Sending out our final E3 thoughts
2016 turned out to be a great year for E3. With information getting leaked left and right, the international event still managed to surprise us. Even so, a select few stood out from the rest. Here are my most anticipated games of E3 2016.
For Honor
If you could choose between fighting as a Samurai, a Medieval Knight, or a Viking, which would you choose? Like something straight out of the olden days where caution was thrown to the wind and grand ideas were embraced, For Honor feels like it belongs in the days of video games when people would race motorcycles and smack each other with chains (Road Rash), where a worm in a space suit could shoot a ray gun (Earthworm Jim), and kangaroos punched women in the street with extreme prejudice (Streets of Rage 3). I have never been more excited for a return to form. The cost to make a triple-A game has never been higher so developers/publishers need to create something that appeals to the masses. It’s the reason for so many versions of Assassin Creed, Madden, and Call of Duty. Creating a new IP with the backdrop that For Honor has is a huge risk. Still, I’m confident this game will be one of those smash hits that no one asked for. If FTL, XCOM: Enemy Unknown, and The Stanley Parable can do it, why not For Honor?
The last major winter sports title to hit consoles and even PC was EA’s remake of SSX back in 2012. Focusing only on snowboards, variety wasn’t the main focus of the game. Although praised for its soundtrack, the game felt incredibly dated, even for then. Fast forward to 2016 and Steep is announced by none other than The Crew developer Ubisoft. Similar to The Crew, a huge part of Steep is the multiplayer. Pair that with incredible graphics, the ability to rewind and save spots on the mountain to share with friends, and the inclusion of Snowboarding, Skiing, Paragliding, and Wingsuits, this is one new title that I am literally going to jump out of a plane for. No, no I’m not. I’m not stupid.
Prey 2 wasn’t expected to show up at E3 and, honestly, I thought the series had genuinely died. The original Prey was in development for over a decade and even switched developers. The game didn’t garner a cult following, mainly because aside from a few cheap mechanics, the game was a pretty standard FPS. Prey 2, however, looks to follow in the steps of Dead Space and Lost Planet. Not satisfied with just being a run of the mill shooter, the Prey 2 trailer features massive guns, creepy fast moving enemies, and human experimentation. As the gaming industry currently has a hard-on for survival horror games like PAMELA, Outlast 2, and even Resident Evil 7 (which also looks good). It’ll be a nice change of pace to finally shoot back at the monster under the bed.
Spider-Man
Insomniac Games, developers of Sunset Overdrive, are now in control of your friendly neighborhood wall crawler, and I couldn’t imagine a better developer to take the reins. By the trailer, this game looks amazing! Swinging through the city never looked so smooth. The action is at an all time high. Best yet, by the way the eyes on the suit auto-adjust looks like it takes place in the Marvel cinematic universe. If not, it’s at least the same Spider-Man we saw in Captain America: Civil War. I’m not excited to admit that this might be in development in tandem with the new Spider-Man coming out, which would make it a movie adaptation game, but the trailer gave us a ton to look forward to.
Horizon: Zero Dawn
A lot of people have been comparing this game to Skyrim, but I just don’t see it. Some of the enemy encounters remind me of dungeon bosses. You can’t just go in guns-blazing-420-trippin’-balls-Doom knockoff. You need strategy, ingenuity, and a little bit of luck. The world itself feels inhabited. Not only by giant robotic creatures, but ordinary people just trying to get by. The creatures themselves even make you wonder; where the hell is this happening? More importantly, when? What the hell happened that the entirety of civilization succumbed to artificial intelligence turning into dinosaurs? This premise alone breaks the door open for prequels. I want to play during those first few years to see how we fought off our own extinction. How would we continue to use technology and keep it from “turning”? More so than any other game on this list, the lore actually intrigues me and I can’t wait to play it and see for myself.
Star Trek: Bridge Crew
Growing up surrounded by red shirts, alien species, and fictional technology that I would drool over in my sleep, Star Trek Bridge Crew was a gimme! I would easily drop $1500 on the Oculus Rift and parts to build a gaming PC just so I can finally live out my longest adult fantasy. Standing on a crowded Bridge, looking back at the ensigns and commanders waiting for my order, I’d exclaim “Ensign Kim, chart a course for the Klyntar galaxy. Warp 9.” Sitting in my chair, I’d take a moment to look around, soaking it all in before lightly stabbing the air in front of me. With a stern voice I’d command “Make it so” and proceed to permanently stain my Wranglers.
Death Stranding
What the actual fuck, Kojima?
With so much to look forward to this year and beyond, its going to be hard to find enough time in the day. Resident Evil is going back to horror (at least for this latest game) with what looks like an ode to P.T.. Nintendo has finally shown off the newest, long awaited Legend of Zelda. Even Crash Bandicoot is making an appearance. I still haven’t finished Fallout 4, and I already have so much to catch up on. My backlog is never going to get finished at this rate.
New Challenger Gaming 