The Electronic Entertainment Expo, better known as E3, is one of the biggest celebrations of gaming in the world. It’s that time of the year where all the video gaming juggernauts come out dressed in their finest. To show off to the world what they’ve got cooking in their crazy, creative minds — pulling the tarps off hot new gaming hardware, upcoming games and big updates on the games in development you’ve been watching. Let’s look at the best of the E3 show this year, across the Microsoft, Sony, Ubisoft, Nintendo, PC Gaming and EA press conferences.
God of War
PlayStation 4 Exclusive - 2018
Everyone’s favourite godkiller is back in a very paternal role, all ready to murder the Norse pantheon. A little bit more has been shown this time around, with an equal focus on the action — the relationship with his bow-and-arrow-toting son and the revelation of friendly characters, small and large, and one very large serpent, presumably Jörmungandr, the Norse World Serpent. What stood out though, is the heart that’s put into the game, as we see scenes of Kratos training the boy in the fine art of killing. Just in time for Father’s Day.
Middle-Earth: Shadow of War
PlayStation 4, Xbox One, PC - October 10, 2017
In the reveals of the latest Lord of the Rings game, Shadow of War, in the weeks up to E3, it was pretty clear that the developers have gone bonkers — writing their own epic into LOTR about another war of the ring against Sauron. There’s even a version of the one ring. They can write in unicorns if they want, because Shadow of War looks and plays brilliant. Taking the nemesis system to another level, which not only generates Uruk leaders with their own personalities, but also lets you recruit them and use them in your own tactical stronghold invasions. The E3 demo came alive with the introduction of Bruce, a large uruk who should have been doing stand-up comedy.
The Last Night
Xbox One, Mac, PC - 2018
In a sea of big reveals, this little independent game stood out — a beautiful game set in a Blade Runner-esque cyberpunk setting, that paints a rain-drenched city bathed in neon. Nothing much is revealed in terms of story, except that it follows the ordeal of a lone gunman against the odds. The art style is beautiful, combining 2D pixel characters with lifelike animations, against fully 3D backdrops, with a camera that cinematically sweeps and pans across the city. The Last Night is drop-dead gorgeous.
Assassin’s Creed Origins
Xbox One, PlayStation 4, PC - October 27, 2017
The latest instalment in the long-running Assassin’s Creed franchise, the flagship of Ubisoft’s games, is set in Ptolemaic Egypt, at the height of the Egyptian Civilisation. Like the name suggests, the game explores the origins of the order of Assassins — following Bayek, a Medjay, which is a sort of an elite policeman, as he brings order to a world that whispers of a new faction. The gameplay demos showed Bayek use a hawk like a drone, to mark out enemies to take out from the shadows.
Spider-Man
PlayStation 4 - TBA
With a new Spider-Man movie on the horizon, it’s a wonder no one expected a game. Which is why Spider-Man hit home with a superb gameplay trailer. First off, the game is in no way connected to the movie. Instead, it tells a whole other Spidey story, as we see glimpses of Miles Morales, another Spider-Man in the crowd. The gameplay is fresh and energetic, as Spider-Man uses his webs to dispatch enemies and even stop a giant crane from pancaking a few city blocks, before stopping a helicopter. We also caught a glimpse of a new villain, known as Mr Negative.
Anthem
Xbox One, PlayStation 4, PC - TBA
Veteran game studio BioWare seems to have lost their way for the past few years. There seems to be a glimmer of hope in the form of a new property. Called Anthem, this new game is sort of a multi-player shooter in the vein of The Division and Destiny, where you play bounty hunters and soldiers who venture out into a dangerous alien world in mech suits, capable of flight, speedrunning and even diving underwater. The gameplay demo was scripted, but it did show us a glimpse of how addictive it is to traverse and explore the world, as well as fight against an enemy with heavy weaponry. Anthem is a game that’s high up there on our radar.
Beyond Good and Evil 2
Xbox One, PlayStation 4, PC - TBA
Furious clapping — that’s the sound of millions of prayers being answered, as the audience broke into wild cheer at the reveal of the much-awaited Beyond Good and Evil 2. Set in a futuristic world that’s straight out of Zootopia, the trailer followed a con artist gorilla who cheats a pig mob boss out of crucial data that would lead them to a promise of a new world. What we saw in the short trailer was surreal — with futuristic pagodas and large statues of animal gods, the universe of Beyond Good and Evil 2 is a place we want to lose ourselves in.
Days Gone
PlayStation 4 Exclusive - 2018
Revealed at last year’s E3, we got a longer glimpse into the day of a bounty hunter in a zombie apocalypse this year. The mechanics are very similar to both The Witcher and the recent Horizon Zero Dawn, as you play as Deacon St John, a drifter who sneaks through a camp of enemies and fights off infected animals while avoiding hoards of zombies, that are fast and vicious — all to save a friend. The game is bloody and brutal, as everything around you can literally rip you to shreds.
