Jun 12, 2018
E3 2018 — Games I am looking forward to
I got my first console about six months ago — PS4. Originally, and almost for four years or so, I wanted an Xbox. Then, I looked Microsoft’s support network and general store availability here in Mysore, India. It was just bad and sad. I flipped the coin and got myself a PS4 and it has been just as awesome as expected. Being a keyboard + mouse gamer all my life, I thought I would find the gamepad controls difficult to use. Six months, they simply don’t have the same precision, but I am used to them now.
I have always read tech magazines and followed gaming news all my life. I was never able to enjoy the games that get released every year, but this year, I am ready. I got my PS4, and I got my high-speed internet and I got my wallet loaded and ready to go.
Here are some of the games (I was curious to start with) that got me excited (day one buy) and some that did not(never buy) and wait for discount(I will buy if there is nothing in my backlog, PS Plus free games are lame or something similar).
On a minor note, it’s too bad Rockstar Games wasn’t there at E3. I am pumped for their Red Dead Redemption 2 game, but it wasn’t showcased or anything.
Games That Did Not Excite me
Last of Us 2
I played The Last of Us (Remastered) mostly because of all the hype and also because it came free. I played the game expecting something awesome, something grand but it was a standard a zombie game with some okay stealth mechanics. The characters look great and the puzzles were okay, but Valve did that better years ago with Half Life 2. Still, Joel is relatable and that made the game enjoyable.
I was sort of looking forward to the sequel but then it was announced Joel is not really in the picture in the sequel. In the first game, I did not care too much about Ellie. She was the McGuffin and a well animated NPC. She’s cool but I never thought, I want to play as her for the entire game. I could relate to Joel but not her. So, I am afraid I am going to have pass on this one. It’s bad because Naughty Dog makes good games.
Black Ops 4
I have only ever played Call Of Duty a decade ago and wanted to get into the hype this time. Then, they dropped single player campaign. Big bummer man. I am not a big fan of multiplayer (probably because I suck at shooting which is my own fault, lol). Hopefully, not all COD will drop single player and next year, they will be back to giving one of those Michael Bay style campaigns again.
Note: As I was writing I just found out that Black Ops 3 — which does have a campaign — is free with my PS Plus subscription. I suppose that’s something.
Destiny 2
I thought I might buy into this, but I keep hearing about grinding this and grinding that from almost every quarter of the gaming community. Then, there are all these micro transactions baked into the gameplay. Bungie did such great things with Halo, and I was hoping to get into their offerings but looks like this will be a miss too. I don’t want to grind or buy into those microtransactions. I can totally relate to some space exploration and going on wild adventures but not with grinding and what sounds like endless paying for stuff.
Wolfenstein: Youngblood
Wolfenstein: The First Order was the very first game I played on my PS4. I remember playing the classic Wolfenstein 3D on windows when I was a kid, so this was kind of a nice nostalgia trip. The game was crazy but also had that ‘Man in The High Castle’ feel to it with its alternate history storyline.
The game itself seemed to drag on, boring me as I reached the end of the game. I never got excited for the sequel, The New Colossus as it looked more of the same, and pretty much in the same setting. There was also this ridiculous cut scene on YouTube where a pregnant woman goes topless and fights off some robots. I know Wolfenstein is over the top, but this is just too over the top for me enjoy any game.
Now, with Youngblood they have removed the lead character who was at least half the reason I picked up First Order. So, this will be another pass for me.
Anthem
It gives off some serious Destiny 2 vibes, but I saw the reveal trailer from earlier, and then the new gameplay stuff from the E3. Still looks extremely boring and has that been there done that feel. The locations look gorgeous, but I think most games have that by default these days. Majority of games look good these days.
Games to pick up on Sale
Shadow of The Tomb Raider
This game is by far the most disappointing thing about this E3. Originally, this was a Day One buy for me. I like Tomb Raider, played all her games and I love these adventure games. (Old) Lara Croft, Indiana Jones and Nathan Drake — these are folks you think are cool and awesome. These are characters that go on these wild adventures and look cool doing it.
