RE: My Anticipated Titles of E3 2018

Hello everyone and welcome back to Tiro Finale! The Electronic Entertainment Expo, or E3 for short, is one of the year's biggest video game convention attracting the biggest publishers from all around the globe to showcase their offerings for the future. It is no exaggeration to say that E3 is the highlight of the year for many gamers when it comes to future releases and reveals. Personally, I have always been more partial towards gaming conventions such as Gamescon and GDC (Game Developers Conference) where new tech, both in terms of hardware and software, tend to be showcased. Nevertheless, this year was a particularly stand out year for E3 as highlighted by our gaming correspondent, Takuya, in his series of E3 articles. As such, here are my 10 most anticipated titles from this year's E3 in no particular order. 

Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice. Being a big fan of From Software's Souls Series, I have always been keeping a keen eye out on the studio to see what their next big project would be after the conclusion of Dark Souls 3. It had been stated prior, that the studio was looking to expand with a new IP and bring the spirit of the Souls Series in a different direction. Now teaming up with Activision as their publisher, the result of that labor is Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice, a fantasy type game set in feudal Japan. Long time fans of the Souls series would immediately spot the combat-heavy emphasis and dark fantasy world that has been the staple of previous Souls games.

But that is pretty much where the similarity stops as Sekiro introduces not only an entirely new landscape (feudal Japan) but, also brings great innovations to mobility and looks to have shifted the progression system of the game dramatically. While not much can be surmised from an initial trailer, the combat system already looks incredibly tight as we have come to expect from From Software. Slight drawbacks may include a new publisher, Activision, and rather dated looking visuals. It is uncertain how Activision taking over as the publisher may affect the game and as far as the visuals go, it is still very much subject to change. But, my favorite part of this game's reveal? That has to be the not-so-subtle reference to dying which already harks back to the Souls Series. Definitely keeping a close eye on this one.

Crackdown 3. After the disappointment that was Agents of Mayhem, Crackdown 3 may be the answer to my craving for an open-world destruction simulator with character customization. For years, that mantle has been held up by Volition Games and their excellent Saints Row games. Hence, the reason Crackdown 3 has fallen relatively unnoticed by me. That, and the fact that the previous games were XBox exclusives. Subject to various delays, Crackdown 3 is finally poised to be release and this time on PC as well. 

With all the additional time they had to develop the game, the current product certainly looks promising offering a satisfying amount of wanton destruction and a robust character creator to boot. What's more, they even have Terry Crews as the face of the game and, face it, who does not like Terry Crews? All in all, I am certainly looking forward to the game and sincerely hope it does not fall flat on its face like it threatened to while in development. 

Devil May Cry 5. When it comes to the Devil May Cry series, I am a little bit of an oddball having not played the fist four games of the core series but, thoroughly enjoying the reboot, DmC. This partly had to do with the original games primarily being released for consoles and partly because I was not a big fan of the series' overall aesthetic. Enter the reboot, DmC, and I found myself to be a big fan of that game not just for its aesthetic but, overall gameplay mechanics. Yes, you could consider me an odd one out when it comes to enjoying games from the series.

Enter Devil May Cry 5, the fifth installment of the core series, which brings things back to the original cast of characters and does so while striking a balance between the original series and the reboot. It must have certainly been a very difficult juggling act but, they certainly have succeeded in that regard with a careful blend of realistic grit from DmC and fantasy violence from Devil May Cry. Aesthetics aside, the combat and gameplay for this fifth installment certainly looks the part given its history and ample development time. With all that has been shown, there is very little doubt in my mind that Devil May Cry 5 will mark a comeback for the series.

Cyberpunk 2077. Watching the trailer for Cyberpunk 2077 reminded me exactly why I decided to devote my time, effort and money into becoming a PC gamer in the first place. Building your own system from the ground up and upgrading it along the way, pushing the boundaries of what your hardware is capable of purely in the means of running the game. That is the sort of game Cyberpunk 2077 is and the kind that makes your imagination run wild at the endless possibilities. 

In a sea of games developed to perform on the lowest common denominator, Cyberpunk 2077 stands out from the rest like a yardstick that all others will then have to judge themselves upon. Like the Witcher series that came before it or even the now-defunct Crysis series, these games pushed the very limits of what was possible on modern gaming hardware and were not designed with the present in mind. Rather, they looked toward the future and the potential of what may be. For PC gamers, this meant getting the most out of your hardware at present, addressing specific upgrades just to manage the game and even benchmarking all future hardware on this one title alone. As a game, I have no doubts that Cyberpunk 2077 will be solid. But as a technological showcase, I am certain Cyberpunk 2077 is here to stay.

