By John Philip Jennings
It goes without saying that E3 is one of, if not the biggest event in gaming, an event that gives developers a chance to show off their hard work to the press and public, an event which takes place each year. Here are some games I want to see announced at this year's conferences (if not before). Most of these games are titles which I've followed for a while.
It goes without saying that E3 is one of, if not the biggest event in gaming, an event that gives developers a chance to show off their hard work to the press and public, an event which takes place each year. Here are some games I want to see announced at this year's conferences (if not before). Most of these games are titles which I've followed for a while.
Banjo-Kazooie
Microsoft Studios
When Banjo-Kazooie: Nuts & Bolts was released a few years ago it was an exciting time to be a gamer. However I, like so many others, was utterly disappointed when that game's main focus was to build machines to get around the various new levels (probably as a result of new Microsoft regulations...). It turned out very different from what everyone's initial expectations were. It wasn't enough to put me off, but it was certainly a misstep. I'm hoping that a new game is announced and returns to the series roots and original formula. But sadly, if a new title in the series is announced, I half-expect it to be Nuts and Bolts 2. Come on Microsoft. Take the classics and restore them to their former glory like you planned to when you bought Rare all those years ago!
...Yes, that includes Conker (with his cameo in Project Spark not included).
...Yes, that includes Conker (with his cameo in Project Spark not included).
Call of Duty: Black Ops III
Treyarch
New E3. New Call of Duty.
Whilst this is a game series that has fallen short for me over the last few years, the next title in the franchise was already announced; Call Of Duty: Black Ops 3. Chances are we'll see the world exclusive reveal of a mission or two and new details on the game at this years E3. I know I'm a bit on edge about picking up another game in the series even though I tell myself each year I'm not going to, I always buy it on launch day and give campaign a playthrough to see how it stacks up to the previous installments. I do think that this new game has a lot to live up to and regardless of what some people think of the franchise now (in the wake of Ghosts and Advanced Warfare), it most likely will still be making tons of cash for Activision. Teased in the trailer for Black Ops 3 and returning in this game will be the Zombie Mode, not to mention all the talk of this character customisation for the main campaign. If anything is to go by past E3's expect a reveal of timed DLC coming to one platform before the other, rumor has it that PlayStation might be taking the mantle from Xbox in terms of exclusives. But only time will tell!
Whilst this is a game series that has fallen short for me over the last few years, the next title in the franchise was already announced; Call Of Duty: Black Ops 3. Chances are we'll see the world exclusive reveal of a mission or two and new details on the game at this years E3. I know I'm a bit on edge about picking up another game in the series even though I tell myself each year I'm not going to, I always buy it on launch day and give campaign a playthrough to see how it stacks up to the previous installments. I do think that this new game has a lot to live up to and regardless of what some people think of the franchise now (in the wake of Ghosts and Advanced Warfare), it most likely will still be making tons of cash for Activision. Teased in the trailer for Black Ops 3 and returning in this game will be the Zombie Mode, not to mention all the talk of this character customisation for the main campaign. If anything is to go by past E3's expect a reveal of timed DLC coming to one platform before the other, rumor has it that PlayStation might be taking the mantle from Xbox in terms of exclusives. But only time will tell!
Fallout 4
Bethesda
Here is a game franchise which seems to keep popping up all over the place in gaming news headlines at the moment. It's a game which has long been rumored to be in development. This game series setting takes place in a war-torn USA, devastated by nukes and scattered throughout with the ever prevalent Nuka-Cola. Fallout is a series which I feel is long overdue for a return . We've heard and seen all sorts of rumors over the last few years, from a fake countdown website to Bethesda location scouting places like Boston and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), to rumors that the next game was going to be another spin-off in the vein of Fallout: New Vegas, called Fallout: Shadows Of Boston. More recently in rumored news the title of Fallout 4 appeared in a designers work portfolio on Linkedin. An announcement will likely be announced via Bethesda's E3 conference this year. I reckon the game will be - minimum - just as stunning and beautiful as The Elder Scrolls: Skyrim, only a lot more prettier now that the PS4 and Xbox One are both over a year old. It is also likely that the game will not be released until next year and will probably not be available on last-gen systems.
Mass Effect 4
BioWare
Here at IWG I think I speak for most of the Games Team when I say we'd like to see more on the next Mass Effect game. We love discussing Mass Effect so much that our Editor issued a month-long ban on writing anything remotely Mass Effect-related. It's a safe bet that even if we get some new details on the game, chances are we won't see a release date until late next year at the latest, as much as it pains me to wait. Last year's Assassin's Creed Unity was a revelation to the world at what can happen when a studio rushes a project out before its development period should be up, although none of the games included in this article are developed by Ubisoft, the rest of the gaming industry learned from their nearly fatal mistake.
Rise of the Tomb Raider
Square Enix
Information has started to trickle out about the next title in the Tomb Raider series via the Game Informer magazine, detailing a location in the game (Siberia) and new gameplay features. It was revealed last year that it would be a timed Xbox exclusive, as the game will likely move onto PS4 in the months following its release (and probably with some exclusive content). I can't wait to see more of what this game has to offer as I enjoyed the first game in the rebooted series, I feel like this has got a lot of potential to improve on the features of 2013's Tomb Raider. One thing I do want to find out is - hopefully - they'll be no multiplayer this time around as too many development studios focus on creating separate single player and multiplayer components which, when done badly, can affect the overall quality of the game. However, judging by Square Enix's record and their commitment to providing online content through popular brands (just check out Nosgoth), it is likely that a multiplayer mode will be featured in the new game.
Yooka-Laylee
Playtonic Games
Whilst we're fresh on talking about Banjo-Kazooie, I think it's only fair i mention the recently announced spiritual successor from some of the talent behind that first amazing game for the N64. Little has been revealed on this Yooka-Laylee other than a few screenshots. We've seen the main characters and a supporting one so far. It appears that Playtonic Games intends to make Banjo 3 without calling it as such (due to licensing of course), but you can sure as hell bet that it will drop a big one on the head of any future official Banjo installment (unless Microsoft actually gives the license to a studio with more vision and creative freedom). Yooka-Laylee is a game I would like to see more of and perhaps we'll see more at E3. It was after all one of the fastest funded games on Kickstarter, reaching its funding goal in just 48 hours, and even more funding goals keep being added in order to substantially expand on the end product's overall quality. This is one game I'll be keeping my eyes locked onto.
Next Time - We continue to countdown to E3, and more!
Join me again next week where I will be continuing to dish out my thoughts on which franchises will be making a return, or a debut, at this year's highly anticipated E3 events. You can also look forward to our review for The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt, a look back at some of the latest DLC for Destiny, our monthly Indie Steam Roundup and - finally - a long-awaited return to Overly Sexualised Gaming!
Stay tuned!
Stay tuned!
RSS Feed
