E3 Recap - Special Edition

Jun 16, 2021

Good morning gamers. Welcome to our E3 Edition of the Weekly Recon. From June 12th to June 15th, giants in the gaming industry showcased some awesome new games and projects at the annual E3 conference. Please contain your excitement because we have a lot of amazing news to share with you.

June 12th: Ubisoft & Gearbox

UBISOFT

Avatar Frontiers of Pandora was the highlight of the Ubisoft presentation. The game is being developed by Massive Entertainment and is launching in 2022 for the PS5, Xbox Series X|S, PC and Google Stadia. The action-adventure game is built using the newest Snowdrop Engine and it brings to life the alluring world of Pandora. Gamers will play as Na’vi and go on a journey across the never before seen Western Frontier part of Pandora.

Mario + Rabbids: Sparks of Hope is the sequel to the 2017 release of Mario + Rabbids Kingdom Battle. The game was originally leaked on the Nintendo website ahead of the reveal. Mario + Rabbids: Sparks of Hope will launch in 2022 exclusively for the Nintendo Switch and will feature a collaboration between the characters from the Super Mario Universe and Ubisoft’s Rabbids.

Far Cry 6 will be available on October 7 for PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S, and Google Stadia. Through the Far Cry 6 Season Pass players will be able to play as Vaas Montenegro, Pagan Min and Joseph Seed, the villains of the last 3 games.

Rainbow Six Extraction is set to launch on September 16 and it will be a PvE co-op game as shown at E3. The Rainbow Six Siege team also confirmed that the game will continue to get quality of life improvements as time goes on. According to Ubisoft, starting June 30th Rainbow Six Siege will allow cross-play for PC, Luna, Google Stadia and Steam. The game will begin to support cross-play across all platforms in 2022.

Assassin’s Creed Valhalla was released on November 10, 2020 and it was the most successful release in Assassin’s Creed history. During the E3 presentation, gameplay from “The Siege of Paris,” expansion was revealed. Also, for the first time in franchise history, Assassin’s Creed Valhalla will get a second year of DLC content.

Riders Republic will be available on September 2 for PC, PS4, PS5, Google Stadia, Xbox One and Xbox Series X|S. The trailer revealed at E3 shows the Riders Ridge social space that enables players to access a variety of game modes.

GEARBOX SOFTWARE

Godfall, the PS5 looter slasher game is coming to PS4 along with cross-gen on August 10. The Fire and Darkness expansion, also announced at E3, is set to be released on the same day.

Homeworld 3 is in production and expected to be released in 2022. The developer Blackbird Interactive is behind the real-time strategy game.

Tiny Tina’s Wonderlands is a Borderlands spin-off that is expected to be released in 2022. Despite the awesome trailer, we did not get enough gameplay footage to make an assessment of the game. However, fans of the Borderlands series should expect more to come.

Borderlands the movie is still in production says CEO of Gearbox Software Randy Pitchford who brought viewers behind the scenes at E3. According to IGN, the filming is about 2/3 complete.

June 13th: Microsoft, Bethesda, Square Enix

Starfield is Bethesda’s highly anticipated sci-fi RPG described as “Skyrim in space”. The game will be playable in both first and third person, where players can create any character they want to explore space with immense freedom. Starfield is Bethesda’s first new IP in 25 years and it is set to release on November 11, 2022 exclusively on Xbox Series X|S and PC.

Halo Infinite will finally be hitting the shelves during the 2021 holiday season. Microsoft confirmed that the Xbox exclusive will launch with its campaign mode and free-to-play multiplayer at the same time. Halo Infinite will include: the largest open-world game they’ve ever built, 120 fps multiplayer support, cross-play and cross-progression between console/pc and it will be on Xbox Game Pass on day one.

Redfall is a brand-new Xbox exclusive IP developed by Arkane Austin (a division of Arkane Studios). It is an open-world, co-op FPS where players can choose from a diverse cast of heroes each with unique abilities and weapons to help them liberate the town of Redfall from the vampires. Redfall is scheduled to launch in the summer of 2022 and will be available on Xbox Game Pass on day one.

S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2: Heart Chernobyl is a post apocalyptic FPS taking place at the Chernobyl Exclusion Zone. Players are able to explore the open-world environment filled with mutated creatures through a non-linear story that has a variety of paths to choose from. Stalker 2 will launch for Xbox and PC on April 28, 2022.

Back 4 Blood is the unofficial continuation of the Left 4 Dead series. It is a co-op FPS where players must fight off hordes of zombies, including a Human vs. Zombies competitive mode. The game will launch on October 12.

Contraband is a brand new cooperative open-world heist game being developed by Avalanche Games. No additional information was revealed.

Sea of Thieves: A Pirate’s Life is the newest expansion of the pirate exploration action-adventure game. Disney’s Jack Sparrow from the Pirates of the Caribbean film franchise will join the adventures as players embark on a quest to take down Davy Jones. The free DLC is coming to Xbox and PC on June 22.

Battlefield 2042 marks the grand return of all-out warfare launching on October 22. The multiplayer gameplay reveal showcased the game's massive 128 player lobbies with dynamic storms, environmental hazards and total combat freedom.

Forza Horizon 5 will be the next addition to the Forza series, launching November 9. The newest instalment will bring players to Mexico where the vibrant and ever-evolving open-world landscapes make for an action-packed, car-filled experience in both the multiplayer mode and the dedicated campaign mode.

