E3 is right around the corner and there are quite a few things that I am ecstatic about. Some things that have already been confirmed to be there like The Outer Worlds, Jedi Fallen Order, and Control. However, some things are not as certain. So, here are my hopes and dreams for my favorite time of the year in gaming, E3!
1) Nintendo’s Big Four in the Fall
Fall 2019 is a big season for Nintendo. They’re releasing Pokemon Sword and Shield, Animal Crossing, Luigi’s Mansion 3, and Link’s Awakening. All four of those games have only been announced, then shown a gameplay trailer, minus Animal Crossing. Now, today, May 27th, Nintendo announced they’re having a Nintendo Direct for Pokemon Sword and Shield on June 5th at 9 am ET.
The other games are not so fortunate to have an announcement of things to talk about. However, they’re basically guaranteed to appear at Nintendo’s E3 Direct on June 11th, that Tuesday morning. I hope I am actually excited for the Animal Crossing game since this will be the first one I’ve played since Animal Crossing: Wild World, which came out in late 2005; quite a while ago.
I would love to play another Legend of Zelda game, so I am already interested in Link’s Awakening since I missed it as a child. I just would want to see more. I would love to also be interested in Luigi’s Mansion 3, which I have never played a game in that series. So, please Nintendo get me excited for it! The premise is interesting enough for me to be at least slightly interested, so that is positive.
Pokemon Sword & Shield won’t presumably be shown at E3 in a heavy way now that the Direct is announced, but I am excited to see some new Pokemon and if they show off the middle evolutions for the three starters! An exploration of the world would also be really great to see. There is still a lot of mystery about the special evolutions happening in this generation. There have been rumors of it being Armored Evolutions, but of course no guarantees.
My expectations regardless of those games would probably be another trailer for Astral Chain, the Platinum Games exclusive that is coming out in August. I would also hope to see actual gameplay of Bayonetta 3 which was never mentioned in 2018 other than “we are working on it.” I would love for them to talk more about Super Mario Maker 2. However, at this point who knows what they would say since there was a Direct last week for it. But, more information is always nice!
Now, if Nintendo wants to get crazy with surprises, please announce the Metroid Prime Trilogy. I would love if those games were on the Switch. Experiencing those awesome games on the go would be a dream. To get even crazier, please also announce Persona 5 on the Switch already! It would basically be a dream come true for everyone.
2) Knowing what Rocksteady is Working On
Rocksteady’s last game was Batman: Arkham Knight, which was released in 2015. They’ve been saying they have been working on something for the past two years. We can assume it’s been worked on since the second half of 2016 after they finished the DLC for Arkham Knight. I am truly not sure what I want them to work on, but I know I want them to announce their game this year. Hopefully, that actually happens at the Microsoft conference, since that would be the most logical place to announce it. If they want to do a Justice League game, I am all for it. If they want to do a Superman game, I would be highly interested in that too. Making a Superman game is always a difficult task, but I think Rocksteady could be up for the challenge.
3) A Sony State of Play
Playstation last year shocked the world by saying they will not be attending E3 2019. To still update the community on their games, Playstation introduced a Nintendo Direct style of a video called “State of Play” in March, where they showcased games like Iron Man VR, Mortal Kombat 11, and Concrete Genie. They produced another short State of Play in May which showed the first trailer for Final Fantasy 7 Remake since 2015.
Now, Death Stranding had a trailer on May 29th and announced story elements along with the release date, November 9th. So, that could possibly be teasing that Sony isn’t having a State of Play and actually continuing the thought of them not being at E3 in any capacity, even around the time of the event. However, if Sony does do a State of Play here is what I would want from them.
The Last of Us Part II is in the finishing stages of development and Ghost of Tsushima has not been heard from in a year. The signs could point to them wanting to bring another State of Play around the time of E3 to give updates on both of these games, and maybe announce another thing or two.
Another hopeful part of a potential State of Play I would enjoy seeing is a possible teaser for the sequel to Horizon: Zero Dawn which came out in February of 2017. Guerilla Games is definitely making the sequel currently, but when we see it is the question. Now, Guerilla is also rumored to be making a Multiplayer Shooter, in the realm of their Killzone series, so that could be announced if Sony does a State of Play. Their second team could be returning to the series that started their Sony journey or beginning another new IP and we might not even know what it is until much, much later, or even maybe at the time around E3.
That would be the only surprise for me I slightly could see happening. God of War came out last year, so Sony Santa Monica isn’t ready to show off anything for God of War 2. Naughty Dog is working on The Last of Us Part II and I doubt they have a second team at this point. Sucker Punch is working on Ghost of Tsushima. The two big studios for Sony right now are busy working on both of these games. The other studios are all too early in the process of development, except for Polyphony Digital, who are still updating Gran Turismo Sport. I definitely could be wrong, but I don’t see it happening.
4) Square Enix’s Press Conference in General
Last year, Square Enix returned to E3 after a three-year presentation hiatus. Their conference did have some weird moments, but hopefully, that was just getting a bit of rust off. Their potential lineup for E3 this year seems pretty intriguing. They could show off Kingdom Hearts 3 DLC since there has been talk of it starting to come out this year already, which is always exciting. New worlds could be shown and new gameplay mechanics maybe! If any new worlds do get shown off, I hope it is a new one and we are not returning to a previous place, unless that place is Hollow Bastion/Radiant Garden.
During the May State of Play, Square Enix mentioned they will have more information about the Final Fantasy 7 Remake in June, so that seems most likely to be happening at their conference since Sony isn’t guaranteed to be showing anything around E3. Now, if Square Enix announces the release date for it, I would cry. Final Fantasy 7 Remake is going to be coming episodically, so I would not be shocked to hear a release date, or release year for the first episode. However, that could be a little too hopeful. More gameplay, or at least another trailer, is something I feel is more of a guarantee.
They are also showing off The Avengers game they teased in January 2017. That is the last time they’ve shown off that game at all. That teaser was the definition of what a teaser is. There was no gameplay for it, just symbols and weapons of the heroes and brief dialogue. Crystal Dynamics, the developers of this Avengers game, have been at least working on this game for more than two years it feels like, so the gameplay trailer is imminent! The premise of the story is interesting to me as well. I would really be interested if they went with a villain like Dr. Doom, but who knows if Fox’s previous ownership of the Fantastic Four characters would damage that thought.
5) The Three Games Ubisoft Wants to Release Before March 2020
Ubisoft has said they plan on releasing four Triple-A titles by the end of their fiscal year, March 2020. Last week they announced Tom Clancy’s Ghost Recon: Breakpoint, which is releasing on October 4th of this year.
That is one out of four, but what are the other three? Assassin’s Creed is taking a break from 2019 and that is usually a fall release, so that seems logically out of the question, but you never know. Splinter Cell has been heavily rumored and joked about returning recently, so that would be amazing if that happens to be released before March 2020; resurrecting an old franchise. Watch Dogs 2 was released in 2016, so Watch Dogs 3 could be ready by the end of March 2020. The last franchise I could see getting a release in this timeframe is possibly another South Park game. The gap between The Stick of Truth and The Fractured But Whole was three and a half years, but they now could be more acclimated with the hardware of the PS4 and Xbox One to get a game out faster and make it still feel like a long South Park episode. However, who truly knows except the top executives of Ubisoft.
Thanks for hearing me ramble about how excited I could be for E3, one of my favorite times of the year. Until next time!
Comments