E3 2019 has officially kicked off this past weekend with the first round of press conferences! With this comes a handful of pretty incredible announcements as well as trailers that trickle out even more good hype! Let’s check some out!
Here’s just a snack-size portion of the most-talked about of the weekend via EA Play and Microsoft’s Xbox conferences. Expect us to fill you in on further trailers and such from the shows this week as they happen, because we’re pretty dang excited! For now, let’s check out some trailers courtesy of the EA Play and Microsoft Xbox shows that happened over this past weekend, shall we? Oh! It’s important to note that, while these games may have been announced or expanded upon at Microsoft’s Xbox Conference, it doesn’t imply an exclusivity to that system or marketplace. Nintendo, Sony and PC Gamer’s streams and announcement shows have yet to happen, so keep tuned into the games you’re interested in.
Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order | EA Play & Microsoft Xbox Conference
It has been a minute since we saw a solid experience with a single-player campaign that had to do with Star Wars and now Respawn Entertainment and Lucasfilm have made sure we’re getting one. Both EA and Microsoft showed off not just cinematic trailers but gameplay over the weekend and fans are pretty excited to leap into the Force once more!
Blair Witch | Microsoft Xbox Conference
When the trailer first started, I admit I was shouting out “Alan Wake 2!? No. There’s no way!” but very quickly I found how wrong I was. See, Bloober Team (Remember that whole thing I wrote about Layers of Fear? They made that game!) already has me won over in about a thousand ways, but little did I know that they had been working with Lionsgate Pictures. What for? A video game adaptation of the popular Blair Witch films. As this title doesn’t connect to the films in a direct story way, obviously this beloved movie franchise is about to take on video games as well. As Bloober Team is involved, I just know this game is going to bring the crazy creepy atmosphere in a big bad way.
Minecraft Dungeons | Microsoft Xbox Conference
As I see it, Minecraft Dungeons looks poised to take on the crown from its namesake and it’s because it combines the Minecraft we all know and love with a step in the Diablo direction. Dungeon crawlers with loot and building are just what a game like Minecraft needed to expand upon its series in a direction that is aging up with the kids who swarmed to it in droves.
The Sims 4: Island Living | EA Play
The next expansion to come to The Sims 4, a game series that has no signs of slowing down, is Island Living. I mean, our Sims have done it all since the 4th title came out and isn’t it time they got to go broke obtaining beachfront property just like we all dream about? While I’m still confused on how we get to have Merfolk (The Little Mermaid is getting made DAY ONE, guys) that live on land, I guess I’ll just have to wait to see when Island Living comes to The Sims.
Gears of War 5 | Microsoft Xbox Conference
Showing off not just more in terms of the Gears of War 5 campaign but even its special Escape mode, fans of the series are ready to dive back into this bonkers shooter and see what the whole crew has been up to. With a really interesting on-stage presentation, it has definitely got more than a few people bristling with anticipation for this series to return.
Xbox Project Scarlett Console Announcement | Microsoft Xbox Conference
There was a lot that Microsoft let us in on Sunday and one of those things was their Game Pass system obtaining so many new games, DLC and future announcements that I was kind of in awe. The other though, the one that we’ll be seeing articles, videos and speculation about for the next year, is Project Scarlett. 2020 is the year for next-gen but time will tell what direction it goes but for now? Well, the specs seem pretty dang impressive. Sony is going to be interesting to watch for in the coming days.
Phantasy Star Online 2 | Microsoft Xbox Conference
This is something that, gamers like myself, have been waiting well over a decade for. Phantasy Star Online was one of the most thrilling online games that a lot of console players could ask for and one of the earliest. The original Phantasy Star Online first saw Dreamcast while more difficult to obtain and play versions on Xbox and Gamecube followed. While PC players have still been finding their own ways to play the first, nobody was excited as the collective fans of the series to see a sequel coming to the Western territories. Not only that, but it’s a free to play game. Expect micro-transactions but also expect a hell of an adventure for absolutely free.
Cyberpunk 2077 | Microsoft Xbox Conference
Definitely the most talked about moment of E3 2019 so far was Keanu Reeves showing up to the Microsoft Xbox Conference to discuss his part, which surprised everyone, in CDPROJEKTRED’s Cyberpunk 2077. Not only was everyone in absolute awe that this little fact hadn’t been leaked before the show, him stepping onto stage after his character appeared on-screen had all of us gawking. A positively wonderful moment, especially when you factor in his response to a crowd member that called him breathtaking which lead to the same compliment being thrown right back. In typical Keanu fashion, he charmed and bewildered all of us in the span of a couple game trailers that we were already excited for!
There we go! While there were dozens more titles announced over the weekend, we’ve got a comprehensive Bethesda conference piece coming out later today and more Devolver Digital to spread out through the week. Don’t worry, you’re going to see all the best stuff announced as E3 continues. We’re as excited as you are!
