With how fast this year is going, E3 will be here before we know it (even though it's still over a month away). I thought I'd jump on the hype train a little early and share my wish list and predictions for the event.
E3 is much like Christmas for gamers. So much news comes out about the gaming world that it's hard to avoid sinking your teeth in and really savoring the moment. The last couple years, on the other hand, have been slow even though some great games have been showcased and released since then. I feel like game companies are going to ramp things up this year, and deliver an even greater lineup than we've seen in recent years.
Wishlists:
Nintendo
It's the big company that recently used Phoenix Down and removed their fainted status effect. The Switch release earlier this year was met with great success, and most of their first party games were complete hits. I don't know what Nintendo has up their sleeve at E3, but it has to be exciting if they want to keep up the momentum...and they've already gone on record to say that they do really want to keep up the momentum. They're aiming for a life span longer than the traditional ~6 year console generation. Will it continue to be a success? Or will it start to go the way of the Wii U? I'm betting on the first option.
My specific wishlist for Nintendo is kind of hefty, but I'm okay with not getting much. That being said, I hope they're okay with me not playing their system as much too.
My specific wishlist for Nintendo is this:
- Some news regarding Pokemon on Switch
- A new F-Zero game
- Virtual Console release
- A new Metroid title
- Finally (and this is the biggie), I want a complete makeover of the Switch's UI.
- With the online mode coming out later this year, I'm thinking they'll revamp the UI to include a more robust profile system. At the very least, they might make it easier to make and maintain friends, track games and play times, and I'm particularly hoping for profile-linked achievements.
- I doubt this will happen, but rumors have been tossed around that Nintendo is researching new console tech. If they don't announce it this year, or even next, I suspect they'll tease a smaller even more portable Switch as the final nail in the coffin of the DS family.
PlayStation and Xbox
The typical contenders of the "console wars". Both have been strong in recent years, but with the release of Xbox One X, I expect big things from Phil Spencer and his company. Playstation, on the other hand, has a load of first party games coming out, and I suspect something new in the way of portability and VR peripherals. With the Pro doing fairly well, they already have a competitor for the newest Xbox iteration, so I think the Sony vs. Microsoft console war has come to a stalemate. What's next for the two companies? I'll share in my wish list and predictions below.
Specific Wishlist for both consoles:
- I'm hoping for some information on all the first party titles that will be coming out around or after E3, including
- Red Dead Redemption 2
- State of Decay 2
- Shenmue 1 and 2 ports, Shenmue 3
- More Spider Man Footage
- Spyro Remaster
- Call of Duty: Black Ops 4
- The new Battlefield
Vita: The Resurrection
Sony recently commented on Nintendo's new console, and how they "can't ignore" the portable devices success. Sony and Nintendo were in a firm "war" with one another when portable games were in their prime between 2005 and 2012. During this time, the PSP and DS were the juggernauts, and remained at the top as far as handheld gaming go. Since then, they've been replaced by the 3DS XL and PS Vita 2000. All those systems have run their course, but now that the Switch has been released, the gaming industry sees just how desirable portability really is. I think Sony is ready to step back into the portable ring.
Specific Wishlist:
- This one's easy: A new Vita.
PC gaming
All hail the master race...if you're one of those snobs. Everyone knows PCs are more powerful, and Steam is hands down the best gaming platform available, but can't we all just get along? Anyway, there's usually not much at E3 specifically for PC. Consoles run most--if not all--the games that PCs do now-a-days. Every now and again, we get some sweet news about games like Civilization or Total War. I think last year, we got a look into the new Warframe expansion that made it open world. This year, I'm hoping we see a bit more hardware that I can't afford, as well as a lot more news about new PC games hitting the market.
EA and Ubisoft
Oh Ubisoft. One of the most hated companies in all of gaming really has performed a distinct one-eighty. Are their games perfect? No. I will say that I've been impressed as of late with their titles though. Far Cry 5 is fun, Watch_Dogs2 was a blast, and I'm hearing wonderful things about Assassin's Creed Origins. I'm well aware of the issues in Siege, however, and For Honor was sadly a minor bust. Ghost Recon is still alive and well with it's second season pass, but The Division is possibly out of steam as well. Might we see a sequel somewhere in there? Maybe a new IP? Whatever they decide to do, it will look like gold compared to EA.
Electronic Arts has been shoveling themselves out of a pile of crap bigger than Pluto. Ever since Battlefront II hit the shelves, they've had nothing but drama and controversy. They destroyed sports games, Bioware titles, almost killed A Way Out...they really put a damper on Star Wars video games in general...and while we're at it...they probably kicked a dog too. They'll have to show a lot more than Anthem to redeem themselves. I doubt redemption is even possible for the foreseeable future.
I will say that I'm impressed with their decision to roll back micro-transactions in Battlefront II (to whatever degree, I'm not sure). Unfortunately, by the time they saw that the gaming industry really didn't like their business model and they decided to make some positive changes, it was too little too late.
