As is tradition, several publisher press conferences kicked off E3 over the weekend. The second day wrapping up yesterday after industry giants Microsoft, Bethesda, and Square Enix briefed us on the biggest games set to launch over the next couple of years. While some of what we saw was more or less expected, there were also some major and very welcome surprises that caught us totally off guard. Here we’ll be recapping E3 2021‘s biggest reveals from Day 2.
Starfield Cinematic Trailer & Release Date
8 Biggest Reveals of E3 2021 Day 2
Despite the fact that we’d only ever seen Starfield’s logo before Bethesda’s E3 conference this year, there’s a collective understanding amongst game enthusiasts that it’s destined to become the publisher’s next marquee franchise. While the latest cinematic trailer revealed yesterday still hasn’t really showcased what it’s all about, there’s little doubt in our minds Bethesda is determined to deliver an epic space opera with Starfield.
Obviously, we can’t wait to see more over the next 18 months in the build-up to Starfield’s November 2022 release date. For more on the game, you can follow a new Starfield dev diary series announced by Bethesda earlier today.
Halo Infinite F2P Multiplayer Gameplay
Halo Infinite’s wobbly first showing last year is likely to have put a lot of pressure on developer 343 Industries to deliver at its second attempt. While we didn’t see much of the game’s single-player campaign over the weekend, we did get a good look at its multiplayer. The consensus? It appears to be shaping up pretty darn well!
When Halo Infinite’s multiplayer launches later this holiday season, it will do so as a free-to-play experience across PC and Xbox systems, offering cross-platform play and cross-platform progression. The Xbox Series X version will deliver some top class performance rates with a reported 120 FPS framerate. For a more detailed look at all the new multiplayer features coming in Halo Infinite, check out today’s report on the new overview trailer.
Age of Empires 4 Gameplay Trailer & Release Date
8 Biggest Reveals of E3 2021 Day 2
The next entry in what is more or less the RTS genre’s founding father understandably had a lot of folks excited when it was first revealed earlier this year. For E3 2021, though, we finally have a proper look at its gameplay in full swing, showcasing armies from throughout different eras of history clashing in epic battles. The animations and overall production really do look superb, and are a huge leap forward from the third game.
Better yet, the trailer reveals Age of Empire’s 4’s release date, which is set for Oct. 28.
A Plague Tale: Requiem Reveal
A Plague Tale Innocence was one of 2019’s big surprises. Developer Asobo Studios was hardly known for cinematic, story-driven action/adventure games prior, but it utterly smashed it out of the park with an emotional rollercoaster that delighted us with its thrilling narrative, compelling premise, and simple but effective gameplay.
The announcement of a sequel, then, has us excited for a grander and more ambitious vision this time around. We can’t wait to see what the team can do with the next chapter of Hugo and Amicia’s story when it launches next year.
Redfall Reveal
8 Biggest Reveals of E3 2021 Day 2
Arguably one of E3 2021’s biggest surprises so far, the revelation that developer Arkane Studios is busy at work not only on its upcoming shooter Deathloop but also an all-new franchise exclusive to Xbox certainly caught our attention.
Called Redfall, it’s a cooperative, open-world shooter where teams of up to four buddy up in a hunt for vampires. There’s not an awful lot to go on so far in terms of its gameplay design, but what we can say is that the art style and premise certainly sound compelling.
Guardians of the Galaxy Reveal
With Square Enix and Marvel having partnered to produce several Marvel-themed video games over the coming years, the reveal of a Guardians of the Galaxy game probably wasn’t all that surprising to many. Given the disappointment Marvel’s Avengers was though, it was a little surprising that GOTG actually looks pretty good.
Unlike Marvel’s Avengers, Guardians of the Galaxy is a single-player, story-driven experience, and from the looks of it the writing team has nailed the whimsical nature of its premise and characters. Here’s hoping that Eidos Montreal (the team behind Deus Ex) nails third-person action/adventure gameplay, too.
You can watch a gameplay overview and a deep dive into the design of the game here. Otherwise, standby for more information as we get nearer to Guardians of the Galaxy’s release date of Oct. 26, 2021 on PS5, PS4, Xbox Series X|S and PC.
Outer Worlds 2 Reveal Trailer (Sort of)
8 Biggest Reveals of E3 2021 Day 2
In typical tongue-in-cheek fashion, The Outer Worlds 2 has been revealed by Obsidian Entertainment. This very first “look” at the upcoming game is also a very honest one, because as the narrator amusingly explains, the development team is actually nowhere ready to showcase anything about the game yet at all!
But that’s absolutely fine. Just the confirmation alone that The Outer Worlds, one of 2019’s best RPGs, is getting a sequel is news enough for us. Take your time, Obsidian.
12 Minutes Release Date
Annapurna Interactive’s 12 Minutes was first revealed way back in 2015, and so the long-awaited confirmation of its release date six years later is absolutely one of E3’s biggest announcements yet. The game will launch on Aug. 19.
For the uninitiated, 12 Minutes is a point-and-click adventure thriller played in 12-minute loops. It takes place in a single apartment bedroom as players repeat different iterations of the same story premise — the player character returns home to his wife who has a special evening planned, but their plans interrupted as an intruder assaults them.
Players will have to manipulate the environment and their interactions with different characters to try and alter the tragic events of the story.
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