Topic: All-Encompassing E3 2018 Thread

I wonder where Sam is in anchoring Treehouse? I've always wished for Trinnen to be the host since he just makes so much more sense and has more "presence" as a figurehead of import, but it seems stark to have not seen her after years of her anchoring.

@6ch6ris6 I think they saved that for last week, when they released the rest of Rockstar's games, as well as Saint's Row 1, 2, and Gat out of Hell. Oh, and Battlefield 1943, but I doubt anyone's gonna go back and play that...

@Snaplocket Sure, but we cant live in hope. Those who live on hope die starving.

We have a first party game drought that this year has been sustained by Wii U ports and now a whopping 2 games + Mario Party.

@Snaplocket There will be small direct surprises of third parties (mostly Japanese) but I do think this is what's lined up into next Spring.....they spent EVERYTHING they had on those year 1 Switch games.....they were starting from zero getting anything else out the door. They just need more staff. It's just an awkward pause to be only on year 2 and they have really nothing to announce beyond updates on what we already know. Though even Yoshi got no date. That's kind of odd. We know real Pokemon is next year, but they didn't mention that either. It's like the WiiU team is back on assignment to build hype

Yeesh even as someone who is excited for smash and will probably buy day one, conference was kind of a clunker. I'm sure all the small details mean a lot to Smash nerds (I don't mean that in an offensive way) was music to their ears but it all went way over my head. Cool to see they managed to get the whole roster back though, huge deal.

My final rankings for this E3

Ubisoft
Microsoft
Sony
Bethesda
Nintendo
Square
EA

There weren't any jump out of my seat moments for me this E3 which is a bit disappointing, but I think overall there were tons of great games talked about. Next 12 months are going to be great for gamers!!

@Snaplocket I'm not sure if that means Nintendo's presentation satisfied them or if it means people have such low expectations for Nintendo as a maker of "non-gamer-games" that when Nintendo misses the bar we know they can and should hit, they think that's normal.

The part that's so bad about it is it paints the wrong image, it makes it look like Switch has way less incoming games than it actually does have. Not even an Okami HD mention. There's a glut of about 7 things I "need" to own in the next 4 months....and other than Aces and Octopath not one was mentioned. Good library....horrible marketing. Must be Nintendo.

Yeah, about that: The physical version apparently contains a download code for the expansion pass, only usable with the main version, which of course is sold separately...does that mean it only contains the code? Like, are they seriously gonna release a box with no cartridge? I'm really confused by that...and worried, if only because that would make it horribly deceptive.

Oof. That was quite the let down. I go into every Nintendo direct just happy to get information about upcoming games, but all they really showed was a single game. As someone who loves a lot of what Nintendo has to offer, I'm dissapointed that they spent so much time a just Smash. The difference with Sony and Nintendo is that Sony showed off more than a single game. I mean, I like Smash more than all of what Sony showed individually, but certainly not combined. Mix this with 2 new games, and you have an underwhelming direct in your hands.

I loved about half of Smash that they showed. All characters coming back, A lot of Melee stages making a comeback, Mario getting murdered by Ridley, and Ridley themself. Everything else, I think, was entirely unneeded.

It says something when the biggest NEW game shown off was Mario Party.

Ratings:
Microsoft - A
Ubisoft - B
Bethesda - C+
Sony - C
Nintendo - C-
Square - D
EA - Z

@NEStalgia Does Octopath look like it was made in 2018 and not 1988? I'm thinking of passing on DQ11 b/c it looks like a PS2 game, Octopath has no chance.

@Snaplocket Oh I do. I see the general consensus is hardcore Smash fans are claiming it was amazing, which they were gonna do regardless, and people who aren't hardcore smash fans seem to find it was middling at best. Which I think is an accurate distinction. Then again, I only visit this site and another

@NEStalgia WHAT??? How dare you... NOTHING can be put below the disgrace that is EA...
They deserve to rot in the deepest pits of Hell. Nintendo just needs a little bit of purgatory to get them back on the straight and narrow...

But in all seriousness: like @Octane said, this will be another year of wondering what Retro is doing, where the hell Pikmin 4 is at, and a couple of other mysteries yet to unfold, such as why it wasn't possible to show a teaser trailer of Metroid Prime 4, which has now been in development for more than a year already...

