E3 made a comeback this year following its absence in 2020, and it was clear right off the bat that it wasn't going to be the even that you'd usually expect. We're still in the midst of a pandemic, and plans for E3 came together later than they usually do every year. Where publishers and developers often begin preparations for the next E3 nearly a year in advance, this time, it was clear that things came together in a more haphazard way this year- which is understandable. After all, development has been fickle enough due to COVID-related production challenges as it is.
That said, it's not like there was nothing of note at this year's E3. Though far from perfect, E3 2021 still had quite a few exciting new announcements and meaty new updates spread out across its several showcases and events. But the question, as it ever is, is who had the best show out of all the attendees. Who should off the best, most interesting games, and promised exciting things for the future? Let's talk about the events of E3 in the order that they happened, and take a look at how each of them turned out (for the purposes of this feature, we're only talking about the publisher showcases).
Before E3 even technically began, Elden Ring had already taken the industry by storm, impressing with its first gameplay showing and with its promise of a game with that trademark FromSoftware depth and mechanical polish, but set in a massive, ambitious open world, and with the collective strength of Hidetaka Miyazaki and George R.R. Martin backing its story and lore. It's hard not to salivate at that prospect, and we'd be remiss no to mention the waves Elden Ring made before E3 even technically began, with a January release date announcement to boot.
The next day, however, E3 proper did begin. First, we had Ubisoft- which was a decent yet tame way to kick off the festivities. The biggest and most exciting new announcement at the Ubisoft Forward was Mario + Rabbit Sparks of Hope. The game's leak prior to E3 may have dampened the impact of the announcement somewhat, but nothing can take away from how good the game looks. Mario + Rabbids Kingdom Battle was one of the best games of 2017, completely contrary to initial expectations, and from what we've seen of it so far, it definitely seems like Sparks of Hope is looking to deliver an even better experience.
Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora was also announced. We've known about Ubisoft Massive's Avatar game for quite some time (it was first confirmed to be in the works way back in 2017), but honestly, it's announcement here came as a bit of a surprise. We saw a purely cinematic trailer, of course, and it didn't tell us much about the actual game or its gameplay, other than the fact that it's going be a first person open world action-adventure game. Still the potential of a well-made open world Avatar game is exciting, and it's good to know that the game is actually coming not long from now.
The other major reveal was Rainbow Six Extraction, which was known as Rainbow Six Quarantine not that long ago. Unfortunately, it looks… not that great. It doesn't look terrible, that's for sure, but it doesn't look all that exciting. Its risk-and-reward style progression mechanics and roguelike elements are certainly interesting, but it was a pretty tepid first showing nonetheless. Riders Republic also confirmed a September launch, and it showed an extended look of its gameplay, which looked solid. The concept of a social open world where you can jump into various extreme sports is an interesting one, and Riders Republic certainly seems to have some good ideas about how to deliver that.
Meanwhile, Ubisoft also showed off the upcoming Bloodline DLC for Watch Dogs: Legion, showed another Far Cry 6 trailer, and announced that they'll be supporting Assassin's Creed Valhalla with more content in 2022. There was also a Just Dance segment, because of course there was. So a decent showcase, all in all, with one exciting reveal and a few more good showings, interspersed with a couple somewhat low points.
Then came Devolver Digital- and yes, of course it was an amazing show. Devolver consistently puts on hilarious shows year after year, and 2021 was no different. But it wasn't great just because it was funny- it also showed quite a few interesting things. Trek to Yomi looks like a beautiful sidescrolling Ghost of Tsushima, Death's Door is looking promising, Shadow Warrior 3 once again showed off blistering combat, Phantom Abyss was given an early access release date. Then there was Wizard with a Gun, Inscryption, Demon Throttle, each of which had impressive debuts at the show. Devolver's event may not have had massive names, but it was constantly entertaining, and shed light on more than a few games that are probably going to end up surprise people.
The next day, we got the Xbox and Bethesda Showcase- and this was a big one. The best and most impressive game shown off was, without the shadow of a double, Forza Horizon 5. True to rumours, it is set in Mexico, which promises to be a stunning open world. It looks vast and varied and full of excellent activities, both solo and multiplayer. Meanwhile, on a technical level, Forza Horizon 5 is clearly leveraging the Xbox Series X/S' hardware to great effect- the game looks ridiculously good. It wouldn't be an exaggeration to say that it has the potential to be probably one of the best games of 2021 when it launches in November.
