Sekiro is a major departure from what has been seen in From Software's Souls series, and mastermind Hidetaka Miyazaki's next game is not just Bloodborne or Dark Souls set in feudal Japan. There are a number of reasons why this is the case, and you can expect to find something different compared to previous titles using the Souls formula. Lets take a look at 10 things we noticed about Sekiro that separate it from the other Souls games and how these changes could help Shadows Die Twice entice new players and old fans alike. 
The info was assembled from a variety of interviews and hands-off demos from around the industry during E3, including , , , and .
1. A Jump Button:
None of the games in the Souls series feature a jump button, and the only way a player can go airborne is to sprint and leap together. It is unwieldy, imprecise, and frustrating, and the world is not designed with verticality in mind outside of ladders and elevators. The rare "platforming sections" in the Souls games are the weakest parts of the series. Sekiro has a dedicated jump, which is used to traverse the world, dodge enemy attacks, and explore the more varied level design.
2. A Grapple:
Sekiro features a grapple mechanic that is used to pull yourself quickly and closer to enemies for attacks, and to have more freedom to explore the world. The grapple, mixed with the ability to jump, makes the act of traversing feudal Japan in Sekiro different from anything you experience in a Souls game.

3. Stealth Mechanics:
The closest you get to stealth in a Souls game is slowly trudging up behind an enemy and getting a backstab in. Sekiro has dedicated stealth mechanics, such as crouching in tall grass, silent kills from hidden areas or rooftops, and sidling up against walls for cover. Players can slowly take out weaker enemies one-by-one before engaging larger, tougher enemies in combat. 

4. No Stats Or Classes:
In Sekiro you are a set character, and have no stats to manipulate or classes to pick from. The game is designed around being a Shinobi in feudal Japan, and From Software has designed the world and weapons to fit that character. With stealth, traversal and swordplay all major parts of the game, focusing on being a ninja is the only option in Sekiro. From Software has stated there may be some replacement for stats but it won't be anything like what has been previously seen in their Souls games. 
5. No Other Weapons, Only The 'Shinobi Prosthetic':
While Players have access to a number of options and gadgets, the only main weapon at this time is the katana mixed with your prosthetic limb. The focus is on perfecting your skill with the sword and utilizing gadgets to buff your blade or change up your playstyle. The limb offers a number of options, such as a limited block ability, an axe that can break enemy defenses, or firecrackers to stun your opponents. The gadgets can be mixed with your weapon, like using the firecrackers to light the katana on fire. The prosthetic arm used to activate them looks like the closest analogue to trick weapons in Bloodborne.

6. No Armor:
A new departure will be that no extra armor can be found, in line with the theme of being a ninja and cutting out the RPG elements.  From Software has already stated that Sekiro is not a role-playing game and insinuated that the only form of upgrading will be involved with the gadgets. The major reason to explore is to find new options for your prosthetic. 
7. Emphasis On Story:
While Sekiro won't be the next Mass Effect, it has a greater focus on story compared to the Souls games, starting with the fact that you play as a fixed character. Players don't customize their identity or choose a class. You only play as a Shinobi, Sekiro, or "The One-Armed Wolf." Characters have more of a focus, and their relationships evolve over the course of the game. Despite this, Sekiro will probably have telltale elements From Software's world-building and cryptic storytelling. Miyazaki told in an interview “It’s not going to be a thickly story-driven affair, but we think it’ll be a nice change of pace from what you’ve seen so far.”

8. Resurrection
The title of the game Shadows Die Twice is not just a cool subtitle; it is intrinsic to a major change from previous games by From Software. You can use death to your advantage and choose when to resurrect your character. An enemy can kill you but you have the ability to wait for them to let their guard down, come back to life, and take advantage with a surprise attack. The ability has consequences and is limited, but changes the death-mechanic that has been the staple of the Souls series.
9. Posture 
The major stat in Sekiro is posture, and much like stamina you have a meter representing it. Your enemies also share that same weakness, and parrying their attacks lowers it, allowing you to take advantage with a powerful and brutal attack. Depending on the opponent, whether it be a larger enemy or a boss, it can either instantly kill them or do a significant amount of damage. You have to focus on dodging attacks with your jump, timing your blocks to cause a parry, and striking when you have the advantage. These acts lower your enemies posture and open them up for a devastating attack. If you focus too much on blocking, or receive damage, it lowers your posture, and the enemy can finish you off as well. A kanji appears that represents what sort of attack is incoming, giving you a chance to know whether it can be blocked, parried, or must be avoided altogether. It doesn't make it any easier though, as you still have to learn attack animations to know where and when to dodge, or to parry their attack when possible. 