The Elder Scrolls VI. There really is not much to say about this considering how Bethesda only showed a reveal trailer for the title thus, acknowledging that the game is in production. Still, that was more than enough to get me interested. Scratch that, very interested at the possibilities that will be for the latest installment of the juggernaut of a series. The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim was perhaps one of my most played single player game having clocked more than 250 hours on a single character alone and I am genuinely hoping the latest installment will be able to deliver the same. 

Personally, my hopes for the PC version largely fall upon two main criteria. The first would be a well developed PC release unlike Skyrim which did have its fair share of problems on release for the PC version despite being significantly different from the console release. Second and most importantly, would be mod-support. Much of what made Skyrim great lied in its community and modding which not only fixed problems in the game but, also helped to build and develop the world of Skyrim that we loved so much. Put simply, it just made good, better.

 

Shadow of the Tomb Raider. Another sequel to a series that I am a big fan comes in the form of Lara's final episode of her trilogy, Shadow of the Tomb Raider. Having just finished Rise of the Tomb Raider, I do have an immense amount of expectation for this final chapter of the rebooted Lara. With Eidos Montreal taking the helm for this installment, I am cautiously optimistic about the final product. It is unclear why Crystal Dynamics is not leading the project this time but, they are providing their assistance so, there is that.

Fortunately, Lara's showing at E3 encompassed both a game and gameplay trailer which helped shed a lot of light on the final product. For those familiar with the rebooted Tomb Raider and its subsequent, excellent follow up, Rise, Shadow does not look to dissimilar from the rest of the series. Aiming to go for derivative rather than innovative is certainly a safe route but, that has resulted in some backlash among viewers especially those expecting a great bump in terms of graphical fidelity. While I do agree that the gameplay looks very similar to Rise's, the same can be said when comparing the first two games of the reboot's trilogy. But when it comes to graphics, I am more inclined to disagree especially having watched Nvidia's 4K PC gameplay video. The final product is still anyone's guess when it comes to a game such as this and I hope Square Enix all the best in managing the final chapter of the trilogy that has become very near and dear to me.

Assassin's Creed Odyssey. You cannot possibly expect me to make a list of anticipated titles of video games without at least including Assassin's Creed would you? Having been a fan of the series since the very first Assassin's Creed, the reveal of Odyssey completely blew me out of the water. Prior to E3, I had been given a little nugget of information that the new AC title would be set in ancient Greece. Everything else, they were all new to me and I was loving every second of it. From the new emphasis on role-playing, new character customization options and down to even selecting your character's gender, I was very receptive to the series' changing ways. 

The previous installment, Origins, was a visual presentation for the ages as expected of Ubisoft and their rendition of ancient Greece is equally as breathtaking. It will be awhile before I can finally play this game but, I am certainly looking forward to it as I am sure many other are to. 

Yakuza Series. It is official, the Yakuza series is finally coming to PC. After waiting more than a decade since the day of its PS2 release, I had hoping, praying for the day that the Yakuza series finally comes to the PC. Sequel after sequel, spinoff after spinoff, nothing. Then one day, Sega Japan finally saw the light and decided that, moving forward, it would feature a heavier emphasis on PC games and will be bringing its catalogue of previously console-exclusive games to the PC. First with Bayonetta and Vanquish, now we finally have the Yakuza series courtesy of Sega. And it is not just any Yakuza but, the remastered Yakuza Kiwami and the origin story, Yakuza 0. Both great entries into the series without relying on the original releases' now tired game engine. Looking forward, we have the rest of the Yakuza catalogue to come and hopefully some other big series from Sega. This time, Persona, perhaps?

Resident Evil 2. Not this, this caught me absolutely by surprise and I must say, this has got to be the most pleasant surprise that the entire event had installed for me. Sure, the original Resident Evil did get a remaster of sorts. So, I was not too surprised when finding out that the much loved second installment would be getting one too. But lo and behold, it turned out to be an entirely new game, a remake so to say, which would be using the RE Engine that was developed for Resident Evil 7: Biohazard. The transition from first to third person has been handled incredibly well by both the developers and the engine and I am very glad that it has. 

Having been a big fan of the Resident Evil series, playing Resident Evil 4, 5 and 6 many times on both story and Mercenary mode, the new Resident Evil 2 certainly looks very promising. Gameplay is certainly reminiscent of the fan-favorite forth installment and having Leon back as the main protagonist, sure is a treat. Just like Resident Evil 7, I am looking forward to this one and would really love to play it when I get that chance to. 

This year's E3 was certainly chock full of new and exciting games and commanded my full attention like no other E3 since the reveal of the new consoles by Sony and Microsoft. While I may not have much time to play games, it is good knowing that the industry is moving in the right direction. With that, that has been my 10 most anticipated titles of this year's E3. Now that I have shared my list, I wonder what my readers are most looking forth to from E3?

Until the next time, thank you so much for reading and have yourself a wonderful day ahead!