E3, the Electronic Entertainment Expo. I have another name for it: Extreme Expectations Expo. Call it catching a ride on the hype train, jumping on the bandwagon, or being a fanboi, but gamers can’t help themselves from getting caught up in the excitement and marketing surrounding E3. Even in an era where gamers love to tear apart developers for their missteps, gamers keep coming back for more. Fool me once, shame on me. Fool me twice, well, shame on me again. Three times? I can take it, keep it coming. These are our top 10 hype moments of E3 2019. Which ones will live up to the hype, and which ones will set the internet on fire is anyone’s guess.
10. Animal Crossing: New Horizons
Animal Crossing may have been delayed, but that doesn’t mean we aren’t hyped. We got an official name – Animal Crossing: New Horizons – and a confirmed release date of March 20, 2020. Also announced was the utilization of the Switch‘s second most awesome feature (number one being it’s portable, duh) with the inclusion of 4 player couch co-op (and 8 players online). Start divvying up your chores now.
9. Fallout 76
How can Fallout 76 be on a hype list? you may ask. Well, let’s start off with a Todd Howard quote from the Bethesda E3 Showcase:
We have had an incredibly exciting year at Bethesda Games Studios. Given some of that excitement, I’m impressed you’re still here.
By figuratively falling on his sword, he reminded us that we wanted Fallout 76 to be an epic game, and maybe it’s time to make space for FO 76 on the hard drive to see what it looks like now. There have been a lot of updates to the game since it’s rough launch, and to help entice players to check it out, Bethesda are offering a free play week. Oh, and did you catch that there are NPCs coming to Appalachia? I bet you did. Go ahead, you can be a little excited.
8. Doom Eternal
Raze Hell. DOOM Eternal launches on November 11, 2019. The reboot in 2016 was great, and Doom Eternal looks to be even better. It’s easy to get excited and you will need that adrenaline boost to keep up with the dizzying pace of the game. The levels are always chaotic, and it’s your job to fill it with enemy body parts.
7. GhostWire: Tokyo
In a world full of sequels, prequels, and remakes, nothing gets the hype juices flowing as much as a new IP. There isn’t any gameplay footage in the fully CGI trailer, but it presents us with a dark and eerie Tokyo, and the music and stunning visuals are enough to give you goosebumps. That was enough to put GhostWire on my radar.
6. Gears 5
Chainsaw gun. How much more do you have to say to get excited about Gears 5? Maybe a little. Like how it has the Terminator, or that it’s coming out on September 10, 2019 (Sept. 6 for Game Pass Ultimate subscribers). We even get a new protagonist, Kait Diaz, and she looks badass!
5. Halo Infinite
When the pilot wipes the frost from the windshield of his ship and you see Master Chief floating in front of him, it’s more than just an ‘oh yeah’ moment, it’s an ‘OH HELL YEAH!’ moment. Master Chief doesn’t disappoint, and knowing Halo Infinite is going to be a Scarlett launch title means there is a little over a year for the hype to build up.
4. Baldur’s Gate 3
If you are into RPGs at all, then you understand why this announcement is so exciting. It’s been 20 years since we adventured in Baldur’s Gate, and if this pre-E3 announcement didn’t make you want to dig out your old disks (or look to see if it is on Steam), then you probably never played the original series. Baldur’s Gate 3 is expected to give the player the freedom. We didn’t get an official release date, but it is listed as a Google Stadia title, so here’s to hoping it is released in 2019. It’s doubtful since we haven’t gotten any gameplay footage, but the hype train is fueled by unrealistic expectations.
3. Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order
Spinning lightsabers. Stormtroopers. Force powers. Hype cranked all the way to 11. It doesn’t take a lot to get people excited about a Star Wars game, and even though they have been hit and miss in the past, Fallen Order is looking sweeeeet!
2. Zelda: Breath Of The Wild 2 Announcement
I may not be the biggest Zelda fan out there, but even I can understand the hype of this sequel being announced. BotW has sold close to 13 million copies, making it the 4th highest selling game on the Switch, only behind games with Mario or Super in the title. We didn’t get a release date, but who cares? Hype meter set to Link!
1. Borderlands 3
Borderlands 3 slides in at the top for one very good reason: it’s almost here! Go ahead and rage about how it’s exclusive on the Epic Games Store all you want, but you know you’re going to download it as soon as it releases on September 13th. What is the most hype-inducing thing about Borderlands 3? Is it the billion guns? How about level sync co-op? Maybe you are interested in playing all four characters or heading off-planet? For me, it has to be the anticipation of watching the opening cinematic for the first time. Man do they pick some awesome songs!
