Top 10 Games of E3 2015

01. Hitman

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Developed by IO Interactive and published by Square Enix, the sixth entry in the Hitman game series, -- titled simply “Hitman” -- is meant to serve as both the next chapter in the much-celebrated series as well as a series reboot for Windows PC, PlayStation 4, and Xbox One, arriving on 8 December 2015.

Until the game's world premier on the stage at Sony's pre-E3 press briefing very little was known or shared about this game.

Both IO and Square are very good at keeping secrets when they feel it is important for a secret to be kept, and it is clear from the presentation and reveal that this was a secret that they meant to keep until they were ready to reveal it.

As the game briefing unfolded on the stage it was quickly evident that Sony and Square had cut a deal, as Sony happily announced that not only was the Beta for Hitman a platform exclusive for their PS4, but that following its launch the PS4 would be getting additional unique and exclusive content in the form of special assassination missions that fit neatly into the episodic scheme that IO has created for the game.

Planned to unfold from its release in December all the way through 2016, Hitman will be receiving new episodic content - some of it time-restricted - that includes special and unique assassinations as well as additions to the story and new sub-plot elements.

The idea here is that the next Hitman will not just tell the story of the next chapter, but will also set the path that the game series will follow in the future. A combination of unique and time-limited content as well as content that is tailored to the individual player, that is destined to become part of their personal record.

That new content will include story expansion in the form of new locations, new characters, and new kit. As noted above, some of these contracts will be very time-limited -- with windows as brief as 48-hours!

Players who miss them will never see them again, which means that the new Hitman is going to be one of the games you are going to not only want to keep in your regular game play rotation schedule, but one of the games whose Twitter feed you will want to follow daily!

That new twist on the approach for the game play content and story is not the only shake-up in this massive sandbox style game. There is Agent 47 himself to consider. While Hitman has been said to be the direct sequel of the previous game - meaning it takes place after it - the Agent 47 we play in Hitman is an ageless example of how decades can melt off of a protagonist between games.

Either Agent 47 has had some extensive work done at the best spas in Switzerland, or he is twenty years younger. Considering his heavily modified genetics the answer may actually be both!

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At the briefing and at the show there were a couple of core points that they really pounded on - because they wanted us to remember them. Those points were simple enough even if they are the foundation of the new game mechanics.

The first point, level mastery is a major element of the risk and reward scheme. The player not only gets to decide how the hit will go down for each assignment, but also gets to specify the kit used for both the primary and secondary options!

How you take out the target is remembered, scored, and depending on whether factors like stealth, completeness, and the peripheral casualties of the hit, will result in a different score.

The episodic content was also one of the issues that was heavily addressed largely because it is a very important element in the new game structure. That serialized content is seen not so much as game or story expansion, but entertainment expansion. The distinction is major. The effort is huge, and it is that difference that catapulted Hitman to the Number One slot on our list.

Conclusions

It cannot be understated just how different the game offerings that were presented at this year's E3 are from the games of the past two Expos. In simple terms, the era of the Eighth Generation has finally arrived!

The first two years of the current gen were peppered with games that were mostly ported to the new consoles as they were deep in their development cycles when the new console specs were released. The games we saw at E3 2015 are the first generation of made-for-platform titles and it shows! Oh man does it show!

Our pick for the Top 10 Games of E3 2015 was a brutal one that took days to compile because we had to consider each game on its own merits and on where it fit in the spectrum of the new generation of games on the current generation of consoles.

So how did we do? Would you have done this different? How does our assessment and lineup match with yours?

Please feel invited to use the comments system at the bottom of every page to share your take on the countdown! Tell us which games you are excited for, and which you think may be a pass for you this time around?

Sharing opinion helps build the community - and we are always interested in hearing your take on a countdown like this, that required 30+ hours to create.

Posted: 22nd Jun 2015 by CMBF
Tags: Xbox One, Xbox 360, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 3, PC,