E-Pals: Post-E3 Thoughts
Note: Matthew Kline is kicking us off this time. Karl and I started all this, but Matt has been in many of these and he’s one of our most cherished E-Pals.

Hey everyone!
So for some reason we are still doing this. I’m happy that somehow we all came back together and decided on this out of the blue. And now we are talking about E3! Again!
So, I have to say right off the bat this was a strange E3 for me. Overall I’m pretty happy, but it was mainly thanks to some crazy surprises. We will get into all of that, so let’s dig into the conferences!

Matthew Kline: I think it’s easiest to go in order, so starting us off this year was EA. Honestly, I was in it just for Star Wars Battlefront 2 and a new Star Wars game. However, there was none of the latter to be had. I’m happy they gave us a deeper look into Battlefront 2, but I’m eager for other games in the Star Wars universe. Other than that, A Way Out looked like it had potential and I wasn’t really into any of the other games. I would mention Anthem, but I’m counting that as a Microsoft reveal.
Battlefront 2 is a day one for me. I understand people are weary after the first one, but EA did wonders with Titanfall 2, and they are taking literally the same steps with this sequel. (adding a single player campaign, no season pass, etc.) It’s a large game across all the eras of Star Wars, a new original story, and it looks absolutely gorgeous. The free DLC is a nice touch too. People are raising their vocies over the microtransactions, but they will probably be mostly cosmetic and you won’t be forced the buy them. I really think it has the potential to blow the other games out of the water. I’m excited to get it soon.
What were you guys’ thoughts on the conference?
Buddy Acker: Hi! Thanks for kicking it off, Matt. I'm glad we're pumping these out again.
You three know I didn't even watch E3. I was getting most of my news from you guys and a little from social media. So I still experienced it in a pretty chronological order. I felt the excitement of the big announcements and whatnot still. I also felt the disappointment.
I didn't care for the first Battlefront much. I've said this a ton in E-Pals, but I'm not much of a multiplayer fan, and as far as multiplayer games go I thought it was super bland. I got pretty much all of my enjoyment out of the alpha and the full release didn't draw me in at all, whereas I'm still playing Battlefield 1 (love that game).
I’m not the type to say that all games should have campaigns, but the addition of one to Battlefront 2, as in Titanfall 2, increased my interest significantly. When I found out you get to play as a member of an Imperial special forces group, my interest went up more. The additions to the multiplayer and the removal of the season pass all sound cool too. I’m not saying I’ll rush out and buy Battlefront 2, but I’ll definitely be checking it out.
All I needed to be persuaded on A Way Out is the name behind it: Josef Fares. He developed one of my favorite games of the last decade, Brothers: A Tale of Two Sons, and I interviewed him for SpawnFirst back in 2013. A Way Out isn’t so different from Brothers; it’s a unique take on the concept of two people working together. I’m happy to hear it’s not adopting the drop-in and drop-out format and will instead play like a full game. I’m in.
I like Need for Speed, and Payback copying The Fast and the Furious isn’t such a bad thing, but what I heard and eventually saw didn’t do much for me. It looks like The Run all over again and I didn’t like The Run’s linearity or constant setpieces. I loved Rivals because of its simplicity and the way it felt like a traditional racing game without being one, but it’s like every game in the franchise since it has been pushing me further and further away. I need to see something more from Payback.
I’m with Matt about everything else. I don’t give a shit about sports games. I don’t care about the Battlefield 1 DLC (haven’t purchased any of the past DLC for it). This was the typical EA conference and it was about as predictable as the ones before it. Moving on.
Karl Dodds: Hey guys! Good to be back again!
I only generally watch the Microsoft and Sony conferences, so I don’t have a great deal of input here for the EA conference. I’m pleased that Battlefront 2 is looking as excellent as it does. I really enjoyed the reboot, even though it didn’t keep me hooked for long. I definitely had a ton of fun with it, and it did leave me itching for more. Hopefully this will have a ton more content at launch. It seems like it will, especially with the addition of the single player content.
