Most Anticipated and Predictions of E3 2018

Once again fellow gamers this year's E3 convention is just days away and we all know what that means. The flood of new game announcements, trailers, gameplay footage, and more will all be pouring out for our eyes to consume and get our hype meters to over 9,000. As in the past I'm breaking down some of the games I'm most excited to see, as well as predictions of what I'm expecting and/or hoping to see at some of the big press conference during the show. Let's get into it!

Microsoft Press Conference:

During last year's conference, Microsoft spent time revealing and showing off the power of the Xbox One X. Since the X's launch, Microsoft has done well and are making use of the new hardware's extra power. However, a more powerful console is only as good as the games that are developed for it. Microsoft really needs to hit it hard with first party exclusive games this year. I won't be surprised if there are new reveals for their "bread and butter" franchises like Halo, Forza Motorsport, and Gears of War, but I think they need to show some new and exclusive IPs to really make a strong stance. 

I also think that Microsoft may highlight new ways they are further integrating and supporting the Xbox and PC environments together with Play Anywhere and cross platform games, as well as some possible new features to the Xbox Live service. I would really hope that they show off some solid gameplay footage of Crackdown 3 and have an actual release date of this fall for the game. Microsoft most likely won't be showing any new hardware, so they definitely have to be game centered (specifically more exclusive games) in order to keep the heat on their competition.

Sony Press Conference:

Sony has commented that they are focusing on the games this year and not new hardware. More specifically, they will be focusing on their first party exclusive games like Ghost of Tsushima, Spider-Man, Death Stranding, and The Last of Us: Part II. There's no doubt third party exclusives will be shown as well. Since the well received and reviews of the Shadow of the Colossus remastered game, it wouldn't be a far stretch to think that Sony could announce another remastered classic like Ico.

Aside from exclusive games, I think that Sony will also highlight some of their exclusive game content deals from games such as Destiny 2, Call of Duty: Black Ops 4, and Red Dead Redemption 2. Sony has been good during the past several years of dropping some major game announcements during their E3 conference, and one possibility I could see happening is a reveal for Bloodborne 2, which has been rumored for a while. Regardless, as mentioned before, Sony is once again going to be game driven and I don't think they will disappoint. 

The Games:

As with every other E3 conference, there will be a ton of games shown during press conferences, developer interviews, and on the show floor. Below is a list (no particular order) of just some of the games that I am most excited to see (or hoping to see) gameplay footage, trailers, or just new information about.

Elder Scrolls 6 (probably won't be shown but I'm hoping!)
Anthem
The Division 2
Death Stranding
Battlefield V
Gears of War 5
Call of Cthulhu
Fallout 76
Metro Exodus
Destiny 2 Fall Update
The Last of Us: Part 2
Assassin's Creed Odyssey 
Ghost of Tsushima
Cyberpunk 2077
The Sinking City
Shadow of the Tomb Raider
Rage 2
Days Gone
Spider-Man
Crackdown 3

E3 2018 Schedule:

Like last year, while the convention runs June 12-14, the event actually kicks off on Saturday, June 9 with EA's press conference. Check out the full E3 press conference 2018 schedule below.

Saturday, June 9

     - EA -- 11:00 AM PT / 2:00 PM ET

Sunday, June 10

     - Microsoft -- 1:00 PM PT / 4:00 PM ET
     - Bethesda -- 6:30 PM PT / 9:30 PM ET
     - Devolver Digital -- 8:00 PM PT / 11:00 PM ET

Monday, June 11

     - Square Enix -- 10:00 AM PT / 1:00 PM ET
     - Ubisoft -- 1:00 PM PT / 4:00 PM ET
     - PC Gaming Show -- 3:00 PM PT / 6:00 PM ET
     - Sony -- 6:00 PM PT / 9:00 PM ET

Tuesday, June 12

     - Nintendo -- 9:00 AM PT / 12:00 PM ET

Of course make sure to stay up to date with your favorite gaming websites, podcasts, blogs, and streams for all the details. Also, new trailers and gameplay demos will be posted here on the Gamers On a Rant blog site throughout the week of E3 as well. Get ready folks. E3 is nearly here!