E3 2018 Discussion Thread

[Disposed Hero]

So now that E3 2018 is coming to an end, I was hoping to get some discussion going on the games that were shown.  Here are some in particular that stood out to me:

Anthem - This game looks really cool and early hands-on reports sound promising.  I'm a little concerned that there may be too much focus on the multiplayer aspect, but we'll see.

Control - So this was a nice little surprise that came out of left field during Sony's presser.  Still not entirely sure what this game is all about, but the trailer looked cool.

Crackdown 3 - I had a lot of fun some 10 years ago playing Crackdown with a friend, and I'm sure we'll be playing Crackdown 3 together when it finally releases.  I'm curious to see how the series will have evolved after all this time.

Cyberpunk 2077 - The idea of this game sounds intriguing, but I really need to see some gameplay.  Apparently a gameplay trailer was shown behind closed doors, and those who have seen it have said nothing but good things about it.

Days Gone - I honestly don't expect this game to be anything that special, but I love me some zombie bashing action, so I'm looking forward to this one regardless.  Still anxious to see the World War Z style zombies in action.

Doom Eternal - Hell yeah!  Anybody who hasn't played Doom 2016 yet, please go play it.  It's the Playcast game for next month also, so no excuses!

Fallout 76 - I was excited for this game at first, but the more I hear about it, the more I think it's going to have too much focus on multiplayer.  I'll keep my eye on this one.

Fist of the North Star: Lost Paradise - I'm not familiar with Fist of the North Star, but this game is being developed by the same team that makes the Yakuza games, and the gameplay trailer made it obvious that it was running on the same engine.  I'm sold.

Ghost of Tsushima - I had heard some rumblings about this game prior to E3 but had no clue what it actually was.  The gameplay trailer blew me away.  This has to be one of the most beautiful games I've ever seen.  The gameplay looked cool too.  Very methodical and deliberate rather than a fast-paced hack & slash.  I like.

Hitman 2 - I absolutely loved Hitman: Blood Money back on the Xbox 360, and while I haven't played the 2016 Hitman yet (although I plan to rectify that soon), I understand that it is a return to that style.  If the sequel follows in the same formula, then it should be a good time also.

Kingdom Hearts III - So it's finally happening, eh?  It took me a very long time to finally get into and enjoy the original KH, but I haven't touched the series since then.  The new game looks pretty cool, so I guess it's time for me to get caught up.

The Last of Us Part II - I loved the first game, so it's a no-brainer that I'd be excited for the sequel.  The combat looks mostly similar but with a few new additions and refinements.  I can't wait!

Metro: Exodus - I really enjoyed Metro 2033 when I played it about 3 years ago.  It felt different from other shooters I had played around that time, and it gave me a definite Half-Life 2 vibe.  Exodus looks great so far.

Rage 2 - I enjoyed the original Rage back when it first came out.  The sequel is looking good, and the fact that it's running on the Doom engine is reason enough to be excited.

Resident Evil 2 Remake - Obviously I'm stoked for this.  I'm kind of surprised that they opted for an RE4 style over-the-shoulder perspective though.  I would have thought for sure that they would have made it first-person, especially since it's running on the RE7 engine.  At any rate, the game looks awesome and I can't wait to play it.

Shadow of the Tomb Raider - Love me some Tomb Raider action!  I'm really digging the gameplay trailers I've seen so far.

Spider-Man - The game looks cool, and people who have actually played it at E3 say it's a ton of fun.

Wolfenstein: Youngblood - Although I enjoyed Wolfenstein II, I don't think I'm alone in thinking that it was a bit of a letdown after The New Order.  But this game's co-op, so I'm in.

[Pam]

There were so many things revealed at E3, and a lot of them look really good.

Anthem - I just don't know about this one. I love Bioware games but multiplayer? No romance? What's the point.

Sea of Solitude - This looks really cool and I like the concept of it. Looking forward to seeing more.

Ori and the Will of the Wisps - One of the things I'm most looking forward to. The first game was gorgeous and the movement and combat was so fluid and fun.

We Happy Few - I played the demo of this months ago and wasn't impressed. I was hoping for a lot more story which it seems like they've put a lot of extra work into. Hopefully it's improved.

Shadow of the Tomb Raider - I loved the first two games in the series, so I'm expecting I'll like this as well. Still waiting for Lara to develop a bit of snark though.

Cuphead - This was one of my favourite games last year, so I'm looking forward to more.

Dying Light 2 - I passed the first game off as just another zombie game (not that I'm one of those people who complains about too many zombie games, I still love them. This just didn't look that appealing). But when Chris Avellone came out to talk about the sequel it convinced me I not only wanted to play it, but also maybe check out the first.

Gears 5 - I've never been interested in the Gears series, but this looked good. I kind of want to play 1-4 now.

