News | June 4, 2012 11:50 am

By Hektic Juggalo

Alright folks, here is a Pre-E3 News Recap! That's right, the Electronics Entertainment Expo begins tomorrow, and news will be flying left and right. Stay tuned to XbA for the latest news, as well as a daily roundup each night of all the E3 info dropped that day. With that being said, bring on the news!

First up, and probably most prominent in 360-owners minds is the recent announcement of Gears of War: Judgement! Revealed via an upcoming Game Informer cover, it appears that Augustus Cole and Damon Baird will take center stage in what looks to be a prequel. The game will not be developed by Epic, and instead by their "sub-studio" People Can Fly. For those of you unaware, People Can Fly did develop Bulletstorm, but also managed the port of the original Gears of War over to PC, adding in the Brumak fight and some fan-favorite multiplayer maps. What this means is that it is not their first step into the Gears universe. An official trailer should be revealed at E3 some time this week!

Bethesda came forward an announced the Doom 3 BFG Edition. That's right, an HD remake of the popular third title in the series is on its way. The BFG Edition will include Doom 3, as well as its expansion "Ressurection of Evil", and even Doom and Doom II! Never playing Doom 3 myself, I am excited for this release. Bethesda has stated that the Doom 3 BFG edition will be the "definitive Doom collection".

Sticking with Bethesda for a moment, the trailer for Skyrim's Dawnguard DLC was revealed last week. The DLC will run you 1600 Microsoft points, and is still set to be released this summer. While that was all that was said regarding Dawnguard, even more Bethesda goodness came out in the past week with the debute gameplay trailer of Dishonored! A solid looking game blending stealth, magic and technology, this is certainly one thing to keep an eye on.

Several game announcements were also made this week, including Lego Lord of the Rings! That's right, it looks like the land of Middle Earth is set to get a lego revamp! Now, if only The Hobbit could get released in theaters sooner!

Konami also made several pre-E3 game announcements last week, including a follow up to Castlevania: Lords of Shadow, aptly titled Lords of Shadow 2. Konami has said that this will be the conclusion to the Lords of Shadow saga, and will prove to provide more info of the Lords of Shadow universe, including Dracula's resurrection and the Belmont clan's desire for his final destruction. Castlevania isn't the only Konami series mentioned, however: They have also stated that the anticipated Metal Gear Rising: Revengeance will receive a pre-release demo! That's right, packaged along with the Zone of the Enders HD collection (releasing this fall), the MGRR demo will allow players to experience Konami's "Free Slash mechanics and Zan-Datsu combat system, first hand." Even more reason to pick up the ZOE re-release!

Game dev Atlus has announced that they are set to publish "The Testament of Sherlock Holmes" this September. They have stated that this will e the "first Sherlock Holmes adventure built from the ground up for the HD generation", and will be seen on the 360 and PS3. A pre-E3 trailer is floating around the net, as well as this fancy banner, to accompany the announcement:


Changing gears from retail to Xbox Live Arcade, Square-Enix has said that an XBLA follow up to Mini Ninjas is on its way. Releasing June 29th, Mini Ninjas Adventures is being developed specifically for Kinect, and will give players the opportunity to become a ninja! Featuring gesture-driven combat across 21 levels, get ready to kick and punch your way to victory.

A teaser trailer for upcoming action-RPG title "The Incredible Adventures of Van Helsing" has been revealed. Developed for PC and XBLA, the game is loosely based on the original Dracula novel by Bram Stoker and features young Van Helsing, who is the son of the famous monster hunter. Journying to Borgovi, a kingdom on the very edge Eastern Europe, and the perilous lands surrounding it, players will take on the role of the romantically dark protagonist in this modernization of the legendary vampire killer. The Incredible Adventures of Van Helsing looks to test the bravest hunters in quarter 4 of 2012.

A demo for the upcoming multiplayer action title, Happy Wars, is said to be available at E3 this week at the Microsoft booth. In Happy Wars, players can assume one of three roles - warrior, mage, or cleric – and take on their enemies in a variety of over-the-top battlefields, from grasslands to lava fields and the ocean floor. Players can battle online, involving up to 30 players, or tackle an extensive single-player campaign. No solild release date on this arcade title just yet, but it definitely looks like a worthwhile endeavor.

Sega's HD Revamp of Jet Set Radio is will hit XBLA this summer, and the track list has been officially released by Sega. Sega has said that the "original game featured such a range of classic tracks, a range of unique and different tracks that matched the new cell shaded art style and fresh concept. So in bringing the game back to modern platforms, it was clear what we needed to do – bring the entire soundtrack back. We not only got the full Japanese soundtrack, not just the full European soundtrack, or even just the full North American soundtrack – no no – we got the worldwide soundtrack!" Very good news, indeed.

Sports fans will be excited to hear that NBA 2K13 has an official release date: October 2. If you pre-order for the upcoming NBA title, 2K Sports has said that you will receive a new downloadable NBA All-Star content package presented by Sprite. The add-on content is said to be set in Houston, the site of the 2013 NBA All-Star Game, and will allow fans to stage their own NBA All-Star Game, including three NBA All-Star events - the Foot Locker Three Point Shootout, BBVA Rising Stars Challenge, and the Sprite Slam Dunk Contest featuring all-new intuitive, pick-up-and-play controls. I'm not a large sports game fan, or a large sports fan in general, but from what I understand 2K beats the pants off of NBA Live, so there you go.

Rumors abound about a possible MMO game by Bungie. A contract between Bungie and Activision has leaked, and been the result of much speculation around the web. The possible sci-fi shooter MMO, referred to as "Destiny" seems to be in development for the 360, as well as the next generation Xbox. Only time will tell whether or not these rumors prove true.

Finally, the Deal of the Week includes many PopCap games for up to half off, including the popular Plants vs. Zombies! Last week also saw the release of Arkham City's final DLC pack, Harley's Revenge, providing an epilogue of sorts to the Dark Knight's tale.

Well now, that was quite a wall of text. Stay tuned this week for the freshest news from E3 as it trickles down, as well as a daily recap of everything for that day. If you want the latest and greatest be sure to subscribe to @XboxAmerica on Twitter, and as always, stay classy XbA!

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