Square Enix
Kingdom Hearts 3. Enough said. (Although I really hope they showcase some more Final Fantasy XIV VR content). Oh and Project Octopath Traveler. I have high hopes for this game - the aesthetic itself is enough to sell the game, but the actual gameplay felt really good in the demo (and Square is committed to improving the game even further based on demo feedback), so that's win-win in my books.
Specific Wishlist:
- Kingdom Hearts 3 information
- Final Fantasy XIV VR or new expansion information (I think it's too early for a new expansion though)
- Final Fantasy 7 Remake news or release date
Bethesda
Todd Howard walks out on stage. The lights are gleaming down in front of him, making the rear view of his body just a silhouette before the thousands sitting with bated breath. The crowd's applause fades to a few coughs and sniffles, while Howard rubs his hands together. The camera switches to his face, and he says: "Watch this."
Epic music starts playing and it's immediately evident that it's the old familiar score for The Elder Scrolls series. The audience goes wild, the game looks magnificent, and E3 implodes on itself in grand fashion. See you at E3 2019, folks!
Okay, maybe I took that too far. Bethesda, in recent years, has been relatively quiet. Their E3 2017 performance was their quietest in years, and it almost seemed as though Pete Hines was nervous about something. Did they pull a game that they planned to show? Who knows now, but I do feel like they'll have an excellent showing at E3 this year. Will they show TES VI? Maybe, maybe not. I feel like it's past due, but they may have also been working on something else other than Fallout and The Elder Scrolls like the nearly mythical Starfield. Who knows for sure what we'll see, but I hope it's a game developed by Bethesda and not one of their other studios that they publish for. I'm all for games like Prey and DOOM, but I'm really excited for a new TES or Fallout.
Speaking of Fallout, I also wonder if we'll ever see an MMO rendition of the Fallout universe like what ESO brought to The Elder Scrolls. That, and I'd like to see a remaster of New Vegas or even Fallout 3.
That said, those are their flagship games, and they have a lot of other studios working under them that they publish for. Dishonored, The Evil Within, Prey, and DOOM all fall under that category. There have been rumors floating around that DOOM 2 will make an appearance at E3 2018 as well. That. Would. Rock.
Specific Wishlist:
- The Elder Scrolls VI
- Fallout MMO
- Fallout remasters
- Oblivion and Morrowind remasters
- Starfield
- DOOM 2
CDPR
I almost forgot about the Polish company that brought us the wonderful Witcher franchise. The Witcher 3 was one of the classiest, most underrated games of this console generation and their next game is looking to top that.
While the game industry was falling apart over microtransactions and really shady business practices, CDPR released The Witcher 3 which had no microtransactions, came with a ton of freebies in the physical copy (stickers, a nice map, the soundtrack), and they released three paid add-ons that were big enough to be successful games all on their own.
Their new game, Cyberpunk 2077, is a futuristic cyberpunk game that is an RPG, has online elements, and looks to dwarf the size of The Witcher 3.
Specific Wishlist:
- Anything dealing with Cyberpunk 2077: News, screenshots, gameplay footage, a release date maybe? (Pretty please?)
So those are my wishlists for E3 2018. What about my predictions?
Predictions:
All in all, I think we'll have an exciting E3. I don't know how much of it will contain off-the-wall surprises. Unless a game company does something really bizarre, I think this year will be pretty easy to predict. That said, I did also claim that this would be a major year for the exp, so time will tell.
Here are my major predictions for E3 2018:
- Sony will announce a new handheld
- The Elder Scrolls VI will be teased (only if we get a minor teaser sometime in May)
- Nintendo will announce virtual console and
- Nintendo will also explain the online features and announce a new major UI overhaul
- A new Metroid title will be announced
- The Division 2 will be teased or announced
- DOOM 2 will be in the main showcase for Bethesda
- Pokemon for Switch will be teased at the very least, possibly shown in detail
- Super Smash Brothers will be shown in detail
- Project Octopath Traveler will get a lot of attention
- Spyro will also get a lot of attention, including gameplay
- Sony will announce new peripherals for PSVR (better controllers)
- Nintendo will showcase the titles from the direct in March
- State of Decay 2 will be one of the biggest showcases for Microsoft (I can't wait!)
- Ubisoft will have a mediocre showing with The Crew 2 and The Division 2
- Ubisoft will showcase the first Far Cry 5 DLC
- EA will show some sports games, and have awkward and cringe-worthy spokespeople
- EA will also show Anthem gameplay and offer a release date
- Square Enix will offer more detailed information on Octopath Traveler
- We will finally get more Final Fantasy VII Remake information
- Rockstar will showcase Red Dead Redemption 2
- Rockstar will announce future plans for GTA V, including possible expansions to the still-popular GTA Online
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