While a good CGI trailer can get the pulses racing and entertain for a few minutes, they still don’t really show us the game we will be playing. This years E3, while having its moments, was unfortunately saturated in CGI trailers and no gameplay to balance them out. This is probably a sign of the times and that the current console generation is on its lap of honour. So this year I have managed to squeeze all the remaining games of note into part two (sorry part three, maybe next year).
As a huge fan of Bethesda games, I’ve been left angry and disappointed by how they have been doing business in recent years. In 2018 Todd Howard stood on stage and lied through his teeth about what Fallout 76 would be. On release, the game was a buggy and uninspired mess damaging the studio that I would have once described as one of the best. Outside of the game, there were many other issues such as the canvas bag debacle and Bethesda giving out private customer information by mistake. As far as I was concerned, this year Pete Hines and Todd Howard needed to be earnest and humble, they needed to stand on stage and apologise to their fans and the games industry for utterly taking the piss with Fallout 76. Instead, we got cooperate waffle, disingenuous grandstanding and a little bit of pretentious self-deprecation for good measure. The Bethesda conference as a whole was drab with a few notable exceptions which I will cover below.
Ubisoft also had a lukewarm conference which did surprise me, although it did have some excellent games to show in-between all the cringe infused weirdness. We already knew there would be a Watchdogs game announced but I think many had also hoped a new Splinter Cell game would be unveiled: alas we will have to wait to see Sam Fisher (hopefully at Gamescom). So here are the games that stood out to me from Bethesda, Ubisoft, Devolver Digital and the Epic... sorry PC Gaming Show.
Watchdogs Legion
Ubisoft
Release Date: March 6th 2020
The Watchdogs series didn't get off to the best start, with the original title suffering from one of the worst gaming downgrades we've ever seen. Aiden Pearce was also a character that split the crowd with his warped sense of morality and an overly hypocritical way of dealing with issues. That said, there was something about Watchdogs I really liked and it offered a new take on open-world action/stealth games. Then came Watchdogs 2 and this title was better for me in every single way. Just messing with NPC’s and using all the new toys on offer (that sounded better in my head) was a very fun proposition. One of my favourite aspects of Watchdogs 2 was how you could sneak into other peoples games, trail them while they went about their business and then initiate a hack. Watching another player frantically search for you while you deployed all your best tricks was immensely fun.
A few leaks just after Christmas were confirmed at E3 this week, that the next game in the series would, in fact, be based in London. I know I’m biased but I love London and think it is a great setting for any game as Assassins Creed Syndicate proved. The big change this time around is that you will not be playing as one central character, as the title suggests; in Watchdogs Legion you will play as many different protagonists. In fact, the developers claim, you can recruit and play as any NPC in the game, which has also led to interesting discussions about what the acronym NPC really means in gaming. After seeing some extended gameplay I will say that my initial concerns have been mostly allayed as the recruitment process looks well designed and the gameplay loop looks refreshingly different. Also being able to play as a killer grandma was certainly something that stood out, as was face hugging a guard with a spider bot. I do worry that the ‘play as anyone’ mechanic still won’t be able to hold water for the entire campaign and it will dilute the overarching story. Either way, Watchdogs Legion was one of the standout games at E3 and I cannot wait to see how it pans out.
DOOM Eternal
id Software
Release Date: November 222nd 2019
Doom shouldn’t need any introduction as it’s been doing the rounds since 1993. In 2016 we saw yet another reworking of the Doom series but this time there was something different: for the first time, it felt like i.d had captured the very essence of original Doom. It might sound like a straightforward task, to make a game about shooting demons back to hell. However, getting that correct formula has been like cracking the Colonel’s secret receipe. DOOM 2016 was packing everything fans had been waiting for since the days when shell suits were all the rage. Blistering combat, an army of hellspawn to vanquish and that perfect symbiosis between Marine and Shotgun.
