ALL ABOARD the hype train know as E3! As I prepared for this year's E3, I looked back on the previous years of E3. And yes, I have come to realize E3 is just a bunch of hype. How many times have developers and publishers made announcements about games, only to have the game come out completely differently, to have the game delayed for several years, or the game never comes out at all! Still, with all the hype, any gamer watching gets a magical feel, like anything can happen in the world of gaming. For the 2nd year, the floor of E3 has been opened to everyone, not just the press. Knowing the wider audience, E3 has jam packed the week with events, from famous developer interviews to video game tournaments. Still, with all this ruckas, the press conferences of the first and third party developers stand as the most important part of the expo. Here is a preview of what to expect, as well as predictions for what each development team will do come out on top.
FIRST PARTY DEVELOPERS
Microsoft XBox
Last year, Microsoft displayed the XBox One X. No doubt the XBox One X is the most powerful out there, but unfortunately, Microsoft did very little software-wise to prove that gamers need an XBox One X. This year, to prove that the XBox One X was not a waste to neither Microsoft nor consumers, XBox One X has roll out a slew of games that make the XBox One X look good. Backwards compatibility won't do. Why bother to buy an XBox with 4K abilities if it mainly gets used for games that display 720p and 1080p graphics? Indie games, like Shovel Knight, and retro games, like Mega Man, won't do. Why buy a system with 4K capabilities if it plays games that the Super Nintendo or Sega Genesis could have played. Microsoft needs to display real, full, hardcore 4K games. It can't just be a theatrical trailer; it has to be real gameplay footage that displays 4K detail. I suppose Forza Horizon 4 could do the trick, but really, how shiny does a developer have to make the car to prove 4K capabilities? Besides, XBox will overshadow it by bringing in a real car. Activision has Call of Duty: Blacks Op IIII coming out this October. I can see this game being the star of the XBox presentation. The only other game that could upstage the whole XBox presentation is if Microsoft gives a sneak peek of Halo 6. Halo 4 pushed the XBox 360 to its limits, but it meant little to nothing on the XBox One. Halo 5 did show off what the XBox One could do. Now it's time for Halo 6 show what the XBox One X can do for Halo. All in all, Microsoft needs to give the gaming community a desire to buy an XBox One X, and if they don't have one already, a 4K TV, too.
Sony PlayStation
After the most powerful console of the 7th generation lost a humiliating defeat to the weakest console of the 7th generation just because of motion control, it looks like Sony will win another console generation with the PlayStation 4 [Pro]. Sony has done an excellent job convincing gamers that real, hardcore gamers play a PlayStation 4 [Pro]. Unlike XBox, who tries to convince gamers that through hardware, PlayStation does it through software, more specifically, its games. In order to demonstrate how seriously it takes its games, PlayStation will probably take an artistic view on games. For PlayStation, it's not just about a game having the best graphics or the best gameplay. For PlayStation, both the graphics and gameplay contribute to a good story. The games PlayStation has already lined up will convey that message. Both Death Stranding, Dreams, Ghost of Tsushimi, The Last of Us Part 2 and Spider Man will all demonstrate how PlayStation approaches games artistically. As for hardware, I hope Sony continues to support PSVR. In my opinion, PSVR has one of the best VR out there. I like to see them continue to develop it, for it can only get better. I think Dreams would work wonderful on VR, so I hope Dreams gets VR support. I know rumors have begun cirrculating about a PlayStation 5. Although the PlayStation 4 is 4 1/2 years old, the PlayStation 4 Pro is not even 2 years old. It's too soon to tell everyone who bought a PlayStation 4 Pro that their newest piece of hardware will soon be out of date. Besides, I can see the PlayStation 5 not coming out until holiday 2020, and Sony couldn't hype it up for 3 E3 presentations. If Sony wants to have the best E3 presentation, they need to demonstrate continual support for the PlayStation 4, especially PSVR.
Nintendo
Nintendo has made so many big announcements in May, I keep thinking to myself, "Hold off something until E3!" Nintendo has held off a few things until E3, and I think those things will be the headlines of the Nintendo showcase. First and foremost, there's the Super Smash Bros. for the Switch. This is probably the most hyped game. Nintendo announced development for this Super Smash Bros. while the Switch was still known as the NX. Nintendo has thought up the best way to display this game. They will host a Super Smash Bros. tournament with the latest installment in the series. This is a good game to highlight, as it really highlights the system's ability for mobile multiplayer. I imagine 4 Switches can utilize 8 joy-cons for the 8-player multiplayer. I hope to see all the characters from all the previous games return, as well as new characters, like in the Inklings. Last year, Nintendo announced Metroid Prime 4, but all they gave nothing more than a title card. If Nintendo can give us even a little bit of gameplay or a short cinematic trailer, it would leave a big impact. I hope they can keep Metroid Prime 4 their first person shooter. On top of the Super Smash Bros. tournament, Nintendo also will host a Splatoon 2 tournament. It would not surprise me if this tournament can with a big Splatoon 2 announcement, like a major DLC pack. Although Nintendo has already made a bunch of big announcements in May, I still expect to hear about those game. Of them all, I expect to hear the most about Pokemon: Let's Go Pikachu/Eevee. Some Pokemon fans fear this will make the Pokemon games too casual, so Nintendo will have to appeal to the sense of nostolgia to remind them of Pokemon Yellow. And with that, I proclaim Nintendo 3DS dead. Don't believe me? I got 3 good reasons. First, the Switch is a better handheld than the 3DS. It allows mobile multiplayer without needing 2 separate systems, on top of having better graphics. Second, games important to Nintendo's handhelds have already migrated to the Switch. Kirby, which began on the Game Boy, had its first console game since Return to Dreamland on the Wii. Now with the next generation of Pokemon moving to the Switch, the 3DS doesn't have much left. Third, notice how Nintendo calls their presentation a "Switch showcase." No mention of the 3DS. When the Wii U was on its way out, Nintendo focused on the 3DS and mentioned very little about the Wii U. I see the same thing happening. Nintendo's quiet on the 3DS means they plan to fade it out. With that in mind, I expect Nintendo to announce the next edition of the Switch, either a "deluxe Switch" with a bigger hard drive and more accessories, or a "Switch Lite," a cheaper version of the Switch with fewer accessories. Nintendo, don't focus on keeping up with the competition, but focus on appealing to your lifelong fans, and you'll win again.
