First-Person Shooter

Super. Hot. Two words that will be ingrained in your brain just moments into playing Superhot VR. The mantra is one of victory and success in beating another set of challenges in Superhot VR, and seeing and hearing those words repeated lifts a weight off your shoulders. Superhot VR is a little late to the party on PlayStation VR, but its summer arrival is as welcome as any game to the platform. It's just a shame PlayStation's headset isn't quite up to the task.

There are few things in this world as unsettling as walking down the street in a Nazi-fied American town. Though the version of that world only exists in Wolfenstein II: The New Colossus, it's a harrowing bit of revisionist history that puts you on edge the moment BJ steps out into Roswell's main street in 1961. Nazis and Third Reich imagery is plastered all over, with plenty of white people in the streets celebrating a parade. Making things even more alien were the posters of "Terror-Billy" plastered over every open space that wasn't already filled with fascist propaganda or decoration. In Wolfenstein II, you may be stepping into the shoes of a resistance hero, but in the Nazi-occupied United States, BJ Blazkowicz is public enemy number one.

Ubisoft is taking a different approach with Far Cry 5 than we're used to seeing from the franchise. Typically a series that's been about exploring locales many people can only dream of traveling to, it's a bit strange to see one coming home to roost in the United States. That's not a bad thing, as even the US is country that has a number of states and cities that are often ignored when it comes to games. With its rural setting in the Big Sky Country of Montana, Far Cry 5 already had our attention. It's the new spins on gameplay and narrative that'll keep it.

When we sat down with Sledgehammer Games before E3 officially began, it was to get a glimpse at Call of Duty: WWII's story. The development team is taking the duty of relaying the deadliness and heroism of the world's greatest conflict quite seriously, and everything we saw of it rang true with Sledgehammer's earnestness. The campaigns aren't what people traditionally come to Call of Duty for these days, and Sledgehammer hasn't forgotten about multiplayer. While it won't be quite as authentic and sobering as the story, Call of Duty: WWII's new multiplayer elements will make for some interesting online sessions.

For a franchise built on the back of Mecha-Hitler, what Machine Games did with the Wolfenstein franchise in 2014 was exceptional — and that was before modern-day America had a Nazi problem. Three years doesn't seem like a long enough time for the cultural climate to have shifted as much as it has between 2014 and 2017, but Wolfenstein II: The New Colossus is releasing in a very strange time. There's more than a bit of catharsis in continuing BJ Blazkowicz's quest to rid the world of Nazis, but it would be meaningless without Machine Games' excellent gameplay and witty, frightening story holding it all together.

Admittedly, I was skeptical about Call of Duty: WWII when it was announced. Sure, it looked pretty, but we'd been here before. A lot. While Activision's more recent turns into more fantastical military shooters may not have been grounded in gritty realism of historical encounters, they at least offered the multiple Call of Duty dev teams the chance to tell stories we hadn't seen before. After sitting down with Sledgehammer's Glen Schofield and Michael Condrey for a demo of Call of Duty: WWII's story, I can say I'm more intrigued than ever for a Call of Duty game.

Whatever your opinion of 2015's Star Wars Battlefront, DICE crafted a multiplayer experience that truly made you feel as if you were part of the action. The scope may have been limited, but the battle between the Imperial army and the Rebel forces gave us the impression we were the unseen heroes of the Galactic Civil War. With Star Wars Battlefront II, that feeling once again returns. After going hands-on with Battlefront II's multiplayer at E3 this week, it's clear DICE has crafted a deeper experience that gives actual weight to the battles beyond a kill count.

The Star Wars franchise is no stranger to strong leading women fighting for the Rebel Alliance, but it's a bit more uncommon for the Empire's female allies to get the same recognition. Villains like Asajj Ventress and Doctor Aphra have become fan favorites not just because they're women, but because they show a side of the galactic conflict rarely seen. After seeing a brief portion of the Star Wars Battlefront II single-player campaign in action, it won't be surprising at all to see Commander Iden Versio join those memorable ranks this fall.

During the reveal of Destiny 2, Bungie gave us a hands-on look at a few of the sequel's game types, including story and competitive multiplayer. We also got to dive into one of Destiny 2's new Strikes, "The Inverted Spire." While Bungie didn't explain much about when this Strike would take place in the scheme of Destiny 2, it does take place on one of the new planets (Nessus)... Read Mor

Last week, Bungie and Activision premiered the first gameplay from the highly anticipated Destiny 2. Due out in September, Destiny's first proper sequel comes after three years of tweaking and expansions that fleshed out the world, mechanics, and gameplay elements of the MMO-infused first-person shooter. While what we got to go hands-on with at the premiere event wasn't all that different from where Destiny is now, there are signs that Destiny 2 will have a much more immersive story and campaign.