We don’t blame most of you for being preoccupied by goings on in Euro 2016, but across the pond in Los Angeles this year’s E3 video game expo is well underway, and there are a whole host of juicy announcements to sink your teeth into.
Since we last checked in with you about the most exciting games on show from day one, both Microsoft and Sony have staged their press conferences, and both came with a raft of surprises
Here’s a look at everything to get hyped about.
1. Two new Xbox models
It’s not even been three years since the Xbox One launched, but Microsoft have already officially confirmed two new console models.
The first, the Xbox One S, is a considerably slimmed down version of the Xbox One. The sleek new machine is 40 per cent smaller than its predecessor, and will support High Dynamic Range (HDR) gaming and 4K video. Also under the hood will be a 2TB hard drive and, according to Techradar, the ability to run games at an enhanced frame rate. The console will launch in August of this year at $299 (£210).
But the fun doesn’t stop there. At Christmas 2017 we’ll be getting Project Scorpio – essentially an Xbox One on steroids. Scorpio will be fully VR-ready and will run 4K-native games without breaking a sweat. It will ship with six teraflops of computing power (that’s a lot) and Microsoft is promising “the most powerful console ever built”.
2. Fresh Gears of War 4 footage
The next instalment in the Gears series is most of the most anticipated titles on Xbox One, and Microsoft used their keynote to announce that that the game would be cross-play compatible between Xbox One and Windows 10. What’s better still is you’ll only need to shell out for one version to play across systems. This is feature that will be carried over to all future Xbox games, which is great for gamers who like dipping in and out of console and PC play. There was also a bombastic new co-op gameplay demo on show.
Gears of War 4 is out later this year.
3. Forza Horizon 3
The next Forza game is going off-road in Australia. The open-world Horizon spinoff series takes itself a little less seriously than the regular Forza Motorsport, and it’s all the better for it.
Forza Horizon 3 is out September 27.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fTSUgXkfooA
4. Sea of Thieves gameplay
Microsoft’s exclusive pirate-em-up (is that a thing? we’re inventing it now) Sea of Thieves caught the eye of many gamers when it was unveiled at E3 2015, but it was at this year’s show that we caught a first glimpse of how it plays. The on-screen demo saw a group of mates getting pissed on rum (in the game that is), jumping around desert islands, and trading cannon ball shots with enemy ships. It’s not out for ages, but this could be one of the games of the generation if it’s half as fun as it looks.
5. Dead Rising 4
It was the victim of the seemingly-standard-these-days pre-E3 information leak, so this didn’t come as much of a surprise. But as far as the game is concerned, who doesn’t enjoy more mowing down zombies with a shopping trolley?
6. God of War
Sony’s press conference is being hailed as one of the best in recent E3 history, as the Japanese giant of electronics rolled out a near-constant stream of great-looking games. The first of these was a new God of War title, featuring an older, bearded Kratos, deep in Viking country as it looks like he’ll be taking on gods from Norse mythology.
7. The Last Guardian FINALLY has a release date
You’ll still find some that are are convinced that this game will never come out, but according to Sony, October 25 this year is the date to cross on your calendar.
From the team that brought us the critically acclaimed PS2 classics Ico and Shadow of the Colossus, The Last Guardian sees the player assume the role of a young boy as he explores a mysterious land in the company of a giant, cat-bird thing. Typical from this developer, the game looks epic in scale and rather beautiful, if we do say so ourselves.
8. Crash Bandicoot remaster
Head here for our story on the three Crash Bandicoot games that are getting remastered from the ground up on PS4. You lot seem pretty excited about this one.
9. A new Spider-Man game
The web-slinger’s history in video games has been up and down in much the same way as his movies, but the first trailer for Insomniac’s all new Spider-Man title showed serious promise. Batman has sat at the top of the superhero game pile for years now thanks to the phenomenal Arkham series, so it’s time Spidey put his case forward. It looks like this one is PS4-exclusive, too.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sLm1A2-Fr7s
10. Resident Evil 7
The next game in the legendary survival horror series creeps onto Xbox One and PS4 in January 2017, and will be playable in terrifyingly immersive VR (you might want to have a spare pair of boxers handy). There’s already a free demo on the Playstation Store, so get playing and let us know your thoughts.
11. Death Stranding
Metal Gear Solid creator Hideo Kojima announced his first game since dramatically departing from Konami last year, and it looks as suitably “wtf” for the man who once packed a hour long monologue on David Bowie in a stealth action game. Have a peek at the ambiguous teaser, which focusses on a naked man and a crying baby. We have no idea what any of it means, but if we did, it wouldn’t be Kojima.
What E3 announcement has you most excited? Let us know at hello@JOE.co.uk, or drop us a message on Facebook.
