Ubisoft announces Rainbow Six: Siege, a new installment in the tactical shooter series in the works for release next year on Windows, Xbox One, and PlayStation 4. This E3 trailer from the game says it's pre-alpha gameplay footage from a multiplayer match, and here's the announcement:

Today, Ubisoft announced the development of Tom Clancy’s Rainbow Six Siege, the latest in the best-selling Tom Clancy’s Rainbow Six franchise. Tom Clancy’s Rainbow Six Siege will be available in 2015 on PlayStation®4 computer entertainment system, Xbox One, the all-in-one games and entertainment system from Microsoft and Windows PC.

Development of Tom Clancy’s Rainbow Six Siege is being led by Ubisoft Montreal. Inspired by real world counter-terrorist organizations, Tom Clancy’s Rainbow Six Siege puts players in the middle of lethal close-quarters confrontations. For the first time in a Tom Clancy’s Rainbow Six game, players will engage in sieges, a new style of assault where enemies have the means to transform their environments into modern strongholds while Rainbow Six teams lead the assault to breach the enemy’s position. Tom Clancy’s Rainbow Six Siege gives players unprecedented control over their ability to fortify their position -- by reinforcing walls and floors, using barbed wire, deployable shields and mines, and more -- or breach the enemies’ using observation drones, sheet charges, rappelling, and more. The fast pace, lethality and uniqueness of each siege sets a new bar for intense firefights, strategic gameplay and competitive gaming.

Tom Clancy’s Rainbow Six Siege also features a technological breakthrough that redefines the way players interact with a game environment. Leveraging Ubisoft Montreal’s proprietary Realblast engine, Tom Clancy’s Rainbow Six Siege incorporates procedural destruction that is realistic and unscripted, meaning the environment reacts authentically, distinctively and dynamically, based on variables like the caliber of bullets or the amount of explosives used. This advance allows players to leverage destruction in meaningful ways. Walls can be shattered, opening new lines of fire. Ceilings and floors can be breached to create new access points. This ability to modify the level design in real time enables players to create new gameplay opportunities directly within the game level.

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At E3 today BioWare teased the next installment in the Mass Effect series, speaking reverently about the treatment they are giving the space opera. This is pretty vague, but still concrete compare to the references they made to the new IP they are working on, where they are excited about the living virtual world they are crafting. You can see what they are revealing of both projects in this video excerpt. Continue here to read the full story.

Here's the E3 2014 trailer for The Crew, showing a time lapse trip across the virtual version of the U.S. in the upcoming action/driving MMORPG. Ubisoft announce the game will launch in November, and in the meantime, they put out the call for participants in closed beta testing planned for this summer. Here's word:

You have been requesting it for quite some time and we are now pleased to announce that The Crew closed beta will be coming this summer on July 23rd.

If you want to be one of the first to enjoy cruising in the entire USA, challenging your friends in missions and skills, and of course fully customizing your favorite cars, sign up now!

Keep in mind that this closed beta will be available for a limited time only and it does not represent the final game as many modifications may be applied before the release.

Your feedback is extremely valuable to us, so don’t wait anymore and head over The Crew Closed Beta Page.

Continue here to read the full story.

Ubisoft announces an October 28th release date for Assassin's Creed Unity for Windows, Xbox One, and PlayStation 4. Here's the E3 single-player commented demo trailer as well as the E3 2014 world premiere cinematic trailer for the upcoming installment in the stealthy assassination series. Here's word on the gameplay clip: "Discover Assassin's Creed(R) Unity's redefined gameplay pillars in this single-player demo revealed at E3! Paris,1789. In this period of oppression, commoners starve in the streets while aristocrats squander the wealth of the nation. Among them, a young nobleman named Arno will stop at nothing to stop the oppression." Continue here to read the full story.

EA announces a September 2nd release date for The Sims 4, promising smarter Sims in the lifestyle simulation, demonstrating at E3 today a Sim so smart he died laughing because he had too much fun at a party. Here's a new trailer showing how the stories of your little friends will unfold as you play. Here's word on the game:

The Sims 4 takes this best-selling franchise to an entirely new generation. Our new Sims have been reinvented into smarter, emotionally rich characters who come to life through a combination of their free will and player direction. Players control the mind, body, and now the heart of these new Sims and bring their stories to life with richness and texture that has never before been possible in the franchise. Pair these revolutionary new Sims with brand new creative tools that are powerful, tactile, and easy to use, and the all-new Gallery, which allows players to access other players’ The Sims 4 user generated content directly from the game, and the result is a stimulating new gameplay experience that powers a new era for The Sims.