Cyberpunk 2077 - I loved the story and characters of CDPR's last big game, The Witcher 3, but didn't actually like playing it. Really didn't enjoy the combat. This looks like a much more interesting setting and hopefully it being an FPS will mean it's actually fun to play. Could this be the choice-driven, story heavy, sci-fi RPG I've been looking for all my life? All early takes from the people who got to see the demo sound good.

DOOM Eternal - Fantastic. First day purchase for sure.

Wolfenstein 2: Youngblood - I love Wolfenstein. Disposed Hero - I agree that Wolf 2 was a bit of a let down in terms of gameplay (though I loved the story). I'm really excited to be able to play this coop, and as 2 women characters. Old Blood was a great DLC, so I expect the same from this.

Starfield - More sci-fi RPG goodness. The teaser told us almost nothing, but I'm in for the concept.

Beyond Good and Evil 2 - I waited so long for news of this game that I became bitter and uncaring towards it (exactly what happened with The Last Guardian). The first trailer reveal last year did nothing for me. However, seeing Jade at the end of this one did ignite a bit of a spark within me.

Assassin's Creed - I've never been interested in this series. But add a dialogue wheel and romance options and maybe this will be something I like?

The Last of Us Part 2 - The first game had a good story and okay gameplay. I'm hoping they've improved upon that. The trailer was great and it looks beautiful. Kind of wondering where the zombies are though.

Control - I love what Remedy does, or tries to do. Alan Wake is brilliant and though Quantum Break didn't totally work for me, I appreciated the effort. I'm excited to see more about this.

I haven't seen anything from the Nintendo conference because I don't like the Switch. Or the PC conference... which I will catch up on now.

Edit: Now that I've watched all the PC Gaming trailers...

The Sinking City - Made by Frogwares, who make the Sherlock Holmes games which I really enjoy. I'm looking forward to a Lovecraftian (hopefully without the racism) adventure mystery.

Maneater - I never knew how much I wanted to be a shark and eat humans. Until now.

Sable - Looks like a more stylized Journey? The music is lovely and it looks intriguing.

Two Point Hospital - Theme Hospital is my favourite sim, so I'm looking forward to more with this. I hope it keeps its dark sense of humour.

[MetalFRO]

I'm at the point where the new Smash game might finally convince me to get into the series. Spider-Man looks amazing, and I will definitely be interested in checking that out. Very curious about Starlink, despite never having got into the TTL concepts. Otherwise, I didn't watch much of the E3 stuff. Cyperpunk 2077 looks like it will be really cool, though, and I am interested in seeing how that develops.

Gears 5 - I've never been interested in the Gears series, but this looked good. I kind of want to play 1-4 now.

I've only played the 3rd game, and not for very long, but I played some of it a few years back at a relative's place, and I thought it was pretty good. Now that I own the first couple games in the series, I need to go back and put some time into them.

[Duke.Togo]

Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice - Excited to finally find out more about this title, and I'm not disappointed. The grappling hook looks to add some neat verticality, and From has a great track record for excellent combat game play.

Crackdown 3 - It's Crackdown, and you can be Terry Crews. I don't really need to say more. Crackdown was great, and I expect lots of fun with this one.

Nioh 2 - I really played the crap out of Nioh, and the combat was really well done. I wasn't expecting Nioh 2 at all, so this was the biggest happy surprise for me.

Ghost of Tsushima - Another great combat action game? Count me in. This style is right in my wheelhouse, although I can't understand how it works very well from what Sony showed in the demo.

Resident Evil 2 - Even though I know this was coming, I didn't expect it. It looks great, and I'm happy to go back to RE2.

Killer Queen Black - I've played Killer Queen in the arcade, and it's the most fun I've had with friends at an arcade in a long time. Get a bunch of friends together and play this one - you won't regret it.

Cuphead - My middle daughter was so excited when this popped up on the screen. Definitely getting this DLC, and maybe at some point Crabby will be here again and we can destroy it.

Nothing else really grabbed me, but this gives me plenty to look forward to. Also really glad to hear that LRG is doing Battle Garegga and Salt & Sanctuary.

[Ikariniku]

I watched Giant Bomb's coverage and listened to a few podcasts, so I didn't take a deep dive into E3 this year, but this is the internet, so I have an opinion.

Broad Strokes

I watched the EA, Xbox, Bethesda, Square-Enix, Ubisoft, Sony, and Nintendo pressers/videos/art installations.  I don't really have any major criticisms for any of them.  Each was different, which helps them remain clear in my mind.  Not only that, it helped give each faceless corporation a personality that helped establish their brand and the tone of their future plans.  At the end of each of the presentations I watched, I felt I had a good idea of where each company was at, and what their future looked like.

