E3 2015: Our Top Video Game Picks
From the most beautiful to the most weird, we give you the lowdown on the hottest games from this year's Electronic Entertainment Expo. C'mon, you know you wanna play.
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The gaming year has two different holiday seasons. The first is the actual Christmas season, when all the best games come out. The other is the Electronic Entertainment Expo (E3), where all the hottest upcoming games are announced. E3 is wrapping up in LA this week, so we're giving you a look at the best games to include in your letters to Santa this year and beyond.
In addition to hot games, several big trends in gaming emerged from E3, including improvements in mobile gaming and the latest salvos in the ongoing video game console wars. But the real excitement for video game enthusiasts is in the news of upcoming releases.
Every year the list of compelling video games seems to grow. To make things easier on myself, I decided to break the games up by category. For example, Microsoft announced two of its staple alien shooter franchises at E3, Gears of War 4 and Halo 5: Guardians. Those are known quantities that we can all get excited about, but how much space do we need to devote to them? So I stuck them together.
In the process, I made room for indie games and new IP. The gaming industry is a franchise industry, as is the movie business, but for every Avengers or Star Wars, game producers need to put out future tent pole titles so when their stalwart franchises dry up, they've got others ready in the pipeline. This list features several new franchises that stand a good chance of spawning sequels and becoming regulars at E3.
Check out the list of old and new video games and tell me, in the comments section below, which ones have you drooling.
Fallout 4 (pictured)
Platforms: All major platforms
ETA: Late 2015
Platform: All major platforms
ETA: Late 2016
Fallout 3 ruined RPGs for me forever. It wasn't the fault of the game, which is spooky and fun. The problem was that 2007 and 2008 gave us some of the greatest RPGs ever. I had played Fable II, Mass Effect, Elder Scrolls IV and its expansion Shivering Isles, and Bioshock. By the time I got to Fallout 3, I was so tired of wandering through worlds doing errands for people. I haven't really been able to enjoy an RPG since. I might use Fallout 4 to give RPGs another chance. After the debacle of the end of Mass Effect 3, I'm shocked it's getting another version. I'll pass on it, but it deserves to be mentioned here as the franchise is popular.
The Legend of Zelda: Triforce Heroes
Platform: Nintendo 3DS
ETA: Late 2015
This is the only handheld game in the bunch. I have to admit, I'm out of the Zelda loop. But this is still one of the great franchises in gaming. The real news will come when Zelda makes a Wii U appearance.
Platform: PS4
ETA: 2016 or 2017
The Last Guardian was first announced at E3 2009 and has been in the works since 2007. It was originally meant to be a tent-pole exclusive for the PS3. The game is only seven years late. This has got to be one of the oddest games ever. You control a boy who has a fictional bird-like animal named Trico. You care for Trico, but you can't control Trico. Trico has a mind of its own. To win the game, you have to solve puzzles. Sometimes you have to convince Trico to help; sometimes this involves distracting it so it moves elsewhere, sometimes you have to entice it to do something you can't do yourself. How all of this works in practice is still a bit of a mystery. The puzzles are as open-ended as possible to allow for creative choices. Hopefully, in the time it took for this game to see the light of day technology has advanced enough to make this one as fascinating to play as the description makes it sound.
Platforms: Xbox, PC
ETA: 2016
This indie release puts you inside cartoons of the 1930s. It looks like an early Mickey Mouse or Betty Boop reel. All the while, you control Cuphead, who lost a bet with the devil and must serve him. The action looks like a 1980s platform shooter, and the art seems straight out of the Jazz Age. The combo is fascinating. You really have to see the trailer to get it.
Nier Sequel (unnamed)
Platform: PS4
ETA: 2016 or 2017
Nier is a cult classic I've never played. It is often brought up in discussions of greatest game soundtracks (though I think the Grand Theft Auto series always wins that debate). Square Enix, the Neir developer, is known for designing the most beautiful games in the world. Funny enough, Nier was criticized for its poor graphics. One look at the picture above and the trailer shows the developer has clearly responded to that criticism.
Platforms: All major platforms
ETA: 2016 (possibly 2017)
Doom was the first shooter game. There was Wolfenstein and Quake and others that get to be a part of the long tradition, but Doom launched the multiplayer, first-person shooter experience. The idea of bringing it back in a world dominated by Call of Duty, Halo, and Gears is intriguing and potentially money-losing. But everything old is new again in gaming.
Platforms: All major platforms
ETA: 2016 (possibly 2017)
This is the only shooter I'm interested in this year. The game will tie in nicely with the film Star Wars: Episode VII. Battle on Hoth? Fight Darth Vader? Yes, please.
Platforms: PC, PS4
ETA: 2016
I cannot describe this game to you. I know what it is. It is a game where you explore the oceans and unravel a mystery. But I don't get what you do. I don't get where the game is. I don't know if it is an RPG, or a shooter, or an interactive movie. I don't get it. Some reviewers refer to it as a "meditation." It is pretty, and it is different, and I'm tired of all the shooter games. So I'm willing to find out what the heck Abzu actually is.
There are other big games coming out, including the obligatory sports titles such as Madden and FIFA, as well as Lara Croft and Assassin's Creed sequels. While those games might be blockbusters, they are known quantities. The video games we've featured here are far more compelling to me. How about you? Which games are you most looking forward to this fall and beyond?
There are other big games coming out, including the obligatory sports titles such as Madden and FIFA, as well as Lara Croft and Assassin's Creed sequels. While those games might be blockbusters, they are known quantities. The video games we've featured here are far more compelling to me. How about you? Which games are you most looking forward to this fall and beyond?
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