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There's a new Note from Battlefront's Design Director where DICE Design Director Niklas Fegraeus offers a brief status report on Star Wars Battlefront to accompany the official E3 trailer from the upcoming Star Wars action game that includes early in-game footage, and concludes with DICE's familiar challenge to themselves to get this right: "Do or do not, there is no try." Here's the note:

I grew up with Star Wars, watching the classic movies over and over and collecting all the toys I could afford. Since then, like most of our team here at DICE Stockholm, I’ve never really left this fantastic universe.

A little over a year ago, we learned that we had the amazing opportunity to work on a Star Wars game. I’ll never forget the moment when this was officially unveiled at our company meeting with the entire studio present – you could literally touch and feel the excitement in the room. This is the spirit I feel from the team every day, whether we’re trying out the AT-AT on Hoth or racing speeder bikes through the forests of Endor.

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The E3 2014 trailer for Mirror's Edge takes a look at the return of the highly regarded action series, featuring the game's designers discussing the influence of real parkour on the action, evolving the original game's premise, design considerations, combat, and more. There's also a new word from the producer on the game's website. Here's a bit:

Mirror's Edge is all about fluidity, physicality and movement. We want to make sure we evolve the game and Faith in a way that gives you an exciting new player experience. We want the game to be accessible enough to embrace new players while at the same time reward the skilled player. We are also committed to provide the best 1st person close combat in the world. Advanced combat that is integrated into an improved fluidity of movement. These are not small undertakings, but they are challenges that we are up for.

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Here's the trailer from Battlefield Hardline shown at E3 today, offering six minutes of multiplayer gameplay from the upcoming cops-and robbers shooter. Here's word, including a reminder about the closed beta announced earlier:

Visceral Games, makers of the critically-acclaimed Dead Space series, today unveiled Battlefield Hardline, taking the award-winning Battlefield franchise to a new world filled with new ways to play. Coming October 21 in North America, Battlefield Hardline puts players right in the middle of the war on crime in the gritty and glamorous streets of Los Angeles and Miami, allowing gamers to live out their fantasy of being a cop or a criminal. The fantasy begins today in a bold move – Visceral Games is making Battlefield Hardline playable now for the public in a closed multiplayer beta on the PlayStation®4 computer entertainment system and on Origin™ for PC. Players can sign up for a chance to play at www.battlefield.com/beta.

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Here's the E3 2014 cinematic trailer and the an E3 2014 gameplay demo video from Tom Clancy's The Division, providing a look at how the upcoming tactical shooter is being demonstrated at the show. Here's word on the gameplay video:

In Tom Clancy's The Division, society has fallen and it's your job to set things right. In this exclusive walkthrough you'll see five minutes of gameplay footage showing off the game's detailed open world, advanced gadgets, intense tactical gunplay, and online co-op action.

Watch as a squad of agents work their way through the ruins of New York to combat deadly opposing factions and bring order to a city lost to a pandemic. With state-of-the-art gadgets like the data-collecting ECHO tool and high-powered firearms, the agents have a vast array of tools and technology to defend New York and bring society back from the brink.

Continue here to read the full story.

Here's the announcement trailer for Rise of the Tomb Raider, the new Tomb Raider game announced earlier today. The official announcement of the game has also rolled out, so here's that:

Crystal Dynamics, a Square Enix studio, today announced its latest title in the critically acclaimed and award-winning Tomb Raider® series, Rise of the Tomb Raider ® . The game will redefine survival action in Holiday 2015.

In her first adventure, Lara Croft® was forged into a true survivor, but she glimpsed a deeper, secret world. In the next chapter of her journey, Lara must use her survival skills and wits, learn to trust new friends, and ultimately accept her destiny as the Tomb Raider.

“With the power of the new generation, and our proprietary Foundation engine, our high octane action moments will be even more epic. Multiple locations around the world will be filled with exploration spaces that are some of the most beautifully hostile places on earth and over three times larger than we could achieve before,” said Darrell Gallagher, Head of Product Development and Western Studios at Square Enix. “Our digital actors will rival CG quality, and after hearing the cry from our fans loud and clear, we will put the tombs back into Tomb Raider, all in our gritty Survival-Action style.”

