That thing we called E3 2015 has hit the books as just another part of gaming history. A time of miracles and weirdness alike, this past E3 was something special for everyone young and old, but you can bet that some stories stood out more than others. As may rumors and far-fetched dreams came true this summer, even more will have to wait.
Before we look forward to this coming holiday and the following year, join us for some retrospective on 15 stories that stood out above the rest at E3 2015, as we reported to you right here at BagoGames.
Doom Kicks it Old-School
Do we even care about Doom anymore? Answer: we just might after Doom. Piggybacking off of last year’s Wolfenstein: The New Order, Doom‘s gory return to its roots seems to be leading the march in Bethesda’s parade of old-school shooters.
If its hellish imagery and sickening gameplay wasn’t enough, then its ridiculous violence could very well entice us to leave Doom 3′s tired horror tropes a distant memory. If its multiplayer is anything as badass as its single player, than we could be looking at the Doom to kill all Dooms – and then shove its intestines down its throat.
The Xbox One Pulls Another 360
E3 2015 was all about old-school and that seems to include your old games as well. Microsoft’s Xbox One couldn’t be more unrecognizable since its criticized launch two years ago. One less camera and $150 later, the console’s finally seeming to come into its own as a pure gaming machine, if not technically two console’s worth of games. Though its announced back-compatibility with hundreds of your old 360 games might’ve been on the late side, better late than never doesn’t hurt the idea of catching up on and keeping your 360 backlog.
Guerilla Games’ New Game is Horizon: Zero Dawn and it Looks Gorgeous
You might never know that Guerrilla Games were “those guys that made Killzone” just two years ago from the scope that is Horizon: Zero Dawn. “A beautiful open-world game starring a strong female protagonist” is something we’d like to hear more often than we do, but take that and couple that with a prehistoric post-apocalypse and you have yourself one head-spinning idea of a game. And steel dinosaurs? Yes, please. We don’t know just how big Zero Dawn‘s aiming for, but we sure do hope it hits its enormous mark.
The Last Guardian Lives!
Just a few months ago, you’d be hard pressed to make a case for The Last Guardian – or much less its very existence. For six, long years, the game’s dwelt in a mysterious limbo between a seemingly imminent release and its impending cancellation, but Sony pulled out all the stops to save its little prodigal puzzle-platformer from its grave. A glorious release date and yet another charming trailer brought Team ICO’s legendary name back to the forefront once again and with famed designer Mark Cerny advising, no less. We should hope for The Last Guardian‘s sake that reports of its death will indeed be remembered as grossly exaggerated.
Rare Boards the High Tide in Sea of Thieves
Poor, poor, Rare. No one ever said pulling Kinect duty was easy, but one Banjo game that shall not be named and a bunch of sports games later, it’s hard to remember how much we once loved Rare. If Microsoft’s E3 proved anything, it’s that a new attitude and newfound support from Xbox’s Phil Spencer just might help Rare kick the Nuts & Bolts out of its head.
Sea of Thieves might be the very best sounding game we know almost nothing about, but it’s got pirates, it’s got water, and it’s sporting the look of an HD Monkey Island if it were ever made into a smashing Pixar film. Rare Replay’s a nice, nostalgic appetizer, but “something new” and “something brilliant” are the words we like to hear from Rare. As long as we get to talk to parrots and make someone walk the plank, that’ll be something.
Dark Souls III is Coming – Already
There’s not much you can ask from a Souls game. You expect it to be brutal, uncompromising, and utterly badass in every sense of the word. We expect nothing less from Dark Souls III – though it seems awfully fast after FromSoftware’s coming off of this year’s Bloodborne and a little game called Dark Souls II. We can only hope this isn’t indicative of a Dark Souls rush job, but in FromSoftware we trust if it tests our mettle, douses us in lore, and has more bosses than generic armored dudes.
Dishonored 2 is a Twice-told Tale About Two Heroes
Player choice is something this generation’s touted more than ever and if that means choosing between one badass and another badass, then that’s a dilemma we’ll love to have for Dishonored 2. A grown-up Emily’s probably the best and most logical alternative to stabbing urban patriarchs as Corvo again and from the looks of the trailer, she’s got some slick moves. We’ll be fascinated to see just how Dishonored‘s endings factor in as we journey beyond the turrets of Dunwall and If you haven’t played Dishonored yet, in current-gen graphics or otherwise, this holiday’s no better time to.
Star Fox Zero Looks This Good in HD
Star Fox’s return been something on our radar since 2014, but we probably couldn’t have guessed how nice HD could’ve served it. The series’ charming character models and shining planets couldn’t have looked better on the Wii U, nor could the series classic dogfights and Land Master battles – no offense to General Pepper. New gameplay additions like the Arwing’s chicken-walker mode look lovely and though we’ll have to see just how long Star Fox Zero ends up being, it sure makes for one pretty spectacle. Above all, thank Nintendo that Dinosaur Planet’s as definitively dead to Fox as his apparent love life.
Hitman Gets a Reboot and a timed-PS4 Release?…Maybe?
