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The Pulse – Reiner's Most Anticipated Games
E3 week is my favorite time of the year. Within the span of a few days, this expo inundates us with game news, announcements, surprises, videos, hands-on impressions, and horrible press conference moments. I call it a "welcome overload of information" – data we use to determine what games we'll put on our radar for the holiday season and beyond. This year's E3 kicks off on June 14, and thanks to a number of early announcements like Fallout 4 and Gears of War, is already shaping up to be one of the best shows yet.
Earlier this year, I ran an experiment called "The Pulse," a collection of data from the Game Informer staff that highlighted the popularity of games each week. It gave us a good look at the playing habits of the staff, and the trends for multiplayer and single-player game life. I thought it would be interesting to use The Pulse's format to chart my excitement for upcoming releases. I scoured the release lists and our Giant E3 2015 Games List to come up with the 10 games I am looking forward to either playing the most or learning more about. As I found, the enthusiasm I have for a game that is on the cusp of release is similar to a game that was just announced. The air of mystery that hangs over some games like No Man's Sky is also quite powerful.
A few notes about games that are NOT on the list. At the end of the day, the game I want to play more than any is Nintendo's upcoming Wii U The Legend of Zelda, but hearing it won't be at E3 is a huge buzzkill. I'm burying that title in the back of my mind until we have something more substantial to grasp onto. Seeing Uncharted 4: A Thief's End slide into 2016 is also disappointing.
Who is Arkham Knight? That narrative hook is wonderfully mysterious. I don't know how many conversations I've had with comic book fans about who this new Gotham villain could be. Getting the chance to unmask this mystery is just as exciting as seeing what Rocksteady can do we new-gen hardware. I have concerns over the Batmobile dominating open-world travel, but it's about time Batman got behind its wheel.
I feel a little guilty that a trailer sits this high on my list, but it's Fallout. It's Bethesda Game Studios. That combination has worked well before. Fallout 4's lengthy teaser trailer (of in-game footage) didn't reveal much, but hit all of the right notes – sewing iconic series imagery into a dangerous new world. I wanted to see more. And for some dumb reason, I already feel a connection to that dog.
Next to Minecraft and Grand Theft Auto, I can't think of a series that embraces aimless fun as well as Just Cause does. Creating mayhem in Just Cause 2 was a blast. Adding a wingsuit and even better grapple technology to the mix is enough for me to get reacquainted with Rico Rodriguez again. Throw in new-gen graphics, physics, and explosions and...well...the game's release can't come soon enough.
Batman: Arkham Asylum. The Lord of the Rings: Shadow of Mordor. Warner Bros. is on a roll with licensed product. Here's hoping lighting strikes thrice for Mad Max. Enlisting the development talents of Avalanche (the studio behind the Just Cause series) is a great first step, especially if the Avalanche's trademark style of destruction is in tow. I saw an hour of the game in action, and walked away with a smile on my face. The weight placed on survival (and protecting Max's car) is something I haven't seen in an open world game of this ilk. Looks mighty interesting.
There are plenty of questions still hanging over Hello Games' No Man's Sky, but the core concept of launching into space to discover planets, species, and the secrets of the universe has my interest piqued.
The Halo games are always good fun, but my interest in them usually doesn't spike until a week or two prior to release. This is going to sound silly, but I'm fascinated by the imagery of Master Chief facing off against Spartan Locke. I want answers! Why is Locke hunting Chief? What exactly is Chief up to? It's nice to see another front and center for this series.
Laugh all you want. I've played every Lego game to date, and have enjoyed most of them. For whatever reason, Traveller's Tales' block-smashing formula never gets old for me. The post-game hunt for hidden secrets and characters is just as powerful as the core experience. Jurassic Park is one of my favorite books/films of all time. Venturing back into this dangerous world through Lego bricks sounds like a damn good time.
I saw a good chunk of Doom at last year's QuakeCon expo, and immediately wanted to get my hands on the gruesome gunplay. The addition of fast-paced melee kills gives this run-and-gun experience an added dimension. The sick sense of humor from id Software also appears to be back in cringe-worthy ways.
The first thing I do when I wake up in the morning is look for new Star Wars: The Force Awakens news. It's looking like 2015 is going to be the year of Star Wars, and I'm hoping part of that equation is the fun we're having with Star Wars: Battlefront. DICE's new take on this classic series looks promising, but many questions still remain over how vehicles are implemented. Here's hoping we get those answers at E3.
I knew I wanted to play this game as soon as I saw our cover art, which shows Lara Croft squaring off against an angry bear. Crystal Dynamics brought Lara Croft back from the dead with the fantastic 2013 reboot, and I like everything I'm hearing about this follow-up, especially the addition of legitimate tombs to explore!
After running into the dreaded Xbox One save bug numerous times, I have every right to make this joke. Despite my problems, Wild Hunt is still one of my most anticipated games to play. I just need a patch (which CD Projekt is working on) before I can continue my adventure.
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