The news that Kingdom Hearts 3 would be released on Jan. 29, 2019, broke days before E3 , with Square Enix spreading the word on Twitter over the weekend. So, what would be left for the company's press conference?
Nothing major, evidently. There was no word on Final Fantasy 7 Remake, but there was plenty to be excited about for the Tomb Raider and Just Cause fans among us.
The Tomb Raider Rises
Most of the spotlight went to Lara Croft. Her new game, Shadow of the Tomb Raider, comes fresh off a 2013 game reboot (and its 2015 sequel) that was highly regarded, and a 2018 movie that was... not.
We got around seven minutes of action in the new trailer. It included the exhilarating opening to the game, and then gameplay footage of Lara Croft murdering people in the jungle.
Daniel Chayer-Bisson, a senior game director at Eidos Montreal, promised greater depth in combat and underwater exploration. Lara will become one with the jungle, he says. This is all likely to mean Lara will have more inventive ways to brutally kill unsuspecting enemies.
The game is coming Sep 14, and will be playable on the PlayStation 4, Xbox One and PC. (Expect to need a really powerful PC if you want to play this on max settings.)
Kingdom Hearts 3 info
Over the weekend Square Enix made the reveal Kingdom Hearts fans have been waiting for: Kingdom Hearts 3 is coming out on Jan. 29, 2019. A new trailer also showed that the highly-anticipated game would include a Frozen world, taking advantage of arguably Disney's most popular new franchise.
That was all great news, but the bad news is that this meant we got nothing new during Square Enix's press conference. Also absent was Final Fantasy 7 Remake, a game which was unveiled at E3 in 2015.
The Frozen reveal wouldn't be the last we saw of Kingdom Hearts during E3, as yet another trailer was shown at Sony's press conference. This time, the big reveal was Captain Jack Sparrow and Sora's return to Pirates of the Caribbean.
Catch up on 16 years of Kingdom Hearts here.
Just Cause... and the rest
Just as Lara must become one with the jungle, Just Cause 4 is apparently all about the elements, too.
The newest Just Cause takes place in a fictional South American country that the trailer says is "the largest and most breathtaking world we've ever created." Extreme weather is a big part of gameplay, as we're shown ravaging tornadoes, forked lightning, sandstorms and blizzards absolutely wrecking shop.
Vehicles have been overhauled, as has your grapple hook. Enemies are allegedly much smarter now, making them feel as natural as the... extreme natural disasters that plague the world of Just Cause 4.
The game hits the Xbox One, PlayStation 4 and PC on Dec. 4.
Here's all the smaller announcements made at Square Enix's conference:
- The Quiet Man was unveiled. It's a brawling game that appears to be about a fella who either can't hear or uses the power of silence to defeat his foes. It also looks to be a highly cinematic, part-game part-movie type of thing. More information is coming in August.
- The Awesome Adventures of Captain Spirit, a game from Dontnod Entertainment that will lead directly into Life Is Strange 2.
- A new trailer for Dragon Quest XI was shown ahead of its Sept. 4 release date.
- A pretty sweet look at a crossover Monster Hunter event in Final Fantasy 14
What's next at E3 2018?
The big finale before the doors officially open for E3 2018 on Tuesday is the Nintendo Direct livestream, Tuesday, June 12:
- Nintendo (livestream only), 9 a.m. PT (noon ET): How to watch the livestream
Earlier E3 news
- Sony E3 2018: The Last of Us Part 2, Death Stranding, Kingdom Hearts 3 and more
- At E3 2018, PC gamers feel like they need their own show
- Ubisoft E3 2018: Star Fox in Starlink, Beyond Good and Evil 2, Assassin's Creed Odyssey and more
- Tomb Raider, Just Cause and Square Enix's E3 announcements
- Bethesda at E3 2018: Fallout 76, The Elder Scrolls VI, Starfield and more
- Microsoft Xbox at E3 2018: New console coming, Halo Infinite, Gears 5, Fallout 76 and more
- EA at E3 2018: Battlefield 5 goes up against Fortnite, Anthem launch in 2019, and more
Update on June 12 at 8:31 a.m. PT: Adds summary of earlier E3 news.
E3 2018: The biggest stories so far, and what's still to come: All the news from Saturday and Sunday, plus the rumors from what's yet to come
E3 2018 coverage at CNET: All of our E3 2018 coverage in one place
E3 2018 coverage at GameSpot: Wall-to-wall coverage of the show from our sister site, GameSpot
E3 2018 coverage at Giant Bomb: Still more commentary and news from E3, from our colleagues at Giant Bomb
Update, June 11 9:09 p.m.: Updates with announcements from Square Enix press conference.