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Preview: My Top 5 PC Games of E3

Jonathan Riggall

Jonathan Riggall

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June 7th sees 2011’s E3 (Electronic Entertainment Expo) open in Los Angeles, and it looks like being a pretty good year for PC gamers. I’ve been looking over what developers are promising to show there, and picked out what I think are the most exciting upcoming games for PCs!

Bioshock: Infinite (2012)
What’s been seen so far of Bioshock: Infinite looks fantastic. The story shifts to a new environment, of floating city Columbia in 1912. Lighter and less claustrophobic than Rapture, Columbia yet again has a wonderfully distinctive aging science fiction look to it, but it’s definitely different to the original games. While the mix of FPS and special powers remains, Bioshock: Infinite is sure to be one of the most original games we’ll see at E3.

Rage (Sept 11 2011)
When the creator of Wolfenstein and Doom makes a new first person shooter, you sit up and take note. Considering id Software’s last original game, Doom 3, was in 2004, Rage is certainly not being rushed, and uses id’s new ‘id Tech 5’ engine. It looks really impressive, and it’ll be fascinating to see what the originators will do with the FPS genre, which is always in need of fresh ideas. We’ve already had a peak into what Rage for PC will be like,  as the game is already  available for iOS.

Need for Speed: The Run (November 15 2011)
Last year’s Need for Speed Hot Pursuit put the franchise back at the forefront of arcade racing, and I love the concept of The Run – a race across America, from San Fransisco to New York. The short trailer seems to suggest that the game will include environmental events similar to those seen in Split/Second. That was good, but a commercial failure, so I can’t help wondering whether this is a good direction to take!

Batman: Arkham City (October 10 2011)
Batman: Arkham Asylum was one of 2009’s pleasant surprises. Rocksteady Studios managed to create a game that kept fans happy and was also excellent in its own right. Arkham City is shaping up to be the best Batman thing I’ve seen since Tim Burton’s 1989 movie! The city looks imaginative and huge, and the idea of taking the excellent gameplay of Asylum out into the streets is worth getting excited about.

Driver: San Francisco
It’s fair to say that Driver has been a pretty disappointing franchise since the original game dropped on PlayStation in 1999. However, the idea of Driver has always been great, and I’m hopeful that this new installment gets everything right. San Francisco is a great choice for retro car chases, and the developer is emphasizing that it wants the handling to feel just right. There’s a new game mechanic where you can jump out of protagonist Tanner’s body, and into that of any other driver you see, which could make for some interesting gameplay. My only worry is that this ‘power’ exists because Tanner is in a coma, and it’s all in his head. I really hope it’s not ‘all a dream’!

Jonathan Riggall

Jonathan Riggall

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