E3 2018, the Christmas of the gaming industry, took place in Los Angeles this month and the event was once again the scene of so many video game gifts at E3 this month.
We spent the past week unpacking gifts of game announcements, surprise reveals, and trailers. Some lumps of coal handed out (awkward press conference moments and no Splinter Cell?!) but overall there was much to be excited about. We’ve yet to attend an E3 in person, but thanks to the internet it was just like being there to witness the good, the bad and the bait and switch Gears Pop horror show in person.
So with the festivities over it’s time to digest the best moments and games and left us with the most anticipation for the future.
Ghosts of Tsushima
We had a suspicion this would be our most anticipated game going into E3 and our suspicion is we were right. Visually this game is stunning and we stand by this even as we play through the new God of War game.
The scenes shown look straight out a classic samurai film, with an incredible amount of detail and extremely atmospheric lighting displayed in the background.
We didn’t get a good look at the specifics around gameplay. For example, it wasn’t clear how the duel shown at the end would be controlled by the player. But the thought of playing a samurai in an open world feudal Japan already has us reaching for the mayamada wallet.
Spider-Man
Spider-Man was our game of the show at E3 2017. We’ve since got a release date and more gameplay footage at this year’s E3. It looks good, really good. Spider-Man looks so good you could feel the breeze flowing over your Spidey Suit as you swing through New York…or was that just us?
Spider-Man games have come and disappointed, but this one does look to have nailed the feeling of being Spider-Man. That’s we slinging, combat and snappy one-liners (we’re assuming there’ll be a button for that).
The combat feels similar to that of the Arkham games, but at a speed and at angles that you’d expect from a Spider-Man game. It will be interesting to see if the fluidity seen in the demos is as easily replicated when we get to play it…we can’t wait to see for ourselves!
Unravel Two
We started our social gaming event GamePad to promote the idea of people playing games together on the same screen. So when polished co-op games like Unravel Two come around we’re immediately intrigued.
Unravel is a very cute and surprising puzzle game, but one made to be played in single-player mode only. The sequel introduces a second playable character and updated puzzles that require cooperation
The second game features two yarn characters working their way across some beautiful environments, and unlike the majority of game announcements at E3, this game is available right now and will almost certainly feature at our next GamePad event.
Jump Force
Move over Avengers (the ones that are left anyway), this could be the biggest crossover franchise of recent times. A crossover of all your favourite Shinen characters in a 3 on 3 battle game? Where do we sign up?!
We were big fans of Jump Super Stars and Jump Ultimate Stars on the Nintendo DS. That was a 2D brawl style fighting game featuring Shonen characters from 41 different manga series. And it was such a blast.
So when Goku was joined by Luffy and Naruto in a fully 3D environment, you can forgive us for going overboard with excitement. In short, we want this game and we want it now.
Super Smash Bros Ultimate
We love Smash Bros at mayamada, it’s a permanent fixture at our GamePad events, and after almost 3 years of events still proves to be the biggest draw.
Nintendo spent way too long on the game during the E3 Direct presentation, but it was a positive to see the latest Smash Bros game on their latest console.
The biggest news is that ALL the characters are coming together for this one. Updated game mechanics and x, we can’t wait to see this one at a future GamePad event.
Cyberpunk 2077
Ok, a major confession before we continue…we haven’t played any of CD Projekt Red’s Witcher games. Not sure how we allowed it to happen, but here we are…
But we’ve heard and seen enough to know we should be excited about CD Projekt Red’s next game. We’ve seen Cyberpunk 2077 described as Deus Ex meet The Witcher. Frankly, you had us at “Deus Ex” one of the best games ever.
The reveal during Microsoft’s press conference was fantastic and the gameplay footage showcased was just as impressive. It looks to be a major departure both visually and gameplay wise with a switch from third to first-person perspective. That could be a good thing as it allows the developers the freedom to create something new. We won’t be making the same mistake with this one!
Kingdon Hearts III
We got three different looks at the latest Kingdom Hearts game. This meant we witnessed varied and colourful gameplay across Frozen and Pirates of the Carribean worlds.
Director Tetsuya Nomura has already told fans to expect some dark and shocking moments. We’ve seen a few discussion that have suggested a bad ending to Sora’s journey.
A delay to January 2019 means more waiting to finally experience these new worlds and find out how the story unfolds. We’re looking forward to seeing some sort of satisfying resolution to the story threads laid out in the first two games.
The Last of Us Part II
This game must get the prize for most brutal gameplay demo (if E3 handed out awards for such things), and deservedly so. After a touching moment involving a grown-up Ellie in a church environment, the game transitions to a much darker and harsher environment which sees her not only witnessing some very violent killings but carrying them out too.
The contrast of beauty and extreme violence has caused controversy, and out of context may be understandable. But Naughty Dog has built up enough credibility to think the extreme violence will be handled well once placed in the proper context of a great story.
They have come a long way since Crash Bandicoot, and have made some of our favourite games in recent years. We can’t wait to see what the next chapter of Last of Us has in store for Elle and Joel.
Death Stranding
“Huh?!”, “What the…?”, “Why?!” and “How did a baby get there?!” where just some of the phrases that found their way out or our mouths while watching Hideo Kojima’s next experience. We’re certain that was the same for anyone else who saw it too.
Previous Death Stranding showcases have left us with more questions than answers…the main one being “What is life anymore?!” And this was no different, even with some showing of what looked like gameplay.
But Kojima does have a proven track record of delivering great (if more than a little weird) games. This time around it feels like he’s been completely let off whatever tenuous leash he was on before and we’re on board for what he has in store…to get some answers if nothing else.
Assassin’s Creed: Odyssey
We saw no Animus. No sneaking. No Leap of Faith…And no actual assassinations. But none of that seemed to matter as Assassin’s Creed: Odyssey left us very impressed with where Ubisoft is looking to take the franchise.
Not only are they switching environment to ancient Greece but they’re also switching genres as we saw more of an RPG style game reminiscent of The Witcher. It’s was very refreshing to see such a departure from a series 11 games deep.
The ability to play the whole game through as either a male or female character is a great touch. We also saw some interesting dialogue options that wouldn’t have looked out of place in a Bioware game (options strangely missing in the Anthem demo). Odyssey may be the least “Assassin’s Creed” Assassin’s Creed games, but ironically the one that gets us back into the franchise after suffering from some fatigue in recent games.
The Future is Bright
These are just 10 of many games that left us feeling delighted to be gamers. There was so much quality on show that we didn’t even get to it all.
Fallout 76, parkour game Dying Light 2, Devil May Cry 5, Gears 5, time-bending game Control, and return to form in Hitman 2 are all worthy of your attention when they’re released over the coming months, years, or whenever Death Stranding is released.
Was there anything we missed? What were your favourite moments from E3 2018? Let us know in the comments below and prepare yourself for a feast of great gaming experiences!
