E3 has come and gone with multiple announcements, trailers, and more to talk about. Although there were many good things to talk about, there were several bad ones to bring up. That’s why this article will cover all of the highlights of the virtual event. I’ll save some time now; I won’t talk about any DLC announced for Resident Evil: Village or Assassins Creed: Valhalla. With that being said, let’s begin.
Enjoyable Presentations
- Breath of the Wild Sequel Trailer – Let’s start with an easy one. If you have read my Nintendo Switch/Legend of Zelda review, I said the game was one of the best Nintendo games the console can offer. So, when the gameplay trailer was shown, I was captivated by it. Nintendo can give us the release date between the new locations, new abilities, and Link’s cyborg-sheikah arm. As I’m writing this, I’ve already pre-ordered the game. I just wish they gave the game a proper sequel name. Oh well, box art also looks fire, though.
- Halo Infinite (Multiplayer) – When Halo Infinite was originally set to release in late 2020, all the marketing and trailers didn’t show enough to get me interested. The game felt like it was missing a lot and didn’t look graphically appealing. I was thinking of skipping the game during the holidays. Fast forward to E3 2021, and I’m excited to play Halo. Better graphics and a free-to-play multiplayer. Is that a grappling hook?! For the first time since 2015, I’m sincerely looking forward to playing a Halo game, and it’s a wondrous feeling.
- Mario Party Superstars – I’ve had a Mario Party itch since Mario Party 7, 8, and DS. I thought when NDcube made Super Mario Party would scratch that itch. But it left a sour taste in my mouth for my Switch. However, Superstars holds potential. Maps bigger than the last entry and actual online play on all game modes are all I need to hear. I need a game for my Switch for the holidays. If NDcube does mess up like how they messed up Mario Party 9 and 10, maybe Superstars will be the one to play with friends over the holidays, whether it be on an in-person or online gameboard.
- Guardians of the Galaxy – If Crystal Dynamics developed this game, I would move this game to the Disappointments section. However, the game is being developed by Eidos Montreal. Most known for making every Deus Ex game. I’m not gonna object to Eidos developing the game. I only mind Crystal Dynamics because I don’t want another marvel game made as a games service. From the trailer, I wouldn’t mind playing this game.
- Forza Horizon 5 – I keep telling people not to sleep on Forza. Especially the Horizon series. While Turn 10 Studios make the motorsport series go for realism with their engine, Playground Games makes the Horizon series use the engine physics for a more playful environment. It can turn into something more fun than the motorsport games. Every game focuses on one location. This time, Forza Horizon goes to Mexico, which still looks beautiful. Forza Horizon 5 is also the first game to introduce a map creator. Which I feel is appropriate for the “sub-franchise.”
- Battlefield: 2042 – Battle Royales have been popular for several years now, but I think people have started to feel some fatigue. This is why I believe Battlefield might be coming at the right time. It’s nice playing an online game for teams of two to shoot it out with each other. I won’t lie. Apex Arenas scratched an itch. The only sad parts about the game are its pure focus on multiplayer and its selling itself as a $70 game. But if DICE can make 2042 a success. I might be able to take the $70 dive and see what’s changed or improved.
Disappointments
- Metroid Dread – If you enjoyed 2D Metroid, this section is definitely not for you. I’m not mad at this game. It looks great. I’m just angry this game got announced with gameplay and release date before we can see anything before Metroid Prime 4. There hasn’t been anything official besides the development work by Bandai Namco was scrapped, and Nintendo gave the project to Retro Studios, the team that made the first three Metroid Prime games (you can tell, I’m not mad at that decision).
- Mario + Rabbids: Sparks of Hope – I never cared about the first game. I still don’t care about the second game. I don’t hate the game; turn-based strategy games don’t interest me that much. I know there’s an audience for this game, but I cannot be part of the audience. I trust the game is in good hands with Ubisoft Milan. But I would prefer if the team worked on another Assassin’s Creed game. I still haven’t forgotten about Black Flag.
- Starfield – The Starfield trailer had a natural feel. It gave off less like Star Wars and more like Interstellar. On top of that, we got an official release date. The only worries are that there was no gameplay after being in development officially since 2018 and rumored since 2013 with the title trademark. The other concern is that Bethesda Softworks is developing it. Who, ironically enough, haven’t made a working game. I’m not talking about Doom or Outer Worlds. Those games were developed by Arcane Studios and Obsidian, respectively, and Bethesda published both. Bethesda is developing Starfield. The same team that produced Fallout 76. During the first year of the game, it was hard to say Fallout 76 was a success. I still wouldn’t say it’s a success considering they just announced a “new” DLC for the game that’s the same DLC from Fallout 3. Overall, I just wished I could see more than what we saw. For now, I’m just excited that it can be released, so we don’t have to talk about it anymore. Suppose it turns out great, fantastic. If not, my expectations couldn’t be as lower than they are now.
- Babylon Fall – General question for the game studio. Why is Platinum so inconsistent with their games? For every Nier: Automata, there’s a Legend of Korra game. For every Bayonetta, there’s a Star Fox Zero (I’m not ever forgetting using the WiiU gamepad on that game). Babylon Fall is a new game by Platinum Games and their take on the Games-as-a-Service (GaaS). I’ve enjoyed Destiny 2. I’ve played The Division 2, and both are solid games. However, I am good on GaaS for a while.
- Take-Two – The whole presentation gets a negative. Almost nothing was announced. It felt like I was watching a Zoom class. It was the only presentation that made me wanna turn off the presentation. (Can I even call it that?) They could easily get a free pass if they announced anything on GTA 6 or mention their published games announced at E3. There was nothing on OlliOlli World nor Tiny Tina’s Wonderland. I know the point of their conversation was about diversity. But action speaks louder than words. If they want diversity, show it in your games or announce what the company plans to do. There are many ways to address a topic like this. E3 was not the way to do so.
- Every game that has been confirmed but hasn’t shown up since its announcement – I felt it would be fair to cover all the skipped games here. I didn’t add games like Deathloop because it’s still a PlayStation exclusive, and they still have their State of Play.
- Metroid Prime 4
- Bayonetta 3
- Hogwarts Legacy
- Forspoken
- Gotham Knights
- Suicide Squad
- Beyond Good & Evil 2
Honorable Mentions
- Outer Worlds 2 – The most accurate and honest in videogame announcement trailers.
- Redfall – A new IP that contains more diversity and inclusion than Take-Two’s entire E3 presentation.
- Stadia – We had a whole E3, and not a single speaker ever uttered the word “Stadia” during the event.
All in all, E3 2021 was (mostly) alright. There were some presentations that I’m sad I didn’t see, some I wish I never saw, but a few that put a smile on my face. If you want the full E3, you can follow the link here. It was fun writing this, and I can’t wait to do more. That will do it for my coverage of E3. If you enjoyed this article, please leave a like and comment on what you knew in this article or what you didn’t know. Also, to stay up to date on my blog updates, you can follow the Twitter account @_Urgegaming. Thank you, and have a blessed day.