It's launch morning for The Crew 2, and I've logged in to do a final network test. The always-online racing game's predecessor on release, so I want to see if the new game is holding up. It's been stable playing with early access players this week, but would the influx of new people cause problems? So far, all is well (unless you're .) Players are popping up nearby, rather than halfway across the map as they have done during the sparsely populated early access period. They crawl their Lamborghinis up to my stationary 1993 Porsche and rev in wordless invitation to a drag race. They don't need to ask twice and we roar off up the Pacific coast road out of Malibu.
It's a fun moment, but then we just peel off and go our separate ways, because there is hardly anything for us to do together in this game.
The Crew was a scrappy but ultimately lovable open-world racing game with unrealised massively multiplayer aspirations. It was made by Lyon studio Ivory Tower, itself formed by veterans of Eden Studios, makers of the Test Drive Unlimited games, which were scrappy but ultimately lovable open-world racing games with unrealised massively multiplayer aspirations. Things have changed, a little: The Crew 2 doesn't feel so scrappy. It is almost polished (though my PS4 version crashed three times during review). But those aspirations are still unrealised, and the game is underdeveloped in other areas than its network code and bug fixes. There's a sense that it will be much better in six months to a year's time than it is at launch - just like The Crew was. Plus ça change.

Google is reportedly working on a game console. The device would be part of a wider push into the videogame industry which will include indie development and a game streaming platform. Information about the console is scarce, but it could fit in with the company’s other attempts to carve out a wider space in the industry. Those have manifested over the past few years with moves towards high-end broadband provision, key hires, and discussions with major developers.
At the Game Developers Conference in March, Google reps met with several major developers and publishers, reportedly looking to gauge interest in their streaming platform, code-named Yeti. Reportedly, Yeti is similar to Nvidia’s GeForce Now, allowing the platform to offload graphics rendering to remote computers, helping players with low-end machines play high-end games.
Check out our list of the .
’s Jason Schreier says that in order to imagine what Yeti (which was first reported by ) might actually mean for players, you should imagine what it would be like to play “The Witcher 3 withina tab on Google Chrome”. Kotaku also report that as well as attempting to gauge interest in Yeti, Google reps at E3 were attempting to organise purchases of entire studios.

That suggests that as well as hardware and streaming, the company is looking to make its own games. They’ve already hired former Sony and Microsoft exec Phil Harrison, as well as developers and marketers from key companies including EA and PlayStation.

Inside development of one of Bioshock's most complicated levels.

The Skype UWP app for Windows 10 (phones, tablets, Desktop) has had a rough and buggy evolution and, even today, isn't trouble-free for everyone. As a result, Microsoft has been hinting at (yet another) new implementation of the comms app, with 'preview' users on Windows 10 Desktop/Hololens/XBox (and Andromeda, in the future) able to play. The new Skype UWP app is built on the framework, i.e. effectively all in Javascript. As a result, it's reported to be even slower to start and more resource-intensive (what a surprise), though it does mean that iOS, Android and Windows applications may someday be using the same codebase.
Meanwhile, all this means that further development of the original Skype UWP, as modelled on Windows 10 Mobile phones, has been frozen, aside from critical bug fixes.

In recent months, chatter about Google joining the gaming industry has gotten louder. At the Game Developers Conference in March of this year, Google representatives met with several big video game companies to gauge interest in its streaming platform, which is code-named Yeti, sources said. Now sources say that Google took meetings at E3 a few weeks ago with the company not only looking to woo game developers to the Yeti service, but to buy development studios entirely.

WTMG's Leo Faria: "Another potentially great option for turn-based strategy fans, Mechanicus is a fun and surprisingly accessible title that can appease to both Warhammer 40,000 fans and people with little to no knowledge about the franchise. Its gameplay is equally deep and easy to learn and its art style is bizarre in a curiosity-sparking way. Who knows, maybe this game will be the turning point for me to go out and seek formation of what the heck Warhammer 40,000 is all about."

