The Electronic Entertainment Expo (E3) 2016 has once again come to a close as the annual video game conference unveiled new video games, consoles and hardware for the public.
The announcements came quickly and furiously with plenty of new titles being revealed for the first time. Microsoft announced “the most powerful console ever” with Project Scorpio, Sony went all-in on virtual reality with a handful new games fitted for the new gaming technology and Ubisoft released a surprise mashup of Trials and Farcry: Blood Dragon.
There was something for every gamer. While it would be impossible to cover every game announced at the conference, here’s what stood out for me at the event…
The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild – Nintendo NX/ Wii U – 2017
Nintendo wasn’t expected to have a big conference as their next gen console — code-named NX — wasn’t ready to be announced. One thing that was certain to be detailed was the progress of the long-delayed The Legend of Zelda game. The upcoming installment was intended to be released in 2015 on the Wii U, but kept getting pushed as Nintendo realized they might want to use the game as a launch title on their new system.
At the Nintendo Treehouse-Live conference, the next Zelda game’s title was revealed and footage was shown. Zelda: Breath of the Wild is official and damn, that feels great.
The game looks like no previous Legend of Zelda game to date. It’s open world, meaning you’re not limited to select puzzles and dungeons. It’s built for exploration. It’s a bold step for the franchise. Breath of the Wild features the best graphics on a Nintendo system ever as Link and Hyrule are slightly cell-shaded in a world with exquisite textures. It looks like the perfect blend of The Legend of Zelda Twilight Princess and The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker. Link is shown wearing armor in the trailer. It appears Breath of the Wild will be the most customizable Zelda game to yet.
The only downside is the rumor of Link being playable as a female or a female character being the lead in the game was denied by Nintendo. Still, there’s so much to be excited for. The wait seems to be worth it.
Titanfall 2 – PS4, Windows 10, and Xbox One – Oct. 28, 2016
The original Titanfall game was essentially a robot-fighting version of Call of Duty, where you used huge mechs known as Titans to fight alongside soldiers. The 2014 first-person shooter was fun, but largely forgettable. It was online multiplayer only and didn’t feature a single player campaign. Titanfall had some story elements sprinkled into the game, but nothing that painted a coherent narratove. After about 10 total hours of playing it, I got bored and moved on.
I didn’t even realize a new Titanfall game was in the works, but when the trailer popped up during E3, I was pleasantly surprised. Titanfall 2 will continue to have an online multiplayer element, but the sequel will feature a single player campaign. That’s huge. With the addition, it feels like EA is rectifying the issues with the first game. Even if it’s just a short, story-centric campaign, it’s exciting to see them build the universe in a way that’s more than just basic scraps of information.
In an encouraging trend in the video game industry, all of the DLC and maps in Titanfall 2 will be free. Titanfall 2 will also be available on Playstation 4 and Windows 10 for the first time. The game is going full Pacific Rim as your Titans will have swords.
Yep. I’m buying this.
Death Stranding – PS4 – Unknown
I have no idea what this game is about, but there are multiple reasons to be excited about it. Death Stranding is the first game from gaming legend Hideo Kojima (Metal Gear) under his new pact with Sony and his newly reestablished Kojima Productions. Kojima had disappeared from the public spotlight following his ugly split with Konami, but seeing him come on stage to announce Death Stranding was exhilarating.
Just announced my new title at Sony Conference. "DEATH STRANDING". pic.twitter.com/MJcGFI8KSt
— HIDEO_KOJIMA (@HIDEO_KOJIMA_EN) June 14, 2016
The game seems to borrow elements from Kojima’s canceled Silent Hills. It features The Walking Dead actor Norman Reedus in motion capture and looks like a psychological thriller with horror elements. There’s not too much information given away in the cinematic trailer as Reedus’ character wakes up handcuffed, finding a baby on a beach with dead fish and sea life all around him. It then gets weird. It’s really hard to explain without watching it.
The trailer has breathtaking music from Low Roar and is emotionally resonant. It looks to be about the earth’s decay into an apocalypse-like future, but that’s a wild shot in the dark. It could be about anything. It’s mysterious and looks like an epic game from Kojima. I’m curious to see actual gameplay. Unfortunately, the release date could be anywhere from one to three years away.
Crash Bandicoot Remastered – PS4 – Unknown
The Crash Bandicoot on Playstation is one of the best platforming series of all time. It’s relatively simple, the characters and environments are energetic and fun, and it’s a total classic. Playstation announced they’re fully remastering Crash Bandicoot, Crash Bandicoot 2, and Crash Bandicoot Warped. Those are all fun games with graphics that haven’t aged well. Remastering them will allow old and new fans to play the iconic series.
That’s not all the Crash that’s coming soon, as Playstation announced the character of Crash Bandicoot will also appear in Skylanders Imaginators, if that game is your thing.
This E3 was not too bad in the end. Crash Bandicoot Remastered was definitely the best reveal for me. Can't wait to see some of it!
— Cynical (@thegamersjoint) June 15, 2016
South Park: The Fractured But Whole – PS4/Xbox One/PC – December 6th, 2016.
One of the most surprisingly fun games of the past few years was Ubisoft’s 2014 release South Park: Stick of Truth. As a South Park fan, I’ve owned the previous crappy games, including 1999’s borderline unplayable South Park on Nintendo 64. Stick of Truth righted many past wrongs and felt like an extended episode of the series mixed in with a solid RPG. The graphics were indistinguishable from the show, the combat system was solid and the story was entertaining.
While Stick of Truth parodied fantasy, Fractured but Whole is going hard at Marvel, DC, and the superhero genre as a whole. The game follows a civil war among the South Park kids as they fight over how to plan the production of their superhero universe. All don superhero personas, Kenny as Mysterion, Cartman as The Coon, and Butters as the supervillain Professor Chaos, previously seen on the show. A ton of shots are taken at the superhero genre. As a diehard superhero filmgoer, bring it on.
The game itself has a new and improved combat system and looks to bring back many of the great elements of Stick of Truth. It looks like a perfect sequel.
Spider-Man – PS4 – Unknown
I literally let out a loud squee when a new Spider-Man game was announced as a Playstation 4 exclusive from Insomniac Games. Insomniac has a strong roster of titles including Ratchet & Clank, Sunset Overdrive, and the original Spyro The Dragon games. Having a good developer for a Spider-Man game is huge. There hasn’t been a great Spider-Man game, as previous installments have mostly been clunky and forgettable.
Spider-Man on PS4 looks very promising. The mechanics in Spidey’s web-slinging feel right, the world is beautifully animated (even if it is a mostly cinematic trailer), and Spider-Man’s new suit looks spiffy. Not many details are known about Spider-Man, but if this is the first installment of a Batman: Arkham-like game, this announcement is bomb.com. Personally, I’d be satisfied with a playable, non-broken Spider-Man game. There’s no game I want to be great more than this one.