Halo Infinite multiplayer game was also shown off, and for Halo fans, the footage definitely hits the spot. It remains to be seen how the game's campaign will fare, but its multiplayer is definitely headed in the right direction. And that wasn't the only other game with a meaty gameplay showing. Battlefield 2042's gameplay debut was solid, S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2: Heart of Chernobyl looked amazing and confirmed an April 2022 launch, Far Cry 6 showed off more gameplay and continued to look more great.
There were also quite a few major reveals. Redfall is promising what Arkane is best at, this time in an open world co-op experience brimming with vampires. A Plague Tale: Requiem was announced, and as the sequel to one of 2019's best and biggest surprises, it's hard not to be excited about that. The Outer Worlds 2 was unveiled as well, with a hilarious trailer that was very well aware of how little it showed. Then there's Contraband, Avalanche's Xbox-exclusive co-op open world game, which, frankly, didn't really give us many reasons to be excited- but we're still curious to learn more about it. Meanwhile, some solid like indie titles like Somerville, Replaced, and Hades – which is finally coming to Xbox and PlayStation – also got some of the spotlight.
But that's not all. We also got release dates for several major upcoming games, including the likes of Starfield, Microsoft Flight Simulator's Xbox Series X/S version, Psychonauts 2, Age of Empires 4, Diablo 2: Resurrected, and Twelve Minutes. The Xbox show was also packed full of Game Pass announcements- on top of all first party Microsoft games announced at the show, third part titles like A Plague Tale: Requiem, Back 4 Blood, Atomic Heart, Twelve Minutes, Somervile, and both Eiyuden Chronicle games are all confirmed as day one Xbox Game Pass releases as well.
So yeah, the Xbox show was pretty packed. Full of new reveals like Redfall, impressive gameplay showings like Forza Horizon 5, solid victories for Game Pass like A Plague Tale: Requiem, promising indies like Somerville, and major release date announcements like Starfield. It was a well-rounded, well-paced show, and it might very well be one of Microsoft's best E3 event ever, if not the best. While the last few years have felt transitional, like Xbox was laying down the foundations for big plays, at E3 2021, we saw that beginning to come to fruition. Where past E3s have spoken about things coming far down the road, this year we got to see a bunch of games we're going to be playing within the next year, a year and a half at most. It's all tangible, as opposed to, say, CG trailers for Fable and Perfect Dark and other games that are not going to release for several years. What we saw at the Xbox show this year is all very easy to be excited about.
Sadly, the next couple of events after the Xbox show were less than stellar. Square Enix went next, and started things off with Guardians of the Galaxy, which certainly looks promising. It's a story-driven single player action adventure game, and from what we've seen so far, it looks like it's capturing the fun and spirit of the source material very well. It might just succeed in all the way Avengers didn't. The other major new reveal was Stranger of Paradise Final Fantasy Origin, which was a terrible way to reveal what might just be a good game. A Nioh-style action RPG set in the world of Final Fantasy 1 and developed by Team Ninja has the potential to be special, but that reveal definitely wasn't.
Babylon's Fall also finally resurfaced- but not how we would have hoped. It's adopted a weird new art style, and it's being billed as a co-op live service game. So far, it neither sounds interesting nor looks interesting, in spite of the fact that it's being developed by PlatinumGames, which is really saying something. A whole section of the Square Enix event was also dedicated to mobile games, which seems weird for an E3 event, while that Final Fantasy Pixel Remaster announcement was also incredibly misguided. Fans have been demanding good remasters of the first six Final Fantasy games on consoles, so Square Enix decides to… announce them for mobile?
Though it started off fine with Guardians of the Galaxy, Square Enix's E3 event was extremely uneven, and at times, even downright painful. It was then followed by a Capcom show, which… yeah, why was that a whole show again? They talked about exactly what they said they would, so at least they set the expectations, but that was all they talked about. They confirmed Resident Evil Village DLC with a line of text, which, as exciting as that is for Resident Evil fans, didn't really tell us much. There were updates for The Great Ace Attorney Chronicles and Monster Hunter Stories 2 (which, honestly, had a much better showing during the Nintendo Treehouse livestream the next day), and measly announcements for Monster Hunter Rise. All of this should probably have been just, you know, regular announcements. Capcom didn't have to do any of this at E3, and it's hard not to wonder why they even bothered this year.
Thankfully, E3 2021 at least signed off on a high note. Nintendo went last, as they usually do, and just like Xbox, theirs too was a packed show full of exciting new reveals and meaty new updates. Metroid Dread was easily the best announcement. The first new 2D Metroid game in almost two decades, reviving the fabled Metroid Dread that we've been hearing about since as far back as 2005, and looking absolutely incredible in its own right. MercurySteam impressed fans with Samus Returns on the 3DS, and with Dread, it seems like they're on track to deliver a game that might just be exactly what Metroid fans have been craving for an interminably long time.