It seems Bethesda’s not the only one interested in concise titles and series reboots, or so Square Enix revealed. It’s been a while since we gazed into Agent 47’s cold, unfeeling eyes and though we’ll be looking into Rupert Friend’s this August, we might as well take out another contract with the world’s original Hitman.
Despite its Dec. 8th release date, we still seem to have zero clue about 2015’s Hitman beyond the bloody obvious. Is it digital – physical? Is it PS4 and PC only? For how long? That’s just Square Enix for you, but that we’ll be chucking axes at foreign dignitaries and sipping martinis is arguably enough for now – shaken, not stirred.
South Park is Playing With Superheroes Now
We don’t mean to sound anal, but superheroes are everywhere these damn days, including the minds of Matt Stone and Trey Parker. Straight from the twisted people that brought us last year’s The Stick of Truth, Fractured But Whole promises us a superhero origin story with all the crass humor its title implies. With the classic turn-style combat of the original game and the pop culture pull of a TV-MA Avengers, Fractured But Whole‘s probably the mature Paper Mario someone’s been unduly dying for.
Two Bowsers are Better Than One
For all those dreaming of another Paper Mario, you were only half right this E3. Yes, Nintendo finally decided that two Marios are better than one and next year will finally see the showdown we’ve all been waiting for: Bowser threatening his paper self. Brought to us by the folks at Alpha Dream, the Mario & Luigi series will at long last team up with its paper peer in a crazy cross-over the likes of which only one Mario may survive. The 2D meets 3D plane looks like a trippy concept, but the real question is: can Paper Princess Peach end up with 3D Mario?
Basically Everything Fallout 4
This was it. This was the big one. Everyone knew it going in and virtually everyone coming out of Bethesda’s conference that Fallout 4 was going to be the game heard ’round the Internet, for better or worse and by all accounts, it probably faired for the better times ten. A talking, customizable protagonist; first and third-person modes, city-building, an immortal dog – it’s fair to say Fallout 4‘s taking an unorthodox approach to the series tradition, to say the least, especially our first, moving look at the world before the bombs fell.
Yes, the graphics are what they are, though probably nothing that can’t be modded. Man or woman, the sole survivor’s job of surviving and rebuilding an open-world Boston’s a mighty fine one to lost three bazillion hours in. Pack a lunch. This is Fallout.
Hero Characters are Back for a Good-Looking Star Wars Battlefront
The looming shadow of DICE’s Star Wars Battlefront has been one we’ve seen coming for a while now, but how and what be shown this E3 was a blank slate. Would hero characters be back? Would there be a third-person mode? Never tell DICE the odds, because from where we’re standing, DICE wrote a list and checked it twice this E3 because Battlefront sure outdid itself on the “this is Star Wars” front. Stormtroopers, screaming TIE fighters, AT-ATs, and dramatic lightsaber clashes might not put skeptics at ease, but it sure did change the game from rumor to reality.
As easily the most anticipated shooter this holiday, let alone what made the last ten minutes of EA’s press conference bearable, Battlefront‘s probably poised to be a whole lot more than just this holiday’s not-Call of Duty. If we could only get more offline modes, then even piecemeal DLC and online servers might not stop this hype train.
Fate Decides Final Fantasy VII’s Getting Remade
They said it couldn’t happen. They said it wouldn’t happen. They said Square Enix would dry up and blow away before Final Fantasy VII was ever remade. It still might, but that didn’t stop Square Enix from doing the unthinkable and announcing a remake of one of the most beloved JRPGs of all-time. Though it may be years until we see Square Enix’s promise fulfilled (any of them), we can at least bask in the glorious news that someone is at least attempting to remake FF VII. See you next decade, Final Fantasy VII Remake.
Worth Mentioning:
Nintendo’s Muppet Craziness
Nintendo may be a lot of things, but you can’t say their E3s aren’t memorable – in some shape or form. Star Fox Zero looks lovely, Metroid Federation Force not so much, and Yoshi’s Woolly World is so cute it hurts. While Westerners wait for Xenoblade Chronicles X to get localized, Triforce Heroes and the like can’t help but seem like filler.
What do you do when life gives you lemons? Do battle with Muppets! If we can’t get a Metroid Prime, then we can at least treasure the memory of Reggie Fils-Aime transforming into Falco Lombardi. Yeah, that happened.
Shenmue III and Nier Are Back from the Grave
You might’ve played Shenmue. You might’ve played NieR. Regardless, this E3 was a great time for obscure cult-classics as both saw their timely resurrection – the former by loyal fans Sony and the latter by Square Enix and Platinum Games. We can say that the Platinum and Nier are two very interesting words to put together in the same sentence – one that we can’t wait to see translate into something as off-the-wall crazy as a Platinum-made NieR. As Shenmue III‘s raking in the dough, it’s a good time to be an obscure cult-classic and especially a kickstarting game designer.
What was your biggest surprise this past E3? Blown away by Bethesda? Shocked by Shenmue III? Loved Yoshi’s Woolly World? Let us know in the comments below!