They say the enemy of my enemy is my friend and for the longest time now, I have not been a fan of Microsoft. I would say the genesis of my dislike for Microsoft was born from the mess that was Games for Windows Live, a project in which Microsoft damaged PC gaming by their sheer ineptitude. There have been other catastrophes to be sure, such as the launch of the last generation of XBOX; but this didn’t affect PC Gaming as much. It feels strange then to be actually cheering Microsoft on as they seem to be (finally) embracing PC gaming while simultaneously sticking it to Epic Games. I’ve always liked Phil Spencer because he comes across genuine and also works damn hard for his brand. While on stage Phil talked about cross play and giving gamers a choice of platform: two concepts I would love to see more of in the games industry. I think it is safe to say that Microsoft had to nail this year, due to their main competition ducking out of E3 altogether.

The big news for PC gamers was that Microsoft is bringing their gaming subscription service (Game Pass) to PC and this will in effect, release some of those Epic Exclusives onto another PC platform. The way I feel right now, I am fully onboard with Microsoft if they are letting me play games like Metro Exodus and The Outer Worlds while bypassing Epics anti-consumer campaign to force gamers onto their store. While there was certainly way too many CGI trailers doing the rounds this E3, Microsoft had an awesome show and are clearly getting their claws sharp for the next console generation. These are the games that stood out to me.

Game of E3

Cyberpunk 2077

CD Projekt Red

Release Date: April 16th 2020

Cyberpunk 2077 is the most anticipated game in the world right now and there are some very good reasons for that. For a start, this game comes to us from the same developers who brought us The Witcher 3: one of the best games ever made in my opinion. CD Projekt Red has also shown so much love for their fans in the form of free DLC and taking a stand against bad industry practices. The world of Cyberpunk is already a deep setting to dive into but CDPR is looking to bring us a beautiful and exquisitely detailed experience that will be genre defining. On top of another fantastic story trailer, we were treated to what was the highlight of the show for me: Keanu Reaves being unveiled as a major character in the game and then walking out on Stage to do his thing. I love Keanu as he is just so genuine and absolutely nailed it in front of an ecstatic E3. The ‘breathtaking’ interaction with a crowd member was also pure gold and that fan has even received a collectors edition of the game courtesy of CDPR. Many lucky games journalists have seen a behind closed doors gameplay demo and all have come out dizzy with awe. Cyberpunk 2077 is our game of E3 by a country mile and raises the bar on game development to unprecedented heights. Mark the date in your calendar ladies and gents, this is the big one and it’s coming out in April 2020.

Ori and the Will of the Wisps

Moon Studios

Release Date: February 11th 2020

Sometimes you just know when I sequel is going to be good. Ori took the platforming genre by storm and is in my opinion the best platform game ever made. Not only was it so stunningly beautiful it would make Pixar drool, but it also had the gameplay chops to back it up. The story was an emotional and the exquisite soundtrack combined with a heart-wrenching opening actually had me crying. Yes, even a big fucker like me can cry and you did too, didn't you?! It seems Ori’s world is threatened again, sparking a brand new adventure which includes new abilities and gameplay mechanics. Stop reading this and just check the trailer.

Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order

Respawn Entertainment

Release Date: November 15th 2019

Star Wars has been through something of a rollercoaster ride in the last decade, not just in terms of gaming buts also film offerings. Audiences have been going from sheer elation at learning of a new series of films, to utter disappointment at seeing the results in the bare light of day. . These days audiences seem a lot more jaded on the saga and this appears to be the same for gamers. The Jedi Knight series was the last good Star Wars game I’ve played and the only game to ever capture the true awesomeness of the Lightsaber in a game. How hard could it be to capture this again?

With numerous projects being canned in recent years it felt like we would never again see a good Star Wars game: then we learned that Respawn had been landed with the job of making a single player game set in this universe. Respawn Entertainment has a lot of respect in the industry and so faith that this game will do the brand justice is high. This E3 we finally saw the gameplay and I think overall it looks great. The section they chose to share did receive some criticism for having too much walking but I was very happy with what we saw because I’m more interested in how the whole thing fits together. Cal, the central character, comes across interesting and personable. The environments all look beautiful with good lighting and level design. Animation of all the characters is of a high caliber and the new obligatory droid helper is awesome. It’s clear there will be plenty of micro puzzles that require you to show off your force powers and it looks like Cal is incredibly powerful for a young Jedi. Yes, I wish they had gone darker and included dismemberment, but this is a small omission that I can live without. Now that Respawn can see how their reveal has been received I’m sure they will be hard at work preparing for another gameplay demo for Gamescom 2019.