But that wasn't the only crowd-please announcement at the Nintendo Direct. They also unveiled Advance Wars 1+2: Re-Boot Camp, which is yet another beloved Nintendo franchise that has been dormant far too long. Advance Wars have been waiting for a new game in the series for years, so to see the first two games in the series being fully remade from the ground-up and brought to the Switch is incredibly exciting. Shin Megami Tensei 5 also looked excellent, and yet again, years of anticipation are finally going to come to an end when the game, which was announced all the way back in January of 2017, when it releases this November.
Meanwhile, The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild's still-unnamed sequel showed off what looked like beautiful new gameplay, Mario Party Superstars was announced, WarioWare: Get It Together! was yet another crowd-pleasing announcement, and Tekken's Kazuya was confirmed as the next character for Super Smash Bros. Ultimate. Quite a few third party games were also confirmed for the Switch, such as Guardians of the Galaxy with a cloud release, Life is Strange: True Colors and Life is Strange: Remastered Collection, and Danganronpa Decadence, which, in addition to the main trilogy, also includes a new game, the board game style title Danganronpa S: Ultimate Summer Camp.
All of this was, of course, followed by a lengthy Treehouse livestream, which showed off extensive gameplay demos for quite a few games, including Metroid Dread, Shin Megami Tensei 5, and Advance Wars 1+2: Re-Boot Camp, all three of which are looking very impressive. Other imminent Switch releases like Monster Hunter Stories 2, Mario Golf: Super Rush, No More Heroes 3, WarioWare: Get it Together!, and Mario Party Superstars also showed off quite a bit of gameplay. Nintendo's event, then, was an exciting one, to say the very least. Not extraordinarily so, but it definitely had more than a few excellent showings. Until not that long ago, the Switch's upcoming lineup for the remainder of the year was looking a little scant, but now, not only does 2021 have plenty to look forward to, 2022 is also looking completely packed as well.
If we're comparing the shows put on by each of publisher, it's easy to say who had the worst. For starters, let's not even make Capcom a part of the discussion. Their presentation was literally just a bunch of press releases cobbled together in video form, followed by some esports talk. The less said about Capcom's show, the better. Of the ones that are left, the Square Enix showcase was definitely the most uneven. Guardians of the Galaxy looks good and Life is Strange: True Colors showed off more promising gameplay, but everything beyond that was disappointing at best, infuriating at worst. Ubisoft's show was decent- not great, but it showed off plenty of interesting stuff, especially Mario + Rabbids Sparks of Hope. Meanwhile, Devolver Digital's show was predictably great- constantly entertaining, and full of interesting new games.
The Xbox and Nintendo showcases were clearly the highlights though. Both shows were full of big announcements, reveals, and updates. And honestly, between those two, you can pick either one based on where your tastes lie. Both of them showed off a lot, and the next year and a half is looking exciting for both Switch and Xbox, and their respective E3 shows did a lot to fill out that calendar for them. Personally, I find it hard to separate the two. After this E3, I'm just as excited about Redfall and Forza Horizon 5 as I am about Metroid Dread, Advance Wars 1+2: Re-Boot Camp, and Shin Megami Tensei 5.
E2 2021, on the whole, wasn't perfect. Far from it. Given the fact that developers and publishers are having a hard enough time keeping development on track while remote working, it makes sense that most weren't as prepared with extremely impressive E3 showings, especially with plans for the event coming together later than usual. Even with all the rough edges though, thanks to Microsoft and Nintendo and other promising showings throughout the week, E3 2021 had more than enough to reignite our interest in the remainder of 2021.
Note: The views expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily represent the views of, and should not be attributed to, GamingBolt as an organization.
Roboquest, Robo-roguelite, Announced
Developer RyseUp Studios has announced Roboquest, a fast-paced first-person shooter roguelite, today. The game is scheduled to release on Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One, and PC. It will launch on the Xbox Game Preview Program in 2021. The full release will come to Xbox Game Pass at launch and will support cross-platform co-op play.
According to the developer, Roboquest "places an emphasis on inventive gunplay action and precise movements." The game sports a cell-shaded graphic style reminiscent of comic books, as well as a single-player and co-op campaign. RyseUp decided that they would be using an open development process early in the game so they could gather player input and feedback and use it to iterate on concepts that are once again presented by the fanbase.
The game takes place in the year 2700. Climate change and war have decimated the planet. The scattered remnants of humanity eke out a desperate existence in the deserts. A young scavenger named Max finds an old Guardian robot that she activates, which ends up kickstarting the game's main story.