THIRD PARTY DEVELOPERS
Electronic Arts (EA)
Electronic Arts will not present a press conference at the expo. Gee, isn't this what happened to Konami? :-P Jokes aside, the gaming community has vocalized their disapproval of their practices, from micro-transactions to using controversy as marketing. EA has got a lot to prove to their games that they really do care about authentic gaming experience. I'm not going to get into EA Sports, for I think EA Sports will once again make a little change to their sports and still try to convince the audience they need to buy the newest edition. Since the Battlefield series has already matched punches with the Call of Duty series, I expect a majority of the presentation to cover Battlefield V. I still think it will be a hard sell. The gaming community has already had enough World War II games. EA will really need to convince gamers that Battlefield V is the best WWII game out there. For the rest of their presentation, EA will talk more about Anthem. I think they should focus a lot on the details on Anthem, for that;s their best shot at standing out among the third party developers. If not, everyone will see the Electronic Arts presentation as another Battlefield sequel and more EA Sports sequels.
Bethesda
Last year, in my "E3 2017: Preview and Predictions" blog, I said Bethesda's first presentation in 2016 spent too much time on too few games, and they needed to talk about more games. Then, in my "E3 2017: Review and Reaction" blog, I complained that Bethesda spread themselves too thin by talking about too many games in such a short time period. I know it sounds like I contracted myself, but think it more taking back what I said. I think Bethesda will return to their original press conference plan by going back to going into great detail about a few games. On May 30, Bethesda teased Fallout 76. It's so good, it skipped Fallout 5 to Fallout 75 :-P. Jokes aside, at the Bethesda press conference, we'll learn how the new Fallout plays. I expect to hear a lot about Rage 2 as well. Perhaps in between, someone will mention a major update or major DLC pack for The Elder Scrolls: Legends card time, but it will be a brief mention. Just like in 2016, if Bethesda keeps their presentation simple yet action-packed, they will give a decent press conference.
Square Enix
Just like Bethesda, I expect Square Enix to only talk about a couple or a few games, but they will go into great detail about those games. I have 2 games in mind that would work perfectly for them. First and foremost is Kingdom Hearts 3. Square Enix has the gift to take any license and turn it into a great RPG. Super Mario RPG: Legend of the Seven Stars is still my favorite of all the Mario RPGs. The Kingdom Hearts franchise is no exception. Disney could have never made such a good RPG on their own. Kingdom Hearts 3 is the long awaited sequel to Kingdom Hearts 2, and the fans will clamor at any news they learn, especially if has a cinematic trailer or gameplay. Square Enix will also cover in great detail Shadows of the Tomb Raider. Ever since rebooting the franchise, Square Enix seems lost on what direction to take Lara Croft. I'm hoping this press conference will show that Shadows of the Tomb Raider has given clear direction to the Tom Raider reboot, and now merely an Uncharted copycat. Just like I told Bethesda, I tell Square Enix to keep it simple yet action-packed.
Ubisoft
I try not display partiality towards Ubisoft because they are my favorite third party developer, but I can't help it. They always cover a variety of gamin genres, so there's always something that someone would like. Recently, however, Ubisoft has led toward making every a sandbox game. I'm almost surprised that even Just Dance has not become a sandbox game yet. So I expect Ubisoft's press conference to present a slew of sandbox games from different genres. First, we'll see Assassins Creed Oddyssey. From the name and the title art, expect a game dating back to Ancient Greece. Since Ancient Greek takes place way before the Crusades, I'm wondering if they will approach this game as a "2nd sequel." Speaking of Assassins Creed, remember how Assassins Creed IV: Black Flag introduced us to the ship sailing mechanic to the series? Well, just because Assassins Creed took it out doesn't mean they abandon it. Skull & Bones brings back the sailing mechanic with a pirate feel to it. No assassins, just pirates. Back to sandboxes, I expect to hear a lot about Tom Clancey's The Division 2. I like that their took their shooter game a different route than just war, especially than World War II. I just hope they don't turn it into Assassins Creed in the modern context. Speaking of sequels, I believe Beyond Good and Evil 2 will come out of development limbo. We will hear more details about it, as well as a release date. Ubisoft won't keep hashing out sequels. I'm looking forward to Starlink: Battle for Atlas, the new toys-to-life game. I look forward to seeing how building the ship will contribute to space exploration. Last, I expect somewhere in the middle for Ubisoft to mention an update or DLC in regards to For Honor. With such a wide array of games and game genres, Ubisoft will stand out as the best third party developer at E3.
With only 1 week until, let's review what has to go done for each developer to win. Microsoft needs to prove it has the best console out there and the best games to highlight the best console out there. Sony needs to continue to support PSVR, as well as produce artistic games. Nintendo needs to appeal to the nostalgia of its fans. Electronic Arts needs to prove the sequels are way better than their predecessors. Bethesda needs to keep the games few, yet at the same time, go into great detail about them. Square Enix needs to demonstrate it still does best what it does best, yet at the same time, display they can try new things. Finally, Ubisoft needs to continue display a plethora of game and game genres. Let's hope our hype balloons do not deflate.
No comments:
Post a Comment