Those of you who follow GAMEBREAKER know that last week we were hard at work reporting, tweeting, and Facebook-ing as much E3 coverage as possible. I, for one, am still exhausted, and I covered the show from my very own couch.
Unlike Mr. Gary Gannon, I wasn’t lucky enough to actually attend the expo this year. Still, thanks to copious amounts of internet and television coverage, I feel like I saw some really great games this year.
Here are my top 5 personal favorites shown at E3 2012:
5) Hawken
As someone who doesn’t follow mech games very closely, I was very impressed with what I saw of Hawken. The first-person mech game seems to move at a fun, fast pace, and it does so with gorgeous visuals. Not only does the game look fantastic, but it’s also going to be free-to-play, which is always great news for those who are only casually interested in the genre. Hawken is going to be a game to look for when the open beta goes live on December 12 (12/12/12 — get it?)
There have been rumblings of a new Star Wars console game for months, and right before E3 it was leaked that Star Wars 1313 is an actual project. 1313 is a 3rd-person action adventure game taking place on the 1313th level of Coruscant. Players will take on the role of a bounty hunter — I.E. no force powers — who looks somewhat like Uncharted‘s Nathan Drake. There wasn’t a ton of info about Star Wars 1313, no release date or platforms were announced, but what I saw being shown at E3 definitely piqued my interest.
3) Far Cry 3
OK, it might just be my love for profanity, violence, and, erm… the “female form,” but the Far Cry 3 trailer shown during Ubisoft‘s E3 showing really grabbed my attention. Not only does this new sequel look like it’s unafraid to push societal boundaries, but Far Cry 3 looks like it could actually turn out to be a really killer game. Between very striking graphics and what looks like an interesting story, Far Cry 3 looks like a must-buy title for when the game — finally — ships in September.
I’ve gone on-the-record as saying that I can’t wait for Assassin’s Creed III, and the new gameplay revealed at E3 absolutely sealed it for me. Hopping from tree branch to tree branch looks flawless. Fighting wolves — and later, bears — seems really exciting. Most of all, taking Assassin’s Creed-style gameplay and setting it during the Revolutionary War might be an act of genius. We’ll have to wait until October to know if AC3 will live up to the hype, but E3 made me more excited than ever to step back in the Animus.
1) Watch Dogs
Easily the biggest surprise to come out of E3 was Ubisoft’s new project Watch Dogs. At first glance, the game looks like a futuristic Grand Theft Auto, but after seeing the power that players can wield with new high-tech gadgets is what sealed the deal for most people. One minute, the character is walking through a club, profiling passers-by like The Terminator, then the next minute he’s causing a huge car collision by changing traffic lights on-the-fly.
It’s a huge testament to how good Watch Dogs looks by the fact that the trailer is ten minutes long, yet you’ll want to watch it multiple times. I can think of games that I didn’t want to play anymore after ten minutes, so wanting to watch that lengthy of a gameplay demo over and over again is somewhat unique.
Word has been mum on specific details, but Ubisoft CEO Yves Guillemot has reportedly said that Watch Dogs will come to PC, Xbox 360 and Playstation 3 in 2013. Exciting!
There you have it. Which games did I overlook?
Drop me line in the comments below.
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