E3 is right around the corner but the truth is, I’m nowhere even near excited for it.
Over the years, E3 became the mecca for gamers. We got to see all the latest trailers for upcoming video games, we got console reveals that excited us. We got to see some of our favorite franchises continue on and prosper. While all of that still happens, I just can’t get excited over it like I used to. The reason for that is the way that the video game industry has evolved since I was a kid.
Gone are the days where you plug a game into a system and start playing it instantly. Things such as installs, Day-1 Patches, DLC, microtransactions, and sub-par development in favor of showing off advanced tech are plaguing the gaming industry. Over the past few years, I have been burned by mediocre AAA titles such as the original Destiny, Watch_Dogs, No Man’s Sky, etc. I felt like all these huge “summer blockbuster-style” games fail to deliver on engaging gameplay. When a simpler game like Super Mario Bros. or Mega Man can outshine the gameplay of a title that took hundreds of millions of dollars to make, it says a lot about the state of the current game industry… at least from big developers.
Of course, my opinions are my own and there are probably those who loved the aforementioned AAA titles and are thinking about (or are already in the process of) dropping a hateful comment to disprove my own personal dissatisfaction down in the comments section below. To that, I shrug and mutter “meh.”
So, needless to say, there isn’t much from big developers out there that has me excited. I’ve been having more fun playing smaller indy titles than I have playing big budget games BUT that doesn’t mean that there aren’t a few AAA titles out there that have me interested, only for the sole reason that I’ve played them before and are already familiar with their history. So, with that in mind, what AM I looking forward at this year’s E3?
Final Fantasy VII Remake
This is the one and only AAA title that I was information on. Like some, Final Fantasy VII was my first Squaresoft RPG. I hadn’t played any of the other games in the series so this was my gateway. Unlike some, though, Final Fantasy VII was not my favorite in the franchise. That honor goes to Final Fantasy IX and the selfish geek in my wishes that title got remade over VII; however, VII is, by far, the most popular game in the entire franchise. The mere mention of VII makes people recall memories that no other Final Fantasy can do. It was a defining moment in the series’ history so if Square Enix was going to go into a board meeting and decide of a quick and easy way to print copious amounts of money, remaking Final Fantasy VII was the clear-cut answer.
Don’t let my favoritism of IX fool you, though. I liked Final Fantasy VII. I thought it was a fantastic game but it’s just not my favorite. Hell, it’s not even in second place. My order of favorites goes IX -> IV -> VI -> VII -> X. The rest just meander about in a pool at the bottom doing whatever it is that they do.
We’ve been kept in the dark for a while with Final Fantasy VII Remake. Tetsuya Nomura stated that once Kingdom Hearts III was released, his and the company’s focus should be shifted to Remake. We got a glorious teaser trailer with a promise of more info in June. Well, here we are in June and E3 is the perfect stage so I am excited to see what Square Enix is going to say about the title. Hopefully, the biggest piece of news will be the release date of the first installment of the game.
Square Enix Wishes
Since we’re on the topic of the Square Enix conference, there are a couple of wishes I have. We already know we are going to get more information on their brand-new IP titled Outriders; however, I’m not interested in that. I’m an RPG fan through and through and two Square Enix published RPGs over the past few years have really captivated me and have me craving more! Those being Bravely Default and Octopath Traveler.
So, my E3 wish this year would be to see a Bravely Default III (possibly called Bravely Third), as well as Octopath Traveler 2, announced. The latter was already confirmed to be a thing but they haven’t stated when development on that would even begin. Hopefully, we get some more news on that this upcoming weekend.
Microsoft
For Microsoft, this is all about the next-gen Xbox. Sony fired the first shot by talking about hardware specs and features that they are working towards for their next-gen system. Microsoft looks to be jumping Sony this time around by one-upping them at E3, which is perfect since Sony is electing to skip this year’s conference altogether.
The only interesting thing is that Microsoft said that the Xbox One would be the last console they would make and that all future consoles would be a successor to the Xbox One but still be in the same family. Does this mean we’re going to get an Xbox One X2? How would the name that? Are they going back on that word and just making a whole new console from the ground up? Will it be backward compatible like they alluded to earlier? All of these questions will (hopefully) be answered in a few days but the console isn’t has me truly excited… it’s Xbox Game Pass for PC!
Microsoft is like the all-inclusive movement for video games. With Game Pass showing up on Nintendo Switch, it means you can play Xbox titles on a rival console… something that wasn’t even thought to be possible. Now, they are bringing that to PC. Couple this with Xbox titles coming to Steam and Xbox’s Play Anywhere campaign, it means that your gaming PC IS your new Xbox One. Microsoft is completely fine living off of software sales and as long as you have a good enough PC, they will do just that. I already have an Xbox One controller for my PC along with Gears of War 4 and Killer Instinct sitting there on my desktop. This means for those who want the console experience, you can pick up a next-gen PlayStation and for those who want to play Xbox games without buying a second console, you now have PC as an option!
Smart? Dumb? You be the judge but I, for one, am excited and can’t wait to see what they’re going to detail in regards to the service.
Microsoft Wishes
Kill Hololens. Just stop talking about it. Nobody cares.
Outside of that, there isn’t much else I’m looking forward to. There is one little tidbit that was shared by Capcom stating that we may see some surprises during E3 from them. The super fanboy in me wants those surprises to be the announcement of a Mega Man 12, Mega Man X9 and/or the resurrection of Mega Man Legends 3. Hell… ANY news about the Blue Bomber at an E3 would be enough to satisfy me. Come on, Capcom! Don’t disappoint me!
What are you looking towards at this year’s E3? Drop your comments down below!
