The Electronic Entertainment Expo, or better known as E3, is a yearly event where numerous video game publishers and developers gather to shock and excite the gaming world with announcements of new games and hardware. Last year’s E3 saw its share of big-time reveals with Fallout 4, The Last Guardian, a Final Fantasy VII remake, and many more. Here is a recap of the biggest announcements from this year’s E3.
God of War
Sony’s conference began in epic fashion with a full orchestra, led by composer Bear McCreary, playing for several minutes leading up to the reveal of a brand new “God of War.” The “God of War” series has always been known for its beautiful setting in Greek Mythology and over-the-top gameplay but it’s also known for its angry and unlikeable protagonist, Kratos. In this new trailer, however, we finally see a softer, more relatable side of Kratos as he cares for his son, teaching him to hunt and protecting him from monsters. From a gameplay perspective, this “God of War” seems to be taking a slower paced, attack and dodge type of combat similar to “Dark Souls.” With a new type of story and gameplay as well as stunning graphics, “God of War” will be a game to look out for. No release date was given but “God of War” will be released exclusively on the PS4.
The Last Guardian
“The Last Guardian” got its release date at Sony's conference seven years after its original E3 showing. “The Last Guardian” is an action adventure game from the creators of “Ico” and “Shadow of the Colossus” and follows a boy and his companion, a large feathery creature that resembles a cross between a bird and a dog, in their quest to escape a mysterious ruin. Team Ico, the developers of “The Last Guardian,” are known for their subtle storytelling and the atmospheric and creative nature of the worlds they create. “The Last Guardian” is set to release October 25, 2016 on the PS4.
Resident Evil VI: Biohazard
A new “Resident Evil” game and its release date were revealed in a creepy gameplay demo at the Sony conference. In addition to revealing the game, Sony also announced that the game would be playable on the upcoming PSVR. The “Resident Evil” series has gone through many changes since the release of the first game in 1996, and many of the recent games have abandoned the series’ horror roots for more action-oriented gameplay. With this game, it appears that “Resident Evil” will return to its horror game roots once again. “Resident Evil VI Biohazard” will release Jan. 24, 2017 on PS4, PSVR, Xbox One and PC.
Crash Bandicoot
Sony made many gamer’s dreams come true by announcing that remastered versions of “Crash Bandicoot,” “Crash Bandicoot 2” and “Crash Bandicoot: Warped” will all be coming to the PS4. In addition to the remastered games, Crash will also become a character in “Skylanders” this fall. It is unclear when fans can expect to relive their experiences of the PS1 games but, judging by the response from the crowd at E3, fans will be eagerly awaiting more news.
Death Stranding
Hideo Kojima, the mastermind behind the critically acclaimed “Metal Gear” series, made an appearance at the Sony conference to wild applause. After a long conflict with his former employer, Kojima is back in the gaming world with his own production company and is working on a new game titled “Death Stranding.” At Sony’s conference, Kojima showed a short teaser trailer that featured a character modeled after Norman Reedus from “The Walking Dead.” Despite the grand reveal at the Shrine Auditorium in Los Angeles, “Death Stranding” is likely several years away from releasing, due to the fact that Kojima Productions only just became an independent studio last December.
Spiderman
Insomniac, the developers behind “Ratchet and Clank” and “Sunset Overdrive,” announced that they are making a Spiderman game for the PS4. The trailer at Sony’s conference featured an action-packed montage of the web-slinger pulling off extravagant stunts and taking down bad guys. According to the game’s creative director, Bryan Intihar, the game won’t be connected to the upcoming Spiderman movie from Marvel but will instead feature a new story created by Insomniac.
Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild
At long last, Nintendo released a new trailer and demo for the newest installment to the “Legend of Zelda” series and revealed its name, “Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild.” The demo showed off various puzzle and combat sections as well as new gameplay mechanics and a colorful art style. “Breath of the Wild” is supposed to release on both the Wii U and Nintendo’s new unrevealed console that is set to come out in the spring of 2017.
Xbox Play Anywhere
At Microsoft’s conference, it was announced that in the future when gamers buy an Xbox One game, they will be able to also play it on a Windows 10 PC and vice versa. It was also announced that “Gears of War 4,” releasing Oct. 11 of this year, will be one of the first games with this feature and will also support cross play, meaning that Xbox and PC players will be able to play together online.
Xbox One S and Project Scorpio
At the beginning and end of its conference, Microsoft revealed two new consoles, the Xbox One S and the Xbox One Project Scorpio. The Xbox One S is a 40 percent smaller version of the Xbox One that supports 4K video but not 4K gaming. Project Scorpio on the other hand is much more powerful and will support 4K gaming and VR gaming. During the conference, Phil Spencer, the head of Microsoft’s Xbox division, said that he believes Project Scorpio will be, “The most powerful console ever built.” The Xbox One S is set to release in August of this year while Project Scorpio won’t release until the 2017 holiday season.