Popular Mechanics gaming correspondent Brittany Vincent is on the scene this week at the 2019 Electronic Entertainment Expo (E3) in Los Angeles. Starting today, check back to see her dispatches from the trade show, including the coolest upcoming games and big announcements from major developers. To kick off our coverage, here are eight of Brittany’s most anticipated games at E3.
E3 is finally upon us—the event gamers of all stripes look forward to each year. It’s a veritable deluge of announcements about the hottest new games, systems, and developers peppered with trailers, tasty morsels of hands-on demos, and more. If you’re knee-deep in gaming culture, it’s enough excitement to propel you through the rest of the year. It’s also bad news for your wallet.
This year, some of the show’s biggest reveals happened ahead of the official event. My most-wanted games, Death Stranding, Final Fantasy VII Remake, Halo Infinite, and the Keanu Reeves-starring Cyberpunk 2077 were all dated for release in the days leading up to the first day of the show with brand-new footage, and all-but-guaranteed hands-on opportunities beyond E3. So they likely won’t be playable at the show, but at least we know when to expect them, and it’s going to be an amazing end of 2019 going into 2020.
Elated as I am that these games have concrete dates when I can inject them directly into my veins at long last, however, there’s still a world of games to discover at the enormous trade show. If past conferences are any indication, there are still a number of surprises that could crop up at any moment, as well as games we already knew about that’ll have more of a presence on the show floor.
Here’s a sampling of just some of the games I’d love to see make an appearance at the Los Angeles Convention Center this year, and a few titles that should definitely show up unannounced.
Metroid Prime 4
Nintendo
We got our first glimpse of Metroid Prime 4 back in 2017, but we haven’t heard much about the sequel since. Bandai Namco was originally meant to take point on the game, but as of January 2019, Metroid Prime creator Retro Studios was apparently working to bring the game to fruition, starting the project again from scratch. It’s been far too long since I’ve been able to sit down and really savor a Metroid game, and while I’d like the ability to play the entirety of the Metroid Prime Trilogy on Nintendo Switch, a completely new game would hit the spot as well.
It’s unlikely Nintendo will have much to share about the game this year, but at some point, they’re going to have to unveil something. We can’t take another game destined to be a mythical “will-they-or-won’t-they” release that fans joke about never seeing coming to fruition in their lifetime, like the legendary Mother 3 coming westward. That’s never going to happen, but Metroid Prime 4 probably will.
Call of Duty: Modern Warfare
I’m a die-hard Call of Duty fan, but a return to the Modern Warfare name is something that excites me beyond reason. We’ve already seen the game during its official reveal (and a first look at a trailer and some gameplay, above) but now it’s time to learn more. Early previews indicate it’s going to be even more of a cinematic blockbuster than before, but how tight will the gunplay be? Since it’s doffing a Zombies mode for this entry, what kind of additional goodies will there be instead?
This entry is something of a reboot for the classic Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare, the entry that changed everything. It’s taking a more realistic and gritty approach than ever, with moments meant to deliberately make players uncomfortable. It’s apparently also going to be rife with callbacks to Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare, reviving the fan-favorite character Captain Price. I’m hoping for some insight into the throwback Easter eggs fans who have been there from the beginning of the series can expect.
Man of Medan (The Dark Pictures Anthology)
Supermassive Games/Bandai Namco
Supermassive Games’ Man of Medan is part of the developer’s upcoming Dark Pictures Anthology, and it looks absolutely superb. It’s already set to debut in August 2019, but aside from a few trailers here and there, additional details about the third-person adventure game are still relatively unknown.
Following a group of American tourists who go on vacation and find themselves the victim of a terrible storm, Man of Medan is a thriller that introduces a cursed ghost ship that you’ll have to figure out how to escape. I’m hoping for a few additional scenarios and a look at what the game’s capable of at E3, or a quick update before it hits retail shelves—just for a sneak peek. Plus, this is the first game of the anthology, so a glimpse at what the next title would entail would be great, too.
I found the developer’s previous Until Dawn an absolutely excellent riff on the horror and slasher genre, offering a cinematic experience that was wholly unlike comparable titles of its ilk upon its release. The team is so adept at weaving believable, terrifying worlds with characters you can root for (or absolutely despise) and I can’t wait to see who I’m going to want to make those important life-or-death decisions for this time around.
Sayonara Wild Hearts
I can’t get enough of quirky, aesthetically unique games, and Simogo’s Sayonara Wild Hearts ticks every single box for me. The Nintendo Switch indie game is one that combines heavily-stylized, colorful artwork with vocal pop music, ‘90s anime tropes, and the distillation of Tumblr culture into one nostalgia-charged video game.
