Game News Video Games Reviews & News
Related Articles
All the E3 2019 (opens in new tab) press conferences and live streams are just around the corner, which – hopefully – means lots of new game announcements and reveals are on the way. We already know we’re going to get to see sexy new footage of games like The Outer Worlds (opens in new tab) and Cyberpunk 2077 (opens in new tab), but what are the GamesRadar team secretly hoping for?
This is the latest in a series of big questions we’ll be interrogating our writers with, so share your answers and suggestions for topics with us on Twitter. (opens in new tab)
Viva Pinata
Oh, how my heart yearns for a new installment of this strange, surprisingly violent animal husbandry sim. I fear future generations may never know the joy of attracting animals to a garden, tricking them into mating, and then bashing in the brains of their offspring for chocolate coins. Viva Pinata had all the looks of a game for children – bright colors and cutesy creatures – but that hid a dark undertone that had the unsettling aroma of a slaughterhouse. It was just so addictive: tending to your own plot of land, sowing seeds, and creating the right conditions to attract new pinata. The time feels so right for Rare to take a break from those bloody pirates and bring back a real Xbox icon. Image those papery horstachio fetlocks in 4K! Rachel Weber
A full-fledged Animal Crossing game
I know, I know – an Animal Crossing Switch (opens in new tab) is coming, but aside from a release date, it’s unclear what this upcoming Switch game actually is. The last few Animal Crossing titles have been spin-offs – one about room decorating, an Amiibo-focused party game, and another mobile title about happy campers. That means we’re long overdue for a true Animal Crossing: New Leaf sequel, one that really utilises the series’ focus with collectibles and idle, frolic-the-hours-away gameplay that would suit the Switch down to a tee. It would be the ‘Stardew Valley hits Switch’ obsession all over again, but with true Nintendo charm oozing through every pore. So yes, we know something Animal Crossing shaped is coming, but I’m praying it’s a core series entry and not some bonkers spin-off. Come on Tom Nook, don’t let me down. Sam Loveridge
Fable 4
Yeah, I know Lionhead Studios has been shut down for about two years, but according to rumors, Fable 4 (opens in new tab) is being worked on by Playground Games. It wasn’t too long ago that a potential Fable 4 Xbox Mixer leak (opens in new tab) was found by eagle-eyed users of the internet, so I have fingers and toes crossed for a Fable 4 announcement, and have also plaited my hair because that counts as crossing your hair too, right? Seriously though, we’re in dire need of Fable 4. Its brand of Hobbit-y fantasy, which touches on how hilariously parochial some cities and towns can be yet still manages to be charming, is exactly what 2019 needs. This year has had its fair share of Gritty Games™ with Days Gone (opens in new tab), A Plague Tale: Innocence (opens in new tab), Sekiro (opens in new tab), and The Division 2 (opens in new tab), so what we could really do with is a bit of humourous escapism in the form of kicking chickens, debating with giant talking stone doors, and shooting those gargoyles who roast anyone walking nearby. Zoe Delahunty-Light
The BioShock World War 2 game I’ve made up and am now obsessed with
We all know a new BioShock’s on the way one day, the question is: what’s the twist? Ever since visiting a Second World War exhibit that included a mile of underground bomb shelter tunnels (opens in new tab) playing a wobbly version of “We’ll meet again” I’m obsessed with a World War 2 take on the idea. I really have thought about this far too much. Imagine a giant, city-sized British bomb shelter that seals itself away from the world and gets forgotten about. We find it decades later with a culture built on xenophobic propaganda and “careless talk costs lives” suspicion. There’s so much BioShock-y stuff you could make out of world built from an excessive jingoism, self-destructive witch hunts, and a fear of comically caricatured enemies. Whatever eventually gets announced will never live up to my amazing imagine-o-game, so I’m really just setting myself up for a fall here. Leon Hurley
BioShock 4
The rumored sequel (or should that be paraquel?) to BioShock Infinite, currently codenamed Parkside and under development at a secret studio under 2K Games, has been a long time coming. It’s been over six years since the release of 2013’s divisive BioShock Infinite, not to mention a good while since we’ve had a decent AAA immersive sim with storytelling smarts too. Though BioShock auteur Ken Levine and many of those who worked on the original series alongside him have since left 2K, the fact that Parkside has been in development for such a long time under tight secrecy bodes well for how seriously the publisher is treating this return for its revered franchise. A grand reveal on the stages of E3 2019 could easily make it game of the show. Who knows what to expect from the project itself, but one thing’s for sure: there’s always a man, a city, and a lighthouse. Alex Avard
Xbox 2
