The Video Game Virtuoso

Oh E3 press events. We wait all year for you to come, and in the blink of an eye, you’re gone. Some years you overload us with excitement, and others you leave us utterly disappointed. Unfortunately, E3 2017 falls closer to the latter. Although there were some exciting announcements (Beyond Good and Evil 2!) and details revealed on anticipated games, there wasn’t too much to jump for joy about.

To be honest, I found this year’s E3 to be kind of boring. Sure there were a few things that had me jittery with excitement, but most of it was pretty meh. Maybe I was just expecting too much coming in, but it’s hard not to considering it’s the “world’s premier event for computer, video, and mobile games and related products.” Now that the best part of the show is over, here is my good, bad, and disappointing of E3 2017.

The Good

More Details on Games I Care About

While I’m underwhelmed by the lack of IPs announced this year, I’m happy I saw new trailers and gameplay from games I had been excited for coming into the conference. At Microsoft’s event, I was given a deeper look into the open waters of Sea of Thieves, and finally got release dates for Cuphead, Tacoma, and State of Decay 2. Sony showed us more of Uncharted: Lost Legacy and Marvel’s Spiderman, Nintendo blew my mind with more Mario Odyssey gameplay, and Ubisoft graced us with a gorgeous trailer for Beyond Good and Evil 2. It’s safe to say my hype levels have increased for these games.

We Can Soon Play Xbox Games on Xbox One

This was an unexpected reveal at Microsoft’s press event (which I enjoyed much more this year than in the past). Although I prefer Sony consoles, Microsoft has always been better about backwards compatibility, which more gamers care about than you’d think. When Phil Spencer dropped this bomb, I immediately opened a new tab in my browser and scoured the internet for a few of the essentials from my childhood – Def Jam: Fight for NY, Ninja Gaiden, Jade Empire, Fusion Frenzy, and Jet Set Radio Future. It’s not a sure thing that these will all be compatible, but here’s to hoping!

I Actually Want a Switch Now

Nintendo has done it again. For the second time, it has found a way to get me excited for a console that I could care less about coming into E3. I should have known this would happen after I was given a glimpse at Mario Odyssey earlier this year. In addition to increasing my hype levels for that game by showing new content, Nintendo also hit me with Metroid Prime 4, new Kirby and Yoshi games, and A POKEMON RPG! For a moment, I thought I had died and gone to heaven, but then I realized that half of these games won’t see the light of day for a long time. When that time comes, I will purchase a Switch.

The Bad

Bethesda, Ubisoft, and EA

I’m not a big fan of any of these companies, but I can say without bias that their events were underwhelming. Besides The Evil Within 2, I didn’t care about anything Bethesda presented. Same with EA. I was dazzled by slick-looking Star Wars Battlefield II gameplay and intrigued by the unique co-op prison break adventure A Way Out, but didn’t care for the 2018 sports lineup; especially the overdramatic Madden trailer. Ubisoft was perhaps the best of the bunch, but still nothing special. Finally giving Beyond Good and Evil 2 an official announcement and showing a trailer might have been the highlight of the entire conference, but the rest of the event left much to be desired.

Can we Stop with Skyrim Already?

I get it; people like Skyrim much more than I do. But does that mean the game has to be announced at E3 every fucking year? I don’t care that I’ll soon be able to explore Cyrodiil in VR or dress my character up as Link, and from what I’ve been reading online, others don’t really care either. The game is six years old, and while it is very good, isn’t it time to move on now? Does Bethesda really need to keep remastering and porting it? I’m not asking for a brand new Elders Scrolls game just yet, but I would at least like to see some new content. Perhaps another DLC? I’ll take anything but the same game with improved visuals or a new gimmick; it’s tired.

Not Enough New IPs

One of the reasons I look forward to E3 is because I know I will likely be shocked by a bunch of new IPs. Last year, I was pleasantly surprised by a bevy or original AAA titles like Detroit: Become Human, Days Gone, and Death Stranding to name a few. There were also some great indie reveals like Vampyr, We Happy Few, and Abzu. I wish I could say the same about this year, but I can’t. Sure there were a few cool-looking original titles like The Darwin Project, The Last Night, Anthem, and A Way Out, but not as many as I would have liked to see.

The Disappointing

Nothing from The Last of Us Part II

There is nothing more I would have liked to see than some gameplay for The Last of Us Part II. I would have been satisfied if it were the only game shown off at E3. I’ve been waiting for it ever since I finished its predecessor back in 2013, and I’m surprised that we weren’t given a new trailer or a glimpse at some gameplay during Sony’s event. I figured Naughty Dog would have something to show us, especially since its artists have been working on head sculptures since in April 2014. Hopefully we will get to see something at Gamescom in August.

No News on Starfield

Bethesda is losing it. While Skyrim is great, it’s also one of the most overrated games of all time, and Fallout 4 was a huge disappointment. Instead wasting our time by talking about Skyrim for the fifth time in six years, I was hoping Bethesda would show us something on Starfield, the intergalactic sci-fi RPG it has been working on for the past four years. To this point, there isn’t much we know about this project because the publisher has been pretty tight-lipped about it. Considering the weakness of its conference this year, not mentioning Starfield tells me that Bethesda is a ways away from having anything to show us.

Nothing on Red Dead Redemption 2

I’m not surprised we didn’t see any Red Dead Redemption gameplay; Rockstar historically never makes a splash at E3. However, a small part of me thought that maybe, just maybe, the publisher would show us something as a consolation for delaying the game until Q2 2018. Although I wasn’t expecting to see anything, I am still a little disappointed. Red Dead Redemption 2 is right under The Last of Us Part II on my most anticipated games list, so it would have been nice to see some gameplay or a new trailer. With the tentative release date one year away, hopefully something will emerge over the next few months.

What did you think of the press events at E3 2017? Did you like them or hate them? Were you pleasantly surprised by anything? What were you most disappointed with? Share your thoughts in the comments section below!