E3 2018 : What we expect

Written by The GN Staff on 6/8/2018 for AV   PC   PS4   SWI   WiiU   XONE  

E3 is time where we expect big announcements and while some have already come out, there's always going to be a few that's saved for the show. With that, here's what some of the staff have come up with on their expectations for this year's show.

John Yan

• Halo 6 : It's been about 3 years since the release of Halo 5, so I'm expecting another Halo to be part of Microsoft's conference.
• Sony's press conference will be a tad disappointing: With the kibosh on any new hardware announcement by Sony and their format change, I don't think anything really exciting will be coming out of them this year. We'll get to see some great gameplay from games like The Last of Us 2 and Death Stranding, but I'm not getting any exciting vibes from them.
• Another Razer concept: E3 and CES seem to be the times Razer comes out with concept items that sometimes comes to market. I'm expecting another one this year that could be cool, but don't know if you'll be able to buy.

Randy Kalista

• If Bethesda Game Studios was a publicly traded company, I’d be that jerk-investor on the conference call every quarter asking, “Where’s Todd Howard’s next game? Where is it?” Whereby I’d kill the proverbial goose for too many of Todd Howard’s golden eggs. But it’s finally time for his next big reveal. Just show me the word Starfield on a field of stars and I’ll be happy. I mean, he’ll show more than that. But that’s all it would take for me.
• Here’s an easy one: Red Dead Online. While celebrities and school boards across the U.S. contemplated the very real phenomenon of Fortnite, GTA Online quietly became the single biggest-selling piece of entertainment media on the planet. Rockstar Studios has, no doubt, been sitting some very smart people around a big table in a room somewhere, thinking up how to bottle lightning once again for Red Dead Redemption 2’s online multiplayer.

Eric Hauter

• I’m thinking that we will probably see some new open world games/sequels announced. Perhaps we will see the first glimmering screens of a Horizon Zero Dawn sequel. Or we might see hints of a new Elder Scrolls game, though that is less likely.
• There will probably be several indie games that break free from the crowd and make an impression, but there will be hundreds of others that get lost in the noise.
• I also expect to see some awesome new PS VR titles that have quietly been in development, and this is probably what I am most excited for. I would love Fallout 4 announced for PS VR, as unlikely as that is. If they announced it, but also announce that it would only be playable on a PlayStation Pro, I would be on Amazon before they were done speaking, upgrading in anticipation.

Nicholas Leon

• A bigger reveal of Call of Duty: Black Ops 4 than what we got at the reveal. Although it seemed like a lot, in reality, we didn't get a great deal information or play time besides the usual multiplayer offerings. I expect to see a little more of Blackout, the battle royale mode, as it would just make sense.
• A lot of details about Battlefield V. I've read about what it's predicted to be, and with the reveal happening pretty soon, I'd like to see a follow-up to the amazing and unique experience that is Battlefield 1.
• Something about Soul Calibur VI. I need that in my life. Playing Soul Calibur II in a barcade over spring break brought back memories, but also awed me at just how good fighting games can be.  

Nathan Carter

• Nintendo announces something no one wants nor cares about. Remember Metroid Prime Federation Force? Yeah this is par for the course for Nintendo. I am expecting we get some kind of game announcement that just pisses off the fan base of one of their franchises. My guess is gonna be something Star Fox related.
• Halo 6 even though I shudder at the thought of this. Microsoft and 343 already did a fantastic job of ruining the Halo name and franchise and it was absolutely horrific what they did to Cortana in Halo 5. Id take Halo 4 Cortana over the absolute trash that was Halo 5 Cortana any day. It's such a shame to see what was once one of the biggest franchises ever in the history of gaming to fall this hard over a few short years. I don't even need to get into the Master Chief collection debacle.
• Elder Scrolls VI. I think the time has finally come for Bethesda to cut the crap with the endless Skyrim re-releases. The reason I think it's been this long with no announcement is because I think they are going to do the same thing they did with Fallout 4. Announce it at E3 and announce the release date as Fall 2018.

Russell Archery

• Something I expect Nintendo to do is to announce something related to the new Super Smash Bros..  I’m even going to go so bold as to predict that they’ll announce at least one new character, by which I mean a character that has never been in a Smash game prior to this one.  I’ve heard rumors as to who could be announced, but nothing concrete.
• While most of my gaming these days are on Nintendo platforms and the PC, I still enjoy the older Halo games now and then (ie. those not on the Xbox One since I don’t own that system).  It’s been about two and a half years since the launch of Halo 5, so I’m expecting to see something related to Halo 6 announced. Furthermore, if Halo 6 is announced, I wouldn’t be surprised to see it come to the Microsoft Store on Windows 10 as well as the Xbox One.

Sean Colleli

• Metroid Prime 4 will probably show up in one form or another, although I’m betting on an extensive gameplay reveal trailer or maybe a late alpha demo during the Treehouse Live. It’s been a year since they revealed it and who knows how long Namco-Bandai had been prototyping before last E3 so they should hopefully be decently along by now.
• I’m really looking forward to seeing more from Serious Sam 4: Planet Badass. Sam is one of my favorite series because Croteam just does not give a single damn what other shooters are doing, so Sam usually picks up the slack of other FPS series and keeps the genre tied to its roots. This time however everyone is going retro, so I’m excited to see what Croteam does in the face of the 90s shooter revival.

Kevin O'Connell

• I assume what everyone else assumes at this point and that is a plethora of sequels to big game franchises. The first on the card will be Doom II. No, not the classic hit from 1994 - called "Hell on Earth", but a completely devastating sequel off the latest Doom game for consoles. It will be graphically impressive and potentially heading for VR sooner than later.
• The next is a no-brainer and that is a new Halo game. The umteenth game in the Halo universe, titled "6" no doubt, will hopefully be a game that will bring old fans back with some important changes from 4, and 5. A more classic, and enjoyable story; a lack of Cortana further nude than she was in 5, and the ability to carry more than two fricken guns would all be appreciated.
• The final expectation is Call of Duty: Black Ops 4. COD has been away with Infinite Warfare and WWII and should get back to their - in my opinion - best series they've released - and that is Black Ops.