So the biggest event on every video gamer’s calendar has once again dawned on us. Humanity Hallows will be posting an overview of each of the conference/festival/gaming mecca’s news-filled days to keep you up to date with the biggest stories, surprise releases, and blockbuster titles, all nicely packaged, just for you.
Day two brings us conferences from Sony, Ubisoft and Nintendo, bringing a real mix of target audiences and consoles.
Sony
First up was Sony who gave us the most packed show so far, featuring no dances or gimmicks and instead offering game after game after game.
The iconic Playstation hero also made his long awaited return to the screen, accompanied by his son, hence all those Dad of War jokes we’re already hearing. The new God of War gameplay looked to be more of the same giant monster punching fun we’re used to, but the overall look of the game, like a number of other classic titles shown at this year’s E3, are proving just how far the graphics are pushing classic franchises.
One of the most anticipated of the show, if not the entire E3, was Horizon Zero Dawn. The post original, apocalyptic, female led, action adventure leads the pack with stunning graphics, original gameplay, and world building we haven’t seen the likes of in years. You can check out the trailer below.
Looking like a mix of Dead Rising and The Last of Us, Days Gone follows two surviving bikers through a zombie infested apocalypse as they work as bounty hunters.
From the Ratchet and Clank and Sly Racoon producers, Insomniac are trying their hand at a Spiderman title. With the last couple of Spiderman games having seemed a little underwhelming, it’s great to see the franchise in the hands of such experienced creators.
Call of Duty also made themselves known although weren’t too largely focused on as fans of Sony will likely have been happy to see. Their futuristic setting may sell some fans, but so far EA’s Battlefield 1 seems to have the large percentage of online first-person shooter fans sold already.
Hideo Kojima of Metal Gear Solid fame’s new Project, Death Stranded, starring Norman Reedus, showed some real promise, with an incredibly cinematic trailer that you can watch below.
There was a lot of focus of titles for PS4 upcoming virtual reality (VR) titles to go with their up and coming headset. Titles included Final Fantasy 15VR, Farpoint VR, a new Batman Arkham VR game, starring Mark Hamill once again as the Joker, and Star Wars X-Wing VR.
The last title for VR will also be available as a standalone title in the form of Resident Evil 7. In fact the originators of the survival horror genre also announced that the demo will be available to Playstation Plus users from tonight. You lucky devils.
But even with all these huge titles, it was Naughty Dogs classic animated wolverine that stole the stage with the announcement of Crash Bandicoot 1, 2 and Warped, all for release on PS4.
Ubisoft
Ubisoft firstly confirmed that Ghost Recon: Wildlands would be released in March 2017 and would feature specialist forces taking down drug cartels by any means necessary. Give the trailer a watch below.
Watch Dogs 2 is shown in depth with a relatively close release date in the fall of 2016. The game will have a hard time returning after the disappointing reviews that the first received. However, large amounts of time have apparently been spent smoothing out the originals weak spots.
The sequel to the massively successful South Park: Stick of Truth makes an appearance with South Park:The Fractured But Whole, bringing childish humour and huge numbers of celebrity cameos with it.
For Honor is a historical fighter reminiscent of Dynasty Warriors on a much more personal scale. Playing as Samurai, Vikings or Knights, the gameplay trailer focused on its “art of battle” system, which pushes the idea of feeling like you’re actually wielding a weapon.
Trials of the Blood Dragon brought the fun factor to the show with an arcade action adventure inspired by kids’ toys like GI Joe. It’s a weird combination, and an even weirder trailer.
Other releases including downloadable content for The Division DLC, Just Dance 2017 which is pretty self explanatory, and Star Trek: Bridge Command another title for VR technology.
Nintendo
Nintendo kicked off their conference with a first look at the new Legend of Zelda title, Breath of the Wild. Looking like a playful version of Bethesda’ Skyrim, Nintendo promises to deliver a Zelda game that breaks many of the typical conventions of the series and will be released on both the Wii U and the lesser discussed NX console, which we’re still waiting for details on. Take a first look below.
Next up was another look at Pokemon Sun and Moon including a deeper look into the game’s starters, mega evolutions and legendary Pokemon. They also offered a first in-depth gameplay footage of the games due for release in November 2016.
Which of the big announcements caught your eye the most? Did we forget to mention a title you’d been waiting to hear about and were expecting to? Let us know at @Holmesblogs and @HumanityHallows
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