E3 has come and gone, and with it, much of the excitement most of us feel when we get a glimpse of the games we’re most excited about in the coming years. While games will be announced, shown off and canceled in the other months (sometimes, all within the same week), E3 is one of a handful of times each year that we get such a massive concentrated amount of video game news, all packed within five or six days of neon lights, “gameplay” trailers, and overly-excited video game press people telling us how these games will change our lives. And while the show is not quite the spectacle it used to be, it’s still an event in its own right, and every year, we always get more than a few surprise nuggets of news, and we get to hear more about the games on our radars.
This year, I continued my 21-year-streak of not attending the conference in person, but rather watching all of the big conferences and trailers online. That said, while this year was not as big as last year (Shenmue 3 will forever hold the crown for biggest announcements at an E3 ever), there were still some interesting games on display, and quite a few of them have given me some pretty good hope for the following twelve months. Specifically, I’m super excited about the following:
[youtube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bpvHqAsNVH0[/youtube]
- ABZU – Oh, hell yes. Underwater exploration featuring a massive and stylized ocean? I’ve never known how much I have wanted that in a game until right now.
[youtube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KvDGDbFoiQ0[/youtube]
- Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild – I know I threw a bit of shade at this game earlier this week, and my opinions on that issue have not changed. I still think they missed a massive opportunity with this game to increase diversity in the video game industry. That said, it’s hard to deny that they’ve worked hard to create something truly unique in a Zelda game and injected some much-needed life into the franchise. Despite my issues, I am still way excited for this game.
[youtube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T5Xx3MdqdgM[/youtube]
- Horizons: Zero Dawn – Hot damn, this game looks tight. Last year, I was definitely interested, but getting a chance to see some of the gameplay — a cross between Monster Hunter and Skyrim — has increased my interest considerably. I am so interested to see this world.
[youtube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nQS-aimTcDI[/youtube]
- Pyre – I can’t think of many indie games I have loved as much as Bastion and Transistor. Through these two games, we have seen some of the best world building and storytelling in modern video games. I am a little unsure of the weird competition style of the gameplay, but SuperGiant has done more than enough with their past two games to buy my enthusiasm for this new title.
[youtube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fL2zzgW6YOo[/youtube]
- The Last Guardian – What can be said about this game that hasn’t been said a million times over the past 8 years the game has been in development. We finally have a release date though, and in that, my excitement is renewed again. I am concerned, however, if the game can live up to its own hype. Additionally, games were different in 2008. Has the core concept of the game aged well? We’ll have to wait until October to see.
Outside of these games, I did have a few other thoughts. A lot of these are the games I’ve had on my radar before, and the showing at E3 this year has shifted them in some way.
- Ever Oasis – A new RPG IP from the Mushroom Kingdom? Awesome. Yes, please. We didn’t get to see too much in the announcement trailer, but I’m definitely ready to see where this one goes.
- Death Stranding – Come on, it’s Hideo Kojima. For all of its faults, it will provide one of the most moving and interesting stories in whatever year it’s finally released.
- Final Fantasy XV – Woof, this game had an interesting showing this year. That is rough for the game’s last E3 before release. Between the horrible X-Box demo and the less than stellar response to the PS VR experience, I was starting to get a little uneasy about this game, especially with The Last Guardian now releasing within weeks. But, the late announcement of the “Wait” mode, allowing the player to pause combat and strategically plan their next move does interest me, especially since the fast-paced, frantic combat of Final Fantasy XIII was one of the weaker parts of the game for me.
- God of War – Confession time. I am not a fan of the God of War series. I tried to play the first one, and I just got bored. I wasn’t super impressed with the trailer for this new entry, but I later read an interview with one of the developers who said this was going to be a story about regret, with Kratos trying to balance raising a son with coming to grips with all of the sins of his past. This is a remarkably deep concept, and I’m kind of intrigued.
- Star Wars VR and Batman VR – Sony knows their audience, that’s for sure. It’s not yet enough to get me to buy into VR, but it’s close.
And with this, my rundown is done. Again, I didn’t attend the show, so much of my exposure to the different games are from the little bit of news I picked up here and there during my work day. I’m sure I missed some great games, which I’m actually okay with. It means when they pop up on my radar later this year, I’ll be pleasantly surprised. And that’s okay. We need a little mystery in our video games.
All right, E3, it’s been fun. Goodbye, and we’ll see you in 2017!