The Most Hype Announcements: E3 Conferences

The major E3 conferences are over!

And you know what? This years E3 was so far one of the best I've seen. Everyone had great conferences and everyone had awesome new games to show!

So I'm going to cover each conference in order and list the hypest shit that was announced.

So strap on your seat belts kiddos, it's gonna be a wild ride!

CHOO CHOO MOTHER FUCKERS!

MICROSOFT

Microsoft delivered a solid show this year. After last years E3, they really needed to do something to make their new console desirable to the market again.

I believe this years conference revealed plenty or Xbox One owners and anyone who may be on the fence of buying one.

First up:

1.The Master Chief Collection

So there were numerous rumours of a MC Collection coming to Xbox One. It seemed way too good.

All 4 mainline Halo games with updated graphics and classic multiplayer? Nah, it can't be.

But YES. Yes it was.

The MC Collection will indeed collect Halo 1, 2, 3, and 4 along with EVERY single map ever released for those games (not keeping count? There's at least 100). On top of that, we're getting Halo 2 multiplayer, untouched in terms of mechanics. 

This is something Halo fans have been wanting. After Halo 4 messed with the formula to make it more like Call of Duty, the online community kind of...dwindled for Halo 4. But with Halo 2's multiplayer, every single map released, and dedicated servers, The MC collection will look to reignite Halo interest for new and old Xbox owners.

Did I mention that the game will also have every Halo run at 1080p 60fps? Awesome.

OH and Halo 2 gets the anniversary treatment, with updated graphics and even on the fly graphic style switching.

OH and the MC collection comes with Halo 5 beta access..

Yeah. Halo fans get hyped!

2. Scalebound

There was news about Platinum Games (one of my favorite game developers) creating an exclusive game for Microsofts console. 

For those that don't know, Platinum games have made:

Bayonetta
Vanquish
The Wonderful 101

Metal Gear Rising: Revengeance

Yeah, masters of action games and super hype gameplay. Sure their stories suck, but HOLY SHIT do their games play well. 

Anyways, Platinum came on Microsofts stage and announced Scalebound with a CGI trailer featuring a teen with headphones riding a dragon, gaining rock-like armor and fighting giant creatures.

Even though it's a CGI trailer, the concept gets me excited. Platinum will surely have AMAZING ideas and gameplay for something like this.

3. Fable Legends

Fable was in a weird place after Fable 3 ended up being incredibly mediocre. It seemed like with the release of Fable Heroes, the series was entering a bit of a...rut.

What used to be a pretty hardcore Xbox title turned into a super casual and family friendly game. Some people enjoyed the idea and sure, they may have had fun. But eh, it wasn't Fable.

Fable Legends, however, looks to improve on the concept of 4 player multiplayer that Heroes introduced, but bringing players back into a more traditional looking Fable game, complete with humour, awesome character animations, and solid voice acting.

However, what makes this game interesting is the addition of a fifth player who will act as a 'Dungeon Master' placing enemies and objectives for the other four players to fight and complete. 

This opens up the chance for some awesome gameplay through multiplayer, perhaps even Splitscreen (with the fifth player using a tablet) if the developers choose to.

Deffinitely exciting news for Xbox One owners!

4. Call of Duty Advanced Warfare

As per tradition, the newest Call of Duty game has to be shown at a Microsoft conference.

Even though we already knew this game was coming, this would be the first time we'd get to see a full playthrough of a single player mission for Advanced Warfare.

We were treated with some very impressive visuals, highlighting how the new engine (yet to be named) will display next generation graphics for Call of Duty.

Impressive lighting, awesome animation, great particle effects and so much more. A welcome change from the samey look of previous COD titles.

But what was interesting to see was the future-tech being used by the player.

We had shockwave shot guns, short burst jet packs, mobile shield deployments, and unified grenades.

Unified Grenades are not the actual name, but I call them that because instead of having multiple grenade types, you have a single grenade that can change modes. The words 'Flash' and Frag' will flash on the grenade to display what it can do once thrown.

