10 hopes for E3 2016

With E3 less than a month away, I thought I’d compile a list of my personal hopes for the show.

Some are less likely than others, but part of the fun of the E3 build-up is wild speculation, and as last year’s surprise-filled bonanza showed, anything is possible.

10. Cuphead release date: I’ve been eating up everything I can get since Cuphead was shown briefly at the 2015 show. I love everything about the design, and as a fan of 2D run-and-gun games, it’s exactly what I’m after. All we know is it’s due this year – but when?

9. Zelda is good: Nintendo have said their show will focus on Zelda for the Wii U, and with NX another absentee it really needs to impress. A full dungeon, a town and a good taste of the overworld need to be a bare minimum. It could potentially be Game of Show.

8. Red Dead Redemption 2 announced: There’s no official confirmation on whether Red Dead 2 exists, but it’s heavily rumoured. Fans have been clamouring for another edition to the franchise and it does seem about time. I loved the last game and would eat up another.

7. NX details: We know we won’t see the console, but an official name for the machine that’s due out in less than a year would be great. NX itself wouldn’t be too bad.

6. The Last Guardian, playable: It was great to see some extensive footage last year, but a playable version and finally getting a release date would be fantastic.

5. The Elder Scrolls VI: It was 5 years between Oblivion and Skyrim, and it’s now been 5 years since Skyrim. Granted we’ve had ES:Online since then, but it’s about time we at least had an announcement trailer and a title for the next instalment. The region Bethesda go for will be particularly interesting, I’d personally like the Summer Isles or Hammerfell.

4. WipeOut: An unlikely choice, but WipeOut is my favourite racer and I’d love to see a new edition, even a downloadable game like the brilliant WipeOut HD. The futuristic racer hasn’t seen a solid installment in years, and a trailer of either WipeOut or F-Zero would be great to see.

3. Star Wars: In wake of the disappointing Battlefront, some new announcements in old franchises would be really welcome. Particularly a new Rogue Squadron, Force Unleashed or KOTOR-esque game would be exciting.

2. Banjo Threeie: The success of the Rare Collection and the booming interest in Yooka-Laylee should be enough for Rare to understand that the fans want another Banjo. The recently released Ratchet and Clank on PS4 is the only decent 3D platformer on current-gen – the Xbox One could really use a new Banjo.

1. God of War 4 playable: The recent leak gave us some snippets of what to expect, but it would be fantastic to be able to see and play the Norse-themed sequel. A shift from Greek Mythology has been long overdue for the franchise and the Nordic pantheon is a sensible choice.