E3 is over, but as always, the expo has given us more than enough to get excited about—potentially for years to come. This year, E3 released 15,000 public passes, getting ground-level gamers closer than ever to the publishers they love, and you could tell the excitement in the crowd was real as fan-favorite franchises got new sequel and remake announcements (amidst hundreds of promising new titles).
So what were the top titles that got gamers’ hearts pounding this year? These are our top 10 “games of show,” in no particular order:
1. Anthem.
In what was arguably one of the most beautiful trailers of E3, BioWare’s Anthem is shown to be an open-world, co-operative experience, complete with exo-suits and a science fiction/fantasy world to melt any nerd’s heart. You’ll be able to work together and start collecting loot this October.
2. Assassin’s Creed: Origins.
Assassin’s Creed is used to getting a new game pretty much every year, but Ubisoft appears to have spent their last year off developing something different. Assassin’s Creed: Origins takes players to ancient Egypt, set before the mainstream games to explore the origins of the Assassin’s order. Don’t worry—the stealth, explore, and fight formula appears to be in full force. It’s due out this October.
3. Sea of Thieves.
Sea of Thieves seemed amazing—at last year’s E3. Rare is still working on this title, which means fan anticipation is building even higher for this swashbuckling adventure. The game promises to be a see-anything, do-anything co-operative experience that casts you and your friends as pirates. Who could ask for more? No word on an official release date yet.
4. Destiny 2.
They hype for Destiny was massive back in 2014, and thanks to a steady stream of new content, fans are still playing it—which makes Destiny 2 that much more exciting. The big additions here seem to be new maps and new gear, so we’ll see if it matches the hype this September.
5. Wolfenstein II.
The Wolfenstein series has a ton of hallmarks that fans love, including over-the-top violence, strange settings, and Nazi enemies that everyone loves to hate. If the next installment simply offers more of the same, fans will be happy—but the trailer offers far more than that. Wolfenstein II: The New Colossus looks like it’s going to be more innovative, with more risks and new gameplay mechanics to give fans something fresh. Expect to pick it up this October.
6. Shadow of War.
Shadow of Mordor was probably the best Lord of the Rings game of all time, and Shadow of War, its sequel, promises to give us more of everything we loved about it—including an updated Nemesis system that gives orcs even more personality. It should be out in early October.
7. Far Cry 5.
We’d known about Far Cry 5 for more than a month before E3, but the expo showed off our first look at real gameplay footage. We’re used to seeing Far Cry series games take place in exotic locations, but Far Cry 5 appears to take place on American soil. New features include the ability to take to the skies, and to recruit companions—including a dog—for support. You can pick up Far Cry 5 at the end of February 2018.
8. God of War.
God of War is another franchise that helped redefine an era. God of War I, II, and III all received critical acclaim (though its spinoffs didn’t fare as well), and central character Kratos generated a diehard fandom. Still, it’s been more than four years since we’ve seen a God of War title, which is part of the reason the God of War reboot is so exciting. In the game, Kratos will teach his son the brutality and strange elegance of battle against mythological creatures in what looks to be beautiful graphics. It’s due out in early 2018.
9. Super Mario Odyssey.
Due out October 27, in plenty of time for the holidays, Super Mario Odyssey is the latest exciting 3D installment in a franchise that has consistently set new standards for platformers. After tinkering with gravity in Super Mario Galaxy, Nintendo is now giving Super Mario a magical hat, which allows him to take control of nearby things—including enemies like Goombas, rocket ships, and even a T-rex. The trailer shows the fun-loving tone and pure innovation you’d expect from a canonical Mario game.
10. Days Gone.
Set in the Pacific northwest and with vibes reminiscent of the Last of Us, Days Gone could be the next great zombie game. The gameplay footage looks beautiful, and we’re told that an ever-changing system adds variable difficulty to the “Freakers” based on things like temperature, time of day, and location. Expect this one sometime in 2018, though no official date is set.
What’s truly impressive about E3 is that there are more titles we debated including in this list. Though there were some disappointments, 2017 holds up as an exciting year in the gaming world, and we can’t wait to get our hands on the games we listed above.