It was pretty awesome and this game will definitely be on my radar for this year.

5. The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt

CD Projekt Red impressed many conference goers with a demo of Witcher 3 running on the Xbox One.

Open world...beautiful visuals...smooth combat...incredible hunting mechanics. 

Witcher 3 looks to impress on all fronts.

The demo features the player needing to hunt down a large Griffin. In order to do so, the player would have to track the creature down and fight it. As the player moved in on the Griffin, he throws something to hurt the Griffin, causing it to bleed. The blood then fells onto the ground as the Griffin fled, leaving a trail for the player to follow.

The rest was an impressive look at how combat would play out and how world exploration would be a huge part of The Witcher 3.

This will be a game that RPG fans will LOVE to get their hands on and should have their eyes on for the future.

 6. Evolve

Not much is needed to be said about Evolve. 

But what was shown at E3 was not just the game, but what the game will have.

Yes, a new monster was revealed, and you'll basically be playing as Cthulu.

Featuring electricity and flight abilities, this monster looks to be a much more versatile character than the Goliath.

On top of that, we got a glimpse at some new hunter characters, and one that caight my eye was a character who had a dog companion used for combat and tracking.

Evolve is looking to be one hell of an experience!

EA

EA's conference was perhaps the worst out of all the conferences. But not because it was cringey or because they didn't show anything, but because it teased WAY too much and showed very very little, especially with their big titles.

I like to call it 'The Biggest Blue Balls' conference I've ever seen.

But you know what? The announcements they made were still worthy of excitement, so let's take a look at what EA has to offer gamers!

1. Star Wars Battlefront 3

I. LOVED. BATTLEFRONT.

I played the Battlefront games to death on my PS2 back in the day. Nothing felt like it. Replaying the Battle of Hoth as a lowly Storm Trooper and being able to pilot X-Wings around was so god damned awesome.

We never got to see another entry in the mainline Battlefront series after 2.

Well, until very recently. EA picked up the rights to publish Battlefront 3, and the developers they chose were DiCE (Battlefield series).

So the devs who made Battlefield, a series known for large scale multiplayer fun is making a new Battlefront? YES!

Not just that, but Battlefront will also be using the gorgeous Frostbite 3 engine.
ALSO YES!

So here's a trailer EA used to tease us with. It contains some super Alpha footage of the game and engine.

2. Mirrors Edge 2

The first Mirrors Edge has a bit of a cult following. While not commercially successful, those who have played it loved it to death.

The first person free running mechanics were fun, yet hard to master.

The simplistic color palette and artistic design was easy on the eyes and pleasing to see, especially in a time where grey and brown seemed to be the only colors known to game developers.

So it was very pleasant to hear that DiCE is also working on a new Mirrors Edge!

I was super happy. Happy to know that Mirrors Edge is still a thing and that DiCE is trying to improve on an already amazing formula.

So here's hoping they don't fuck it up!

3. Dragon Age Inquisition

Not a new game, but this is one of the few games other than sports games that EA decided to show actual gameplay of.

We knew Dragon Age looked great, we knew that it would play great. But what we didn't know was just exactly how great.

So in order to show that off, a quick fight with a High Dragon was displayed on the big screen and holy hell does it look gooooood.

We also got a new story trailer that showed off some new characters and prepared us for leading the Inquisition.

Oh, did I mention amazing live music? Yeah. Dragon Age always did have incredible music. Let those chills go down your spine...it's natural...

Least so say....RPG fans...Bioware Fans...Dragon Age Fans...Be hyped.

4. Critereon's New Game

THIS was a blue balls announcement if I ever saw one.

Racing fans should recognize the name Criterion. They're responsible for the Burnout series and the most recent Need for Speed games.

Known for their crazy, high speed racing games, it was exciting to know what Criterion might be working on..

Turns out, they're moving away from cars (aw) and moving towards all sorta of vehicles! (yay!)

The trailer shown teased the ability to drive ATVs, Helicopters, Boats and more. All in first person as well...in one game!

A big inspiration comes from those youtube videos of people using Go Pro during outdoor extreme sports.

