This will be my second year attending the Electronic Entertainment Expo in Los Angeles, which we all know as “E3“. I learned a lot on my first visit, and am planning to do my very best to deliver as much quality coverage to each and every one of you, our readers and listeners of our podcast. This year, I’ll be attending with Zack Parkerson, one of my newest team members. He and I have booked our calendars for all three days with as many appointments as we could schedule. Our goal is to show you as much of the expo as we can, so you can be up to date on the latest games and hardware.

I’ve put together a list of the various games that I’ll be seeing during my visit. Zack and I will be talking about everything we see on a podcast after each night of the show, of course. But I thought you all would like to see a preview of what we’re getting hands-on or behind-closed-doors access to. You can check out Zack’s list as well, but here’s an idea of what I’ll be checking out while at E3 2018.

Tuesday, June 12th

World War Z (PS4, Xbox One, PC)

Back in 2013, Paramount Pictures kept the zombie film genre alive with its movie, World War Z. Saber Interactive has a new 4-player co-op game based on the film. It promises unique missions from around the world, including New York, Moscow, and Jerusalem. I’ll have a chance to actually play this game. Here’s the reveal trailer that we saw last year.

Black Future ’88 (PC)

Developer SuperScarySnakes will be showing a new build of their “synth punk 2D roguelike action shooter”, Black Future ’88, which will include co-op for the first time. You’ll climb an evolving procedural tower through a merciless onslaught of fire, lasers and steel. Shoot, slash and dash to overcome deadly traps, homicidal AI, crazed junkies and colossal boss-grade Wardens. I’ll be able to demo this on PC.

Phantom Doctrine (PS4, Xbox One, PC)

Here’s the official press release from Good Shepherd Entertainment for Phantom Doctrine. “Set in 1983 during the Cold War, Phantom Doctrine is an alternate history thriller in which players lead The Cabal, a secret organization dedicated to fighting a global conspiracy committed to controlling the world by pitting world leaders and nations against one another. Throughout secret missions, classified files investigations and enemy agent interrogations, peel off layers upon layers of a sinister plot and save the world from a somber future. If you can.”

Here’s the teaser trailer:

Semblance (PC, Switch)

If you’ve heard me talk about games like Limbo on the podcast, you’ll know that Semblance looks right up my alley. This puzzle platformer may have a cute aesthetic, but its mechanics look very clever. Your character, a soft bouncy character named “Squish” can actually deform the environment in order to navigate through each level. I’m looking forward to getting my hands on this game.

You can watch the trailer here:

Strange Brigade (PS4, Xbox One, PC)

Strange Brigade from Rebellion Developments is set in the 1930’s and definitely has a flair for adventure. This four-player co-op experience gives teams a chance to battle a beautifully bizarre world filled with monsters, traps, and puzzles.

Here’s the trailer:

Unannounced Game from Rebellion (PlayStation VR)

Rebellion Developments is also showcasing a new game for PlayStation VR, but they haven’t told me exactly what it is just yet. As soon as I find out, you all will be the first to know.

Rend (PC)

Frostkeep Studios is a relatively young development team comprised of former developers of games like the original World of Warcraft, Overwatch, League of Legends, WildStar, and more. Their upcoming game, Rend, is a faction-based fantasy survival game.

Here’s the trailer from their web site:

3 Minutes to Midnight (PC, Xbox One, PS4, Switch, Android, iOS)

I’ve been a big fan of point-and-click adventures since the Secret of Monkey Islands Days. That nostalgia drew me to check out the debut game from Scarecrow Studio, 3 Minutes to Midnight. Here’s the description of the game direct from the developer:

“It’s the roaring late ’40s. World War II has finally ended and celebrations continue… Yet, somewhere in the middle of New Mexico, a secret intricate plot to extinguish humanity has been unraveling for a long time. Even if it could be stopped, what hope is there when inexplicably, no one can remember a thing? Tonight, step into Betty’s shoes and find out exactly what happens at 3 Minutes to Midnight.”

