With an awesome E3 not too far behind us, we now have Gamescom to look forward to! This huge video game trade fair is held every year in Cologne, and 2015’s event runs from the 5th to the 9th of August.
Plenty of big titles are confirmed or expected to appear, with some of the industry’s leading companies revealing their upcoming games – so what can we look forward to?
Ubisoft has an impressive line-up for 2015’s fair, with the eagerly-anticipated Assassin’s Creed: Syndicate set to appear, with the developers’ extensive work recreating Victorian London expected to impress. They also have Anno 2205, a city-builder giving players the chance to build massive futuristic sprawls, with settling on the moon to mine for resources all part of the gameplay.
Ubisoft will also show off For Honor, a medieval-set hack-and-slash game featuring knights, samurai, and Vikings, as well as their Might & Magic Heroes VII.
Microsoft look set to have a great presentation, with Crackdown, Forza Motorsport 6, and Halo 5: Guardians for the Xbox One tipped to appear. With Forza and Halo now major franchises, and the Crackdown series offering solid futuristic cop-based action, Microsoft also have two original titles to display: the intriguing Quantum Break, and the dragon-based adventure Scalebound.
Electronic Arts will be expected to show off FIFA 16, Need for Speed (a reboot of the long-running series, combining various elements from past games), long-awaited sequel Mirror’s Edge: Catalyst, and, of course, the big one – Star Wars Battlefront. The footage and details already revealed have satisfied hardcore & casual fans alike, and with only a few more months to go until release, this gives EA a great chance to whet appetites even further.
Nintendo is set to reveal Mario Kart 8 (for Wii U), The Legend of Zelda: Tri Force Heroes, Star Fox Zero, and Splatoon. Star Fox Zero is the first original title in the series for nine years, with new features (including transforming vehicles) adding a bit more diversity to the gameplay.
Bethesda will show off post-apocalyptic action-RPG Fallout 4 (which was teased at E3), while Capcom have Street Fighter V to present.
Square Enix’s line-up is expected to include Deus Ex: Mankind Divided, Final Fantasy Type-0 HD, and Final Fantasy XV (perhaps we might get to see more of the FFVII remake too?), as well as Just Cause 3, Rise of the Tomb Raider, and Life is Strange.
Konami’s presentation is sure to feature Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain (with the return of Big Boss), as well as Pro Evolution Soccer 2016.
Activision Blizzard is expected to show Call of Duty: Black Ops III, Guitar Hero Live, Hearthstone: Heroes of Warcraft, and StarCraft II: Legacy of the Void.
With many other titles confirmed or expected to appear, Gamescom 2015 is sure to leave us all with plenty to look forward to!
