E3 2021: What we liked from this year's E3
posted:
6/18/2021 10:08:00 PM
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E3 2021
An all-digital edition of E3 2021 just happened. While it officially ended Tuesday, June 15, several companies returned for an encore throughout the week. Some of us are chalking up victory points for nailing Our Safe, Risky, and Way Out There E3 Predictions, while others are quietly eating crow as was intended by the aptly named "Way Out There" category.
So, here's what we liked at this year's E3.
Eric Hauter
I had a pretty good time with the Ubisoft presentation, even though they didn't have a ton of new stuff to show. I figure that I'll probably be playing a lot of the games they did show, and I'm one of the folks that is actually very interested in the Avatar game. I enjoyed the Xbox/Bethesda showcase as well, which will likely result in me joining the desperate hunt for an Xbox Series X. Gotta have Starfield, no matter the cost.
Elliot Hilderbrand
This was the first E3 that I've given more than a passing glance at in quiet a while, and overall I had fun with it. I thought Microsoft and Bethesda took the cake this year. Before last week I was waiting till I could find a PS4 without putting too much work into the process. Now I'm actively searching for an Xbox. I enjoyed What Nintendo had to show as well, a new Metroid out later this year is bonkers to me—very excited. I also am looking forward to picking up Advanced Wars 1+2 Re-Boot Camp; they were very big staples on any long car rides I took with my brothers and I'm hoping to relive that feeling this December.
Randy Kalista
The Starfield trailer got my attention in a big way. Typically a cinematic trailer doesn't do much for me, in-engine or otherwise. But I don't think they're making up a lot of stuff here. I think it's probably pretty close to WYSIWYG, and what I see are AAA shooter graphics applied to a big huge Bethesda open world RPG. Todd Howard said it himself, it'll be Skyrim in space. He's creating a sci-fi forever-game—a game you can theoretically play forever. Ten years ago when he'd said Skyrim would be a forever game? I laughed. How cute is that, that Todd Howard thinks people are going to be playing Skyrim five years down the road, 10 years down the road? Well, here I am, having rolled up my umpteenth character, walking those same old roads, looking up at those same old peaks, and accepting that same old challenge he threw at us a decade ago: See that mountain? You can climb it.
Joseph Moorer
Hmm...(takes a breath). Kazuya for Smash, WarioWare, New Metroid, BOTW 2 release year, the entire Nintendo direct, the 30 games announced for Xbethesda, 27 for Game Pass. Ubisoft was good too. I just downloaded Far Cry 3, 4, and 5, to get ready for 6, because I'm crazy. And Forza Freakin' Horizons 5. My goodness.
John Yan
For this year, I was actually impressed with some of the things I got a little weary of. Battlefield 2042 looked way intense and is something that's now on my playlist for this fall. I never got into Battlefield 1 or Battlefield V, but Battlefield 2042 with its potential of 128 players in an online war speaks loud to me. It just looks really fun with its dynamic weather system and massive maps.