Dying Light 2

Techland

Release Date: Spring 2020

So let’s just get this out of the way, I rate Dying Light as the best zombie game ever made. This is even more impressive considering the zombie genre has been getting aped for years. In 2015 we were set free into a city ravaged by disease and violate gangs. The way you could move around the city was certainly one of the most exciting elements of the gameplay loop but the way zombies interacted with the environment was just perfection. The physicality of each encounter made combat so much fun whether it was hacking the limbs of an attacker or spartan kicking one off a rooftop.

Dying Light 2 is taking this wonderful template and adding many more systems that expand the world, making consequences filter into the feedback loop. This time around how you act, who you help etc will drastically change how that part of the city looks and works. There will also be ways to connect to other players and work in co-op. Techland are another developer who have always been very pro-consumer and supported their fans all the way. This is one of my most anticipated games of 2020.

The Outer Worlds

Obsidian Entertainment

Release Date: October 25th 2019

Have you ever been in a situation where someone has done you a huge favour but then been a total dick about it? On the heels of Fallout 76’s disastrous release came the announcement of The Outer Worlds, a game that looks to have the essence of what made Fallout games great at its very core. Then they went a ruined the ride by signing an exclusivity deal with Epic. If I am being fair I get the impression that Obsidian may not have wanted this to happen but as we are seeing more often, publishers like Take-Two and Deep Silver are signing these anti-consumer deals with Epic. As I have already covered, this E3 we saw how the Microsoft Games Pass will now give PC gamers the chance to bypass Epic and so this fantastic looking title is back on my radar.

The game is a brand new IP in which you must navigate narrative and gunplay alike to achieve your goals. Role-playing seems to be key and the team at Obsidian have clearly worked very hard on giving the player agency over how you choose to act. Your ship, that you can take to different worlds, also doubles up as a home base which could be very cool if they let you personalise it with trophies etc. This also leaves the game perfectly set up for new planets to explore via DLC and expansions. The Outer Worlds is set to launch this winter and should make those long winter nights a pleasure to endure.

12 Minutes

Luis Antonio

Release Date: 2020

This game caught my attention and seems to have a really clever premise. Viewed from a top-down perspective, we watch the same scenario unravel in vastly different ways. In the trailer, a couple is talking over dinner when the husband tells his wife that a man is coming to kill her. It seems that this will play out and that you have the ability to go back in time twelve minutes to prevent it. I honestly don’t know any more than this and that is how I am going to leave it, sometimes going to a game knowing everything kills the experience. Check out the trailer and see what you think

Afterparty

Night School Studio

Release Date: 2019

Afterparty is a narrative driven adventure game from the much-loved developers Night School Stuido.I’ll be honest after the wonderful and mysterious Oxenfree I’d be onboard, even before seeing what the actual gameplay looked like. In Afterparty, we join Milo and Lola, two friends who have recently died and ended up in hell. It seems the only way to get back to the land of the living is to challenge Satan to a drinking competition, obviously. Quirky visuals and snappy dialogue make this title look like it will be a surefire hit.

Spiritfarer

Thunder Lotus Games

Release Date: 2019

This game looks like is already has bags of personality and is exquisitely animated. Set aboard a huge floating house you can build, fish, explore and so much more. Stella, the ferrymaster, seems to be some kind of courier for the spirits of the dead and must help this sould make their way to the afterlife. This strikes me as a hybrid between games like Animal Crossing and Stardew Valley. I hope we get some more information at Gamescom.

Microsoft Flight Sim

Microsoft

Release Date: 2020

In the early days of PC gaming Flight sims were ingrained into the community, either combat focused like the Apache games or more sedate offerings like Microsoft Flight Sim. This genre of game does seem to have been in decline in recent years and so it is wonderful to see a brand new game in the works. I did treat myself to a full HOTAS setup for Elite Dangerous but it has been gathering dust for a while now, it will be good to dig it out and take to the skies once again. This trailer looks absolutely jaw-dropping and I suspect this will be one of the first games to take advantage of our new rig planned for next year.