The Outer Worlds 2 is the sequel to Obsidian Entertainment’s RPG “The Outer Worlds”. The trailer served as an announcement confirming that the game is in development, but currently has nothing more than a name and a comedic commentary to showcase. The Outer Worlds 2 will have a “new solar system and new crew”.

The Ascent is a solo and co-op action-shooter RPG set in a cyberpunk world. The mega corporation that owns you and everyone, the Ascent Group, has just collapsed and it’s your job to survive without it. The game is releasing on July 29 for Xbox and PC, and will be available on Game Pass day one.

Xbox Game Pass had more than 27 new game additions showcased at E3. There are too many to cover but some notable names include the Yakuza Series, Among Us, Hades, Psychonauts 2, Doom Eternal, Microsoft Flight Simulator and Twelve Minutes.

SQUARE ENIX

Marvel’s Guardians of the Galaxy is real and Square Enix opened up their showcase with the world premier trailer. The game is being developed by Eidos Montreal (in collaboration with Marvel) and it’s a single-player, story-driven, action adventure game with no microtransaction component. The “original and authentic experience” will see players journey across the galaxy as Star-Lord. Marvel’s Guardians of the Galaxy will be released on October 26 for PS4, PS5, Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch and PC.

Life is Strange: True Colours had a small appearance which showcased how Alex Chen’s Empathy power allows you to interact with the world. Life is Strange: Remastered Edition also got some screen time showing off its upgraded visuals and confirming that the game will release on September 30. Both games will be coming to the Nintendo Switch this year.

Babylon’s Fall is Platinum Games’ live-service action-adventure cooperative game. Players can play as deadly warriors called the Sentinels making their way to the Tower of Babylon. The game features fluid combat, powerful weapons and unique abilities supporting co-op multiplayer for parties up to four. There is no release date just yet but it will come to PS4, PS5 and Steam.

Stranger of Paradise: Final Fantasy Origin is an action-based Final Fantasy spinoff from Ninja Gaiden. It is a brand new title being published from Square Enix Japan where players try to defeat chaos by playing the role of Jack. The game will include iconic monsters from the Final Fantasy series and is set for a 2022 release on PlayStation, Xbox and PC.

Mobile Games: Square Enix showcased three major titles that they’re bringing to mobile in the near future. Multiple Final Fantasy games are getting mobile releases as “pixel remasters”, the Nier franchise is getting a mobile specific game called Nier: Reincarnation, and Agent 47 is making his handheld debut in Hitman Sniper: The Shadows.

June 14th: Take-Two Interactive, Capcom

TAKE-TWO INTERACTIVE

Take-Two Interactive had fans speculating that Grand Theft Auto 6 would finally be revealed, among other cool games. However, the company used the presentation to put the spotlight on corporations needing to do more and to take responsibility for systemic issues.

CAPCOM

The Great Ace Attorney Chronicles will offer gamers two amazing adventures with awesome new features as of July 29, on the Nintendo Switch, PS4 and PC.

Monster Hunter Stories 2: Wings of Ruin will be released on Steam and Nintendo Switch on July 9. Gamers will be able to play the trial version of the game as of June 25 on the Nintendo Switch. The Palamute from Monster Hunter Rise will also be coming to the game on July 15 as part of a free update. Monster Hunter Rise will continue to receive quest updates, starting with the first “Capcom Collab” update on June 18.

Resident Evil Village was released on April 18, 2021 as the eighth instalment in the Resident Evil series. Capcom confirmed at E3 that there is additional DLC content on the way with details to be released soon.

Street Fighter V esports is still going strong as Capcom Pro Tour 2021 is on the way and fighters can sign up here to become a Legend. Capcom also confirmed that news on the three player tournament Street Fighter League is coming soon.

June 15th: Nintendo, Bandai Namco

The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild 2 is “aiming” for a 2022 release. Nintendo closed out their E3 Nintendo Direct presentation with a new trailer featuring Link exploring a never-before-seen region of Hyrule. The trailer begins with Link falling from the sky followed by some gameplay of the new region. It is also confirmed that floating cities are back.

Metroid Dread (aka Metroid 5) is a brand-new 2D instalment to the Metroid series. It is a direct sequel to the 2002 Metroid Fusion game and will include new abilities, new slide mechanics, free aim and the return of melee counter/dash melee. The game is set to be released on October 8 exclusively for the Nintendo Switch. Metroid 4 is still in development but no new details were released.

Kazuya Mishima from Tekken will be the next fighter to join the Super Smash Bros. Ultimate universe. More details will be revealed at the extended presentation on June 28.

Mario Party Superstars is a new game featuring 100 mini games and five game boards from past Mario Party titles. The new collection will include full online support and will work with regular button controls. Mario Party Superstars is coming to Nintendo Switch on October 29.

WarioWare: Get it Together, the lightning-fast micro-game mayhem is coming to the Switch on September 10. The game will include both single player and two-player modes where players must complete short and simple tasks.

Shin Megami Tensei V is a Nintendo exclusive, turn-based combat JRPG developed by Atlus. The goal of the game is to defeat demons and add them to your roster (even fusing them together) to create the most powerful entities of all. The game is set to release on November 12.

Other games coming to the Switch: There’s a slew of other games being added to the Switch library including Life is Strange: True colours and Life is Strange: Remastered Edition, Marvel’s Guardians of the Galaxy, Just Dance 2022, Tony Hawk Pro Skater 1+2, Advance Wars 1+2: Re-boot Camp and Dragon Ball Z: Kakarot.

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