My Best E3 2015 Games

E3 is gaming Christmas for all who love gaming. It’s when we get shown everything that we’ve been speculating about for months or in some cases years. This year was a very big year for gaming and technology and it was really one of the best E3’s we’ve had in a long time. So, as we all do, let’s break down the top ten games from E3 2015. Put on your VR headset and let’s jump in.

10. Rainbow Six Siege

I must admit, I was never a big fan of Rainbow Six games. They were fun but never too engaging. However, this new one has me on the bandwagon. It looks fantastic and different from most shooters out today. The tactical elements are very ornate and complex which adds a great new layer to the classic shooter. I love how the game is really trying to refocus the player’s intentions by making teamwork an essential part of winning. It will be interesting to see how people react and play differently when posed with a team objective.

9. The Last Guardian

Let’s start off with a game that we’ve all been waiting to see for years. We were all captured years ago when The Last Guardian was announced and tid bits of the game were showed. It’s a game that many people have been asking about every year with no information until now. The game looks very charming and fun. I like the problem solving and puzzles involved and it looks alright. Unfortunately, I think some of the hype has died down and the game looks a bit dated. Regardless, I think everyone was just happy to finally see this game that we’ve been yearning for for years.

8. Rise of the Tomb Raider

I, like most people I think, was surprised by the first Tomb Raider game. I had a lot of fun with it and enjoyed the story as well as the game mechanics. It made me very excited to see where else they could go with Lara Croft’s character as well as the supernatural aspects introduced towards the end of the game. This is all showcased in the trailer and the demo for Rise of The Tomb Raider. I’m very excited to see the new locations as well as explore and react as Lara Croft who is now more experienced and damaged. I really think this game is going to surpass the level of satisfaction the first installment set.

7. For Honor

We all love a good melee based game. Especially when it has all different kinds of unique melee characters. The game itself looks beautiful and paced well. I really like the idea of having knights vs. samurai vs. vikings. Although I’m not a huge Ubisoft fan, their games always look amazing and their melee combat is always fun. Combining their strengths to a cool concept like this will likely make a great game. I am interested in the story missions, although none of those were shown at E3. However, I can definitely get behind a game where I get to cut and stab as a fucking samurai.

6. Halo 5

I must admit, I’m not nearly as excited for Halo as I was nearly 10 years ago. I used to live and breath Halo, but I think the series has been on a definite decline. Halo 4 was especially disappointing in the multiplayer for me. However, the new multiplayer looks much more engaging and fast paced like Halo 3. It has a much more competitive feel to it than Halo 4 did. Also, the story has me intrigued. The one redeeming piece of Halo 4 was the implications of events that transpired in the story such as the Forerunner’s return and Cortana’s death. Halo 5 seems to really be expanding on the Chief’s emotional well-being due to these events. Also, the idea of another Spartan hunting Chief is interesting because I feel like, if anyone could best Chief, now would be the best time since he’s emotionally unstable.

5. Kingdom Hearts 3

Many people were ecstatic to hear the announcement for the final Kingdom Hearts game. Most of us who are in our 20s now remember growing up with the Kingdom Hearts franchise. They were charming and heartfelt games that really captured the child inside of us, while delivering good combat, pretty environments, and engaging NPCs. Kingdom Hearts 3 is everything that we have come to love about the Kingdom Hearts franchise, now culminating in this final installment. I think we are all eager to finish the final adventure with Sora.

4. Mass Effect Andromeda

Mass Effect is a truly beloved series that has broken our hearts but also captured our imaginations. Andromeda, while not being totally interconnected with the original trilogy, looks like it will be yet another complex adventure through the galaxy. As always, I loved the cinematic trailer they showed because like the trailer, the games have always felt like movies and this is no exception. I can’t wait to see more, but for now I’m just happy to hear that it’s happening.

3. Final Fantasy VII Remake

Well holy shit balls. One of the greatest games of all time is getting an HD remake that looks beautiful to the highest degree. Many fans are now dying of excitement now that this has been announced. No Final Fantasy game or movie has ever come close to Final Fantasy VII. It is hands down the best game in the series and everyone has wanted a remake basically ever since it came out. Everyone has fond memories of this game and having a remake will undoubtedly satisfy everyone. This one made a lot of buzz at E3 this year and for all the right reasons.

2. Star Wars Battlefront

Star Wars Star Wars Star Wars. We are all super high on Star Wars right now with the new movies coming out and the reinvigoration in its game studios. We have been awaiting Battlefront for years, and have been nervous that it would never reach the light of day. With the scrapping of Star Wars 1313 many have been scared that Battlefront would reach the same fate. Fortunately, Battlefront has made it, and it looks fucking amazing. The movies are immersive and beautiful, but actually playing in the wars leading up to the new movie is comparable to few things. It is a new level of immersiveness and has everyone losing their minds. The gameplay was not only smooth, intense, and canon-driven, but it was beautiful. It showed us the landscapes that we love, and will come to love, in a way we haven't’ experienced them before. I, and everyone else, cannot wait for this game. It is going to smash along with its movie counterpart The Force Awakens.

