Throughout the week, we have been previewing what the big publishers will be showing at E3 this year, as well as predicting what surprises we think they might have in store for the show. We have combed through all of these previews and rounded up the biggest games of E3 2016 that we can’t wait to see in person next week.
Battlefield 1 (EA)
Kim Deuel, Staff Contributor
Set in World War 1, Battlefield 1 will feature more choices and variety than previous games in the Battlefield franchise. This includes new weapons, horses and biplanes and a new persistent squad system that will make it easier for player groups to jump between servers. The official reveal was only a month ago, but EA or Origin Access players as well as those who preordered the deluxe version will be able to play as early as Oct. 18, 2016. A full release will take place a few days after for XBox One, PS4 and PC. Followers on Twitter have been promised a new trailer reveal on June 12, to coincide with EA’s press conference that day. Hopefully we will get to see more gameplay during the conference or — dare we hope — EA will announce a surprise beta for the game as they did for Battlefield Hardline at E3 2014.
Call of Duty: Infinite Warfare (Activision)
Matthew Allen, Executive Games Editor
Last month during a livestream reveal, Infinity Ward showed off the next game in the blockbuster first-person shooter series, Call of Duty: Infinite Warfare. The new game will feature space combat sequences — including dogfights — mechs, near-future tech, and the huge, exploding set pieces you have come to expect from the Call of Duty series. The game will also include a Zombies mode, and will come packaged with a remastered version of Call of Duty: Modern Warfare.
Shortly after Activision confirmed the title, the reveal trailer quickly became one of the most disliked YouTube trailers of all time, while at the same time their closest competitor, Battlefield 1, received just the opposite reaction. It will be interesting to see how Activision and Infinity Ward respond to the negative sentiment for the new game. We may have seen the first announcement meant to do just that, as it was revealed earlier today that actor Kit Harington, who plays Jon Snow on the HBO series Game of Thrones, will play the villain in the game in segments directed by Guy Ritchie. Perhaps Activision has another surprise announcement or two planned for the Sony press conference to try to win back some good will and prove to audiences that the next Call of Duty is truly going to be… Wait for iiiiiiit… Out of this world.
Deus Ex: Mankind Divided (Square Enix)
Jorge Albor, Games Editor
Adam Jensen is back, and I’m pretty sure Square Enix has managed to shove even more gadgets and swords into his robot arm this time around. Mankind Divided is a sequel to the much-loved Human Revolution, and will feature the same tactical stealth combat you know and love. Folks disenchanted with Revolution‘s sloppy boss fights will be pleased to know the developers, Eidos Montréal, are producing all of these combat sequences in-house. The game will be released August 23, so expect to see one final marketing push with some really cool-looking trailers.
Civilization VI (Take-Two/2K)
Kim Deuel, Staff Contributor
2K has confirmed that they will be bringing Civilization VI to E3 2016. This game is the latest in the turn-based strategy Civilization franchise originally created by legendary game designer Sid Meier 25 years ago. This release will offer players many new features including new ways to engage with the world. Cities will now physically expand across the map, spanning multiple tiles, and active research will unlock boosts to speed the civilization’s progress through history. The game will also include a new tutorial system for new players, a new enhanced multiplayer mode and offers veteran players new ways to build and tune their civilization. The game’s release is set for Oct. 21, exclusively on PC.
Dishonored 2 (Bethesda)
Doug Trein, Staff Contributor
A sequel to the fan-favorite 2012 stealth-action game Dishonored is on the way. Taking place 15 years after the outbreak of the Dunwall Plague, the Empire once again falls into chaos. Players can have the choice of playing as two protagonists – Corvo Attano from the first game and a grown-up Emily Kaldwin! The choice between stealth and fighting will return, and Arkane Studios has confirmed there will be a new third way of dispatching enemies and advancing. With the game’s release slated for the end of the year, expect new details and/or a playable build on the show floor.
Final Fantasy XV (Square Enix)
Doug Trein, Staff Contributor
The in-depth Final Fantasy Uncovered event that took place in late March of this year showcased an overwhelming amount of new trailers and content of the next Final Fantasy title. The game’s plot follows the exploits of Noctis Lucis Caelum, heir to the Lucian throne, and his companions . The group sets off to defeat the forces of Niflheim. The game features an immense open world, a hybrid real-time battle system called Active Cross Battle System, and an emotional story. With the game’s September release fast approaching, we can expect to see a new trailer or two, and perhaps even a new demo on the show floor.