The game follows The Fool, the secret identity of a young woman who decides to reinvent herself as a masked biker. She’s on a quest to travel through dimensions to break other bikers’ hearts—and she’ll accomplish this task any way she can, taking part in dance battles, swinging around swords, and basically being as cool as humanly possible.
We’re supposed to see the game debut this year at some point, but I want to see much, much more of it before it finally hits store shelves. It’s like someone cobbled together a gorgeous amalgam of Sailor Moon, Suda51’s technique, and bits of pop culture that go together like peanut butter and jelly. And with the game wearing a list of influences like Rez, Space Harrier, and WarioWare on its sleeve, it’s practically guaranteed to be a banger.
Doom Eternal
Christian PetersenGetty Images
Nothing excites me more than a delicious buffet of ludicrous gibs (yes, that’s a Rise of the Triad reference), and Doom always scratches that itch nicely. So I’m ready to get my fill of Doom Eternal, id Software’s fifth main title in the classic first-person shooter series.
Doom Eternal is set to make an appearance at E3 2019 in several capacities, and at this point it’s just going to be like slipping into a pile of warm, cuddly blankets. You’ll get to become the Doom Slayer once more as you take on hordes of demons (straight from Hell, no less) as they’ve taken the Earth for their own. Your only recourse? You’re going to rip and tear, of course, using the Super Shotgun, Rocket Launcher, Plasma Rifle, and yes, the beloved BFG 9000.
I’m a Doom fan for life, and I can’t wait to see what kinds of atrocities I’ll be able to commit in the frenzied sequel to 2016’s fantastic revitalization of the classic series. Time to go demon slaying on the show floor.
Splinter Cell
Ubisoft
Ubisoft has some explaining to do when it comes to the Splinter Cell franchise. Ubisoft’s 2020 lineup could very well include the next adventure from the legendary stealth series, but I’m trying not to get my hopes up.
I’ve always been a massive Splinter Cell fan, from the original all the way through the raucous Splinter Cell: Blacklist, which debuted in 2013. I named my loyal first dog after protagonist Sam Fisher (who I just lost this past week) so a triumphant return to Sam’s stealth series would be a fitting send-off for my little buddy’s namesake. But the series has gone all but dark ever since Blacklist graced our screens in 2013, and Ubisoft has been curiously quiet surrounding its status.
In 2019, Ubisoft CEO Yves Guillemot noted that pressure on the company when it comes to continuing the series had been something of a hurdle for them, and that’s part of why we haven’t seen a new Splinter Cell just yet. With that said, what better time than now to rip the band-aid off and show off a new entry? It’s high time Sam returns to take his rightful place as the King of Stealth—you know, beyond Metal Gear Solid’s Snake and all.
No More Heroes 3
Goichi “Suda51” Suda is one of my favorite developers of all time, and he’s responsible for the cult classic No More Heroes games. Travis Touchdown’s antics have entertained me ever since the first game debuted on the Wii back in 2007, but there’s been no movement on a sequel to the game (beyond No More Heroes 2: Desperate Struggle in 2010) since a brief mention in the new side-story Travis Strikes Again: No More Heroes.
For eagle-eyed players, the latest foray into the world of No More Heroes offered only the most fleeting of glances into what a proper sequel in the form of No More Heroes 3 might bring—and by a glance, I mean showcasing the kind of tech that might bring it to life. Since then, Suda51 has yet to officially remark on its existence, nor when it might be coming, but he does have a secret project announcement in the works for E3. Here’s hoping it’s No More Heroes-related … or something even better.
Animal Crossing
Nintendo
Nothing will completely kill an afternoon like settling in and starting up a new town in Animal Crossing. That’s why the wait for the newly-announced core Animal Crossing game (not a mobile game or amiibo-centric board game) has been so difficult to endure. With Nintendo about to show its hand when it comes to E3 plans, it’s about time for additional news on what to expect out of the newly-announced Animal Crossing for Nintendo Switch.
We first got wind of the new Animal Crossing adventure in September 2018, following the reveal of the adorable Isabelle as a playable fighter in Super Smash Bros. Ultimate. Unfortunately, beyond a charming trailer that confirmed the game’s existence, Nintendo has given exactly zero additional details on what to expect out of the colorful, sprightly little life sim. I’m itching to jump back in to make friends with the animal citizens of my town, catch bugs, decorate my house, and drown in debt up to my eyeballs thanks to the nefarious Tom Nook’s terrible payment plans.
