Inversion is a trite, third-rate shooter whose one saving grace is that it’s so bad it’s funny.

Score: 4.0 / poor

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Mark shoots his way through the underwhelming, gravity-defying action of Inversion in our video review.

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It’s the final day of E3 2012 as we leave you with news of industry analysts predicting a 2013 window for the next Xbox and PlayStation, choice picks from the final Nintendo conference, and our E3 highlights of 2012.

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Chris and the GameSpot crew end the show with a bang by showing off Watch Dogs at E3 2012

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E3 2012: And the Jedi ain’t one.

Star Wars 1313 is one of the major highlights of E3 2012. The spectacular demo not only gave showgoers a glimpse of what the next generation of games will look like, but more importantly, it went a long way toward revealing a concerted effort by the entirety of Lucasfilm, including Industrial Light and Magic, to craft a Star Wars experience that hooks fans, both current and lapsed. We’ve got five reasons the latter should take notice.

The Original Trilogy

If you’ve seen the only piece of art released for the game, then you might already know that 1313 takes place in the beloved, original trilogy era as revealed by the Tie Fighters and the Imperial shuttle. But even without the art, the 1313 demo gives a pretty clear indication of the time frame–the clothing and the ship design are all very reminiscent of what we’ve seen in the movies and other media set against the same period.

No Jedi

Let’s face it–Jedi are kind of everywhere at this point. The spiritual figures of the Star Wars universe have long been some of its most popular characters, but so many games focus on their struggles, pitting you as one of the iconic Force-wielding characters. Frankly, we’re feeling a little lightsaber fatigue, and most lapsed Star Wars fans probably are too.

1313

What better way to bring Star Wars fans back into the fold than focusing the story around a lesser-known part of the political hub of the Star Wars universe: Coruscant, which also happens to be a planet-wide city with thousands of levels that plunge deep beneath the surface. In fact, 1313 represents a level deep beneath the surface–a place where the Force doesn’t exist; the Jedi don’t inhabit; and only the most dubious characters reside.

Bounty Hunters

Flamethrowers. Jetpacks. Grappling hooks. Bounty hunters have access to some pretty cool gadgets within the Star Wars universe. Since the focus of 1313 is on the morally questionable figures, LucasArts wants you to experience every facet of their lives, including the cool gadgets and the trouble that comes along with them.

Next-Generation Visuals

1313 runs on a heavily modified version of the Unreal 3 engine, the same version that powered the impressive Samaritan demo. The game already looks fantastic and showcases the immense talents of Lucasfilm’s Industrial Light and Magic special effects studio. The lighting and character models and their animation are all incredibly impressive and serve as a great example of what games could look like when the next generation of consoles arrive.

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E3 2012: Entertainment Software Association parses statistics for this year’s geek gathering, says dates and host city for E3 2013 to be announced in coming weeks.

LOS ANGELES–Over 45,700 people attended the 2012 Electronic Entertainment Expo, according to the Entertainment Software Association, the body that organizes the event. The show boosted the local economy, too, generating close to $40 million for host city Los Angeles, California.

E3 2012 is in the books.

Dates and the host city for E3 2013 will be announced in the coming weeks, the ESA said. If a recent report proves accurate, the show may leave Los Angeles next year. The Los Angeles Times reported this week that the ESA is considering moving the show to a new city if proposed construction at the LACC is not resolved. The LACC has hosted all but two E3s in the show’s 18-year history.

Highlights from E3 2012 include Ubisoft unveiling a new open-world action game called Watch Dogs, Dead Space 3 coming out of the shadows, and Square Enix showing off what a next-generation Final Fantasy game could look like. For more on E3 2012, check out GameSpot’s complete coverage.

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E3 2012: Yosuke sets the stage on fire in a battle against Teddie.

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Tsquared visits the Halo 4 booth and gives away some free swag

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Chris Watters and Shaun McInnis show off some gameplay for Star Wars 1313 at E3 2012.

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E3 2012: Social-media-focused experimental game from Molyneux studio 22 Cans to launch in a few weeks; players will have the option to purchase in-game items, the most expensive of which will be priced at roughly $77,000.

LOS ANGELES–Former Lionhead studio head Peter Molyneux has unveiled the first project under his new label, 22 Cans.

Molyneux is experimenting with social media…and really rich people.

Speaking with New Scientist magazine, Molyneux revealed he is working on a series of social gaming experiments in an attempt to explore the “psychology of social-media users.” According to the report, Molyneux will use the results of these experiments to help him craft a game that he plans to release in two years’ time.

The first of these experimental games–which is set to be released in a few weeks–is called Curiosity. The game sees players enter a virtual room containing a single black cube; players must tap at the cube to try to fracture it layer by layer. However, fractures will appear simultaneously as other players join the game online and begin tapping at the same cube.

According to Molyneux, the cube will eventually fall open after an undisclosed number of taps. What lies inside Molyneux described as “truly amazing” and “absolutely unique.” The catch is that only the player who executes the final tap will get to see what’s inside. 22 Cans will rely on social media for the word to spread.

During the game’s duration, players will be able to purchase in-game items to help them in their quest to be the one who breaks the cube; these items will take the shape of a limited number of chisels that will amplify the strength of each tap. They will range from an iron chisel costing around 0.91 cents (with a tapping strength 10 times as powerful), all the way up to a diamond chisel costing roughly $77,000 (with a tapping strength 100,000 times as powerful).

“It’s an insane amount of money,” Molyneux told the magazine. “[But] this is not a money-making exercise; it is a test about the psychology of monetisation.”

In March this year, Molyneux left the Microsoft-owned Lionhead Studios to open up 22 Cans.

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