According to a Microsoft representative, the buttons are named “Menu” (the right button) and “View” (the left button).

Microsoft told IGN, “The Menu button will bring up context-specific menus which game and app developers can design to enhance the user experience. The Menu button could be used in scenarios such as bringing up in-game menus, showing video playback options, and accessing commands on the console’s user interface.”

Furthermore, they said the View button, “will change views or provide more information in games and apps. The function of the View button will be driven by developers. Possible uses of the View button include viewing a map during a role playing game, displaying a leaderboard in a first person shooter, and enhancing the navigation of the console’s user interface.”

You can check out all of Analog Addiction’s Xbox One coverage here.

Editors opinion: To me, these functions sound very similar to what the start and back buttons do now. Maybe Microsoft just wanted to make it easier to understand.

Nathan Manning is an Editor for AnalogAddiction. You can find him on Twitter and AnalogAddiction there as well.

The advert itself has appeared in the UK newspaper, The Metro where the 2013 release date is reemphasised.

Following the PlayStation 4 announcement event on the 20th of February 2013, Sony ended the press conference by revealing the ambiguous “coming 2013″ release date. Previously, it wasn’t clear who this release date was for but now it looks like the UK could be getting it this year.

One should note the sponsor from the Champions League which the PlayStation brand is often seen advertised at during football games.

It’s still not clear when the PlayStation 4 will release however. We still know of the release of the console in at least one territory this year. Though unlikely, the UK and Europe could still get it this year leaving North America and Japan open to 2014 releases.

George Sinclair is an editor for Analog Addiction, the home of the latest news, reviews and previews. You can find George on Twitter and his blog on IGN. Be sure to follow the OFFICIAL Analog Addiction Twitter as well!

The Avengers are down to their last resort as they forge the ultimate plan to finally break free from Ultron’s ferocious iron grip.

Joe Quesada’s jaw dropping wraparound variant cover to AGE OF ULTRON #10, featuring Angela! To save the Marvel Universe, Earth’s Mightiest made the most controversial decision of their lives resulting a disaster unlike any they’ve seen before. But with one final shot to make things right, can they turn back the hands of time and restore everything to its former glory? And if they can’t what happens next?!

Genre: First-Person Shooter   Platforms: XBLA, PSN, PC

Platform Played: PC

Developer: Techland   Publisher: Ubisoft

Yes, the Call of Juarez franchise may have been tainted with a pretty poor sequel, but Techland came back better than ever, and delivered the best entry in the series yet. Call of Juarez: Gunslinger really puts the wild into the wild west, and shows that you don’t need a full-blown sequel to right all the wrongs of your predecessor.

Call of Juarez: Gunslinger features three modes to play: story, arcade, and duel. The developer seems to have omitted a multiplayer mode, choosing instead to focus all its attention on a great single-player experience. Let me tell you upfront that… they indeed delivered.

First, let’s talk about the story.

The game starts in 1910, when our protagonist, Silas Greaves, walks into a bar. He is immediately recognized by some fellow citizens inside, and at everyone’s request, he starts depicting his past adventures.

Unfortunately, the game’s story and characters are its weak points. Even if the premise presents us all these famous outlaws of the wild west (e.g. – Jesse James), they are nothing more than mere enemies ready to get killed, either in simple one-on-one showdowns (which are usually pretty dull), or a duel. There’s no personality to these guys, or to Silas and his friends back in the present. At one point, the story does get a little bit intriguing, thanks to some ominous warnings of an indian shaman, but nothing really comes out of that. Having said this, the ending should surprise you, and as a whole, the conclusion of the game is a satisfying one.

I personally love the game’s way of telling the story. By making Silas recount his past adventures, alongside those (supposedly false, according to him) written in his biography, the game provides different outcomes to different scenarios. For example – in the first chapter, the book says that Silas confronted a certain sheriff and killed him, but our protagonist reveals that he was, in fact, taken prisoner by the man. Sometimes though, even Silas himself forgets what truly happened (or changes some bits to make it more interesting), and the game almost borders on fantasy (e.g. – falling bodies out of the sky which conveniently bring some much needed ammo for our hero). Of course, this only happens at predetermined situations, so the main gameplay is still 100% “magic-free.”

