Nioh, a game loosely based on an Akira Kurosawa script and borrowing heavily from Dark Souls' design philosophy, caught gamers' attention earlier this year when its alpha was released on PSN. Today, I got to see a little bit more of the game in a brief showcase where Team Ninja revealed some new mechanics and weapons.

The demo began with protagonist William Adams making his way through the caverns of a mountain, fighting an assortment of demons and bandits. I watched as Adams used a double sword stance not available in the alpha, which let the player cut through enemies more quickly while also leaving the player more vulnerable to attacks. Firearms are also now a part of Nioh, with the player able to switch to a rifle to take out archers and other enemies in the distance. Combat is quick but deadly, with enemies hitting hard, forcing the player to learn foes' fighting patterns and flank them to find openings.

Nioh's shameless ripping off of Dark Souls might be annoying if the game didn't emulate that formula so well with bloody, enjoyable sword duels and a merciless level of difficulty that will test even the most steel-nerved players. The shortcuts available between checkpoints are also done rather well, placed far enough so that it doesn't make the game too easy but there are enough of them that they serve as palpable relief.

Nintendo may not have had a traditional E3 press conference this year, but it still had lots to share about the upcoming Pokémon Sun & Moon.

Below you will find the full archived video from Nintendo's Treehouse Live stream where it showed off the new Pokémon in detail, and in the gallery below you will find a collection of new art assets.

For a written breakdown of what's new for Pokémon Sun & Moon, head here.

At yesterday's Sony press conference, we saw a glimpse of how the new God of War is taking a more intimate, parental tone – a stark departure from the brutal anti-hero story we've come to know. The demo follows an older, bearded Kratos and his son as they embark on a hunting trip that isn't without obstacles and foes. At E3, we were given an extended look at the more methodic hack-and-slash gameplay, the role of his child companion, and just how open this nordic world is.

While past games explored Greek mythology, this God of War entry will be grounded in Norse mythology. God of War director Cory Barlog was quick to mention that this is a continuation of our famed anti-hero's story, rather than a traditional reboot.

Nintendo came to E3 with announced plans to put the focus squarely on its new Zelda game, and today’s lengthy showcase didn’t disappoint. After well over an hour of footage shown, we now know a lot more about the game than we did just 24 hours ago.

Nintendo has made that gameplay available for everyone to watch. Check out the videos below to sate your hunger for Link’s adventures. 

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While every other shooter seems content to join the sci-fi arms race, DICE's popular military series took the opposite approach, showcasing global conflict rarely seen in modern media. Battlefield 1 transports players back to the Great War.  

Hands-on time confirmed that regardless of the era, Battlefield 1 plays much like its predecessors. Squad-based air, land, and sea battles operate as the centerpiece experience, but within those parameters DICE refining, innovating, and experimenting with new concepts. Here are a few we discussed with senior producer Aleksander Grondal.

Mixing Up The SquadsSquad play is a critical component to the Battlefield experience, so DICE is always analyzing how the different classes work in concert with each other. For Battlefield 1 the team is making some significant changes. Gone is the popular engineer class, which primarily focused on vehicle attacks and repairs. The anti-vehicle weapons are now a part of the assault class' repertoire, and medics now wield the repair tools.

Microsoft made Final Fantasy XV part of its stage presentation at E3 this year, though the game didn't exactly put its best foot forward. These things can happen during live presentations, so if you want to see the game looking its guaranteed best, check out the latest batch of screens from Square Enix.

In the gallery below, you'll see crystal-clear shots of the game, many of which are drawn from the footage shown yesterday. They showcase the summons we already knew about, like Leviathan and Titan, but there are still more iconic beasts to be revealed as Final Fantasy XV's September 30 release date draws closer.

For more in-depth coverage of Final Fantasy XV, check out our full month of exclusive features.

Our June cover offered a deep dive on Dishonored 2, but now E3 fans are getting their own chance to check the game out, including a new trailer and an extensive look at gameplay. In addition, Dishonored fans can now explore several new screenshots from Bethesda showing off NPCs, environments, and some supernatural stealth take-downs.

You can check out the trailer and screenshots below, and go here for an entire recap of the Bethesda E3 conference that features some more Dishonored 2 gameplay at approximately 1:48:00. We got to see protagonist Emily's "shadow walk" in action, as well as her maneuvering around environments while stealthily taking out guards.  

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Sonic fans approach each title with a level of skepticism these days due to an inconsistent history, but with the Sonic Boom games that began releasing in 2014, many have avoided them altogether. The drastic character redesigns and the shift to focus on elements other than speed turned many off to the attempted change. With Sonic Boom: Fire & Ice for 3DS, Sega and Sanzaru hope to change that common perception of its latest series of games.

When Sonic Boom: Fire & Ice was announced in 2015, it was scheduled to release by end of year, but to line up with Sega's new prioritization of quality over deadlines, the team delayed it by a full year. I had the chance to go hands-on with the latest build and while I don't think that those who completely disliked Shattered Crystal will do a 180° on the Sonic Boom sub-series, the gameplay trends much closer to the classic gameplay that popularized the series.

The continuation of the Resident Evil series was inevitable, but many fans were surprised to see how the iconic horror franchise is returning for its 7th installment. Leaving action behind, the new entry seems to be Resident Evil back to its horror roots, as you can see from the latest images.

Looking at the gallery below, you can get a sense of how the series is steering back toward the atmospheric scares of its early days.  

To get an even more complete sense of Resident Evil 7, watch us play through the whole demo that released yesterday.