E3 2018 – Day Three Report
Day three of E3 sees some very big and exciting announcements. We get brand-new gameplay from some highly anticipated games as well as details on new adventures that look promising. Here are the biggest highlights from Sony, Square Enix, and Ubisoft on E3’s third day.
SONY
Sony gave us a heads up this year with their E3 plans this year and focused their press conference on giving us in-depth looks at four upcoming games: Death Stranding, The Last of Us: Part II, Spider-Man, and Ghost of Tsushima. We got in-depth looks at these games, getting us all very excited and giving us a real sense of gameplay.
DEATH STRANDING
Kojima Production’s Death Stranding is going to be huge. The latest gameplay trailer revealed that Spectre (2015) actress Léa Seydoux and Lindsay Wager from The Bionic Woman (1976) will join The Walking Dead (2010) actor Norman Reedus and Casino Royale (2006) actor Mads Mikkelson in leading roles in the game. All four, as well as film director Guillermo del Toro will play have their likeness developed into the game by motion capture, facial scanning, and voice performance.
During Sony’s press conference we got an extended look at gameplay but was very much left in the dark when it came to story details. In the trailer, we see Norman Reedus’ character carrying boxes through a variety of vast environments, acquiring more boxes the longer he travels. We learn of invisible monsters that come out in the rain and with the help of Seydoux, Reedus learns how to avoid detection. Towards the end of the trailer, Reedus equips a device that reveals where these invisible monsters are for a short period of time. As he is sneaking past them, he gets attacked and pulled to the ground.
Unfortunately, no release date was announced and the story remains a mystery, but what we do have is a sense of what’s to come.
THE LAST OF US PART II
Everyone expected to see some gameplay from Naughty Dog’s The Last of us Part II and they certainly did not disappoint. In a new trailer we see plenty of smooth gameplay featuring Ellie creeping her way around a decaying city reclaimed by nature. We see her take part in both melee and ranged combat using the surrounding environment to her advantage. The trailer also showed the soft and tender moments that The Last of Us (2013) is known for, showing Elle enjoying a seemingly normal evening at a party.
The trailer has a very intense mixture of tender and terrifying moments. A previous dark and unsettling trailer showed combat to be brutally violent, and it now seems as though the contrast of heartfelt moments and doing whatever is necessary to survive will be a big part of the game that will no doubt play with your emotions.
No release date has been announced yet, but it if turns out to be as good as it looks, it’s worth the wait.
SPIDER-MAN
Insomniac Games have delivered a Spider-Man game that uses a combat system very similar to that in the Batman: Arkham series, making full use of all Spiderman’s abilities.
We saw a lot of gameplay footage that really gave us a feel to the game. No story details are revealed, but the trailer Spidey is facing off against old rivals so it looks like we may be seeing them again. At the end of the footage Spidey encounters an off-screen character, who some suggest could be Miles Morales. Whoever it is will likely play a major part in the story.
Spider-Man will be released on PlayStation 4 on 7th September 2018.
GHOST OF TSUSHIMA
Sony has presented the first trailer for Ghost of Tsushima. The upcoming game from Sucker Punch Productions is set during feudal Japan in 1274 on the island of Tsushima where players step into the shoes of a vengeful samurai named Jin.
The gameplay trailer shows that the game takes place during the Mongol invasion with game progress being split into days. Jin calls his horse and makes his way through a breath-taking landscape before entering a forest and encountering enemies. During combat Jin does not throw many attacks at his enemies instead he waits counters their own attacks. This method is nothing new in gaming but seems like it will play a big part in combat sequences. Later in the trailer we see another combat encounter in a stunningly beautiful setting where at times only silhouettes are visible. The landscapes in this game are going to be very special and will definitely add a new depth to both story and gameplay.
No release date has been announced but will likely be released sometime in 2019.
CALL OF DUTY: BLACK OPS 4
The latest instalment in Treyarch’s Call of Duty series has been revealed but this time it will be a little different. Call of Duty: Black Ops 4 will not have the traditional single player campaign, instead it will be focusing on multiplayer modes which include a zombie mode and a battle royale, called Blackout.
It was also announced that the way in which DLC is released will be changing. Instead of four separate DLC packs, the Black Ops Pass which will be included in all three of the special editions will be a “live season” which will allow future DLC packs to be released faster. The pass includes content for the games three modes: Multiplayer, Zombie, and Blackout, giving players new maps, additional characters, as well as new zombie “experiences”.
Call of Duty: Black Ops 4 will be available on PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and PC on 12th October.
SQUARE ENIX
Square Enix gave us more details on their upcoming games including Shadow of the Tomb Raider and Kingdom Hearts III. We got to see some gameplay footage of both and an idea what the games will be. We also had an announcement for a brand-new game with an interesting concept.
SHADOW OF THE TOMB RAIDER
Square Enix revealed some new Shadow of the Tomb Raider gameplay depicting a much darker version of the Lara that we have come to know. This is the third and final instalment in the reboot of Lara’s origin story and takes us on her most dangerous mission to date.
The story shows Lara making a lot of mistakes and having to face the consequences of these. In the last game, we saw Lara struggling with internal battles and this game brings those issues to the surface.
Gameplay has a lot of emphasis on stealth and Lara now has the to become ‘one with the jungle’. This means she now able to blend in with the shadows of the jungle of South America making it easier to quietly take out enemies.
