Excited Expectation: 7 E3 titles we can't wait to see

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The line-up of games included herein might not all be the most immediately obvious titles you'd expect to see in a pre-E3 writeup such as this, but these seven games represent a variety of different titles that we're looking forward to seeing more of. They're games that we've not seen too much of, that we've not been over-saturated with information for. It's a list of games that we can't wait to find out more about, and they're titles that we think we'll have more of an idea about once the dust has settled and everyone has gone home from this year's show. So, in no particular order, here's our list...

Uncharted 4

Nathan Drake is coming back, and who'd have thought he'd be returning from the shadows cast by Naughty Dog's game of the year offering, The Last of Us. But he is, and we're now waiting on more news surrounding his next outing, and thanks to the success of Joel and Ellie's adventure last year, coupled with existing expectation after the studio nailed it last time around with Uncharted 3: Drake's Deception, we're demanding nothing short of perfection from the studio. However, success might not be so clear cut this time around, as the recent raft of departures from the studio has left them without some key names, most notably Amy Hennig. It'll be interesting to see how they get on minus the influential voices of those departing individuals.

Whatever happens it's likely to still be a decent game, Naughty Dog's credentials are pretty exemplary in that respect, but we're still a long way off finding out if they're able to hit the highs of previous releases. With the additional pressure of developing for PlayStation 4 now weighing on their shoulders, now is the time for the studio to show us what they're all about, and E3 is the perfect opportunity for them to show what they're working on.

Halo

It's difficult to know what to expect from 343's next outing with Master Chief and co. Halo 4 was undeniably decent, but the multiplayer side of the game - arguably its core and the sparkle that makes the series a jewel in the Xbox crown - wavered somewhat. While it ticked all the boxes, there was still something missing, something that held it back from greatness. However, 343 has been custodians of the series for some time now, and if they're going to restore Halo to its lofty perch then now is surely going to be the time to do so. With every misstep or stumble from here on in, interest in the franchise will drop off accordingly, so the pressure is firmly on.

We're not sure exactly what we're going to see at E3 this year, amid rumours that Halo 2: Anniversary might precede it, bringing with it beta access to the core entry following in the months after. We don't know how this will play out, but we are expecting to see a whole lot more of the game(s) and have some of these questions answered next month. Our fingers are firmly crossed that 343 can rise to the occasion and show us something worth getting excited about.

Quantum Break

There's been a drip feed of information on Quantum Break since it was announced last year. We know there's going to be a tie-in television series, and we know that there's going to a focus on episodic storytelling, but exactly how this will manifest itself when we finally get our hands on the game remains shrouded in uncertainty. What we know for sure is that we're intrigued to see what the studio are going to do here, and although there's a fair amount of trepidation out there, there's also the chance that the studio could knock our socks off with the final product - we're certainly hoping that's how it plays out.

Although the overall picture is still a little unclear, we know a few plot details, and as you'd expect from the studio who took us on story-heavy adventures with Alan Wake and Max Payne, Quantum Break certainly bears all the characteristics of blockbuster entertainment, with time powers, alternate futures, explosive set pieces and a villainous bad guy. Here's hoping the game part of this package lives up to the potential laid out in the story.

Everybody's Gone to the Rapture

It stormed out the gates at Gamescom last year leaving us with more questions than answers, but our gut feeling tells us we're in for something special. The setting is that of the aftermath of the apocalypse. Desserted streets, silence, no zombie hordes to be seen. What's happened? The plot follows six characters in the village of Shropshire. Initially it was meant that each playthrough would be an hour, but the time limit has since been dropped while time will still play an important role in the narrative.

It's really the legacy of Dear Esther and the novel take on the apocalypse paired with beautiful visuals and an air of mystery that has us excited for Everybody's Gone to the Rapture. While it's likely not coming out until 2015 we're hopeful we'll be able to sample what the game will offer at E3 in a month's time.

Game of Thrones: A Telltale Games Series

Details on Telltale Games' upcoming video game adaptation of George R.R. Martin's Westeros are scarce. What we do now is that it will play out concurrent with the TV series, so it's not a prequel or any such thing, and we also know that it will tell a story that's not told in the show or perhaps just touched upon. It's such a sprawling universe, full of chain reactions and complex relationships that we cannot wait to find out just what Telltale have been cooking up.

The game was first announced last December and while Telltale have been busy releasing episodes of The Wolf Among Us and The Walking Dead: Season Two, as well as dropping some details on Tales from the Borderlands - Game of Thrones would make for a brilliant E3 reveal. Are they ready to show us more and talk about it? We'll find out in June.

The Legend of Zelda

We know a new Zelda's coming - Nintendo have been talking about since last year - and we expect its first public unveiling to headline the company's pre-E3 digital event (and especially as we now know they won't be revealing new hardware at the show). But there's very little in the way of concrete details as to what form it'll take, other than it's expected to be a Wii U title.

Even a video Nintendo demoed in 2011, which saw Link take on a monster in glorious HD, can't be taken as an accurate reflection of where the series is going, as Nintendo pulled off the same trick in 2001, when the company revealed the cel-shaded Wind Waker after having only demoed a realistic-looking Link and Ganon clashing in a demo video the year before.

But we do know that talk suggests the game is going to be substantially different (even if they stick with the MotionPlus controls) from what's come before, with conversation between Satoru Iwata and Eiji Aonuma at least year's Nintendo Direct suggesting they were going to do something drastically different.

A good idea, as even we're becoming jaded with the continued adherence to tradition beloved action adventure series - and it's the main reason why we're so excited for it. With the game's direction having been set in stone since this time last year, that suggests there's already been plenty of development timer spent on it already - could the new Zelda be Nintendo's big winter release this year?

Assassin's Creed Unity

We're as surprised as you that Ubisoft's annual (sometimes bi-annual, considering Liberation's HD re-release at the start of this year) time-skipping franchise has made the list. Yet maybe we shouldn't be after last year's brilliant Black Flag. The seven-year old series proved it can pull off something new and exciting, and players and critics responded to something fresh and fun being injected into the rapidly-stiffing formula. Our hope is that Ubisoft have taken the reception to heart

Thus we've a quiet optimism we'll see that invigorating change continue as the series goes wholly new-gen, with Unity reportedly the next-gen half of a two-part project (the other a separate title for old-gen consoles).

We know they're making yet more revisions to the seven-year control template through tweaked UI controls, spotted on screenshots that leaked in March, outing the project prematurely. A small but significant change. And while those first screens showcased a new Assassin hotfooting it through a city - same old, same old - the city in question is Paris, during the French Revolution.

You might groan over another speed-run through history, but again, ACIV showed how enjoyable the retelling could be with a degree of artistic licence rather than dry scholarly rendition. If the franchise continues towards romanticism rather than stuffiness in its historical tale, it'll be another history lesson we'll enjoy sitting through. Here's hoping new killer Arno gets his personality from the Edward Kenway and Ezio Auditore da Firenze side of the Assassin family.