I also enjoy hearing Silas narrate his adventures during gameplay, alongside his bar-companions. In this way, I never feel disconnected to the story.

Call of Juarez: Gunslinger is all about killing your enemies, doing it with style, and also as fast as possible. The shooting mechanics work great in tandem with the upgrading system, and the duelling.

Every kill you make rewards you with points and experience, kill which usually involves blowing up kegs of powder-gun, taking headshots, shooting the pack of dynamite after you’ve thrown it, gunning down running enemies, and more.

Experience is used for learning new skills, like faster reloading, more ammo, slowing down time for a second or two etc. These are split between three ways of play: dual-wielding, long range, and close range. Points are for bragging rights on the leaderboards.

In true fashion of the wild west, duelling makes a comeback. It’s basically a mini-game in which you have to draw your gun faster than your opponent, and gun him down. After most levels which all end in a bloodbath, it’s satisfying to come to an end where you confront one last opponent like real men of the wild west.

Concentration mode also returns. While in this state, time will almost come to a halt, allowing you to kill all your enemies the way you want. After using it, you’ll have to kill more enemies in order for it to refill.

Quick-time-events pop up in different sections of the game. They can sometimes be intrusive, but thankfully, failing them doesn’t result in an instant death. Speaking of death – Sense of death is a special kind of QTE, which triggers when you’re about to die. The enemy’s final bullet(s) must be avoided by leaning left or right, and failing to press the right button results in, of course, death. Sense of death will not always be available to save you, so after using it, you’ll have to wait a bit before it refills.

The game offers a small variety of weapons. You’ll get the traditional revolver (or six-shooter), rifle, shotgun, and dynamite, for when things get too hot. Additionally, by upgrading some skills, you will also get access to higher-tier guns, but these are only re-skinned versions of those mentioned before, with higher fire power. The enemy variety is also small, but it hasn’t bothered me from my enjoyment of gunning them down. What they lack in variety though, they make up in toughness, especially on higher difficulty settings.

Secrets hidden throughout levels further depict the back-story of the game, and that of its characters’. This time, the story is actually presented from our world’s history.

The cell-shaded graphics, accompanied by an excellent soundtrack work really great in conveying that beautiful, but sometimes bitter feel of the wild west. From deserted towns, to canyons, saw mills, quarries, and mountains, all these locations look great and convincing. For a downloadable title, Call of Juarez: Gunslinger sure is a looker. Having those black, rugged bars around the screen also creates a more immersive atmosphere in which you feel like you’re constantly duelling for your life.

Now for the arcade.

Arcade mode lets you play the entire single-player missions from the story mode, only without any kind of narrative. Maintaining longer and longer kill-streaks for high scores while finishing the level as fast as possible is your #1 priority, and it’s a lot of fun to be sure.

Finally, we have the duelling.

In the duel mode, players are given five lives and challenged to fifteen duels, one after another, with the main game’s villains. Taking out your gun at the right time, being faster, and having a better focus than your opponent will raise your name on the leaderboards. It’s a nice distraction, and getting to the last level without losing all your 5 lives isn’t so easy either.

While the story is not its strong suit, it helps the game create interesting and different outcomes to scenarios, which, as I mentioned, is a big plus to the game. Couple this with strong shooting mechanics, fun levels to play in, a new-game-plus mode which maintains all your past experience, and you’ll be playing Call of Juarez: Gunslinger for quite some time. Techland has brought the series back on its feet, stronger than ever, and I personally can’t wait to see what the future holds for the series. Here’s to more wild adventures into the beautiful wild west!

