E3 crept up on us before we knew it. While mostly everything is still in a virtual set-up due to the pandemic, we’ve changed out approach to only cover the highlights of what stood out to us in the different showcases over the next few days. Day 1 kicked off with Ubisoft Forward followed by the quirky Devolver Digital Showcase and wrapped up with Gearbox Entertainment.
UBISOFT FORWARD 2021
Considering that E3 is the showcase for the year ahead, it’s obviously very disappointing that Ubisoft usually the highlight of the E3 conference calendar came with such a disappointing slate padded out with updates for existing titles and trailers for their TV / Movie projects and just so much cringe worthy presentation….is it too late to get Aisha back?
So let’s cut the fat from the steak as here are the few highlights from the show.
Rainbow Six Extraction (September 16th)
Normally we don’t have a lot to say about Rainbow Six Siege as over the six years of the game’s launch, we’re not exactly big players of online multiplayer games or into e-sports. However with Back 4 Blood on the horizon the Rainbow Six team keen to not be outdone bring us Rainbow Six Extraction
A tactical shooter game which is a 1-3 player co-op experience set in a world battling an alien threat (see completely different). The game will also bring back many of the popular operators with a strong emphasis on risk and reward with captured players going MIA and can’t be playing until their team members save them.
The show did offer a good look at both gameplay and the different alien threats along with their design including a look at how the alien threat is a parasite that evolves in the different containment areas on the world map. Though for fans of Left 4 Dead you can’t help but feel that nagging feeling of familiarity.
Rocksmith+
Following in the footsteps of Just Dance, the Interactive Music Learning will be offering its own mobile version as well as the expected subscription service. The big plus being that it will require no gear other than your guitar and your phone which will double as a mic.
Certainly this is a smart move for the evolution of the game, with the subscription certainly providing a more appealing draw to the most casual learner not wanting to shell out on a full priced game for a hobby they might not stick with.
You can sign up for the closed beta – rocksmith.com/beta
Rider’s Republic (September 2nd)
No, it’s not Steep 2 even though everything on offer is essentially the same so you’d be forgiven for thinking this was a sequel to the open world winter sports sim. As with that game, you have the freedom to go and do what you want while competing in a variety of extreme sports from jet powered wingsuits and BMX’s to snowboarding in a natural playground packed with landmarks and competitions that you can have fun solo or with your friends.
Far Cry 6 (October 7)
Another cinematic trailer for the game showcasing Giancarlo Esposito as the main villain Anton Castillo but nothing that we havn’t seen before.
Surprisingly the most interesting part of the presentation was Far Cry 6 Season Pass which includes Far Cry 3 Blood Dragon as well getting to play the iconic villains from Farcry 3 to 5 with their original voice actors returning and Ubisoft promising that this DLC will “Delve into these iconic villain’s twisted minds, uncover their backstories, battle their inner demons, and reunite with familiar faces,” when the game is released in October.
Mario + Rabbids Sparks of Hope (2022)
The next Nintendo and Ubisoft collaboration is here as the next game in the Mario + Rabbids is announced and titled Sparks of Hope. Sparks being the Rabids and Lumas morph. This time, the new adventure takes place with an entire galaxy to explore via spaceship. There are new elements added to the genre and claims to still be easy to play but hard to master for those looking for a challenge. That being said, this is a Nintendo Switch exclusive.
Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora (2022)
Ubisoft always presents their surprise first looks as the big ending to their showcase to wrap things up. Much in that style, they offered up a first look at the upcoming Avatar game boasting the use of their Snowdrop engine.
What we got here though was another cinematic trailer for the upcoming first person action adventure game in an open-world experience which promises a whole new story from the upcoming film(s) but really all it did was bring back memories of the last time they tried to turn the film into a game back on the Xbox 360 and PS3.