Other than Battlefront the only other thing on my radar from EA is Need for Speed. I always play those games. I’m a sucker for an arcade-y racer and Ghost has been handling the series quite well so far. That said, the trailers haven’t done the best job of making me hyped; I’m hoping there’s more to the game than setpiece after setpiece and slightly bumping into another car, then the game triggering you into a forced perspective slow-mo takedown of said car barreling off the road. I’m really not keen on those Burnout style takedowns as it ruins the flow of the game for me.
Like you guys, EA really had nothing else of interest for me. I was hoping for more info on the other Star Wars games in development but I guess we’ll have to wait until next year.
Tony Chavez: Hey everyone! Good to be back! And to see that you all survived the annual E3 craziness!
I love E3. It’s always one of my favorite events of the year and the fact that it’s open to the public gives me hope that I can actually scratch attending it off my bucket list because lord knows I’m not ever going to get a "real" gaming-related job!
But as much as I love all the excitement and insanity (and this year had a good deal of that), I can’t help but feel like something about it in general felt...off? Amiss? Maybe it’s just me.
As for EA’s conference, I feel like it was probably the weakest of the bunch to me. It was a very "same games, different year" sort of conference, and everyone expected them to delve into their sports franchises and trot out Need for Speed again (even if ripping off the Fast and Furious movies this time is an entertaining thought...guilty pleasures as they are) because those are pretty much 100% guaranteed every year. Making a swerve and putting out a new Burnout game is still on my E3 wishlist for next year, apparently...alas...
A Way Out could be really cool, and was definitely the only "unique and different" thing at the conference, but I’m one of those weird terrible people who couldn’t get into Brothers, so I also reserve the right to feel mildly conflicted.
Anthem showed up for about five seconds, and only to tell you to "come check out Microsoft’s conference". All things considered, this was a pretty silly missed opportunity for EA.
And of course Battlefront 2 was the big highlight. And it does look like everything I ever wanted Battlefront to be (and then some) with the addition of a fantastic looking (and canon) story mode and an "all eras" multiplayer. But good lord, watching them play that 30 minute match was the longest 30 minutes EVER.
And...that was it. All things considered it left me with a very "Really? That’s it? That’s all you have?" Sort of feeling.

MK: On to Microsoft!
Going in I really was only looking forward to new IPs and all the information on the (what we now know as) Xbox One X. I really wish they would have stuck with Scorpio as a name, but I’ll pick and choose my battles with this year’s E3.
It was good to see a wide variety of games featured, and also refreshing to see some titles coming out this year, but there were only a few things that caught my attention. Crackdown is one of my favorite series and I’m excited we will get to play as Terry Crews for the game. Sea of Thieves is looking great. The massive Minecraft update (with crossplay!!) is painting a bright future, minus Sony. Anthem ended up as one of my most anticipated this year. PlayerUnknowns Battleground was a welcome surprise and will be a day one for me. I’ve been seeing so much of it and I love the type of game it is, so I’m excited to play it on the Xbox with a large group.
OG Xbox games coming to backwards compatibility is exciting. I adore Crimson Skies so I’m happy to play it again. The Xbox One X is a beast console and I’m thinking it’s a day one for me. It is a harder sell for Microsoft, but with how much abuse I give my Xbox One I’m happy to upgrade. I think it will end up being a great addition to the Xbox family.
Overall… it was just an OK conference. This was a weird E3 for me. It really came off as a "stuck in the middle" show because of the small amount of games coming out this year and all the big stuff will be shown at next year’s E3. Microsoft did well at getting me excited for what’s coming next, but I’d like to see more of it and get it sooner.
BA: Yeah, as I mentioned I didn't watch, but it's weird how much I felt the air being let out of the balloon as the show went along regardless. I was hoping for more from the big two (we'll talk about Sony in a bit). The gaming world is stuck in a bit of a drought right now, but it would have been nice to get some rain.
The Xbox One X, stupid name aside, is appealing. It's facing an uphill climb, though. Microsoft didn't talk much about new exclusives or games that would be "better" on the XBOX (how clever!), so it's already at a disadvantage there. Plus it's $500, which is absolutely a great price for what it is, but the Xbox One was $500 at launch and it got crushed by the PlayStation 4. I don't know that many people will be willing to lay down the same price for what is essentially an upgrade this late into a console cycle.