With over 50 weapons to collect and tons of abilities and customizations to unlock, Roboquest looks like it is shaping up to be a good time.
You can watch a trailer for the game below:
Xbox Design Lab Will Return for Xbox Series X and S
Xbox is bringing back its Xbox Design Lab service, which will allow players to create and customize their own controllers, back to Xbox Series X|S. The service originally launched in 2016 and allowed players to create their own Xbox One controllers. Microsoft took the service offline in October of 2020 for "updates."
Well, the updates are apparently done, and Design Lab is back today and players will now be able to create their own Xbox Series X and Xbox Series S controllers. The service offers 18 colors to choose from, including three new colors specifically added for Xbox Series X|S controllers: Shock Blue, Electric Volt, and Pulse Red.
Players can also customize the controller's body, back, right and left bumpers and triggers, D-pad, thumbsticks, face buttons and the View, Menu and Share buttons. In addition, each controller can be engraved with the player's gamertag or a custom message up to 16 characters long. Most of the colors offered are also made by using "30% post-consumer recycled (PCR) materials by weight," senior director of strategy and business James Hunter said in a Xbox Wire blog post. Players can customize and order their new controllers on the Xbox Design Lab website.
You can watch a trailer for the service below:
Sonic Mania and Horizon Chase Turbo Are the Next Free Games on the Epic Games Store
For the second time in two weeks, we know what the next free games on the Epic Games Store will be a week before they're free. The next free games on the Epic Game Store will be Sega's Sonic Mania and Aquiris Game Studios' Horizon Chase Turbo. They will replace Overcooked! 2 and Hell is other demons, which are free from June 17th – 24th. Overcooked! 2 and Hell is other demons replaced Control, which was free from June 10th – June 17th.
Horizon Chase Turbo is a tribute to the arcade racers of the late 80s and early 90s like Out Run, Rush, and Top Gear. the game will offer split-screen multiplayer, 12 Cups to compete for, more than 100 tracks, 48 cities, more than 30 unlockable cars, and 12 upgrades. There will also be an Online Ghost Mode and competitive leaderboards to top.
Sonic Mania, on the other hand, is a fast-paced platformer that features remixes of classic of classic levels as well as new ones. It's the best Sonic game in years, so if you haven't played it, you should definitely pick it up while it's free. You can also upgrade to Sonic Mania Plus for the low price of $5, which is somehow even better than the original game.
Metroid Dread's $30 Amiibos Will Increase Players' Health and Missiles
You ever expected something to happen, known deep in your soul that it's coming, and then been disappointed when it happens anyway? Well, we're here again, to the surprise of absolutely no one. Nintendo has tied in-game upgrades to amiibo yet again. The news comes from a GameStop listing detailing the amiibos, which confirms that they will provide permanent upgrades to Samus's missile and health capacity.
The Samus amiibo will provide players will an extra energy tank, which will increase their maximum health by 100. Meanwhile, the E.M.M.I. (the robots that stalk Samus through Dread) amiibo will give Samus a Missile+ tank that increases her maximum missiles by 10. Both are one time upgrades.
Once the one-time upgrades have been applied, players will be able to use the Samus and E.M.M.I amiibos to restore their health and missiles once a day, respectively. While it's not awful that Nintendo has decided to put amiibo exclusive stuff in the game, it is pretty terrible when the thing affects gameplay and there's no other way to get it, especially because amiibo often sell out before release. Sure, you could try to buy the Metroid Dread amiibos or the Skyward Sword Loftwing, which allows players to fast travel whenever they want (a pretty important feature), but good luck finding one. Neither has released yet, and they're already sold out and being scalped on eBay.
Developer DANGI and publisher Devolver Digital have announced that first-person hack n' slash Boomerang X will launch for Nintendo Switch and PC via Steam on July 8th of this year. Interested players can currently check out a demo of the game on Steam.
The game features some truly gorgeous art, if the trailer is anything to go by, but the real appeal looks to be the gamplay. In Boomerang X, players will have access to some pretty exceptional looking movement options, especially in the air, the ability to slow down time, and naturally, a very spiky and dangerous-looking boomerang.
Players will also be able to "travel through once bustling locales, sacrificed to hide a myth, and descend the Godpath into the lost realms below. Cleanse these halls and ensure that whatever lies beneath doesn't come back." All in all, it sounds and looks pretty unique, and it looks like a blast to play.
