This year’s E3 (Electronic Entertainment Expo) is probably the most explosive E3 in recent memory. With the announcement of the Xbox ONE and the Play Station 4 the gaming industry is being inundated by more games than ever before.

Bayonetta 2
After the release of Bayonetta on the Xbox 360 and Play Station 3, everyone thought that Bayonetta was going to be a one time thing. Luckily for fans of the series, Nintendo reached out to developer Platinum Games to make a sequel. Which was a very surprising move on Nintendo’s part, but with the way the WiiU is going, Nintendo could really capitalize on the over-the-top entertainment that only a Bayonetta game could deliver. Despite the very niche market that Bayonetta caters to, fans of the series are a very loyal bunch, myself being one of them.
The game play of Bayonetta 2 is feels very familiar; if you’ve played the first Bayonetta, then you’ll know how to play Bayonetta 2. The sharp combat mechanics are still the main focus of the game, but this time there’s some new features added to increase the its depths to whole new levels. Now as you deal more and more damage to your opponents and stack up your combos higher and higher you’ll build up the new umbra magic gauge. Once filled, Bayonetta can enter “Umbra Climax” mode which increases her attack power and the range of all of her attacks. Fans of the series will notice that it is very similar to Bayonetta’s “boss fight” mode was. Whenever she attacks her large demonic helpers attack from the underworld as well.
Bayonetta 2 is slated for a 2014 release.

The Last of Us
Ah, The Last of Us. The game that might be the last truly great game for the PS3. Already the game has been praised beyond belief. Receiving nearly perfect scores across the board from all major reviewers.
I got my hands on this mythical beast to play the E3 demo and I must say, it is a very beautiful game. I only had a short time with the game because there was a long line of people waiting to try it out for themselves but I was very impressed by what I played. The game play feels very reminiscent of the Uncharted series but feels fresh by adding a layer of reality to the game. Shooting a gun feels heavy and getting shot really seems like it hurts (for a game). But when it comes to combat, the close range fighting of the Last of Us is truly impressive/brutal. When each punch, or swing of a 2×4 makes contact with an enemy, the result is a sickeningly realistic crack. What’s more is that sometimes you are given an option to execute an enemy. But when you do, you’re greeted by the most violent, yet effective methods of dispatching people.
The game will be hitting stores soon so I don’t want to get too into detail about the actual game play mechanics, but I will say that the game does a great job of guiding the player through the game. I don’t mean it holds your hand says “Go here!” in big, bold, pulsating letters. Either Ellie (your A.I. Companion) will mention a particular route, or you’ll just stumble upon it yourself.
The Last of Us comes out on Friday the 14th of June.