It's weird that I've never been able to get into Crackdown. It has all the ingredients to be something I would enjoy. RIDICULOUS JUMPING HEIGHTS! CRAZY SHIT HAPPENING! I think I played the original Crackdown and Saint's Row 2 around the same time and I liked Saint's Row 2 so much more that I never went back. Then Crackdown 2 released and was...Crackdown 1.5 really. I once again didn't get the appeal. Maybe Crackdown 3 will be enough of a new thing to attract me to it.
Anthem looks awesome. BioWare has provided me with some of my favorite games, including Jade Empire, the Mass Effect series, and my game of the year from 2014, Dragon Age: Inquisition (fuck the haters), so I have faith in them. I haven’t ever played Destiny, so the comparisons people were making between it and Anthem didn’t mean anything to me. I just saw a trailer for something and I liked the trailer a lot. "I will play this" is what ran through my mind while watching it.
I may be alone on this, but my favorite thing out of the conference was the backwards compatibility announcement. Since obtaining another Xbox 360, it has become my Fable, Jade Empire, and Morrowind machine. It’s so fucking amazing to me to know I’m probably going to get to play those games (maybe not Jade Empire) on my Xbox One. As a gaming history buff and someone who is afraid of that history being forgotten, I’m happy a slice of the past gets to spread to a new generation and a new audience, no matter how limited that audience may be. I’m incredibly excited. I’ll be using this feature a ton.
KD: I agree with Matt; this E3 really seemed unnecessary. It definitely seems like it was done moreso to keep the tradition going than anything else.
Sure, I’m as excited for Metro Exodus, Crackdown 3, and Anthem as you guys, but nothing that was announced at this E3 would have suffered if it was announced at next year’s instead. Especially when you consider that if these titles that are one to two years off were announced next year, the wait time between announcement and release would be much more bearable.
Another thing Microsoft needs is to get some stellar first-party IPs on the docket to really show off the power of the Xbox One X. Yeah, they’ve got Forza Motorsport 7 coming and they are retroactively patching already released titles to take advantage of its power, but that’s not going to be enough for most people. It doesn’t help that Sony is knocking it out of the park with their first-party titles.
I guess overall it wasn’t all bad. It was nice to see what the One X actually looks like, and we got a very reasonable price for the amount of punch it packs.
All that remains to be seen is if Metro Exodus can take the crown from Metro 2033 as the best Metro game.
TC: Yeah, here’s the thing about Microsoft’s conference: they spent months hyping up what they called “the most powerful console ever", so my main thing as a gamer, a skeptic, and a general Sony fanboy who a) never owned an Xbox console to begin with anyway and b) legitimately wanted to see them sway me was for them to "prove it" with this reveal. Show me what this thing can do. Did they? Well yes…and no.
Games like Forza, Metro Exodus, and Anthem looked absolutely visually incredible. I was pretty sold on the power of this console upgrade from the get-go. Selling a consile upgrade made for 4K TVs at a $500 price tag though? Reasonable, but impractical to me personally and still a bit out of my price range.
Speaking of the games though, again, Metro just looked insanely good in every respect. Anthem basically just postioned itself as "better Destiny", right out of the gate, which has got to be a kick in the nuts to Destiny 2, that OTHER game that is trying to be "better Destiny" this year. I’ve never had much of a thing for Forza or racing sims in general, but once again I can’t deny how pretty it looks. Minecraft getting crossplay with the Switch is awesome, and a dumb, dumb, super dumb, missed opportunity on Sony’s part. Sea of Thieves looks fun as hell, and makes me happy because we have a distinct lack of pirate games at the moment. And as always, there was a pretty well rounded showcase of indie games this year.
Oh, and original Xbox backwards compatibility is a pretty damn fantastic move.
All and all, it was an alright conference. One of the better ones to come out of this year, for sure.
BA: I forgot about the Metro Exodus reveal. Shame on me. Of course I’m excited for it and I hope it topples Last Light as the best Metro game.

MK: Bethesda time!
All I can really say is, why did you have to go and break my heart? I love Bethesda to pieces. So I’ll start with the good.
