The debut of Hotline Miami 2: Wrong Number, the sequel to last year’s neon-hazy, ultra-violent game from developer Dennaton and publisher Devolver Digital, was one of the few actual surprises at last week’s E3—and it wasn’t even at the show in any official capacity.
We got our first look at the game in a parking lot across the street from the LA Convention Center. We were in a trailer, actually, watching live gameplay footage at a show where polished, scripted demos are de rigueur. It was the perfect venue for a game that features a meta-commentary about its own fans and questions a lot of industry standards.
Crossing the threshold from the blistering LA heat to the air-conditioned trailer, a wave of gentle music (Beams by Tape) wafts out alongside the chilled air. Great soundtrack (again): check.
Sid Meier is the latest game industry veteran to embrace the burgeoning mobile gaming space. The man behind Civilization—a classic PC game that successfully made the transition to tablet—has launched his first mobile game.
Sid Meier’s Ace Patrol for iPhone and iPad puts gamers inside the cockpits of World War I fighter planes for a game of strategy and combat. Meier, who developed the game at his Firaxis studio, chatted with us about why the mobile gaming space is so important.
Game On: What's it been like for you to explore the world of mobile games?
When World of Tanks arrives on the Xbox 360, it’ll introduce the 48 million-userstrong Xbox Live community to free-to-play gaming on an unprecedented scale. The game’s “freemium” model has earned developer Wargaming.net a tidy sum, but will console gamers long accustomed to upfront pricing and balking at downloadable content take kindly to—ostensibly—being nickel and dimed?
World of Tanks has over 60 million registered users on the PC, and sees players piloting, well, tanks, battling for supremacy while earning experience points and credits. The game is free to download and play, but you can pay to customize your vehicles, or purchase consumable “convenience” items that are aimed to make the experience a bit more pleasant, without necessarily offering an advantage.
Plenty of free-to-play games have made strides into the console space—consider the PlayStation 3’s Free Realms, or the Xbox 360’s Happy Wars. But World of Tanks has grown accustomed to a massive scale (and massive profits). That said, there are a few hurdles to contend with.
Alex covers desktops, everything from fancy to practical. He's also an avid (addicted) gamer and loves following the industry. More by Alex Cocilova
To be the ultimate gamer you must sculpt the perfect body and mind. Alright, so that's not entirely true, but it does help to hone your reaction times and quick critical thinking skills to get out of those sticky situations. Here are some free games that can be your workout regiment to train for those big titles announced at E3 this year.
Armando is an Android nerd, covering both apps and phones, and a former programmer. He is also a world-class heckler on Twitter. More by Armando Rodriguez
LOS ANGELES—Gaming's most important platform has been mysteriously absent at this year's E3. Companies attending the week-long expo have shown off plenty of games for the PC and all the major consoles, but games for smartphones and tablets have been almost nonexistent. After making my rounds through the halls of the Los Angeles Convention Center, I found a total of two games playable on mobile devices—Terraria and Deus Ex: The Fall.
It's rather disappointing that a show that's supposed to be the biggest video game expo on Earth seems to be ignoring the fastest growing segment of the gaming market. According to a 2013 study conducted by the Electronic Software Association, 36 percent of gamers play games on their smartphones. Furthermore, 25 percent of people who play games play on "wireless devices," a category that includes tablets, iPods, and similar gadgets that don't connect to a cellular network. It was surprising to see that companies with extensive mobile game portfolios, like EA and Ubisoft, hardly promoted anything beyond games for PCs and consoles. Mobile gamers make up the vast majority of the gaming population, but they got no love from E3.