The new Lara, is not on the same level. People say that Lara is all about her enlarged breasts, but she has had normal sized breasts since Angel of Darkness. A lot of women in real life have decent sized breasts. When they rebooted her with the first game, Tomb Raider, I wasn’t into it but as I played it, I enjoyed it. I thought, okay, this is like her Origin story and it’s like a journey. By the end of the game, she has gone through hell (and she looked like hell) and I was looking forward to her next adventure.
Then, Rise of the Tomb Raider came, and it was more of the same. She was still in her reboot phase, and she is still learning. I decided to skip that entirely. Now, this third game and she is still in the learning phase. She is still not that cool, confident Lara from the old days. She is a new Lara and I get that, but she is 2 games old now. She is literally like female Rambo now, with ripped arms to go with that image.
I would not play an actual Rambo game if there was one. There are no tombs in sight, and its less adventure and more action heroine. It’s so funny they are pushing the stealth element, again. Even in the first game, only a few levels in, Lara had so much weapons and she was levelled up so easily, I could go guns blazing all the time and still finish the level with no difficulty. Lara is not 47 folks, come on.
They keep saying that Lara will eventually become the tomb raider at the end of this game. I am excited for the next game — where she will be an actual tomb raider — but for now, I will get this when it goes on sale or something.
Rage 2 and Doom Eternal
There is a particular emphasis on story telling in a lot of games these days. That is excellent because that is one of the primary reasons I play games. Get lost in an imaginary world and setting and assume the role of the character in the game. Still though, sometimes you just want to go nuts and kills some bad guys in a over the top setting.
That is where Rage 2 and Doom Eternal come into the picture. These games look outrageous, fun and give all the shooting fun you could ask for. They will go straight into my Wishlist and the moment they pop up on a sale, they get bought and downloaded to my console.
Day One Buy
Assassin’s Creed Odyssey
Ubisoft has a direct connection to my heart when it comes to games. I think about 50 % of my gaming library in PS4 is Ubisoft games. They may be CopySoft and there is a sense of sameness about their games. This is very evident with their Far Cry and Assassins Creed franchises, and I love both the series. I have played the entirety of Far Cry series (and is the only gold edition I have every purchased) and Black Flag was amazing.
I missed the chance to play Origins — will probably get around to buying it — but Greece! Oh man, it’s awesome. I love the settings that the Assassins Creed franchise keeps going to. I also like that unlike so many other games, Creed gives me a choice to pick my character. They did the same with Far Cry 5 and I love that.
So yes, this is a game I am really looking forward to.
Ghost of Tsushima
I had never heard of this game till a few weeks ago and I saw some screenshots and then the first trailer. This reveal pretty much sealed the deal. The art direction is fantastic, the horse and the journey across history with samurai swords and what not. This sounds like an amazing game with a fantastic story and combat as well.
Really looking forward to it.
Cyberpunk 2077
2077 is also probably the year when this game will come out.
CD Projekt Red is one of those unique game studios (and publishers). They are crazy about the gaming community and their fans. For that alone, I bought Witcher 1 and Witcher 2 but I could never get into that world. I am not a big fan of old school fantasy settings like this. I did not even get into Lord of the Rings for that matter, so it was the setting that put me off. However, I keep hearing so many cool things about them and their games, and their general behavior with regard to their customers.
Then, there are the game trailers. A cool futuristic setting, fully customizable character and a promise of polished gameplay with follow up content. It’s like Blade Runner and Ready Player One combined and that is a world that I would like to live in. Further, as with Witcher series this is a single player experience with none of that micro transactions nonsense. No multiplayer either.
Don’t know when this will drop but I will be pre-ordering this game, and this will be my first pre-ordered game in my life.
