7 June 2014
Last updated at 20:08 ET
E3: What video games to expect for the new-gen consoles
http://www.bbc.com/news/technology-27738501
WATCH: Rory Cellan-Jones is attacked by a shark while trying out Sony's Project Morpheus virtual reality headset
Prepare
for an onslaught of high-definition hack-and-slash, shoot-em-up,
treasure hunting, sci-fi, role-playing, super-heroic, time-bending,
social-racing mayhem.
If last year's E3 Electronic Entertainment Expo was all about
new hardware, this year's event is focused on the games themselves.It's a chance for developers to show off what they can do now they've had more time with the "new-gen" consoles, and to stimulate chatter about their often huge-budget releases.
"E3 is much more than a convention, it's a celebration of all things gaming - a place where the industry comes together to really show its stuff", Peter Moore, chief operating officer of EA - one of the biggest publishers - tells the BBC.
"The biggest games, the biggest stage, an opportunity to talk about what's coming now and in the future, and more so than ever to put the games in the hands of players."
E3 offers attendees an early chance to try out as yet unreleased games
Consumers can, however, take part by watching live streams of the various announcements via the companies' own websites and the gaming service Twitch.
One of the big surprises of the early new-gen games has been Wolfenstein: The New Order. In particular, the Nazi-shooter's alternate-history storyline has been praised for helping revitalise the brand.
The BBC asked the man responsible, Sweden-based narrative designer Tommy Tordsson Bjork, for the games he most anticipates at E3:
1. Mirror's Edge 2
"The idea of playing [female protagonist] Faith again, and leaping from building to building is just really exciting. I know the lead designer on this project and he's a very talented and smart guy, so I'm sure this will be nothing short of excellent."
2. The Evil Within
"What I've played feels sort of like a great mix of the best of Silent Hill and Resident Evil. It feels like we've been starved of triple-A horror titles recently, so I think this is very timely."
3. Quantum Break
"I don't know that much about it beyond the fact that you can use time-manipulation powers. But I've always liked Remedy Entertainment studio ever since playing the first Max Payne game."
4. Alien: Isolation
"Not only do we get a game that invokes the horror of the first Aliens movie - my favourite of the series - but also I really like the analogue tech 1970's-vision-of-the-future atmosphere that they are going for."
5. Mad Max
6. Elegy for a Dead World
"It's an indie game where the player-explorer observes a dead world and has to write down what he observes in a journal and send it back to his home world. It's inspired by British romantic poets like Shelley and Byron, and that's something that makes it appealing to me."
Sony scored a publicity coup last year by undercutting the Xbox One by $100
In addition, it promises a software update will unlock extra grunt for its graphics chip when the Kinect is not in use, addressing the fact that several Xbox One games have had lower frame rates and resolutions than their PS4 equivalents.
"Microsoft's decision to aggressively reposition Xbox One as a gamers' machine and to remove the need to buy Kinect at this early stage will have undoubtedly taken Sony by surprise and is likely to have resulted in some change in emphasis for Sony's E3 press event," says Piers Harding-Rolls, a games industry analyst at the IHS Technology consultancy.
Microsoft decided to sell a version of the Xbox One without the motion-detecting Kinect
We already know some, but not all, of the exclusives to be showcased.
Microsoft is promising more details about Halo 5 - the latest in its epic alien-battling series - at the show, although it's not clear if it will show anything more than a pre-rendered tease.
It should, however, allow attendees to try out Sunset Overdrive -a brightly coloured title in which players slide along rails blowing up mutants - and Quantum Break - a game in which the characters control time.
Sunset Overdrive is a deliberately over-the-top colourful shooter
It is also expected to disclose details about a new game in its hit Uncharted third-person action series, reveal what Britain's Media Molecule studio has been working on as a follow-up to its quirky Little Big Planet games, and show off its forthcoming Project Morpheus virtual reality headset.
And don't forget Nintendo.
The Wii U may have been abandoned by some third-party publishers, but Nintendo has long developed many of its platforms' most desired games.
At E3 it will stage a tournament to promote a title likely to boost sales of the struggling console: Super Smash Bros 4.
Super Smash Bros 4 is the first to feature Capcom's character Mega Man
"Super Smash Bros won't turn around Nintendo's fortunes, but it will get the Wii U up off the mat and encourage people who enjoyed previous versions of the game to buy the console," says Lewis Ward a games analyst at research firm IDC.
Nintendo also promises to reveals details about a Wii U Legends of Zelda game.
Bungie's ambition Of the cross-platform titles, Destiny is arguably the most anticipated.
Destiny combines single-player and multiplayer gameplay into its campaign
But developer Bungie has still to prove Destiny will be an evolutionary leap forward in the same manner the studio's original Halo game influenced others.
It does, however, have the advantage of going on sale in September to what at this point appears to be pretty barren release schedule.
The Witcher 3 is based on the fantasy novels of Polish writer Andrzej Sapkowski
Rocksteady Studio's third Batman game, Arkham Knight; Ubisoft's open-world Tom Clancy's The Division; Avalanche Studio's car-combat-themed Mad Max; and CD Projekt Red's role-player Witcher 3 are just some of the games postponed from 2014 to 2015.
Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare is one of a relatively low number of big-name games still due to be released on new-gen hardware before the end of the year
"For these smaller teams who can make things faster and develop things cheaper, there's loads of little gaps in the market that they can quickly jump into," explains Christopher Dring, editor of the trade magazine MCV.
"This summer there's loads of opportunities. There will be loads of gamers with little to play once they've finished Watch Dogs, who'll want something different."
Ubisoft says it will provide more details about its Himalayas-set Far Cry 4
Bigger, better Most console gamers are still on last-gen hardware. E3 offers the firms involved a chance to convince them that the new kit, and its more expensive games, are worth the investment.
And if you're still not impressed by the time E3 ends on Thursday?
EA has yet to show off what it will be like to play its forthcoming Star Wars game
"We're just scratching the surface of what's possible with the new consoles - the systems, and the games we deliver, will only get better as we unlock new capabilities."
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