E3 News Roundup

BEST OF E3

By Marla Desat

The annual video game extravaganza that is E3 has come and gone. Let's get right to my favourite announcements and reveals!

LARA CROFT RETURNS

Lara Croft is back in Rise of the Tomb Raider, doing what anyone would after downright traumatic events of Tomb Raider - speaking to a therapist. It so rare to see a positive portrayal of therapy in a trailer for a video game, and I like that the developers are giving Croft more of a personality by acknowledging the effect of her experiences and exploring how she deals with trauma. 

NINTENDO IS MAKING A SQUID-BASED, FAMILY-FRIENDLY THIRD PERSON SHOOTER

Photo Credit: Nintendo

Splatoon!  is a shooter where two teams of four compete to cover the level in their own colour of ink. Oh, and the players can turn into squids that can swim through the ink. I can't get enough of this ridiculous, cartoony shooter for the Wii U.  

MAGICKA 2 ANNOUNCED WITH LIVE-ACTION TRAILER

Photo Credit: Paradox Interactive

Magicka is one of my favourite co-op games of all time. Up to four people can play together, learning keyboard combinations to cast an increasing arsenal of spells and frantically hoping to avoid friendly fire from the other wizards. The announcement trailer made me laugh out loud, and I can't wait to pelt my friends with healing rocks again in Magicka 2. 

CLASSIC ADVENTURE GAME GRIM FANDANGO TO BE REMASTERED

Grim Fandango is one of those computer games that give me a huge spike of nostalgia. The adventure game is a humorous noir inspired by Aztec mythology and set in the Land of the Dead.Grim Fandango Remastered is going to get a new life, so to speak, on PlayStation 4 and PlayStation Vita, and may come to other platforms. 

JOURNEY ART DIRECTOR ANNOUNCED NEW UNDERSEA GAME

Photo Credit: Giant Squid Studios

Abzû is an gorgeous underwater exploration game for PlayStation 4 from Matt Nava, the art director for the beautiful adventure game Journey that won several Game of the Year awards in 2012. Abzû is the first game from Nava's new studio, Giant Squid. Austin Wintory, who was nominated for a Grammy Award for Journey's soundtrack, will compose the soundtrack for Abzû. 

BIOWARE TEASES NEW MASS EFFECT IN DEVELOPMENT

The teaser trailer for a fourth entry in the Mass Effect series of games from BioWare isn't much more than a tease. We see a destroyed world, and hear the roar of Krogan, but at this point in development, EA is staying tight-lipped. All we know right now is that the next Mass Effect will happen in a new region of space, with new planets and new characters.

Marla Desat is a recent University of Waterloo grad living and working in Ottawa. When she isn't playing the latest video games, she's geeking out over comic books, board games, tabletop roleplaying games and science. Marla also writes for The Escapist as a freelance news writer. You can follow her on Twitter @mrdesat.