There is so much gaming goodness coming our way! Among the titles I’m most looking forward to are the usual suspects: another Fallout, more Assassin’s Creed, anything related to The Witcher, and a follow up to The Last of Us. With E3 wrapped, I’ve been watching videos and reading up about the games I’m most excited about. Here, in no particular order, are my top four.
*game links refer back to reviews and rambles on this blog
The Last of Us Part II
Okay, I lie. This is the game I’m most looking forward to, so I’m going to talk about it first. The Last of Us was my favourite game last year and is in my top five games ever. It’s also the game that affected me the most emotionally, just eclipsing Dragon Age: Origins by a single box of tissues. (Damn you, Alistair!)
What I’m looking for in the sequel is that same emotional impact along with a story that isn’t just another run through the wasteland of a zombie apocalypse. I also have questions I’d like to see answered—which I’ll try to allude to without spoiling the first game. For those of you who have played: remember the scene at the end when Ellie asks Joel if he’s lying? I want to know if that is going to come back to haunt us. Developer Neil Druckmann has confirmed that Joel and Ellie will continue to be central to the game, though Ellie will be the only playable character. So however it plays out, we’re only going to get one point of view.
After watching the recent gameplay trailer, I’m also really excited about the combat tweaks. The Last of Us is already nail-biting and edge-of-your-seat when it comes to the fight scenes, with the scarcity of resources, smart opponents, and no two scenarios playing out the same way. Now it looks as though combat will become more dynamic, taking the environment into account in ways I haven’t seen before.
What I’ll mostly be playing for, though, is the story. Fingers crossed it’ll be a good one, and that Joel will get enough screen time. For lots and lots of story discussion, including hints and theories, visit this fantastic article https://www.usgamer.net/articles/22-06-2018-the-last-of-us-part-2-release-date-characters-story-trailer-everything-we-know
Fallout 76
The Fallout games have some of the most immersive worlds I’ve played in. Even months after I’ve finished the main quest, I’ll find myself thinking about other parts of the map—mini quests I stumbled across, the quirky side characters, and the unique and diverse environments from each game. To this day, I cannot travel the Metro in D.C. without having a Fallout 3 flashback—and an overwhelming urge to play. I adored the faithful rendering of the environment in New Vegas, which reminded me so much of the real place, and when I’m out hiking and find abandoned and broken down buildings, I’m instantly in one of my favourite games—thankfully without a marauding population of radscorpions.
Fallout 76 is exciting for a number of reasons.
- It’s another Fallout. Duh.
- It might be set in West Virginia (or neighboring Virginia). I’m not as familiar with that environment as I have been D.C., Vegas, and Boston, but “Take Me Home, Country Roads” took me right there.
- It’s going to have base building. Yes! One of my favourite parts of Fallout 4 was building towns. It was a new addition to the Fallout activity roster and even though I eventually tuned my radio away from the Minutemen because, oh my God, those towns always needed rescuing from something or other, I did enjoy dotting the map with several iterations of Kellyville.
- It’s going to be online…
My excitement skids to a slow halt about here because I’m pretty much over multiplayer online games. Recovering WoW addict, here. Also, I just don’t have the time to compete with other players in a persistent world. I am always going to be behind and playing catch up isn’t the same as playing a game. But, it has been confirmed that you can play solo, so I’m hoping the experience will be similar to BioWare’s Star Wars: The Old Republic, which I mostly played solo, co-oping now and again to complete difficult quests.
I will say that having other players inhabit the roles usually reserved for NPCs—from vendors to raiders—could make the game more dynamic. I’m hoping the PVP aspects will be flexible, though, so that I’m not spending all of my time dodging other players.
Despite this bump in the road, I am still really looking forward to this game.
Cyberpunk 2077
I’ve been interested in this one since I finished The Witcher 3 and started poking around the internet for hints as to what the team at CD Projekt Red might do next. Though slightly disappointed that it wouldn’t be another Witcher game, I found it hard not to be excited by the early concept art and gameplay descriptions for a near future cyber thriller type of game in my favourite setting: an open world.
After watching available trailers and cutscenes for Cyberpunk 2077, my number one impression of the game is that it’s going to be fun. I get a Mass Effect crossed with Saint’s Row vibe from the world, which is exactly the sort of game I’ve been hanging out for. I was seriously disappointed by Mass Effect: Andromeda—mostly due to story issues. But I miss the “feel” of a sci-fi game. Mash that up with an interactive environment, new and interesting combat models, and multiple mission approaches, and Cyberpunk promises not to be boring.
Check out this article for a full list of what we’re looking forward to http://www.ign.com/articles/2018/06/12/e3-2018-first-cyberpunk-2077-details-game-is-a-first-person-rpg-more
Red Dead Redemption 2
This one’s easy:
- It’s a western
- It’s the sequel to Red Dead Redemption
- It’ll be available for PlayStation as well as Xbox! (And maybe even PC.)
The release date for Red Dead Redemption 2 has been pushed back so many times I’ve often wondered if we’ll ever get to play it. But this trailer keeps the home fires burning.
But wait, there’s more…
I am, of course, looking forward to Assassin’s Creed Odyssey, but Ubisoft releases new adventures in this franchise so regularly and reliably, I hardly have time to build up a proper flail. The trailer is pretty exciting, though!
I’m interested in Days Gone, even though I’ve been reading some pretty lackluster reviews of the gameplay. One player compared it to Far Cry, which honestly didn’t turn me off because, even though the Far Cry games are variations on a single, oft-repeated theme, sometimes I crave that. A simple story that’s just engaging enough to carry the action, and a world open to the havoc I can bring. Plus, Days Gone has zombies.
Which upcoming games are you most looking forward to?
Kelly Jensen 
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