We’re smack in the middle of the year and the very centrepiece of the gaming calendar is upon us, yes the Electronic Entertainment Expo, or E3! Big things are said and done here – what’ll it be for 2015? Otherwise, we have Batman: Arkham Knight the third part of a pretty cool franchise. Will it be the best? Let’s see.
E3
While big announcements are usually made at E3 I’m not so sure there’s going to be any major earth shakers this year. The most hotly anticipated games like Uncharted 4, No Man’s Sky and Bloodbourne are, well, already announced, so what do we have to look forward to? Barring a surprise reveal, we’ll probably see new teaser trailers for upcoming games and some expected announcements regarding content for Sony and Microsoft online platforms. There are rumours of a Fallout 4 announcement – many will scream for joy if it be so – but there’s one thing that everyone really wants hear: that Silent Hills – or P.T. – is back from the dead and good to go. Without doubt, the gripping playable teaser had us all hooked and primed for survival horror of another level. It was to be crafted by Hideo Kojima and Guillermo del Toro (director of The Orphanage and Pacific Rim) and star the voice of Norman Reedus (the crossbow guy in The Walking Dead TV series). Yes there might be more on the enigmatic title Tomorrow Children – a joint that promises to be as addictive to Minecraftian proportions – but so what? The highlight of E3 is what you don’t expect. And, ironically, most of the titles that blew us away last year have yet to be released. Bloodbourne has lived up to its hype but The Order: 1886 while good, was a tad disappointing. Please E3 2015, give something out that makes our inner geek shudder with excitement. Lightning strikes June 16-18 in Los Angeles, USA.
Batman: Arkham Knight
Based on the cinematic and gameplay trailers – this is going to be awesome. The new stuff: longer gliding time, new gadgets, enhanced combat, a bigger sandbox and the Batmobile. There’s a lot more but these are the highlights.
In this instalment of the franchise your main antagonist is the Scarecrow who has assembled a team of super villains to take down the Bats (including the Riddler, Harley Quinn, Poison Ivy, Two Face and Penguin). Given that Scarecrow is threatening Gotham with violence and mayhem, the city is evacuated and Batman must take on the villains and remaining criminals with the help of Robin, Nightwing, Catwoman and The Oracle (Comissioner Gordon’s daughter). Gotham is about 5 times bigger than Arkham City and promises to be more of a non-linear open world format.
With the additional feature of automotive combat and the new mysterious Arkham Knight character, this could be one of 2015’s best. And yeah, the Arkham Knight is a bad guy – a minion of Scarecrow sent to usher in the demise of Batman. It releases June 23.
By Blakniss | @audioanimator
