Here are the 10 best games announced at the world’s largest video game conference

FROM a horror game starring Norman Reedus to the return of one of the best fighting franchises ever. Here are the 10 best games coming your way.

THE world’s largest video game conference took place in LA last week, meaning the cream of the crop of titles were on display from developers across the globe.

News.com.au technology editor Matthew Dunn was lucky enough to be in attendance and has picked his 10 best video game titles to keep an eye out for in the future.

Have a look and tell us what you think.

1. Death Stranding

With Metal Gear series director Hideo Kojima steering the ship and The Walking Dead’s Norman Reedus cast as the protagonist, the game already has already created some serious hype — a fact that’s surprising given the nature of the trailer revealed.

The bizarre trailer showed a naked Norman Reedus waking up on a deserted beach, with handcuffs attached to one of his wrists.

He was clutching a baby attached to him by an umbilical cord before it disappeared, leaving his hands covered with a black oil.

Standing up and revealing a scar on his stomach, he walks toward to ocean amid thousands of dead fish washed up on the beach.

The camera then moved past Reedus to show dead whales washed on the beach and five mystery figures floating in the sky. It then fades to black.

While the announcement of this title gave very little information to what might actually be happening in the game, Death Stranding is definitely one to watch for.

2. Gears of War 4

With all of the Xbox exclusive titles showcased at E3, one of the landmark titles coming to the console is Gears of War 4.

The highly popular franchise doesn’t stray too far from its predecessors, but this is hardly a bad thing.

The development team from The Coalition ensured the combat was virtually unchanged from the previous titles, offering a familiar experience for gamers.

Applying an “if it’s not broken, why fix it” mentality doesn’t mean the game is exactly the same as the earlier titles.

Being set 25 years after the end of human-locust war, the planet’s military complex is no longer in operation, which means players will have to get creative and arm themselves with modified weapons.

One of the more impressive new weapons is a gun firing buzz saws — something every bit as rewarding as you would imagine.

The game is also one of the first titles in Microsoft’s “Xbox Play Anywhere” initiative, meaning players who buy Gears 4 will be able to swap between PC and console.

3. Detroit: Become Human

The same developer responsible for Heavy Rain and Beyond Two Souls is back with a neo-noir thriller set in a near-future, dystopian Detroit.

Set in a universe where tension is mounting between humans and androids, Detroit: Become Human gives players control of an android detective named Connor.

With some androids beginning to fight back against the humans following years of oppression, Connor is tasked with tracking them down and bringing them to justice.

What makes this so interesting is the fact that the player is in charge of the outcome of situations they find themselves in.

Connor is equipped with the ability to freeze an environment in real-time in order to analyse a scene and find clues necessary to make his final decision.

The demo at E3 showcased a scenario where Connor is meant to save a little girl held hostage on the balcony of a high-rise by an Android gone bad.

Depending on the choices made by the player, the outcome of the scenario will see Connor killing the android, sacrificing himself to save the girl or a number of other outcomes.

How these affect the remainder of the game are yet to be seen, but the concept seems pretty amazing in these early stages.

4. The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild

Nintendo fans have always loved Zelda and the announcement of a new title in the gaming franchise has done very little to slow this momentum.

However, anyone expecting the same gameplay from The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild should stop reading now.  

A young Link is woken up from hibernation and must save the world from a vaguely apocalyptic future.

While this doesn’t sound all too different on the surface, rest assured the game is nothing like players have ever experienced from the franchise.

The main point of difference is the fact the game has moved toward an open world format, which offers players the chance to explore maps 12 times larger than any of its predecessors.

Additionally, players can choose how much of the world they explore and how much of the story they want to complete before finishing the game.

This shift moves away from the linear fashion of the franchise and offers gamers the ability to play whatever aspects of the game they wish to experience — be it fighting enemies or solving puzzles.

While this new format might upset purists, we expect it to be a breath of fresh air for the franchise.

5. Days Gone

Sons of Anarchy showed people loved watching a story about biker gangs and now PlayStation is taking things one step further — putting gamers in control of said outlaw.

The world has been devastated by a global pandemic and mankind’s last survivors must take their chances to stay alive.

Enter drifter and bounty hunter, Deacon St John.

As a former outlaw biker, St John takes to the broken roads of the Pacific Northwest, searching for supplies and resources, while trying to avoid the wrath of degenerate human monsters known only as Freakers.