For Honor (Ubisoft)
Jorge Albor, Games Editor
Everyone’s getting into the MOBA game these days. Ubisoft showed off their sword-fighting genre entry, For Honor, back in 2015, and we’ve even played it ourselves at E3 last year. It’s an exciting — albeit tactically-paced — action game that feels one part Deadliest Warrior and one part Chivalry. Expect to finally see a release date for this title, as well as more of the maps and modes.
Gears of War 4 (Microsoft)
Matthew Allen, Executive Games Editor
Microsoft already revealed plenty of details about Gears of War 4 earlier this year, such as the Oct. 11, 2016 release date. Players also got their hands on the multiplayer during the beta back in April, which was also when the “Tomorrow” trailer shown above was released. Let’s hope Microsoft uses E3 to expand upon what was shown in that trailer and reveal even more details about the single-player (and co-op) campaign, especially the new enemies the Swarm, and main protagonist JD Fenix, including more details about the “incident” that caused him to go AWOL from the COGs and meet up with the Outsiders.
Ghost Recon Wildlands (Ubisoft)
Matthew Allen, Executive Games Editor
Ghost Recon Wildlands was one of the biggest surprises of the show last year. The game’s outrageous tone and subject matter centered around drug cartels in Bolivia look to take the normally buttoned-up military shooter series in an all-new direction. Speaking of trying new things, this is also the first time the series will take place in an open world that Ubisoft is claiming is the largest they have ever created. Hopefully, we will get some hands-on time with the title to explore this massive open world, play around with the vehicles, and try out a mission or two.
Injustice 2 (Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment)
Matthew Allen, Executive Games Editor
Earlier this week a leaked promotional poster from GameStop, followed by this hilarious response from NetherRealm Studios creative director Ed Boon seemed to confirm the existence of a sequel to 2013’s Injustice Gods Among Us.
¯\_(ツ)_/¯ pic.twitter.com/paHldDIoZr
— Ed Boon (@noobde) June 7, 2016
Once the Catwoman was seemingly out of the bag, Warner officially announced the game with the above trailer. Warner has one of the largest booths on the E3 show floor, so it seems logical that Injustice 2 could share that space with LEGO Dimensions.
The Last Guardian (Sony)
Jorge Albor, Games Editor
Team Ico’s The Last Guardian has become legendary in the games industry. Despite a 2009 announcement, the game has still not seen a clear release date, and it’s never been playable. That is until now. After this unbearably long development time, The Last Guardian must be coming out this year and will certainly be playable on the show floor. If the game doesn’t come out this year, I will forswear video games forever, opting instead for the life of a hermit.
Don’t let me down Sony.
The Legend of Zelda Wii U / NX (Nintendo)
Kim Deuel, Staff Contributor
The latest game in the Zelda franchise was originally announced on Jan. 23, 2013 for the Wii U, and players got to see the first footage the following year. The game has been delayed twice and is currently slated for an early 2017 released on both the Wii U and the new Nintendo NX. Nintendo has stated that they intend to show the game at E3 during Tuesday’s Treehouse Live presentation, starting with an in-depth look and continuing with a livestream of gameplay. Whether this will be shown on the Wii U, or the upcoming NX platform is unknown.
Matt Hadick, Staff Contributor
I know Kim has already talked about it, but I’d be remiss not to spend my Nintendo prediction geeking out about the new Legend of Zelda. It’s the only game Nintendo will be showcasing on the show floor, and while that normally might frustrate me a bit, it’s freakin’ Zelda, so I couldn’t be more excited. What Nintendo has shown us so far has been interesting, but it really hasn’t revealed too much about what gamers can expect from Link’s latest adventure. A demo with Shigeru Miyamoto and Eiji Aonuma at the controls demonstrated the game’s massive scale, while a short in-engine cutscene revealed the game’s pseudo-steampunk aesthetic. I can’t wait to learn more about how it plays by finally get my hands on the game.
