Incoming: Ghost Recon: Future Soldier vs. Dragon's Dogma

Future-set shooter and fantasy action role-playing at retail next week, but which one is more interesting to GameSpot readers, and for which system?

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Respawn skipping E3 again

Studio founded by former Call of Duty developers not unveiling first project at next month's Los Angeles tradeshow.

Gamers yearning for the first proper look at Respawn Entertainment's first game won't get it at next month's Electronic Entertainment Expo. Speaking to Joystiq, Respawn community manager Abbie Heppe said, "We won't be showing anything or doing any press related to the game" during the annual geek gala. Heppe confirmed this statement to GameSpot this afternoon.

Respawn's first game isn't coming into focus at E3.

This year's Electronic Entertainment Expo will be the second straight that the company has opted out of public activities. This time last year, the San Fernando Valley, California-based studio announced it would skip the industry's big summertime event.

Respawn has kept its first project out of sight thus far. Outside of a blurry screenshot and news that the game will be published by Electronic Arts, no further firm information is available concerning the studio's maiden title.

Speculation on the project has suggested it will be a first-person science-fiction shooter that may support 3D, and could ship by March 2013. Respawn Entertainment was founded in 2010 by fired Infinity Ward developers Jason West and Vince Zampella, and is currently staffed by a host of Call of Duty developers, among others.

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3DS | Heroes of Ruin: Diablo For Your 3DS?

Consider Heroes of Ruin for a spot of dungeon crawling on the go.

With Diablo III up and (just about) running, what better time to talk about Heroes of Ruin? This is a game that squeezes the essentials of a Diablo-like experience onto Nintendo's 3D handheld: a fantasy-flavoured, class-based, multiplayer dungeon crawler with randomly generated levels. You play as one of a party of up to four adventurers, drawn together by a local or internet connection and a quest to save the realm's sphinx king, Ataraxis, who has been laid up with a nasty curse.

The four character classes are cast mostly from the archetypal fantasy moulds. There's the spellcasting Alchitecht, brawling Savage, dual-wielding Gunslinger, and the Vindicator--a knight-like, swordfighting lion-man.

And here he is.

Early on, your band is despatched from the hub city of Nexus to a network of catacombs in an underground lagoon which, like Heroes of Ruins' other labyrinthine dungeons, is procedurally fashioned to be different in each playthrough.

Here, rays of light leak through the rock overhead, looking natty in 3D, and in general the styling resembles the pleasing fantasy chunkiness of World of Warcraft, between the floating exclamation points over quest givers' heads and the catacombs' froggy murloc enemies.

And here they are.

Bipedal shark monsters and light puzzling also feature down in the catacombs; for the latter, you must arrange the arms of ancient statues to unlock the way to an enemy boss.

The peppy combat is based on a primary attack (a basic sword swipe, as a Vindicator) and three of the other manoeuvres you choose to learn as you level, each mapped to a face button. As you might expect of a portable Diablo-alike, there's an emphasis on loot, with a nicely streamlined system that lets you immediately sell on goodies you can't use, to save them from cluttering your inventory.

Publisher Square Enix makes some interesting noises about Heroes of Ruins' eventual daily challenges, issued over the internet and with which players can earn rewards. Though we haven't seen those for ourselves, they could add another layer of longevity to the game, as could the promised in-game shop, in which you can trade rare items with others.

The co-operative play system is easygoing, letting players drop in and out of friends' games regardless of their own progress. Single-player is an option but, much like in Diablo, is missing the point. There's more fun to be had in multiplayer, so here's hoping for efficient matchmaking and a healthy population of potential party members after launch in June.

In the meantime, if you're in London from 25-27 May, you'll be able to play the game for yourself at the MCM Expo, where GameSpot UK is the official gaming partner.

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EA addresses Battlefield 3 server scarcity reports

Electronic Arts denies shutting down official servers for modern-day shooter, says it will add more DICE-sanctioned servers.

Earlier this week, reports surfaced claiming that official DICE servers for the console versions of Electronic Arts' Battlefield 3 were disappearing, leaving only privately rented destinations to play on. This is not the case, EA told GameSpot today.

DICE is keeping its Battlefield 3 servers online, says EA.

"DICE is not shutting down servers," an EA representative told GameSpot this afternoon. "If DICE-managed servers appear unavailable, it is because they have been rented and customized by players. DICE will continue to add servers and will reserve a percentage of servers for players who prefer to connect through DICE-hosted servers."

DICE began renting Battlefield 3 servers for the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 in April for $25 per month. Gamers who rent from DICE can tailor the shooter experience in a number of ways to their liking, including determining which maps and game modes will be included in rotation, and kicking and banning players at will.

Battlefield 3 is set to expand next month with the launch of the Close Quarters downloadable content, the first of three new expansion packs for the shooter. The expansion will feature infantry-focused "vertical" gameplay with four new indoor maps and 10 new weapons that can also be used in the original version of the game.

For more on Battlefield 3, check out GameSpot's review.

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Test Drive Unlimited studio shutting down

Atari's latest financial report reveals firm closing doors at Lyon, France-based Eden Games, company revenues slide 34 percent; mobile games to be a focus in time ahead.

Test Drive Unlimited studio Eden Games is headed to the scrap yard. Studio owner Atari has announced that the Lyon, France-based development shop is now labeled as "discontinued operations," with the publisher beginning to sell off investments related to the studio.

Eden Games is in the process of making a permanent pit stop.

Eden Games most recently developed 2011's warmly received Test Drive Unlimited 2 for the Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, and PC. Previously developed titles include 2008's Alone in the Dark, and the 2006 original Test Drive Unlimited.

In 2011, Eden Games formed a "symbolic strike" aimed at protesting a wave of forthcoming layoffs at the firm, believed to total as many as 80. A letter from Eden Games claimed "mismanagement" on the part of Atari and noted the publisher was not willing to enter negotiations with the studio.

[UPDATE] Following the publication of this story, Atari confirmed with GameSpot that Eden Games is not presently shut down.

"Our earnings statement contained a report about the divestment of Eden Studios. We want to make it clear that the studio has not closed and that we will continue to support the console and PC games of Eden Studios, notably Test Drive Unlimited 2, while this process is underway," reads a line from the statement. "The divestment is in line with our previously stated strategy of exploiting our popular intellectual property library on mobile devices, where he have seen strong initial success, and via online games and licensing."

The news comes via Atari's latest financial report, which saw company revenues slide some 34 percent to ïïï39.6 million ($51.3 million) for the fiscal year ended March 31, 2012. The company posted a net loss of ïïï3.7 million ($4.78 million) for the period, better than the ïïï6.2 million ($8.02 million) hit it took a year ago.

Looking ahead to its current fiscal year, Atari said it will build and monetize its digital titles, with a focus on making mobile games a "core" business sector. Outside of this, Atari plans to take advantage of its intellectual property portfolio through licensing and strategic partnerships.

Atari did not mention specific financial goals for the coming year, but did say the firm expects flat-to-continued improvement for operating income.

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