E3 has come and gone once again. Thankfully this year’s iteration left us with many announcements, trailers, and updates on plenty of upcoming games of various genres to keep us occupied until next year’s E3. Though to be frank, this year’s E3 was kind of underwhelming in comparison to the ones of years past, but there were still more than several games I’m anticipating getting my hands on. And following in a tradition I started last year, I decided to rank the ten that excited me the most. I’m someone who knows what they like and am usually correct on my original assumption on whether I’m going to like a game, so I don’t have very many doubts about the games on my list, even if some of my choices could be polarizing.
Honorable Mention: Tokyo Xanadu
Tokyo Xanadu didn’t show up at E3, but I decided to give it a mention due to its upcoming release date (June 30th), it is a Vita game, and the fact that I loved Falcom’s work on the Trails of Cold Steel games and am excited to experience some of their work on a game with an action-based combat system instead of just a turn-based one. Focused on a group of high-school students and set in a contemporary Japanese setting instead of a fantasy one I am getting some Persona-vibes, which I got with Trails of Cold Steel too even though that ended up being a completely different game, but I love Persona anyways, so as long as the game has interesting characters and engrossing story I’m not too worried.
10. Kingdom Hearts III
I wasn’t expecting to see much, if anything at all, of Kingdom Hearts III at E3. Yet in a pleasant surprise we got a lengthy trailer that showed off some more of the gameplay and delved a bit into the franchise’s convoluted lore. While I’m a huge fan of the Kingdom Hearts series, my interest has been slowly draining as the years have gone by without the release of a core entry in the series. However, this brief look into Kingdom Hearts III did do a tremndous job reminding me why I’ve been anticipating this game for so long. Despite that, seeing as this game is still ways off from release and will likely be showing up again at E3 next year, and probably the E3 after that as well, I can’t justify ranking this game any higher.
9. Fire Emblem Heroes
I love Fire Emblem and I enjoyed Hryule Warriors, Omega Force’s first attempt at using Nintendo characters in a Dynasty Warriors style game, so odds are I will enjoy Fire Emblem Heroes. I’ve heard the game described as a love letter to the Fire Emblem franchise, so there should be plenty of homages and Easter eggs scattered throughout the game to find. They have also stated the game will use permadeath in some capacity and will include support conversations, therefore it will be interesting to see how that actually works out. The game also looks gorgeous.
8. Code Vein
Dark Souls meets anime? Sounds good to me. Code Vein follows in the long line of Dark Souls-esque games to release over the last few years, and while there seem to more misses than hits, I still have high hopes for Code Vein. The game didn’t have the largest presence at E3 and I do have a few questions that have gone unanswered. Like is the world a vibrant place to explore? Because right now it looks flat and lacks density. And how does the storytelling work? The Dark Souls games are known for being ambiguous and undirect, while I can’t really see that approach working in Code Vein with its anime-like setting and such. Regardless, I remained hyped for Code Vein, which is tentatively scheduled for 2018.
7. Mario + Rabbids Kingdom Battle
I’m not big on Ubisoft’s Rabbid characters, so I wasn’t so sure about this game coming into E3. But after seeing the actual reveal at Ubisoft’s press conference, I came away feeling quite intrigued about this game’s prospects. The tactical turn-based combat is definitely more interesting than anything I was expecting and appears to have a lot depth and complexity to it. And being the lover of all tactical RPG’s that I am this is part of the reason why I’m so high on this game. The humor and look of the game may come off a bit too kiddy, but it managed to leave me chuckling a few times and still easy on the eyes. Before E3, I said Nintendo needed to show me some original Switch games that I couldn’t play on any other system if they wanted to convince me to pick up their console by the end of the year, and Mario + Rabbids Kingdom Battle is, surprisingly, a step in the right direction.
6. Xenoblade Chronicles II
I’ll be honest, I thought there was no way that Xenoblade Chronicles II would release in North America this year. As it stands, I was completely wrong - there is no solid release day yet, but Nintendo does say the game is coming in 2017 and after seeing the localized gameplay footage - I believe them. If this game was the sequel to Xenoblade Chronicles X, I would be avoiding it like the plaque. Thankfully this is the follow-up to the more enjoyable and less grindy Xenoblade Chronicles. I’m not sold on the art style and the story seems a bit too hokey, but the gameplay certainly has my attention. The thought of playing a console quality on JRPG on the go is also an enticing notion and gives me another reason to pick up a Switch by the end of the year.
5. Spider-Man
We’ve been hearing that Sony has been working on a Spider-Man game for a while now, and after getting our first glimpse at last year’s E3, we finally got to the see game in action this year. And it looks great! Despite having a stranglehold on the box office, superheroes in video games aren’t all that common. We have some like Injustice, but apart from the Batman Arkham series there really aren’t any individual centric superhero games. Spider-Man seems to borrow some gameplay mechanics from the aforementioned Arkham series, yet still seems very much its own game. I think we all assumed that Spider-Man would be an open-world game, which Insomniac has confirmed, except the gameplay sequence we saw was linear and very cinematic. Weather this is indicative of the entire game is unknown, but color me intrigued nonetheless.
4. God of War
I’ve tried playing a God of War game before, but it just didn’t click with me; the combat felt shallow, the story too edgy, and Kratos was an incredibly unlikeable character. That’s why I’m loving what I’m seeing from this new take on this critical acclaimed action franchise. Kratos’ interactions with his son has already made him an instantly more likeable character while the story feels like it’s going be more nuanced and mature. The combat seems more methodical and I’m loving the game’s Naughty Dog-style presentation. If the game retains the epic boss fights of the original games I’ve heard so much about then I think I will enjoy this game.
3. Radiant Historia: Perfect Chronology/Final Fantasy XII: The Zodiac Age
What? Just because I cheated alredy with an honorable mention, I can’t cheat again by ranking two games as one? Anyways…I missed out on the original Radiant Historia and Final Fantasy XII, so I’m glad for these remastered versions. I’ve heard a lot of good things about both games and as a self-proclaimed connoisseur of JRPG’s (or maybe just a delusional fanboy) I am very much looking forward to going through this cult-classic games without having to worry about their age affecting my enjoyment too much and getting to relish in all the new things they are adding to the experience.
2. Super Mario Odyssey
The first video game I ever played was Super Mario 64, so I have a soft spot for all things 3D Mario. That said, I didn’t love the Mario Galaxy games. Fortunately, Super Mario Odyssey reminds me more of Mario 64 and Sunshine, which is why I’m stoked for this game. The worlds they have shown are gorgeous and crazy – Mario in the real world is something I never expected to see – and the new gameplay mechanics, like Mario’s hat possession ability and their crafty implantation of 2D platforming, look like a lot of fun. If I wasn’t already sold on getting a Switch, Super Mario Odyssey has me officially all in.
1. Evil Within 2
2017 is looking like it will be a great year for survival horror; Resident Evil 7 released back in January and has already solidified itself as one of the best games of the year, and if Evil Within 2 can live up to all the promise it shows, this statement will be more than proven true. I didn’t play the original Evil Within because it seemed out of my wheelhouse at the time, though I did watch someone else play through most of the game and it looked really good. Since then I’ve expanded my gaming horizons, so I’m anxious to play its sequel for myself. Evil Within 2 takes a more action-oriented approach to the genre than Resident Evil 7 did, but that doesn’t mean it can’t still be tense and unnerving experience. If the Evil Within 2 delivers the grotesquely designed enemies and adrenaline-pumping action I expect then I believe it could challenge for a spot at the top of several game-of-the-year lists, including my own.