Something I liked about E3 2014 is the strong focus the big 3 had on gamers. Sony, Microsoft and Nintendo all focused on delivering the games that we, the gamers, want to play. Aside from Sony getting a little sidetracked, E3 2014 ended up being one of the better shows in years. Let’s keep that up going into E3 2015.

This seems nearly impossible seeing as we’re almost at the 10-year anniversary of the game’s announcement, but I feel fairly positive Final Fantasy XV might at least launch in Japan by the time 2015 ends. The fact that we’re getting a gameplay demo in 2015, the large amount of gameplay trailers released in 2014, and the fact that the English voice-overs are already done is enough evidence to suggest we’ll be playing Final Fantasy XV sooner than later.

When you hold the “Focus button” (L2 on PS4), Arthur will be able to interact with virtually any other human or animal he comes across and has a variety of ways that he can engage with them; typically, that involves an option to greet them, rob them, antagonize them, and more depending on the context.

Red Dead Redemption 2 may just signal the dawn of a new era for open-world games, and it’s an experience that I have no doubt players will be investing tens (if not hundreds) of hours into its immense, deep world and completing its story full of action, suspense, and deeply investing character moments. Over the course of its journey, you can easily see the ways that Rockstar Games has not just focused on delivering a world that is massive in scope, but far richer in the ways that it builds on everything that the studio has done in its past games and enhances them for a new generation. Red Dead Redemption 2 aimed high in delivering players a living, breathing world, and it has surely hit its mark as Rockstar’s deepest, most immersive experience yet.

For all the genre’s advancements in the past decade or more, only a few games have come close to the sort of ultimate, lofty goal of crafting an open-world that truly feels “living.” Many open-world games have aimed to become a place where players can not only have the chance to engage with a game world that is ripe with possibility and endless locations to explore, but to really immerse players inside a world and make them feel like a part of it. They want to be a place where players can influence its direction and truly feel like they have an impact on its characters and setting.

Don’t be deceived by the number at the end of the title, Red Dead Redemption 2 is a direct prequel to its predecessor. The story takes place years before our last adventure as we follow Arthur Morgan and the Van der Linde gang. If you recognize the latter name, it was the group of outlaws that John Marston rode with back in the day. As you can expect, you’ll see our loveable Marston often, who is perfectly implemented into the story. It’s not too much fan service or focus, but just enough so he’s a solid supporting role, especially in the later half of the campaign. He has his own arc, Palworld Exploration Abilities but it’s all about Arthur and his issues. The first couple of chapters in the story, Arthur is an unlikable individual. It takes him a little while to find his footing as he’s an overly serious character who never breaks a smile and plays the rough cowboy to a T. His relationship with the group, including the gang’s leader, Dutch van der Linde, is what stands out among everything else. It’s the little things around the camp; the songs, the gestures and the interactions that expand our protagonist’s likability, and you begin to better understand him. Even the most insignificant faces seem to bring out the more positive aspects out of Arthur more than the main story ever does, and it’s sad that it’s something players can completely overlook, especially considering entering the camp setting forces the player to move at a snail’s pace.

Red Dead Redemption was not only one of 2010’s best selling games , it was one of the most critically acclaimed games of the year . The compelling story, detailed game mechanics, and the vast swathes of dangerous wilderness kept players invested for years after its release. The sandbox world of the wild West gave players their own version of Westworld to explore, free to capture bounties holed up in the mountains or aid revolutions south of the border to their heart’s desire. The random encounters riddled across the map kept players on their toes while making the world feel more real and chaotic. And that was all only in the single player version of g

With the release of Grand Theft Auto III in 2001, Rockstar Games essentially gave us the first taste of what would become the open-world game. The ability for players to take on the story and explore Liberty City however they saw fit was truly a revolutionary experience at the time, and even to this day, the game has still been the essential foundation for all other open-world games that followed it. In the 17 years since its release, the genre of open-world games has flourished not just from Rockstar’s later games, but with many other studios taking their own spin on that formula, expanding on it, and remixing it in varying ways, to greater and lesser effect.