Today marks the beginning of the 2014 Electronic Entertainment Expo in Los Angeles, popularly known as E3. It’s the year’s biggest video gaming event, and it all got started early this morning with some big game announcements from Microsoft and its Xbox One console.
Like with previous E3 events, the titles that got the best reception from the crowd are all sequels of popular franchises, and few franchises are more popular than the billion-dollar seller Call of Duty. This holiday season, Activision will be releasing Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare, a self-proclaimed “chilling vision of the future of war.” It looks more like a violent R-rated action movie than a video game. And if killer graphics aren’t enough to blur the line of reality, the game actually stars Academy Award winner Kevin Spacey. Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare will be available for the Xbox One and PlayStation 4 on November 4, 2014.
The popular sci-fi first-person shooter series Halo is also back this year, but not quite as a true sequel. Halo: The Master Chief Collection takes the past games in the series and puts them all together on one console, complete with remastered graphics and other enhancements. Halo: Master Chief Collection will be available in the U.S. on November 11 as an Xbox exclusive.
If you’re looking for a more family-oriented game, Turn 10 Studio’s photorealistic racing sequel Forza Horizon 2 looks absolutely gorgeous. The Xbox exclusive, set in Southern Europe, lets you pilot (and crash!) Lamborghinis and other extraordinarily lavish sports cars in 30 frames-per-second, 1080p HD. Forza Motorsport 5 was one of Techlicious’s favorite Xbox One games of last year, so we’re all really excited for Horizon 2’s September 30 release.
Fans of Ubisoft’s Assassin’s Creed series will be glad to see a new title this holiday called Assassin’s Creed: Unity. Set in 1789 during the French Revolution in Paris, Unity is the first in the stealthy action series to feature 4-person co-op, story-based mission gameplay. The game is slated for release on all major consoles in the U.S. on October 28.
Action RPG fans have a promising sequel to look forward to, as well – Dragon Age: Inquisition. The single-player game focuses more on strategy than previous titles in the series, which means you’ll need to use your brains more than your fingers. The mature in-game romance mechanism that famously allowed for same-sex couplings is back and even more detailed (as are “tasteful” sex scenes), with the individual decisions and conversations you have in game making a major impact on the story and experience. The game will be available for the Xbox 360, PlayStation 3 and 4 consoles on October 7, though premiere content is coming first to the Xbox One.
These games are only the tip of the proverbial video gaming iceberg. Adventurer Lara Croft is making her return to your TV in a new Tomb Raider game this holiday. The Fable series is also making a return with Fable Legends, giving you the option to play the villain in the game. And, of course, there will be new titles too, like the Xbox exclusive Sunset Overdrive, an 8-person multiplayer shooter with crazy acrobatics and over-the-top combat. The game is scheduled for an October 28 release.