I liked The Evil Within, and I’m happy it’s getting a sequel. The idea was cool but could use some fixing so this is a step in the right direction. It’s nice having something a little like Silent Hill because…well. We have no idea when we are getting more Silent Hill, if ever. The bread winner of their conference for SURE was Wolfenstein II: The New Colossus. That trailer was incredible, and The New Order and The Old Blood are some of the best FPS titles I have played in recent years. The fact we are getting a sequel that is even more crazy than the first has me over the moon. From the end of the trailer, I’m really hoping we have a level where BJ accidentally drops a bunch of acid and is put in a super colorful rainbow world where he is killing all these cute creatures in a bloody mess, only to bounce back and see that he completely annihilated a couple of city blocks and a crap ton of Nazis. Here’s to hoping. Dishonored as always looks great, but I still need to finish the second one before doing that new one.
Now. The bad. I’m excited for VR. And I want to get into it. Fallout VR is fine, but Skyrim too? I mean yes, that’s also cool, but please stop re-releasing Skyrim. At this point it’s going to become the next Resident Evil 4. And there is nothing wrong with that, but I want Bethesda to work on some other games. I know it will be some time before another Elder Scrolls, but I believe they have a new open world space RPG IP in the works? Where is that? That’s what I want.
And please, for the love of everything good Bethesda, stop trying to do paid mods. Just do your normal expansions/DLC and let the mods do their own thing. Please. It didn’t work the first time, and the industry has a hard enough time selling DLC to people. Don’t make it worse. We don’t need more… *glares at horse armor*
I want to reiterate that most of this isn’t bad, but it wasn’t their average level of good. Some of it was, but it fell flat compared to previous years.
BA: I like about...half, I’d say, of The Evil Within. The later sections of it devolve into nonsense and it came across to me as something that was unfinished and rushed out to store shelves. However, when I heard the announcement about The Evil Within 2, I thought, sure, I’ll play another one. I hope it’s more coherent and paced much better.
My favorite announcement of E3 possibly was Wolfenstein II. I love, love, love The New Order. The fact that it's getting a sequel made the entirety of the event worth it for me. The first game is one of the best examples of shlock being taken seriously. I hope the second is just as batshit insane and entertaining as it.
I don’t have to tell y’all this, but I couldn’t care less about VR. I’ve gotten nauseated every time I’ve tried it out and it doesn’t do anything for me personally. I can’t think of any situation where I would rather strap a bulky thing to my head than just sit down and play a game the tried-and-true way. If you’re excited for Doom, Fallout, and/or Skyrim in VR, good for you, but Matt is correct; something has to give with Skyrim being promoted by Bethesda over and over and over again. Bethesda is not a desperate company by any means, but the way they treated Skyrim and the Elder Scrolls franchise in general makes them look...well, desperate.
It was a pretty weak conference. It was either stuff I knew about already or stuff I didn’t care about. I’m certain that I’m not being controversial in the slightest by saying that. I think Bethesda has the notion that E3 is headed for the ancient history books, which is true, but I want them to actually try and be compelling next year. I am hype for dat Wolfenstein, tho.
KD: I didn’t catch the Bethesda conference, nor did I really keep up with the announcements that came from it. The only thing I’m excited for from it is the new Wolfenstein. The trailer for that definitely has me hyped.
Hopefully next year Bethesda will have more to show. Obviously we're all waiting for the next Fallout/Elder Scrolls announcement. I'm not going to buy Skyrim again. Like Matt said, it's becoming the next Resident Evil 4 and I've already been down this road too many times with that game.
Speaking of Resident Evil 4, I doubt I’ll get the next Evil Within either. The first was fine but it didn’t exactly leave me wanting a sequel. It all just felt like a game I’d played before.
TC: I also didn't watch the Bethesda conference, but there's really only one thing that needs to be said about it:
PRAISE THE LORD, WOLFENSTEIN II IS COMING!
No, seriously, The New Order is one of the best shooters I’ve played in the last decade. To get a sequel (with an October release date!) fills me with unending joy.
As for everything else that happened? MEEEEEEEHHHHH.
I don’t nearly care enough for The Evil Within to be excited for a second one, and I especially don’t care about Fallout VR or the fact that Skyrim made its 100000th appearance at this year’s show (this time with Legend of Zelda stuff).
So yeah, we didn't miss much by not watching this one... EXCEPT WOLFENSTEIN.

MK: On to Ubisoft!
