Tuesday, 24 June 2014

Horror Highlights from E3 2014

E3, the Electronic Entertainment Expo, is arguably the biggest video game conference that exists today. Having passed us by for another year, it's now time to pick out the top horror highlights to have emerged from this years gaming haven.

The Order: 1886

Published by Sony and due for a 2015 release on the PS4, The Order: 1886 is a single-player, action-adventure game. Set in an alternate history of London, an order of knights must protect the city and themselves from a threat of half-breed monsters, a combination of animal and man. E3 kindly premiered the first full trailer and demo of the game which should get some horror fans, at the very least, a little intrigued. Catch the full trailer below;


Bloodborne

If you're a fan of Dark Souls then you'll be excited for Hidetaka Miyazaki's next project, Bloodborne - a fantasy-horror take on the Cthulhu mythology. E3 were kind enough to exclusively premier the game's first official trailer;


There are clear similarities here between Bloodborne and Dark Souls, most noticeably in the game's aesthetics. However, there are marked differences which should create a level of intrigue for existing fans. Regardless, it looks fantastic and demonstrates a rather violent, bleak but exciting sensibility. Bloodborne is due for release on PS4 in 2015.

Dead Island 2

Time for a bit of fun now as E3 announced the development of Dead Island 2, accompanied by a rather great trailer. From the off it is fair to say that the game's creators have gone for a more tongue-in-cheek, over the top feel.

According to the press release, the game is set in California - a restricted zone following on from the zombie outbreak in Banoi. It will apparently combine classic Dead Island elements with never-before-seen, hand-crafted weapons and new, crazy characters, as you travel the breadth of the state from the Golden Gate Bridge to Venice Beach. This particular trailer went pretty viral but if you somehow missed it, you can catch it once more below;


Dead Island 2 is due for release on Xbox One, PS4 and PC in Spring 2015.

Dying Light

In keeping with the zombie theme, next up on my E3 horror highlights is Dying Light. As an open-world zombie survival game, you would not be blamed for comparing it to, nay, copying Dead Island. However, according to Techland and the game's producer, Tymon Smektala, the game is different. Apparently, the focus is not so much on the un-dead, but on the gameplay and movement, as a free-running system is implemented. Check it out in the exclusive trailer below;


Night time and free-running movement aside, I'm not totally convinced. I guess we'll have to wait and see however, until the game is released for PS3, PS4, Xbox One, Xbox 360 and Microsoft Windows in 2015.

Alien: Isolation

News of Alien: Isolation has been circulating for a while and in addition to our beloved Amanda Ripley and a not-so-friendly xenomoroph, E3 premiered a new trailer and stills. The trailer, whilst stating that the game is a working progress, effectively exhibits the generic tone and aesthetic of the Alien franchise that we all know and love. The stills however, possibly introduce a new threat in to the mix, in the form of an un-friendly android.


Alien: Isolation will be released on the 7th of October for PC, PS3, PS4, Xbox 360 and Xbox One.

The Evil Within

Much controversy has surrounded The Evil Within of late. Originally heralded as the 'saviour' of the survival horror genre, any demo run-through's have since been met with negative comments. With such high expectations, this comes as no surprise.


However, it is a Shinji Mikami project after all and even though some of us may be a little desensitized after the frights of Outlast, there must be some thrills and spills in The Evil Within that will get our hearts racing. There was a lot of coverage of the game at this year's E3, so take your pick from the list below:

The Evil Within is due for release on October 21st for PC, PS3, PS4, Xbox 360 and Xbox One.

Doom 4

Last but not least, E3 exclusively premiered the first ever teaser trailer for the long-awaited Doom 4. You'll be hard-pressed to find a horror fan that hasn't played the original series at least once. Doom is a benchmark in gaming history and loved dearly by many. Because of this, Doom 4 will most certainly not please all, but its a gaming event that we have anticipated for a very long time. Check out the teaser trailer below;


Unfortunately it is all CG, however fans will note the Cyberdemon monster and that oh-so-familiar sound of the opening door - a mere second that will forever manage to cause mass excitement... or serious dread.

Alas, we must wait with baited breath for more detail but thankfully we don't have to wait long. The game will get it's official reveal at QuakeCon 2014, which begins on the 17th of July

So there we have it, my horror highlights of this year's E3. By all means, sound off in the comment box below with your opinions. Have I missed anything out? Is there anything you're particularly looking forward to? 


In the mean time, stay tuned for more Wise Words... on the latest horror games.



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