Topic: E3 2021 Discussion Thread

I thought the Microsoft presentation was great, 9/10, exactly how an E3 presentation should be.

I thought Party Animals looked good, apparently it's already on Steam, i'd have a look if it was released on Switch.

I'm not going to get an XBOX, but I'd consider getting Game Pass depending on which devices it ends up on.

Not FFXVI, @VIIIAxel .... There was a blip about PC in the initial Sony stream that got removed when they uploaded the trailer afterwards, so that one will be coming to PC eventually, as usual Whereas the Forspoken trailer says PS5 & PC 2022 but I'm concerned it might be a timed EGS exclusive, so it might be later for Steam

@BruceCM If it got removed, it could've been a mistake. Although, we'll just have to wait and see honestly.

@BruceCM Ah, I forgot about the PC mention. Hopefully it won't be a long wait, then! I wouldn't be surprised if Forspoken (or FFXVI for that matter) do wind up as timed EGS exclusives given Square's recent track record, unfortunately. I'm planning to get XVI on PS5 since I prefer console in most cases personally, but I'm not really a fan of Square going with EGS so often for their recent releases on PC. I'd hope it's just a temporary thing and they won't do the same for a game as big as FFXVI.

Yeah but then the FF games have been following the pattern of releasing on PS, then coming to Steam & XBox later, @VoidofLight .... So, it's highly unlikely FFXVI isn't doing the same, anyway! I'm not too bothered about the timed part, since I'm used to waiting for games to come to Steam anyway, @VIIIAxel but it would be nice if it did come there at the same time

@BruceCM That's true that Steam's always had to wait a while. That being said, it's unfortunate that just as that seemed like it could have changed, Epic decided to start going for timed exclusivity to its store for PC. I don't usually get major releases on PC, but it's still a bit annoying seeing how many games wind up as timed exclusivity deals over there these days. I'm hoping FFXVI won't be an EGS exclusive since I know a few people who would probably like to get it on PC and would prefer to go with Steam.

Reading through the last few pages in this thread has reminded me why I dislike E3. It fails to be a celebration of games the same way San Diego Comic-Con is to comics or Wrestlemania is to WWE but also fails as a marketing event since people only care about the big game announcements so they declare winners and losers at things whilst ignoring the smaller games.

I've been content so far, there's definitely games I will be following on their progress now which I didn't know of before E3 so it's a success so far from me. Atomic Heart in particular looks like it could be filling my Bioshock cravings.

Well, I have not installed EGS for games they offered free & I haven't had it for any of their timed things yet, @VIIIAxel .... I'll treat that the same as if it was PS exclusive! For me, with a PC, there aren't enough PS full exclusives I'd want to justify getting their console, especially the almost impossible to obtain PS5

@jump
"since people only care about the big game announcements so they declare winners and losers at things whilst ignoring the smaller games."

I am the opposite here.
I don't even care with bigger games like BOTW2, Metroid Prime 4, AAA Western games.
My attention is for smaller and obscure games from E3 2021. They are actually looks more interesting to play with colorful pastel colors and cartoonish design.

Vaas: "Did I ever tell you what the definition of insanity is? Insanity is doing the exact... same ******* thing... over and over again expecting... s**t to change... That. Is. Crazy."

Why not both?

What a day of contrasts. Square Enix show was dreadful, though at least not as bad as Gearbox. However the Xbox show was superb. Loads of variety, lots of games for 2021 and 2022 and tons of stuff on Game Pass. Plus a good format with a really fast pace. As good as it gets, realistically.

Might as well rank the E3 presentations I've watched so far. Square Enix is the only one I watched all the way through though.

Wholesome Direct: 8/10 - Might not be technically part of E3 but this was a lovely showcase stuffed full of games that appeal directly to my tastes.

Ubisoft: 3/10 - Mario + Rabbids is the only thing that interests me here (well, that extreme sports game looks good too, but I don't have anything to play it on). This presentation was just so slow and dull for me. Even the Just Dance segment wasn't entertaining.

