It's that time of the year again! Once more, E3 is just around the corner and console and game developers the world over are gearing up to bring their A-game to the industry's top stage! There are rumors going around like crazy, game announcemnets are becoming even more frequent as we approach the big event, others are coming out of the woodwork after a long spell of radio-silence and there have even been talks of new consoles coming out just 2 years after the last generation was released!
Speaking of which, Microsoft is rumored to have not one but two new versions of the XBox One in store for E3. One that is smaller and planned for release this year and another that has larger storage capacity (2TB) and an ability to connect with the Oculus Rift so that gamers can enjoy Virtual Reality.
Sony is already one step ahead in VR, with their Playstation VR being released in October, so it is expected their conference will weigh heavily towards supporting it. But also it is rumored that they too have a new version of the PS4 being prepared for release (a.k.a. PS4K or PS4.5), however the specs are not known at this point. Some say it will be a more powerful version of the PS4, whereas others speculate it will be a smaller, more compact version, something like the smaller PS3 version that was released a few years after the original.
And then there's Nintendo. We already know that they're planning to release a new console codenamed the NX, but now they're planning a new handheld device as well. This is codenamed the MH. But don't expect either of them at this year's E3. It has already been officially reported that at least the NX will appear at next year's conference. This year will be all about the new "The Legend Of Zelda" game. With an entire presentation and a 90-minute demo, it's easy to see how much faith the Japanese giants have in Link's latest adventure.
Speaking of games, there will be lots of them, to say the least! EA will be showing off their new Battlefield 1 game, and there are rumors going around for a new Star Wars title since a few weeks ago some screenshots popped up online. Also they will have their annual sports game line-up (FIFA 2017, NBA 2K17, Madden 17, etc). Other EA games that will be shown include Mass Effect Andromeda, and Titanfall 2.
Bethesda have their own conference once again this year but it seems they won't be dedicating it to just 2 games like they did last year. They might show off a little more of Dishonored 2, a title which many have been eagerly anticipating, and The Elder Scrolls: Legends (a new digital card-game, kinda like LOL's Hearthstone), and also the new DLC for Doom and Fallout 4. Other than that, nothing's been leaked or rumored. Perhaps they could have a new The Elder Scrolls title in the works.
Then there's Ubisoft. Considering their major titles have already been released for this year (Tom Clancy's: The Division and Far Cry: Primal) and that it's already been announced that there's no Assassin's Creed game coming out this year, there isn't really anything much one can predict for their line-up. Apart from South Park: The Fractured But Whole (lol) and their new IP For Honor, so far there have only been rumors about a possible Watch Dogs 2 (although after the first game's performance no one can be sure about the reaction from such an announcement). So the rest will be a surprise.
Square Enix have quite a hefty line-up themselves this year! With the imminent release of Final Fantasy XV as their flagship, they're backing it up with a number of different (in style and in number) games. As always, there will be the popular MMO Final Fantasy XIV, which will have just released its brand new patch. Then there are old franchises that the company is bringing back to life with new titles such as: Star Ocean V: Intergrity and Faithlessness, Nier: Automata, Dragon Quest Builders and Kingdom Hearts 2.8. They will be combined with new IP's I Am Setsuna, The Turing Test and Black The Fall. And then of course they have their western studios bringing titles like Hitman (with its 3rd episode "Marakesh"), Deus Ex: Mankind Divided, Just Cause 3 and the re-release of Rise of The Tomb Raider for PS4 scheduled for the holiday season. They could easily top all of this if they were to bring out the big guns called Final Fantasy VII Remake and Kingdom Hearts 3, however there are other titles in both those franchises that take precedence, and so it is said that SE doesn't want people to lose focus on them.
There is a plethora of other games as well, such as Horizon: Zero Dawn, The Last Guardian (which will finally release this year!), Red Dead Redemption 2, Gears Of War 4, Crackdown 3, Mafia 3, Call Of Duty: Infinite Warfare, Nioh, Persona 5, Forza, Ni No Kuni 2 and more that are either confirmed or rumored to make an appearance. Not to mention that there's going to be a PC exclusive event this year, so there might be a few other games announced there. What's certain is that, once again, we're in for a great 3-4 days! Just a couple of weeks away now...
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