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The 20 biggest video games of the year
There are always awesome new video games coming out, but if you don't know where to look, it can be tough to keep up. That's what the Electronic Entertainment Expo, or E3, is good for.
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E3 is easily the biggest gaming event of the year, where all the heavy-hitters of the video game industry come together in Los Angeles to show off what they're working on. Hundreds of video games, big and small, will be at E3 2016, and we've compiled a list of 20 of the games you definitely need to know about before the show starts next week.
Keep in mind that these are just the ones we already know about. Plenty of new, completely unexpected games are sure to be announced, too, and we'll have all the news as it hits next week.
The long-awaited next entry in Nintendo's venerable "Zelda" series was revealed two years ago, but we don't even know its name yet. What we do know is that it takes series hero Link to a massive open world, one where Nintendo claims players will have total freedom to decide where to go and what to do once they get there. As you can see, it's got a gorgeous art style.
Nintendo has confirmed that this is basically all it's showing at E3 this year, so get ready to see plenty of "Zelda." Despite the fact that this game is launching simultaneously on Wii U and Nintendo's mysterious new NX console in early 2017, only the Wii U version is being shown.
Platforms: Wii U, NX
The story of Commander Shepard wrapped up pretty directly in "Mass Effect 3," but the game's developer isn't done with this amazing sci-fi universe yet. The new entry in the excellent role-playing game series gives players a chance to explore the Andromeda galaxy for the first time, making friends and enemies with its native inhabitants.
"Mass Effect" has a grand tradition of allowing players to shape the world through the decisions they make, as well as develop meaningful relationships with characters along the way. Combine that with an entire new galaxy to explore, and "Mass Effect: Andromeda" could be pretty outstanding.
Platforms: PS4, Xbox One, PC
As "Call of Duty" goes to the future this year (more on that later), its main competitor in the military shooter genre goes way back, all the way to World War I. It's an interesting choice, especially as other multiplayer shooters like "Overwatch" and "Battleborn" become increasingly cartoonish and over-the-top.
We don't know yet how developer DICE will make it fun to participate in a war where the technology is comparatively primitive with previous "Battlefield" games, but the studio has a killer pedigree. If anyone can do it, DICE can.
Platforms: PS4, Xbox One, PC
"The Last Guardian" puts players in the shoes of a little boy who has to navigate some manner of ancient ruins, armed with nothing but his wits and...a giant, furry dragon creature. The PlayStation 4 exclusive looks beautiful, and the footage that's been shown up to this point has emphasized the emotional connection between the boy and his enormous companion.
It's apparently coming out this year, which is hard to believe because of its history. The game was announced in 2009 before going dark for six years. Rumors of its cancellation were finally put to rest when Sony resurrected the project last year, and we're fascinated to see what's been taking so long.
Platforms: PS4
The original "Dishonored" was a gem, giving players a host of neat abilities to use as they tried to stealthily make their way through a weird fantasy world in first-person. So far, we know the sequel will let players choose between a male and female protagonist, and there's a grappling hook. Grappling hooks are always fun!
If any of that sounds interesting to you, we definitely recommend checking out the original game. It's $40 on PS4 and $20 on Xbox One right now, and it's a blast.
Platforms: PS4, Xbox One, PC
The original "Watch Dogs" made a strong first impression, as it promised a lively open world where players could use a smartphone to hack into anything — from ATMs to traffic lights — and do their bidding.
The sequel moves from Chicago to "the heart of the tech revolution," the San Francisco Bay Area. New protagonist Marcus Holloway will use his hacking skills to take down corrupt tech organizations with drones, 3D-printed weapons and some good old fisticuffs.
Platforms: PS4, Xbox One, PC
The latest in Square Enix's iconic RPG series looks fantastic. It's essentially a road trip story about four guys roaming a beautiful world that looks to mix fantasy landscapes with modern cityscapes in a car that can fly. That's the dream!
This game has been in development for more than a decade, originally under a different title. The 13th and 14th "Final Fantasy" games have been released since this game was announced. It's been a long time coming, and hopefully we'll get a further look at it at E3.
Platforms: PS4, Xbox One
The original "Titanfall" dared to ask: "What if 'Call of Duty' had mechs?" Now, its sequel begs the question: "What if mechs had swords?" Yes, please!
The original game was just fun to watch, with frantic multiplayer action where each player could call down and pilot a huge robot whenever they wanted. PlayStation 4 users will be able to join the fray in "Titanfall 2," as the business deal that locked the original game to Xbox One and PC is no longer a concern.
Platforms: PS4, Xbox One, PC
Virtually nothing is known about the upcoming "Batman" game from TellTale Games (developers of "The Walking Dead" and "The Wolf Among Us"), except that it will be released in five episodes starting this summer and it's a new take on the caped crusader, unrelated to any existing depiction of the character.
