E3 2017 showcased a number of exciting PC games – including a new Age of Empires game. Here are the 5 PC games we’re most excited about after seeing them debut at E3’s PC Gaming Show.
XCOM 2: War of the Chosen
War of the Chosen is a highly-anticipated expansion for XCOM 2. The game is scheduled to drop on August 29, 2017.
In War of the Chosen, gamers will band together with resistance groups to fight against The Chosen – three enemies with purple skin who you’ll fight multiple times throughout the game. The Chosen get stronger over the course of the game. They gain new abilities, and will generally give players a hard time. In any case, XCOM 2 is a welcome addition – especially from players who were growing tired of the Long War 2 mod for XCOM 2.
Total War: Warhammer II
Last year, the Total War universe took us to the Warhammer universe. The game combined the Warhammer universe with Total War’s mix of turn-based strategy and real-time battles.
This year, we’re getting Total War: Warhammer II. You might think that’s a sequel but it’s not: it’s a standalone expansion. Regardless of the name, Warhammer II looks like a breath of fresh air for the original game. It introduces a new campaign called Grand Vortex that will take place across an entirely new map. There are also four new races, including High Elves, Lizardmen, Dark Elves, and one mystery race.
Forza Motorsport 7
After ignoring PC gamers for years, Microsoft is trying to win them back. Microsoft has been doing great work over the past few years, including plenty of gamer-specific features on Windows 10.
Forza Motorsport 7 will be available on PC, giving PC gamers a fantastic modern racing sim. At E3 2017, Microsoft announced that Forza would support mouse and keyboard – but let’s be honest, most people don’t use a mouse and keyboard to play racing sims.
Sea of Thieves
Sea of Thieves is another Microsoft game. It’s a pirate simulator we didn’t know we needed until we saw the trailer. It supports 4K resolutions, ultrawide aspect ratios, and unlimited frame rates on PC – none of which are seen on the console version. Sea of Thieves looks beautiful. Gamers are already salivating after seeing the game’s hyper-realistic water in an early trailer. As you would expect with a pirate game, you’ll be able to sail over the water, swim in it, and dive underwater. Check out the gameplay video from E3 2017 below:
Yslands
It’s easy to compare Yslands to Minecraft. The games have a similar blocky appearance. They’re both builders that you can use to create the world you want to play in. At E3 2017, developer Bohemia Interactive showcased a variety of locales – including the wild west, medieval society, tropical islands, ad underwater.
Age of Empires Definitive Edition
A new Age of Empires game in 2017? What?
It’s true: we saw Age of Empires Definitive Edition at E3 2017. Don’t get too excited: this isn’t a brand new AoE game.
This is, however, a remaster of the original Age of Empires game (the one released all the way back in 1997). It reworks the original game with 4K visuals, smoother animations, a modern UI, control groups, and other tweaks. If you’ve never played the first Age of Empires, then the Definitive Edition will give you a great chance to play through. It will provide a welcome boost of nostalgia for gamers who are also planning to play the remaster of 1997’s Starcraft.
BattleTech
Mech-based combat is coming to the PC in the form of BattleTech. The first difference between BattleTech and other mech games (like Titanfall or MechWarrior Online) is the size. It makes mechs feel larger than ever before. It’s a turn-based tactic game where your mech lumbers across beautiful environments while loaded down with up to 8 powerful weapons. The game isn’t through beta yet, but it’s planning to launch before the end of 2017.
E3’s PC Gaming Show is in its third year. It’s separate from the bigger E3 events and it takes place at a different venue. It’s hosted by PC Gamer and typically sponsored by PC hardware companies. The event was launched after E3 was increasingly turning into a console-focused event.
Stay tuned for more information about the games listed above as they make their debuts over the coming months!
