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The year’s biggest gaming event is now less than a month away. E3 always brings with it a slew of exciting headlines for all types of gamers, and like every year I’ll be covering it live, from a dark room where I plan on embracing every gamer stereotype imaginable as I live off energy drinks and little sleep. If my coverage turns to rambling somewhere between June 10-12, just know that I do this for you.
Last year, Sony dominated the convention, and Microsoft, with their one, two, three, four punch that was the PS4′s official unveiling. Microsoft is arguably in a much better place this year with its upcoming $399 Xbox One (sans Kinect) and a more focused “games first” direction, thanks to the new head of Xbox, Phil Spencer.
Oh, and Nintendo has decided to eschew all of the E3 chicanery in favor of a more direct, digital event, which I think is an absolutely terribad idea, but I’ll save that for another feature. For now, let’s focus on a few things I would love to see come out of 2014′s biggest gaming convention: E3 2014.
Hideo Kojima Takes the Reins On the Next Silent Hill
The next Silent Hill will very likely be a reboot — or, at least the series’ equivalent of one, seeing as the games aren’t exactly tied together — and what better way to go about that than with fresh eyes? Metal Gear series creator has expressed interest in taking the reins, I think it’d be crazy not to see what he can do with the franchise.
Silent Hill needs help, and while Kojima might not be the perfect fit (Hideo has admitted he’s not a huge fan of horror), I believe he has the skill and ability to breathe some much-needed life into this series.
More New Non-Sequel AAA IPs
Indie horror is booming, it needs no help, no push, just more talented developers like the teams behind promising upcoming titles like Among the Sleep, Routine, and The Forest. AAA horror, however, is another beast entirely, and it’s been dying a slow death for some time.
The problems behind that are many, but one of the biggies is the risk associated with developing horror games. AAA games are ridiculously expensive, especially as we sit at the beginning of a brand new generation of consoles, so publishers aren’t as willing to invest tens of millions of dollars into something that isn’t a sure thing. That’s why we get so many shooters and sequels (or the all-too-common combination of the two). Another Silent Hill or Resident Evil will arrive eventually, I want something new to look forward to.
Like…
Guillermo Del Toro’s InSANE
While we’re on the subject of AAA horror, Guillermo Del Toro’s InSANE is due for a glorious return, and this time with gameplay footage. Scary images and CGI reveals are frustrating, as they never accurately portray the product they’re attempting to sell, so let’s go ahead and cut that out.
I’m well aware that this almost definitely won’t happen, but a horror game — potentially the first in a trilogy — that’s inspired by the works of H.P. Lovecraft and brought to us by one of the greatest dark fantasy minds out there — I fell in love with Del Toro when he said he’s more interested in creating “eye protein,” as opposed to “eye candy” — is something I refuse to give up on until I hear it from Guillermo himself that he’s no longer pursuing it.
Resident Evil 7 Revealed, Capcom Listens to Their Fans
Ah, yes. We made it to the obligatory Resident Evil 7 bit.
This game is definitely coming, it’s just a matter of when. Rumor has it that Capcom is prepping to announce the game at E3, so if that ends up being true, we have a few weeks left before we find out whether or not they’ve listened to our cries and returned the series to its roots in survival horror.
Here’s to hoping they did, because with Dead Space and Alan Wake each taking a break, I need Resident Evil’s distinct flavor of horror now more than ever.
Details On the Numerous Sort of Announced Horror Games
There are two categories of horror games out there right now: the games that have been confirmed and are incoming, the ones that have “sort of” been announced, and the ones we know are coming, they just aren’t official yet. Games like Dying Light and The Evil Within belong to the first group, then we have titles like Frogware’s Call of Cthulhu, Daedalus, and Class 4. The games from the second grouping are official, we just don’t know much about them yet. That needs to change.
As for the last group, that would include the likes of Resident Evil and Silent Hill, which I’ve already gone on about, as well as Doom 4 and Left 4 Dead 3. Either could see an announcement, though I’m not holding my breath for the latter, but I’d be surprised if either game had a presence at this year’s E3.
I’d also like to add to this category whatever it is Red Barrels is working on. Outlast is amazing, and so was its expansion, so I’d very much like to see what they’ll be up to next. Hopefully it’s another horror game.
Honorable Mention: Microsoft Follows Through, Wows Hardcore Gamers
This isn’t necessarily horror-related (though there’s no reason Microsoft can’t surprise us all with the reveal of a big, Xbox One horror title), but it’s important, so I felt like including it.
The Xbox One is trailing behind the PS4 by a significant margin. The latest update put detailed the Xbox One’s sales as sold-in to five million consoles (that’s sold to retailers), while the PS4 enjoys a healthy sold-through of seven million (that’s sold to customers). That’s a big deal. On top of this, Sony’s PlayStation Plus offering has consistently out-valued Microsoft’s offering. They’re beginning to up their ante with better ‘Games with Gold’ deals and a new-and-improved ‘Deals with Gold’ program that includes more discounts on digital games. They’ve also announced a cheaper Xbox One that won’t come bundled with the Kinect. It needed to be done, though as an owner of each, I’m worried about the future of my $100 peripheral.
Microsoft needs to win over “hardcore” gamers. That means they need to focus entirely on video games, including exclusives, timed-exclusives, and more proof of their courting of indie developers, because Sony has them beat there, too. They also need to make sure their messaging is clear, because last year was a mess that they cannot repeat. I hope they continue to turn it around, because I’ve enjoyed my time with my Xbox One and I’d like to know it has a bright future ahead of it.
