E3 2021 | My Top 15 Favourite Reveals

Alas, the major E3 shows have officially concluded. Yes I'm aware Sony and EA haven't had their shows yet, but EA is all the way in July and I can't be bothered to wait for Sony to do its thing. When they do, I might write a separate article for them.

In the meantime though, I thought that I'd write about some of my favourite E3 announcements/reveals so far. There were a lot of games I liked the look of, so knocking it down to 15 was tricky. The Xbox/Bethesda showcase was by far the best, but I've tried to include ones from other shows too, in the interest of fairness.

Without further ado, let's begin...

15: FAR: Changing Tides

I don't know much about this one, considering that it's a sequel to a game that I have yet to play: FAR: Lone Sails. What I do know is that the first game received high praise from critics and players alike.

The art style and the concept alone have captured my interest for this title. Changing Tides sees you with your own ship as you travel through a vast, flooded world in search of a new home. Sadly no release date has been announced yet, but you can find and add it to your wishlist on Steam. Click here.

Although it takes place in a post-apocalyptic world, the trailer made the game feel almost relaxing. Whether or not it actually is, we'll find out eventually.

14: Age of Empires 4

Yes it's not exactly a new announcement by any means but a new trailer for Age of Empires 4 was released during the Microsoft/Bethesda showcase. It's been a very long time since an Age of Empires game was released, remasters aside, so there is a lot of anticipation for this long awaited sequel.

I've spent many hours on Age of Empires 2 so I am very much looking forward to playing this one. The game looks great, and if it plays just as well as its predecessors, then I'm sure I'll be spending many hours on this too. There isn't that long to wait either, as it releases on October 28th of this year. It will also be available on GamePass day 1. What a lovely bonus.

Age of Empires 3 released in 2005. Feel old yet?

13: Super Monkey Ball Banana Mania

Monkey Ball is back in full remastered glory. The first and second game, as well as deluxe are being bundled together with upgraded visuals and new features such as online leader boards and challenges, as well as new characters.

From the trailer alone you can see the amount of work that went into bringing these games back to life. Launching on October 5th of this year, this bundle should serve as a brilliant introduction to the franchise for those who've missed out.

The monkey stares intensely at the row of bananas underneath the rainbow, with a burning desire for victory... Idk what to write about this image.

12: The Wandering Village

It's like Howl's Moving Castle... except with multiple houses... on top of a gigantic dinosaur... wandering through a hostile world... what's not to love? The Wandering Village has been in the works for a while now, with the latest trailer showing no signs of haltered progress.

While no release date has been announced yet, the game can be added to your wishlist on Steam. Click here. It looks like a fun little concept and I'm looking forward to seeing more info about it.

The game has a very attractive art style to go along with its intriguiging concept. Indie games like this deserve more love.

11: Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild 2

They told us to wait, and wait we did. The sequel to Breath of the Wild has finally received a new trailer. Here we get to see much more of the world and some of the new gameplay mechanics that'll be present in the game. It looks just as colourful as the original, and while the trailer itself was brief, it was enough to generate hype.

This has been the most viewed announcement from the latest Nintendo Direct, which isn't a surprise at all given the immense success of the first game. While it doesn't have a title yet, the sequel is expected to release sometime in 2022.

Exploring floating islands in the sky is sure to add a new layer of depth to exploration. Also worth mentioning the noticeable visual upgrades...

10: Replaced

This one's an intriguing one. Replaced is an action side scroller portrayed through a unique pixel art style that looks both retro and modern at the same time. Watch the trailer and you'll understand what I mean.

You play as an AI known as R.E.A.C.H. who just so happens to be trapped in a human body. Taking place in an alternate version of the 1980s following nuclear conflict, you must adapt and survive through a hostile world filled with violence and corruption as you acclimate to living as a human. Out of all the games on this list, this one has the most captivating setting to me. Looking forward to playing in 2022!

Normally I'm not a huge fan of a pixel art style, but Replaced seems to approach it in a way that's new to me. Maybe it's the lighting.

9: Forza Horizon 5

Now normally driving games aren't my thing. I'm much more into kart racers. The less realistic/more goofier the better. I'm willing to leave that prejudice behind for Forza Horizon 5 though. What they have shown so far has me completely delighted.

The graphical fidelity of this game is off the charts. I don't think there's another game out there that looks this realistic. Taking place in Mexico, there is a wide variety of environments to explore and drive through, with plenty of customisation to go along with it. On top of that, it launches on GamePass day 1, on November 9th 2021! Just hope it doesn't melt my PC...

I've gone from hating realistic racing games to being so excited for one of them that it's in my top 10. 2021 has been a weird year...

8: Advance Wars 1+2: Re-Boot Camp

Hey look! Nintendo just remembered that Advance Wars was a thing! I think I speak for many when I say this was something I wasn't expecting at all. This newly announced remake includes both the first and second games of the franchise originally released on the Gameboy Adanced and is described as fully rebuilding those games from the ground up.

For fans of the series, this announcement should be a pleasant and very much welcome surprise. It may not be a new game, but it's something. For new players, this is the perfect opportunity for them to give it a go. Who knows, maybe it'll convince Nintendo to make a new one? The remake releases on December 3rd 2021.

Probably my favourite reveal from Nintendo. The game looks like a hell of a lot of fun. I can see myself buying this on day one.

7: Stalker 2: Heart of Chernobyl

It's been a long time since there has been a Stalker game, and this newest entry has been in the works for a while now. This newest five minute gameplay trailer gave us an even bigger look into this stunning return to the series.