And yes, the trailer showed barely any gameplay. But the idea has be excited!

5. Mass Effect 4

SPEAKING OF BLUE BALLS

Fans of Biowares space opera were eagerly awaiting to see if there would be a new addition to the beloved series and where and when it may take place. 

At the EA conference, Mass Effect 4 was confirmed to be in development...

And...

That's it. It's in development.

But we got to see some small snippets of in-engine footage and details about where the game wil take place.

Turns out Mass Effect 4 will take place in another galaxy in the Mass Effect universe with a whole new cast of characters. There will also be some incredibly open and detailed planets to explore, which is always nice to hear, especially in a space game.

So enjoy this teaser video, and hopefully we get to hear more about ME4 sometime in the future.

UBISOFT

Ah, Ubisoft. You are such a weird little company. Vertical slices, games that are all starting to play like Assassins Creed...Mr. Caffeine...

It was nice to see that your conference this year was very very good!

And here's why:

1. Assassins Creed Unity

Say what you will about Assassins Creed, but the game sells. Hell, Ubisoft admits to making one every year just because people buy them every year. 

For good reason too, in my opinion. No other franchise seems to do historical settings as well as Assassins Creed. Each era they visit is  painstakingly recreated to give players the most genuine settings offered. From the streets of Rome to the sun baked roofs of Havana, Assassins Creed delivers when it comes to setting.

So imagine my absolute excitement to hear that Assassins Creed Unity takes place during the French Revolution!

OH. MY. GOD.

It also has 4 player co-op with 4 playable assassins. YESSS.

On top of that, they've updated their excellent animations, made some extremely detailed interiors and FINALLY upgraded how dense crowds look in the streets.

The crowd are a welcomed surprise. Especially in a setting like the French Revlution. Nothing says 'mob' like actual mobs. Now instead of small groups of 10-20 people, we have at least 50+ NPC's crowding the streets of Paris. 

The co-p gameplay also looks incredibly smooth. Each character seems to have their own skill sets and must work together to complete missions.

Whether the co-op is a separate campaign or part of the main story is yet to be seen, but either way it looks great and I'd be happy with either outcome.

Here are two trailers. One for Co-op and one for Single Player:

2. Far Cry 4

Far Cry 3 was kind of a medicore game for me. Like...I didn't particularily enjoy the story and the gameplay got kind of boring.

Pacing issues really.

However, I won't mind getting excited for Far Cry 4. The trailer that Ubisoft showed was very impressive. It looks like an in-engine trailer and also featured the main villain of the game (voice by Troy Baker...EEEE!)

We also get a nice look at the Himalaya setting, which during gameplay, looked stunning during Sony's conference. 

With a new setting, compelling villain, new gameplay mechanics, story co-op and rideable Elephants, Far Cry 4 looks to improve on Far Cry 3's short comings.

3. The Division

Not a new game announcement, but new gameplay and a new story trailer reignites hype for The Division.

I still remain skeptical about how the final game will look, especially thanks to Watch_Dogs, but if the developers can pull of a great looking game with solid enough gameplay, The Division will be a deffinite purchase. 

There's not much to write about the game really, the trailers will give you enough information.

4. Rainbow Six Siege

Perhaps the most impressive E3 surprise reveal was the return of Rainbow Six.

After Rainbow Six Patriots was cancelled, it looked like we wouldn't get a new Rainbow Six game for a long time. Until Ubisoft decided to finish their conference with a surprise reveal of Rainbow Six Siege. 

The game seems to be a multiplayer focused tactical squad based shooter with teams of 5 playing as Rainbow Six and the other team playing as Terrorists. 

The gameplay demo was Alpha footage, but holy hell did it look good. 

Everything was destructible. Bullets flew through dry wall, floors could be blown up, walls could be torn down. It opened up what seemed like a small suburban house hold level into a larger and more versatile map.

You need to see the demo to truly appreciate the level of detail and the incredible amount of possibilities that Siege has to offer shooter fans.

