It’s that time of year once again, as game enthusiasts around the world look to Los Angeles for all the newest details and world exclusive reveals of their most coveted titles. One look at last year’s best games shows that there’s no shortage of high profile games to keep an eye on, but with even more looking to fight for attention at E3 2011, it’s going to be a busy week.
Games won’t be the only stars of the show, as Sony’s NGP and Nintendo’s next console are set to turn a few heads at the expo as well. We’re more than looking forward to seeing how well Sony can give the 3DS a run for its money, and just what kind of next-gen system Nintendo has been working on secretly.
But games are where the show begins and ends, and with more then any one person could possibly see in the week of E3, the Game Rant crew has set down the ten (confirmed) games that we’re most looking forward to at E3 2011. We’ve got our reasons, and we think you’ll agree that any one of our choices has a serious chance to steal the show:
Mass Effect 3
For many gamers, Mass Effect 2 was their 2010 “game of the year.” Not only did the title deliver a bigger and more beautiful gameplay experience, it opened the franchise up to many players who were intimidated by the intricate RPG mechanics of the original title. However, die-hard fans of the original game (read our review), weren’t as pleased as newcomers - leaving a large chasm between fans of the series.
Fortunately, BioWare has been hard at work on Mass Effect 3, the third and final installment in Commander Shepard’s Mass Effect storyline - and the changes the developer has been teasing certainly hint at a title that can successfully balance the action and and RPG elements that fans new and old have come to expect. Not to mention wrap-up the various relationships, love-interests, and other player specific story-beats that some fans have been developing for the last four years.
While it was certainly a disappointment to hear Mass Effect 3 get bumped to early 2012, given the enormous number of Holiday 2011 games on the market - we’re excited to be able to take our time with the game when it finally releases. In the mean time, we’re especially excited to see whatever BioWare is willing to show us at E3 2011.
Skyrim
There have been countless open-world games released over the past few years. Still, in the realm of fantasy, the first series that comes to most gamers’ minds is that of Bethesda’s The Elder Scrolls. November 11 marks the release of The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim, the next installment of the series and one of the most anticipated titles of the year.
Rather than simply rehashing the previous games, Skyrim looks to expand on these elements with a new leveling system and increased diversity in dungeon design just to name a few. One of the most exciting new features that will be present is the focus on the world’s folklore. This means that legendary creatures such as mammoths and saber-tooth tigers will roam the world, as well as massive dragons.
Hopefully gamers will get a better look at the dragons of Skyrim come E3 2011. Not only is their importance to the game’s story interesting, but gamers everywhere are itching to see the might of the dragons in real gameplay. Whether this includes the player fighting for survival against one of an “unlimited” number of dragons or the scaly beasts terrorizing one of the game’s five major cities, it should be enough to tide them over until the game’s release.
Battlefield 3
Battlefield 3 has been a tour de force since our eyes were first able to gorge on the visual spectacle that the Frostbite 2.0 engine has been able to provide. Getting our hands on this game to see how it plays is probably the biggest priority and task we will have ahead of us at E3. After all the trash talking EA’s been doing, all we have to go by is their word.
There’s still so many questions people want answers to. How will the multiplayer play and feel? How much less brightly will the console versions shine than the PC version? Will they look better than Modern Warfare 3? Will Battlefield 3 be coming to Nintendo’s next console?
DICE has already proven to us that it can wow our eyes, but the task ahead of them will be to wow our minds. Battlefield 3 will face a lot of high expectations and if it can’t live up to them, a fair amount of adversity. The most realistic shooter we’ve seen in years will still have to be engaging if we’re going to care about it past this year’s E3.
Modern Warfare 3
The eighth iteration in the core Call of Duty franchise suffered a massive leak two weeks ago, which forced Activision into launching some of their already-prepared teaser trailers to the world, officially confirming what we all already knew: the existence of Modern Warfare 3. Since then, every video we’ve seen, and word out of a few Modern Warfare 3 preview events confirms all of the leaked rumors.
What we’re unclear on is the expanded Spec Ops mode and more importantly, the game’s multiplayer offerings. The last three Call of Duty games have remained arguably too similar, not offering any “newness” for which the franchise is now taking flak for, especially juxtaposed with what we’re being shown for Battlefield 3.
We, and fans everywhere, are dying to see what Activision Publishing CEO Erik Hirshberg means when he says Modern Warfare 3 offers “innovative gameplay” and the “most advanced multiplayer ever.”
Super Mario 3DS
Revealed at this year’s Game Developer’s Conference, Super Mario 3DS is currently one of, if not the most anticipated game for the Nintendo 3DS. All we’ve seen from the game so far are four screenshots presented on a single slide during Nintendo’s briefing at GDC. That’s by no means a solid look at what to expect from the title, but those four screens alone are reason enough to start getting excited for the new game.
