E3 2016 revealed several new IPs, so let’s look at the games we’re really excited for. There was a little something for everyone, and each leaves us looking forward to the coming months with great interest.
I attempted to watch the E3 2016 press conferences with detached cynicism. I don’t want to be roped into the big hype machine; however, there’s always a handful of new IP’s that excite me and I can’t stop thinking about. So, here is a list of our five most hotly anticipated new IP’s from E3 2016!
Fe
EA has created a division called EA Originals. The division’s goal is to support independent game developers, financially and publishing wise, to create original titles. The imprint’s first effort premiered at EA’s E3 2016 presentation: a dark and moody game by the name of Fe. The Swedish developed game immediately caught my attention.
You play as a lone cub in a dark forest. The only way to progress through the game is to connect with the other inhabitants though the form of music. You have to learn the songs of the other animals in other to work with them. There were also some creepy looking antagonists featured called the ‘silent ones.’ The developer stated that the game will revolve around our connection to nature.
Fe shows us how we are all connected to each other and to nature. One other thing that piqued my interest was how the game will play. He said there will be no hand holding. The developer made it sound as if you’re going to be dropped into this atmospheric world, and charged to explore it on your own. There won’t be a lot of help. This is an interesting looking game, with good visuals and an ambitious theme.
Days Gone
It wouldn’t be an modern E3 without a new zombie game. The title itself is reminiscent of the title of the first Walking Dead episode, Days Gone Bye. Instead of Zombies or Walkers we have Freaks. Bend Studio’s latest effort is an open world action adventure game set in a post apocalyptic version of the Pacific Northwest.
You play as Deacon St. John. Deacon is a biker who chooses to eek out a life on the open road than join the safe camps that have been set up around the world. The gamplay trailer showed some very impressive zombie hordes. The trailer also featured a special type of freak called a Newt. These creatures look like Gollum from Lord of the Rings and attack from the shadows.
When Deacon comes upon a horde, we see all the creatures burst out of hiding and move as a great mass. Deacon runs while trying to use the environment to his advantage. He moves under derelict train cars, and drops large objects in the horde’s way. Exploding barrels and Molotov Cocktails are also an option.
It looks frantic and intense, which is a good contrast from the early section of the demonstration where things were quiet and desolate. It looks like the mood and the gameplay can shift dramatically at any time, which will keep players on their toes throughout the entire experience. Open world zombie games are not an entirely new idea, but Days Gone looks to be very polished product and I can’t wait to see how it turns out.
Death Stranding
During Sony’s E3 2016 conference, Hideo Kojima took the stage to announce a conceptual trailer for his studio’s next project: Death Stranding. The trailer contained an abstract collection of strong imagery and Norman Reedus attached to an infant with an umbilical cord. Even though the trailer didn’t really tell us how the game is played, the premise is intriguing none the less. Kojima later confirmed that Death Stranding will be an action game, not a survival horror game like the canceled Silent Hills.
It featured a beach littered with the corpses of sea creatures. Hand print impressions materialized and filled with oil, which possibly speaks of environmental disaster. Examining social issues through the narrative of video games is something that Kojima consistently does, and we can expect no different here. Most of all, the story behind this game makes it even more anticipated. Kojima left Konami with an uncertain future. After founding his own studio, he worked out a deal with Sony and returned to the development scene. As a result, we have the Death Stranding trailer. It gives us a lot of imagery to chew on as we wait for more details.
Recore
Recore is a game starring an adventurous girl and her group of robots. Not surprisingly, it’s being developed by Keiji Inafune and the studio responsible for the Metroid Prime series. Surprisingly, it’s an Xbox One and Windows 10 exclusive that I’m excited for.
The trailer features 3D platforming elements and the protagonist ripping components from her enemies. She has a robot dog fighting with her, and a tentacled robot helping her jump and grapple onto distant objects. The game looks fast paced and intense, and follows in the vein of Mega Man and Metroid. We may never get a true 3D Mega Man game from Inafune, and Nintendo seems to be taking its time with a proper Metroid sequel, so this looks like it will satisfy that empty void in our life.
Detroit: Become Human
The E3 2016 trailer featured an android gone mad in addition to taking a little girl hostage. He stands on the ledge of a building with a gun to the girl’s head. A negotiation android is sent in to talk his fellow machine down from the ledge. The girl’s mother doesn’t seem so keen on having an android negotiate with an android, which shows us a world where the tensions between man and machines are very high.
What makes the house android go crazy in the first place is the realization of his own purpose in life, which is only to serve others. This is a science fiction trope that has been around for decades. When machines suddenly become self aware, the humans usually suffer, although the human race isn’t altogether absolved from guilt. Fortunately, this issue is something I’ve been fascinated with ever since I’ve discovered the fiction of Isaac Asimov and Philip K. Dick.
The trailer goes on to show us a myriad of different outcomes that can happen. The out of control android will simply take the leap if your unsuccessful. However, what makes this very interesting is that there isn’t a black and white solution. The game shows us many varying degrees of success, from dispatching the android outright to having it come down from the ledge of its own volition. The android gets killed either way. Consequently, he falls to the ground calling the negotiator, named Conner, a liar. This seems to effect Conner in some way that will be explored throughout the game.
