Gaming has evolved into a multi-billion dollar industry in the recent years and is undergoing a sea of changes. With so many things happening all around, it’s difficult to keep track of all these.

In this series, we’ll rectify this by bringing you all the important news and announcements, new releases and other interesting events from the industry, every month. Join me after the jump.

E3 2012 Special round-up

Saying that this year’s E3 was a disappointment would be a massive understatement. But still, we got some beautiful game previews and a peak at the future itself.

Wii U

In a not so surprising move, Nintendo launched (finally) launched the long awaited Wii U at this years E3, making it the only hardware launch. With a second screen, inbuilt video camera, and NFC, your gaming experience is all set to change. In this well written article, TR does an in-depth analysis Wii U.

Smart Glass

MS didn’t launch the widely speculated Xbox 720. Instead it focused on enriching the user experience on their current-gen consoles(Yes, we can stop calling them next-gen now!). In its E3 keynote, Microsoft unveiled a new technology- SmartGlass — a smart way to share videos and gaming content across a variety of devices.

SmartGlass applications let you share a variety of media content directly from your tablets and mobile devices to your TV. The best part is that this application is designed to work with Windows 8, Windows Phone, iOS and Android devices. A release date is yet to be finalized but rumors has it that it should come out sometime in the Fall.

Xbox Music

As a part of the company’s re-branding strategy, MS has launched Xbox Music. It derives most of its features from Zune and the Metro interface is present throughout. It appears that Microsoft is not leaving any stone unturned with positioning Xbox as its primary entertainment platform.

Watch Dogs

This year, Ubisoft Montreal stole the thunder with an amazing preview of Watchdogs. With impossibly brilliant graphics, it had many people believe that the game is designed for a futuristic gaming device , even though Ubisoft still maintains that the game is designed for current-gen consoles, Xbox 360 and PS3 . In either case it’s an exciting year ahead.

Assassin’s Creed 3

Ships. High seas. Naval Battles. American revolution. No, I’m not babbling, I’m just talking about what is set out for the next installment of Assassin’s Creed. The game starts in the Caribbean high seas, where our protagonist Connor leads a squad of low pirates to a battle against the mighty and vile Brits. The focus shifts from there to the Great American Revolution. No, it doesn’t feature Lincoln capturing Vampires here! You still have to to go to the movies for that.

Sony’s stunner with Wonder Book

Sony, a company known for its awesome products which captivates us in our living room, appears to have taken a different turn with their latest augmented reality device, Wonder Book. They’ve moved away from the living room and started focusing on other avenues.

Wonder Book is an amazing devices that focuses on educating children through interactive books and documents. The preview featured J.K Rowling’s latest Book of Spells, drawing a heavy applause from the audience. With a $39 prize tag, I’m already sold.

Beyond: Two Souls

If you ask me, this years E3 was Sony’s show through and through. When Microsoft was busy releasing nerve rattling, bloody action games, Sony was working on content rich, mature, heart-felt games like Two Souls. Head over here to find out why.

Halo 4

Microsoft’s keynote was terrible, alright. But if there is one thing that they did right, then it must be their little preview of Halo 4 Spartan Ops. After the completion of the Halo trilogy, Microsoft practically created a new game studio to keep up the legacy alive. As a true Halo fan addicted with the original games, I was a more than little skeptical about this new series. Well, not anymore. The enemies are bigger and scarier while the graphics is gorgeous. I’m pre-ordering my copy, are you?

Last of us

E3 coverage wouldn’t be complete without lauding Last of Us. It by far had the most original gameplay I’ve ever seen. It plays around human emotions rather than monsters. It bagged five awards at Game Critics, including the ‘Best Original Game’.

News and Announcements

All important news in a single place: releases, new game announcements, updates, and all the related hoopla.

Mass Effect 3: Extended Cut released

The ending to the final epic game in the hugely popular Mass Effect trilogy was confusing to the most of us. Some were more vociferous than others. Luckily, now a DLC has been released last week to set things right. Is it any better though? You be the judge of that.

Far Cry 3 release delayed

Ubisoft pushed the release of Far Cry 3 to December, from October. The official statement remains, “We’re taking more time to create the best possible gameplay experience… we want every element of this insane, action-packed adventure to be of the highest possible quality for the players.”

Reports suggest that the publishers wanted to avoid a clash with Halo 4 and Black Ops 2 which are scheduled to release around the same time.

Creativity drain

There is a mental drain in the gaming industry today. There are many developers who make a living out of other’s idea. In this E3, we noticed a new trend. Many games are preying around our basic fears. Modern Warfare 3, for instance, revolves around a futuristic Sino – US war. In this opinion piece, Andrew argues that this is a worrisome trend for the Industry.

Future of HTML 5 gaming

When HTML 5 was launched it sparked a lot of interest among gamers. For one, it marked an instant death to Flash, diminishing its share on the web. But then there aren’t many HTML 5 games out there today, as we’d like. Game development studio, Wooga, recently released the source code of their HTML 5 game recently, and in this article they talk about the true potential in HTML 5 and the roadblocks preventing them.

UE4 Engine

Have you ever wondered what the future will look like? Take a look at these renderings spit out by none other than our very own Unreal 4 engine. It offers so much to developers with very less code.

New kids on the block

Max Payne 3

Jun 01, 2012 | PC

With savage gunplay and an absorbing personal story, Max Payne 3 is an exhilarating shooter that grabs hold of you and doesn’t let go-GameSpot

Dirt: Showdown

Jun 10, 2012 | Xbox, PS3

Dirt Showdown is a satisfying mix of driving tricks and destruction wrapped up in the slickest of presentations- GameSpot

Metal Gear Solid HD Collection

Jun 12, 2012 | PS Vita

Metal Gear Solid HD Collection brings back a handful of the most popular Metal Gear Solid titles from the past in true HD format for the first time ever- GameSpot

Brave

Jun 19, 2012 | PC, PS3, Mac, Xbox 360, Wii, DS

Brave: The Video Game is a third-person action adventure game that expands the tale beyond the movie’s storyline- GameSpot

Civilization V: Gods & Kings

Jun 19, 2012 | PC, Mac

Civilization V: Gods and Kings is an eminently worthwhile collection of big and small changes that enhance an already amazing game- GameSpot

Quantum Conundrum

Jun 21, 2012 | PS3, Xbox 360

Quantum Conundrum’s nutty inter-dimensional experiments don’t go off without a hitch, but this inventive first-person puzzler still produces some enjoyable results- GameSpot

Tom Clancy’s Ghost Recon: Future Soldier

Jun 29, 2012 | PS3, Xbox 360, DS, PSP

Lively multiplayer modes and a considerable campaign are hampered by bothersome network issues in Ghost Recon: Future Soldier- GameSpot

Wrapping up

Well, that’s pretty much about all the major changes that happened in our industry lately.

Join us in the discussion, and let us know your suggestions. Thank you for reading.