Rise of the Tomb Raider builds upon the formula that made Tomb Raider a success, and features the return of Camilla Luddington as Lara Croft. Camilla will take character performance to new heights as Lara pushes herself beyond human limits and is confronted with what it means to become a hero. Once again, Crystal Dynamics is proud to have the award-winning author Rhianna Pratchett as a key member of the writing team, helping craft a story that delves into Lara’s inner turmoil and motivations in this critical second act of her journey.

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The official announcement trailer is also now online for Lara Croft and the Temple of Osiris, the upcoming follow-up to Lara Croft and the Guardian of Light. Here's the announcement with further details:

Crystal Dynamics, a Square Enix studio, today announced its latest title in the Lara Croft series, Lara Croft® and the Temple of Osiris™. The game will launch on the Xbox One, the all-in-one games and entertainment system from Microsoft, the PlayStation®4 computer entertainment system, and Windows® PC.

Lara Croft and the Temple of Osiris is the sequel to the critically-acclaimed Lara Croft and the Guardian of Light, and the first-ever four-player co-op experience with Lara Croft. Featuring stunning visuals and a brand-new story, players must work together to explore the temple, defeat hordes of enemies from the Egyptian underworld, solve devious puzzles, and avoid deadly traps. All the while, players will compete for treasure, powerful artifacts, and ultimate bragging rights.

Continue here to read the full story.

This trailer shown at E3 today teases what's Criterion Games is up to, as the studio behind the Burnout series and recent Need for Speed games looks to stretch beyond the limitations of automobiles. The developers discuss how much fun they have creating and playing their games, and promise the same for this unnamed project that looks like it will feature ATVs, helicopters, boats, wingsuits, parachutes, and all sorts of ways to combine them for wild stunts. They are not revealing platforms yet, but the clip does include a couple of glimpses of prototype gameplay from what they are calling "the biggest game Criterion has ever made." Continue here to read the full story.

"Lead them or Fall" is the title of the E3 trailer for Dragon Age: Inquisition, the latest installment in the Dragon Age series of action/RPGs. Here's the accompanying spiel: "A cataclysmic event plunges the land of Thedas into turmoil. Dragons darken the sky, casting a shadow of terror over the kingdom. Mages break into all-out war against the oppressive Templars. Nations rise against one another. It falls to you and your party of legendary heroes to restore order as you lead the Inquisition, hunting down the agents of chaos. Bonds will form - and some will break - as the campaign for truth takes its toll. BioWare’s latest action-adventure delivers an unparalleled story set in a vast, changeable landscape. Explore hidden caves, defeat truly monumental creatures, and shape the world around you based on your unique play style. Explore, lead, and battle. Tough choices define your experience, and even one decision can change the course of what's to come." Continue here to read the full story.

• At E3, Microsoft is all about games, games, and, oh, how about some games?
• Every Xbox E3 Announcement In One Place.
• E3 2014 drinking game. Thanks Ant.

• War, the Game Interview - True PC Gaming.

• Hyper Light Drifter on Polygon. Thanks nin.

• Master Chief Collection remasters first four Halo games for Xbox One.
• Metal Gear Solid 5: The Phantom Pain E3 trailer offers a look at the game's bleak story. Thanks nin.
• Bungie explains Destiny’s game modes after alpha footage leak.
• Another World – 20th Anniversary Edition Announced for Xbox One.
• Inside Trailer (Xbox One).
• Halo 5: Guardians E3 2014 Multiplayer Beta Video.
• Sunset Overdrive E3 2014 Video and Screens.
• Just Dance 2015 and Just Dance Now app announced.
• Forza Horizon 2 Trailer.
• EA Sports PGA Tour Trailer.
• Halo The Master Chief Collection Trailer.

• Amtrak Northeast customers, all aboard the (metaphorical) broadband train.
• iPhone 6 Rumor Mill: New Pictures Reveal Slimmer More Rounded Design.

• Verizon will miss deadline to wire all of New York City with FiOS.
• Netflix got worse on Verizon even after Netflix agreed to pay Verizon.
• Close to half of all U.S. households subscribe to Netflix, Amazon Prime or Hulu Plus. Thanks HARDOCP.

Thanks j.c.f.

