GAMES
70 AUGUST 2019 http://www.soldiermagazine.co.ukREPORT: DAVID MCDOUGALL, CIVVYPICK OF THE MONTH:
› THIS year’s E3 entertainment expo in
Los Angeles came tantalisingly close to
revealing a host of new gaming consoles.
But, ultimately, only Microsoft
chipped in to talk about their potential
replacement for the Xbox One, with
fleeting glimpses of the hardware
involved ahead of its 2020 release.
PlayStation were sadly absent but
Nintendo, Ubisoft, Microsoft, Bethesda
and Square Enix all provided a first
look, or a more in-depth one, at their
respective releases scheduled for the
foreseeable future.
And while there were plenty of titles
on show, there were a few notable
highlights that led the charge.
Despite some of the heavy hitters
impressively weighing in, including
Gears of War 5 and a new Star Wars
offering, it was Cyberpunk 2077 that
proved to be the main contender at the
summer showcase.
Developed by CD Projekt Red, the
studio behind the fantastic Witcher
series, it boasts a dazzling display
of amazing visuals and a surprise
introduction by an enthusiastic Keanu
Reeves, who also stars in the action.
Described as an open-world role-
playing game, it draws inspiration from
Blade Runner, Ghost in the Shell and
Akira. The only disappointing aspect
was the projected release date – April
16, 2020.
Another highlight was Halo Infinite,developed by 343 Industries.
Much like the visuals demonstrated in
Cyberpunk 2077, the sixth Halo game to
feature the Master Chief sees a dramatic
improvement to the graphical fidelity
compared with previous iterations.
The reveal showed a revamped
armour look that harks back to the early
releases and an actual Halo, something
that’s been lacking in recent instalments.
But the biggest surprise was that Halo
Infinite will be the main title release for
the new Xbox console, currently using
the name Project Scarlett. Though that’llTeasers galore as developers
unveil exciting new schedulesFUTURE VISION
GAMES
most likely change.
Despite the presence of some of
the gaming world’s leading lights,
there were smaller, more intriguing
titles on show as well.
The new Ori game, Ori and the
Will of the Wisps, looks fantastic and
is due for release in February 2020.
But the one that really stood out was
12 Minutes, an independent effort
that revamps the whole Groundhog
Day theme but with a mysterious,
thriller-driven twist, all played with a
top-down view.
Other highlights were
Doom Eternal, which looks
like an enjoyable blast
around a hell-consumed
Earth through the eyes
of the Doom Slayer, and
Microsoft Flight Simulator.
Yeah, that’s what I
said. This iteration of
the cockpit sim has
been injected with
plenty of drive and some
unbelievable realism – it definitely
raised a few eyebrows.
Of course, there were others. Star
Wars Jedi: Fallen Order seems like a
cross between Battlefront and The
Force Unleashed. It looked good, but
I expected much more.
Blair Witch is a tense affair based
on the original film, Minecraft
Dungeons sees the franchise move
to something more akin to the old
Gauntlet game, while there was
further footage to promote the new
Ghost Recon Breakpoint game.
In summary, there is a lot to look
forward to in the coming months but
we also face the prospect of a longer
wait for some of the true highlights
teased here – many of which will not
be fully seen until 2020.
The countdown now starts for the
November arrival of Doom Eternal. ■65-70-sol-aug reviews.indd 6 25/07/2019 18:34