EPT
Early summer has arrived again, bringing with it a powerful need for ice cream, a bevy of action and sci-fi movies, and a compulsion to daydream about a beach vacation. Even more important, at least to me, is that the beginning of summer means that it’s once again time for the Electronic Entertainment Expo, or E3. The gaming companies of the world congregate at this industry-exclusive convention to reveal the year’s biggest news and to thrill consumers and critics with their upcoming consoles and games. It’s kind of a big deal.
Traditionally, E3 is where secrets are exposed, rumors are dispelled, and surprises are revealed. Plus, this year’s E3 marks the beginning of the next-gen console wars since the XBox One, PlayStation 4, and Wii U will all have big presentations at the show. Microsoft, Sony, and Nintendo will all need to be at their most impressive to come out on top in the first direct competition among them. Additionally, since there’s so much novelty in gaming hardware, software developers should be showing off their best new titles to increase hype for the platforms with whom they are partnered.
It’s an exciting time to be a gamer. Of course, with a tsunami of information about to crash on the shores of the internet, there are many hopes and expectations for what will be announced in the coming days. In the spirit of selfish desire, here are a few things I really want to see at E3 this year.
Fantastic XBox One Games
Unlike Microsoft’s XBox One conference, E3 is about games. So it stands to reason that E3 is when Microsoft will show off the software in development for their next-gen console. But after their widely-despised announcements regarding internet requirements, the used game market, and game lending, their lineup of launch titles needs to be absolutely stacked. Unfortunately, I have no idea what Microsoft needs to bring to the table in order to repent for their TV-centric console reveal and subsequent support of loathed practices. Ideally, we would see the return of a beloved publisher or series (something like Halo) as well as a few new and interesting IPs. It’s a tall order, but it would be the best way to renew my faith in the XBox, so that’s what I really want to see.
The PS4
Wait, you mean what Sony showed during the console unveiling, right? WRONG. No, I want to see the actual, physical PS4. The box. The hardware. Please. When both of the other next-gen systems already can be seen and touched but yours cannot then something is wrong. Your fans need this, Sony. If we can’t see the system itself, it’s release before 2013 ends will be a hard pill to swallow. I mean, you also need to answer all the policy questions that Microsoft answered in the last week (to the public’s dismay), but your priority should be showing us what you plan to stick in our living rooms.
Next-Gen Prices
The arrival of new consoles creates one essential question: what will the next-gen cost? What will we be paying for the graphics, features, and games of the future of consoles? Are we talking $500 a system at this point? Less? More? Will we stick to the $60/game model or shift to something more Steam-like due to the focus on downloadable titles? With new technologies and new methods of distribution, everything can change… we just have to hope it changes for the better.
Convince Me That Watch Dogs Is Actually As Cool As It Looks
One of the most hyped games of the coming year is Watch Dogs, an open-world hacking and combat adventure (I honestly don’t know how better to describe it). There’s only one problem: it actually seems too good. One of my favorite concepts in gaming is the idea of “multiple paths to victory,” and all of Watch Dogs gameplay trailers indicate that there are tons of ways to find information, kill bad guys, avoid the police, and hack your way through the computer-controlled world. But those are trailers and they show whatever the developers and publishers want you to see. I’d love to get reports people playing the game and experiencing the branching paths for themselves, or even some footage that actually demonstrates the “do whatever” element that the game’s trailers imply. If this is shown to be true, Watch Dogs may be one of the best games of the decade.
Release Date for Transistor
Bastion is one of my favorite games of the last few years. The story, the gameplay, the narration, the soundtrack are all incredible. I can barely stop myself from purchasing it for my iPad as I write this so I never have to be without it. Seriously, it’s that good. If you can get it, do it. So when Supergiant Games announced their next title, Transistor, I was slightly ecstatic. As different as the game looks from their first incredible title, it still possesses the same kind of beauty and whimsy that I loved in Bastion. What it doesn’t have is a release date. It needs one. E3 would be a great place to announce it. Just sayin’.
Pokemon Answers
I’m a Pokemon… enthusiast. You may have gleaned that from some of the posts I’ve written on this blog. Needless to say, I’m extremely excited about the upcoming Pokemon X/Y. I pretty much bought a 3DS for that game alone (though Fire Emblem: Awakening and the upcoming Ace Attorney are exciting as well). While Nintendo and Game Freak have provided a few hints about Pokemon and gameplay, overall there’s very little we know about the sixth generation of Pokemon. For example: are the rumors true about a new Faerie/Light type? Will we get any details about if the gameplay will change due to the transition to 3D? Will they provide new insights about the generation’s Pokemon or Gyms? C’MON I HAVE TO KNOW. PLEASE.
Square Enix Secrets
Over the last few years, my relationship with Squeenix has become a rocky one. Although Final Fantasy VII made me a gamer and I fell in love with Final Fantasy Tactics, Kingdom Hearts, and Final Fantasy IX, I can’t make excuses for the flailing company any longer. The first iteration of Final Fantasy XIV was an utter disaster. Final Fantasy XIII was mediocre at best and the fact that it has sequels is mind-numbing. Final Fantasy Versus XIII (to say nothing of KH3) is nowhere to be seen, and their most recent releases in the FF series are overly expensive mobile titles (or rhythm games, don’t know which is worse). Arguably, the last good game published by Square Enix was the new Tomb Raider (there’s a sentence I’d never thought I’d say). I really want to see something amazing from Square Enix at E3. Something that restores some of my faith. Admittedly, Final Fantasy XIV: A Realm Reborn actually looks good now, but there’s no way I’m going to pay for an MMO that I don’t have time to play (especially one that’s still not free-to-play). I want to see something like KH3 or Final Fantasy Versus XIII because as fun as some of those series’ spinoffs are (Birth by Sleep was awesome), it’s time for a return to form. They need to do it now because the Squeenix lifeblood is rapidly draining.
It will certainly be a fun week, but answers to my questions and assurances about my worries would make the convention that much more satisfying. We’re on the brink of gaming’s next-gen, and a view into what’s coming should be incredibly exciting. Gaming’s future is bright, and this E3 will show us what the coming months have in store. Get whelmed.
You can read this nearly irrelevant post and many more of amusing-but-questionable-importance at the N3rd Dimension.