SONY

After PS4s wildly successful first several months on the market, all eyes were on Sony to bring out some new announcements to keep the momentum going.

And boy did they deliver!

Here are some of the exciting announcements made at Sony's E3 press conference:

1. Destiny

We knew Destiny was coming. But what we didn't expect was a nice White PS4 Destiny bundle to release on the same day as the game.

We are also treated with news that PS4 owners are going to be given an open Beta next month! awesome!

On top of that, Destiny was given a nice new story trailer with a little robot camera thing (GUILTY SPARK??) voiced by Game of Throne's very own Peter Dinklage (Tyrion Lannister)

Least to say, it's worth watching.

2. LittleBigPlanet 3

Boy was this a surprise! Everyone thought that since Media Molecule wouldn't be showing up at E3 this year, that meant that we wouldn't get a New IP until Gamescom and that LBP3 wouldn't a be thing for a while..

Well, some new developers have been handed the gauntlet and LittleBigPlanet 3 was revealed at Sony's conference. I squealed a bit.

I love LittleBigPlanet. That childhood wonder, that charm, the endless amount of creativity that Playstation owners have shown...It was very nice to hear a new LBP game was coming.

But what's new?

Well, the main attraction for LBP3 was the inclusion of 3 new characters to accompany Sackboy. Each character has it's own name and their very own abilities. Toggle, for example, can change sizes at will!

The inclusion of new characters opens up new possibilities for co-op, it also allows for new gameplay mechanics to be thrown around in the game and in user created content. Even though it's a different developer, the on-stage gameplay demo looked very impressive and makes me believe that LittleBigPlanet is in the right hands.

I mean, just listen to the crowd as the game appears on screen! It just goes to show how much love this franchise has.

3. The Order 1886

The Order 1886 was meant to come out this fall, but the game was delayed until early 2015 (February, I believe). But hey, any delay is fine to me. It just means more polishing!

Anyways, what was shown of The Order recently has mainly been action heavy, show casing thermite cloud weapons, cover based shooting, destructible environments, and more. 

This time, things have slowed down a bit to show The Orders more creepy and atmospheric scenes.

We're treated with the main character walking through an old, dark, Victorian era hospital. We get to see some impressive lighting be put to work, but above all, we get to see one of the main antagonists in the story...a half breed.

A Hybrid is basically a Werewolf. Humans with beast-like capabilities. But for the sake of the lore, the characters refer them as Hybrids and it seems like The Order has been fighting these half breeds for centuries, dating back to s when The Order was first established in King Arthur's Court.

So it was nice to see what these Hybrids looked like and they look quite terrifying, especially since they barely flinch at your shots. It seemed like this particular enemy turned the game from a Third Person Shooter into a Survival Horror.

The gameplay demo looked impressive as always and makes me much more excited for what the game will feature upon release.

4. Arkham Knight

HOLY SHIT. DID YOU SEE THAT?

LOOK AT THE DRAW DISTANCE IN THIS GAME!

I CAN'T BELIEVE IT'S ACTUAL GAMEPLAY!!

That was basically my reaction to the very first look at Arkham Knight gameplay that was shown at the Sony conference. And oh...my...god. It looked amazing.

The decision to make this a current-gen only title was a smart one and it definitely paid off.

We have an incredibly detailed Gotham, a super good looking Batman and a Batmobile that also acts like a Scorpion Tank from Halo if you change it's mode!

I can't do this trailer justice, you just HAVE to watch it.

WATCH IT! WATCH IT NOW!
Also, I love the scarecrow bit at the end. What I thought to be technical issues...

Ah, so clever.

5. No Mans Sky

Last years E3 had Sony basically splooshing all over indie developers.

Well, it looks like the splooshing paid off because now PS4 owners will be getting No Mans Sky. 

A procedurally generated space exploration game.

And when I mean procedurally generated...I MEAN PROCEDURALLY GENERATED.

Every planet, every star system, every galaxy will be procedurally generated. Players will all start on seperate planets so no two people will have the same experience. On top of that, players will be able to instantly travel into space if they choose to and take part in space exploration, finding new planets to inhabit and much more.