This week's expanded Japanese software sales are as follows: 01./00. [NSW] Mario Tennis Aces (Nintendo) {2018.06.22} (¥5.980) - 123.774 / NEW 02./00. [PS4] New Gundam Breaker # (Bandai Namco Games) {2018.06.21} (¥7.600) - 63.790 / NEW 03./00. [NSW] Minecraft (Microsoft Game Studios) {2018.06.21} (¥3.600) - 61.764 / NEW 04./01. [NSW] Splatoon 2 # (Nintendo) {2017.07.21} (¥5.980) - 14.747 / 2.394.724...

Last week at E3 2018, Polygon spoke with Microsoft Studios head Matt Booty about the status of the destruction mode, which the company hasnt shown since that 2015 demo. Booty confirmed the destruction-heavy online multiplayer mode remains in development. It is still part of [Crackdown 3], said Booty. Were not showing a lot of details about that here. Well have more to show as the year goes on.

Our first look at the new Assassins Creed and it looks full of colour with a vast world to explore. With a distinct feel of ‘300’, I’m fully anticipating Archimedes’ various inventions to make an appearance – after all, the previous games have dabbled with each time period’s greatest inventors. Set in Ancient Greece the newest title, which begins 400 years before the events of Assassin's Creed Origins, allows you to choose your character – male or female, Alexios or Kassandra – a series first. No switching mid-game either, you play as that character for the entirety of the game. Not content with just showing off a badass trailer, Ubisoft showed a glimpse of what looks like the opening cutscene of the game before revealing some combat sequences, which reveal some of the key weapons before revealing that instead of merely listening to NPCs tell their stories, you can choose your responses to dialogue – another series first – before ending with a full gameplay sequence. The combat looks like it has grown from Origins and I'd wager that it has also been learning a few tricks from For Honor. Releasing October 5, 2018. This. Is. Assassin’s Creed.

Did you choose sleep over watching Bethesda last night? I did, but Ady stayed up and here I am giving you a round of Bethesda's offerings. Rage 2 new trailer revealed at E3 and gets a Spring 2019 release window Rage 2 by Avalanche Studios (Just Cause 3, Mad Max) is set in a dystopian future where society has fallen, and you play as Walker, the last ranger of the Wasteland. A lovely new trailer has been launched detailing the gameplay, which is as manic as that opening Rock act! It sees you breaking into the Eden Space Centre to initiate the return of a satellite.Rage 2 will release in Spring 2019. Elder Scrolls Legends coming to Xbox One, PS4 and Nintendo Switch Elder Scrolls Legends is getting a visual facelift and will also make its debut on Xbox One, PS4 and Nintendo Switch later in 2018. Bethesda announce Doom Eternal at E3 Doom Eternal is the sequel to the 2016 remake of Doom, and the gameplay will be revealed at QuakeCon this coming August. Prey gets a big update – adds new Mooncrash mode It’s been a year since Prey was unleashed on the world and is about to get a huge update in the addition of Moon Crash, a new roguelike mode which changes everytime you play. It's available now. Wolfenstein Youngblood announced by Bethesda Wolfenstein Youngblood was announce where you play as BJ Blazkowicz’s twin daughters in a mission to save the world from those pesky Nazi’s. Youngblood is a single player or co-op game and is set in Paris in the 1980’s. Bethesda working on Elder Scrolls VI and new IP Starfield Todd Howard ended his section of the E3 conference by teasing Elder Scrolls VI and a new IP called Starfield. Fallout 76 detailed at the Bethesda E3 show – launches on November 14th 2018 Fallout 76 is an online game only and every character you meet in the world is another human player. However it can be played solo with the playe able to take on quests much like any other Fallout game. Bethesda announces new mobile game – Elder Scrolls Blades Bethesda have revealed a new game called Elder Scrolls Blades, a mobile game set in the Elder Scrolls universe. However, Bethesda also plan to release on PC, VR, Consoles and will allow crossplay between all the versions so you can be playing on your phone at work against another player who may be at home on VR. That's it, you are all caught up, anything there that gets you excited?