My E3 2015 Top Whatever: The Rest

While Microsoft and Sony had very good offerings for games at E3 2015, some of those games won’t be playable till next year. The following are all games I was extremely excited to see, some before the show even started and only two of them are coming out after December 2015.

Another year, another E3 gone by and this one is probably the best we’ve had in a while, so why not do a list about the games I’m most excited about? I’ve made a list for PS4, Xbox One and all the other multi-platforms (sorry, Nintendo, you weren’t too sharp this year).

One simple rule: games can only be from the pool of stuff that showed in this year’s E3, nothing from last year. Montages count.

Volume

Developer: Mike Bithell

Volume is Mike Bithell’s next jam and it’s a stealth-based romp with a modern take on Robin Hood’s story. You control Robert Locksley, who stumbles upon the eponymous device that allows him to simulate world-class heists as part of a military training program. I’m really digging the minimalistic visuals of the game and it’s gameplay mechanics, which are all about staying out of sight and avoiding using force by all means. It comes out on August 18th, 2015.

Transformers Devastation

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Publisher: Activision • Developer: Platinum Games

If tomorrow someone said that all future games based on cartoon shows would be done by Platinum Games, I’d be down for that. Their latest licensed game involves the original G1 Transformers in all their colorful, shiny, blocky glory. It’s a fast-paced action brawler with beautiful graphics and combos that even have you transforming into vehicle mode.

So far I’ve seen Bumblebee and Optimus, but I’d love them to include Jazz and Soundwave even if you can’t control them. This one comes out later in 2015 and I’m already crossing my fingers for a Silverhawks game in the horizon.

Mad Max

Publisher: Warner Bros. Interactive • Developer: Avalanche Studios

Let’s get this out of the way: there is no chance in hell that this game can top Mad Max: Fury Road. It doesn’t need to, but even if it did, it couldn’t. What I’ve seen from the game makes it look like way more than just a cash-in riding on the success of the recent film. You’ve got intense vehicular combat, a solid fighting system emulating that of Arkham City and an open world and plenty of warboys. Hopefully all that won’t be wasted on a mediocre story, because I wanna ride to Valhalla all shiny and chromed. It releases on September 1st.

Lara Croft Go

Publisher: Square Enix • Developer: Square Enix Montreal

If you’ve played Monument Valley then you already know how cool it can be to play a good puzzle game while making the line at the bank or the supermarket. In comes Lara Croft Go to hopefully deliver the same thoughtful design coupled with a beautiful art style that reminds me of Mackenzie Schubert. It’ll be out later this year on iOS and Android.

Metal Gear Solid: The Phantom Pain

Publisher: Konami • Developer: Hideo Kojima Productions

This game is important for more reasons than just the fact that it will finally tie in the story lines of Solid Snake and Naked Snake. It might also be the last game of the series that its creator, Hideo Kojima himself, ever makes. Hell, it might even be the last real game Konami ever pushes out of its hands. Watch the trailer above and get hype, this beast gets unleashed on September 1st.

For Honor

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Publisher: Ubisoft • Developer: Ubisoft Montreal

For Honor pits Samurai, Knights and Vikings against each other in large 4v4 maps that are also riddled with AI-controlled enemies from all sides. You pick a class from the faction you’re fighting for and your job is to hunt down the other 4 players and engage in this new fighting mechanic called Art of Battle where you choose one of three stances to attack or defend and decide when to strike and when to block. It’s brilliant, it looks beautiful and it’s directed by a man with an epic beard and crazy-looking eyes. Bring this to me now!

Bedlam

Developer: Skyshine Games

Bedlam is a single-player strategic rogue-like RPG (ok) that uses the same engine from The Banner Saga to deliver an adventure in which you are a Mechanic, the last of an ancient breed of inventors, in control of your own Dozer, a huge rig on wheels that houses your crew and which you must protect from raiders as you make it all the way across an expansive post-apocalyptic wasteland.

Enter The Gungeon

Publisher: Devolver Digital • Developer: Dodge Roll Games

The Binding of Isaac and Nuclear Throne are having a baby that’s expected to come out in 2016 and that looks incredibly addictive and fun. You enter the eponymous Gungeon in search for a gun that can change the past and in the process you’ll get your hands on all kinds of guns, and I mean all kinds, there’s a gun that shoots fish, another than shoots letters and there’s even a unicorn horn-shaped gun that shoots a rainbow. It’ll have co-op. I’m so down for this.

XCOM 2

Publisher: 2K Games • Developer: Firaxis

When this trailer came up I knew that E3 was over for me before it had even started. Clearly with all the announcements for games coming in 2016 or who knows when, this is the best thing coming in November of this year. New maps that are procedurally generated, new squad classes, new horrifying enemies (that fucking viper), a moving base, improved graphics, the works.

I don’t know how, but Jake Solomon and crew are squeezing the last ounce of game out of the Unreal 3.1 engine and it shows. You don’t need fancy super graphics when the core gaming mechanics look this solid. I’ve probably watched the E3 demo breakdown 3 times on each different outlet they went to talk to, just so I could soak up as much info as I could on this game. I just can’t wait.

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The Takeaway

At the end of the day, I’d rather have a fun time with a game today than have to wait a year or two for those fancy super graphics and framerate. The games above have me excited because they’re original in scope and/or add enough new things to their respective genres to push them forward in a meaningful way. In an industry so hellbent on sequels, this is as good as it gets and I don’t need much else.