MCV’s games of E3 2016

We played the games, we watched the trailers and we spoke to the UK games industry to come up with our top titles from E3 2016.

INDIE GAME OF E3

We Happy Few

From: Compulsion Games

Platforms: Xbox One, PC, PS4

Out: July 26th (Early Access)

This creepy survival game takes place in a world where everyone takes a pill called ‘Joy’ to help them forget their misery. Those that refuse to take the pill (called ‘Downers’) are attacked and must go into hiding and escape. You are challenged to survive the city and leave the world before you are discovered.

Runner up: Inside (Playdead)

VR GAME OF E3

Star Trek: Bridge Crew

From: Ubisoft

Platforms: Oculus Rift, HTC Vive, PlayStation VR

Out: 2016

E3 2016 finally delivered some proper VR games worth getting excited about. Our personal favourite was Ubisoft’s Star Trek: Bridge Crew. A social experience designed to put you on the Bridge of a Starship, the game features full Star Trek-style missions.

Runners up: Fallout 4 VR (Bethesda), Resident Evil VII (Capcom), Eagle Flight (Ubisoft)

SHOOTER OF E3

Titanfall 2

From: Respawn (EA)

Platforms: Xbox One, PS4, PC

Out: October 28th, 2016

This Christmas is going to be awash with shooters. There are two Call of Duty games, while Battlefield is reimagining the First World War. Yet our favourite has to be the return of Titanfall. EA uncovered the game during its E3 press conference, which introduced the same frantic Titan-based combat, although things seem to move a little smoother with this new entry. The biggest addition comes in the form of a story mode, which further explores the relationship between Titan and Pilot.

Runner up: Dishonored 2 (Bethesda)

NINTENDO GAME OF E3

The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild

From: Nintendo

Platforms: Wii U, NX

Out: March 2017

Pretty easy one this, it was the only Nintendo game playable at E3. Yet it is possibly the biggest game of the show (just Google ‘Zelda Stampede’, to see what we mean). There were two demos available, the first allowed fans to explore one per cent of the game’s massive world, with Link now able to jump, run and cook, plus all the things you’d expect from a more mainstream RPG. The second one was more story-orientated, with some puzzles. It’s difficult to judge this sort of game in a show setting, but the new Zelda looks gorgeous.

Runner up: Pokmon Sun and Moon (Nintendo)

PC GAME OF E3

Civilization VI

From: FirAxis (2K Games)

Platforms: PC

Out: October 21st

Although most of the games at E3 were also coming to PC, there were very few PC-only projects on show. The notable exception to that was Civilization VI. 2K Games’ hugely popular strategy series is back with a rather more basic, cartoony visual style that will make the game a little easier to manage when compared with previous titles in the series. Cities are now also ‘unstacked’, which significantly changes how gamers will approach the title. It’s on-course to be the biggest PC launch of the year.

Runners up: Abzu (505 Games), Dawn of War 3 (Sega), Quake Champions (Bethesda)

XBOX GAME OF E3

Sea of Thieves

From: Rare (Microsoft Studio)

Platforms: Xbox One, PC

Out: TBC

In this game, we took control of a pirate ship as we set sail on the seven seas to find enemy pirates and engage in epic sea battles. An open world sandbox experience, with the classic Rare comedy in full flow: we couldn’t stop laughing as our ship sank.

Runners up: Forza Horizon 3 (Microsoft), Gears of War 4 (Microsoft), Dead Rising 4 (Capcom)

PLAYSTATION GAME OF E3

Resident Evil VII

From: Capcom

Platforms: PS4, Xbox One, PC

Out: January 24th, 2017

Although the demo we played at E3 wasn’t part of the final game, it was an excellent, terrifying concept piece that really showcased the advantages of PlayStation VR in a horror setting. The demo is playable via PS Plus right now, but MCV was able to play it in virtual reality. We were told before it started that if we put our hands up, they will happily take us out of the game if we felt a bit too scared/uncomfortable. There were multiple moments when we were on the verge of doing just that. Resident Evil is returning to its horror roots.

Runners up: Spider-Man (Sony), God of War (Sony), Days Gone (Sony)

SPORTS GAME OF E3

Steep

From: Ubisoft

Platforms: PS4, Xbox One, PC

Out: December 2016

Ubisoft delivers one of its open world games, but this one is not about shooting people. Gamers can spawn at various points in this huge world to ski, snowboard, paraglide and base jump. Gamers can film and upload their experiences to social networks.

Runner up:FIFA 17 (EA)

ACTION GAME OF E3

Days Gone

From: Sony

Platform: PS4

Out: TBC

We opted for Sony’s new IP Days Gone for the gameplay demonstration. We’ve never seen so many monsters on screen, pursuing our hero relentlessly. The whole thing was incredibly intense and immediately put this IP on our radar.

Runner up:For Honor (Ubisoft)

RPG OF E3

South Park: The Fractured But Whole

From: Ubisoft

Platforms: PS4, Xbox One, PC

Out: December 6th

We love South Park, because it replaces dragons and swords with brilliant satirical humour. This game sees two factions engaged in a ‘civil war’ following a disagreement over their own superhero franchise.

Runner Up:Final Fantasy XV (Square Enix)