Not a crazy show, but I enjoyed seeing more of Far Cry 5, which I am very much excited for. Their new pirate game looks like a good “adult” alternative to Sea of Thieves. I am happy with the direction Assassin’s Creed is going. It used to be one of my favorite series. It seems like they are really trying to get back to peak Far Cry and Assassin’s Creed, which is good because they need to be changed up. I have a feeling the new titles are going to be a blast.
And OK, I know it’s in early development, but oh dear god Beyond Good and Evil 2 is ACTUALLY happening. I’m still in shock. I wanted a sequel and I like the direction they seem to be taking it in. Ubisoft wasn’t too exciting, but again they get points for some awesome looking games and games actually coming out this year.
BA: I'm going to have to play Skull & Bones before I judge it too harshly, but something about it seeming like Assassin's Creed IV: Black Flag except without the ability to explore on land is pushing me away. I loved the variety Black Flag offered. I hope Skull & Bones isn't as one-note as I'm worried it will be. I want to play it, though.
I am so down for Assassin’s Creed Origins and Far Cry 5. I like the weird and different directions both the franchises are taking now. Far Cry 5 had me from hello. The more I see, the more my body is ready. The combat in Origins looks pretty sweet and I’m super relieved as a completionist to know that it doesn’t have many of the expected Ubisoft "towers". Both those games are right up there on my most anticipated list.
I thought you three were lying about the Beyond Good and Evil 2 trailer to begin with. It seems like a cruel prank you all would play. BUT IT’S REAL! HOLY COW, IT’S REALLY HAPPENING! Well, it probably won’t; it’ll probably be canceled still. As for now though, BEYOND GOOD AND EVIL 2 IS ON THE WAY!
KD: I didn’t keep up with the news from the Ubisoft conference. I already knew I’d be getting Far Cry 5 and Assassin’s Creed Origins. I didn’t think they’d have much else to show…boy did they prove me wrong by dropping that Beyond Good and Evil 2 trailer.
I wish we would have got some news on a new Splinter Cell. I need something to scratch the stealth itch that Metal Gear has left behind.
Other than that I don’t really have much else to say about Ubisoft. Now let me get back to the N. Sane Trilogy.
TC: I didn’t watch most of Ubisoft’s conference either, but from what I can tell it was a noticeably strong showing.
Assassin’s Creed Origins looks like what an Assassin’s Creed game would look like when that series isn’t being rushed out the door every damn year. Far Cry 5 already had my attention. Skull & Bones is basically a full game version of the ship battles from Black Flag, and I am ALLLL about that. The Crew 2 is happening, which is pretty damn out of nowhere since the first one fell off the face of the earth right after it came out. That Mario + Rabbids game actually looked awesome. And of course, OH GOD BEYOND GOOD AND EVIL 2 IS HAPPENING!!
Am I the only one who felt weirdly off-put by the fact that there was no Aisha Tyler this year? Because I’ve gotten way to used to her hosting this, for better or worse.
MK: Tony, I’m kind of glad Aisha wasn’t there this year. I enjoy her, but not her hosting.

And now, Sony.
Oh Sony. I’ll start by saying I love them and their exclusives are my favorite, but it was a weak showing this year. My biggest complaint with them was that it was a rehash of last year, and almost all the games they showed aren’t coming until next year. Their only major exclusive releasing this year is Uncharted: The Lost Legacy (if I recall correctly, not counting the Destiny and Call of Duty “exclusive” stuff they have). I understand that games take some time to make, but it was very unlike Sony to have a poor showing like this. They are usually all about the games, but they had nothing for show for it.
Release dates aside, DAMN do they have some great titles coming out. Days Gone and God of War look stunning, and I’m really excited to dig into them. I love love love love Shadow of the Colossus. I actually lost my mind when they showed the first part of the trailer and I realized what it was. I’m happy they are remaking it instead of just remastering it. Plus there are talks of them adding more content, which I’m all about. Uncharted is a must; I love the series.
The winner for me, though, was Spider-Man. I was getting Rocksteady Batman vibes from it, which is a very good thing. I need a new open world superhero game in my life, and it looks like we are getting an amazing Spider-Man game as well, the likes of which we haven’t seen since the PS2 era. This year is just reminding me how great Spider-Man is and how much I love him. The Miles tease made me happy. I can’t wait to see what they have in store and what type of villains and plot lines they have in store. They are always off the wall and include as many as possible.
