E3 2017 is done and past. A full week has gone by, and we've had time to digest the news and prepare ourselves for the upcoming game-pocalypse coming in the holiday season. Here's the problem with discussing E3 announcements, most of the games people are talking about were already known. Everyone knew that the big titles, "God of War," "Assassins Creed," and "Farcry," were all going to get sequels and massive amounts of time dedicated to showing off the new consoles.
There were some surprising announcements, some that got very little time in the spotlight, or maybe they didn't get the reaction that they deserve. Here are 5 of the most exciting announcements you may have missed.
1. "Ni No Kuni 2: Revenant Kingdom"
If "Dragon Quest" had a weird baby with Studio Ghibli, "Ni No Kuni" is what would come out. It takes the classic RPG style, from the era of "Final Fantasy 7" and "Chrono Trigger", and updates it. With some of the most beautiful aesthetics and incredible art I have ever seen, "Ni No Kuni" is one of the most underrated and criminally unknown titles in the video game world. It's the kind of game that any lover of RPGs can pick up and experience something beautiful and familiar. Maybe you'll fall in love as I did, or you'll find that you've finally outgrown the RPG genre.
2. "Stifled"
Most of the recent horror games take advantage of limited senses to make the horror experience truly immersive. Some create dark or cloudy areas with tons of corners for the monsters to hide. "Stifled" and its spiritual successor "Lurking" takes that concept to the extreme by having you play the entire game with echolocation. Yup, that's right. No lights, no shapes, just outlines of objects made from the sounds made by the player. Drop a bottle on a rock, a ripple of sound echoes out and lights up the environment. "Stifled" even takes it to the next level by incorporating the player's microphone. You have to make a sound to figure out which way to go but also stay silent enough to remain hidden from the horrors that lurk in the darkness.
3. "The Darwin Project"
Affectionately known by my friends as "Hunger Games" Esports, this game has an insane amount of potential. In a world of "League of Legends" and "Overwatch", this game could hit a unique niche in the competitive gaming scene. It seems to play similar to a free for all style, reminiscent of Unreal Tournament, but with a class system similar to "Overwatch". The biggest and probably greatest aspect of the game is the integration with streaming software. Viewers on Microsoft's new streaming platform Mixer will be able to have actual input in the match itself. While the depth of influence is unknown, it's the first time a competitive game has added the ability to affect gameplay from outside the game.
4. "Ori and the Will of the Wisps"
I have a soft spot in my heart for this series. The first game, "Ori and the Blind Forest", was beautiful. It was one of the most visually appealing games I have ever seen, topped with some of the most engaging and entertaining platforming in the last decade. Just from the trailer and live performance of the music by composer Gareth Coker, it's easy to see that the sequel will be just as beautiful with an equally heart-wrenching and emotional story.
5. "The Artful Escape"
Another title in the extensive lineup of indie games, "The Artful Escape" was one of the most visually exciting games at E3. The entire trailer felt like a journey into the mind of a musician on LSD. Everything goes crazy almost immediately with electric guitars and space suits with intense and captivating visuals. I have no idea what the concept or playstyle of this game will be, but it's going to be visual chaos, to say the least.
Conclusion
Of course, there are hundreds of games I can talk about that showed up at E3, especially the huge AAA titles like "Beyond Good and Evil 2" and even new IPs like "Anthem", but there's no time. Besides waiting for the upcoming holiday season when almost everything is releasing, all we can do is remain hyped for all these fantastic announcements.
