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Among the many themes marking this year’s E3, we’ve noticed a newfound enthusiasm from developers for intense moments of pointless violence.
Just kidding — that’s E3 every year.
But in 2018, there’s a definite fondness in the air for head-stomps, squishes and other brutal attacks from above. We dusted off the old GIF maker to remember the most special moments from this year’s trailers.
Please note that these images are sensitive.
Anthem
We begin at the top of the alphabet, with this strong stamp from BioWare’s Anthem.
Cyberpunk 2077
Who says romance is dead?
Doom Eternal
Someday I’m going to figure out how often the old skull-crush has been used in a game trailer.
Monster Hunter: World in Final Fantasy 14
This dragon is more into slamming than swooping.
Just Cause 4
The sideways double-squish.
Mario + Rabbids Kingdom Battle - Donkey Kong Adventure
It’s time for a little comic relief, courtesy of the new Donkey Kong DLC for Mario + Rabbids Kingdom Battle.
Overkill’s The Walking Dead
Yeah, they’re not called Overkill for nothing.
Rage 2
A rare first-person view of being squished.
Resident Evil 2 remake
The consequences of being a rat in a video game are usually not good.
Trials Rising
This game had a lot of squashings, but we picked only the most satisfying one.
That’s it! If you recall any moments of particularly gratuitous unpleasantness, feel free to add them in the comments.
