E3 is the best time of year to be a gamer. Our news dominates world news for a few days, and anyone who isn’t there is glued to their phones to find out what the next hottest releases are going to be.
This console generation is on the wind-down now so the first glimpses of the next generation are starting to seep out from Sony and Microsoft. That being said, here are the top five things that I want and am getting excited for, for E3 2019.
I’ll start with this one as it’s the most unlikely on this list to appear at E3 this year (It could, but I doubt it), where the PS5 is definitely not appearing as Sony have chosen not to attend. I only play my Xbox One for the Forza Motorsport / Horizon games, as well as the titles that are set to look visually stunning that either aren’t available on PS4 or are games I can’t at least try to Platinum (Devil May Cry 5, Shadow of the Tomb Raider, Metal Gear Solid 5: The Phantom Pain).
After the crushing disappointment that was Forza Horizon 4, I am unsure if I will be getting a new Xbox when it finally comes out, but that doesn’t change that I’m keen to see what they’ve come up with. Of course, there’s a chance I could be won back if it looks amazing.
Wolfenstein: The New Order was great, and what I played of The New Colossus was very good too (Yet to finish it). It makes sense then that this spin-off game from the series will be just as good. Arkane Studios and Machine Games are well-known for the quality of their releases and so it’s doubtful that this title will be any different, and blowing Nazi’s away with amazing guns could never get tiresome.
It’s a nice change of pace to see that you don’t play as BJ Blazkowicz for a change, as the protagonist role is being filled by his daughters for this installment. Jess and Soph Blazkowicz can also be used to play the game in an optional cooperative mode, which will be the first time ever that I think I will use a mode like this, as co-op Wolfenstein sounds like an absolute treat.
Wolfenstein: Youngblood is currently set for release on Friday 26th July.
Square Enix have been given a terrible privilege by developing this game. On one hand, they have the might of the Marvel Cinematic Universe to use as an ideas bucket, but on the other, if this game sucks it’s unlikely they’ll be entrusted with much of anything in the future. Until we get to see any gameplay (Pre-rendered trailers don’t count for shit anymore) I will keep a healthy scepticism about this title, but that’s not to say I’m not excited to see what they come up with for this highly anticipated game that we don’t even know the title or basic setting of yet!
A very recent piece of news at time or writing, but a significant one. George RR Martin has found yet another reason to not finish writing the A Song of Ice and Fire books! Normally I’d be furious at him, more than I already am for the time he is taking, but hearing that he’s channelling his world-building and creative genius towards a video game makes me a lot less bitter about it.
My only reservation is the rumour that it is a From Software game that he is consulting on, as if there’s one thing I really don’t like in games, it’s a challenge. The games From Software usually put out are always stunning and solid in design, but they lack the ‘easy mode’ difficulty to entice me to play the damn things. Nevertheless, if the game is set in Westeros or Essos, I can guarantee that I will 100% be buying it as there’s not much I wouldn’t buy that is affiliated with that franchise (The Theon Greyjoy sausage slicer notwithstanding).
I’ve never attempted a From Software game before to be fair, so there’s every chance I could excel at it. It may just take a few controllers and bite marks in the furniture in my house…
I love Star Wars games, and the teaser we’ve seen of this already looks brilliant though I am reserving full judgement until I have seen the promised gameplay (Remember, pre-rendered trailers don’t count). The combination of Lightsaber and force power orientated combat, like Force Unleashed but scaled back to allow for a promising story, has me tremendously excited to see what this game will become. It’s already slated for a 2019 release which is already a point in its favour, and is highly likely to be a day one purchase and time off work type of game, if the gameplay trailer delivers at E3.
Those are my top picks for E3 2019. Let me know yours in the comments and on my Twitter @MaliceVER or Respawning’s Twitter @RespawningUK and time will soon tell if any of my excitement is well founded or just another the stick the video games industry can beat me with for getting too keen. I’ll be back soon with another E3 related article. Buh-bye.