And all the rest from Ubisoft Forward below…
- Just Dance 2022 returns with it’s yearly update on November 4th with special guest: Todrick Hall (exciting if you know who this is I guess)
- Year 6 of Rainbow Six Siege brings with it Crossplay with PC, Stadia, Luna
- For Honor, Trackmania, The Crew 2, Watch Dogs Legion: all packed with new updates and seasons
- Brawlhalla: The Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles are being added as playable characters
- Ghost Recon Breakpoint will have some upcoming updates in celebration for the franchise’s 20th anniversary
- Assassin’s Creed Valhalla: A wide slate of free updates and upcoming second expansion, The Siege of Paris coming in Summer 2021
- TV series: Mythic Quest, Season 2 on Apple TV
- Movie: Werewolves Within: in theatres June 25th and On Demand July 2nd
DEVOLVER MAXPASS +
Devolver Digital’s showcase has always been a skit of over the top performances while dropping their upcoming independent games set to be published in the coming year. This year is no different as they use a backdrop of having Maxpass+ with premium access to their games and end it in a rather clever way. For a half an hour show, it’s quite entertaining overall with this unique approach with a few interesting indie games to look forward to.
Let’s check out of some of the highlights of the show:
Trek to Yomi (2022)
The past few years have been a good few Japanese samurai games that’ve been released and mostly fairly big budget AAA titles. Taking it back a step is Trek to Yomi which is not only black and white but also a side scroller combat game. The art style and the combat both look really good in the fairly short trailer but might be an intriguing one to discover. It’s being released on the new generation consoles and PC.
Phantom Abyss (Steam Early Access June 22nd)
Multiplayer games have definitely been a huge focus and yet, Phantom Abyss takes on an asynchronous multiplayer first person experience through a temple full of obstacles as you chase after phantoms of other players that failed their attempts. The angle definitely sounds unique enough but it just depends whether the game is focused more on trial and error and luck or is there something more to it. It is heading into Steam Early Access on June 22nd so not too long of a wait to find out how it plays out from concept versus reality.
Wizard with a Gun (2022)
Wizard With A Gun is an upcoming sandbox survival game which can be played as multiplayer co-op or single player, much like Don’t Starve. In fact, looking at the art style and certain elements, the similarities are definitely there. The colors however are much more vibrant. The world does seem more magical as you do play as wizard characters and that adds a lot more combat and different fantastical enemies to encounter. Magic, crafting and building: Wizard With A Gun does seem to have its own angle. It’s expected to release on Nintendo Switch and PC.
Inscryption (2021)
From the creator of Pony Island and The Hex comes Inscryption, a card-based odyssey that looks like a lot of things from a card game/deckbuilding roguelike and a board game design. It also has a unique inked art style and some kind of adventure going on which involves escape room puzzles blending to create a psychological horror game. The idea is definitely unique in its various elements but the story is still not revealed yet. There’s still a lot of unknown about this one but you do have to appreciate that unlike other companies that give cinematic trailers over gameplay, Inscryption took the opposite path.
Other games mentioned in Devolver Digital showcase:
- Death’s Door (July 20th, 2021)
- Devolver Tumble Time (2021, Android & iOS)
- Demon Throttle (2022, Nintendo Switch Physical Exclusive)
GEARBOX ENTERTAINMENT
Another quick showcase to get through as Gearbox Entertainment hosts a half hour show mostly boasting a few games and spending a good portion of the time on the movie set of the Borderlands film currently in production. The key points to note for the Borderlands movie is that its directed by Eli Roth and stars some popular names like Cate Blanchette, Jack Black, Kevin Hart. Of course, this is a gaming showcase considering its part of E3 so here’s a quick look at the few games presented…
Tiny Tina’s Wonderlands
There’s no doubt that Borderlands is a fabulous universe that Gearbox created. Taking on a standalone game from the franchise and bringing out a story circling Tiny Tina who was part of the fantastic Borderlands 2 DLC prior to this, Tiny Tina’s Wonderlands centers around this character in a looter shooter set in a new fantasy environment. They reassure that this requires no prior knowledge of Borderlands to dive into. In this fantasy world, it’s filled with its own adventure full of goblins and dragons for starters along with other enemies. There’s no doubt that this announcement is the highlight of this showcase.
Tribes of Midgard (July 27th)
Developed by Norsfell and published by Gearbox Publishing, Tribes of Midgard is an upcoming survival role-playing game which can be a single player experience but best played as a co-op with up to 10 players. You play as a Viking and have to collect resources and build the tribe and village while also defending it from the threats like giants that will come to destroy it. It launches on Playstation 4, Playstation 5 and Steam.
Other updates from Gearbox:
- Godfall is coming to Playstation 4 in August 2021 and will have an expansion, Fire and Darkness
- Homeworld 3 is in production
That wraps up the highlights of Day 1 of E3 2021. What games caught your attention? Let us know in the comments.
Game Warp 