Hell, asteroids are destructible, giant space ships are available and dog fighting is a thing. It's not just exploring as I believe there may be multiplayer turf wars involved.

It's yet to be shown if this is purely just a multiplayer game or if there is also a single player portion to the game as well. It would also be nice to know if we can play with friends on private servers or what not, but information will come to us soon.

Oh, and PC owners will also get their hands on this game too. REJOICE!

UPDATE: No Man's Sky is confirmed to have Perma-death.

6. Grand Theft Auto 4

DEFINITELY not a new game. But the announcement of a PS4/Xbox One/PC version of one of the worlds best open world titles was SO GOD DAMNED GOOD!

Hell, the trailer they showed off looked like GTA V has been updated graphically. Everything looks much more detailed. 

You can even find comparison gifs on the internet if you google enough. It shows more vegetation, more post processing, better textures, etc etc.

It looks like Rockstar is willing to make a couple more million on their biggest IP ever.

Oh, and PS3 and Xbox 360 owners are able to transfer their GTA Online profiles onto either of the current gen consoles so they don't lose any progress! how sweet is that?

7. Bloodborne

Gotta save the best for last for this one.

As soon as the name Hideki Miyazaki came on screen, I instantly knew what PS4 owners would be getting...

A brand new IP from the creator of Dark Souls 1 and Demons Souls, some of the best games of last generation.

Rumours were swirling around a bit with leaked gifs of something called Project Beast, a PS4 exclusive title that looked very much like a souls game.

At Sony's E3 conference, we were given Bloodborne, the official name for Project beast along with a WICKED sick CG trailer.

Confirmed to come in 2015, prepare to die again and again PS4 owners. It's going to be one hell of a game.

UPDATE: The game is reported to take a more low fantasy appraoch than the usual high fantasy (replacing magic with guns and gadgets). There will also be a system that revolves around blood in that you can suck blood out of corpses of enemies to gain more health and extra benefits, but sucking too much blood will turn you into a Beast. 

A beast is Bloodbornes version of being Hollow, in that things will be much harder to play and control. 

To turn back into a human, you need human blood (online play)

Essentially, changing into a Beast means that you'll be much more powerful but your character will also be harder to control! GET HYPED!

NINTENDO

Nintendo, for a second year in a row, didn't have an E3 conference.

While I'll miss their antic on the big stage, their online Direct videos have been pretty great so far, even if they are on the short side. 

This years direct had a bunch of juicy announcements for Wii U owners out there and possible future owners of the Nintendo console. 

Let's take a look!

1. Captain Toads Treasure Tracker

Aw yiss.

Mutha. Fuckin. Captain Toad.

One of the gems in Super Mario 3D World was a little mini game that allowed players to control Captain toad and have him collect 5 stars in a small, but detailed level.

Captain Toads Treasure Tracker is building on the exact same mini game and is basically a new IP from Nintendo (and Toads very first full fledged game!). Not much has changed gameplay wise, it's exactly the same from 3D world, but this time we get more levels, more puzzles and even more charm with this promising Wii U title.

2. Bayonetta/Bayonetta 2

So I've mentioned before that I LOVE Platinum games.

Their previous game on the Wii U was The Wonderful 101, one of the best titles on the console. Hard, but super fun and rewarding.

Now Bayonetta was one of the best god damned action games I've ever played...and now it's coming to the Wii U along with Bayonetta 2.

Yes, two games for the price of one!

WE ALSO GET NINTENDO COSTUMES FOR BAYO! EEEEEEE!

IM SUPER EXCITED! ARE YOU EXCITED?! I DON'T CARE! I'M SO EXCITED!

3. The Legend of Zelda Wii U

If there's anything Wii U owners wanted, it was more Zelda.

Unfortunately, last year we didn't get a chance to see the new Zelda, but we got to see a very ealry glipse at what might be one of the most ambitious Zelda titles in years.

What's new? Well first off, it's OPEN WORLD!

