Friday, June 17, 2016

Reflecting on E3 2016

I remember I wasn't thoroughly impressed by last year's E3 despite the major 3 announcements from the Sony conference (FF7 Remake, Shenmue 3, The Last Guardian project resumes), and I feel bad for even thinking so after this year's E3.  It felt so underwhelming this year.  There were quite a few games where I thought "that looks cool", but I wasn't excited for it.  Out of the newly announced games, I'm looking forward to playing the ones that were least mentioned by the media.  This time around, I've only listed games that caught my interest.  Maybe I should have the whole list of games.

Newly announced

Most inclined to buy and play:
[Akiba's Beat] - It's a follow up to Akiba's Trip and the combat looks a lot better this time around.
[Ever Oasis] - A new IP for the Nintendo 3DS.  It's kind of like a mix between Monster Hunter and Animal Crossing.  It reminds me of Fantasy Life.  I'm not sure if I'll get it, but it's one of the few new games announced I feel most compelled to play.
[Fate/Extella: The Umbral Star] - I haven't kept up with all the new Fate series content that's been put out, but this new game is a hack 'n slash by Marvelous and that makes me excited for it.
[Rhythm Heaven Megamix] (Released it during the live stream) - I really want to play the game, but I don't really want to put down $30 for it.  I'll definitely get it when it goes on sale.
[Touhou: Scarlet Curiosity] - This is the third Touhou game I've seen announced for a Western release in the past month and it's the one where it's kind of like Ys.  It's definitely a game I'll pick up when I get a PS4.

Keeping an eye out for:
[Agents of Mayhem] - It looks like an entertaining 3rd-person shooter, but there wasn't enough from it that really made me really want it.
[Battlefield 1] - While many fans aree raving about the game for going back to World War 1 as its theme and praising them for "innovating" the theme of military First-Person Shooters, I found myself feeling disappointed with the choice.  It's back to the days where everything is of a muddy brown/tan/grey color, iron sights that can barely target the enemy, and everything is dark.
[Days Gone] - What they showed at the Sony conference for this game was really impressive presentation wise.  Lots of zombies were on the screen at once with a very steady frame rate.  But it wasn't really enough to get me excited for the game just yet.  It does looks good though.
[Dead Rising 4] - Frank West is back!  But everything is so dark and muddy in color...it's looks a bit more colorful than Dead Rising 3 and the goofy nature of the game seems to be back, but I feel a bit disppointed with how gloomy the environment looks.
[Death Stranding] - It's no surprise that Kojima is working on a new game, and they announced the name of the game at Sony's conference with a teaser.  The teaser was trippy, but it says nothing about what it's about, what kind of game it is, or what to expect other than that weird stuff is going to happen.
[Detroit: Become Human] - The creators of Heavy Rain is back with another adventure game that has a lot of branching paths and outcomes.  The quality of the graphics is really high and it seems like there's a lot of choices to make, but I don't feel entirely convinced on getting it.
[Farpoint] - No real gameplay to show, but it's one of the very few VR games that seems promising.
[Final Fantasy XII: The Zodiac Age] - I'm not sure if I should play the original FFX/X-2 and FFXII games since I have them but haven't played them yet or if I should just pick up these remastered versions where they have stuff like speeding up battles by 4x.  Not to mention how shiny and pretty they've remade everything.
[God of War] - God of War?  More like God of Tomb Raider.  The gameplay is similar to what a lot of recent Tomb Raider games look, which isn't necessarily a bad thing.  It seems like the series is going into Norse mythology now and some speculate that it'll be about Kratos becoming Odin and his son is Thor.  After playing through the first two GoW games, I'm not much of a fan for the series.  But this new one does look pretty good though.
[Quake Champions] - It was only a teaser, so I'm only excited in the fact that it's a new Quake game.  I hear there will be characters with abilities (like Overwatch and Battleborn), so it's definitely one FPS to keep an eye out for.
[Prey] - (Initial work started in 2006, resurfaced at E3 as a re-imagining of the first game)  I haven't heard this name in forever.  I never played the original, but I remember it.  What they've showed off so far looks pretty cool.  The problem is that it looks kind of like the new Doom, but not nearly as impressive in terms of gameplay.  Guess we'll just have to wait and see.
[Resident Evil 7] - I was shocked when the trailer we were watching that looked like P.T. or some Slender Man game turned out to be Resident Evil 7.  I'm concerned that it'll turn out to be a generic, western-developed horror game.  These sort of horror games have become rather popular in the past few years because of the many Youtubers and streamers that play and react to them.  I'm hoping it'll be as involving and exciting as its predecessors.
[Shadow Warrior 2] - I really enjoyed the first game and am happy to see a sequel.  There wasn't anything new that surprised me, so I'm not as excited for it as other games at the moment.
[Touhou: Genso Wanderer] - Another mystery dungeon game.  I would much rather have them bring this to PC rather than keep it console exclusive.
[Watch Dogs 2] - I'm not sure what to expect since I still haven't got or played the first game, but I think it's one game worth keeping an eye out for.


