PC Gaming Show Returns As An E3 2018 Alternate, Here’s What Went Down

PC gamers and console gamers are sometimes rivals, with each camp touting their platform as the best. We all know #PCMasterRace is where it's at of course. If you venture to E3 it certainly seems as if consoles are the platform that most developers and publishers focus on. Sure, many of the games that you see at E3 are offered on PC, but it's rare to see the PC platform take the forefront in any of the keynotes at the show. However, as in years past, PC gamers got their own show at their own venue that ran concurrently with E3 called the PC Gaming Show.

There were some very cool games talked about at the event from different publishers. The show did include a slew of new games, but many were classic franchises and some games had been disclosed before the show. CNET was at the show covering some of the highlights, including a battle royale game that supports 1,000 players at once called Mavericks Proving Ground. The developer, Automation Games published a trailer yesterday and it looks pretty fun actually. Feast your eyes...

A narrative-based game called The Sinking City from Frogware was an interesting game that will have players searching for clues in a spooky old town that's, you guessed it, sinking.

There we also a few VR-based games unveiled at the show as well and one of them comes from Insomniac Games called Stormlands. The game will see players navigating as a damaged robot that wakes in an open world and must fight enemies to rebuild itself. Mechanics of the game include combat, flying, climbing, and walking. The game allows VR players to reach to the ground, pick up a mechanical component, and directly attach it to their arm.

Sega has some cool Japanese games launching on PC soon including Shenmue and Shenmue II, Bayonetta, Shining Resonance Refrain, Yakuza 0, Yakuza Kiwami, and Valkyria Chronicles 4. The rub here was that no specific launch dates were offered. As for big AAA titles served up, Just Cause 4 and Hitman 2 were on the menu.

Just Cause 4 fans will be happy to learn that the weapon briefcase is coming back and that the game will allow players to hide from guards in a crowd. The game promises HDR rendered graphics with improved destruction fidelity and draw distance. The game also gets physics-based aerodynamics models to make everything from the wind blowing through the trees to aircraft and tornadoes more realistic. Some details of Just Cause 4 did leak right before E3 kicked off. Hitman 2 gets a picture-in-picture mode to make it easier to keep tabs on other parts of the environment as you play. In a game where stealth is important being able to keep an eye on massive levels is a big deal.

One of the coolest sounding games at the show is Star Control Origins from Stardock. This game will reportedly simulate the thousands of worlds in the game all the time, no matter where the player is. That means if you are light years away in the game, all the ships on other planets are doing their thing. That sure makes it sound like you will need a rig with some muscle. The game also has a launch date of September 20, 2018.