Author: Trafficblast

The week of E3 2021 is in full swing, and we’ve already seen a slew of trailers, first gameplay, and new reveals from different developers and publishers. While you may have heard many of the big announcements like Starfield, Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora, and The Outer Worlds 2, there were plenty of other announcements as well. So with this roundup, we wanted to give you a detailed recap of the noteworthy games of E3 2021 so far.

We’re currently on Day 2 of the show, and so far, Ubisoft, Microsoft and Bethesda, and Square-Enix have had their major press conferences. While there have been other noteworthy shows, we wanted to focus on the larger titles that we’ve seen from this year’s E3. That said, we have a roundup of other announcements below as well. GameSpot’s coverage of E3 2021 also includes some exclusives for Play For All 2021, so be sure to check back with this page as more games from the show are revealed.

E3 2021: Day 1

Ubisoft Forward

This year’s Ubisoft Forward focused heavily on the recently revealed Rainbow Six Extraction, the co-op action-horror spin-off of the popular Siege game. Along with that, we saw a new look at Watch Dogs Legion’s Bloodline expansion that brings back Aiden Pearce, got a new look at Assassin’s Creed Valhalla’s Siege of Paris DLC, and saw the reveal of the Mario + Rabbids sequel, Sparks of Hope. Closing out the show was the first look at the next game set in the universe of James Cameron’s Avatar, a new game from Ubisoft Massive called Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora. If you want a more detailed look at each game, then check out our breakout roundup of the games from Ubisoft Forward 2021.

E3 2021: Day 2

Xbox + Bethesda Showcase 2021

Unfortunately, the Microsoft show got off to a particularly rough start with the unfortunate leak of Bethesda Game Studios’ Starfield, which looks to be the developer’s next leap forward for the open-world action-RPG genre. With that said, the larger slate of the show offered a wide array of reveals and updates on the library of games that Microsoft has for the Xbox consoles and PC. Along with the first look at Starfield, we also saw the reveal of The Outer Worlds 2, new Forza Horizon 5 gameplay, the next Sea of Thieves expansion that brings in Captain Jack Sparrow from the Pirates of the Caribbean films, and additional footage of Halo: Infinite‘s multiplayer mode.

Closing out the show was the first look at Redfall, Arkane Austin’s next new IP that stars a group of super-powered vampire hunters. That’s only scratching the surface on the slate of the showcase, which also included first gameplay of STALKER 2: Heart of Chernobyl. Below, you can find the full breakdown of the Microsoft + Bethesda showcase.

Square-Enix Showcase 2021

The latest Square-Enix showed that Marvel games were still a priority for the publisher, but the Final Fantasy series is still firing on all cylinders with new upcoming games. Kicking off the show was the reveal of Square Enix Montreal’s single-player focused Guardians of the Galaxy game, which we got a first look at before the show. Along with that, Platinum Games’ Babylon’s Fall also made its return with a new look at the game, which is now a live service that lets players join others online to clear dungeons and collect loot. Closing out the show was the reveal of Final Fantasy Origin: Stranger Of Paradise, a collaboration with Team Ninja and Square-Enix that brings back classic FF villain Garland. Check out our roundup below to see a full breakdown of the list of games we saw during the show.

Other Notable Announcements

Along with the other significant showcases, we’ve also seen various games from various streams like the Koch Media showcase, PC Gamer Show, the Wholesome Direct, and the constantly weird Devolver Digital Showcase. Here’s a quick rundown of the most noteworthy games from the other conferences of E3 2021.

Back 4 Blood

Coming from Turtle Rock Studios, the original developers of Left 4 Dead, Back 4 Blood is essentially the spiritual successor to the co-op zombie survival shooter. It looks to inspire those familiar feelings of dread when gunning through hallways filled with the undead while running from giant mutated monsters. Back 4 Blood is set for release this October, which means you’ll be able to experience the closest thing to Left 4 Dead 3 sooner than you think.

Diablo 2: Resurrected

The much anticipated remaster for Diablo II is set for release this September, and before its launch, you’ll be able to jump into the next beta for the game in August. Following the reveal at the Microsoft showcase, Geoff Keighley had an extended interview with Diablo franchise lead Rod Ferguson where he talked more about the upcoming game. The remaster also marks the first time Diablo II will play on consoles, as the original stayed as a PC exclusive.

Doki Doki Literature Club Plus

The original Doki Doki Literature Club was a game about catching you off-guard for those who don’t know. On the surface, it looks like an average visual novel game. But, as it turned out, it was a deeply unsettling psychological horror game that subverted the cutesy image of the game to present some horrifying, fourth-wall-breaking moments. It was a surprise hit, and now the developers are revisiting with an upgraded re-release on PC and consoles.

