El Capitan wants me to write on E3, which is strange because it is an event that I tend to ridicule due to the inevitable awkwardness that comes from having Game Developers talk to large groups of people. However, as far as conferences that reveal basically nothing go, E3 2019 was a fun time. So without further cynicism (at least in this paragraph), here are my picks for the best, worst, and everything else.
Best Conference: Nintendo Direct
Anytime a new Legend of Zelda game is announced, a Nintendo Fanboy/girl gets their wings. But beyond that, Nintendo showed us in-depth footage of Animal Crossing: New Horizons, which appears to offer innovation we didn’t know we needed until we saw it first hand. Then there was Luigi’s Mansion 3 which disappointingly does not have a release date, but looks fantastic nonetheless. But in all honesty, the reason Nintendo had the best conference was because they showed the amazing versatility of the Switch. Whereas Microsoft gave us two past their prime shooters and a bunch of other games that will be on the PS4 as well, and whereas Sony is hoping that the hype for Last of Us 2, Ghosts of Tsushima, and Death Stranding will be strong enough legitimize their absence, Nintendo basically said: “We got games.” And they are taking risks. Here is a Panzer Dragoon game. Here is a strategy game inspired by Dark Crystal. Here is a remake of Link’s Awakening, because new generations need to experience this game.
Also, Yamper!!!
Biggest Missed Opportunity: Microsoft
I know there are people who will say I am just a Sony guy, but that is honestly not the truth. I wanted Microsoft to give me a reason to buy an Xbox One, and they just did not accomplish that at all. Gears of War 5 looks cool, but the new Escape mode seems a little underwhelming, and yet it was treated like the key new aspect of the franchise. After that we were shown Outer Worlds, which is coming out on PS4 as well. Then there was Psychonauts 2! If this was an Xbox exclusive it would be huge coup, but then the creator tweeted that it was coming to all consoles. Then Keanu Reeves came out for Cyberpunk 2077, and as cool as that was, it is also coming out for PS4. Borderlands 3, Bleeding Edge, Dying Light 2, all coming to the PS4, and, as far as I have heard, there is no real benefit to playing these games on the Xbox One. Then they closed with Halo Infinite… which is a launch title for the Scarlett. I wanted more from them. To their credit, they have bought several studios, so perhaps they are putting all their eggs in the Scarlett basket. The problem is that next year, Sony will almost certainly be revealing their next system at next year’s E3, which means that Microsoft’s forward momentum will be lost. It just seems like a missed opportunity to me.
Most “Bethesda Being Bethesda” Moment
I was going to say that Bethesda had the worst conference, but the EiC assures me that the new Doom is awesome, so instead I will just say that Bethesda did Bethesda things. During their entire conference they showed gameplay footage for TWO new games; Doom: Eternal and Wolfenstein: Youngblood. The rest was stuff nobody wanted or trailers for games that are so far off it will be months before we see any real gameplay.
The “It’s a Good Thing We Got Star Wars” Award
EA was strange. Sea of Solitude looks great, and a new Apex Character is definitely worthwhile news, but it seemed like everything they did led to Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order. Which is fine, because the game looks fantastic. Slower paced gameplay with an emphasis on strategy is a welcome addition. Plus, BD-1 is totes adorbs.
Best Boy Award
Bam-Bam. I might buy Ghost Recon because of Bam Bam.
The “Almost Exciting, but I’m Still a Cynical Jerk, So Now I Am Going to Criticize Square Enix, Even Though They Had Arguably the Two Biggest Announcements of the Entire Conference,” Award.
Final Fantasy 7 remake getting a release date is huge, but… did you guys hear that point about how Square Enix has no clue how many games it will take to complete the remake? Why is that not a red flag to anyone else? There is part of me that feels like we are going to be asked to plunk down 60 dollars for the first 10 hours of this game, and that might not be worth the wait.
As for Avengers, I am obviously excited, but if I am honest, I still do not know what i am excited about. Even the closed door demo seemed to be an introduction level, but I want to see how this works online. And they really gave us nothing on that front. (Although it was hilarious that they went out of their way to tell us that the PS4 would be getting exclusive content and early access to the Beta. Poor Microsoft).
Biggest Surprise/ Game of the Show
I really thought Watch Dogs Legion was impressive. And Marvel Ultimate Alliance 3 seems like everything I want out of a comic book game. But, come on, we all know the Breath of the Wild follow up was the best Game of the Show. Granted, we know very little about it, but considering that the first Breath of the Wild is universally considered to be a classic, I think it is safe to say that this game will probably be decent. But the most intriguing thing about this game is the more melancholy tone it presents. Majora’s Mask and Twilight Princess were both on the melancholic side and they are both considered to be on the lower end of the Legend of Zelda games.
(Unprovoked poke at LoZ fans coming up).
Every Legend of Zelda fan I know says they want a dark, mature take on Hyrule, and yet the darkest game in the series is considered an outlier by most fans. Basically, LoZ fans do not have any clue what they want. Luckily for everybody, Nintendo knows what people want better than anyone.
