Somewhere along the lines I got my dates mixed up. I was under the impression that E3 didn’t start until Tuesday or Wednesday, and it actually started on Sunday, briefly. That was Bethesda’s day to throw out information and a myriad of titles. Today, it was all about Microsoft, EA, Ubisoft and Sony. Tomorrow is Nintendo, SquareEnix and the PC gala. Tomorrow there should be some information coming out of the PC show that will interest me, but the bulk of the games I was excited to learn more about have already come and gone, so I feel like I can already make this list without hesitation. I made a list just like this last year, and despite highly anticipating those titles, there’s only a portion of them I’ve actually played to this point, there’s some that aren’t out yet, and a couple will be repeated on today’s list. We talked about a number of games we were psyched about on a recent episode of Couch Podtatoes, and now there’s more information packed into these trailers that answered a lot of my questions from the show. I’m not going to rehash that same list because not all of those games were talked about at the Expo just yet, and because these are the games that I’m extremely excited for, right now. With the introduction out of the way, here’s my most anticipated games from #E32015 (in no particular order):

Doom 4

Why I’m excited: We’ve known about Doom 4 for a bit now. The fact that the game would be revealed at E3 this year was no secret, but seeing the game in action was more than I was expecting. Not only does it seem to have steered away from the survival horror of it’s most recent (recent? It’s been ten years!) predecessor, but it picked up the pace, replicating the action sequences I knew and loved as a kid. It’s gory too, but that’s something you’d come to expect from a game famous for chainsawing demons in half and utilizing “big fucking guns.” Now I need to go back and actually finish Doom 3. Like soon.

Fallout 4

Why I’m excited: I was hesitant about Fallout 4. Fallout 3 and Borderlands were the first two games I bought for my PS3 when I picked it up back in 2009. Fallout 3 was already on it’s collectors edition, and man I loved the look of it. I loved the interactive character creation that lead you through your early life into adulthood. I loved the atmosphere. I loved blowing up the town at the beginning of the game, setting off the nuke it was built over and watching from afar, cackling to myself maniacally. I didn’t enjoy the use of the VATS system though, and that feature alone made it to where I didn’t play the game very far. I remember being frustrated that when I chose not to use that system, and went at combat in a purely FPS fashion, it felt like I was just wasting bullets. Slowing down the game to target things just didn’t feel right. Watching this trailer eased some of my worry. You’ll see the player being able to quickly and flawlessly switch between the two modes, and both seem equally effective. I can see where VATS would be useful, but I can see where I wouldn’t want to use it all of the time. However, this does make me feel like I may have been too hard on the 3rd installment, and that I might also want to give New Vegas a whirl. Perhaps I’ll get that in before the release of #4. Time will tell.

Uncharted 4: A Thief’s End

Why I’m excited: This is a carry-over entry from last year’s list, but with good reason. My love for the Uncharted series hasn’t waned whatsoever in the past year, and with the announcement that the “Nathan Drake Collection” is coming for PS4 as well, you can get all of the Uncharted goodness in one place, and all up to current-gen standards. Also, there’s actual gameplay footage this time around, and despite the fact that it’s still the same old Uncharted, it looks fucking phenomenal. The only question it didn’t answer is “how is the multiplayer?” but that’s okay, as I’m sure that information is coming. I cannot wait for this title, it’s a console seller.

No Man’s Sky

Why I’m excited: Another carry-over from last year is No Man’s Sky. I was absolutely psyched to see the extra gameplay we were able to see this time around. It’s clear that the universe that has been procedurally generated by Hello Games’ ridiculous engine is by far the most ambitious video game feat I’ve ever seen. I think Eri hit the nail on the head when she said that this engine alone is going to make the company a shitload of money. We also get to see some space battling, more planetary exploration along with how the worlds are fully destructible. I’m impressed that they managed to cram voxel technology into their game as well. This is probably my most anticipated game out of them all, and it was said that the release date will be announced “soon.” I absolutely need to get a PS4 ASAP.