Yes, the video below implies that the new Legend of Zelda will have open world mechanics giving players, for first time ever, the ability to explore their world as they see fit and to take on dungeons in very different ways than before.

Hell, even the famous Skyrim lines "See that mountain over there? You can climb it" were basically used!

We also got a nice look at how the game is aiming to look on the Wii U. It looks VERy impressive. Hopefully this Zelda doesn't disappoint.

Ah who am I kidding? IT WON'T!

4. Hyrule Warriors

MOAR ZELDA!

Well, sort of. This game has been announced before and it's basically a cross between Dynasty Warriors and The Legend of Zelda. Sow what we got was Hyrule Warriors.

Up until now, we knew we could only play as Link and Impa in a crowd fighting game. 

Understandably, people may not like the idea of a Dynasty Warriors Zelda game, but you know what? I don't care!

Dynasty Warriors has always been about spectacle and being a super badass.

Now I can be a badass as Link!

or...EVEN ZELDA AND MIDNA???

Yes, it turns out that Nintendo revealed that these two character will join the roster. It looks like the roster will definitely be much wider than I once thought. If Zelda is playable...perhaps we'll see a Sheik? Perhaps we'll even see Ganon! *GASP* If they let me play as King Zora, I'm going to freak out.

Anyways, enjoy this trailer!

5. Super Smash Bros 4

Not a new game, but like Hyrule Warriors there was a slew of new announcements for everyone's favourite all star brawler.

First off, we have the ability to use Mii's as fighters. 

Each Mii can be customized to have one of 3 types of move bases which also have their own sets for each attack. No two Mii fighters will be the same!

The kind of bases are: Fists, Sword, Blaster

Essentially, each Mii has access to at least 36 types of moves that can be customized within each base. Exciting!

Next, the Nintendo Figurines have been given the name Amiibo. These act like Skylander/Disney Infinity figures and save character data for games like Mario Kart and Super Smash Bros. Each character can be fought and their data will be saved on the figurine. 

Your Mario figure may learn to fight better each time he fights and you can use it to challenge other players or even use it as an assist. 

These figurines will be interesting and hopefully open up new possibilities for Nintendo games.

Next up, we have a new challenger!

Once teased as just a simple assist trophy in Smash 4, Lady Palutena from Kid Icarus has joined the fray!

Instead of explaining her, just check out these Smash videos for all your Smash Bros information!

Surely I am once again hyped for Smash Bros 4.

Except that the 3DS version has been delayed to October 6 (Bastards).

UPDATE: PAC-MAN HAS BEEN CONFIRMED FOR SMASH BROS! YEEEEAH!

6. Splatoon

What's this? a new IP from Nintendo?

Well...that's great! new IP's are always good news for any console!

Turns out this is a multiplayer third person shooter that has players as...squids.

Well, Squids that also turn into people.

And they shoot ink at things to claim it as their own.

Yeah.

It sounds weird.

But the gameplay looks super fun!

The main objective is to capture as much territory for your team than the opposing team. To do so, your team much shoot your ink at walls, floors, objects, painting them in your teams colour. But beware! your enemy team can ink over your stuff too!

Basically, those that have the most territory at the end of the time limit wins the match. You can also shoot each other to kill peach other (exploding squids, muahaha) and even swim in your own ink in your squid form!

The swimming movement is a very interesting and fun looking mechanic. On top of that, we also have the ability to launch ourselves from the spawn point to a friendly player.

This looks to be a hilariously fun game from Nintendo, and hopefully it will deliver!

If Nintendo can keep interest for this game going long enough, it's community will keep it alive for as long as possible...or else it will just be an emty online space...

Which means I hope we get some kind of single player capability...

HERE'S FOOTAGE!

THAT'S ALL FOLKS!

Yeah, that's pretty much about all the biggest highlights for this years E3.

Length Article, I know. I'll work on that. But you knw what? This is the biggest game news time of the year!

So enjoy your gaming goodness and look forward to some of these awesome titles!

Whether you're on PC, Playstation, Xbox, or Nintendo, gaming can be something we can all enjoy.

So game on fellow nerds. Game on!