Shadow of the Tomb Raider will be available on PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and PC on 14th September 2018.
KINGDOM HEARTS III
The long-awaited Kingdom Hearts III has received an extended trailer. It’s been 13 years since the release of Kingdom Hearts II, and during that time Square Enix have been making note of recent Disney movies.
The new trailer showed many of the worlds that will feature in the game as well as the characters that you will encounter. The confirmed worlds include Tanged (2010), Big Hero 6 (2014), Toy Story (1995), Monsters, Inc (2001), and Hercules (1997). The new trailer reveals that you will also encounter characters from Frozen (2013), Wreck-It-Ralph (2013) and Ratatouille (2007).
Kingdom Hearts III will be released on PlayStation 4 and Xbox One on 29th January 2019.
THE QUIET MAN
The Quiet Man is a brand-new release for Square Enix. The game’s tagline “silence rings loudest” implies that silence will be the focus of the game, although no other details on that have been revealed.
In the full announcement, Square Enix described that the game will be an “immersive story-driven cinematic action experience” that blends both live action and CGI. It has also been announced that is possible to complete the game in one sitting. Whether this means the game has a short story, or your in-game actions will determine how it plays out we don’t know, but it certainly sounds interesting.
The Quiet Man will be a digital-only game available on PlayStation 4 and PC with more details being announced in August 2018.
UBISOFT
Ubisoft did not hold back on its announcements this year and giving us more details on the big releases like the latest game the Assassin’s Creed franchise and The Division 2 was only a small part of that. We got another cinematic trailer for Beyond Good & Evil as well as a new pirate game that looks like a lot of fun.
ASSASSIN’S CREED ODYSSEY
It has been confirmed that Assassin’s Creed Odyssey will in fact be set in ancient Greece. The story will take place during the Peloponnesian War between Athens and Sparta, and in terms of the series timeline, the events of this game will take place before any other game in the Assassin’s Creed franchise.
Despite the conflict in this game have two very distinct sides: Athens or Sparta, the character you play as will remain neutral which sound like you will be will fulfilling requests from both sides of the war. Assassin’s Creed Odyssey also gives you the choice to play as either Alexios, a male protagonist, or Kassandra, a female. The character you choose will not affect gameplay as both will have the same story.
Assassin’s Creed Odyssey will be available on PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and PC on 5th October 2018.
BEYOND GOOD AND EVIL 2
Following the stunning cinematic trailer for Beyond Good & Evil 2, Ubisoft have released a new trailer showing the return of some familiar faces.
The trailer begins on board a ship navigating its way through an icy ocean. The crew have all fallen sick after eating food prepared by the ship’s cook, Pey’j, a character from the first game. The ship ends up getting hit by a huge wave of ice as a huge vessel approaches. Armoured soldiers board the ship and it is revealed that their leader is Jade, the protagonist of the first game. Details on how these characters tie into the story have not been revealed yet but it looks like there will be a strong connection between both Beyond Good & Evil games.
No release date has been announced yet but Ubisoft’s ‘Space Monkey Program’ will be providing regular updates on its progress.
THE DIVISION 2
The Division 2 will take place six months after the events of the first game in Washington DC where a new civil war is on the brink of outbreak.
Massive Entertainment has taken criticisms of the first game on board and have announced that there will be end game content in the form of raids. These raids will support up to eight players and are planned to be updated for years to come on a frequent basis.
A new feature of The Division 2 is that after you complete the main campaign you will be able to choose a specialisation for your character to continue into the endgame with. Choosing either Sharpshooter, Demolitionist, or Survivalist will allow you play according to your own style of play and team up with other specialisations to create a powerful team. Ubisoft has also revealed all DLC packs released in the first year will be completely free.
The Division 2 will be available on PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and PC on 15th March 2019.
SKULL & BONES
Skull & Bones is a brand-new adventure from Ubisoft set on the open sea that depicts the height of piracy.
The trailer tells us how piracy came to be and how pirates worked together to rise in power and gain their infamous image. It then goes on to explain that pirates began to betray one another and they eventually fell apart and were no longer the fearful force they once were. That is until a powerful new enemy arises and the former shipmates must put their differences aside and reunite to survive.
Skull & Bones will feature a single-player campaign but will also have multiplayer modes. The Hunting Grounds is a mode similar to Rare Limited’s Sea of Thieves (2018) where you will encounter other players whilst exploring the world who you can either attack or team up with. Skull & Bones will also feature a PvP mode called Disputed Waters, where you will fight in a team against enemy crews to acquire new treasure.
Skull & Bones will be available on PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and PC in 2019.
TRANSFERANCE
Transference is a new psychological thriller from Spectre Vision that puts players into the shoes of a young boy trapped in his father’s disturbing behaviour.
Raymond Hayes has been experimenting with the brain data of himself and his family, and what he creates is a dark and twisted simulation. Players will play from the perspectives of all three characters and piece together the mystery surrounding the family. Transference will also use live action to tell the unsettling tale that has players navigating a branching narrative. In the game, the character Benjamin is made to wear a headset which suggests that the best way to play will be through VR.
Transference will be available on PlayStation 4, Xbox One and PC and will also be released as a VR game later in 2018.
What were your highlights of day three? Let us know in the comments below.
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