I don't have a current gen console, so watching the slate of announcements and updates made me feel a bit like an outsider, even with whispers of new consoles from every corner.  The large number of action-focused games announced/confirmed really made me feel the lack of one of those consoles in my life, especially as my PC begins to show its age.  Ghost of Tsushima and Sekiro probably grabbed my attention the most, but they do directly appeal to my love of fantastical action games.  Control certainly did make a great showing for itself, but I need some assurances that its action is actually fun and intuitively controlled before I dive in completely.  However, Remedy is a company that deserves a bit of trust in this regard.  Doom Eternal looks like Doom, but bigger and crazier, so I'm eager to see how the gameplay is expanded and improved in this sequel.  Elder Scrolls VI.  That's all I have to say, because that's all that was said.  Skyrim is one of my favorite games ever, so sign me up.

Just because I don't name a game here doesn't mean I didn't like it.  I thought every game I saw looked interesting, at least.  Perhaps unsurprising at an event where everyone tries to put their best foot forward.  The games named were simply the ones that lived with me after I was finished watching E3 videos.

That said, get ready for some...

Hot Takes

Nintendo: I'm not as down on Nintendo's presentation as some.  Pokemon and Smash Bros. in the immediate future isn't nothing.  It made perfect sense to me that Nintendo would focus on these two games that are releasing soon as the pillars of the Switch going forward, especially with no new Zelda or Mario game on the horizon.  These games are the pillars of the Switch in the near future, so Nintendo is right to put a lot of shine on them.  However, I would have made some mention of Nintendo's imminent online service and hardcore fan favorite Metroid Prime 4 during their cornerstone pretaped video.  Don't make us dig through your hours and hours of E3 content, Nintendo.  Hit all the big points in the video the most people will watch.

Tomb Raider: I've seen some grumbling about the tone of the Tomb Raider trailer, but I felt it made perfect sense given that the Tomb Raider prequel trilogy is about Lara going from idealistic young woman to T-rex slaying international woman of fortune.  So seeing Lara take that last step to being a complete murder machine felt satisfying to me.  She's gone from vulnerable person taking their first life to someone who is more jaded and compromised, able to make hard choices easily.  It's an arc, and I appreciate those.  Also, this trailer learned a lesson from the last Last of Us II trailer and gave Lara some ripped guns to show that she's completed her journey from vulnerability to strength.

The Last of Us II: I wasn't a fan of The Last of Us.  I'm not saying I thought it was a bad game, I just had some problems with it.  I felt the opening, where we see a little girl get gutshot and die, went a little too far and was a little too crass, especially for a game that has a very traditional, typical narrative otherwise.  Joel lost one daughter, won't lose replacement daughter.  Got it.  I felt Joel was a largely uninteresting character, with Ellie being the true narrative heart of the game.  Now, with Last of Us II, Ellie is, presumably, the player character.  A lot of the interesting moments in The Last of Us came from watching Ellie, so I'm interested to see how they go forward when the player is controlling her.  What has not changed is the reliance on grotesque, unsettling violence.  The E3 trailer revels in it, juxtaposing it with a warm, happy barn dance scene just to drive it home even further.  It left me cold, though, and instead of being horrified, I noticed that Ellie had killed the same lady several times.  I guess they're still working on varying enemy models.  I just wonder what all this violence is in service of.  What is Ellie's arc in this game?  Joel was fighting to get his daughter back.  Is Ellie fighting to live her own life?  Is she coming of age?  Slitting the throat of a man the size of a fridge and well-rendered kisses don't tell me what I want to know about this game.

That was my E3.

[Crabmaster2000]

I know I'm late to the party, but here's my E3 thoughts from this year.

I love watching the pre-conferences from each company, this year was the weakest across the board though. Just very dry conferences across the board and a few of the things that should have been exciting announcements for me where handled very poorly (Star Wars Fallen Jedi, Battletoads, etc).

Sekiro and Ghost of Tsushima both have be super excited to be a samurai. I'm really eager to dig into both of those games. I was already sold on Spiderman, but I'm even more hyped on it after the latest trailer. While the Smash Bros announcement is not super exciting, I'm thrilled to have all the characters in one place since I wasn't willing to download everybody in the Wii U one so I've never even had the chance to try characters like Bayonetta which look like a lot of fun.

Devil May Cry 5 looks like it'll be a lot of fun once more. Eager to jump back into that series. Resident Evil 2 is my favorite in that series. Excited to see what they do in this new version with it.

Duke has mentioned Killer Queen as a lot of fun in the past. Hope to have a chance to play it at some point. Nioh 2 is a good thing.

Although I havn't yet enjoyed a CD Project Red game that Cyberpunk 2077 trailer was super intriguing. Maybe this will be the one for me!