Elden Ring

While Elden Ring was revealed shortly before the beginning of E3 2021, it’s hard to deny that we aren’t still feeling the rush from the recent trailer shown during the Summer Games Fest event. It was a stunning trailer that gave us a detailed look at the game’s expansive world and its slick combat mechanics. We also learned that the game releases on January 22, 2022.

Trek To Yomi

One of the more surprising reveals from the Devolver Digital showcase was Trek To Yomi, a 2.5D action game that takes classic samurai action films. It’s being made by Flying Wild Hog, the devs behind Shadow Warrior 3, and it looks to be a visually stunning that showcases some slick action and platforming.

Check back with GameSpot as more updates from E3 2021 come in. We’ll be adding more games and rundowns for the later shows as they happen, including what’s new with Nintendo in 2021.

Dying Light 2 Stay Human developer Techland unveiled a new story trailer during the PC Gaming Show at E3 2021, where the studio discussed elements of the narrative and reiterated that the infected aren’t zombies (despite looking and behaving a lot like your traditional zombie).

In the four-minute-long trailer, Techland walked through the narrative setup, revealing that the virus from the first game spread to the sequel’s setting. Dying Light 2 Stay Human takes place in 2036 and follows protagonist Aiden as he hunts for his sister Mia. The two were medically experimented on as kids, but after a fire, Aiden managed to escape. Where Mia is remains unknown, as she is the only one who can fill in the gaps to Aiden’s story.

What’s most interesting about the video, though, is the classification of the game’s zombies–er, Freakers. According to Techland, the infected aren’t zombies at all but instead “half-alive, suffering people.” They attack everything that lives because of their pent up pain and rage, Techland said.

You can check out Dying Light 2 Stay Human’s new story trailer below.

In other news, Techland came under fire earlier this year following accusations of workplace toxicity that stemmed from management and limited developer creativity. The studio responded, saying the game was not in development hell.

Techland recently attached a December 7 launch date to Dying Light 2 Stay Human, confirming the game will drop on PC, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X|S with a release date trailer.

Paid DLC for co-op shooter Back 4 Blood will be available to all party members as long as the leader of the party owns it developer Turtle Rock Studios confirmed during its E3 2021 livestream. This includes new maps and gameplay additions.

E3 host Greg Miller tweeted two screenshots from what appears to be Back 4 Blood‘s official support page. The images read, in part, that as long as the party leader owns any paid content drop, other members can play it for free as well. It’s worth noting that this refers to the game’s PvE content, not PvP.

Still, any content drop that the leader pays for–including maps, campaign add-ons, and gameplay additions–will be made available to other members.

All PvP DLC, though, will be free for everyone through in-game progression. Furthermore, every player has access to the same cards at the start of a match, ensuring that DLC owners don’t get an unfair advantage in PvP.

Back 4 Blood launches on October 12 for PC, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X|S. An open beta goes live on August 5.

Unfortunately, it looks like Stranger of Paradise: Final Fantasy Origin‘s PS5 demo may be corrupted. The demo launched following Square Enix’s E3 2021 press conference, but some folks haven’t been able to actually play it.

Once you download the demo, you may be greeted by the following message: “Can’t continue using this game or app. The data is corrupted. Delete it from your PS5, and then download it again from your library.”

We’re not the only ones facing this issue. On Twitter, Nibel and IGN’s Matt Kim have posted that they have also gotten this message after trying to download and play the Origin demo.

In a tweet, developer Team Ninja says that it is aware of the issues and is working to resolve them. This demo is only available for a limited time (it’s live until June 24, 7:59PM PT) so hopefully a fix is coming sooner rather than later.

Stranger of Paradise: Final Fantasy Origin injects a more Nioh-like gameplay formula into the Final Fantasy universe. In a press release, creative producer Tetsuya Nomura said, “While it is Final Fantasy, it feels different–but there’s no doubt that the blood of Final Fantasy runs through its veins. We’ve undertaken the challenge of finding this difficult middle ground for this mature and stylish title. We need a little time until we’re able to complete it, and while the battle system is a bloody one, it does link to the story, so I hope you’ll use this opportunity to give it a try.”

This Sunday is all about Xbox Game Pass. With dozens of awesome games about to be dropping onto the service, now is a great time to sign up. If you’re a first time user, you can sign up for just a $1, and for returning users, we have a deal to save you 11% across a three month term. If you’re looking to preorder some games, we’ve got that as well and of course a nice mixture of other stuff, like a handy air fryer at Best Buy and an ongoing Anime sale at Amazon.

Showtime Deal

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Daily Deals for June 13th

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E3 Preorders

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One of the biggest games revealed during Microsoft’s E3 2021 showcase was undoubtedly Forza Horizon 5, a new open-world racing game set in Mexico. Forza Horizon 5 releases on Xbox Series X, Xbox One, and PC on November 9, just in time for the holidays. Those interested in burning rubber across a sprawling and gorgeous open world can preorder their copy of Forza Horizon 5 now.