Mafia III (Take-Two/2K)
Matt Hadick, Staff Contributor
Mafia III looks like it’s set to expand on the gameplay elements people love from the first pair of games, with a convincing world, an interesting cast of characters, and gunplay that’s equal parts Uncharted and Grand Theft Auto. The game is the debut effort from Hangar 13, 2K’s newest in-house studio. With Haden Blackman — a prolific writer best known for his work on the Star Wars extended universe — at the studio’s helm, we are almost certainly going to be treated to a well-written story.
Mass Effect Andromeda (EA)
Doug Trein, Staff Contributor
The beloved sci-fi RPG series may have concluded it’s original trilogy back in 2012, but Bioware has been hard at work developing the next great Mass Effect title for several years. Details about Andromeda have been scarce since its teaser trailer announcement during last year’s E3, but expect EA to showcase some major details about the game during this year’s event. So far, we know players can play as either a male or female human character, and that the Mako, a six-wheeled space lander vehicle, will make a return from the first game. Even though the game was recently delayed to a Q1 2017 release, it would be crazy if EA didn’t show actual gameplay footage in some form next week.
Monster Hunter Generations (Capcom)
Matthew Allen, Executive Games Editor
Monster Hunter Generations will be out July 15 in North America exclusively on the Nintendo 3DS. With the game’s release so close to E3, anything we see at the show will most likely be a final build of the game. Monster Hunter Generations will be featured in Nintendo’s Treehouse Live presentation on Wednesday, June 15, and will most likely be playable in Capcom’s booth, where we will hopefully get to try out the four Hunting Styles that are new additions to the series.
Persona 5 (Atlus)
Doug Trein, Staff Contributor
Atlus’ long-running turn-based JRPG series is getting a highly anticipated sequel in Persona 5. Information for the game has slowly trickled in over the past few months, revealing the cast of characters, battle system improvements, and tidbits about the story. This time around, players take the role of a “Phantom Thief” who takes part in fantastical heists in surreal fantasy environments. Expect more of what makes this series so great – passionate storylines, well-crafted character interaction, and a deep and rewarding battle system. It was announced earlier this week that Persona 5 will be released in North America on Valentine’s Day 2017. Since the Japanese version is earlier, we still hope to see the game in action at the show.
South Park: The Fractured but Whole (Ubisoft)
Matthew Allen, Executive Games Editor
Another surprise to come out of Ubisoft’s press conference last year was the announcement that South Park creators Trey Parker and Matt Stone were once again working with Ubisoft on the sequel to South Park: The Stick of Truth. The theme this time around has changed from high fantasy to superheroes, as the new game follows the exploits of Coon & Friends. Development has also shifted from Obsidian to Ubisoft San Francisco, the team that previously worked on Rocksmith. We hope to get our hands on the game at the show and see what types of changes have been made to the gameplay and combat. One thing you can be assured won’t change is the series’ signature brand of outrageous, irreverent humor.
Titanfall 2 (EA)
Kim Deuel, Staff Contributor
As shown in the above teaser trailer for Titanfall 2, the full worldwide reveal for the game will occur June 12, the same day as EA’s pre-E3 briefing at their EA Play event. Whether or not this means players will get an official release date is unknown although rumors speculate it to be sometime in October, close to the release of Battlefield 1. Developer Respawn Entertainment has promised that players will not be disappointed and that they think “Titanfall 2 will steal the show.” We have already been promised a single-player campaign — something the first title did not have — so hopefully we will see more of that in their press conference and in the time we get to spend with the game at the EA Play event.
Watch Dogs 2 (Ubisoft)
Doug Trein, Staff Contributor
UPDATE: A recent leak all but confirms that Watch Dogs 2 will take place in San Francisco, and that the game will be released on Nov. 15, 2016.
Ubisoft’s third-person adventure game, Watch Dogs, allowed players to hack their way into the electronic systems of Chicago as lead character Aiden Pearce while seeking revenge for his niece’s killer. Ubisoft recently confirmed that they would be showing the sequel during their press conference this year, and has already been handing out gift boxes for Watch Dogs 2 prior to the event. We hope to get a glimpse of the setting for the new game and learn if Pearce will be returning, or if there will be a new main character. Expect to see an expanded online multiplayer mode as well.
Stay tuned all week for our full E3 2016 coverage, including breaking news, hands-on previews and impressions, and interviews from the show floor.
