Well, here we are again – eagerly awaiting this year’s biggest event for video game news, reveals, and upsets: the Electronic Entertainment Expo. As always, there are some amazing things to look forward to, some suprises expected, and some inevitable disappointments. Every studio, every developer will be frantically trying to steal the spotlight and outdo the competition. So, what are the top things you should be keeping an eye out for? Read on to find out!
1. Fallout 4
Perhaps the biggest news this year is the reveal of the next title in Bethesda’s Fallout series. Seemingly popping up out of nowhere, the teaser trailer was released only a week ago and has already garnered intense excitement, predictions, and even criticism from the gaming community – so the news that Bethesda would be hosting their first ever E3 media event didn’t come as much of a surprise. What better way to introduce the game that fans have been waiting almost half a decade for? Expect a gameplay demo, some explanation/commentary on the rampant Gamebryo criticism, and a confirmed release date.
2. Microsoft’s (ongoing) attempt to outdo Sony
Will this be Microsoft’s year at the top?
Sony was the reigning king of last year’s E3, so expect Microsoft to hold nothing back this year in an attempt to steal that title from their rival. They just unveiled the new Xbox One with 1 TB of data, so expect more news and details on that. Also expect some surprises on the game front, with unannounced titles hinted at by the publisher, as well as new, exclusive IPs. Maybe we’ll hear more about the upcoming Rise of the Tomb Raider, and there will definitely be news about Halo 5 and Gears of War. Part of the keynote will undoubtedly focus on the HoloLens, since this year’s E3 seems to be all about VR.
3. VR, as far as the eye can see
And speaking of VR, this year’s E3 will be the place to see the first Oculus Rift games in all their glory. Eight Oculus Rift titles will be playable at the event: EVE: Valkyrie, Edge of Nowhere, Chronos, Damaged Core, VR Sports Challenge, Esper, AirMech VR, and Lucky’s Tale. And that’s by no means all of the VR news – Polygon reports that 10% of the 274 companies at E3 will have some kind of VR software or hardware to announce, including Microsoft’s HoloLens and Sony’s Project Morpheus. If you aren’t ready for the VR future of gaming, too bad: it’s here.
3. Ubisoft trying to remove its Assassin’s Creed head from its bad publicity butt
Will ‘Synidcate’ make up for ‘Unity’?
Ubisoft has a lot of backtracking to do after the fiasco that was Assassin’s Creed: Unity. Its press conference will definitely involve apologies for the lack of female characters and the failure of its multiplayer in the last AC title, and a focus on the ways they’ve attempted to fix all that in the upcoming AC: Syndicate. Also on the menu? Tom Clancy’s The Division, a post-apocalyptic shooter that takes place in a ruined NYC and features – surprise! Guess you did learn to animate women – a female main character.
4. The Next Mirror’s Edge and a Star Wars reboot (sounds familiar)
EA will be a solid, though unsurprising presence this year: expect the usual line-up of sports games, but also some more interesting titles like Mirror’s Edge: Catalyst, featuring one of gaming’s most recognizable female protagonists, the parkour master, Faith, and Star Wars: Battlefront. If we’re lucky, we might even get news about an upcoming Mass Effect.
5. No new Zelda info
No Link and Epona at this year’s E3
Nintendo’s already announced that there won’t be any Zelda Wii U news/gameplay at this year’s event, which is disappointing after the amazing footage we got of the game last year – but here’s hoping they’re putting that time to good use and making the best Zelda game to date. What will we see from Nintendo? A playable Star Fox, Miyamoto’s latest project, and more Mario Maker. Fingers crossed that we’ll also get a release date and gameplay footage for Xenoblade Chronicles X.
6. Rumors, rumors, and more rumors
What will surprise us this year?
E3 always has its fair share of wild possibilities, hopes for unearthed franchises, and Area 51-level conspiracies. This year there are hints of a Dark Souls III unveiling, a Metroid for the Wii U, Kingdom Hearts III, Dishonored 2, and even a new Prince of Persia. Hopefully, we’ll get more news about Metal Gear Solid 5 (though expect radio silence on the spat between Konami and Kojima). What will be the biggest upset at E3 2015? We’ll just have to wait and see.
What are you looking forward to the most at this year’s E3? Let us know in the comments!
The Daily Geekette 