We know that Super Mario 3DS will use the gyroscope to maneuver the camera, and that the title will feel like a mix between Super Mario 64 and Super Mario Galaxy. The 3D will also add some depth to the game in a way that die-hard fans of the franchise will surely drool over. It seems that old power-ups such as the Raccoon Suit will be returning in Mario’s next portable adventure, so expect some other familiar trademark items from the series to pop up.
Super Mario 3DS is already scheduled to release at some point later this year, but we should get a better look at the title during Nintendo’s upcoming event on June 7th.
Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword
The Legend of Zelda is easily one of Nintendo’s biggest franchises, so it’s not surprising to find Skyward Sword sitting on our list of E3 2011’s most anticipated games. Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword was originally revealed during Nintendo’s 2010 press briefing, but the company hasn’t revealed much else about the game since then. What Nintendo has said is that the game will use a different art style than that of Twilight Princess and that players will have 1:1 control of their sword thanks to the WiiMotion Plus accessory.
The lack of news on the title has even started rumors that the game may skip over the Wii entirely and just release on Nintendo’s new console, the Wii 2. Although this doesn’t seem like a certainty, considering that that the leap would be much more significant graphically than the GameCube was to the Wii.
Whatever Nintendo has planned for The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword will likely be revealed at their press conference. Look forward to getting some solid launch details (i.e. an official launch date and reconfirmed platform) as well as some more story arch hints in the coming weeks.
Assassin’s Creed Revelations
While fans of the Assassin’s Creed franchise may have been hoping to see the story of Desmond’s war against the Templars of Abstergo come to an end in Assassin’s Creed 3, Ubisoft surprised us all by announcing that they would once again be going back to the well of Ezio Auditore with Assassin’s Creed Revelations.
Some may have seen the move as an effort to further delay any clarifying of the overarching story, but recent information has led us to believe otherwise, with the game’s latest trailer showing that fans may have misunderstood the importance of Ezio and Altair altogether.
With that in mind, Revelations is shaping up to be something entirely new in the series, not just another retread. We don’t know how the game will combine the ability to play as both Ezio and Altair into a common purpose, but the idea of experiencing something new within the world of Assassin’s Creed, and better understanding Brotherhood is more than enough to get our attention.
Gears of War 3
Already the top pre-ordered console exclusive for Xbox 360 with months still to go before it releases in September, Gears of War 3 just enjoyed a very successful and popular multiplayer beta which lasted a month and continues to be one of the most promising games of the year. After playing it extensively, the Game Rant team already misses it, and the three game modes and four maps offered in our demo already proved it to be one of the year’s best multiplayer titles.
Gears of War 3 acts as the trilogy’s conclusion to the tale of Marcus Fenix, and the game made a revealing splash at last year’s E3. Having seen that and played the game since, we wonder what new revelations will be had during their presentations at this year’s E3, since the game has become one of the most important releases for Microsoft’s home console this year.
Uncharted 3
Uncharted 2: Among Thieves took a lot of gamers by surprise and finally provided Sony with a system-selling title that could deliver great hardcore gameplay mechanics wrapped up in a story (and lead character) with mass casual appeal. While the original, Uncharted: Drake’s Fortune still holds up, there’s no doubt that Uncharted 2 blew the roof off fan expectations, offering a gorgeous looking game with tons of scenes to show off the power of the PS3 to non-gamer friends.
Uncharted 2 flirted with some interesting new options (stealth attacks and multiplayer) but none of them were as fully-formed as the scripted set-pieces. For Uncharted 3: Drake’s Deception, the team at Naughty Dog appear to have refined a number of the series’ offerings - while also rising to the challenge of once again exceeding our expectations.
If the early gameplay footage of the burning chateau is any indication, we’re expecting some equally epic action when the developers show-off more footage of Uncharted 3 (as well as let us get hands-on time with the game) at this year’s E3.
BioShock: Infinite
It’s not easy for a game these days to offer anything original in the realm of game mechanics and level design, but Irrational Games blew away the status quo with the plasmid system and ruined underwater city of Rapture of the original BioShock. With the less-successful sequel developed by a different team, it’s hard to see BioShock: Infinite as anything but the true successor to the first game, even if almost everything about it is different.
While the first two games seemed to imply that the underwater setting of the games was the main trademark of the series, BioShock: Infinite’s emphasis on political idealogy looks to offer the same dose of thought-provoking philosophy as a major theme. Story can only do so much, but with Irrational pitching the game as one to blow people’s minds and change the industry, it’s hard to not be excited to watch them back up their claims, and possibly see lightning strike a second time.
Let us know if you think we’ve left out any notable games that you can’t wait to see more of, and we’ll be sure to bring you all the news on these games and more from E3 2011.