Final Fantasy VII Remake

Why I’m excited: Yet another Playstation exclusive (til it’s eventually ported) that I can’t wait to see more of. This particular trailer didn’t give us anything except for a feel for the world and a taste of what Cloud and Barrett will look like. I’d really like to see what the combat and other in-game aspects will look like, but we’ll have to wait a bit to find out more. I do have to say that I will mirror Talarian’s sentiment, in that I’d prefer that the music, locations, characters and overall story stay in tact, but that they can take the old-school JRPG combat and shove it. I loved the Materia system, but the endless random battles to level up and the “mostly just holding down the Confirm button and letting your party auto-attack its way to victory” needs to go. Spice it up a little. The whole world wants this remake, let it be amazing. FFVII got me into the series as a whole, and will forever be my favorite, despite some of it’s archaic ways.

Horizon: Zero Dawn

Why I’m excited: This one came out of left field. The developers for Kill Zone have created a whole new IP. When the trailer starts, I was thinking to myself that it looked like a Turok: Dinosaur Hunter remake, but this was not the case. The backstory is interesting enough, and the gameplay was fast, beautiful, and deadly. Huge Dinosaur robots? Yeah, I need this game in my life.

Star Wars: Battlefront

Why I’m excited: We’ve known about the new Battlefront game for a while now. It’s been on the Origin Launcher for some time, but seeing it in action makes me want it that much more. I’m not super big on Battlefield, and since DICE is making this game, you know there will be some similarities. However, it’s Star Wars and there’s so much awesome packed into this trailer there’s no way a fan of the IP couldn’t be excited for this. I probably won’t buy it day one, because of the shitty launch to Battlefield 4, but I’ll definitely get it at some point.

Street Fighter V

Why I’m excited: Street Fighter V was announced a while back as well, but seeing some more of it in action is never a bad thing. They are doing some stupid shit with “console exclusive characters” but it’s not the first time something like this has happened in a fighting game, and those characters tend to become DLC for other platforms eventually. The characters they showed as being exclusive to PS4 were Birdie and Cammie, two fighters I never really cared for anyway. One way or the other, as a huge fan of the Street Fighter series, I’m definitely looking forward to this one.

Call of Duty: Black Ops III

Why I’m excited: Yeah, I’m as surprised as you are that I’m including this game in this list. But, as I’ve alluded to a couple of times prior to this, I’ve been a fan of Treyarch’s versions of Call of Duty since the first Black Ops, and this one feels like a huge jump for the series. My boycott may have officially ended, as I see multiple features that speak to me. First, in this trailer you’ll see that they finally added co-op to the campaign mode, and removed some of the on-rails aspects, allowing you to customize your kit before heading into battle. Secondly, they added in some of the features that Titanfall has, in that the acrobatics you can perform are very similar now. Third, there’s fucking Zombies mode, and that’s my shit right there. I’m actually really looking forward to this one.

Mass Effect: Andromeda

Why I’m excited: Me and Eri pondered if there would be some sort of Mass Effect announcement, but we figured that it wouldn’t have anything to do with Sheppard. From what I can gather in this trailer, which really isn’t much except for a teaser, we were correct in believing that this game is part of that universe, but will be a completely different storyline. Or maybe it’s just a big mashup of their multiplayer from ME3? We won’t know until more information is released, but for now, I think it’s safe to say a new Mass effect is on it’s way, and that’s exciting.

The Walking Dead: Michonne

Why I’m excited: No trailer here, but this mini-series from Telltale has been announced. It’s a three part game, which will require at least the first episode of The Walking Dead season two, meaning it’s more expansion than full game (think 400 Days from season 1). It’s supposed to cover Michonne’s activity where she goes missing during a story arc from the comics, and since I’m no where near that far along in reading them, I don’t really know what that means exactly. However, Telltale has been good about presenting you the needed information up to that point in the game, so I don’t think it will be an issue. Either way, I love Telltale games and The Walking Dead, so I’m looking forward to this one.

#E32015 #gaming #gametrailers