E3 2013 is just around the corner, and as always it’s a pretty MMO-heavy show. We’ve got a packed schedule coming up that Garrett will detail for you all on Monday, but for this week’s List I thought it might be fun to count down the five games we’re eager to see most of all on the show floor. This list doesn’t include everything we’ll see, and I want to make sure you know that just because a title doesn’t hit this List, it doesn’t mean we’re not eager to see that game. Final Fantasy XIV, Defiance’s DLC, Planetside 2, Ultima Forever, Wargaming’s secret project, DayZ’s progress, Snail’s Black Gold, EVE, TERA and others are all on the schedule and have us wondering what they’ll be showing. But for the games that we’re most eager to catch a glimpse of, the following five titles have us on the edge of our proverbial seats.
5.) WildStar Online
WildStar won’t really be on the show floor, but EDIT: WildStar will be playable on the floor, we were told after this writing and we'll be giving it a go. Also, we’ve been invited to a nearby location for a special development update presentation by none other than Jeremy Gaffney. We’ll be filming the whole thing, so let’s hope there’s a lot of good stuff to talk about! Like: when will the beta be opened up for press so I can play my Cassian. I’m looking at you, Gaffer.
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4.) HEX
The first true TCGMMO (Trading Card Game MMO), Cryptozoic absolutely blew past their Kickstarter funding goals and are past the two million mark as of this writing. They asked for $300,000. Now, numbers aren’t the only thing we can go by when judging the potential of a title, but these folks are very likely onto something as TCGs have been seeing a bit of a resurgence of late with the rise of mobile devices. Can an MMO based entirely on trading cards work? We’ll know soon enough as we’ll get a first-hand look at the game next week.
3.) ArcheAge
Finally. That’s all I can say. I’ve played some of the Korean CBT for ArcheAge in the past, and even way back then I could tell there was something special being developed by Jake Song and XLGames. But whether the entire package works here in the states remains to be seen, and at E3 we’ll get our first real taste of a localized ArcheAge. I really cannot wait, personally. There are only two games that come in ahead of ArcheAge, for different reasons.
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2.) Elder Scrolls Online
With the exception of PAX Prime, ESO’s last big “show” before launch is E3. We already know some of what they’ll be showing as Suzie went out to San Francisco and played through the Daggerfall content a couple weeks back. But will there be any other surprises in store? Will we see some AvA? Will we learn more about the social and guild features? Will the team put to rest some fears about locked factions and phasing? We’ll know soon enough.
1.) Destiny
This has to be our number one “must see” at E3. While Activision and Bungie aren’t calling Destiny an MMO, we all know the truth of the matter (hint: it is an MMO) and E3 will be the first time any of us get to see a real gameplay demonstration. Can Bungie strike gold again after letting Microsoft hold onto Halo while they turned their attention to this massive science fiction epic? My only regret is that Destiny won’t be on the PC, but it’ll be interesting to see if the gameplay is more than just a massively multiplayer shooter and indeed something special. Expect our full report come Thursday of next week.
That caps off the list this week. Did we miss anything? Is there something non-MMO you’re excited to learn more about? Like just what games are coming to the PS4 and Xbox One? Let us know in the comments below.
Bill Murphy / Bill Murphy is the Managing Editor of MMORPG.com, RTSGuru.com, and lover of all things gaming. He's been playing and writing about MMOs and geekery since 2002, and you can harass him and his views on Twitter @thebillmurphy.