If it's anything like TellTale's other games, players will be able to forge their own path through the grimy back alleys of Gotham City with the choices they make along the way.
Platforms: Home consoles, PC, Mac, Mobile
The past few "Call of Duty" games have flirted with near-future military hardware, but "Infinite Warfare" is bringing a spaceship to a gunfight. The single-player campaign will take the player to war against some angry space colonists with the series' trademark explosive spectacle, while the competitive multiplayer and cooperative zombies modes are back and probably crazier than ever.
Platforms: PS4, Xbox One, PC
Despite its super generic title, "Horizon: Zero Dawn" is one of the most unique-looking games in years. The PlayStation 4 exclusive takes place in a post-apocalyptic world so far in the future that it's basically the past again, as hunter-gatherer human tribes scavenge ancient, abandoned metropolises while doing battle with the robotic dinosaurs that run the place.
Using a bow and arrow to take down a mechanized dinosaur looks super fun, and the mysterious backstory that explains why they're around to begin with should be cool.
Platforms: PS4
The newest entry in the Tom Clancy universe takes place in a huge, amazing looking world that players can navigate with cars, boats, helicopters, planes and more as they try to take down nefarious drug cartels. You can put a stop to the cocaine nightmare by yourself or with three friends in a four-player co-op mode that looks downright chaotic.
Platforms: PS4, Xbox One, PC
Last year's "The Taken King" expansion for Bungie's extraordinarily popular shooter/RPG "Destiny" added a ton of cool new missions and improvements that the game desperately needed. A new expansion, called "Rise of Iron," is in the works, and it brings even more new enemies, quests and a new social area, alongside a brand new raid and strikes.
Platforms: PS4, Xbox One
"Gears of War" changed shooters forever back in 2006 by requiring players to strategically use points of cover throughout the environment to their advantage, and the fourth entry in the series looks to carry the torch exclusively on Xbox One and PC. The perspective shifts from original series hero Marcus Fenix to his son J.D., who has to deal with continued threats to humanity's survival on the planet Sera.
Platforms: Xbox One, PC
The mega-hit "Pokemon" series is finally coming to phones with "Pokemon Go," an augmented reality game where players can use their phones to find, capture and battle Pokémon throughout the world. This world. The one you walk around in every day. Seriously!
It probably won't have a massive presence at E3 since Nintendo is focusing so heavily on "The Legend of Zelda," but there will be a livestreamed Q&A session with the game's developers at 10 a.m. PT/1 p.m. ET on June 14.
Platforms: Mobile
"Final Fantasy XV" isn't the only upcoming "Final Fantasy" game to get hyped about, as Square Enix is hard at work remaking "Final Fantasy VII" for current consoles. Some consider the 1997 smash hit one of the greatest games of all time, and the upcoming remake has been in demand for a decade.
This new version of "Final Fantasy VII" might not be at E3 this year since Square Enix is heavily promoting "Final Fantasy XV" ahead of its September release, but if it is, we'll let you know.
Platforms: PS4
The newest game from "Rayman" creator Michel Ancel, "Wild" is about a shaman in the neolithic age who can commune with animals. Players will run around an open world that's supposedly the size of Europe and ride on the backs of bears, control eagles to get a literal birds-eye view of the landscape, and use tiny rabbits to investigate enemy tribes without arousing suspicion.
"Wild," more than most games at E3 this year, looks downright weird in a way that's pretty exciting.
Platforms: PS4
There's no guarantee "Dead Island 2" will be at E3, or that it even still exists. The first-person, open world zombie survival game shifted to a completely different development studio last year, and nobody has seen it since then.
If it's going to make a big comeback, E3 is the time to do it. The first game had great combat and a sequel could make it even better.
Platforms: PS4, Xbox One, PC
This is another one to put in the "maybe" pile. The hotly-anticipated third entry in the crossover series that mixes "Final Fantasy" and Disney worlds will generate tons of buzz when Square Enix decides to go hard on promoting it, but with "Final Fantasy XV" coming soon, it may be held until later this year.
Still, E3 is all about surprises, so "Kingdom Hearts 3" could show up in a big way at the show.
Platforms: PS4, Xbox One
Coming exclusively to PlayStation 4, "Detroit: Become Human" is set in a future where human-like androids exist purely as tools for real humans. One android somehow gains sentience and discovers what it's like to live as a human, while dealing with the fact that her robotic brethren lack the same freedom.
This game is from the people who made "Heavy Rain" and "Beyond: Two Souls," and they have a knack for using ultra-realistic looking characters to make things that are more like interactive movies than video games.
Platforms: PS4
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