1. Fallout 4

Of course. What else would mine or anyone else’s number 1 be? All of these other games are great, but they pale in comparison to Fallout 4. The internet has been teeming with excitement and hoaxes surrounding this game for years. It is now officially happening and we are all drooling with pure excitement. I know I was ecstatic when I heard it was official. Then I lost my shit when I saw the amazing trailer. Even further into E3, they showed gameplay and it looks like everything I’ve ever wanted. Bethesda has listened to all of our complaints about the other games, and have delivered on all of them. I couldn’t ask for anything more from a game and a studio. They are the clear winners of E3 2015.

As always, please follow me Twitter @HaneyCasey and check me out on www.slackernerds.com and moviepilot.com/HaneyCasey. Thanks again for reading and let me know what you think in the comments below.

"What Did I Just See?": Fallout 4 Trailer (FINALLY!)

Well holy shit everyone. This is cause for celebration. I feel like there should be a collective nerd chant just screaming “fallout! Fallout! Fallout! FALLOUT!” Regardless of what I wish we could all do, I’m sure we are all in agreeance that this trailer kicked major ass. This is one of the most anticipated sequels, let alone games, of all time. The only game more anticipated than this is probably Half-Life 3 (get your shit together Vavle). Instead of doing  the usual what did and didn’t work though, today we’re going to just kick back and drink a Nuka Cola, ignore the +rads, and focus on the pure nuclear glory that is this trailer. Let’s dive into the vault and dissect this trailer.

What Worked?

(Besides Everything)

We’re Back Wastelanders!

Where to begin other than the wasteland? The only other thing that doesn’t change in Fallout other than war, is the Wasteland. It’s still full of desert...lots of desert, scumbags, Enclave, Brotherhood of Steel, Mysterious Strangers, Ghouls, Robots, and shit all blown to pieces. However, this time we’re in Boston as confirmed by many Bostonians calling out all the landmarks (in real life not the trailer obviously). Many speculated that this would be the next local and we were right! This time though, it looks as if we can do much more exploring inside more common buildings, and possibly even have transport available to us, i.e. airships. But more on that later. We see an interesting dichotomy between prewar Boston to postwar Boston and wow have things changed. It is worth noting that the amount of prewar footage shown seems to indicate some sort of playable sequence in that era, which is always welcomed! I’m just glad to be back.

Transport!

I said we’d get to it, and here we are. I always said to a friend of mine that the only thing to make Fallout more interesting would be a way to quickly traverse the Wasteland without fast travel or slowly jogging like a girl like all of our characters did. And now it seems more obvious than ever that we are actually getting that in the form of airships. They are extremely prevalent throughout the trailer, and as we know, Bethesda doesn’t put something in that much without there being a reason for it. Most are hoping that they are actually controllable and not just spectatable, much like the lame ass dragons in Skyrim. Don’t do this to us Bethesda….this means too much to all of us.

The Gang(s) Is/Are Back!

The Brotherhood of Steel looks strong as ever and the Enclave seem to be regrouping in Boston as well. There are also some street posters that indicate more street level gangs that we are used to getting involved in. Factions are a huge part of Fallout, and it looks like each gang is turning into an army. Choosing a side could be more fun than ever (Brotherhood of Steel all the way bitches).

Repair/Customize

As we could see in the trailer, the power armor that is being worked on in the garage/shop seems to be on display as if you could repair or customize it with much more precision and detail, as never seen before in previous games. It would be awesome to be able to more specifically repair your armor as well as customize it, possibly creating your own faction. Also, it is worth noting that the main character’s Vault 111 garb looks much nicer and a bit different than previous Vault clothing. Maybe you can even customize the logos on existing gear, or their Vault was just fancier than everyone else’s.

The Main Character

What really set this trailer aside from the other Fallout games was the character speaking at the end. When he spoke I almost lost my shit. Now, this could possibly just be voice work simply for the trailer, but it would be awesome to finally have a character that speaks and is acted by voice talent. I don’t think it would take away from the usual Fallout experience, but merely enhance it. It is a departure, but a good one I think.

Overall Assessment

If you’re not shitting your pants in excitement already, then you’re either dead or a ghoul because this game looks like a glorious masterpiece. I can’t wait to see more coverage at E3. You should be excited for this game and I think this trailer did everything to get you to lose your mind with excitement.

Score: Masterpiece/Masterpiece

As always, let me know if I’m just dead wrong, or if you agree with me. Are you crapping your pants? With excitement I hope...Have you preordered it yet? If so, may I have your copy? Sound off below! Thanks for reading as always and please follow me on Twitter @HaneyCasey.