Despite my excitement for the games, Sony was one of the weakest, if not the weakest, shows for me.
BA: Sony blew the roof off the joint in 2015 and 2016, which is I believe the primary reason people were so disappointed by their reserved conference this year. But I also think it was just a weak conference. It's not great when the thing talked about the most afterwards is what the show kicked off with, and it's a remake of an almost 12-year-old game. I will play the shit out of the Shadow of the Colossus remake, though.
Put me down for more Uncharted, God of War, and Spider-Man, and maybe Days Gone. I want to play those. The thing is, I’ve been wanting to play those...since they were announced months and years ago. I went and watched all the new trailers and everything and they still felt like I had seen them before. It’s not like I wasn’t expecting Uncharted to be like Uncharted, or God of War to be like God of War, or Spider-Man to be like Batman. I expected all of that.
Sony let me down. It’s no secret I’m partial to the Xbox One, but none of my reasons have anything to do with Sony. I freaked out like everyone else when the Final Fantasy VII remake was shown, and when the N. Sane Trilogy was announced, and when the Shenmue 3 Kickstarter was promoted. This year was very...halfhearted. Half-assed, even.
KD: As you’ve both said, it was a pretty weak show. Nothing of great significance was shown. It was essentially a rehash of last year. I’m still excited for Spider-Man, and of course I’ll be getting Uncharted, and probably God of War, but I knew that before this year’s conference. Sony’s showing here didn’t add anything to my wishlist, which is a shame because that’s usually not the case.
I was hoping for some more The Last of Us: Part 2 news, and perhaps a new Crash game announcement, or at least a remake of Crash Team Racing.
I suppose there's always next year...
TC: Look, I love Sony. Their press conference is always the high point of E3 for me. But this year...this year was incredibly lackluster.
I loved seeing more of God of War and Spider-Man. Don’t get me wrong. Both of those games look great. Monster Hunter World and the Shadow of the Colossus remake were awesome, AWESOME surprises. And let’s face it, nobody even remembered that Days Gone existed until they they trotted it back out this year, but it could still be a good time. But clearly Sony looked at this E3, decided they didn’t care at all, and begrudgingly said to themselves "Let’s get this shit over with”.
It was literally a 90-minute video highlight reel with no console-based announcements and no presenters. A lot of the games (Bloodborne 2, more about the Final Fantasy VII and Resident Evil 2 remakes, The Last of Us: Part 2) that people were hoping to see were left out.
I can't hate on them for making games the focus, but come on now.

MK: Last, but not least (and probably the best), Nintendo.
I’ll get this out of the way first. IT’S FINALLY HAPPENING. METROID PRIME 4 IS ACTUALLY HAPPENING. I honestly never thought I would see the day. But here we are. And not only that, but also a reimagining of Metroid II for the 3DS completely out of nowhere. Those two stole the show for me. Yeah, Metroid Prime 4 is still a long way off, but it’s happening.
Besides that, Yoshi and Kirby are making a return. I am excited for Super Mario Odyssey and Xenoblade Chronicles 2. I’m honestly just happy they have so many incredible games coming to the Switch this year. I love my Switch so much; I just want more games for it. The console is incredible and has a bright future. I was hoping they would give us more information on the virtual console for the Switch. That’s my only hang up with the console right now. Please just get me a virtual console. No, I don’t want an overpriced/impossible to get SNES Classic.
Overall, I think Nintendo was the best show hands down. It’s good to have Nintendo back in the game. I also have to include that I love how weird the new Mario is. It looks like a lot of fun.
BA: Metroid Prime 4 was arguably the biggest reveal of the night despite the "trailer" only containing some music and a logo. It was enough to light the internet on fire. Then the announcement of the remake of Metroid II stoked the flames even more. I've been wanting another 2D Metroid game for so long now and it's nice to be getting a remake even.
The Switch needed an announcement like Xenoblade Chronicles 2. It’s cool that Nintendo is delivering more entries in their core franchises and those games will surely boost sales, but the Switch can’t thrive on Mario and Zelda alone, a lesson Nintendo hopefully learned after the Wii U. The original Xenoblade Chronicles was a massive success and fans (including me; I love that game) have been clamoring for a sequel. Xenoblade Chronicles X released too far into the life cycle of the Wii U for it to stand a chance. Nintendo is doing the smart thing with the sequel: announcing it early on and attaching a 2017 release date to it (even though that absolutely will not happen).
