CHENNAI: Last week saw another E3, the annual expo for videogame publishers to advertise their games for the following year. The four-day event’s list goes long, with a number of games, VR devices and consoles set to release. Here’s my list of the top 5 game announcements at E3.
Batman:Arkham
Arkham’s VR trailer depicts a detective story and is undoubtedly the most badass game announced for PlayStation’s VR. With the Move controllers, it is possible to interact with the environment — more than just looking around. Imagine you being Batman, talking to Alfred, pressing a piano key and transporting yourself into the batcave and bat-suiting up. That is exactly what the game will be like. The carry-on items include the batarang, the grappling hook and also a forensic scanner to look for clues. If the VR could simulate Batman in the actual world and not the Gotham universe, I’d decide to live in it without a second’s thought.
Detroit:Become Human
Become Human, is a neo-noir game set in the near future featuring humanoid robots. With strategy in its core, the androids negotiate and take decisions to change the outcome of the game based on several clues found throughout, giving it great replay value. The structure of the game is similar to the popular Heavy Rain, which involves choosing from different characters, who interact with objects and people to further the story.
The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild
Though neither the Wii nor the NX ranks in my list of best consoles, the trailer looks stunning. With a fresh look to the land of Hyrule, and Link’s new powers (includes chopping trees, paragliding, and a lot of climbing) in a free-to-roam universe prophecies great success. First impressions of the stealth attack, cooking and camping reminded me of a children’s version of Skyrim.
God of War
The new trailer promises to stand out from the rest in the series. Known for its brilliant fight sequences, we never saw much depth in Kratos in previous games, and this trailer features Kratos training his son to hunt. The environment is almost palpable — the camera angled against Kratos’ shoulders making it immersive, and the powerful axe throws with corresponding combo attacks are engaging.
Dishonored 2
An infinitesmal fraction redemption for feminism came in the form of the Dishonored 2’s gameplay — for which we now know that there is a female protagonist. Still, Emily Kaldwin is only one of the two playable characters, and the game is not exactly standalone. The visuals haven’t changed much from the previous game, but the overall schematic shows promise of new deadly and dark powers.
Being a strong indicator of the gaming community, the E3 is an expected disappointment for feminism, reinforcing the gendered perspective of gaming.
(Anusha spends her leisure time preparing for the zombie apocalypse)