Entertainment

The Most Hyped Launches From E3 Include Dystopian Game With A HUGE Celebrity Feature

by Sophie McEvoy
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CD PROJEKT RED

It may have only ended four days ago, but boy was 2019's Electronic Entertainment Expo (E3 for short) a corker. The second week of June saw an abundance of games have their time to shine, including a bunch of reveals that no one saw coming. Despite there being over 80 games that were either announced or given actual release dates, it's pretty easy to determine which were the most hyped games at E3 this year.

Don't believe me? Well, for a start Cyberpunk 2077 is trending even more so than it was before thanks to the surprise addition of Keanu Reeves (*swoon*), and I don't think many were expecting Nintendo to actually confirm that a sequel to The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild is currently in development. Not only that, but a handful of highly anticipated games like Obsidian's The Outer Worlds and Ubisoft's Watch Dogs: Legion teased fans with demos that showcased the gameplay mechanics that players will be able to experience in due course.

With that in mind, here are 9 games that completely stole the show at E3 2019, and have already begun to rack up a substantial amount of pre-orders thanks to the excitement surrounding them.

1

'The Outer Worlds'

Obsidian

First announced last December, The Outer Worlds will be making its way to consoles this year on Oct. 25. Described as the "spiritual successor" of Fallout: New Vegas, The Outer Worlds is "a first-person shooter with clear RPG elements set in a dystopian universe" dominated by the usual mega-corporations that "have taken over entire planets", as Kotaku reports.

Obsidian consists of the original creators of the Fallout series before Bethesda took over with Fallout 3 in 2008. Obsidian did return to develop Fallout: New Vegas in 2010, but have not returned to the franchise since. But judging by the gameplay demo at E3, The Outer Worlds definitely holds some of the aspects that Fallout became known for — both in terms of player choices and gameplay mechanics.

2

'Deathloop'

Bethesda/Arkane Studios/YouTube

Developed by Arkane Studios and published by Bethesda, Deathloop follows assassins Juliana and Colt who seem hellbent on killing the other. The catch? Once one is killed, time is looped Groundhog Day style.

Not a lot has been revealed in terms of narrative other than what was shown in the trailer, and there was no release date revealed either. But as GamesRadar+ reports, game director Dinga Bakaba and Sébastien Mitton told the E3 audience that Deathloop "will offer players something innovative, stylish, and unlike anything the studio has done before."

3

'Pokémon Sword & Shield'

Nintendo Of America

While the latest games in the franchise weren't explicitly announced at E3, The Pokémon Company and Nintendo gave fans more details surrounding Sword and Shield, with a major focus on what players can expect in the Wild Area previously revealed in May.

Those at the convention were also given the opportunity to get hands-on with the game and were introduced to two new Pokémon — Yamper, the good electric-type corgi pup and the dark/fairy-type Impidimp, which is reportedly based on a statue found in Lincoln.

4

'Cyberpunk 2077'

CD PROJEKT RED

Even though I'm pretty damn hyped about everything E3 had to offer, I'll fully admit that Cyberpunk 2077 is the game I've been most anticipating ever since it was announced in May 2012. After seven years of waiting, the release date was finally announced during CD Projekt Red's E3 presentation by none other than Keanu Reeves, who is also a major character in the game.

Mind. Blown.

While Cyberpunk 2077 won't be available until April 16, 2020, there is plenty of content to explore in terms of the demo material shown during the presentation. More info was also given on what players can expect from the narrative and gameplay, and how it calls back to the original 1988 tabletop game, Cyberpunk 2020.

5

'The Legend of Zelda: Breath Of The Wild' Sequel

Nintendo/YouTube

Probably the most unexpected revelation of the entire expo, Nintendo only went and dropped that they were busy working on a sequel to the game that launched with the Switch in 2017 — The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild.

At the very end of their Direct, the first look opened with the distinct cell-art of the game, but it wasn't until Zelda, Link, and Calamity Ganon appeared on-screen that it became official. The teaser simply ended with the line: "The sequel to The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild" is now in development. I mean, talk about chills.

There's not a lot of info surrounding the sequel other than that it will be "a little darker" than the sixth game in the series, Majora's Mask, as producer and director of the sequel Eiji Aonuma told IGN.

6

'Halo Infinite'

343 Industries/Microsoft

Debuting with a fairly mysterious trailer, Halo Infinite will be the sixth game in the series but will also be the first title to launch with the "next generation Xbox Project Scarlett console", as Den Of Geek reports. The previous game in the series, Halo 5: Guardians came out in 2015.

With a release date scheduled to be around the 2020 holidays, not only is this an announcement for Halo 6 but it's also a rough estimate for the beginning of the next generation consoles.

Not much has been revealed in terms of plot other than what was shown in the trailer, but on the official site for the game Microsoft writes that it will continue the "Halo 5: Guardians storyline and takes the franchise in ambitious and unexpected directions, powered by the all-new Slipspace engine."

7

'Animal Crossing: New Horizons'

Nintendo Of America

Despite the disappointment surrounding the release date being pushed back to March 2020, it's pretty undisputed that fans of the Animal Crossing series were finally given a first look at next instalment in the franchise.

With a new world to explore and other gameplay mechanics to experience, Animal Crossing: New Horizons isn't just the first game in the series to feature on the latest home console, but it looks like it's the most advantageous in the series' canon to date.

And boy, doesn't a Nook Inc. Getaway Package just sound perfect to you right now?

8

'Watch Dogs: Legion'

Ubisoft

It was only a matter of time before the gaming world used Brexit Britain as inspiration, and if the narrative of Watch Dogs: Legion is any inclination as to what the future may hold for the UK, at least it's a way for people to get prepared.

Set in London, Watch Dogs: Legion explores what may happen if a "worst case scenario" occurs after the UK leaves the European Union. As culture site Junkee describes, "London is now an oppressive dystopia living under the cruel boot of private security firm Albion."

The main pull of the game is that you can now "play as anyone", and I mean anyone. From "a street tough" to "an old lady who is excellent with drones", as Venture Beat reports, the aim is to stand up to Albion through being a member of the hacker group DedSec featured in previous games.

9

'The Legend of Zelda: Link's Awakening'

Nintendo Of America

Since there's no official release date for the Breath of the Wild sequel, it's pretty much guaranteed it's gonna be quite the wait. In the meantime, Nintendo have got yet another Zelda title ready and waiting — a remake of the 1993 Game Boy classic The Legend of Zelda: Link's Awakening.

Set for release on Sep. 20 this year, Link's Awakening follows Link as he is stranded on Koholint Island after getting caught up in a storm. By collecting special instruments, Link has to awake the sleeping deity of the island to return to his homeland of Hyrule.

Not only that, but the makers behind Crypt of the Necrodancer recently released a crossover game with the Zelda universe titled Cadence of Hyrule. So basically, you have plenty of content to enjoy while the sequel to Breath of the Wild is in development.

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