The game looks exceptional, no other way to describe it. It looks gritty, realistic and slightly terrifying. I will admit, I have only briefly touched one of the original games, but seeing this trailer really makes me want to revisit them. I'm really excited for this sequel, which will be arriving on April 28th 2022. Now I just need to upgrade my PC...

If you think this is a concept image... it's not. This is an actual gameplay screenshot. Probably the most post-apocalyptic looking game out there.

6: Elden Ring

It took them long enough. We finally have a new trailer for Elden Ring, and a gameplay one at that! FromSoftware's upcoming title has had a massive wave of anticipation building up to it, and they delivered with an exceptional trailer that gives us a glimpse of the world and the combat.

It looks similar to Dark Souls in some aspects, but you can also see striking differences that set it apart from anything the company's made in the past. The world looks pretty, the enemies look unique and the gameplay looks pretty damn fun. Elden Ring has an actual release date too! The wait will finally be over on January 21st 2022.

Impressive scale has always been present in FromSoftware's games, but will Demon Souls take that to the next level?

5: Battlefield 2042

While it was already announced before E3 with a CGI reveal trailer releasing a few days prior, we did see some actual gameplay this time, and it looks nothing short of incredible. Whether or not the game will actually be like this on release, we'll have to wait and see, but DICE certainly delivered in the past with Battlefield 1. Not so much with Battlefield V but we'll just ignore that one. If they can pull off the level of intensity, destruction and scale that they are known for, then this is sure to be a hit.

Battlefield 2042 releases on October 22nd with a setting taking place in the future instead of the past, in a world that has been torn apart by conflict. A cold war gone hot, this new installment sees the largest maps in the franchise that support up to 128 players. The only downside is the lack of a single player campaign, but if the multiplayer is as good as it looks, I'm not sure I'll mind that much. This newest installment to the Battlefield series releases on October 22nd 2021.

Is that somebody wearing a wingsuit gliding away from a tornado? Yes it is. Welcome to Battlefield 2042.

4: Somerville

This game was originally announced back in 2017, and since then things have been kept pretty quiet with the exception of another trailer roughly a year later. Even now with this latest trailer, information about this game seems rather scarce.

Here's what we do know: Somerville takes place in a post apocalyptic alien invasion, and follows a small family as well as their pet dog (very important to mention that), as they survive the horrors that this world throws at them. Some of the gameplay we've seen looks very similar to Inside, especially from a visual stand point. The game looks really intriguing and I love the aesthetic of it. Releasing in 2022, this one looks worthy of keeping an eye on!

If the dog dies, there will be riots. Oh yeah, the game looks incredible too btw!

3: A Plague Tale 2: Requiem

I was not expecting this to appear in E3 this year, so when it did, I was, at first, pleasantly surprised, followed by not being able to sit still and demanding to see more. The first game flew under the radar for a lot of people, myself included. However despite this, it received very positive reviews, so it's no surprise that a sequel was in the works.

If it isn't clear already, I adored the first game, A Plague Tale: Innocence, and would highly recommend other people to give it a go. This reveal trailer for A Plague Tale: Requiem has me immediately hyped. Releasing in 2022, Requiem sees the return of Amicia and Hugo as they try to survive a plague ridden world. Without a doubt my favourite reveal of the Microsoft/Bethesda showcase.

*sigh*, 2022 is going to be a long wait, isn't it?

2: Tiny Tina's Wonderlands

This one I was slightly expecting since there were rumoured leaks floating around leading up to the announcement. Being chosen as the opening reveal in the Summer Games Fest however was a brilliant way of starting the show. Tiny Tina's Wonderlands: A spin off that's very similar to the iconic Tiny Tina's Assault on Dragon Keep DLC in Borderlands 2, will be releasing in 2022, featuring a custom character creator, magic and fantasy themed weapons.

I am a huge Borderlands fan, so seeing this reveal has me very excited of what's to come from this entry. It may not have any influence on the story of the franchise as a whole, but hey, it's medieval-ish Borderlands with magic. What's to complain about?

Making a game based off the fan favourite DLC is a smart move from Gearbox. There's plenty of room for creativity here, and I can't wait to see more!

1: Planet of Lana

Studio Ghibli vibes anyone? Tiny Tina's Wonderlands was originally going to be first, but after watching the trailer for Planet of Lana again, I'm afraid this one just narrowly beats it. Described as a cinematic puzzle adventure game, you play as a young girl accompanied by a charming little companion as you explore a hand drawn world filled with lush beautiful environments and strange yet slightly terrifying looking creatures.

The trailer is breathtaking to look at, despite being annoyingly short. It's hard to tell how the game plays at this stage since there is so little information, but a release date of 2022 has been revealed. The visuals alone have me sold, and if it is as good as it looks, then this could very well end up being a gem.

Every scene from this trailer looks like a painting. It's already one of the prettiest games I've ever seen.

There you have it. My top 15 favourite announcements/reveals from this year's E3. There's a lot to look forward to, and a lot that didn't make this list. If I had to include some honourable mentions, I'd add Starfield since, let's face it, we need more sci fi RPGs. Diablo 2 resurrected looks pretty neat too, and although I am far from a Halo fan, Halo Infinite's multiplayer looks like it could be a lot of fun.

Most of the games I have mentioned in this list are releasing in 2022, with late 2021 being the earliest. It sucks that we have to wait a while, but it's better to be patient than disappointed. As for myself, I have quite a large backlog of games that I have to get through. I should probably get to that...