Reporters and fans alike come together each year at E3, an annual trade fair for gamers, for days of conferences held by some of the video game industry’s heaviest hitters — including Sony, Microsoft, and EA. With the companies tight-lipped about what games will be released, the event is often a guessing game until the 13th hour.
Now that the conferences have wrapped, here’s a roundup of the biggest announcements and reveals.
Xbox One X Revealed
Whenever a new console enters the fray, it’s always news, and the Xbox One X is no exception. The latest Microsoft console — which will be released worldwide on Nov. 7 for $499 — is being touted as the most powerful console ever. There was plenty of tech talk to sift through about teraflops, memory bandwidth, and true 4K resolution, but the end result was definitely apparent. The graphics on the Xbox One X seem unmatched.
“Beyond Good and Evil 2” Announced (Finally)
After nearly a decade of murmurs and rumors, “Beyond Good and Evil 2” was finally announced at Ubisoft’s conference on Monday afternoon. An emotional Michel Ancel — the series’ creator — took the stage after the reveal trailer to thank the teams who’ve worked on the game, and especially the fans for sticking with the series through the years.
“Metroid Prime 4” Teased
Another title that Nintendo fans have been clamoring for for years was teased during the Nintendo Spotlight. “Metroid Prime 4” received a quick, 40-second trailer that included little more than a logo. Attendees also learned that the game was developed for the Nintendo Switch. As the first core game in the series since 2007’s “Metroid Prime 3: Corruption,” the fact that the game even exists is exciting.
“Spider-Man” Gameplay
Sony scored a major coup when it announced at 2016’s E3 that Insomniac Games was developing a Spider-Man game exclusively for the Playstation 4. This year they showed off the first gameplay, and it didn’t disappoint. The combat is reminiscent to Rocksteady’s “Batman: Arkham” series, but where the latter focused on Batman’s brutality, the former focused on Spider-Man’s agility. And the moments of Spidey swinging through New York will induce nostalgia for anyone who played 2004’s “Spider-Man 2.”
Original Xbox Games Get Backward Compatibility
Microsoft announced at their conference that original Xbox games would be backward compatible on the Xbox One later this year. Xbox 360 games are already compatible on the Xbox One, but including OG Xbox titles will definitely bring in more people looking to relive their favorite classics. The only game that was confirmed to support backward compatibility so far is “Crimson Skies: High Road to Revenge.”
“Assassin’s Creed: Origins”
Ubisoft’s annual adventure series took a break from releasing an installment last year (though the Michael Fassbender film came out in December), but “Assassin’s Creed” came back in full force this year. “Assassin’s Creed: Origins” takes place in ancient Egypt and — as the name hints — explores the origin of the Creed.
“A Way Out”
Despite featuring a 30-minute multiplayer match of the highly-anticipated “Star Wars Battlefront II,” it was a smaller game called “A Way Out” that stole the show at the EA conference. Developed by the makers of the critically-acclaimed “Brothers: A Tale of Two Sons,” this new game is a co-operative experience that finds players working together to break out of a prison for different reasons.
BioWare Unveils “Anthem”
Developer BioWare — known for series like “Mass Effect” and “Dragon Age” — unveiled a new sci-fi IP for all platforms called “Anthem.” The game finds the players competing against freelancers who leave the protective confines of cities to journey out into the wild in their customized exosuits to complete missions. It had a similar feel to Bungie’s popular shooter “Destiny,” but here’s to hoping that BioWare’s pedigree in storytelling will lead to a more enticing narrative hook than “Destiny” offered.
“Super Mario Odyssey” Release Date
Alongside “The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild,” the biggest game shown at Nintendo’s Switch reveal event back in January was “Super Mario Odyssey.” At the company’s conference on Tuesday, they announced that the latest game about everyone’s favorite plumber will debut on Oct. 27, and it seems to harken back to the “sandbox” style Mario games like “Super Mario 64” and “Super Mario Sunshine.”
“Detroit: Become Human”
“Detroit: Become Human” is the latest in the interactive storytelling genre from Quantic Dream — the people who brought you “Heavy Rain” and “Beyond: Two Souls.” The latest trailer shown at Sony’s conference revealed the game’s third playable character, Marcus — who is being voiced by “Grey’s Anatomy” star Jesse Williams. Marcus is an android trying to lead a revolt against the humans in Detroit. The trailer also showed more of the branching paths the game can take — will you revolt passively or choose to riot, burning down a city square and looting shops? — and how those choices will affect the rest of the game.
