E3 2018 – Day One and Two Report
E3 2018 is finally here! Plenty of exciting things have been going on in and around the Los Angeles Convention Centre this weekend and now that the highly anticipated press conferences are in full swing, here is an overview of everything that happened on day one and two of E3 2018.
EA
EA kicked off this year’s E3 with its own separate event, spanning over three days. Most news coming from EA’s corner centred around two of its biggest upcoming games: Battlefield V and Anthem, but of course Madden NFL 19 and FIFA 19 also got some attention as well as a previously unannounced plat-former Unravel Two.
ANTHEM
BioWare’s upcoming RPG, Anthem is a third-person shooter set in a futuristic world where players venture out into a hostile “shared world” wearing customisable exo-suits, or ‘javelins’, to complete missions. The game features both single and online multiplayer gameplay. Multiplayer will take place in the contagious open shared world where players can team up with up to four other players to defeat foes and chase new loot. Once you return back to your base of operations, the game becomes single player. This is where your personal story takes place. The choices that you make whilst exploring the multiplayer world will affect your experience back in your single player base, altering things like your relationship with allies. This becomes interesting as your team mates could potentially be making conflicting choices depending on how their personal story is playing out.
It was revealed by BioWare’s general manager, Casey Hudson that Anthem won’t have loot boxes, but cosmetic items – such as skins for the javelin – will be available to purchase. Anthem will be released on PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and PC on 22nd February 2019.
BATTLEFIELD V
Battlefield V was announced prior to E3 and was expected to have a major presence in EA’s press conference. Its new multiplayer mode was said to be the biggest in the series to date and DICE did not disappoint by revealing a new battle royale multiplayer mode.
Love it or loathe it, the incredible success of Epic Games’ Fortnite and PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds has made the battle royale game mode into a phenomenon that many others are looking to capitalize on, and DICE have sunk their teeth into this by giving you the chance to be the last man standing on a World War II battlefield. Unfortunately, DICE did not reveal any other details but have said players can expect gameplay on the scale that Battlefield is known for but in a brand-new Battlefield experience.
Battlefield V will be available on PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and PC on 19th October.
UNRAVEL TWO
During EA’s press conference Coldwood Interactive revealed Unravel Two, a sequel to the visually impressive 2016 release Unravel.
As with the first game, Unravel Two follows the adventure of Yarny, an adorable little character made of red yarn. The sequel will be a more upbeat game than the first and has made a shift away from a puzzler in favour of more of a platform feel. Unravel Two has both multiplayer and single player modes, which you can drop in and out of at any time.
Unravel 2 is out now on PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and PC.
MICROSOFT
Microsoft was very tight lipped about what they had planned for E3, and this year they did not disappoint by kicking off day two of E3 with a huge line up of announcements including the reveal of new entries into iconic franchises, brand new games, as well as long awaited sequels.
HALO INFINITE
Coming into E3, many fans were hoping for a Halo announcement, and Microsoft did just that by announcing the sixth instalment of the Halo series, Halo Infinite. The announcement was lacking details but showed a trailer confirming the return of Master Chief.
THE AWESOME ADVENTURES OF CAPTAIN SPIRIT
Set in Dontnod Entertainment’s Life is Strange (2015) world, The Awesome Adventures of Captain Spirit follows the story of a young boy with a flair for storytelling. The game is a stand-alone story but will give you a glimpse into Life is Strange’s brand new story, providing that you are able to spot and put the pieces together. The Awesome Adventures of Captain Spirit will be available on Xbox One, PlayStation 4, and PC as a free download on 26th June.
THE DIVISION 2
Microsoft’s press conference gave us a look at Ubisoft’s The Division 2. The new game will take place in the heat of summer six months after the events of 2016’s The Division, and will this time be set in Washington DC where a new civil war is on the brink of outbreak.
Gameplay gave us a look at the new vibrant environment and the trailer gave us a brief overview of the plot but neither provided any further details. Ubisoft are most likely waiting until their own press conference to reveal more in-depth details.
DEVIL MAY CRY 5
Capcom’s Devil May Cry 5 made its debut at Microsoft’s press conference with everything you’d expect from the series.
The trailer shows that the game will focus around Nero, the primary character from Devil May Cry 4 (2008) donning a brand-new haircut. At the end of the trailer Dante speeds by on a motorbike, so it looks like he will also have a presence in the new game. Director Hideaki Itsuno appeared onstage during the presentation and said that this game is a “true” sequel to Devil May Cry 4 and that the “best minds at Capcom” are working on the game.
