E3 2019 is a thing of the past now, and while it may not have been the best event in recent years, it still holds its ground in a few departments. Despite the absence of Sony, this year E3 sure did deliver on announcing some great titles. And while the ongoing theme of this year seemed to be CG trailers and very less gameplay, the little that was shown of these games has us excited, each for their own unique reasons. Let’s take a look at some of the games that had people the most excited.
Watchdogs: Legion
Unquestionably the best part and the saving grace of this year’s Ubisoft conference, Watch Dogs: Legion is one of the most ambitious third-person action game ever revealed. Set in London, the game looks more gorgeous than ever before (we’ll have to see what the release build looks like though *cough cough* Ubisoft downgrades *cough*). And aside from the usual hacking and manipulating, at the core of its gameplay is the ability to recruit any NPC who isn’t with the bad guys.
This opens up a world of possibilities and an endless amount of replay value. Here’s hoping they manage to pull off the procedurally generated story missions for the NPC’s we recruit. If they do, we may have something very special in our hands. And kudos to Ubisoft for still believing in the franchise despite lacklustre sales from Watch Dogs 2.
Fall Guys
Who knew that we’ll be discussing a Battle Royale game on a positive note in an E3 article? Yet here we are. Devolver Digital has made some waves in the industry with its unique approach towards E3 conferences. This outlook also seems reminiscent in the games they publish. Small but fun games that hit the right note. Look no further than My Friend Pedro for example. The same can be said about Fall Guys.
A Battle Royale game which isn’t a shooter, but a goofy game show like take on the genre with various obstacle courses. Of course, the game’s fun factor will depend on how good or bad and varied these obstacle courses are, but it is refreshing to see someone take a different approach towards an honestly stale genre. Here’s hoping the developers nail this one and help create more fresh ideas among other BR developers.
Star Wars – Jedi: Fallen order
To be honest, I was slightly disappointed by Jedi: Fallen Order. It was still the story-driven third-person Star Wars action game that I had always wanted, but what was shown during EA play did not really blow my mind. Perhaps, that was due to me being overhyped in my head and I expected too much at the time. In retrospect though, Jedi: Fallen Order does look like a solid game that will please Star Wars fans or fans of third-person action games in general.
With God of War 3 director, Stig Asmussen at the helm, made by Respawn who delivered the excellent but underappreciated gem that was Titanfall 2, the talent behind the scenes do show some great promise. A good story-driven Star Wars game is long overdue, and Stig and his team at Respawn may deliver just that at the tail end of 2019. Here’s hoping.
Legends of Zelda: Breath of the wild 2
One of the best games of 2017, Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild was almost solely responsible for the initial sales of the Nintendo Switch. So, it was a no brainer that another big Zelda game will be in the works. But, I did not (probably nobody did) see a direct sequel to Breath of the Wild being revealed just two years after the release of the first game.
Especially considering how long the first one was in development. This announcement only made an already great Nintendo showcase that much better. The truth though, is that we just can’t get enough from the Zelda franchise. So, keep ‘em coming Nintendo.
Cyberpunk 2077
Boy, Oh Boy. Did CD Project Red deliver? Cyberpunk 2077 showed no gameplay to the public at E3, yet they stole the show thanks to the reveal of Johnny Silverhand played by none other than Keanu friggin Reeves. In, arguably the best moment of this year’s event, Keanu graced the stage to explain his role in the game.
Despite all of this though, Cyberpunk 2077 makes this list purely based on the pedigree of its developer and what was shown back when the game was originally revealed. The world knows that this game is something very special and that’s reason enough to make this list even though it wasn’t technically revealed at this years E3.
Final Fantasy VII Remake
Final Fantasy VII Remake was game I least looked forward to this year. Originally revealed in E3 2015, there was nothing that could build the hype for this game aside from the fact that it was the remake of one of the best RPGs ever made. And with the idea of a remake, also comes the fear of messing up something that was perfect, to begin with. Add to that a complete lack of any gameplay reveals save for a few screenshots through the next four years and the anticipation towards the game, at least in my head, was as good as the idea of watching paint dry on a Saturday night.
But, all of my scepticism was blown to smithereens when the gameplay was finally revealed to the world. This, in my opinion, felt like the most RPGish game of all RPGs, while also incorporating third-person hack and slash to some degree. This mish-mash of genres sounds horrible on paper, but the developers went for it and the result is just glorious. Never have I made such a 180 on my opinion towards a game and never have I ever wanted to play a game so badly. The game looks stunning, which is amazing for the number of hours of play it is set to offer. And characters obviously look better than ever. If this were a whole other game on its own and not be a remake of FF VII, I could see myself still being just as excited for it. And that is telling something.
Ghostwire Tokyo
The best part of the Bethesda conference was the reveal of Ghostwire Tokyo. Tango Gameworks’ next project had one of the best reveals made possible by none other than the game’s creative director Ikumi Nakamura. She showed genuine passion towards her game and her enthusiasm was contagious. This followed by a truly remarkable trailer only built the hype even further.
I just wish they had shown some glimpses of gameplay though. However, if Evil Within 2 was any indication, we can safely expect a spooky and gratifying horror experience when this game releases
Honourable Mentions
Needless to say, there were other games that were also awesome but just could not make the cut to this list. They are.
Doom Eternal – For as great as this game looked and played, this was not a reveal and we had seen its gameplay before.
Avengers – Like Jedi: Fallen Order, my anticipation for this game was through the roof. So, it was disappointing to see little to no gameplay during the reveal. And I am still clueless as to what type of game this is going to be.
Halo Infinite – Despite having an awesome trailer, Halo Infinite did not show us any gameplay and whatever new it brings to the table is still a mystery. Also, this was revealed in E3 2018.
