E3 2013: Top 5 Games Only Shown in Video

These are games that had such an impact on us and on the people we talked to on the expo floor that we couldn’t just simply ignore them because they were only shown via video. But the line had to be drawn somewhere, and for us that line is, “Was the game playable in any capacity at E3 2013?” Maybe they were shown behind closed doors for some; regardless, we decided to highlight some of the biggest and best games on the horizon this way.

#5 — Final Fantasy XV

It’s hard to believe that it’s been 7 years since Final Fantasy Versus XIII was first revealed at E3 2006. After most of a decade in speculative limbo, the game has officially been reborn as Final Fantasy XV. The name change is an attempt to re-brand the series by leaving the Final Fantasy XIII m0niker in the past. FFXIII was a contentious sequel to the highly-acclaimed but in some ways equally-divisive Final Fantasy XII for the PlayStation 2, but in recent history the design decisions of FFXIII and its two sequels (FFXIII-2 and Lightning Returns) have felt force-fed to gamers over the last several years. FFXV hopes to change the stigma that Final Fantasy-developer Square Enix has created for itself and its game properties by breathing fresh air into a series that has grown, for lack of a better term, stale.

Final Fantasy XV not only looks fantastic but feels new, fast-paced, frenetic, and interesting. The changes couldn’t have come soon enough and hopefully after nearly a decade of waiting, fans will finally get the fantasy they’ve been dreaming of.

#4 — Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS & Wii U

Finally! Super Smash Bros. is coming to Nintendo 3DS and Wii U in 2014!

Super Smash Bros. has become one of Nintendo’s premiere exclusives, and ever since the original game surprised critics in 1999 it’s hard to consider a new Nintendo platform complete without the series making an appearance. Joining Nintendo’s returning heavy-hitters (like Mario, Link, Donkey Kong, and Fox McCloud), for this iteration of the mascot brawler, is The Villager from Animal Crossing, the Wii Fit Trainer from Nintendo’s fitness franchise, and Capcom’s Mega Man.

These two entries in the series (officially titled Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS and Super Smash Bros. for Wii U) represent the IP’s first foray onto a handheld platform (the 3DS version) and the first to be featured in high-definition (the Wii U version). While the handheld edition features a semi-cell shaded, cartoon-like appearance, it’s said to cater more to a single-player experience and features exclusive stages inspired by Nintendo’s handheld games. The Wii U version runs in 1080p HD and will showcase stages from home console Nintendo games.

The two versions will work together, though owning both is not a requirement. While there are still many undisclosed details about how exactly the games will work in tandem, it has been confirmed that ‘various customizations of the characters’ will transfer from the 3DS version to the Wii U edition. What exactly that means we hope to find out soon.

#3 — Mirror’s Edge (2014)

One of my personal favorites of the current generation, Mirror’s Edge (2008) depicts a bright and clean Orwellian future where you’re either part of ‘the system’ or you’re running from it.

EA had three surprises planned for their press conference: Plants vs. Zombies: Garden Warfare, which was revealed by leaked pics the night before the event. Star Wars: Battlefront; a re-invention of the Pandemic-LucasArts first-person-shooter series. And a follow-up to Mirror’s Edge; a game that was considered a disappointment in EA’s eyes, because of its poor sales and mediocre reception from critics.

A reboot, a sequel, or any kind of addition to the game’s world should simply not exist. No one bought the game, it’s far from perfect, and critics initially dismissed it as being anything but any interesting idea with some unique gameplay ideas. Yet, here we are and Mirror’s Edge (2014) does indeed exist.

EA’s new spin on Mirror’s Edge will reboot the story and expand the game into an open-world where our inner free-runners can go wild. The first game posed such an interesting world in a uniquely stylized environment created by Battlefield-developer DICE, that it’s hard not to get excited for Mirror’s Edge done ‘right’.

#2 — The Order: 1886

Well, this came out of nowhere. The developers that brought us the console and handheld iterations of the popular God of War franchise are teaming up for a new IP that’ll launch exclusively on Sony’s PlayStation 4: The Order: 1886. Not much is known about the game other than it’s set during an alternate timeline where an industrial revolution was brought about due to a war between mankind and some sinister looking baddies.

New console generations mean developers and publishers can take more risks on new franchises and ideas. That’s because gamers tend to be looking for something new to cleanse their pallets. So as long as the “inhuman monstrosities” seen in the trailer aren’t zombies (no offense to our undead comrades intended) consider our appetites whetted. Personally, we’re pulling for some kind of Van Helsing-esque inspirations here.

The Order: 1886 is assumed to hit store shelves sometime in late 2014 and will only be available on the PlayStation 4.

#1 Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain

Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain floored us during Microsoft’s press conference. Not only was it surprising to see the game make its E3 2013 debut at a non-Sony event, but the game looked stunning; not just visually but also conceptually mind-blowing.

Listen, I wouldn’t call myself a fan of the Metal Gear Solid series. I’ve played bits and pieces of a few of the games over the last ten years, and aside from a five-hour attempt to wade through Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots a few years ago, I’ve been pretty turned off by the series. Maybe I don’t know enough about it, or the controls of the earlier games turn me off in the way that some of the original Resident Evil titles do, but I’ve always watched gamers geek out over MGS from afar. Despite my indifference to the series, I haven’t been more intrigued by a game in a long time. There’s something about the ambition and creative direction of this game in particular that has me excited.

The addition of Kiefer Sutherland doesn’t hurt either. Not because I think David Hayter needed replacing as the voice of Snake (he’s done great work establishing the character as a monument of video games), but Kiefer can command such presence with such subtleties and raw power of his acting that I can’t wait to see what the guy brings to a performance capture stage. I love the idea of talented actors (from the stage, TV, film, or games — I don’t discriminate) lending their talents to video games. The addition of Hollywood A- and B-listers, like Willem Dafoe and Ellen Page to Beyond: Two Souls, or predominantly TV personalities like Aaron Staten and John Noble who brought L.A. Noire to life, is fascinating to me and these efforts are converging games and movies in ways that will hopefully benefit both industries in the future. For now, we have Kiefer in MGSV, and if that leads to series-creator Hideo Kojima bringing the Metal Gear series into the dramatic stratosphere then so be it. Re-cast away!

If I had any doubts, they’ve all disappeared thanks to the extended trailer for MGSV. Open-world traversal, a traditional stealth game in the age of ‘stealth’ as a tertiary option (why have you abandoned your origins, Sam Fisher?!), real-time weather patterns, day-to-night cycles, gorgeous lightning powered by the brand new Fox Engine, performance capture for the characters, and a seemingly insane story (why is there a whale on fire in the first Phantom Pain trailer?!), I just don’t see the bad news. Everything looks and sounds so good. I’ve never followed any MGS game closely, so maybe this kind of reaction is common for the initiated, but for this lowly Metal Gear newbie, I couldn’t be more stoked for this game to hit.

Word has it that the trailer is running on current gen specced PCs (so targeting Xbox 360 and PS3) with contemporary models and textures with some tweaked lighting, so expect the formal next-gen version of the game (scheduled to hit Xbox One and PlayStation 4… sometime in the hopefully not-so-distant future) to look significantly better than what you’ll find in the trailer below. Considering how jaw-dropping the game looks, we can’t wait to see what Kojima has up his sleeve for this installment of the legendary game series. Now, it’s time for the waiting game to continue.