E3 2017: F1 2017, Metroid Prime 4 and more

E3 2017: Red Dead Redemption 2, F1 2017 and more

6 June

With less than three weeks to go before the Electronic Entertainment Expo (E3), games companies are preparing to reveal some of their most secretive projects to the public.

The E3 is on course to be one of the biggest video game shows ever as fans will be given access to the event for the very first time.

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This year's E3 will be a significant one for Nintendo following the release of its all-new Switch console. The system has been well received by critics. Its relatively limited launch line-up is expected to grow substantially at the event.

Microsoft will also take the wraps off its high-performance Project Scorpio console at the show. Set to rival the PS4 Pro, it will be released towards the end of the year.

Here are all the games due to appear at this year's E3.

F1 2017

Fans will get their first look at gameplay footage from the latest instalment in Codemasters's F1 racing series at E3.

Creative chief Lee Mather tweeted that three stands will be dedicated to F1 2017, giving players the chance to "grab some footage" of the game.

F1 2017 will feature all the drivers and teams from the current Formula 1 field, including Lewis Hamilton and Sebastian Vettel. Players can not only race on all 20 tracks from the sport's calendar, they will also be given the chance to drive on alternative layouts of some circuits, although there's no word yet on which tracks.

Classic F1 cars return to the series after a four-year absence, allowing players to drive championship-winning cars - such as Nigel Mansell's Williams FW14 and Michael Schumacher's Ferrari F2002 - at invitational races that appear during the game’s single-player campaign.

Click here to get all the details on F1 2017.

Far Cry 5

Ubisoft has announced the fifth instalment to its open-world Far Cry franchise just weeks before it's set to appear at E3.

Far Cry 5 will have players fighting against "an armed religious cult that believes the collapse of society is near", says VentureBeat. It's expected to be set in the US state of Montana and will blend the "chilling calm" of Far Cry 2 with the "violent insanity" of the fourth title.

"It focuses on a very real, very relevant concern about growing extremism in America", adds the website, although players can still "grab heavy weapons and fire them at will through an open-world full of nonstop action".

Ubisoft will bring back the map editor, says Polygon, which was cut from the most recent instalment in the franchise.

The editor lets players drastically alter the game's maps, adds the site, but there's no word on whether a character modifier will be available along with the map creator.

More details and gameplay footage are expected at E3. The game launches on the PS4, Xbox One and PC on 27 February 2018.

Destiny 2

Bungie has already confirmed that Destiny 2 will launch this September, meaning more gameplay footage could emerge at E3.

The sequel to 2014's massively multiplayer online (MMO) shooter looks set to put a story-driven campaign at the forefront of the experience in a departure from the original game's player-centred format.

The campaign is expected to be one of the "longest" in the series, says The Guardian. Gamers will not carry over the weapons and armour they accumulated in the original Destiny. This will level the game for all users.

Destiny 2's planets will also feature more content to explore with friends or strangers. Gamespot says players can accept "Adventures" given by non-playable characters in the game, which require gamers to "hunt down treasures" and explore "Lost Sectors".

Players will no longer need to leap into their spaceship to jump from planet to planet either, as the website says missions on the worlds can be activated wherever the player is.

Motorsport 7

In recent years, the Forza franchise has released a new title on a yearly basis, often alternating between the racing-focused Motorsport series and the open-world Horizon games.

As Forza Horizon 3 took centre stage at last year's E3 event, the Daily Telegraph says developer Turn 10 will reveal the seventh instalment in the Motorsport series in June.

Details surrounding new game features are scarce, although it's expected that Motorsport 7 will build upon its predecessor's 650-strong car list and introduce an all-new original circuit based on a real-world location.

Microsoft has also unveiled a demo of Forza Motorsport running on the company's upcoming Project Scorpio console, which Digital Foundry says can run at an impressive 60fps at a 4K resolution.

It's not known whether the demo was a preview of Motorsport 7 or an updated version of the current racing title, but the site's claimed performance figures of the game are a noticeable improvement on previous instalments in the franchise.

Need for Speed: Payback

EA has announced the latest addition to its Need for Speed racing franchise, which appears to be a radical departure from the previous entry in the series.

While 2015's Need for Speed game focused on street racing, the trailer for Payback is packed with explosive car chases and off-road racing through desert dunes.