You can watch the release dates trailer for the game below:
Cris Tales' Opening Cinematic Revealed
Developers Dreams Incorporated and Syck and publisher Modus Games have released the opening cinematic for Cris Tales, a role-playing game that pays tribute to classic Japanese role-playing franchises like Square Enix's Final Fantasy and Secret of Mana.
The opening cinematic, which is exceptionally stylish, shows of Cris Tales' incredible art design, much of what appears to be the game's main cast, and several of their abilities, all while looking incredibly gorgeous. Luckily, the game's incredible art isn't limited to its opening. Thanks to previous trailers that provided an overview of the game and showed off some of its gameplay, we know that the game looks just like its opening cinematic, which is pretty amazing.
Cris Tales will also feature time manipulation. Essentially, protagonist Crisbell has the ability to see the past, present, and future at any time, allowing her to change events in both the past and future, allowing her to alter reality. She can also use this skill in combat ti exploit or create weaknesses in enemies. The game also features the Synchro System, allowing party members to combine their skills in combat.
Cris Tales will release on Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S, PS4, PS5, PC, and Nintendo Switch on July 20th. It will retail for $39.99 at launch. A demo is now available for those looking to try the game.
You can watch the opening cinematic below:
A Plague Tale: Innocence – PS5, Xbox Series X/S Update Out on July 6th
Update: Asobo has confirmed that the current-gen update for A Plague Tale: Innocence will be coming to PS5 as well on July 6th. The title will also release for Nintendo Switch via the cloud.
Original Story:
Though not necessarily a "remaster", Asobo Studio's A Plague Tale: Innocence will receive a current-gen update for Xbox Series X/S on July 6th. It will be free for Xbox One owners of the title and offers 4K UHD (for Xbox Series X only), 60 FPS performance and support for 3D audio. Check it out below.
Despite not being announced for PS5, previous rumors indicated that the updated version would be available for free on PlayStation Plus in July. Given how those same rumors confirmed the existence of A Plague Tale: Requiem, it's perhaps just a matter of time before the official announcement from Sony. Stay tuned in the meantime.
As for A Plague Tale: Requiem, it sees Amicia and Hugo on a new adventure, this time dealing with a "terrifying curse" (along with the ever-present swarms of plague rats). It will release for Xbox Series X/S, PS5, PC and Nintendo Switch via the cloud in 2022 along with launching day one on Xbox Game Pass.
Senua's Saga: Hellblade 2 Combat Will be "Extra Real and Brutal", Work Montage Revealed
Ninja Theory chief creative Tameem Antoniades appeared on the Xbox Games Showcase Extended to offer an update on Senua's Saga: Hellblade 2. While no gameplay was showcased, Antoniades did present a work-in-progress montage for all of the different things – from art and animation to real-life visits to Iceland – that are happening with development. Check it out below.
Currently, Ninja Theory is "Building a good chunky slice of the game before moving to full production to build out the rest" as per Antoniades. The developer didn't want to do a straight sequel to the original, instead opting for something "extra special" even if it meant making life difficult for themselves. The title is set in 9th century Iceland and along with satellite data and photogrammetry to bring it to life, Ninja Theory is building real costumes and scanning them in.
Furthermore, the combat will be "extra real and brutal" with actress Melina Juergens having trained for two years for the same. Senua's Saga: Hellblade 2 is currently in development for Xbox Series X/S and PC with a day one launch planned for Xbox Game Pass. Stay tuned for more details in the meantime.
Fans have been waiting for a brand-new entry in the 2D Metroid saga for nearly two decades at this point, so it's fair to say that Metroid Dread was probably one of the biggest announcements at E3 this year. The fact that the game looked impressive in gameplay demonstrations following its reveal just drives that home.
According to series producer Yoshio Sakamoto, when Metroid Dread releases this October, it will wrap up a five-game story arc, which began back with very first Metroid. But that does not, of course, mean that Metroid is coming to an end. Though Dread is wrapping up the current arc, Sakamoto says that it will also set up the series' future.
"[It's the] conclusion to one story arc," he told Eurogamer. "What I can say upfront is that Samus' adventure will continue. How will it continue? Well, first things first, I believe that if and when you clear Dread, you will have a clear idea. Beyond that, we will continue to work hard so we can meet expectations and keep surprising you guys with exciting gameplay experiences."
Meanwhile, to Polygon, Sakamoto said that following Dread, "there is some kind of new episode that is waiting in the works."
"Nobody wants the Metroid series to end, and we know that," he said. "We ourselves don't want that either. "But we just want people to know that there is some kind of new episode that is waiting in the works, and we want you to look forward with what we do with that next — but there are no specifics now."
Metroid Dread is out on October 8 for Nintendo Switch.