Xbox: 7/10 - A few too many CGI trailers with no gameplay, and only a limited number of games here actually appeal to me specifically (though there were more than I expected), but the pacing was fantastic. Very little filler, just dozens of games.

Square Enix: 5/10 - Guardians of the Galaxy looks pretty good but they spent far too long on it, and I think the only other big announcement was that Final Fantasy Dark Souls which is not my cup of tea. I'm not too bothered about the FF collection not coming to Switch personally because I can play those games on other Nintendo systems, but it's still a bizarre omission.

@BruceCM That's definitely fair as well! I was pretty behind on game hardware for a while before, so I understand there is a point where you kind of get used to waiting. Ideally, I do wish it wasn't something that happened so often, though. I remember being really happy when Dragon Quest XI came to Steam the same day as PS4 since I didn't have a PS4 at the time and the Switch version had been delayed.

@HotGoomba
The bigger games are mostly for mature audiences and I do not even like the things from those games at all.
I do not like ultra realistic graphics.
I do not like dark theme.
I do not like too much Westernized things.
I do not like too mainstream things.
I really hate gritty things and something really inappropriate.
Zero interest with them.

The smaller games are mostly for casual gamers or for specific gamers with obscure things.
I am a kind of audience like that and that's why I was really satisfied with Wholesome Indie Direct yesterday for discovering a lot of upcoming indie games with cute design, colorful pastel colors and interesting genre to play (photography games, Animal Crossing clones, Story of seasons clones, etc).

Huh but then you had to buy the Switch version as well, @VIIIAxel ....? Also still waiting for FFVII Remake to come to Steam but I'm hoping that'll be announced soon! Fortunately, XBox are eager to bring their games to PC, usually Steam & otherwise their own Store, normally at the same time as consoles! Now, if only they'd stop putting games I own onto GamePass, that might become better for me, too

Imagine an alternate universe where @BruceCM bought a PlayStation instead of a PC/Xbox! You'd be able to enjoy so many quality titles without having to wait 15 million years for them to come to Microsoft...

I don't have an XBox, @TheJGG .... I never knew I'd lived for how many million years, though!

@BruceCM I did get the Switch version once it released too, but it added so much additional content that I didn't mind picking it up again. I also just find the Switch super comfortable and convenient, and I prefer physical copies of games, so it all still worked out for me. As for FFVIIR, I remember hearing Sony's exclusivity was extended by 6 months or so, but I'd hope they'll announce Xbox and PC versions once that period's over. Square's certainly gotten better about releasing PC ports lately, it's just a matter of hoping they're solid ports usually.

I do agree that it's great that Xbox games also tend to come to Steam at the same time as well! I've never really been into Xbox, so it's great still having a way to play any exclusives without needing to buy the console. I haven't really taken advantage of it yet outside of a few games, but I really appreciate Microsoft's willingness to go multi-platform and to not just keep their games limited to the Windows Store for PC releases.

The Xbox show was good, probably a 7/10. I'm hesitant to go higher because while they showed a lot of games, it was very heavily western focused, which seems to be a trend for E3 this year, but is a step back from Xbox shows of the past.

It was well paced and had lots of games.

My issues with the show is we can see Xbox has a strong lineup of first party titles coming.

Eventually.

That was a lot of first party CGI and not even release windows. Outer Worlds 2, Perfect Dark, Fable, Forza Motorsport, Elder Scrolls 6, Everwild, Avowed...all games we have seen that could be out in 5 years and we will be seeing at many an E3 to come.

And more worryingly is how they revealed and dated Forza Horizon 5 for a primo holiday spot and gave it a deep dive.

Yet HALO still doesn't have a solid date despite being set for this year. Yet Starfield, the CGI only game has an exact date for the end of 2022?

Doesn't that seem weird?

That's what I'm taking away from this show. It was good, not as varied as the past, well paced, but the first party lineup is a bit worrying in terms of how long we are waiting.