E3 2018 Predictions

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E3 is my favourite time of year.
Every June, gamers across the world unite under the universal banner of hype as we eagerly await announcements from some of our very favourite game publishers. Those of us who aren't attending the event at the Los Angeles Convention Center will most likely be glued to their TV's for 3 days straight as heavy-hitting companies take to the stage to show off their latest titles.
Naturally, the E3 season would not be complete without the influx of media and entertainment sources delivering their annual 'E3 predictions' to add to the anticipation.

With that in mind, and based on my gaming preferences, here are some of my predictions heading into the 24th Electronic Entertainment Expo for Nintendo, Sony and third party publishers.

Sony

 Ready at Dawn introduce a new IP
Despite Ready at Dawn's 2015 outing The Order: 1886 concluding on somewhat of a cliffhanger, I can't help but think that the game's lukewarm critical reception has damaged the budding IP's reputation beyond repair. It's been ~3 years since The Order hit shelves and gamers across the world quickly hit back, noting that the game's jaw dropping visuals could not justify the unimaginative combat, sub-par storytelling and desperate lack of exploration in the game's intriguing setting of Victorian London. Despite it's flaws, however, The Order succeeded in showcasing that the developer has pure, untapped potential, and with Sony working hard to maintain an excellent catalogue of exclusive titles, I wouldn't be surprised to see Ready at Dawn take the stage with an all new project this summer.

Ni No Kuni II: Revenant Kingdom DLC Trailer
It's no secret that Level 5's Ni No Kuni II: Revenant Kingdom is scheduled for a couple of new expansions in the future. Being my game of the year (so far) I, for one, am chomping at the bit to jump back into the world of Ding Dong Dell and Goldpaw to see what the kooky cast of characters have in store for us. While PlayStation Experience (PSX) would be the more obvious platform to show off the game's incoming DLC, E3 seems like the perfect place to rake in any final PS4 sales before hype for the inevitable PlayStation 5 kicks in, and what better way than to show off a new reason to jump into one of the year's best titles.


Horizon: Zero Dawn Sequel Announcement
Okay, this one's a stretch.
Guerilla Games' Horizon: Zero Dawn was my very favourite game of 2017, and maybe I'm being far too naive, but I can't shake the feeling that Sony will want to end their conference with a bang. With 4 first party games already confirmed to be at the event, Sony could be struggling to deliver some of the surprises that they are known for in previous years. We know Insomniac's Spider-man, Naughty Dog's The Last of Us Part 2, Bend's Days Gone and SuckerPunch's Ghost of Tsushima will take up the majority of the time, but to wrap up the conference with a short teaser for the next instalment of the Horizon franchise could be the perfect way to claim E3 2018 as yet another victory for Sony. It's all but confirmed that Guerilla's newest game is due a sequel, so why not announce it early and generate maximum anticipation for a game we all but know will be an instant classic.


Nintendo

 The Legend of Zelda: Wind Waker HD ported to Switch
The Legend of Zelda: Wind Waker is one of my absolute favourite Nintendo titles. The vast, open sea combines so perfectly with the wonder and awe that the Zelda series is so famous for. By integrating the classic tale of good and evil with the fresh, new mechanic of sailing across an expansive ocean gave the tired setting of Hyrule a greatly needed change. With the HD port, the aptly titled The Legend of Zelda: Wind Waker HD was met with critical acclaim on the WiiU in 2013 and the few people who decided to pick up Nintendo's latest hardware were able to rekindle their love of the game. However, the disappointing sales figures for the WiiU meant that not many players were able to revisit Link's journey on the high seas. This is a situation Nintendo should want to quickly rectify, with the Switch exceeding the lifetime sales of the WiiU in December of 2017. Coming hot off the back of the excellent Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild, E3 2018 could be the perfect location to announce the arrival of (in my opinion) Link's best adventure to date.


Crash Bandicoot Announced as playable character on upcoming Super Smash Bros
With Crash Bandicoot looking set to make the jump to Nintendo Switch at the end of this month, I can't shake the feeling that Nintendo will want to harness the hype and announce something big for the character. With Super Smash Bros on the horizon (eek!) what better way to build anticipation for the N. Sane Trilogy than to introduce the furry menace into the wonderful and chaotic world of Smash just in time for the scheduled 2018 release.
Persona 5 Announcement Trailer for Switch
Again, this one is wishful thinking.
Persona 5 delivered a fresh, exciting new story coupled with familiar gameplay mechanics when it released exclusively for PS4 early in 2017. While the game was met with phenomenal review scores from major outlets across the world, the nagging feeling that it would fit best on a portable system never left my mind. After the exquisite Persona 4 Golden served as a perfect remaster of the original PS2 classic, Persona 4, playing the sequel on a home console never quite felt natural. However, with Nintendo's positive relationship with develop Atlus, the Switch is not only the perfect place to introduce Persona 5 to a whole new market, but is also more than capable to run the game at a consistently high quality.


Third Party and Other Announcements

 Ken Levine's New Project to be Announced
With Irrational Games (creators of the beloved Bioshock franchise) closing shop, creator Ken Levine has been eerily silent since the release of the excellent Bioshock Infinite. It's well documented that Levine has a game in the pipeline, so after 5 long years of anticipation, E3 2018 could finally be the year we see what the mad scientist has in store for us. 2007's Bioshock is an absolute favourite of mine, so if this (granted quite bold) prediction comes to pass, it goes without saying I would be beyond(!) excited to see more.
Team Salvato Introduce Latest Title Exclusive to PC
I finished my playthrough of Doki Doki Literature Club! not quite knowing what had just happened. The cute, simplistic visual novel about 4 high school girls quickly turned into the stuff of nightmares as the narrative takes a shocking turn for the worst. The creativity of developer, Team Salvato, came to the forefront towards the tail end of the game's ~4 hour runtime by having the player think outside of the box to uncover the game's true ending.
Since then, many people have theorised what the developers have up their sleeve next, and with the excellent Game Theorists on YouTube deconstructing the clues hidden in the game's files (link below), all signs point to a new game on the horizon.


Telltale Games Showcase New Disney Episodic Title
With hotly anticipated sequels to The Wolf Among Us and The Walking Dead in the works, Telltale games have quite the full plate for these next few months. While it may be hoping against hope to see a second season to the excellent Tales From The Borderlands, the announcement of an all-new franchise for Telltale isn't a huge stretch. Telltale often release episodes of 2 games in multiple months, and while the already announced series may take up a large portion of the next year or so, E3 2018 could be a great time to shock the audience with a new title.
The Disney corporate machine shows no signs of stopping, with Kingdom Hearts III scheduled for release this year and an influx of Star Wars titles planned. Because of this, Telltale could find themselves dabbling into the company's vast range of franchises to create something truly unique.


Regardless of if any of these ambitious predictions come to pass, E3 2018 is shaping up to be quite the treat for gamers in all 4 corners of the Earth. I'm excited to see what's on the horizon, and knowing that this year has already been an excellent year for gaming gives me hope for the remainder of 2018.



Until then, GG.


Billy.



https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i28Dd8jXZxs

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