Forza Horizon 5 is available to preorder in three editions: standard, Deluxe, and Premium. The Premium version of the game comes with early access starting November 5. Xbox Game Pass subscribers can play the standard edition for free at launch, and add-on bundles will be available for purchase if you want the Deluxe/Premium content. If you’re not already signed up for Game Pass, be sure to take advantage of a limited-time offer that gets you your first three months for $1.

$60

Forza Horizon 5’s standard edition is available to preorder now at Best Buy for $60. Digital preorders are available on the Xbox Store. You can also add it to your wishlist on Steam (preorders should be live soon).

$80

Forza Horizon 5’s $80 Deluxe edition is available to preorder at Best Buy and the Xbox Store. At this time, only digital versions of the Deluxe edition are up for grabs. It comes with the Car Pass, which grants access to a bunch more vehicles in the game.

$100

Forza Horizon 5’s $100 Premium edition is available to preorder digitally at Best Buy and the Xbox Store. In addition to the Car Pass, you also get two expansions when they release, a VIP membership, and Welcome Pack (contents of the pack are unknown at this time). You also get to start playing on November 5, four days before Forza Horizon 5 officially launches.

Square Enix closed out its E3 2021 presentation with an official reveal of Stranger of Paradise: Final Fantasy Origin, the previously leaked Final Fantasy spin-off from Koei Tecmo and Team Ninja. The game is slated to release in 2022, and it’s coming to PS4, PS5, Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One, and PC. What’s more, PS5 owners will be able to try the game out today.

As rumored, Final Fantasy Origin is an action-RPG in the vein of Nioh, featuring a much darker atmosphere than most previous Final Fantasy games. The game casts players in the role of a warrior named Jack, who sets off with his allies Ash and Jed to defeat Chaos.

Jack is able to wield spells and weapons from an assortment of classic Final Fantasy jobs, including dragoon and black mage. In the reveal trailer, he can be seen using crystals to freeze enemies and smashing them into pieces. You can watch the reveal trailer for Stranger of Paradise: Final Fantasy Origin above.

PS5 players will have the first opportunity to try out Final Fantasy Origin, as Square Enix is releasing a limited-time demo of the game later today, June 13. The demo is set in the Chaos Shrine and lets you sample some of the different job classes. However, it will only be available until June 24. You can read more details on the official Square Enix website.

Square Enix had a few other games to show off during its E3 2021 presentation. The company also officially revealed Marvel’s Guardians of the Galaxy from Eidos Montreal, and we got a closer look at Babylon’s Fall from Platinum Games. You can catch up on all the biggest news and reveals from Square Enix’s E3 presentation in our roundup.

Square Enix has announced Life is Strange: Remastered Collection’s release date, and luckily for all you Max and Chloe fans, it’s just around the corner. The Remastered Collection, which bundles the first Life is Strange and its prequel game Life is Strange: Before the Storm, is coming to Xbox, PlayStation, and PC on September 30, 2021. This release comes 20 days after the newest entry in the series, Life is Strange: True Colors, hits shelves on September 10.

However, as soon as this may be, many fans anticipated the collection would release alongside Life is Strange: True Colors, especially considering it comes included in True Colors Ultimate edition. While it most assuredly will still be a part of the Ultimate edition–and is not required to play prior to starting True Colors–it looks like those picking up that edition will have to wait a while before digging into the first entry in the Life is Strange series.

On the bright side, the extended trailer shows the Remastered Collection has made major improvements to the overall look of Life is Strange and Life is Strange: Before the Storm. The upcoming remasters boast sharper textures, improved character animations, and several other visual improvements that make the games look a lot less stiff than they were when initially released.

Hitman Sniper: The Shadows received a brand-new trailer during Square Enix’s showcase at E3 2021 today, introducing us to Initiative 426–a collection of skilled assassins who can make any shot look like an accident. The Square Enix Montreal title is set to launch on iOS and Android later this year.

This mobile title takes inspiration from numerous Hitman sniper-focused titles, where you engage with the same stealth-based killing from afar. This time, however, you won’t play as the titular Agent 47. Instead, you’ll take control of The Shadows, a team of multi-skilled assassins from the ICA whom you’ll be able to experiment with across multiple missions to eliminate a new criminal organization threatening the world.

Hitman Sniper: The Shadows exists as a new story within the Hitman universe, building on the mythos established by the core games. You likely won’t be encountering Agent 47, but his handler, Diana, is back to guide you through your missions.

Hitman Sniper: The Shadows is coming later this year for iOS and Android. Catch up on everything at Square Enix’s showcase and all the other announcements from E3 2021 in our Play for All hub.