It’s not easy picking the best bits of any E3, and this year with the announcements coming thick and fast, has made it even harder than usual. I’ve been tasked with watching all the relevant streams/conferences, and have just finished doing so after a frankly weird Ubisoft conference. It’s always good to see a video game legend like Miyamoto-san running around with a life size replica of a gun from a game featuring Mario and some Rabbids, after all!
What I intend to do in this piece is share with you my personal favourite parts of the whole E3 2017 experience, in the form of a top 5. Before I get onto my best moments however, I’ll spend a few minutes talking about the ones that didn’t quite make the cut.
Honorable mentions
There were so many games announced at E3 2017 that I’ve even had to do some editing on the honourable mentions list. For me, despite mind blowing graphics, I’ll have Forza 7 as a near miss. There wasn’t enough innovation on display, despite the reveal of the brand new Porsche 911 GT2, and although the rain and smoke effects looked absolutely tip top, it is a racing game with all the baggage the genre brings. Another near miss was State of Decay 2, which looks like more of the same as the first game. The graphics still look kind of “muddy”, and even though the promised multiplayer aspect really floated my boat, it didn’t look any better than the Xbox 360 version from a few years ago.
The two pirate games, Sea of Thieves from Rare and Skull and Bones from Ubisoft are also on this list. They look great, don’t get me wrong, and the multiplayer parts look like they’ll be lots of fun, but the parts I saw just didn’t excite me. I really wish I’d saved my “float my boat” phrase for now! The new Call of Duty looks good too, but I can’t help thinking that CoD is scrambling to catch up with the juggernaut that is Battlefield 1, but it is nice to see CoD finally abandoning all the futuristic nonsense and coming back down to earth.
Far Cry 5 looks jolly interesting as well, the combination of Far Cry gameplay with an American homeland setting is a blend that makes my mind fizz with the possibilities. All we need is a playable Donald Trump character and the game will really be complete!
The last honourable mention spot goes to A Way Out, which looks like it is really going to be something special. The passion from the developers, the unique gameplay and the emphasis on co-operation make this one to watch, in my eyes.
So, on to my top 5 moments of E3 2017.
5 – The Xbox One X
X Box One X, get it? The initials spell out Xbox! You can almost see the the high fives in the boardroom when that particular name was decided on, can’t you? Never mind that Scorpio was a much better name, I’ll take the Xbox One X even if it was called Cedric.
The breakdown of the tech spec, the boasts about the most powerful console ever have been revealed to all be true, and as a result I’ll be getting it on Day One. No doubt I’ll immediately take a massive punch in the wallet after Christmas when the price falls, but I don’t care.
The fact that they have managed to cram so much power into such a small box (smaller than an Xbox One S, don’t forget) and that they have chosen to utilise liquid cooling for the processor makes me feel all warm and fuzzy inside. Seeing the games running on this beast was just the icing on the cake, and I’m even now telling the wife that a 4K TV will be a good investment…
4 – Wolfenstein 2 : The New Colossus
Bethesda games rarely disappoint me, and I have a soft spot for most of their offerings. Both Doom VFR and Fallout 4 VR looked interesting, but I have this sneaking suspicion that VR is going to be this generation’s 3DTV, and may soon go the way of the Dodo. However, my crystal ball is not what it once was, and I could be completely wrong!
With Wolfenstein 2, I feel like I’m on safer ground, and this does look intriguing. It appears that America has fallen under the iron fist of the Nazis, and BJ appears to be in some sort of coma. Obviously, when he awakens he has all kinds of ass to kick, whether it be Nazi or Nazi robot flavour, and with a story that looks like it’s going to be fun, I cannot wait to team up with the American resistance and sort out those pesky Nazis once and for all.
Plus BJ’s telescopic metal helmet looks way cool!
3 – Assassin’s Creed Origins
This could be the game that finally recaptures the glory days of Assassins Creed 2 and the whole Ezio saga.
The new Egyptian setting looks brilliant, and the drone from Wildlands – sorry I mean the Eagle that can tag enemies – looks like a a great innovation. Seeing our character sneaking through and using bows for stealth takedowns looks like a whole heap of fun, and the combat is looking suitably bone crunching and visceral. Add in a sizzle reel at the end showing all sorts of weird and wonderful creatures that we’ll have to face down and this is looking seriously good.
Seeing it running in 4K on the Xbox One X is again just what the doctor ordered, and I’m more excited about this game than I have been for Assassin’s Creed in a very long time.
2- Destiny 2
For anyone who’s read my various ramblings about Destiny and Destiny 2, this should come as no surprise.
Even though I had to watch it on the Sony Conference, I was willing to forgive Bungie anything with the new emphasis that they have placed on story this time around. More story, more planets, new powers and weapons, and the announcement of the beta: Destiny 2 is going to be dominating my life starting September 6th.
Suffice to say that this was at the top of my list for a very long time, but it has just been edged by the game at number one…
1 – Anthem
A new Bioware game, out of the blue, with nary a whisper of it coming blew me away.
The graphics were unbelievable, with the animation of the monsters and the flying, dashing and diving of the main characters power armour looked so good I was practically drooling.
The game gave a strong Destiny kind of vibe, which really drew me to it, and with the drop in co-op that was demonstrated I can see that it’s going to be a very good multiplayer game.
Already the talk has started online about how Anthem is going to be a Destiny 2 killer, but with the release date of “after spring 2018”, I think such talk is over egging the pudding, to say the least. Still, with gorgeous 4K graphics that looked absolutely mindblowing, Anthem does look like it’s going to be a game to keep both eyes on. And you can go underwater too!
So, those are my choices of the best of E3 2017. Now, the purpose of articles like this is to stir up some debate, so how about you? What did you think of the games on offer? Are my choices right or wrong? Hit the comments and let me know!
Great write up Red (as always!). I didn’t see any of the actual conferences due to them being in America and me not, so I’ve only seen what’s been written up. The Xbox One X is what I was waiting for and they really should have left the name as Scorpio, but without a doubt, this is Day One! Wolfenstein and Anthem look interesting as does Forza 7, Ori and Crackdown. Spider-Man looked good too, but seeing as I don’t have a PS4 I won’t get to play that.
Yup, you’ve nailed the cream of the crop. XbonerX, AC and Anthem on my radar now. As I formally retire in a few days, will have more gaming time. Destiny WAS on my list till they said framerate would be locked at 30fps ‘to maintain experience across all systems’ (PC is unlocked so that crapped all over that comment). More likely to ensure that the boner didn’t come in bettter than their paymasters. Any company willing to nobble the experience on one console to ensure it isn’t better than another is unworthy of my money (IMO).