Despite an impressive demo of gameplay at E3 showing the protagonist escaping literally hundreds of monsters, the developers are remaining tight lipped about the finer details of the game.

Regardless, the combination of senseless violence, post-apocalyptic environments and outlaw bikers is a formula that is hard to fault.

6. Spider-Man

Everyone loves a superhero and when talking about video game adaptations, Spider-Man has to be one of the best fits.

This is what makes Insomniac’s Spider-Man game exclusively for the PS4 so exciting.

“Spider-Man is one of the most iconic and well-known characters in the world, and we’re thrilled to be given the responsibility to create a brand new, authentic Spider-Man story,” Insomniac wrote on PlayStation Blog.

In case you were wondering, the game is not adaptation of the upcoming film.

Actually, it promises to offer an experience unlike another Spider-Man players have encountered before.

“This is a more seasoned Peter Parker who’s more masterful at fighting big crime in New York City. At the same time, he’s struggling to balance his absurdly chaotic personal life and career,” Insomniac wrote.

7. For Honor

If a video game genre known as “hack and slash” sounds like something you could get down with, For Honor is most definitely the game for you.

Delving into three distinct melee fighting eras, For Honor offers a number of different options.

“Playable as single player or in two-players co-op, online or split-screen, For Honor’s story campaign is a tale of warriors that will immerse players into the world of For Honor and plunge them into the raging war between Knights, Vikings and Samurai,” Ubisoft wrote.

Depending on which class players select, will determine their abilities and weapons.

From storming castles and fortresses to confronting deadly bosses in intense duels, the game offers suspenseful and super violent action, which promises to keep players on the edge of their seats.

In addition to an entertaining single-player mode, the game will have a number of multiplayer modes..

8. Tekken 7

If you are a fan of good old fashioned button mashing fun, chances are you have loved the Tekken franchise.

From the original in 1994, Tekken has spawned a legacy of sequels, spin-offs and even movie adaptations.

The early games from the franchise were largely considered breakthrough titles, with Tekken 3 holding the record for second best selling fighting game of a time.

After a couple of disappointing titles in recent years, the fighting game is back and better than ever.

The game offers an extra level of excitement for fight fans with the game having the inclusion of Street Fighter character, Akuma.

Tekken 7 will feature all the content from the arcade version, plus an unreleased update, which will add new gameplay mechanics, stages, and characters.

9. Battlefield 1

The latest game in the popular and acclaimed Battlefield multiplayer combat game series is winding back the clock and taking players back to World War I.

Published by Electronic Arts, the franchise has developed a reputation for allowing players to take on the different military classes such as engineer, sniper or medic and Battlefield I is no exception.

Additionally, players will have to opportunity to battle across large maps on the land, in the air or at sea with all of the vehicles offered in the game.

Design director Lars Gustavsson said the change to a World War I setting was long-time dream.

“It was the dawn of all-out war, the dawn of what Battlefield is. It provides a global conflict instead of small skirmishes,” he told news.com.au.

“We wanted to take you around the world, from the streets of France to the trenches to the unknown places where were people may not even know war took place, such as the Italian Alps and the sands of Arabia.”

In addition to the campaign mode, Battlefield I will feature a 64-player multiplayer experience, jam-packed with more vehicles, more variety and more environments.

10. God of War

Since debuting in 2005, the action-adventure video game God of War has been one of the most popular games on the PlayStation platform.

Kratos, the protagonist from the earlier titles in the franchise returns for the latest chapter of the game, which has shifted from being loosely based on Greek mythology to Norse mythology.

The Scandinavian setting isn’t the only change to the series, with first impressions showing an older version of Kratos and the introduction of his son.

Rage has long been a key component in the gaming franchise and God of War will still play on this aspect, although the over-the-top action scenes will be less frequent with this game.

“Now as a father on a journey with his son, he is desperately trying to fight the rage and keep it under control — only using it when it is needed,” a spokesman told news.com.au.

In addition to offering a more methodical and slow-paced action style, the game will offer a dedicated button for calling on Kratos’ son during battles.

An exciting aspect of the game is its ability to have no camera cuts between cut scenes and gameplay offering for a true cinematic experience.

Continue the conversation on Twitter @mattydunn11

Matthew Dunn travelled to E3 as a guest of Microsoft

Originally published as Here are the 10 best games announced at the world’s largest video game conference