E3 is just around the corner and the review team here at AbsoluteGaming has got you covered as always. Alongside a full break down of the viewing schedule the crack team have put together there collective thoughts on what they'd like to see, surprises and a little bit of everything. Remember you can join the discussion by signing up to AbsoluteGaming's forums to have your say as well as getting involved in our fantastic community. Enjoy!
The Schedule:
The whole show kicks off on Tuesday the 15th June 2016. There are 5 key note conferences for Xbox One users. EA, Bethseda, Square Enix and Ubisoft make up the developer syndicate with Microsoft opening things up from a conference point of view. A full schedule is below, please note that all times are BST.
Microsoft: 15th June -- 5.30 PM
EA -- 15th June -- 9 PM
Ubisoft -- 15th June -- 11 PM
Bethesda -- 16th June -- 3 AM
Square Enix -- 16th June -- 5PM
You can tune into all the conferences by the individual official websites, your Xbox One will have the capability to stream as well as using apps such as Twitch, IGN or Youtube. Always check before you tune in which is the best one to use!
AboluteGaming's Review Team Preview:
We here in the review team have long watched E3 and have seen many many things, from the launch of the Xbox One to seeing the arrival of massive titles such as Bioshock and Gears of War. We can hardly contain our excitement. Below each of us has had there say on what they would like to see, their predictions and why they love E3.
Billy Dubya:
Well, we all know E3 is starting to become a show full of surprises that are "actually genuine" and not some mamby pamby thing which is leaking more times than a blind plumber's attempt at fitting a kitchen sink, but this year has been a rather moot point in terms of prep and excitement. There is one thing that has caught my eye in terms of actual release, but I'm not sure if it is doing enough.
I love, and have always loved, Gears of War. It is the one series that, other than Judgement, has always made me revel in multiplayer, with the Horde mode in Gears 2 still being one of the most enjoyable moments in gaming I've ever had with other human comrades. The talk of the new one on Xbox One has only been talk and not much else, but I really want to see something concrete this year, as a year in development would realistically be enough to give us a dangling carrot of enjoyment.
I'm also hoping that the talk of a remix of the original GoW turns into something similar to the Halo Master Chief Collection (albeit without the screw ups) and that we get all three in the trilogy all in one place. You may have Battlefront, Crackdown and more than likely 10 minutes of a developer playing CoD (again) but for me this is the make or break for E3 in my eyes.
KrustyManMeat:
It's that time of year again and E3 is just around the corner but unfortunately for Microsoft their grasp on E3 is slipping further and further away. For the last 5 years Microsoft's conferences have been shite, even more so since the release of the Xbox One. This year Microsoft need to go big and when I say big I mean balls to the wall and all guns blazing. Last year was a step in the right direction and I hope they continue that momentum with less talk about the Xbox One being an all in one entertainment hub and focus on it being a games machine first and foremost and by the way last year's near total neglect of Kinect was a God send RIP.
So what about games. We will obviously see the big hitters in action Halo, Forza, Fable, COD, Gears of War Remastered and Tomb Raider. But forget the obvious games for a moment. Microsoft have promised to focus on new IP's this year and that's a good thing for all of us. I am desperate to see some Scalebound gameplay footage even if it's just to see if the hype coming from people who have seen it behind closed doors is justified. Visceral Games super secret Star Wars project has been shrouded in mystery since it was first announced last year and absolutely nothing has been seen of it. With the Dead Space pedigree behind them I am expecting something based on the Death Troopers book. Well I can dream can't I? I want to see what Black Tusk Studios are doing with Gears of War. With members from the original Gears team working on the game it promises to be something special and it will have to be. It's got one hell of a legacy to live up to. Rare have tweeted several times that 2015 will be a big year for them. Will this E3 see a big announcement from them and hopefully a return to form. ID's Doom will hopefully live up to expectations and be an old school trip down memory lane for me. One of Microsoft's original flagship games Crackdown is also rumoured to be making its Xbox One debut this year so maybe we will get to see that as well. The list goes on The Division, Mad Max, Metal Gear Solid 5, Mirror's Edge 2, Star Wars: Battlefront and Titanfall 2 are just a few more.
