There will be a lot of news, articles, and recaps going up on the site throughout E3 2021 week. You should definitely check out everyone’s great work. However, as the newcomers at The Outerhaven, we decided to band together and give our thoughts on most of the E3 presentations that happen during this week. Nintendo delivered big time on the final day and sent off E3 in the best way.
Since these articles are not coming out right after the showcases themselves we aren’t going to go through everything that was announced. This is more of a review of the day as a whole. So both Kyle Simcox and Sean Garmer will each have some short thoughts, their favorite game announcement, and a letter grade at the end.
It is refreshing to know that E3 is going to end on a good note. After Xbox, we found ourselves scratching our heads, wondering why some of these presentations happened (See: Capcom and Gearbox). However, Nintendo brought some life back to the party and some few surprises along with it. I had zero expectations of seeing anything Metroid related, but here comes Metroid Dread, completely subverting that expectation. Another announcement that really caught me by surprise was Fatal Frame: Maiden of Black Water. I thought that franchise was dead, at least where the US was concerned. Finally, they ended the show with a small glimpse at Breath of the Wild 2, but not before drawing it out with Zelda DLC, Skyward Sword, and Zelda merchandising.
Overall, Nintendo did a good job. It is a shame that they didn’t want people to stream the show because it was one of their best Direct’s in a minute. Every game might not have been for me, but much like Xbox, it was game after game, with little in between. And, with almost everything releasing this year, Nintendo fans will be stacked with new releases in the coming months. – Kyle Simcox
Favorite Game: Metroid Dread
Final Grade: A
Nintendo nailed it here. Yes, there are plenty of the usual ports and several of the announced games are once again 3DS or Wii U versions that have been enhanced or remastered, but the surprises certainly outweigh all of that. Kazuya as a Smash character is pretty cool. The 3DS Mario Party game has finally arrived on Switch in Mario Party Superstars, where it should have been all along. Another 3DS party game that makes its way to Switch is Wario Ware: Get it Together, which should provide some weird fun at parties. The most amazing announcement comes in the form of Metroid Dread, a game that was first announced in 2005. I love that there are almost some survival horror elements added with those robot Demogorgons being included. The switch between 3D for cutscenes and then 2D for gameplay is also really nice too. Speaking of horror, Fatal Frame: Maiden of Black Water coming from the Wii U is a nice surprise too. I really enjoy those Fatal Frame games so getting another one is wonderful. I’m also one of the folks happy about the Super Monkey Ball and Danganronpa collections. To top it all off there are Advance Wars 1 & 2 Re-Boot Camp and there was Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild 2 footage too.
So much great stuff in this Direct mixed in with the older games and the usual fare that comes to the Switch. And while it is great Shin Megami Tensei V did get some nice time to shine, it doesn’t look very good. Regardless, Nintendo once again shows everyone how to do a presentation. I’d still give the slight edge to Microsoft because everything they announced is totally new and 27 of those games are coming to Game Pass, but Nintendo let you know exactly what’s coming for the rest of the year and that is super important as well. – Sean Garmer
Favorite Game: Advance Wars 1 & 2 Re-Boot Camp
Final Grade: A –
Well, that’s it for E3 2021 as far as the showcases go. I’m sure there will be a lot more news in the days to come post E3 and beyond. Be sure to check out all of the other content on the site and hope you keep coming back in the future.