Devil May Cry 5 will be available on Xbox One, PlayStation 4, and PC in Spring 2019.
GEARS OF WAR 5
Players have finally got their hands on the long-awaited gameplay trailer for Gears of War 5.
Developed by The Coalition, the new game will follow on from the events of Gears of War 4, which began a new trilogy within the franchise. The story will centre around Kait Diaz who is experiencing strange dreams and visions linked to the necklace that she wears around her neck. The team then go in search of answers where they of course take on enemies of all shapes and sizes using equally diverse weapons.
It was also announced that a Gears of War mobile game is in development as well as a turn-based strategy game. All three games will be released in 2019.
DYING LIGHT 2
Techland presented Dying Light 2 at Microsoft’s press conference setting fans up for their return to the post-apocalyptic modern-day dark-ages world. The game will have all of the parkour and systems of the first game but will be much more narrative driven. The announcement was very much focused on the choices that will be available in game and emphasised that these choices will have real consequences that will affect how missions play out. The gameplay demo showed off how these consequences come in to play by showing just how different the same mission can be by making conflicting decisions.
CYBERPUNK 2077
Thanks to the success of The Witcher 3 (2015), CD Projekt Red have been put on the map and their new game Cyberpunk 2077 was one of the most highly anticipated games of the whole of this year’s E3.
Just as the conference was about to end, the first full trailer of game ‘hacked’ its way onto the screen. A narrator talked about how despite his city having serious social issues with many of the population living below the poverty line, everyone still wants to live there. We were treated to a look at the vibrant punk styled city and a montage of violence.
Cyberpunk 2077 was first announced six years ago so it’s been a long time coming. Unfortunately, no gameplay was shown but the trailer certainly set the tone for what’s to be expected.
BETHESDA
Bethesda ended the second day of E3 with their conference which gave in-depth looks at their upcoming games including the newest addition to the Fallout franchise as well as Rage 2, and a brand new Elder Scrolls game.
FALLOUT 76
Going into E3, Bethesda’s Fallout 76 was one of the ones to watch. First mentioned during Microsoft’s conference, it was confirmed that the game is in fact a prequel to all other Fallout games, will be set in West Virginia, and will be four times the size of Fallout 4.
During their own conference, Bethesda’s executive Todd Howard provided much more information on the story setting. Vault 76 was built in honour of America’s tercentenary and you are one of the select people to enter the vault and wait for the order to leave. The game begins on the morning of reclamation day and you are told by ‘the overseer’ to leave the vault. Once outside the vault, players will travel through six different regions, each with their own unique risks and rewards.
It was revealed that the game uses new rendering and lighting technology giving the game 16 times more detail than Fallout 4. Fallout 76 will be “entirely online” and the best way to play is to team up with others to survive. Whilst you will automatically be thrown into an online environment and will encounter other players, you can play the game solo. Player choice will be a very important aspect to the story with you, the player being able to decide who are the heroes and villains.
Fallout 76 will be available on PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and PC on 14th November 2018.
RAGE 2
Id Software and Avalanche Studios were forced to announce Rage 2 earlier than planned after it was revealed in a leak earlier this year. Other than confirming it was real and releasing a live action trailer, no further details of the game were announced until now.
The gameplay trailer introduced us to Walker, the game’s protagonist who we follow on a mission to retrieve a rare artefact. Walker makes his way across the landscape seamlessly switching between vehicle and foot, and it is revealed that you can drive every vehicle in the game.
The studio has described Rage 2 as the most insane first-person shooter and backs up this claim by showing high-octane combat using a variety of weapons and special abilities. During the trailer, the collector’s edition of the game was also shown that gives you your very own gruesome model head of Ruckus the Crusher to hang on your living room wall.
Rage 2 will be released on PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and PC in Spring 2019.
THE ELDER SCROLLS VI
One of the biggest announcements of Bethesda’s conference was the reveal of The Elder Scrolls VI. The very brief 30-second teaser trailer showed a mountainous landscape but gave no details of the game.
Bethesda also revealed The Elder Scrolls Blades, a free iOS and Android RPG – that has console quality graphics – available later this year, as well as The Elder Scrolls Legends, a free-to-play card game coming to PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and Switch also later this year.
What were your highlights of day one and two? Let us know in the comments below.
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