Yesterday’s E3 conference was a huge boon for those gamers who felt like they had been left in the dark after Microsoft and Sony both released ambiguous information about their next-generation consoles. The conference saw Microsoft unveil a multitude of games, including many platform-specific titles, while Sony advertised a huge hardware bump and also announced that it would support used game, an issue of contention for its competitor.
Today’s E3 conference will focus on games, games and more games. Here are some of the ones to watch out for as the day progresses:
Killzone: Shadow Fall
12 p.m. PDT (Pacific Standard)
Killzone will start the second day off with a bang and is expected to show off the PS4’s graphics, which should be an improvement on its predecessor, amazingly enough (remember when we wondered if anything could look better than the Xbox 360 and PS3 generation?). The biggest thing that Killzone has going for it is its status as a “beautiful” first-person shooter. If it can harness the graphics of the PS4 to enhance that experience even more, it bodes well for the rest of the next generation games for Sony’s newest consoles. Slash Gear, thesixthaxis, and Destructoid all gave it positive reviews.
Unannounced Titles 1, 2, 3, 4
12:40, 1:00, 3:00, 5:20 p.m. PDT
Casting some mystery into the field, there are four unannounced titles set for the second day of E3. Your guess is as good as mine, but if you follow the live stream then you will get to see the surprise firsthand. My hope is that it’s another indie game from a small publisher that’s about to revolutionize the way we view video games. Of course, I suppose that’s a bit of pressure to put on them…
Assassin’s Creed: Black Flag
2:40 p.m. PDT
I could insert some cheesy, “Aargh” statement here, but that would be downplaying the brutality of the newest Assassin’s Creed, which is supposed to get legitimately down and dirty. These pirates aren’t friendly swashbucklers and they sure aren’t a drunken Johnny Depp. Ubisoft promised that this game would be “brutal” and we’re hoping that a little bit of that is displayed in Assassin’s Creed’s time slot.
Thief
3:20 p.m. PDT
The original “first-person sneaker,” the Thief series was huge in the late 1990s and early 2000s. This time though, Thief won’t be sneaking up on anybody. There is certain to be plenty of intrigue around the reboot of the franchise, which hasn’t had a title since 2004. It’s coming back for the PC and PS4. It will be interesting to see what the brand looks like after almost a decade of innovation to work with. It could be one of the biggest surprises of the year, if it lives up to its old success.
Beyond: Two Souls
3:40 p.m. PDT
A beautiful game, with interactive gameplay that will be matched by movie-quality cinematic. Games like these take story telling to a whole new level and it will be interesting to see how this segment at E3 pushes the excitement already circling Beyond: Two Souls even farther forward. Developer Quantic Dream, which also brought us Heavy Rain, hired Ellen Page to play the principal role, a troubled child that has psychokinetic abilities. Willem Dafoe plays the scientist studying her, and together, the two combine for what is sure to be a revelatory gaming experience.
Mystery Game 1
4:00 p.m. PDT
No idea. But unlike the unannounced titles, this has the distinction of being a “Mystery Game.” Oooh…I can already feel the goosebumps.
Disney Infinity
4:00 p.m. PDT
An interesting game, not just because it combines many of the Disney staple characters in one big world, but also because Disney is counting on it to turn around its game department. In an earnings call with industry analysts, Disney CEO Bob Iger gave it his vote of confidence.
“We believe in Infinity,” Iger said during the call. “We think it will be a great product and it’s going to drive profitability.”
The game has many fascinating assets, and none more fascinating than the abillity to play as your childhood heroes and pit them against each other, across platforms, from Disney to Pixar and back. Here’s to hoping that Disney Infinity proves worthy of such an awesome idea.
Call of Duty: Ghosts
4:40 p.m. PDT
So apparently you’re going to get a sidekick in Call of Duty: Ghosts. Of course, his bark is much stronger than his language skills, since your sidekick is a dog. The dog will be armed with a video headset, allowing you to spy on your enemies in single player mode.
Other than that? Well, expect another exciting addition to one of the hottest series in gaming history. They’ll probably show off the next generation of FPS. After that? Hopefully something that we can’t imagine in an article like this.
