We here at Nerd Caster have stated multiple times that it appears that E3 is nearing the end of its run and E3 2019 should probably be the last. What do we mean? E3 should probably just cease to exist at this point. Each year companies pull out and do their own thing. You can use EA, Blizzard, and Sony for example. All good things come to an end.
While we are not saying that video game conferences should no longer exist; we are saying that smaller cons are going to pop up with each developer or console company hosting their own. Sony might have the right idea with its PSX convention. Nintendo even does multiple “Direct” announcements a year. It might not be long before Microsoft does its own as well as larger companies like Square Enix start on its own path.
Speaking of the latter, and it being E3, Square Enix finally showed up. They bought what everyone expected them to and they didn’t disappoint. Fans of Final Fantasy VII finally got to see real gameplay, got a new trailer, and their ears were graced with the perfectly reworked soundtrack. While all the music is still the same as the original game, it sounds 100% better. I can’t explain it, but it was amazing.
Square didn’t stop at Final Fantasy VII though, they also announced a “Remaster” of Final Fantasy VIII. While it does not have the same following it is nice to see it get a little bit of love. By a little bit, I do mean a little bit. It is essentially the same game, maybe a little brighter, maybe a little bit more polished, but nothing spectacular is coming to this title other than it is being released on newer consoles.
Other than Square Enix, Nintendo may have stolen the show. While their announcements were filled with ports of older and/or games made for other consoles, they did have a solid outing with announcing:
- Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild Sequel
- Banjo Kazooie playable character for Smash Brothers Ultimate
- Hero from Dragon Quest series as a playable Smash Brothers Ultimate Character
- Gamplay of Legend of Zelda: Links Awakening
- Metroid Prime 4
- Marvel Alliance 3: Black Order
What about Microsoft though? What did they bring? Hmmmm…. Halo and the announcement of a new console. Yawn.
If you want to hear more of our thoughts on E3 and what we think about the announcements check out our podcast on iTunes, Spotify, Google Podcasts, Stitcher, or any other podcast directory of your choosing.