You can see their debut trailer here:

Wednesday June 13th

OVERKILL’s The Walking Dead (PS4, Xbox One, PC)

This is actually the only appointment I have where I’ll be attending with Zack. We’re excited to check out OVERKILL’s The Walking Dead, which is based on the original Robert Kirkman graphic novels. This first-person shooter offers four-player co-op, and is set in post-apocalyptic Washington D.C. Players must “band together with up to three friends on a variety of missions and raids, securing supplies and survivors to strengthen their base camp against the threat of both the dead and the living.”

The following trailer gives a brief overview of the game, but you can check out each character’s individual trailer here:

Unannounced Title from Techland

I’ve been invited to Techland‘s booth for a game they haven’t announced yet. As soon as I learn what this title is, I’ll update it, but I think it’s worth noting. This developer is behind such games as Dead Island, Dying Light, and Call of Juarez: Gunslinger, so they have a decent pedigree. I’m excited to see what they’re offering next.

Gearbox’s Project 1v1 [code name]

This one intrigues me quite a bit. I know literally nothing else about this unannounced title from Gearbox, the developers of the Borderlands series. Here’s the brief description provided to me via e-mail:

“The game is a high-intensity, one vs. one first-person shooter that’s as quick to pick-up that it is to play.”

Unfortunately, that’s all the information that I have at the moment. Stay tuned for more.

Nintendo Booth Tour

At last year’s E3, I had the pleasure of meeting Brandon Bui, the Editor-in-Chief for Gamer Professionals, another smaller outlet similar to The Gaming Outsider. He and I hit it off pretty well, and he was even a guest on one of our episodes. Brandon contacted me during the weeks leading up to E3 and said that he had been invited to tour Nintendo’s booth during E3. Not only that, but he was able to bring a “plus one” to the tour. That means yours truly is also going to have a chance to attend. I know I’ll have hands-on with the new Super Smash Bros. game for the Switch as well as other games. Needless to say, I’m very excited for this meeting.

Thursday June 14th

Metro Exodus (PC, Xbox One, PS4)

This might be the highest-profile game that I get to see by appointment this year. 4A Games‘ latest game in the Metro franchise is called Metro Exodus. This hour-long meeting offers, “a substantial romp through a dangerous wasteland, with ample opportunity to test out some of the game’s new makeshift weaponry.”

Here’s the trailer that was shown to us at last year’s E3:

Defector (Oculus Rift)

Twisted Pixel looks to have made their most ambitious game to date. Even if Defector didn’t look incredible, I would be excited just to be able to try out an Oculus Rift. This first-person spy action game promises hand to hand combat, gadgets, shootouts, interrogations, investigations, stealth, and branching gameplay. Everything about this game is intriguing to me.

You can see the trailer for this game below:

Genesis: Alpha One (Xbox One, PS4, PC)

Genesis: Alpha One from developer Radiation Blue combines a mix of genres including rogue-lite, FPS and ship-building. You explore a randomly generated universe, farming resources, dealing with alien infestations and cloning new crew members.

Check out the trailer here:

Planet Alpha (PC, PS4, Xbox One, and Switch)

Planet Alpha is an atmospheric side-scrolling platform adventure game from Planet Alpha ApS. It combines “fast platforming, creative puzzles, stealth mechanics and a unique art style to create an unforgettable experience.”

Here’s the trailer:

Mugsters (PC, PS4, Xbox One, and Switch)

Reinkout Games will be showing Mugsters, which is is an action-packed, fast-paced chaotic puzzler where you must outrun, out-maneuver and outsmart your enemies by experimenting with different sandbox levels, vehicles, environmental traps and explosives.

You can see this game in action at the following trailer:

My Time at Portia (Xbox One, PS4, Switch, PC)

If you’re a fan of games like Animal Crossing, Harvest Moon, and Dark Cloud 2, then you might want to check out My Time at Portia from Pathea Games. It’s an engrossing 3D sandbox RPG set in a beautiful post-apocalyptic world. Cut down trees, forage for herbs, mine in the ruins and even grow your own garden as you work to restore your workshop. It is currently in Steam Early Access.

I this sounds interesting, take a look at the trailer here:

More from E3 2018

This is only a small dose of what we’ll be covering at E3 2018. Be sure to check out Zack’s post about what he’ll be checkout out at the expo. You’ll also want to stay tuned for our coverage of all of the press conferences as well as daily podcast episodes after each day of the show. Happy E3 week!