Pros

+   Different outcomes are a pleasure to watch and play

+   Strong shooting mechanics

+   Different modes lead to a high replay value

+   Beautiful world

Cons

- Uninteresting story and characters

Overall: 9.0/10

Vlad Pintea is a News-and-Reviews Editor here at Analog Addiction, and sometimes he even speaks his own mind. You can contact him via e-mail at vlad94pintea@yahoo.com or vlad94pintea@gmail.com, My IGN, on Skype, Steam (all at the same name: vlad94pintea) or Facebook (Vlad Pintea). Have a good day, and remember: stay calm and keep on gaming!

After reading Iron Man’s Secret Origins, I almost wish they made a movie based on that instead. Sucks it’s a story they just made now.

As of recently we all thought we knew Tony Stark. Just as we figured him out, the writers were able to throw us a curve ball. Tony now faces the harsh reality of his true origins. Having seen many tales of Tony’s origin’s this has to be the most shocking. Tony learns about the shocking sacrifices his father had made in order to make sure his wife could give birth to a healthy child. With the aid of Dum Dum Dugan, Thunderbolt Ross, Jimmy Woo, and some others, Howard was able to pull a fast one on a morbidly obese alien gangster and steal away 451. Overall it is a fun story, serious of course when Tony comes to realize his true beginnings, but the heist was fun knowing how heroic his dad is and how many connections he had around the world. For someone who doesn’t have a suit, Howard Stark has just as much skills as Tony, and maybe even more.

This story was delivered cleverly enough to be memorable. When looking back at Tony’s origins, this is a story that can be referenced to and even implemented in many stories to come. This may even influence some great stories in the near future.

Besides the casual fans and audience that really don’t understand Tony, this story I think would be a fresh take. Not to overshadow how he became Iron Man, but this is something that would really shock the audience and see him as more than just a man in a suit. Secrets run deep in his family, Reed Richards family as well, and it’s that which molded them into the heroes they are today. As a whole it would be very nice to get a peak at the true family element in superhero stories and this twist they created for Tony’s origin does just that.

We aren’t seeing traditional superhero storytelling here. What we get is something real, not in terms of what’s logical, but in terms of what we see everyday. What lengths a family will go to protect the ones closest to them. Howard and his wife tried everything, went everywhere, just to save their child’s life. The mission they went on as their final act of desperation could have very well got them killed, and they risked it all, that is family in a nutshell. On the big screen, implemented in some way this could make for a great adaptation, if not for just a spin off.

Excelsior!

And stay tuned!

Welcome to AA’s Comic Panel of The Week. We choose our favorite from the new releases that week which stood out the most. Check out this weeks below!

We have chosen this panel from Green Lantern #20. While every Lantern stood out in this issue, Sinestro made the biggest sacrifice having nothing else to lose. Despite having so much anger towards Hal Jordan, he admits that they always have been and always will be friends. That’s something which was unexpected.

Excelsior!

And stay tuned!

This will be Analog Addiction’s first major coverage of E3 and the one year anniversary of our existence, so without further ado here are predictions listed below.

Jamie Briggs (Editor-in-Chief/PlayStation Editor)

1) Uncharted 4 will be announced and shown during Sony’s press conference.
2) A Halo related game will be revealed for Xbox One.
3) Rainbow Six: Patriots, Prey 2 and The Last Guardian will all be absent from E3 (Footage, Screens, Announcements).
4) The Next Fable game will be announced.
5) inFAMOUS Second Son will be present during Soy’s press conference, in the form of an extended gameplay demo.

Jaime Sifontes (RPG Specialist)

1) Final Fantasy Versus XIII becomes Final Fantasy 15 and it will only be on PS4.
2) A new ‘Banjo’ game will be announced by Rare for Xbox One.
3) Freedom Wars (Vita) will be announced for US/EU.
4) PS Vita will receive a price drop.
5) Planetside 2 and ‘Everquest Next’ will be F2P titles on PS4.

George Sinclair (Chief News Editor)

1) Naughty Dog’s new IP will be announced, but it won’t be Uncharted.
2) The Last Guardian will be announced as a PS4 launch game.
3) We’ll get a worldwide release date for the PS4.
4) Quantic Dream’s new game will be announced.
5) Insomniac will have a PS4/XBO game.