On the hardware side of things we might get to see Hololens making it's E3 appearance. A new controller has already been leaked so that's a given and there is so much speculation about an Xbox One slim being revealed but I'm not so sure myself. It seems a bit to early for a hardware revision this early in but you never know.
I don't want to see huge chunks of time given to overly long gameplay demos of COD, Halo, Tomb Raider, Gears of War etc, etc. I know these games are the money makers but mix things up a little. Give some of the newer games some good exposure. To be blown away by Microsoft's conference at this year's E3 would leave me feeling ecstatic and as gamers it should leave you feeling that way as well.
Gingerneo:
I bloody love E3, hopefully one day I will be able to attend in person, but until then I’ll continue to watch the live streams and catch up on new articles as it happens. This year is no different, I’m hoping for big things from Microsoft. They are slowly clawing their way back against PS4, and while I don’t think they will catch up now with regards to sales, I remain hopeful that I made the right decision in purchasing an Xbox One. I’ll be watching the Microsoft conference with interest, but it’s important to remember the big publisher conferences this year: Bethesda, EA, Ubisoft and Square Enix. It could prove to be interesting.
Microsoft Announces the Xbox One back in 2013
With regards to the Microsoft conference, I’m hoping they try to stay away a bit from the usual ‘time exclusive’ or ‘DLC here first’ stuff that we’ve been having. Of course it will be there, but I want new games, whether they be exclusives or not. It seems pretty set in stone that Gears of War will be there. I’m not too fussed on the idea of the remake, I hope they use it as an opportunity to give us a glimpse at what they are planning with the new Gears game. I’m also hoping to see some Halo 5 campaign, and where they are going with the storyline. I want to see something completely new and unexpected aswell, that makes me sit back and go ‘WOW’, it is unlikely with everything leaking before official announcements these days, but we can dream. Other than that, I’d be interested in seeing Scalebound, Quantum Break and Crackdown (maybe!?).
Moving on from Microsoft specific, there are a lot of games that I’m keeping an eye out for. There are heavy rumours about Fallout making an appearance at the Bethesda conference. I’d personally prefer a new Elder Scrolls single player game, but that looks unlikely. I’ll also be looking for Just Cause 3, Deus Ex: Mankind Divided and of course Star Wars: Battlefront. On the long shot front, Visceral are making a Star Wars games aswell, maybe we will get a tease of that? Or how about Borderlands 3, Mass Effect 4 or even see what’s happening with the new Homefront game? Whichever way I look at it, it is going to be a big year, and fingers crossed for no mention of ‘entertainment hub’!
DanLH16:
For me E3 can go one of 2 ways, it can really give us hair raising moments where we get to see what is going to make the leap forward. Or we get the same old recycling rubbish that really sours some real excitement. I cast my mind back to when Microsoft spoke about the Kinect for an awful long time and the discussion about moving away from a sole gaming console to a home entertainment system. So depressing.
Thankfully, I think those times are over. The backlash from the community has seen Microsoft change tact in the past few years and I expect this E3 to really push the games and for gamers to be rewarded for some poor showings in the past. I can’t go any further without opening up on my excitement to see Star Wars Battlefront, a franchise which is firmly in my top 5 all time, I pray that EA and Dice don’t ruin my one true love.
After that I was a bit “meh” about some of the other things that look set to come out, our annual Assassins Creed game, Halo instalment and the pushing of Call of Duty all don’t interest me like they once did. Bethseda’s announcement that Fallout 4 is coming has got me majorly hyped. I’m looking forward to seeing the demo for that, although I won’t be up at 3 in the morning for it!
Guessing the surprises is what’s fun here for me. I look forward to seeing the new range of ID @Xbox titles coming out, an undervalued and underrated area of the Xbox Store. A brand new Gears of War could steal the show for me, if Microsoft goes big to blowout Sony. I’d love to see more from Quantum Break, although I won’t hold my breath for that one, I’d like to see some of the Xbox 360’s old charms re-imagined on the Xbox One. LA Noire and Mafia 3 if you’re reading this Microsoft, make it happen.
Keep an eye out for all the reaction, individual announcements and the latest news and reviews by joining us over the week commencing June 15th for all things E3 related!