Previously revealed (Not within the month. Revealed dates may not be accurate)

Most inclined to buy and play:
[Bloodstained: Ritual of the Night (May 2015)] - My friend to got meet and take a picture with Koji Igarashi!  I'm jealous.  But it also let me know that there was a demo there and that means gameplay footages.  It looks pretty good so far; I can't wait!
[Dishonored 2 (June 2015)] - The first game was phenomenal and the new abilities they showed off within the game this year convinces me even more that it'll be as fun as the first one.
[Dragon Quest Builders (July 2015)] - Yay, we're getting the game in the West!  I'm honestly concerned about getting this game.  I had skipped out on Minecraft in fear of game addiction.  And the fact that this will be available for PS Vita makes it that more dangerous for me.  But it does look like a lot of fun.  I think I'm willing to take the risk.
[Final Fantasy XV (June 2006)] - Wow, is it really going to finally release after 10 years of development?  This is definitely the first game I'm getting if I purchase a PS4.
[Guilty Gear XRD – Revelator (May 2015)] - I haven't even played through SIGN yet...But I'm definitely looking forward to the day I get this iteration so I can play all the cute girls: Jack-O', Jam Kuradoberi, Kum Haehyun!
[Hatsune Miku: Project Diva X (August 2015)] - I'm not sure how I feel about this one yet.  It's not on PS3, and I'm not sure if I can use my special Miku controller on PS4.  I'll have to make a decision of getting it on PS Vita or waiting until I get a PS4 to get it.
[The King of Fighters XIV (September 2015)] - I've given this game a LOT of flak for its poor graphics and character models.  But despite that, I really want to play the game.  50 characters!
[The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild (January 2013)] - This is possibly the game I'm most excited for from this year's E3 show.  I was concerned about the pacing of the game as it's slower than the usual Zelda game, but it plays very similarly to many other Open-world RPGs such as Skyrim and Dragon's Dogma.  As I watched more gameplay footage of the combat system and utilization of Link's abilities, I warmed up to the idea of this new take on a Zelda game.  I'm probably going to pre-order it as it nears launch next year.
[Mass Effect Andromeda (November 2012)] - Having shown a bit more of the game this year, I was awestruck by how incredibly beautiful and immersive the environment looked.  I still need to get around to playing the trilogy, but this is one game I'm definitely keeping an eye out for.
[NieR: Automata (June 2015)] - It was just an announcement last year, but they showed actual gameplay this year and it looks amazing!  I was instantly excited for the game when it was announced last year that Platinum games was working on the title.  Now I just got to get a PS4.
[Nioh (October 2004)] - I remember this name from years ago when I was still in High School.  The fact that the project resume again is miraculous in itself (much like Prey).  The game looks challenging, gritty, and fun.
[Persona 5 (November 2013)] - I gotta get through Persona 3 and 4 quick...
[Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney - Spirit of Justice (September 2015)] - I didn't even know this was at the show floor until my sister (who went to the convention) mentioned that it was there.  I'm sad that we missed out on another Ace Attorney game, but at least we're getting this one.
[Star Ocean: Integrity and Faithlessness (April 2015)] - I have two other Star Ocean games that I need to get through...But this one looks really good.
[Tales of Berseria (June 2015)] - This looks pretty different from other Tales games, but I like what I see so far.  I'm still set on getting physical copies of Tales games to collect them.
[Tekken 7 (July 2014)] - They finally gave us a potential release time.  And it's coming to PC as well!  I wonder if I should get it for PC or wait until I get a PS4...
[Tokyo Mirage Sessions #FE (January 2013)] - I excited to play this when it releases next week.
[Tom Clancy's Ghost Recon Wildlands (June 2015)] - Is this the only FPS I listed being excited for?  Seems like it.  There were over 25+ First-Person/Third-Person Shooters shown at E3 this year.  But ever since I saw this last year, it really caught my attention.  I think this would be a really fun co-op game.

Keeping an eye out for:
Call of Duty: Infinite Warfare (February 2016)
Call of Duty: Modern Warfare HD (February 2016)
Cuphead (June 2014)
Deus Ex: Mankind Divided (April 2015)
Dragon Quest VII: Fragments of the Forgotten Past (US release announced November 2015)
Eitr (June 2015)
For Honor (June 2015)
Furi (October 2015)
Horizon: Zero Dawn (June 2015)
I Am Setsuna (June 2015)
Killing Floor 2 (May 2014)
Kingdom Hearts HD 2.8 (December 2015)
The Last Guardian (June 2009)
Let It Die (April 2013)
Legend of Heroes: Trails of Cold Steel 2 (US release announced January 2016)
Masquerada: Songs and Shadows (February 2015)
Monster Hunter Generations (US release announced March 2016)
Necropolis (March 2015)
ReCore (June 2015)
River City: Tokyo Rumble (US release announced April 2016)
Scalebound (June 2014)
Shantae: Half-Genie Hero (September 2013)
Shin Megami Tensei IV Apocalypse (October 2015)
Titanfall 2 (March 2015)
Warhammer 40,000: Inquisitor – Martyr (July 2015)
World of Final Fantasy (June 2015)
Zero Time Dilemma (2012/2015)


All Newly Revealed Games:
Absolver
Agents of Mayhem
Aragami
Death Stranding
Crash Bandicoot Remasters
Spider-Man PS4
Days Gone
Resident Evil 7: Biohazard
FF15, Batman Arkham, Star Wars X-Wing Missions VR
God of War
Trials of the Blood Dragon
Grow Up
Just Dance 2017
Steep
State of Decay 2
Dead Rising 4
Forza Horizon 3
Gwent: The Witcher 3 Card Game
Fe
FIFA 17
Madden 17
Prey
Quake Champions
The Elder Scrolls: Skyrim - Special Edition
Fallout 4 and Doom VR
Ever Oasis

Detroit: Become Human


And that's it for this year's E3.  Though it didn't wow me with new stuff, there are quite a few games to look forward to.

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