They also brilliantly unveiled a new core Pokemon game for the Switch. Talk about delivering a knockout. The Switch is on the way to being another massive success for Nintendo. The only thing standing in its way is Nintendo. The lack of third-party support needs to be addressed, but they have plenty of momentum for now.
I never thought I'd be saying this, but Nintendo won E3.
KD: I’m not up to scratch on Nintendo or any of the announcements they made. I’ve never really been a fan of Nintendo bar having a GameBoy explicitly for Pokemon and then later in life picking up a Wii U just to play Mario Kart 8 with friends. I tried to play The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker HD, but I just couldn’t get into it. None of their other exclusives have ever really appealed to me either. I always preferred Crash over Mario, etc.
So yeah, I kinda went off on a little tangent there, but I don’t really have much to add for this section of the E-Pals.
Sorry to all you Nintendo fans. Maybe when they get Metro 2033 we can talk.
TC: Yeah, Nintendo stole the show this year. Everyone assumed they didn’t give a fuck about Metroid, and then they come out of nowhere and announce not one, but TWO Metroid games.
Then there’s the new Kirby and Yoshi games. And Super Mario Odyssey, which looks fucking nuts. And Pokemon for Switch was at least confirmed, which THANK GOD because the switch is just a perfect outfit for a mainline Pokemon game.
But as Matt said, where the hell is the Switch virtual console? Unlike what Matt said, I want an SNES Classic.

MK: So sticking to what was shown/announced at E3, what is your most anticipated title?
For me, it’s Metroid Prime 4. This is Nintendo really flexing what made them great in the past. I’ve been dying to play another game in the Metroid Prime series for ages. The wonder, the gunplay, the massive maps, not to mention getting a massive game like that for the Switch? It’s perfect for their new console. There are so many opportunities and things they could do with it. I honestly think it will be a game of the year contender. The long wait since the third game in the series makes it even better.
The Switch has proven to be Nintendo’s sweet spot after the Wii U fell through. It’s the perfect balance of what they were trying to pull of with the Wii U while matching the ease of their DS systems. Pair this with an amazing line up, new IPs and an ACTUAL Metroid Prime game…it’s a killer app. I’m beyond excited to see what they do next.
BA: I’m a firm believer in only picking something that was actually shown at E3 so I can’t in good conscience choose Metroid Prime 4 (Matt is an adult and can do whatever he damn well pleases). So with that out of the way, I’ll go with Bubs...hahaha, could you imagine? Nah, of course I’m choosing Beyond Good and Evil 2. When I saw the trailer for the original version of it that debuted during the 2008 Ubidays event, I went and got my hopes up. Now it’s a completely different game and I’m doing it again. I love Beyond Good & Evil so much.
The trailer during E3 was pretty much just a sample of the vibe the game is going for, but I’m digging it. I’m indifferent towards it being more "mature" because the original didn’t need a pig saying "fucking" three times within seconds to make me pay attention. I am so into everything else I saw, though. I went nutttsssss when I finally watched the trailer and saw Jade. I can’t wait to see more.
KD: Good choices guys.
I’m most excited for Anthem. The trailer got me pretty hype. It looks like such a fun world to dive into and fuck around in.
I’m looking forward to a good loot fest. I got super into Borderlands 2 what with trying to get the best weapons/gear and I’m hoping Anthem is going to scratch that same itch.
On top of that I’m gonna give an obvious shout out to Metro Exodus and Spider-Man. Super looking forward to those two as well.
TC: I feel like I’m beating a horse to death here, but I’m naming Wolfenstein II: The New Colossus as my most anticipated. I’ve basically already explained why, and unlike everyone else’s choices, it comes out this year IN OCTOBER.
Runner-up games I’m hyped about: Spider-Man, God of War, Super Mario Odyssey, and Metroid Prime 4.
MK: And that’s a wrap! Thank you all, it has been a pleasure. Hopefully next year E3 will have more of a focus on games coming out…well, next year.
