As this year's E3 draws to a close, there's been a raft of announcements, trailers and everything else that sets up 2017 as a banner year for gaming.
Here's a rundown of the biggest stories coming out of the Los Angeles Convention Center.
10. CONFIRMED - SKYRIM IS GETTING A HD REMASTERING, MODS ARE COMING TO CONSOLE
We reported on this rumour pretty recently and it looks like we were right on both counts - Skyrim is coming to the Xbox One and PlayStation 4 AND mods will be made available for download on console. The video, seen below, shows the graphic updates and it looks pretty sweet. Not only that, anyone who bought the Legendary edition and the add-ons on Steam will be eligible for a free update. There's a wider question about modding on consoles in general and as to whether or not it'll become the norm. Grand Theft Auto 4, for example, has a huge modding community. Skyrim: Special Edition will be available from October 28th of this year.
9. THE HIDEO KOJIMA-NORMAN REEDUS BROMANCE IS ALIVE, WELL AND VERY WEIRD
After the sadly-cancelled Silent Hill, it looked like Norman Reedus would never grace our screens in a gaming scenario again. Not true. Death Stranding looks like it's going to be one of the weirdest and unique experiences in gaming in quite some time and now that Hideo Kojima's thrown off the shackles of Konami, he's free to indulge each and every artistic thought in his brain. It'll either be absolutely terrible or absolutely brilliant. There is no middle ground on this and we know it.
8. YOU CAN MAKE YOUR OWN XBOX CONTROLLER
It's a nice touch and, to be honest, we've always favoured the XboxOne controller over the PS4 controller. It's one of those things that we've always wondered exactly why they never did it before, but now it's confirmed - you can make your own XboxOne controller. We've contacted Microsoft Ireland for details on the whole thing and once they get back to us, we'll update. Speaking of Microsoft...
7. XBOX ONE S ANNOUNCED, PROJECT SCORPIO IS MICROSOFT'S NEXT NEXT-GEN CONSOLE
Yes, the Xbox One S was also confirmed at E3 in roaring fashion with a flashy trailer. The breakdown? It's up to 40% smaller, has 2TB of space, comes with the new Xbox One controller AND has Ultra-HD 4K compatibility. As well as this, Project Scorpio was also announced and stakes it claim as the most powerful console yet made. Project Scorpio will also have backward compatibility for the Xbox One and so to will the accessories for the Xbox One. In a weird way, Microsoft is trying to position Scorpio as some sort of heightened version of the Xbox One. Details are, of course, sketchy - but Winter 2017 is the initial release date set down for it.
6. ZELDA: BREATH OF THE WILD IS THE ZELDA GAME WE'VE BEEN WAITING FOR SO LONG
At long last, Zelda is finally moving into sandbox territory with Breath of the Wild and it's not before time, too. The launch trailer for Breath of the Wild was particularly stunning, showcasing the gorgeous graphics and huge range of environments and activities that have never before been seen in a Zelda game. The game will be set far into the future, with most of Hyrule in ruins. Link is awoken after a long slumber and has to find his way through a stranger, more hostile Hyrule than he's experienced before. Granted, it's not going into Walking Dead territory, but there looks to be a lot more combat and survival aspects involved - which can only be a good thing.
5. SOUTH PARK: THE FRACTURED BUT WHOLE WILL BE THE FUTURE OF MOVIE / GAMING FRANCHISES EVERYWHERE
The Stick Of Truth was nothing short of a masterpiece, so when it was announced that another South Park was in the works, you couldn't believe the amount of excitement we had for The Fractured But Whole. From what we've seen in this trailer, our hopes have been realised. Also, PC PRINCIPAL IS IN THIS ONE AND IT'S GOING TO BE AMAZING. Ahem. Sorry.
4. VR IS GOING TO BE EVERYWHERE WHETHER YOU LIKE IT OR NOT
Sony already announced their plans for VR and it appears as though E3 was the next stop on the hype train. Batman VR was announced as a PlayStation exclusive, but failed to show anything in the way of actual gameplay. Instead, the trailer featured the voice of Mark Hamill as Joker and a slow pan around Batman's cowl. From what we're hearing, Batman VR will be closer to a detective game than an actual fighting / platformer experience. Farpoint, however, looks more closer to a FPS by way of Christopher Nolan's Interstellar. Meanwhile, Here They Lie is going after the horror genre. With the low entry price for VR and a few big IPs, 2017 will be the make-or-break for VR as an entity.
3. LOTS MORE STAR WARS GAMES ON THE WAY FROM EA
Many expected Battlefront 2 to be announced, along with some news on the fate of Star Wars: 1313. Instead, a general and vague overview of EA's work on the Star Wars IP was shown, with flashes from Battlefront and The Old Republic thrown in to remind everyone that it's still out there. It's a shame that there wasn't anything concrete shown or announced, but it's enough to know that Star Wars as a gaming franchise is far from over.
2. MASS EFFECT: ANDROMEDA IS ON TRACK TO BE THE GAME OF 2017
Really. We've got so much hope stored up for Andromeda that we're literally bursting at the seams. Everything we've seen so far - the improved mobility, the return of MAKO, the new Normandy, the Frostbite Engine, all of it - has us well and truly excited for the next phase in Mass Effect. Story details are light, but the general gist of it is that the N7 Agent - not Shepherd, obviously - has to find a new home for humanity. That means there'll be outposts to maintain and build, new worlds to explore and tons of combat in between. Combat, as well, looks to be hugely improved upon - something that was desperately lacking in Mass Effect 3.
1. MICROSOFT IS DOUBLING DOWN ON CROSS-PLAY, WANTS TO GET SONY ONBOARD
It's completely pie-in-the-sky and there's no way Sony will get onboard, but Microsoft wants to bridge the gap between the two consoles and PC gaming. The announcement from E3 that XboxOne will now be moving even further into cross-play territory was met with some skepticism, but it really does show just how far Microsoft is trying to push the boat out. In a statement, Microsoft's Chris Charla put the focus squarely on developers to support the option, saying that "it’s up to game developers to support this feature, and Xbox Live players will always have the option of choosing to play only with other Xbox Live players." This is a huge gamble for Microsoft, as the ability to play across platforms has been around for some time, but nobody's really made an attempt to do it. It's a bold strategy, Cotton. Let's see if it pays off.