Crackdown 3
Xbox One Exclusive - TBA 2017
The highly anticipated Crackdown 3 debuted with a bang, as muscle-bound actor Terry Crews introduced himself as one of the characters, then proceeded to shoot everything up. The Crackdown games are like Grand Theft Auto on steroids, as you play as agents clad in supersuits, that when powered up let you leap buildings and do other superhero stuff — the perfect sandbox for you to let off some steam. Crackdown 3 showed us glimpses into a very Saints Row-like world.
Forza Motorsport 7
Xbox One Exclusive - October 3, 2017
Showcasing the potential of the new Xbox One X, Forza Motorsport 7 blew our collective minds, with incredible realism, not only in its cars and drivers, but also in the tracks and environments, with its weather effects that focus on being more cinematic — as you negotiate a race in the pelting rain and cross the finish line, just as the sun breaks through the clouds like a ray of triumph. Everything was so detailed in 4K that it made us want to get behind the wheel of one of those supercars that very moment.
Far Cry 5
Xbox One, PlayStation 4, PC - February 27, 2018
The latest Far Cry moves away from the mountains of India to deep into the heartland of rural America. In the E3 demo, you witness brutal executions at the hands of some sort of cult — as you and your friends have to band together to save the townspeople outside a church. The graphics of the open world look fantastic, with that very small-town vibe as you shoot your way through enemies. Also shown were the Fangs for Hire animals that you can recruit by your side to help you in a pinch, besides the co-op gameplay, as you can get a friend to pitch in on the killing.
Shadow of the Colossus
PlayStation 4 Exclusive - TBA
One of the best games of the PlayStation 2 era makes a comeback, not in the way of a sequel, but an actual true-blue remake — as you see shots of the hero riding his faithful horse Agro, across the endless plains of that mysterious land. Then you see glimpses of all the towering monsters you have to take down, looking impressive and intimidating in their new graphical sheen. Let’s hope the remake does not take as long as the studio’s last game took to ship.
Super Mario Odyssey
Nintendo Switch Exclusive - October 27, 2017
A new Nintendo console, the Switch, was launched earlier this year. So you know there’s going to be a Mario on the horizon. Odyssey features a Mario with his magic hat, that lets him possess anyone or anything he places his hat upon — an interesting deviation from the usual Mario run and jump platforming. Also revealed was a new Metroid, Yoshi, Xenoblade Chronicles 2 and a host of other games for the Switch, both from Nintendo and third-party developers.
Skull and Bones
PlayStation 4, Xbox One, PC - 2018
Do you like Pirates? Did you like the warship gameplay from Assassin’s Creed IV: Black Flag? Then you will absolutely love Skull and Bones from Ubisoft, which makes an entire game out of the best parts of Black Flag, and turns it into a team-based multi-player battle — as you, along with your pirate ship and crew, have to steal treasure from right under the noses of other pirates and all manner of pirate hunters. Along with other captains and their ships, you have to make a break for it. Did we mention, there’s also a sea monster? Hopefully, a Kraken — we love Krakens.
Need for Speed Payback
PlayStation 4, Xbox One, PC - November 10, 2017
The latest Need for Speed takes several pages out of The Fast and the Furious’ playbook. Featuring a gameplay sequence that had all of the movies’ feels, you half expected to see Vin Diesel pop his head out. Even though the voice-acting of the characters was atrocious, the game oozed potential — combining the best parts of the Burnout series, hallmark crashes and Need for Speed’s signature fast cars and cops. Let’s hope EA takes the momentum that was on display in this bite-sized chunk, and slathers it all over the full final game.
Star Wars Battlefront II
PlayStation 4, Xbox One, PC - November 17, 2017
Addressing the massive feedback the Star Wars Battlefront remake got, led by John Boyega, who plays Finn in the new Star Wars trilogy, which was especially directed at the lack of a single player mission, the new Battlefront II now has a single player campaign with its own heroine, and the twist is, that it’s played from the side of the Empire, the bad guys. The multi-player was also revealed at this E3, with reveals of levels set in the prequel trilogy, as well as glimpses of Rey, presumably from the upcoming The Last Jedi . Let’s hope there’s no Jar Jar Binks in this one.
A Way Out
PlayStation 4, Xbox One, PC - Early 2018
Couch co-op is not dead, and A Way Out is going to be here to make sure of that. A game about a prison break, you and a friend can control two characters in split screen, as you both set about that task — making for tense situations, where one character distracts the guards, while the other goes about some nefarious activity. A Way Out is story-driven and looks to be a lot of fun.
Metro Exodus
PlayStation 4, Xbox One, PC - 2018
The newest Metro game takes place across the course of an entire year in game, with changing seasons. Set in a post-apocaplytic wasteland, Metro is an action-horror, which takes you into the claustrophobic catacombs of a metro line right up to the surface that’s populated by all manner of dangerous mutants. Finally, the follow-up to the excellent Metro 2033 and Last Light is here, and it looks fantastic.
