I was out of town all last week, and subsequently missed out on all of E3. I watched the Nintendo "digital event" yesterday and woke up early today to watch the remaining 4.5 hours of E3 footage -- which almost put me back to sleep.
Last year I started a tradition of naming the "best in show" games of E3, so I wanted to continue that tradition in 2014. What follows is what I consider the five best games at E3. Hope you enjoy!
#5
Yoshi's Woolly World
From the team that created Kirby's Epic Yarn comes a new fabric-focused feature, Yoshi's Woolly World, this time with Nintendo mascot and beast of burden Yoshi. In this WiiU game, Yoshi retains much of the same moveset that has defined his other platform adventures, only this time instead of eggs he carries balls of yarn, which can trigger a number of unique events in the game word. The game will feature a two-player co-op mode, and will launch in the first half of 2015. Woolly World marks the first console Yoshi game since Yoshi's Story in 1998.
#4
Sunset Overdrive
Of all the exclusive games showed at Microsoft's press conference, Sunset Overdrive was the most impressive. It looks refreshing, different, and lots of fun. Developed by Insomniac Games (Ratchet & Clank, Resistance), Sunset Overdrive is an open-world action game focused on "agile combat." The heroes of the game can swing and jump around the metropolis Sunset City at breakneck speed. Apart from the single player campaign, there's an online cooperative mode called Chaos Squad that allows eight players to fight together.
#3
Far Cry 4
Continuing the open-world mayhem that's defined the series, Far Cry 4 takes place in a fictional country high in the Himalayas ruled by a despot. Players can attack the game in the way in which they choose, whether taking down enemy patrols stealthily or riding a rampaging elephant into an enemy stronghold. Far Cry 4 will feature a co-op mode, also, and on PS4 it's a real treat. As with 3DS download play, the PS4 version of Far Cry 4 will allow players to invite friends to join their games, even if those friends don't own a physical or digital version of the game.
#2 Batman: Arkham Knight
As the first Batman game designed for PS4 and Xbox One, Arkham Knight manages to fit the entire city of Gotham into one tiny disc. In fact, the game is five times bigger than developer Rocksteady Studios' previous title, Arkham City. Combat has also been refined in the years since Arkham City launched. There are new, more powerful enemies, new combos, and brand new environmental attacks. Last, but definitely not least, this latest Batman game features, for the first time, the Batmobile as a drivable vehicle, which can be summoned to the player's location at will.
#1 Splatoon
As with Sunset Overdrive, Splatoon is changing the rules of what has become in the last decade a very stale and bloated genre. Splatoon is a squad-based third-person shooter that pits two teams of four players against each other, each squad composed of squid-kid hybrids armed with ink guns. During each match, players can transform from a kid into a squid, which can then surf through its own team's ink undetected, and maybe even ambush an enemy player. The WiiU GamePad is used cleverly in Splatoon, displaying a map of the battlefield covered in ink and the player's teammates. One swipe of a finger (or stylus) will launch the player across the map directly to his or her partner. Just be careful where you land.
I think Splatoon has great potential, but it looks a little too simple as of right now. Of course that might just be because the E3 demo only had the regular troops and no other classes. I also hope there's going to be powerups, but we will find out soon enough.
As much as I love Zelda, and as much as I believe Zelda for WiiU will be great (greater, maybe, than any game on this list) there just was not enough actual content shown to earn it a spot. Same goes for Uncharted and several other titles.
bananaking21 said: not sure how splatoon can beat farcry 4, destiny and the division. but oh well, to each their own.
Well, Far Cry placed high on this list, and Destiny placed third on my 2013 list. As for The Division, it just doesn't look too attractive to me. The graphics are outstanding, but the game seems a little too staged, a little too scripted. The RPG aspects are interesting, but the core shooting and cover mechanics just seem tired.
Splatoon, conversely, feels fresh and new, and when I see people playing it, I immediately want to play it myself.
From a personal standpoint, Bloodborne looks awesome. From an objective standpoint, the tactical basis for Rainbow Six was probably the most impressive. Sunset Overdrive was probably the most polished.