E3 2017 In A Nutshell

Are you overwhelmed with the E3 news? Do you find that there is simply too much keep track of? Here is an overview of the biggest announcements and details, compacted into a brief list that is ideal for speedy digestion.

1. Assassin’s Creed Origins will be the first mainline entry within the franchise since the original Assassin’s Creed to not feature modern-esque weapons such as firearms. Returning to an ancient time period may help for the long-running franchise to rediscover its roots.

2. Unlike its predecessor, Beyond Good And Evil 2 features a plethora of swearing in an attempt to be cool and edgy. However, much like a thirteen-year-old who vapes and listens to grime, it seems like it is trying too hard to impress everybody, oblivious to the fact that it comes across as uncomfortable and awkward. Hopefully Beyond Good And Evil 2 still retains the charming magic of the original game, and relaxes on the ‘I am radical and wild’ front.

3. Over time, the Call Of Duty franchise has progressed gradually from World War One and World War Two time periods, through to modern warfare, before concluding with futuristic warfare. Now, the franchise has finally returned to its roots in Call Of Duty: WWII. It is rumoured that following entries will once again proceed into territories of modern warfare, followed by futuristic warfare, before reverting back to World War One and World War Two. This cycle will continue forever until humanity finally dies of some sort of nuclear plague.

4. Fifa 18 will allow players to play brand new football. Much like every other entry in the franchise, it offers many football themed features, including kicking a football, dribbling a football, and catching a football. Imagine Fifa 17, but just a teensy tiny bit better, and that is what Fifa 18 will be.

5. Final Fantasy fans are being relentlessly spoilt, with Final Fantasy XII: The Zodiac Age being released very shortly, along with continued content for Final Fantasy XIV and Final Fantasy XV, an online brawler in the form of Dissidia Final Fantasy NT, and of course the hotly anticipated remake of Final Fantasy VII. Oh, and there’s also a virtual reality fishing spinoff for Final Fantasy XV.

6. God Of War 4 is beginning to look promising. Despite deviating from the hack and slash gameplay of the original games, the new direction seems to have a great deal of potential.

7. Mario + Rabbids Kingdom Battle seems interesting, but that obnoxious Minions-esque humour of the Rabbids could become irritating very quickly.

8. Nintendo listened. Metroid Prime 4 has been announced, at long last!

9. Shadow Of The Colossus is getting a remaster for Play Station 4. Nobody expected it, but everybody understandably wants it.

10. Sonic Mania still looks phenomenal.

11. Sonic Forces is packed with a multitude of influences and gameplay styles. This could either yield some delightfully unexpected results or amalgamate into a sloppy mess of confusion.

12. South Park: The Fractured But Whole contains the show’s signature visual style and humour, along with simple but satisfying turn-based combat. Much like its predecessor, South Park: The Stick Of Truth, it will more than likely raise the bar for licensed games.

13. Super Mario Odyssey is bonkers, weird and wonderful. As a result, it could potentially be the best 3D Mario game ever.

14. Xbox One X: It’s very powerful from a technical standpoint, but power isn’t everything when you’re scraping the bottom of the barrel for exclusive titles. The $499 price tag is also very steep for a console that adds very few new features beyond expanded graphical capabilities. Once again, Microsoft missed the mark big time.

15. Xenoblade Chronicles 2’s protagonist is dubbed appallingly terrible (seriously, watch the new trailer). Let’s cross our fingers for dual audio options to be included in the game.

E3 has presented us with a plethora of surprises ranging from good, bad, and strange, as is the case with every year. With so many brand new games awaiting us on the horizon, what are you most excited for?