Last year, Sony dominated the convention, and Microsoft, with their one, two, three, four punch that was the PS4′s official unveiling. Microsoft is arguably in a much better place this year with its upcoming $399 Xbox One (sans Kinect) and a more focused “games first” direction, thanks to the new head of Xbox, Phil Spencer.
Oh, and Nintendo has decided to eschew all of the E3 chicanery in favor of a more direct, digital event, which I think is an absolutely terribad idea, but I’ll save that for another feature. For now, let’s focus on a few things I would love to see come out of 2014′s biggest gaming convention: E3 2014.
Hideo Kojima Takes the Reins On the Next Silent Hill
The next Silent Hill will very likely be a reboot — or, at least the series’ equivalent of one, seeing as the games aren’t exactly tied together — and what better way to go about that than with fresh eyes? Metal Gear series creator has expressed interest in taking the reins, I think it’d be crazy not to see what he can do with the franchise.
Silent Hill needs help, and while Kojima might not be the perfect fit (Hideo has admitted he’s not a huge fan of horror), I believe he has the skill and ability to breathe some much-needed life into this series.
More New Non-Sequel AAA IPs
Indie horror is booming, it needs no help, no push, just more talented developers like the teams behind promising upcoming titles like Among the Sleep, Routine, and The Forest. AAA horror, however, is another beast entirely, and it’s been dying a slow death for some time.
The problems behind that are many, but one of the biggies is the risk associated with developing horror games. AAA games are ridiculously expensive, especially as we sit at the beginning of a brand new generation of consoles, so publishers aren’t as willing to invest tens of millions of dollars into something that isn’t a sure thing. That’s why we get so many shooters and sequels (or the all-too-common combination of the two). Another Silent Hill or Resident Evil will arrive eventually, I want something new to look forward to.
Like…
Guillermo Del Toro’s InSANE
While we’re on the subject of AAA horror, Guillermo Del Toro’s InSANE is due for a glorious return, and this time with gameplay footage. Scary images and CGI reveals are frustrating, as they never accurately portray the product they’re attempting to sell, so let’s go ahead and cut that out.
I’m well aware that this almost definitely won’t happen, but a horror game — potentially the first in a trilogy — that’s inspired by the works of H.P. Lovecraft and brought to us by one of the greatest dark fantasy minds out there — I fell in love with Del Toro when he said he’s more interested in creating “eye protein,” as opposed to “eye candy” — is something I refuse to give up on until I hear it from Guillermo himself that he’s no longer pursuing it.
Resident Evil 7 Revealed, Capcom Listens to Their Fans
Ah, yes. We made it to the obligatory Resident Evil 7 bit.
This game is definitely coming, it’s just a matter of when. Rumor has it that Capcom is prepping to announce the game at E3, so if that ends up being true, we have a few weeks left before we find out whether or not they’ve listened to our cries and returned the series to its roots in survival horror.
Here’s to hoping they did, because with Dead Space and Alan Wake each taking a break, I need Resident Evil’s distinct flavor of horror now more than ever.
Details On the Numerous Sort of Announced Horror Games
There are two categories of horror games out there right now: the games that have been confirmed and are incoming, the ones that have “sort of” been announced, and the ones we know are coming, they just aren’t official yet. Games like Dying Light and The Evil Within belong to the first group, then we have titles like Frogware’s Call of Cthulhu, Daedalus, and Class 4. The games from the second grouping are official, we just don’t know much about them yet. That needs to change.
As for the last group, that would include the likes of Resident Evil and Silent Hill, which I’ve already gone on about, as well as Doom 4 and Left 4 Dead 3. Either could see an announcement, though I’m not holding my breath for the latter, but I’d be surprised if either game had a presence at this year’s E3.
I’d also like to add to this category whatever it is Red Barrels is working on. Outlast is amazing, and so was its expansion, so I’d very much like to see what they’ll be up to next. Hopefully it’s another horror game.
Honorable Mention: Microsoft Follows Through, Wows Hardcore Gamers
This isn’t necessarily horror-related (though there’s no reason Microsoft can’t surprise us all with the reveal of a big, Xbox One horror title), but it’s important, so I felt like including it.
The Xbox One is trailing behind the PS4 by a significant margin. The latest update put detailed the Xbox One’s sales as sold-in to five million consoles (that’s sold to retailers), while the PS4 enjoys a healthy sold-through of seven million (that’s sold to customers). That’s a big deal. On top of this, Sony’s PlayStation Plus offering has consistently out-valued Microsoft’s offering. They’re beginning to up their ante with better ‘Games with Gold’ deals and a new-and-improved ‘Deals with Gold’ program that includes more discounts on digital games. They’ve also announced a cheaper Xbox One that won’t come bundled with the Kinect. It needed to be done, though as an owner of each, I’m worried about the future of my $100 peripheral.
Microsoft needs to win over “hardcore” gamers. That means they need to focus entirely on video games, including exclusives, timed-exclusives, and more proof of their courting of indie developers, because Sony has them beat there, too. They also need to make sure their messaging is clear, because last year was a mess that they cannot repeat. I hope they continue to turn it around, because I’ve enjoyed my time with my Xbox One and I’d like to know it has a bright future ahead of it.