DOOM Eternal is the sequel to this seminal shooter and has more to offer than initially meets the eye. The way we move around in this new outing has been given a bit more verticality thanks to double jumps, wall climbing and the environments themselves. Huge sprawling levels above decaying planets give you more reasons to look up as well as behind you. The gameplay loop seems a little more arcade this time around and I’ll have to try this myself before I can make a judgement. Runes for example, now seem to require less messing around and just get absorbed as you find them. I also think the developers are treating this essentially as DOOM 2 because old classics like the Arch-Vile and Pain Elemental (who were also introduced in Doom 2) are making a grand return. As you will see in the trailer below, thanks to the id Tech 7 engine the game runs just as well as the last and with even more jaw-dropping visuals. The gore levels also seem to have been ratcheted up now you can see even more evidence of your ballistic poetry with destructible body parts on the bigger adversaries. This is an almost guaranteed hit in the run up to Christmas this year.
Wolfenstein Youngblood
MachineGames and Arkane Studios
Release Date: July 26th 2019
Like B.J Blazkowicz himself, it seems there is no stopping the onslaught of Wolfenstein games on the modern era and that is no bad thing. I am a huge fan of this series and in particular, the current story arc that MachineGames has been writing since 2014. In this outing, B.J steps aside allowing his two young daughters to take centre stage and yes, it seems they also have a knack for killing Nazis. So far I haven't seen anything too exciting about the story, as it stands this is a rescue mission in which you must save your father from a Nazi occupied Paris.
The characters in Wolfenstein have been larger than life, B.J’s allies (and enemies) all stand out in their own right and our favourite Nazi killer has even found love in between mulching bad guys. So yeah, I really hope we see some of the same characters in this chapter as well as a few new faces. Of course, the gunplay and visuals all look spot on and I have no doubt the game will deliver in that department. The biggest gameplay change on offer is that it is completely playable in co-op, which could be a glorious thing to behold. Wolfenstein Youngblood is right around the corner and I will be providing you fine folks with a review in July.
Vampire The Masquerade 2
Hardsuit Studios
Release Date: March 2020
I’ve always loved entertainment based on Vampires whether it be old classics like Salem's Lot or The Lost Boys, the 1987 cult classic starring Kiefer Sutherland. In 2004 Vampire: The Masquerade - Bloodlines was released and was the first third-party game to use the new Source Engine from Valve. Technically the game was a mess of bugs and couldn’t even be completed properly. However, the wonderful world building and player agency bubbled under the surface, making it become the default Vampire game to play. Over time a dedicated following of modders helped retrofit the game and actually get it in good working order (this is one reason I love PC gaming).
In 2015 Paradox Interactive bought White Wolf and thus gained the rights to Bloodlines. Hardsuit Labs, who are based in Seattle, set to work on a true sequel to the now infamous vampire game. This E3 we finally got to see some in-game footage where various journalist were able to make narrative choices while the developer kept a firm hand on the controller. What we saw does look very promising, with detailed environments and excellent use of lighting. Interiors are strewn with all kinds of clutter and character models look very detailed. Player choice will be key thought this game, whether that be the kind of vampire you wish to become or the way you handle the various challenges that block your path. I actually got a Deus Ex feeling when watching the demo, in the way that problems would have two or three routes to success depending on your chosen abilities or preferences. In an almost perverse acknowledgement to the previous game, there was a fair amount of jank when watching combat play out with enemy AI being almost none existent. I suspect combat won't actually be a central element to the game so I’m not too worried, but it’s something to keep on eye on. Vampire: The Masquerade - Bloodlines 2 will launch in March 2020.
Carrion
Phobia Game Studio
Release Date: 2020
In John Carpenters The Thing, released in 1982, there was a scene where the alien erupts from a victims chest, tendrils flying in all directions looking for new biological matter to nibble on. This is what I thought of when I saw Carrion for the first time at E3. You actually play the game as the monster, working your way through various chambers consuming hapless scientists and growing ever bigger. From your side on perspective, the game has a very Metroid like feel to it. As you gain new skills, previously inaccessible areas will be open to devour. I love this art style, it’s like a hyper-detailed form of pixel art and reminds me very much of the massively underrated Rain World. This is one indie game I’ll be keeping an eye on.