Games that got my attention at E3 2015: No Man’s Sky, Uncharted 4, Halo 5, and more

In addition to music games, virtual and augmented reality experiences, and games with female protagonists, there were a number of games at E3 that got my attention. Here are some thoughts on some of them.

Nobody expected that Microsoft would make the Xbox One backwards compatible, but that’s what they’ve done. Xbox boss Phil Spencer said it was the most often requested feature, and the software engineers were able to figure out how you can play Xbox 360 games on the Xbox One. Now that anyone with a 360 can upgrade to the new console without needing a space in the entertainment centre, and still be able to play all the games they’ve already got, I expect a spike in hardware sales.

The one game I can’t stop playing is Destiny, and in September, Bungie will unleash a full expansion called The Taken King (PS3, PS4, Xbox 360, Xbox One). It’s a brand new campaign with a more comprehensive story, new enemies, a new full-size destination in the form of a spaceship, and new special powers and subclasses for each of the three character types.

The new Halo game, the first built for the Xbox One, will divert my attention from Destiny, though. Halo 5: Guardians has a new multiplayer mode in Warzone that provides a place for gamers of all abilities to play and feel like they’re contributing to the team effort, and the story campaign introduces a number of characters from the Halo canon that will be familiar to those who have read the novels set in the universe.

Wii U players are going to love what they can do with Nintendo’s Super Mario Maker. It makes it easy for anyone to create their own side-scrolling platforming game levels. And you’ll have complete freedom to build whatever you want, but if you want to upload it for others to play, it will have to be designed in such a way that players can finish it.

Lego Dimensions is WB Games’ entry into the playable toy market. There are dozens of characters and vehicles from a range of franchises including The Simpsons, The Lego Movie, and even Valve’s Portal, and the story ranges through all of those worlds. The toy pad can accommodate up to seven minifigs, which are actual Lego minifigs that can be assembled and dissembled, and is actually a controller for solving some of the game’s environmental puzzles.

With a new Star Wars film this fall, there are plenty of Star Wars games to get immersed in. Disney Infinity 3.0 will have two playsets this fall and winter: Twilight of the Republic, which is set during episodes one through three, and Rise of the Empire, a retelling of the original trilogy, episodes four through six.

There will also be a mobile game, Galaxy of Heroes, and Star Wars Battlefront, both from Electronic Arts, the latter of which will give us a chance to embody Luke and Darth Vader while playing through epic battles set in the Star Wars universe.

From Bethesda Softworks, action role-playing game (RPG) Fallout 4 will start pre-apocalypse, for the first time, before fast-forwarding to the future after everyone you know is long gone. I’ve never been much for special editions of games, but the Fallout 4: Collector’s Edition comes with a functional Pip Boy, the wrist computer your character uses in the game to manage the RPG elements. You can put a smartphone in this real-world Pip Boy, which provides a second screen experience for the game.

While you wait until November, you can play Fallout Shelter, a free iOS game that puts you in the shoes of a vault overseer.

Mirror’s Edge: Catalyst is Faith’s origin story. I’m a fan of the original game, released in 2008, but I had real problems when it turned from a free running game into a shooter; it was like adding oil to water. Thankfully, that’s not a problem with Catalyst. The emphasis now is on keeping the flow of Faith’s movement, and as long as she keeps moving, she’s impervious to bullets from enemies.

At the Xbox pre-E3 event, we got our first glimpse at Gears of War 4, in development at Vancouver studio The Coalition (formerly Black Tusk Studios). Studio head Rod Fergusson played through a few minutes of the game and in an interview the next day the only additional information he was willing to share were the names of the two characters: Kait and JD.

In the meantime, the first game in the franchise is coming out in August as the Gears of War: Ultimate Edition. More than just a remaster, the Ultimate Edition has new animations based on new motion capture and storyboards, remastered audio, and even some new gameplay mechanics to get players ready for next year, when Gears 4 is expected.

The brief video promoting Mass Effect: Andromeda that was shown during EA’s pre-E3 press conference gave us a look at what the interface for the universe map might be like. It’s a new storyline, a new part of the universe, and a new main character that we can choose to make female or male.

Battleborn is a new co-operative shooter from Gearbox that looks like it might be fun for parents to play with kids. It’s cartoony and is packed with layers of referential humour, some things will be funny to kids, others to adults.

The Last Guardian is finally confirmed. For now. Coming from Fumito Ueda and Japan Studio, this is the next game from the makers of Ico and Shadow of the Colossus, two games which were able to capture and evoke emotion about characters in ways few games can. First announced at E3 2009 for the PS3, it is now planned for release in 2016. On the PS4, of course.

Horizon: Zero Dawn is a new intellectual property from Guerrilla Games. It stars Aloy, a machine hunter, and is set in the far future, after civilization as we know it is long gone, and humans have returned to a nomadic, hunter-gatherer existence. And there are dinosaurs, except the dinosaurs in this game are machines, ostensibly left over from a technological past.

I’m also very excited about No Man’s Sky, which could very well be the last game I ever need to own because the universe that’s been created is so vast it will never be fully explored in all our lifetimes. In this game you get to engage in space battles, conduct trade missions, and explore the vast reaches of space.

The demo for Uncharted 4: A Thief’s End that was being played behind-closed-doors at E3 was bonkers. The set piece involved Nathan Drake caroming down a hill in a jeep, avoiding an armoured truck, then scrambling into the back of a flatbed truck, Indiana Jones style, and taking out the surrounding enemies. It was exhausting just to watch. I can hardly wait to play it.