• Kids with operators manual alert bank officials: “We hacked your ATM”.
• Is Anonymous Dead, or Just Preparing to Rise Again? Thanks HARDOCP.
• OpenSSL releases patches for critical MITM, code execution flaws.
• Security bods mop blood, sigh: NEW CryptoLocker zombies? We don't see their kind.
• RIG Exploit Kit Used to Deliver "Cryptowall" Ransomware.

• To defeat encryption, feds deploy the subpoena.
• Google will flag search results erased due to “right to be forgotten”.
• How Kim Dotcom's $5m Whistleblower Bounty Will Work. Thanks HARDOCP.
• First Chicago robber caught via facial recognition gets 22 years.

Link of the Day: Michael Bay's Beavis and Butthead. Thanks Ant.

R.I.P.: British comedian Rik Mayall dead at 56.

EA DICE just announced at E3 they are opening a closed beta for Battlefield Hardline today. Head over to the Battlefield website, where they are offering first-come, first-served signups for instant access to testing of the cops versus robbers game. Windows 7 or 8 64-bit and an Origin account are required. Update: This access turns out to not be as instant as originally promised, as Origin now says the beta will be available tomorrow at 3:00 pm (no time zone specified).

Crystal Dynamics follows the news of two new Tomb Raider domains with the announcement of two new games, one for each. At E3 today they announced Rise of the Tomb Raider, a continuation of the prequel story from last year's Tomb Raider. The announcement only mentions the Xbox One edition, but the last game also came to Windows as well as the then-current gen consoles. They also unveiled Lara Croft and the Temple of Osiris, a four-player co-op action game set in Egypt starring Lara Croft (or Laura Croft, as she was repeatedly called today) and some friends. There were trailers for each which will presumably appear online at some point.

The E3 trailer from H1Z1 is titled "My Evil Ways," offering a look at Sony Online Entertainment's upcoming zombie MMORPG. The clip concludes with word that the game is coming soon to Steam Early Access. Continue here to read the full story.

There's a first-look gameplay interview video on GameTrailers that discusses Sid Meier's Civilization: Beyond Earth with co-lead designers David McDonough and Will Miller. In addition to a pre-E3 discussion of the upcoming strategy sequel, this provides a look at gameplay. We also have a batch of eight screenshots from the game in advance of its showing at the expo. Continue here to read the full story.

EA tweets an image showing a familiar butt, along with a Mirror's Edge logo in case there is any confusion about what this is teasing. We're going to take a leap of faith here and guess they plan on using E3 to further discuss plans to reboot the parkour franchise. Thanks CVG.

A new patch is now available for Battlezone II, updating the action/strategy hybrid to version 1.3.6.5. The new version replaces the multiplayer functionality lost amid the Glu/GameSpy takeover, as it was one of the first games impacted by the change. The patch itself is unofficial, and considered a public beta, though it was created by a couple of the game's original programmers. Word is: "The 1.3.6.5 Public Beta patch is a cumulative patch for Battlezone II that includes a number of fixes and new features, such as Windows XP/Vista/7/8 compatibility, DirectX 9 graphics, networking moved from Gamespy (where support has been terminated) to RakNet, integrated voice chat in multiplayer games, over 140 maps for multiplayer installed with the patch, stability improvements, and a lot of other fixes and features." The patch can be found on this page.

A tweet from supererogatory reveals two new domains registered by Square Enix, which may shed light on plans for the Tomb Raider series. One is for LaraCroftAndTheTempleOfOsiris.com and the other for RiseOfTheTombRaider.com. It's probably not a stretch to think we may here more about this news during this week's E3 proceedings. Thanks CVG.

GfK reveals the bestselling games in the U.K. for the week ending June 7th. On the PC full-price chart WildStar debuts at number one, pushing Watch Dogs down to the number four spot. On the all platforms/all prices chart Watch Dogs retains the top spot, while Murdered: Soul Suspect enters the chart at number three. Here's how they describe the situation:

‘Watch Dogs’ still has its teeth firmly gripped on No1 this week despite an 81% drop in sales (84% drop on PS4/Xbox One and 68% drop on PS3/Xbox 360).