Nathan Manning (News/Features Editor)

1) Microsoft’s conference will not feature a video game as its first reveal.
2) Sony will provide PS4 pricing for US
3) Microsoft’s conference will feature two performance items that no one in the room, or watching, will care about (cough *Flo Rida last year* cough).
4) Sony will forget to talk about Vita again at their conference or talk about it for less than 10 minutes (not including how it connects to PS4).
5) Less than 5 third party games announced or shown at E3 will be coming to Wii U.

Vlad Pintea (News/Review and PC Editor)

1) Remedy will announce Alan Wake 2. MAYBE, it’ll be an Xbox One exclusive, though I doubt it.
2) Sony and Microsoft will announce PS4′s and Xbox One’s respective price, release date, and Sony will, of course, show the PS4′s “body.” Both release dates will be world-wide, and will be set around late November. Also, due to its history, Sony will price the PS4 at 350$, this being the basic pack.
3) Ubisoft will reveal a new Prince of Persia game, alongside Beyond Good and Evil 2. Both next-gen, of course.
4) Sony will reveal Uncharted 4 (or even a reboot of the series), a new God of War game (it will definitely be a reboot), The Last Guardian (now for the PS4, as a launch title), and Final Fantasy Versus XIII, which will be a PS4 exclusive.
5) Finally, EA will announce Mirror’s Edge 2 at Xbox One’s conference, and Microsoft will probably boast how its console will first receive the game’s DLC packs (which will contain, of course, only multiplayer maps, and I’m saying multiplayer because I believe that Mirror’s Edge 2 will be miles bigger than its predecessor, and WILL include a multiplayer mode).

Hugh Simmonds (Senior Editor)

1) Release date and pricing of PS4.
2) inFamous announced for the Vita – not being made by Sucker Punch but they’ve helped (you know the normal spiel).
3) Rare announce new Perfect Dark game exclusively for XBO.
4) Rocksteady unveil their new game – a new IP for PS4 and XBO.
5) Sony show more of Vita-PS4 connectivity.

Eric Pepper (News Editor)

1) Both Sony and Microsoft will announce prices, concrete release dates, and as usual, take some jabs at one another.
2) Microsoft will have Rare showcase a Banjo Kazooie or Perfect Dark game as one of the exclusives to be released in the first year of XBO.
3) Usher will be nowhere near any of the conferences.
4) Sony and Microsoft will unveil new inFamous and Halo games respectively.
5) There will be no mention of the Wonderbook.

Michael Troina (Nintendo Editor)

1) Nintendo shows the Big 3: Smash Bros 4, Mario Kart U, 3D Mario U, Wii U pre-orders go up.
2) Microsoft goes deeper in it’s Halo series TV but leaves Halo 5 alone.
3) Sony obviously shows us the system along with a new IP.
4) Rare is working on Killer Instinct, considering it’s main guys who made the Banjo series are gone.
5) There is no winner this conference is about games and games. Sony will show more Gaikai Xbox One will show more TV-integration features.

Robert Key (News/Features Editor)

1). When Nintendo shows Super Smash Bros. 4 (ERMAGERD), they will reveal you can customize your characters on the 3DS version and then transfer them to the Wii U version.
2). Rare, one of the greatest developers ever in my humble opinion, will reveal that they are finally making a legitimate game for the first time in years. It will either be Banjo Threeie or Killer Instinct and it will launch for the Xbox One, exclusively.
3). Activision will release on exclusive title on the 3DS titled “Call of DuDogs + Cats.”
4). Sony will reveal the price of the PlayStation 4 to be $400 for the cheapest model and $500 for the other bundle. The second bundle will include all of the gadgest and gizoms necessary for Move alongside one of the launch titles.
5). “Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain” will be announced for PS4 and Xbox One.

Rob Gisbey (Senior Editor)

1) The Last Guardian will be shown, probably for next gen.
2) Quantic Dream will show off their PS4 content.
3) Rare will announce a new Banjo Kazooie.
4) Next gen consoles will be dated but not priced.
5) Square Enix will embarrass and disappoint everyone.
Bonus Tip: Naughty Dog will announce an Uncharted racing spinoff entitled ‘Unkarted’.

