no longer one of them and the stage is set for it to break out on April 5th 2016. Whether it breaks sales records or simply tides over the Xbox One crowd remains to be seen but it sure looks like it’ll be fun.

Take Two Interactive recently held an earnings call following their most recent financial report and CEO Strauss Zelnick was quick to address any comparisons between Grand Theft Auto 5 and the recently announced Mafia 3.

“Mafia 3 is a completely different experience. I wouldn’t compare it to anything else out there. The reveal [at Gamescom] was great, but it stands alone.”

The two games are so distinct in fact that Hangar 13, the developer of Mafia 3, isn’t even sharing technology with Rockstar. “We don’t use any other game in the same sentence as Grand Theft Auto. It is the industry’s standard-bearer. It’s not up for comparison.”

It also seems that Mafia 3 will be expected to ship during fiscal year 2017 which is a ways off. The comparisons between GTA 5 and Mafia 3 are still interesting however since the series has always carried its own distinct identity even in previous titles.

What are your thoughts on this and the billed release date for Mafia 3? Let us know in the comments.

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Airships are a time honored tradition of Final Fantasy games, one that has sadly fallen by the wayside in recent years thanks to the absolute linearity in Final Fantasy games, which pretty much renders them useless. That said, Square Enix are looking at bringing them back in Final Fantasy XV, the game that seems to be channeling the older Final Fantasy games in so many ways.

Speaking in an interview with Famitsu translated by Siliconera, game director Hajime Tabata said, “I’m not certain whether we’ll be able to make it on time for the retail release, but I think we should do even if it means releasing it after as a download,” he said. “I’d like to have the challenge of being able to fly around the world. I would like to experience that, and I’m sure the fans would also like to experience that, too.”

The fans definitely would, and I am glad to see that Square Enix really are trying to do right by their fans this time around- I just hope it doesn’t lead to a schizophrenic, unfocused game, built by committee and in response to the cacophony of a million voices, trying to please everybody, but really, pleasing nobody.

Deck13 have announced The Surge, a new action RPG set in a dystopian future with the earth nearing its end of life- whether that means it is literally nearing the end of its official life (projected to be another 5 billion years- that would be very cool, to be honest), or if that’s just another cool way of saying ‘it’s another post apocalyptic game,’ is not something we know.

Deck13 said, “As the intelligence of technology incrementally increased over the years, many jobs for the human race had been made redundant, forcing Earth’s citizens to head out into the suburbs seeking labor, aided by exoskeletons to improve their efficiency. The world of The Surge offers a very grim vision of the future, where the evolution of our technology, our society and our relation with the environment led to a decadent state of the Human civilization.”

Of course, note here that the timeframe is not actually specified, although it sounds like this end, whatever it is, is man made, which makes the premise significantly less exciting, if I am being frank.

The Surge will launch on the PS4, Xbox One, and PC in 2017.

Microsoft’s Crackdown 3 looked pretty cool when it was finally revealed at Gamescom 2015 and the power of the Cloud was praised for the level of destruction that can be provided. There are some catches though because of course there would be, but Regent’s Dave Jones provides some solid reasoning to IGN.

Firstly, the multiplayer will only have this level of destructibility because it uses an internet connection. As such, the developer doesn’t want to force anyone to head online. “Yes, [destruction is] exclusive to the multiplayer mode. You have to be online for multiplayer, and at that point we can connect to the cloud and really expand the experience”

There’s also the fact that the gameplay style of the series has been about traversing the environment and netting collectibles as much as blowing things up. This is what the campaign will provide though the destruction will obviously be toned down to facilitate different activities.

Crackdown 3 will be out in 2016 for Xbox One. What are your thoughts on the differing levels of destruction in single player and multiplayer? Let us know in the comments.

We may have gotten a massive, 30 minute long gameplay video for Hideo Kojima’s Metal Gear Solid 5: The Phantom Pain at Gamescom yesterday, but Konami isn’t done promoting Kojima’s upcoming magnum opus just yet. In fact, today we got two more gameplay clips for the title, though both are far shorter than what we got yesterday.

The two videos that we got today showcase the cardboard box and the fulton,two things that I am sure all players will be using quite a bit in the game as they play through them. It’s nothing that we haven’t seen before, but it does highlight the versatility of The Phantom Pain (and Ground Zeroes) compared to previous entries in the Metal Gear saga.

Metal Gear Solid 5: The Phantom Pain will be out on Xbox 360, Xbox One, PS3, PS4, and PC on September 1. Stay tuned to GamingBolt for more coverage and information of the game.

Upcoming cyberpunk RPG The Technomancer has received a brand new trailer for Gamescom. This new trailer sees the main character Zachariah attempt to communicate with Earth. However, it seems as though he’s having issues connecting. It also doesn’t help matters that he is apparently being chased by Mars’ secret police.

Mars itself doesn’t look like a very welcoming setting in this trailer- in fact, it’s positively hostile. That said, the developers have promised us that Mars is home to loads of character interactions with people who have been affected by some great tragedy, as well as loads of secrets and treasures that are just waiting to be uncovered.

These people are important- it appears as though they will join Zacharias and give him more information once you form a deep enough friendship with them, somewhat like a Social Links system.

The Technomancer is in development for PC, PlayStation 4 and Xbox One, with a projected release date for 2016.