You have to go back to W22 2012 and ‘Tom Clancy's Ghost Recon: Future Soldier’ for the last Ubisoft title that managed to hold on to the No1 spot. A non-mover at No2, ‘Mario Kart 8’ (-76%) has to fend off strong competition from Square’s new title ‘Murdered: Soul Suspect’, only 400 sales behind, at No3. ‘Wolfenstein: The New Order’ (-51%) and ‘FIFA 14’ (-25%) both drop one place to No’s 4 and 5 respectively, while ‘2014 FIFA World Cup Brazil’ (-10%) holds on to No6. There are still 2 Minecrafts in the Top 10 with the PS3 Edition (-37%) down 2 places to No7 and the Xbox 360 Edition (-27%) also down 2 places, to No10. Minecraft hasn’t dropped out of the Top 10 all year.

Previous No1s and big FPS titles ‘Call of Duty: Ghosts’ (-11%) and ‘Titanfall’ (-22%) are fighting it out at No’s 8 and 9 respectively with Activision Blizzard’s shooter leapfrogging EA’s with only 200 sales separating them. ‘Murdered: Soul Suspect’ isn’t the only new entry this week with NCSOFT’s latest MMO ‘Wildstar’ debuting at No14 ahead of Nintendo’s 3DS life simulation game ‘Tomodachi Life’ at No15.

• Where And When To Watch The E3 2014 Press Conferences.
• How to Watch EA at E3 2014.
• For Sony, Microsoft, Nintendo, the real battle begins at E3 trade show.
• What we’re looking forward to at E3 2014 - Ars Technica.
• E3 2014: Here's how we're covering the show - USA Today.
• Gallery: First E3 2014 photos - CVG.

• EA at LA Pride 2014 Recap.

• Matt Chat 244: Robert Sirotek on the Origins of Sir-Tech. Thanks Ant.

• Sony 'overtakes' rival Nintendo in console sales.
• Crackdown 3 announcement expected tonight.
• Awesome Retro References in Mario Kart 8. Thanks Ant.
• Mad Catz Announces New Range of TRITTON Xbox One Licensed Headsets.

• Explaining iOS 8’s extensions- Opening the platform while keeping it secure.
• iPhone Giveaway of the Day - Deus Ex: The Fall.
• Ford and Samsung release new lithium-ion battery. Thanks HARDOCP.

• Google and Twitter join forces for disaster alerts. Thanks HARDOCP.
• Sonic.Net CEO: Caps & Limits 'Artificial and Contrived'. Thanks Ant.

• Computer Successfully Pretends To Be Human - WWW Apocalypse? Thanks HARDOCP.
• Microsoft stock price hits 52-week high, suggests market approves of Nadella. Good luck Clippers fans. Thanks HARDOCP.
• Mesa 10.2 Features Are Quite Exciting. Thanks Ant via Slashdot.

• Most Americans Think Snowden Did the Right Thing, Poll Says. Thanks Ant via DSLReports.

• WildStar on PC Gamer.

• Actiontec PWR51WK01 Powerline Adapter Kit on Bigbruin.com.
• Corsair Force LX 256GB on Vortez.
• Gigabyte R7 250X OC 1GB GDDR5 Video Card (GV-R725XOC-1GD) on Mad Shrimps.
• HIS R7 250X iCooler 1GB GDDR5 Video Card on Mad Shrimps.
• Patriot Viper 32GB PC3-17000 2133Mhz DDR3 Memory Kit on Technology X.
• Samsung MicroSD PRO 32GB and EVO 16GB on Pure Overclock.

• Mineraft's notch completely takes a piss all over Early Access games, announcing Cliffhorse…

Welcome to the E3 2014 roller coaster. You must be this ___ tall to enjoy this ride. Please remain seated with hands, arms, feet, and legs inside the vehicle, and keep your wallet firmly in your pocket. Management is not responsible for hype, lies, unfulfilled promises, or bullshots. That said, sit back and enjoy the ride.

Actually, the 2014 E3 expo doesn't officially get underway until tomorrow, but that's a fine distinction, as a full slate of press conferences are scheduled for today, and of course, publishers have been flooding the Internet with so many details lately about their showings that one could argue we've been having the decentralized E3 going for a few weeks now.

Links:	Thanks Ant and Acleacius.
Play:	Solarmax 2. Face Chase.
Link:	The NFL's Demands For A Super Bowl Host City Include Lots Of Free Stuff. Thanks Digg.
Media:	If Mortal Kombat Had an Honest Trailer. Condit Dam Breached with Explosives. Damn! The Onion Looks Back At "Saving Private Ryan".