Simba (Zampa) here! So, I watched E3 this year as I do traditionally every year, and I want to share my thoughts as to how I feel about each conference and talk about upcoming games I'm excited about.
Day 1: Xbox, Bethesda, Devolver Digital
Xbox did a fantastic job this year, and made me feel like they one-upped Sony, because I really don't think the PS5 is going to be all that amazing anyway. Games that I am most excited for that were announced were Cyberpunk 2077, Microsoft Flight Simulator 2020, and Game Pass for PC, which is something I will be getting in the future. I used to own an Xbox, and Game Pass was a necessity and was really fun. However, Microsoft's next console looked really stupid, sounded stupid, and the trailer where Xbox devs sat around and basically spewed buzzwords was unattractive and made me not want to buy the product at all. Bethesda later announced their solution to "next-gen" cloud gaming, and it was so much nicer. More on that later, though. I wasn't into the fact that the new Xbox is also built on AMD instead of Intel or Nvidia. They will be paying top-dollar for AMD, since they gave the specs of the new console at the conference. Expect the new console to be extremely expensive.
Bethesda's conference was a joke and not something I enjoyed. Basically it was an hour long video of Bethesda trying to gain back loyalty points for the people they fucked over in the past with Fallout 76. I was really into Arkane Studio's Deathloop, though. It looks really fun and insane, tbh. Kinda like Happy Deathday in video game format. One other thing that Bethesda's conference made me do is download Elder Scrolls Blades, which I was waiting to play since E3 2018. Apparently, it became Early Access two months ago, and I had no clue. Going back to Microsoft, Bethesda's solution was Orion, which is more of a software frontend then a dedicated console for streaming games. It would have less latency in general and be able to support low-end networks. Something Phil Spencer said in the Xbox conference is that "Gaming is for everyone", but Orion is the better solution to that statement because internet is expensive and there also exists third-world countries and poverty, of which could house people who also can be gamers.
Devolver Digital was a mess. Dev Digital E3 2018 was fucking badass, but this year was lame as shit, with the ongoing cliffhanger now being solved with an anti-climax, akin to Kill Bill Vol 2. The way they transitioned into a "Devolver Direct" was just ridiculous, and not in the good kind of ridiculous. Most of the games they showed off I wasn't interested in, esp the Bootleg Launcher they showed off.
Day 2: UploadVR, PC Gaming, Limited Run, Ubisodt, Kinda Funny Games, Square Enix
I didn't really watch UploadVR, or PC Gaming, or even Limited Run. Three and a half hours of content that no one needed or wanted. UploadVR and PC Gaming were riddled with shovelware and games that didn't really need a showcase. Limited Run also specializes in physical media, and I am not a fan of physical anymore; I used to be really into physical releases.
Ubisoft's conference was something I hated dearly; I dread it every year regardless. It opened with yet another Assassins Creed game. The last two AC games (Origin and Odyssey) were really good and better then recent previous year's games, but I highly doubt that Symphony would hold that title. The only thing that caught my eye this year at E3 for Ubisoft is the new Watchdogs title coming out, which looks insane and epic. Hell, these are the same devs who made Assassins Creed and other stealth games like Splinter Cell. The concept of stealth in this game is fucking amazing and is what stealth in gaming should be about. Not to mention, the game has massive amounts of voice lines, a massive world in London, and the ability to recruit and take control of anyone within London. I REALLY hope we get online services for this game, so you can recruit DedSec members with your friends online (but keep online modes optional).
Kinda Funny was an indie games showcase, and most of the games shown unminterested me completely. Funny enough, I was playing an indie game while watching this showcase, and it was called She Dreams Elsewhere, which is a jRPG built on RPG Maker that I really enjoyed. So far, there is no release date for the full game, but I do recommend it as a solid RPG indie title.
SQUARE MOTHERFUCKING ENIX!!! Holy shit. In my opinion, Square won E3 this year. I was on the edge of my seat within the first couple of minutes of the Square Enix conference, and sweating with tears in my eyes. The day has finally dawned on us that we now have a release date (9 months away! Holy shit!) for Final Fantasy VII Remake. This announcement was something I really needed and something I've been waiting for for such a long time. FFVII Remake is literally the Final Fantasy game I wanted when FFXV was released. In light of this event, they also showed Last Remnant as a remaster, which is one of my favorite Square Enix games outside the Final Fantasy franchise. Octopath Travelers is also coming for Steam, which I have been wanting for awhile, too. FFVIII is also getting a remaster, alongside Crystal Chronicles. All of these things make me very excited, especially FFVII Remake.
Day 3: Nintendo Direct
No, I don't own a Switch. Most of the games announced are not for me, but they did announce Banjo in Ultimate. His character is pretty hot regardless, and to see him in full HD and remastered is pretty nice. Hopefully we get nice, awesome artwork out of this event. I was kinda not into the rest of the games. I'm not into Breath Of The Wild, even though a sequel was announced. I prefer the older Zelda titles, which I am a huge fan of. They tried cashgrabbing on two remakes of older Zelda games, but they looked and sounded like shit and didn't look like a Zelda game. There were crossovers with Dragon Quest/Warrior and Smash Ultimate, but I despise Dragon Quest/Warrior. There was a trailer for Luigi's Mansion 3, but I'm not a Luigi's Mansion fan, outside the amazing soundtrack. Nothing very interesting here. Also, Reggie. You will be missed. I think this is the first E3 in a very long time without him being shown.
Thank you for reading my E3 2019 blog! Here's to an exciting year in gaming, and cheers to the next E3! ^^
