E3 came and went last week, bringing about major reveals and fairly big news. The Xbox One X was officially named and priced, Shadow of the Colossus was revealed, and a new Yoshi game was unveiled for the Nintendo Switch. The exciting week created some hype for upcoming games but ultimately left some questions that need some answers.
Let’s take a look at five of the more important questions from E3.
Will Wolfenstein II Give Birth to Legacy?
One of the most exciting reveals of E3 was the announcement of Wolfenstein II: The New Colossus. Sure, the game was hinted at last year, but the actual trailer didn’t appear until 2017. The gameplay trailer showed off some really cool moments, including wheelchair violence and fighting even more formidable enemies. Interestingly, Wolfenstein II’s trailer also showed that Anya is pregnant, which brings up a very important question about BJ Blazkowicz’s lineage.
According to ID Software, BJ is the grandfather of William Joseph Blazkowicz, also known as Commander Keen. Wait, you haven’t played Commander Keen? FOR SHAME! Anyway…
Given that Keen is the grandson of BJ and the fact that Any is pregnant, does this mean that we will see the birth of Keen’s father, Arthur Kenneth Blaze? I can only hope so.
Of course, this information is based upon the timeline from the original Wolfenstein games in which BJ is married to Julie Marie Peterson. MachineGames has completely messed with the timeline and paired Blazkowicz with Anya Oliwa, so who knows if they kept that lineage available.
As a side note, Tim Willits of ID Software was a guest on Giant Bomb’s nightly E3 show. When asked about possibly bringing back Commander Keen, Willits only said that he hadn’t had enough to drink to discuss that yet. I have no idea what to take from that quote, but at least he didn’t deny mentioning the classic property.
Can Lego Marvel Superheroes 2 Top the First Game?
One unheralded story from E3 was the trailer reveal of Lego Marvel Superheroes 2. The follow up to an entertaining original story, Superheroes 2 crafts a story relying on the Guardians of the Galaxy, a lot of dancing, and some time travel. This will be quite the departure from the original considering that the Guardians didn’t even appear in the story. You could only find Groot, Rocket, and the rest of the gang by completing side missions around the city.
The premise is interesting to be sure, but will the end result be better than the original? The story crafted about Loki, Galactus, and the rest of the villains was truly entertaining, as were the level designs. Will TT Games be able to recreate that magic by relying so heavily on the Guardians of the Galaxy?
Will Battlefront 2 Have an All Heroes/Villains Mode?
The prospect of playing another Star Wars Battlefront is pretty exciting considering that the first game had some gorgeous graphics and solid action. Sure, the content was a little thin, but I still enjoyed Battlefront and played quite often. Of course, Battlefront II promises to be even better now that there is an official campaign, free DLC, and actual character classes. More importantly, EA has teased an expanded arsenal of playable heroes, which brings up one crucial question: will there be an all Heroes/Villains mode?
Yes, Battlefront did have a Heroes vs. Villains mode that pitted Han Solo, Luke Skywalker, and Princess Leia against Darth Vader, Emperor Palpatine, and Boba Fett, but that’s something entirely different. What I’m referring to is the mega battle from Battlefront II that let you play as a major roster of heroes/villains including Jango Fett, Chewbacca, Yoda, Darth Maul, Count Dooku, and many others. This mode only came on the Mos Eisley level, but it was by far the coolest part of Battlefront II. I want DICE to include this in the new Battlefront and add in Finn, Rey, Kylo Ren, and old man Han. How cool will that be?
Does Sea of Thieves Fit My Lack of Friends?
For two years in a row, Sea of Thieves has impressed with a lighthearted take on being a pirate. Instead of going the more serious route of AC IV or the recently revealed Skull and Bones, Rare has chosen to put friends together in one gigantic cooperative adventure. And you can see the multiplayer roots in the fact that raising anchor and sailing around takes some teamwork.
But what happens if you work different schedules than your online friends? For example, the main friends I play games with work weekends and have weekdays off. I, on the other hand, work Monday thru Friday and play the majority of games during the weekend. Roaming the high seas with friends sounds fantastic, but it’s also not that realistic at the moment. Is there anything in Sea of Thieves for me to enjoy?
Recently, Sea of Thieves lead designer Mike Chapman conducted an interview with GamesBeat during which he provided some clarity about the multiplayer/singler player breakdown, but only to a point.
“The goal for us was to create a rich pirate world,” Chapman said in the interview. “When you look at the cinematic trailer and see all the familiar pirate tropes, your mind kinda fills with the possible quests. For us, we want to allow people to be the pirate they want to be. If you want to be the solitary pirate who sails around on a small, one-man ship, we want to allow you to do that.”
So, it seems like players that play single player will be at a distinct disadvantage. That would be a shame given that Sea of Thieves looks fantastic, but it’s fairly understandable considering that Rare is focusing on multiplayer.
Where Is Days Gone Located?
Ok, this is more of a personal question, but I have to ask anyway. Bend Studio has said that the upcoming action game, Days Gone, is located in the Pacific Northwest, but hasn’t given a specific location. Bend Studio is located in Central Oregon, an area known as the High Desert. Central Oregon has wonderful wooded areas for mountain biking, lakes galore, and large mountains for hiking and winter sports. The area is very cool and could serve as the perfect setting for Days Gone.
Interestingly enough, the area surrounding the Sony developer is eerily similar to the screenshots from the upcoming game. I live near Bend Studio and have noticed that the mountains in Days Gone seem to be pulled from my daily commute to work. Do I live near Deacon St. John?
I drive past these mountains every day!
This question has plagued me to the point that I even sent a message on Twitter trying to get an answer to my query. As you can see below, the only response from members of the studio was a “Like”. WHAT DOES THAT MEAN?
During my drive to work, I noticed that Mt. Washington and Mt. Jefferson look like peaks in Days Gone. Coincidence? @BendStudio @JakeRocket
— John Newby (@RealNewby) May 22, 2017
I understand that Bend Studio probably doesn’t want to say that Days Gone is located right outside their office doors, but this could be passing up a chance for some fun Easter Eggs. Locals of the area–which is a selfish statement–could relish in the fact that familiar locations are included, much like people who played Watch Dogs 2 looked for their apartment buildings in San Francisco. It would be a blast to explore the zombie-riddled corpse of Sisters, a small town near Bend Studio that is famous for Western buildings, quilt shows, and specialty coffee.
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