Alien: Isolation
Why we're excited: This isn't your typical Aliens game. You're not in the boots of a colonial marine as you gun down hundreds of xenomorphs with your M41A Pulse Rifle. Alien: Isolation is all about replicating the experience in Ridley Scott's original Alien film, meaning Isolation will be scary as hell. You're not fighting an army, either--you're up against one alien. And it will kill you. This deadly creature is a hyper-intelligent behemoth that will hunt you down and plunge its spiky tail right through your chest.
Will it be there? Developer Creative Assembly has taken every chance to expose as many humans as possible to its horrifying Alien creation. Isolation has appeared at just about every game convention since it's announcement, and we wouldn't expect it to miss the biggest expo of the year.
Dragon Age: Inquisition
Why we're excited: Despite the shortcomings of the infamous Dragon Age 2, Dragon Age: Inquisition seems to be squashing the criticisms of the series up to now. Everything we love about the original DA looks to be there: There's big-ass dragons, tactical combat, and a bunch of companions to get to know. Plus, Inquisition is expanding into a full open-world, with dynamic choices and irreversible consequences. So far, Inquisition sounds like the Dragon Age game we've all dreamed of.
Will it be there? Bioware has stated that itll be bringing the game to E3, so yes. After a lengthy PAX Prime demo showcasing a castle siege, a village getting burned to the ground, and a fight with a massive dragon, we can't wait to see what the developers are going to demo this time around.
Lords of the Fallen
Why we're excited: If you took Dark Souls, juiced up the visuals to next-gen quality (well, current-gen now), and made the combat a bit more arcade-y, you'd have a pretty good idea what Lords of the Fallen is like. The developers promise an adventure that challenge players with unforgiving enemies and environments. Better get your circle-strafing skills on point because you're going to have to stay on your feet to survive Lords of the Fallen.
Will it be there? Lords of the Fallen has a planned release sometime in 2014 and Bandai Namco Games has been taking every chance it can to show off the dark fantasy adventure. We will surely get a peek at E3 2014.
Star Wars: Battlefront (DICE)
Why we're excited: We were excited for DICE's Star Wars Battlefront before we knew it existed. Seriously, EA put a dream developer to work on one of biggest franchises around. The first teaser trailer of the game was revealed at E3 2013, showing a very brief glimpse of the Battle of Hoth. Snowspeeders were crashing, AT-AT feet were stomping--it was great. But now, a year later, we're ready for some real game footage.
Will it be there? EA CEO Andrew Wilson confirmed on an investor call that Star Wars: Battlefront will be shown at E3 2014. If that confirmation isnt strong enough for you, then your lack of faith is disturbing.
Super Smash Bros. 3DS/Wii U
Why we're excited: Smash Bros. is a fighter that anyone can get into. Its a perfect party game, and it features the most popular characters in video game history. With the announcements trickling in over the last year--including character reveals and silly screenshots--Nintendo's slow teasing of information has become unbearable for some super fans. And with those Smash Bros blueballs building for so long, finally getting a chance to see the near final version of the game in action will definitely be an E3 2014 highlight.
Will it be there? Nintendo will have both new Super Smash Bros. games on hand at E3. The company even has a unique way of showcasing the highly anticipated fighter: it's holding a tournament. Nintendo has already revealed the competitors and details. So, look forward to seeing some pro Smash skills on display.
The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt
Why we're excited: Geralt of Rivia returns to his old habits of wandering the countryside and taking part in all sorts of debauchery, monster hunting, and saving the common folk from some ill fate. In The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt, Geralt has more freedom to explore the vast open world. But just because you're free to go anywhere you want and do as you please, doesn't mean there aren't consequences. Your decisions still impact the world around you, so if you decide not to save that village from monster attacks, that village just may not be there later (along with the quest options the residents would have offered).
Will it be there? The Witcher 3 hasn't been confirmed to show at E3 2014 yet, but its release date was pushed back to February 2015 from the original late 2014 launch window. With the development team taking the time to perfect their upcoming adventure, it wouldn't be surprising if they wanted to show off what they've been fine tuning.
Batman: Arkham Knight
Why we're excited: Ok, so we've fought the Caped Crusader's most famous enemies in Arkham Asylum, prowled the streets of Gotham (sort of) in Arkham City, and both games brought players as close to being Batman as (seemingly) possible; what else could Arkham Knight offer? Simple: the Batmobile. Along with all of the other awesome Batman stuff you could do in the previous games, the Dark Knight finally gets a sweet set of wheels. From what we've seen so far, you can instantly eject yourself out of the cockpit into a glide, jump in at a moment's notice, and crash through anything in the unstoppable vehicle.
Will it be there? It's highly probable that Batman: Arkham Knight will have some new reveals ready for E3. We've already seen the Batmobile in action, but with the massive Gotham City game world and the traditionally dense gameplay of the series, we're sure RockSteady has plenty more to show.
Battlefield Hardline
Why we're excited: It's official: The next Battlefield won't be set on a militaristic war zone like past games. Instead, Battlefield Hardline will be set in an urban, cops vs. criminals theme. So, instead of stepping into fatigues, we'll potentially be strapping on riot gear, chasing down robbers, or, alternatively, robbing banks as criminals in the next Battlefield. And all that sounds like an awesome change of pace.
Will it be there?There have been no official statements saying that the new Battlefield will coming this year (though that's probably the case), but it definitely looks like EA will have something to tease at E3. We'll just have to wait and see what turns up.
Far Cry 4
Why we're excited: Weve rhapsodized plenty about Far Cry 3 on this site, and we have excellent reason for it: The game is amazing. Considering the quality of its predecessor, Far Cry 4 hopefully takes all of what made the third a modern classic and transplants it in the Himalayas. Also, if rumors are to be believed, there might be elephants you can ride(!).
Will it be there? Ubisoft has indeed confirmed Far Cry 4s existence, and the timing seems perfect for a full E3 unveiling. In fact, its scheduled for release in November, so it would be wildly out of character for Ubisoft not to show it.
Star Wars (Visceral)
Why we're excited: We know Visceral is working on a new Star Wars game. Whether this game is the same Star Wars open-world title that EA Canada was rumored to be working on or not has yet to be determined, but we can't wait to see what the Dead Space developer has in the works. DICE revealed it's upcoming Battlefront title fairly early and it would be incredible to get a simple teaser trailer just to know for sure what in the blazes it is.
Will it be there? There might not be enough room for two high profile Star Wars games at E3 2014. We know the new Star Wars Battlefront will show up, but not a peep has been heard from Visceral. We're betting EA will simply stick to showing off DICE's game and keep Visceral's behind the curtain, for now.