What do you think of our predictions? Better yet, what are your predictions? Let us know in the comments below.

Follow @AnalogAddiction on Twitter, on YouTube and our Official Facebook Page.

Square Enix has revealed the release date, and the pre-order incentives for its revamped MMO – Final Fantasy XIV: A Realm Reborn – which comes in both a standard, and a collector’s edition, those who pre-order receiving early access, and in-game items.

The publisher has revealed that A Real Reborn will be out in August 21st. Customers who pre-order the standard, or collector’s edition, will receive early access to the game, alongside in-game items like a Cait Sith Doll Minion vanity pet, and Mog Cap-themed headgear.

The collector’s edition includes the following:

• Collector’s box designed by Yoshitaka Amano, legendary FINAL FANTASY artist
• 80-page “Art of Eorzea” hardcover art book featuring never-before-seen concept art
• “The Waning of the Sixth Sun,” a special bonus video disc that takes a cinematic look at the events that led up to the realm being reborn
• “Sounds of Eorzea” album that features musical scores by renowned FINAL FANTASY series composers
• Five collectable character art cards
• A FINAL FANTASY XIV: A Realm Reborn-branded security token to secure user accounts
• In-game bonus items: Helm of Light, Baby Behemoth Minion, Coeurl Mount and Behemoth Barding

“It gives me great pleasure to announce the release date of FINAL FANTASY XIV: A Realm Reborn,” said Naoki Yoshida, producer and director of FINAL FANTASY XIV: A Realm Reborn. “It has been a long road from the game’s inception to the beta, but thanks to your fervent support and invaluable feedback, the world of Eorzea will soon complete its journey of rebirth.”

Final Fantasy XIV: A Realm Reborn is available for pre-order for the PlayStation 3 ($39.99), and PC ($29.99). The collector’s edition will set you back $79.99 on the PS3, and $69.99 on the PC, which will be sold exclusively at the Square Enix Online Store.

A free 30-day trial is also included for new accounts. Monthly subscriptions for new accounts start at $12.99. New players need not purchase the original Final Fantasy XIV title to play Final Fantasy XIV: A Realm Reborn. Previous Final Fantasy XIV players will be able to download the PC version of Final Fantasy XIV: A Realm Reborn for free.

Vlad Pintea is a News-and-Reviews Editor here at Analog Addiction, and sometimes he even speaks his own mind. You can contact him via e-mail at vlad94pintea@yahoo.com or vlad94pintea@gmail.com, My IGN, on Skype, Steam (all at the same name: vlad94pintea) or Facebook (Vlad Pintea). Have a good day, and remember: stay calm and keep on gaming!

Microsoft and Forza 5‘s Twitter have unveiled the cover art for the upcoming Xbox One launch title, Forza Motorsport 5.

Revealed on the Forza 5 Twitter, this is our first look at the Xbox One game boxes. The package itself has a green Xbox One banner on the front of the box, this colour seems to also be the colour of the box offering a slightly darker green than previous Xbox 360 boxes.Battlefield 4‘s official site has also revealed the games cover for the Xbox One, with the words “Coming soon” on the box. It is still unknown if Battlefield 4 will be a launch title for the system, as it will release October 29 for current generation consoles and PC.

What do you think of the games boxes? Happy to see this sitting on your shelves?

Jamie Briggs manages Analog Addiction and you can like them on Facebook, follow his daily life on Twitter @JamieAA and his videos on YouTube.

The trailer shows off some of the Archer’s abilities and shows off more gameplay from the game’s Alpha stage.

Ubisoft has also provided us with some screenshots for The Mighty Quest for Epic Loot.

The Mighty Quest for Epic Loot is currently in Closed Alpha, you can sign up here if you want to try to get in early and help in the game’s development.

Nathan Manning is an Editor for AnalogAddiction. You can find him on Twitter and AnalogAddiction there as well.