Every year, E3 brings excitement, game announcements, and lots of new trailers. Some are cinematic and some show gameplay, but no matter how they’re formatted, there are always those that stand out above the rest. We’ve narrowed the list down to our eight favorites. These trailers made us want to watch them over and over again.
Don’t see your favorite? Tell us what it is in the comments!
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Tom Clancy’s Ghost Recon Wildlands
A long-time staple of the shooter genre, the Ghost Recon series has been a bit quiet since the 2012 release of Ghost Recon: Future Soldier. That all changed this week with the reveal of new game in the series titled Tom Clancy’s Ghost Recon Wildlands . Built on an open-world concept, [em]Wildlands will let players step into the combat boots of the Ghosts, an elite US Special Forces team sent to take on the Santa Blanca drug cartel. It may be an early build, but it looks good so far.
South Park: The Fractured but Whole
The success of 2014’s South Park: The Stick of Truth almost certainly guaranteed a sequel, but I don’t think I was alone in being surprised that Ubisoft led off their E3 press conference with the reveal of the next game in the series. After spoofing fantasy RPGs in the first title, South Park: The Fractured but Whole will toss players into a superhero adventure as you battle the criminals operating beneath the surface of South Park. We won’t get to play it until 2016, but we’re already excited about it.
Horizon: Zero Dawn
Guerilla Games may be best known for the Killzone series, but the trailer for their new game certainly turned some heads at E3 this week. Horizon: Zero Dawn is set in a post-apocalyptic far-future world where machines rule the land, and you play a bow-wielding female hunter named Aloy who must take them down. There’s no release date beyond a vague “2016,” but it still looks awesome.
Dishonored 2
We knew there would be another Dishonored game coming, and it was finally revealed at E3 this year. The sequel to the 2012 stealth title will feature the choice of two protagonists: Corvo Attano from the original game, or Emily Kaldwin. Both will have their own unique powers and weapons, and as you can see in the trailer above, the game looks to build on everything that worked in the original. Dishonored 2 is coming in Spring or 2016.
Sword Coast Legends
Sword Coast Legends has been high on my personal list since it was announced in February, and the E3 trailer didn’t do anything to diminish my interest. The game’s looking to pick up where Neverwinter Nights left off, with a single player campaign coming alongside a robust Dungeon Master mode. Full support for co-op play and the ability to create your own stories and campaigns is more than enough to have me anxiously awaiting the September 8 release date later this year.
Just Cause 3
The Just Cause 3 trailer kicks off by dropping a car on a huge antenna, and goes on to show off the chaos and mayhem that makes the series so much fun. There are plenty of new additions and updates, including a new grapple that lets you deploy multiple tethers, a more stable parachute, and unlimited C4. It’s like Square saw how people were playing it, and told Avalanche, “Yeah, just make more of that.” You know what, that’s fine with me. Now to kill time until it launches December 1.
Fallout 4
I think it’s fair to say that after Fallout 4 was announced last week, there was no game more anticipated at E3. Bethesda brought a trailer and presentation that tried to live up the hype, showing off an expanded crafting system, a building mechanic, an updated engine, and plenty of in-game footage. Add in the silly montage at the end, and it’s no wonder that gamers everywhere are fired up about Fallout 4.
Star Wars: Battlefront
Star Wars: Battlefront is probably the most contentious game shown at E3 this year. People want to love it, but they’re leery of getting too excited, only to be let down again. The E3 gameplay trailer didn’t settle any of these issues, if the comments I’ve seen around the net are any indication. People are still torn. What can’t be argued is that the recreation of the Battle of Hoth looks great, and the game absolutely nails the sounds that make it Star Wars. Even our Editor-in-Chief was convinced, and he’s been cautious all along.
