I meant to post about this way back. This year at least. It's the same year, I mean. I watched through the whole roster of E3 trailers, all the while jotting down impressions to then post on the blog. The longer I let this draft lie the less relevant it'll get, so here goes, some quick opinions on this years showcase (most of which I probably won't have time to play anyway, but one can dream!):
Nintendo's titles were introduced first, and at that point they seemed pretty cool. I'm really happy about the return to 2D platforming and both creative and simpler gaming. There was Kirby, and Mario, and Yoshi, and moving onto 3D: even more Mario and Rabbids in the same title! An interesting twist to the always creative, but previously lacking of outside influence Mario franchise.
But after that came Sony, with giants like Shadow of the Colossus, and God of War and... forget those: Beyond Good and Evil 2! Become Human seemed interesting as well, and Sony is doing some odd collaborations as well with their Marvel and Capcom combo. The Evil Within 2 had an interesting trailer, Spider-Man seemed like fun (so much freedom). Quake Champions.... nah. It doesn't seem like the Quake I knew and loved any longer.
I should be more hyped about the new Wallenstein, but honestly I'm not that big a fan of Bethesda. Their worlds and stories are awesome, but their games are starting to look alike to me. It's like the same thing with a new cover, and usually too much grind. They did have the best trailer, though.
Zelda looked cool. So far it maybe seems like everything looked cool, but there were a lot of repeats and typical trailers too . Metroid Prime 4 had the shortest peak preview ever. Yoshi, Xenoblade... a Final Fantasy fishing game? Interesting.
I really like the vibe in Skull and Bones. The waves. The prospect of sailing over the bottomless abyss and fighting it out above the waves, where losing your footing might mean instant death... it feels like something new entirely! I think I could get hooked if I get into that franchise fast enough.
Then there was Horizon Zero Dawn and the new Uncharted!
The new Assassin's Creed felt like the recent movie, which was disappointing. A Crackdown 3 trailer with Terry Crews! NICE. Though the game seems a bit outdated. Forza Motorsport had the best racing trailer. Though Microsoft overall felt like a step behind Sony, PlayerUnknown's Battlegrounds seemed like as clean and traditional an FPS you'll get - closer to classic Wolfenstein than the official sequel.
Metro Exodus looks interesting. I'm reading the first book now too (Metro 2033), so I'm really looking forward to trying those games. Anthem. Nice. Cuphead... finally! :D Ooblets! More Metroid. Hidden Agenda...different! Vampyr (that's actually Swedish for vampire), Monster Hunter World, Sea of Thieves (reminds of Skull and Bones)... a lot of potential!
Life is Strange: Before The Storm and A Way Out seem maybe most intense. Then there's the bigger blockbuster sequels like Far Cry 5 and Destiny 2 I'm not so hyped about, though they're probably great. LOTR isn't dead yet either.
Finally, there were plenty of the regular EA sports titles, Star Wars, Battlefield, Need for Speed (went Fast and Furious) - all big titles I might've stuck to once upon a time that somehow I lose interest in. Probably because they're just that: franchises. Impersonal. Big. Great but at the same tame somehow... exhausting.
Overall this year's set of E3 titles felt promising than most! In recent year's there's been at least one title each year I've been more interested in than the entirety of the ones introduced now, but the sum of all these titles is amazing. There's so much collective greatness, and I hope I'll get to play a few of the better ones! Looking forward to whatever comes next; seeing if the trailers really hold their promise.
