It’s only been a couple of days, but we’ve been through three intense briefing events so far even before the Electronic Entertainment Expo (E3), the big game tradeshow in Los Angeles, kicks off Tuesday. Today, we’ll hit the Intel press event, the PC Gaming Show, the Microsoft hands-on Xbox showcase, the Ubisoft press briefing, and the Sony press event. So we’ve still got a lot of games to see.
But we’ve been to the Electronic Arts, Microsoft, and Bethesda events already. (Click on these links if you want to see everything each company showed).
Here’s the best announcements at E3 so far.
Square Enix issues new trailer for Kingdom Hearts III
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GamesBeat’s Mike Minotti was asleep at the time. But Square Enix finally showed its progress on Kingdom Hearts III, the latest mashup of Disney and Final Fantasy characters. It’s been in the works for four years, and the new game will feature plenty of action.
Electronic Arts
Hands-on with Star Wars: Battlefront II
EA showed off the gameplay of the game’s multiplayer, and we got to play a couple of sessions. It proved to be surprisingly accessible and fun, as you can earn enough points in a match to become a hero, or villain, like Darth Maul. Star Wars: Battlefront II launches on November 17 on the PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and PC.
A Way Out, the new EA Originals game from Hazelight
Josef Fares is one of the creators of Brothers: A Tale of Two Sons. Now funded by EA, his Hazelight studio showed a first look at A Way Out, a creative co-op game where you control one of two characters who must escape from a prison and evade capture. The game moves seamlessly from fullscreen cinematics to split screen gameplay as you escape the prison, rob a gas station, or escape from a hospital. Fares says there is nothing like it, or you can break his legs.
EA’s BioWare is investing heavily in a secret game, and now we know it’s a new science fiction third-person shooter.
Microsoft
Xbox One X debuts on November 7 for $499
We all knew the Xbox One X was coming, but Microsoft finally confirmed its price and launch date. It’s going to be the most powerful game console ever launched, with 6 teraflops of processing power.
Ubisoft confirms Assassin’s Creed Origins
Now you can go stealth in the Nile River and ambush alligators or Egyptian soldiers alike. We’ve got some more coverage of this game today
Original Xbox titles will get the backward-compatible treatment
Now you can play your original Xbox games on the Xbox One S and Xbox One X.
Hilariously, you’ll be able to board other ships by shooting yourself out of a cannon and flying over to land on the enemy’s deck. Sea of Thieves is going to give us a lot of laughs as we venture out onto the high seas as pirates.
Other notable reveals included Forza Motorsport 7, Metro Exodus, Ori and the Will of the Wisps, Life is Strange: Before the Storm, Shadow of War, and Crackdown 3.
Bethesda
Wolfenstein 2: The New Colossus
This action-packed sequel will make first-person shooter fans happy. The trailer was as well done as any, showing what an alternative universe would be like if the Nazis won World War II and took over the United States. It’s a creepy idea full of creepy enemies and monsters from Nazi experiments. It is coming out on October 27 for PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and PC.
Talk about creepy. The Evil Within was high on both creativity and grotesque horror, and the sequel shows that it will carry on with that. It captures your morbid curiosity about the nightmarish imagery at the same time it repulses you. For horror fans, it may be just what the creepy doctor ordered. It is coming out for PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and PC.
Doom VFR and Fallout 4 VR
Bethesda’s lawyers may be at war with Facebook’s Oculus VR division, but that doesn’t mean the company doesn’t support virtual reality. Both Doom and Fallout are getting the VR treatment, and they will immerse players in some very realistic-looking worlds. While Microsoft didn’t show off its VR headset, Bethesda’s support for VR shows the new platform is moving forward.