10. No More Bonfires Or Lanterns
So far, Sekiro does not have a traditional lantern or bonfire system like the Souls games. Removing the need for souls or blood echoes as a currency allows From Software to change the way they look at checkpoints and death in their game, such as with the new resurrection system. Whether the game has a more typical checkpoint system or its own version of bonfires is unknown. It will be interesting to see how From Software plays with the idea of progress in a game that does not have as concrete indicators of it as the Souls games.
Something New
Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice is looking to be something wholly new by From Software, and that is incredibly exciting. The game is shaping up to be From's vision of a character action game as opposed to a feudal Japanese action/RPG. That focus should allow fans of the Souls to experience something new, and also interest newcomers to the typically impenetrable series.
 

Tags: E3, Apple, Dark Souls, IGN, Rust, Bloodborne, Evolve, RPG

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Valve’s move to an ‘anything goes’ approach to deciding which games will appear on Steam is a controversial one, but the company defended the decision by offering up some hard numbers that help describe the scope of the problem at a games industry talk this week in Russia.
Earlier this month, Valve announced that the company would allow any game on Steam so long as it wasn’t either illegal or “trolling.” The move came after outcry over emails the company sent to the developers of adult-themed games, primarily visual novels, telling them to either censor content or have their games pulled from Steam.
Valve might not be doing much curation these days, but we still are! Here's our list of the .
Now, Valve is explaining the subsequent decision to cease curating games almost entirely. Jan-Peter Ewert, head of Valve’s business development, gave a presentation at the Business Conference for Games Industry that laid out some of the numbers the company deals with when it comes to the sheer number of new games coming through Steam Direct.
In one slide, provided via Twitter by , Ewert shows how the number of new games on Steam has increased with each successive indie discovery program. Before Greenlight, which launched in 2012, about five games were released a week. With Greenlight, that number grew to 70 per week, and now with Steam Direct, Valve is seeing about 180 weekly game launches.
Those numbers couple with an ever-expanding Steam playerbase. Ewert said 13.5 million first-time purchasers have arrived on Steam in January through April of this year. They add up to a daunting challenge, wherever you fall on Valve’s decision about curating games.

The complete soundtrack for Dontnod Entertainments recently released The Awesome Adventures of Captain Spirit can now be streamed on Spotify and Apple Music.

Update, June 30: Citing ongoing launch issues, Epic says Playground mode is delayed until next week.
Fortnite players who were looking forward to checking out the new Playground limited-time mode this weekend will have to wait until next week, as Epic is still trying to solve matchmaking problems that have kept it from launching.
In a tweet to the official Fortnite account Friday evening, Epic said there are still problems to resolve before the Playground LTM can go live, and the Fortnite team is working through the weekend to get them fixed.
"We'll update you with any additional information July 2," Epic said in a follow-up tweet.
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Playground mode was originally scheduled to launch Wednesday, but technical difficulties have temporarily spoiled the new mode’s debut.
Matchmaking issues throughout the game caused the closure of Playground earlier today after patch 4.5 went live. The issues appear to be resolved across standard modes of play, but the Playground mode requires further fixes - which have now been in progress for a number of hours, with no clear timeline for the mode’s return.

Epic has provided a new trailer for the mode - check it out below - offering a preview of what to expect when Playground LTM finally goes live. The new limited-time mode lets you and three friends drop on a private island to build and fire at one another for up to an hour before the storm closes in.

We’ll update you with any additional information on Monday, July 2.

WWDC was pretty intense . Not only for the ton of new software and software updates on the way, but also from how advanced and promising some of the bits were (I'm looking at you ARKit 2). 
However, let's not forget that the Apple Design Awards went on not too long afterwards and these winners are well worth screaming about.
The games that walked away with an Apple Design Award are:

• Alto's Odyssey - (£4.99/$4.99)
  
  
  
  • "A stunning looking, cathartic experience that builds subtly on what's come before. Just go and get it." - Pocket Gamer 
  
  

On Thursday, the creators of Pokémon Go announced that third-party developers would soon be allowed to use its augmented reality platform to create apps. To promote its Real World Platform, Niantic released a demo video to highlight a machine learning-assisted technique calls occlusion.

Get a new Apple Watch, iPad or iPad Mini, and save right now.