Alright, so that’s probably not going to be what Microsoft’s Project Scarlett is going to be called – but whatever name its does end up giving it (Xbox Alpha?), we know the machine itself will usher in the next generation of console gaming. There are already rumors that Microsoft will show off its next powerhouse during their conference (Xbox Apollo?) and that something might even be playable behind closed doors. Yes, probably Halo infinite (opens in new tab). Even if that’s not the case, I’m ready to get all excited for the new tech and talk of teraflops, CPU architecture, and GDDR memory. After all, we’ve been waiting almost six years for a new machine, and if current trends are to be believed, this is likely to be the last time we’ll get a physical box before everything becomes cloud and service based. Which I’m also okay with, but that’s a whole different discussion. Oh! Xbox Blade? No? Fine. James Jarvis
Pokemon Snap 2
Nintendo and the Pokemon Company recently announced every Pokemon game under the sun (and moon): we got Pokemon Sleep (opens in new tab), Pokemon Home (opens in new tab), and a new Detective Pikachu (opens in new tab). We got everything except for the one Pokemon game that actually freakin’ matters: a sequel to Pokemon Snap, the best Pokemon game. Nintendo, I will do anything. I’ll buy that overpriced Pokemon Switch (opens in new tab) combo pack. Hell, I’ll buy that stupid Labo VR camera thing – I’ll even use the motion controls (for an hour or so until I get bored, obviously, at which point the Pro controller had better be supported). I will sacrifice my wallet on the altar of Amiibo if it’ll convince you to green-light Pokemon Snap 2. Countless games have proven how exciting and powerful photo modes can be, both for preserving amazing moments and – listen up, Nintendo, I’m talking to you here – creating free, fun, fan-fueled marketing. I know you hate free, fun, fan-fueled marketing, given the way you DMCA YouTubers and game preservationists, but trust me, it won’t actually kill you. Pokemon Snap was basically Photo Mode: The Game, so imagine what a socially connected, Switch-powered sequel featuring the latest crop of Pokemon could be! Oh god, I could cry – and I will if Pokemon Snap 2 isn’t released in my lifetime. All I want to do is take pictures of Lapras again, Nintendo – don’t make me beg. Austin Wood
A new Katamari game
So this may be coming out of the leftest of left fields, but it’s fair to say that things generally aren’t looking that great for the world environment right now. What we need is another wholesome adventure about cleaning up the planet. At least I think that was broadly what those games were about… I remember picking up lots of trash, but it’s been so long now since the last one came out. Not counting 2018’s Katamari Damacy remake on PC and Switch, you have to look back over a decade to find an original roll ’em up on home consoles. Katamari creator Keita Takahashi has been busy working on a game for the upcoming Playdate (opens in new tab) handheld, as well as the hopefully-still-coming-out-some-day Wattam (opens in new tab), so perhaps fresh content is too much to ask for. But at this point I’d happily take another Katamari remake on PS4 and Xbox One to get lost once again in some cheerfully quirky world tidying under a Royal Rainbow. Iain Wilson
Fallout 3 and Fallout: New Vegas remakes
You want a Fallout 3/New Vegas remake. I want a Fallout 3/New Vegas remake. With any luck, Bethesda wants that as well. Despite being some of the best RPGs of the last generation, they haven’t aged all that gracefully in the visuals department. It’s not as bad as Oblivion’s “I-look-like-melted-candle-wax” faces, but both are still dated nonetheless. The gameplay is also clunky by today’s standards. As an example, Fallout 3 lacked the ability to aim down iron sights with any of your weapons. Meanwhile, talking to someone freezes the entire world around you. I know that some people make you feel like no one else in the room exists, but that’s just ridiculous. All these issues were fixed in Fallout 4, so its predecessors are prime candidates for a glow-up. It’d be worth it, too; certain Fallout 3 missions dole out consequences that still haunt me to this day, while New Vegas’ black humor and faction quests remain some of the franchise’s best. Benjamin Abbott
Something from Arkane Studios
Anything being announced from the geniuses at Arkane would be incredible, and an absolute E3-maker for me. Starting off in crude time-based terms, Prey’s Mooncrash DLC arrived last summer, and Dishonored: Death of the Outsider was released the better part of two years ago now, so I’d say we are ripe for an Arkane announcement. On top of that, Arkane’s Dishonored series and 2017’s Prey are some of my favourite games of all time. They are just fabulous, near-perfect immersive sims with exquisite design, great writing and characters, and imaginative game mechanics. However, it’s in their placemaking and worldbuilding where their extra special qualities lie: the cities of Dunwall, Karnaca, and the Talos I spacestation ooze atmosphere and a sense of place to the extent that they too become important in-game ‘characters’ and incredibly powerful settings. You can really feel attached to these places and grow curious about every nook and cranny, wondering what’s behind every closed door or high wall, and what other stories they have. As they are familiar, sure, I’d love another big entry into the Dishonored or Prey series, but a new IP from Arkane would be seriously exciting, too. Just give me something – anything – from Arkane, and E3 will be a total success for me. Rob Dwiar
What are you hoping for from E3 2019? Let us know on Twitter. (opens in new tab)
