While E3 (Electronic Entertainment Expo) didn’t happen this year, all of the heavy hitters in the video game industry held some sort of showcase. Many used the platform to show what the rest of the year will be like, while others promised a bright future ahead. From Nintendo to PlayStation and Summer Game Fest to Xbox, here’s a summary of the events this summer gave us and my thoughts.
PlayStation
The first up was on May 24th, when PlayStation held its first showcase since 2021. Many held out for a strong showing, as rumors were that this would be one of their best. However, while there was some good in it, it was a far cry from the best PlayStation could do.
A lot of third-party titles made appearances at the showcase, ranging from small indies like Phantom Blade 0 to AAA titles like Metal Gear Solid Delta: Snake Eater. Three new titles were announced from PlayStation Studios: Fairgame$ by Haven, Concord by Firewalk, and Marathon by Bungie. Unfortunately, most of the trailers in the showcase used CGI. While many use the same graphics engine as the game, it provides little on how the game will play. All PlayStation Studios’ new titles had CGI trailers, as well as multiplayer components. As a story-first company, I’m curious to see them go in this direction.
The main star of the showcase was Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 by Insomniac Studios. They revealed the first look at gameplay in an action-packed sequence involving Dr. Curt Conners/Lizard. Players can control Peter Parker and Miles Morales in the game, which is exciting. This time, Peter is infected by the Venom symbiote (as indicated by the dark suit and rough voice), making his actions more violent and his mindset more vengeful. The game was, then, still slated for a Fall 2023 release with no date, which was weird.
Summer Game Fest
Next up is Summer Game Fest, hosted by industry icon Geoff Keighley of The Game Awards fame. Made to be a substitute for E3, this year’s presentation was a surprise, as it was a solid showing that felt like a proper event, as opposed to past years. Geoff made it clear that showing gameplay was a must, and he did a good job delivering on that promise.
Titles like Mortal Kombat 1 and Alan Wake 2 made appearances alongside their gameplay reveals. Welcomed returns of old favorite franchises like Sonic (Sonic Superstars) and The Prince of Persia (The Prince of Persia: The Crowned Prince) joined them. Weirdly, Nicolas Cage (National Treasure) made an appearance in Dead by Daylight. Insomniac surprised everyone with the reveal of the official release date for Marvel’s Spider-Man 2: October 20th, 2023. To end the show was the long-awaited reveal of Final Fantasy VII Rebirth (one of my most anticipated titles). While the game will now release early next year, the gameplay looks phenomenal, and newcomers and fans will be in for a wild ride when it comes out (on two discs, funnily enough).
Xbox
If there was any company that needed to prove themselves this year, it would be Xbox. Microsoft has had it rough since the rocky launch of the Xbox Series X, which had no first-party games at launch. Halo Infinite, their flagship game, struggled to maintain the standards the series had set. While they did acquire Bethesda, Redfall (the first Bethesda-exclusive title for Xbox Series X) was a disaster. In their previous E3 conference, they promised that all of the shown titles would be out within a year. However, a good amount got delayed, including their biggest title to date, Bethesda Game Studios’ Starfield. With their only starling being this year’s Hi-Fi Rush by Tango Gameworks, Xbox needed to rebuild the trust of the community and ensure that the best is yet to come.
Third-party games at the showcase were a nice change, as the variety was pretty good. One of the most interesting was EA’s Star Wars Outlaws. Although no gameplay was shown, the game looks to be a strong showing from the company. My favorites came from last year’s surprise collaborator, ATLUS, and the (unfortunately leaked) announcements of Persona 5 Tactica and Persona 3 Reload. Having played Persona 3 Portable, I cannot wait to dive into the remake when it comes out early next year. ATLUS also indulged RPG fans by revealing Metaphor: ReFantazio, a title from the creators of Persona 3, 4, and 5. By the looks of it, the tone will be darker than usual, yet keep its magical flair.
It seems Xbox wanted to get many of their first-party studios out of their comfort zones, as Playground Games (Forza Horizon series), Compulsion (We Happy Few), and eXile (Wasteland series) all have new games in different genres. Playground Games started things off with their take on the classic Xbox series, Fable. The series’ humor is intact, complete with a (literal) giant Richard Ayoade (The IT Crowd and The Bad Guys) narrating it all. Next, Compulsion gave a sneak peek at South of Midnight, which maintains its previous title’s look, but in a magical new setting. Lastly, Clockwork Revolution has a Bioshock Infinite-like steampunk world and dictatorship, but with a time-traveling twist. Shoutouts also go to Avowed, Hellblade 2: Senua’s Saga, and Towerborne, which had some screen time but not too much.
Of course, we can’t talk first-party without mentioning Starfield. The game looks to be one of Bethesda’s biggest and most adventurous ventures to date. The separate presentation, which happened after the main show, toted tons of gameplay and gave insight into the worlds players will get to explore. With extensive spaceship and character customization, as well as an upgraded combat system, Bethesda’s first new IP in 25 years looks to honor what came before it and then some. The game will finally launch (space pun intended) on September 6th.
Nintendo
Finally, we have Nintendo and its special event called Nintendo Direct. Nintendo holds these presentations but only when they have the resources to do so. Whenever they announce one, we know that it will be something exciting. During their latest event, there was a significant focus on the beloved character Mario, which made it even more captivating.
Nintendo doesn’t rely heavily on games from other companies. Most publishers prefer to adapt existing games or offer cloud versions for the Nintendo Switch. However, it was great seeing Batman: Arkham series and some Metal Gear Solid games (including Snake Eater, if you want to play it before the remake) remastered for the console. Other titles shown include Persona 5 Tactica, Just Dance 2024, Vampire Survivors, and Star Ocean The Second Story R.
This time, Nintendo had many games of its own. Pikmin 4 got a lot of time during the Direct, revealing new gameplay, information, and a demo. Pikmin 1 and 2 also got a surprise remaster for the console and was released after the Direct was over. Surprisingly, there were some announcements about Pokemon, including a sequel to the Detective Pikachu game. The original game was inspiration for the movie of the same name, with Ryan Reynolds (Deadpool) and Justice Smith (Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves) as the leads.
Five Mario-related projects were revealed, excluding the new drivers and stage for Mario Kart 8 Deluxe. While two didn’t have much presence (a remaster of Luigi’s Mansion Dark Moon and an untitled Peach game), the other three got plenty of spotlight.
First off, WarioWare: Move It!, a new game in the minigame-focused franchise, launches on the Switch on November 8th. Then, Super Mario RPG, a beloved collaboration between Nintendo and Square Enix, was given the surprise remake treatment. The style still maintains the charm of the original and updates the gameplay for modern audiences. It will release on November 17th this year. Finally, a new 2D Mario, called Super Mario Bros. Wonder, was announced alongside some trippy gameplay and a bizarre look at Elephant Mario, the result of a new power-up. The game looks like fun, but we’ll find out if that holds true when it launches on October 20th (same day as Marvel’s Spider-Man 2, coincidentally).
Conclusion
And that was all for this “E3”-like season of events. While previous years like 2016 had much better showings, this was a step up from before. It’s refreshing to see the industry coming back to form after the pandemic. From the looks of it, we are in for a treat.
What was your favorite reveal? Who do you think won this “E3″? Leave a comment below and don’t forget to like if you want to see more of this.
