Though it seems like we just started 2018, E3 is already approaching quickly. A number of game publishers have already revealed games they’ll be showing during the event, including Ubisoft’s The Division 2 and Electronic Arts’ next Battlefield game, and we suspect dozens of previously announced games from companies like Nintendo and Activision will also show up at E3. Along with those games are the completely new announcements – the games we hadn’t heard a peep about until the press conferences revealed them. From the guaranteed titles to the question marks, here are the eight games we want to see at E3 2018.


ANNOUNCED

The Surge 2

The Surge is one of the most underrated games of the last few years, delivering a streamlined and accessible take on Souls-like combat without sacrificing the challenge that made the genre so popular in the first place. Its art style was a tad bland, however, due in large part to and industrial setting that didn’t leave much room for creativity.

But that looks to change in The Surge 2. In place of the industrial facility is an open-ended city, free for the player to explore. Weapons aren’t limited to the repurposed tools of the original, either, with military-style equipment giving you even more ways to dismember your enemies. The limb-targeting system of the first game has been expanded for The Surge 2, as well, but we’re hoping to actually see some gameplay in order to judge how far Dack13’s development team has come.


The Last of Us: Part II

Sony and Naughty Dog announced The Last of Us: Part II back in December 2016, and aside from the occasional bit of story detail and a pre-rendered trailer, we’ve heard nothing basically nothing about the sequel. Instead, last year’s E3 presentation was focused on Naughty Dog’s other project, Uncharted: The Lost Legacy.

That has to change in 2018. We need not only more information on Joel and Ellie’s next adventure, but a look at the game running on a PlayStation 4. As Sony’s other zombie-focused game, Days Gone, was recently delayed until 2019, it’s likely The Last of Us: Part II will release later this year, but we still have to see something from the game before we’re willing to throw our money at it. Admittedly, we don’t to see much.


Fire Emblem for Switch

Nintendo revealed that a full-fledged Fire Emblem tactical role-playing game would be coming to Nintendo Switch well over a year ago. At the time, an estimated 2018 release window was given, but seeing as we’ve heard absolutely nothing about the game in the following year, we’re hoping Nintendo has big plans for the game at its Nintendo Direct E3 presentation in June.

Fire Emblem for Switch will be the first time the main series of games has come to a home console since Fire Emblem: Radiant Dawn released back in 2007. With fully animated cinematics and voice acting as well as more detailed combat animations, the Switch game could put the acclaimed 3DS entries to shame. We hope that Nintendo looks to Awakening, Path of Radiance, and Fates for inspiration rather than the more recent Shadows of Valentia and Heroes, however, as the series has started to become too simplified for its own good.


UNANNOUNCED

Splinter Cell 2018

Sam Fisher has been missing-in-action for nearly five years, and the fine men and women over at Fourth Echelon are beginning to worry about him. As Ubisoft’s other Tom Clancy series such as Rainbow Six and Ghost Recon have thrived on the current generation of consoles, Splinter Cell fans are still without a new game, and with the great mix of stealth and action Ubisoft Toronto delivered in Splinter Cell Blacklist, the studio deserves another shot.

On March 13, an Amazon Canada listing for “Splinter Cell 2018” briefly appeared online. We know Ubisoft hasn’t killed the franchise, as CEO Yves Guillemot said during E3 2017 that the company was taking pitches from its development team. Though Ghost Recon moved to an enormous open world, Splinter Cell should stay on a smaller scale, with individual missions rather than one large environment. It would also be a shame to leave out the gloriously gravely pipes of Michael Ironside, who last appeared in 2010’s Splinter Cell Conviction.


Bloodborne 2

From Software teasedsomething back at The Game Awards in December, with a femur being twisted in some sort of rudimentary machine that looked like it would fit in Bloodborne’s macabre world of Yharnam -- though some believed it to be a new Tenchu, instead. The developer didn’t reveal the name of its project, but the original Bloodborne stands as one of the best games on the PlayStation 4 and, in many ways, surpasses the Dark Souls series in both level and enemy design.

It’s been three years since the last game, which makes it the perfect time for a surprise gameplay-filled announcement during Sony’s press conference. Bloodborne had a pretty definitive ending – at least by From Software standards – but it would still be entirely possible for Miyazaki and his team to return to the gothic-inspired Yharnam for another death-filled action-role-playing game.


Doom 2

Id Software’s 2016 Doom reboot was a huge success, mixing buttery smooth animation and classic franchise mechanics with the new “Glory Kill” system to create a first-person shooter unlike anything else available. It didn’t take itself seriously, reveling in the absurdity of a demonic invasion on Mars instead of attempting to justify it with anything of substance, and it was better for it.

A sequel cook expand on the most absurd aspects of the last game with ever crazier demons to slay, as well as a move away from the scientific installation for Earth itself. It would mirror the change made for Doom II: Hell on Earth back in 1994, but it would also give the development team a chance to get even more creative with its level design. Demons in the forest, or demons in the desert? Why not?


New Super Mario Bros. Switch

The 3D Mario games like Super Mario Odyssey and Super Mario Galaxy 2 receive the most critical acclaim, but Nintendo’s “New Super Mario Bros.” series shouldn’t be written off as a simple nostalgia grab. The games have perfectly refined sidescrolling platforming, and they mix together the best elements of the classic NES and SNES games to create something more palatable for a younger audience.

A New Super Mario Bros. game has come to every Nintendo platform since the DS, but none of them have been as perfect for the games as the Switch. Its Joy-Con controllers and kickstand mean that you can start two-person cooperative play wherever you are, and the recent release of Odyssey is likely the only reason Nintendo hasn’t announced it yet. Nintendo would be wise to release an all-new game rather than a port of New Super Mario Bros. U, however – there are only so many ports a fanbase can take.


Halo 6

Microsoft’s Xbox has had a rough last few years, with few exclusives, and even fewer exclusives actually worth playing. The Halo series has always been Xbox’ light in the darkness, keeping players interested even as Sony releases exponentially more games for its own system. Halo 5: Guardians was far from a smash hit, with a disappointing campaign and no split-screen play, and last year’s Halo Wars 2 failed to make much of an impact.

For Halo 6, 343 Industries needs to make a statement. Halo has to be the shooter to play on Xbox One again, and that begins with a well-written campaign to rival the original trilogy. With Joseph Staten now working for Microsoft again, the pieces are in place for the series to return to its former glory, and a brief bit of gameplay at the Xbox E3 press conference could get people talking about the Xbox brand in a more positive light.