Really thought we’d see some Prime news, my only real disappointment.

I can understand Metroid, it's probably a deeply late 2019 game and I was never under the impression that they'd tease it again this year, but Pikmin and Yoshi missing are two huge noticeable omissions

I think it comes with the code since it's...essentially the Expansion pass with the Torna content pre-downloaded, I guess? I don't know, you're right, they need to explain that further.

I think anyone that was upset forgot how Nintendo handles E3. They focus on games that have a short release window 6-9 months ideally because they want you focused on what you can buy soon rather than two tears from now. Plus since they do directs year round they don’t have to bank on e3. Plus it’s not as if all the other announcements from other directs just faded. Not gonna lie I was content. I got FE footage and I’m a bit more interested in smash. They established their holiday seller and showed things that are out or on the way.

So that was interesting. Smash Bros Ultimate looks amazing and is confirmed to be a new title since it's on an entirely different engine (UE4). Slightly disappointed that it's not coming until December though. Also, RIDLEY!!!!

Fire Emblem Three Houses looks fantastic, and I have a gut feeling that it will be M rated. The delay to Spring 2019 is disappointing though. Super Mario Party looks cool, as does Daemon x Machina.

The big problem was the lack of dates, and Smash taking that much time.

Overall, I give it a B.

Rankings:

Microsoft
Sony
Ubisoft
Nintendo
Bethesda
Square Enix
EA

Is that it for Smash news then? Was hoping to find out if there is a story mode or not.

I know I understood that and tempered my expectations accordingly. It's just that...all lot of people don't really like that? It really does make their presence at E3 seem largely pointless, and it's too understated that even their holiday line-up looks bad. As others have noted, if that's what they wanted to focus on, they had plenty of 3rd parties to give the floor to. Instead they spent 30 minutes - at least - on Smash Bros. Ultimate. It was a Smash Direct, and everything else felt like a footnote in comparison, which is really how they seemed to have drop the ball, IMO.

@IceClimbers I wouldn't give it a B but I definitely agree with your list. Never thought Ubisoft would be better than Nintendo, haha

@rjejr It looks like a 2018 game stylized as a 1988 game, but only on the surface. I'm looking forward to the new Demo.....right after I finish sushi striker......but, then, my $90 collectors edition of Octopath was paid for months ago

DQ11 looks fine on PS4....no clue what it will look like on Switch though.

@Ryu_Niiyama Actually most of the rest of E3 seems to have followed Ninty's lead and showed things coming mostly into February. Ninty said 2018 only.....and gave us through February. But Ninty's problem was that someone had a cranial-rectal inversion on the event planning staff. They didn't list half the games that are coming, paced it so that games that were mentioned coming got 18 seconds show time and Smash got over half an hour. When you look at the real release schedule even through 2018 it's excellent. But you wouldn't know that by watching Nintendo's E3. That's why it's a fail (of a presentation.) Ubisoft and Bethesda showed more games coming to Switch through February 2019 than Nintendo did Even EA had one. Both Sony and Ninty have dialed back on E3 (which makes me wonder if E3 will continue for long), but I think, post-Iwata, minus the Switch launch they've really lost pacing with hype building. They kind of mention something once, briefly without fanfare, then never mention it again. One day it's just on shelves. Iwata kind of had the news cycle well managed (while the rest of the company blundered marketing.) I feel like whoever plans that stuff now just doesn't get how to build hype.

I posted above (somewhere in the 20 pages a minute that is this thread) that Microsoft gets hailed as best, and one of their 50 games was Vesperia with a big hyped buildup and announcement. That very same game is coming to Switch.....and nary a peep is heard. Microsoft and Sony are promoting Shining Resonance fairly significantly (for a JRPG)....same game coming to Switch...not a peep.

Last year they hyped arms like crazy. A tournament, dev showcase at treehouse, content on the Direct. The game was free play prior to E3 and releasing E3 friday. This year they have the same setup with Aces....and it got all of 20 seconds in the Direct. Someone's definitely asleep at the Switch (click!). They had potential to make a big noise, and instead had Sakurai explaining Peach's face to us.

Edit: I mean even Miyamoto seems to be more interested in the Ubi show