Credit: ESA
Battletoads
Microsoft’s promised Battletoads resurrection indeed looks like Battletoads, and yes, that means the long tunnel sequences are back. The real question: Does that old-school Battletoads gameplay still hold up in the modern era?
Microsoft Flight Simulator
FLIGHT SIMULATOR IS COMING BACK! Now that’s a surprise. Time to dust off the flight stick I bought for Elite: Dangerous.
Age of Empires II Definitive Edition
It seems a little silly to do a second remaster less than a decade after releasing Age of Empires II HD, but consistency of branding and all that I guess. Age of Empires II: Definitive Edition will update the game with 4K support and update the audio, but there’s not much reason to upgrade if you’re content with your current version—aside from a new “The Last Khan” campaign.
Wasteland 3
Obsidian isn’t the only beloved CRPG maker now in Microsoft’s pocket. InXile created Wasteland 2, our 2014 game of the year, and at E3 2019 the developer showed a fresh trailer for Wasteland 3. Set in post-apocalyptic Colorado Springs, a massive change of pace from the series’ usual desert browns, the game looks ready to blend dark humor and turn-based action just as adeptly as its predecessor. Hopefully Microsoft’s bags of money can help InXile apply a healthy layer of polish before launch. I can’t wait for this one.
Psychonauts 2
Microsoft continued its acquisition streak at 2019. This year there was only one studio purchase, but it was a big one: Double Fine.
With Double Fine comes the rights to Psychonauts 2—but wait! In a show of generosity, Microsoft says Psychonauts 2 will still come to the PlayStation 4 (and Linux). Pretty cool. In any case, there’s also a new trailer to peruse ahead of its release, supposedly sometime in 2019.
Lego Star Wars: The Skywalker Saga
The Lego games are coming full circle. About 15 years after Lego Star Wars kicked off the (surprisingly fun) Lego-branded genre of games, Lego Star Wars: The Skywalker Saga brings together adaptations from all nine mainline Star Wars films into one big package. The real question: Will they return to voiceless pantomiming to keep the new film adaptations stylistically consistent with the original six? I hope so.
Gears 5
Yes, Gears 5 returned at E3 2019, potentially as one of the last Xbox One exclusives before the holiday 2020 launch of the “Project Scarlett” console. The focus this year is Escape, a three-person co-op mode that sounds almost like user-generated Horde Mode levels—playable in couch co-op too, from the sound of it. Hopefully local multiplayer makes it to the PC, too.
Forza Horizon 4: Lego Speed Champions
Forza Horizon is great. Lego games are great. So Forza Horizon 4’s Lego Speed Champions expansion should probably be pretty damned good. The blocky cars and tracks look awesome.
Borderlands 3
Gearbox’s Borderlands 3 trailer proved light on actual gameplay footage, but it highlighted the special powers of the classes you’ll be able to play when the game launches this fall—and some of them are pretty damned wild. We’re catching some hands-on time with the game during E3 2019 so hopefully we’ll be able to tell you how Gearbox’s iconic looter-shooter actually feels sooner rather than later.
Elden Ring
A new collaboration between From Software and George R. R. Martin, with luscious environments and fantastic-looking monsters? That’s a damned exciting combination. If you loved Dark Souls, Bloodborne, or Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice, keep your eye on Elden Ring.
Next page: The trailers continue!
