Attention 2o2p readers!!! Shameless Plug Alert!!! Shameless Plug Alert!!! This is a big week for the gaming community. This week the rubber hits the road for Sony and Microsoft as E3 is finally upon us. Will Sony unveil the PS4’s top secret design? Will Big Brother, errr...Microsoft, showcase the Xbox One’s gaming capabilities as promised? Or will we get another in depth look at Microsoft’s advanced DVR? Will we see 4th generation gameplay? Is the used game market obsolete? Tune in to 2o2p this week for answers as our E3 coverage promises to be bigger, better and bolder! Ok, now that we got 2o2p’s shameless plug for our awesome E3 coverage out of the way, onto the new releases! This week affords you the opportunity to be the mayor of Furrytown and avoid mushroomheads whose sole purpose is to, you got it, turn you into a mushroomhead.
PlaystationThe Last of Us (PS3)
Naughty Dog, purveyors of classic series Crash Bandicoot, Jak and Daxter and Uncharted, drops its newest IP on June 14th. One of 2013’s most hotly anticipated releases since its introduction at Spike TV’s 2011 VGA’s, The Last of Us drops you into a world ravaged by a parasitic fungal virus. Twenty years after the initial outbreak, with cities and towns reclaimed by nature, the US is sectioned into quarantine zones. Zones are ruled under martial law by the US military. Joel, a major player in the quarantine zones’ black market, is tasked with delivering fourteen year old Ellie to the Firefly resistance group. Joel doesn’t smuggle without his partner in crime, Tess, so naturally he invites her along. Leaving the relative safety of the quarantine zone, Joel, Tess and Ellie travel westward trying to avoid the Infected, humans infected with the fungal virus, and Survivors, humans not yet infected who kill other survivors and pillage their belongings. Because surviving in The Last of Us depends heavily upon scavenging, the game features a crafting system. You must scavenge what you need to survive-weapons, ammo, recipes and various items needed to make recipes. Scavenging recipes provides you with crafting instructions. Scavenging items provides you with the items needed to craft the recipes. For example, in the demo I crafted a board with scissors in it-giving me a nice little melee weapon-and a med kit. The Last of Us also features a new gameplay mechanic-Dynamic Stealth-as well as a new AI system-Balance of Power. Dynamic Stealth allows the player the freedom to approach each situation differently with enemies reacting accordingly. Essentially, different stealth techniques in the same situation elicit different enemy responses. Balance of Power empowers enemy AI to react realistically to any combat situation they may face. They duck into cover if they spot you, call for backup if you get the upper hand and they exploit situations that are advantageous to them. The Last of Us appears to have all the hallmarks of a great gaming experience: an outstanding emotional story that connects and invests you in the characters and their environment, stunning visuals and it's developed by AAA studio Naughty Dog. The Last of Us is sure to be in 2013 GoTY contention.
NintendoAnimal Crossing: New Leaf (3DS)
The latest game in Nintendo’s popular Animal Crossing series, Animal Crossing: New Leaf introduces a new gameplay mechanic and features two new animal villager types, hamsters and deer, and two new NPC personality types, smug and uchi. Smugs are polite and kind while Uchi play the role of big sisters. Players can now be town mayor allowing significantly more town customization than in previous games. Should you choose to play the role of town mayor you’ll have access to two new gameplay features-Public Works Projects and Ordinances. Public Works Projects allow you to collect money from visitors and townies to finance various town construction projects. Ordinances allows you to pass laws that dictate how your town functions. What good is a town major without a personal assistant? Isabelle, your trusty new dog assistant, assists you in your duties as major. New Leaf improvements include enhanced customization of your living quarters as well as your appearance. You can visit your friends’ towns via Nintendo Network and exchange messages with them once you are on their friends list. If you'd like to get your New Leaf co-op on, you can travel to Tortimer Island with up to three of your friends to play minigames and win medals. Players can take pictures of their time in New Leaf and share them via Twitter and Tumblr. Animal Crossing: New Leaf dropped on June 9th.
