These are the best games coming to E3 2015

The most anticipated games of E3 2015

E3 2015 is basically the Super Bowl or FIFA World Cup of the gaming world, and it's set to kickoff Sunday, June 14 in Los Angeles.

But don't let the flashing lights, stellar graphics and cacophony of noise fool you: E3 is a battleground.

This year, Microsoft has to push more first-party exclusive games to the Xbox One than ever before. Meanwhile, rival Sony should fire back with its own titles for the PS4.

Nintendo, conversely, needs to dig its way out of the dog house. From delaying Legend of Zelda to some lackluster launches this year, the Big N has a lot to answer for.

And don't forget about the third-party developers. Activision, Bethesda, Konami and Square Enix have big plans for the rest of 2015 and will surely showcase everything from the next Call of Duty title to Star Wars Battlefront before the show wraps up on June 18.

But with hundreds of games on display, which should you care about? Here are 15 games we think will be worth their weight in plastic when they're shown next month in L.A.

Call of Duty: Black Ops 3 (Activision)

Fun fact: There has been a new Call of Duty shown at E3 every single year since 2004. Yes way. With three Modern Warfare games, the two Black Ops titles, three entries in the main Call of Duty line and one spin-off (Call of Duty: World at War), you wouldn't be wrong if you called it one of the biggest franchises in all of gaming.

Guitar Hero Live (Activision)

The best analogy for Guitar Hero is to relate it to the band Rush: It's something most people know about, have loved at one point in their lives and, despite all odds, continues to press on year after year.

Tony Hawk (Activision)

If you're looking for a game series that fell from grace, look no further than Tony Hawk Proskater. The first four games remain some of the greatest video game interpretations of skateboarding of all time. The next 10, however, shredded our fond memories and any scrap of credibility the franchise had left.

DOOM (Bethesda)

There aren't enough demons in the underworld to stop Bethesda from unveiling the fourth iteration of the DOOM franchise, simply called DOOM, at its Sunday press conference at 7pm PT / 10pm ET / 3am GMT on June 14.

Fallout 4 (Bethesda)

This one comes with a caveat: I have absolutely no idea if Fallout 4 will be a part of Bethesda's press conference or even at the show. What I do know is that the time is ripe for a sequel to one of the greatest games of last generation.

Mass Effect 4 (EA)

"We are years away from having a final product," said producer Mike Gamble, referring to the next game in the Mass Effect series. "But we want to pull back the curtain on some of the stuff as we go through to give you guys some more insight."

Star Wars Battlefront (EA)

In a time where Halo was the king of the console run-and-gun games, there was another multiplayer-centric shooter that dealt with space soldiers that, in some ways, mattered even more. That game was Star Wars Battlefront.

Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain (Konami)

August 2015 will mark three years since Metal Gear Solid 5's debut at the 25th anniversary of the Metal Gear Solid franchise. It's been painful waiting so long for the fifth and possibly last game in Hideo Kojima's magnum opus, which has been made worse by every leaked detail and second of trailer footage.

The Phantom Pain will mark the tenth game in the main series, however, and somewhat confusingly it's only the fourth game in the series' chronology. Taking place in Africa and parts of Afghanistan in 1984, Snake will need to stealth his way past dozens of under-trained guards and a deadly sociopath or two to track down the people responsible for destroying the former mercenary group Militaires Sans Frontières, or MSF. Yeah, trust me, it's a confusing series.

Gears of War (Microsoft)

Gears of War, generally thought of a Microsoft-exclusive franchise, didn't originally belong to the owners of Windows 10 and Xbox One. Up until 2013, the franchise was owned and operated by Epic, a.k.a. the makers of the Unreal game engine.

But, hungry for a next-gen version of the hyper-masculine bro-op game, Microsoft purchased the rights to Gears as well as established a new studio with the sole mission of creating a hit on its next-gen system. This company is called Black Tusk. They made their debut at E3 2014 and are expected to return this year at Microsoft's keynote June 15 with new footage of Marcus Fenix kicking butt and taking names.

Halo 5: Guardians (Microsoft)

And Gears of War won't be the only platform-exclusive game to get a spotlight at Microsoft's keynote. The other franchise, of course, is Halo.

Halo 5: Guardians will introduce a new hero to the one-Spartan universe named Agent Locke. In the ever-raging war between the human race, the Covenant, the Flood and the Prometheans, Locke and Master Chief will have to work together to put an end to the bloodshed … by using more violence. The twist is that Locke and Chief don't necessarily see eye-to-eye on things, which means that the two protagonists could be at each other's throats faster than you can say "UNSC."

Star Fox (Nintendo)

OK, so Star Fox isn't on the RSVP list for E3. But money's good Miyamoto will be ready to unveil the next game in the space flight franchise during this year's Nintendo Direct that takes place Tuesday morning.

Uncharted 4: A Thief's End (Sony)

Easily one of the most exciting games of the show, Uncharted 4: A Thief's End will put a neat little bow on Nathan Drake's hunt for fame, fortune and friendship. We've seen a good deal of the game already thanks to two gameplay demos at Sony events, as well as an odd cinematic trailer or two from previous E3s. Still, we've yet to see any reason to not buy this game immediately.

Final Fantasy 15 (Square Enix)

Everyone has a favorite Final Fantasy. Whether you're an old-school Final Fantasy III lover or you thought Final Fantasy X was the pinnacle of the PS2, you have one entry that, in your mind, can never be beaten.

Rise of the Tomb Raider (Square Enix)

Anyone who says, "Games just aren't as good as they used to be," clearly hasn't spent enough time playing the 2013 re-imagining of Tomb Raider. It, in every way possible, was what the series had always set out to be. We got to see Laura Croft, then green as grass, transform into a capable, self-sufficient and completely confident individual after enduring one tragedy after another.

Assassin's Creed: Syndicate (Ubisoft)

A new year, a new Assassin's Creed. This year's game, Assassin's Creed Syndicate, will take place in London during the Industrial Revolution around the year 1868 and follow twin assassins Jacob and Evie Frye. Our protagonists find themselves in the middle of a class war between the increasingly rich industrialists and struggling, impoverished proletariat.

Mad Max (Warner Bros.)

Want an open-world game with some grit? Check out Mad Max.