The game "promises the kind of car fetishising that previous Need for Speeds have delivered", says The Verge, although this time it "adds a more significant story element" with a "blockbuster" style.

Players will control three characters, which the website says are up against a cartel called "The House". The cartel "controls everything" in the fictional Fortune City, including the police and the city's casinos.

Need for Speed: Payback launches on Xbox One, PlayStation 4 and PC on 10 November. Members of the £3.99 per month EA Access service can gain access to a ten-hour free trial from 2 November, says TrustedReviews.

Pre-ordering the game will unlock five bonus cars, says the site, including "the Nissan 350Z 2008, Chevrolet Camaro SS 1967 and Dodge Charger R/T 1969."

Star Wars Battlefront 2

Fans have been given a glimpse of what to expect from Star Wars Battlefront 2 after developer Dice released details of the game's upcoming presentation at E3.

The demo will reveal a 40-player battle that takes place in Theed, a city on the planet of Naboo, showcasing gameplay from the Star Wars prequel trilogy with cross-era heroes such as Rey and Darth Maul battling through a horde of soldiers.

Dice has already confirmed that Battlefront 2 will span "all-eras" of the Star Wars franchise, meaning players can do battle on a variety of maps derived from the more recent films, including The Force Awakens and Rogue One.

Unlike the 2015 reboot of the game series, Star Wars Battlefront 2 "will have a single-player campaign" bridging the gap between the events of Return of the Jedi and The Force Awakens, says GameSpot.

Players will control Iden Versio, an elite TIE fighter pilot, and see the downfall of the Empire from the perspective of an Imperial sympathiser.

Star Wars Battlefront 2 is set to make its debut on 10 June, three days before E3 gets underway.

Super Mario Odyssey

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It's been four years since Mario's last grand adventure, Super Mario 3D World, which was released on the Nintendo Wii U, but there's a new addition to the series for the company's Switch console heading to E3.

Called Super Mario Odyssey, the legendary platformer moves away from its Mushroom Kingdom roots and instead opts for a game world inspired by real locations.

Nintendo has already unveiled an extended trailer for Odyssey, which reveals new enemies and an environment based on the streets of New York. Mario can also attack enemies by throwing his hat at them like a boomerang.

More levels and gameplay details will be revealed at E3. Odyssey will hit shop shelves in the run up to Christmas.

The Last of Us: Part 2

After releasing a mysterious teaser trailer for the Last of Us: Part 2 at its PlayStation Experience event last year, Sony is expected to unveil a playable version of the game at E3.

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Little is known about the sequel to the PlayStation 3's post-apocalyptic game, although Trusted Reviews says the story "takes place five years after the original left off".

Protagonist Ellie, now 19, will continue to play a prominent role, while her companion Joel also makes an appearance in the trailer "as a slowly ageing old man".

Neil Druckmann, Last of Us: Part 2's lead writer, revealed during last year's PlayStation Experience that the new campaign would move away from the relationship-driven story of its predecessor to focus instead on "hate".

He added that the "story, music and interaction" mechanics would be retained, only this time they would emphasise a darker side to Ellie's personality.

More details are expected at E3, with Digital Spy saying fans should expect a "Christmas 2018" release.

Red Dead Redemption 2

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While Rockstar Games has postponed the launch of Red Dead Redemption 2 to next spring, the open-world Western game could still appear at E3 next month.

Details of the game are scarce, as Rockstar has only released a handful of teaser images and a trailer.

However, GamesRadar says it could feature "an entire posse of outlaws" similar to Grand Theft Auto 5's trio of protagonists. The gameplay mechanics also appeared in the first of the series, Red Dead Revolver, in which players controlled "a good half dozen of playable characters."

Red Dead Redemption 2 is expected to incorporate several areas from the previous Red Dead Redemption game, adds the website, while it is rumoured that players will also be able to explore caravan sites and islands for the first time in the series.

Rockstar often bypasses E3 in favour of hosting its own conferences, but it is partnering PlayStation for "timed exclusivity on select online content for Red Dead Redemption 2", says IGN.

If the game does appear at the expo, fans should "expect it to be at Sony’s conference", it adds.

E3 runs from 13 to 15 June in Los Angeles.