So another E3 has come and gone, and it’s another year where I was denied a press pass.  Ever since 1996, I was going to E3 pretty regularly, but for some reason a few years ago, they stopped letting me in.  And yet somehow I was able to get a press pass last year.  But not this time!  They may say it’s because the numbers of the site I write for are too low, but I’m beginning to wonder if it’s really because I’m just too weird for E3.  And if that statement has you intrigued, then please read on for my unique reactions and commentary on things I read and watched about this year’s show.

Microsoft

Even though I don’t have an Xbox One, I loved my 360, so I still keep an eye on what Microsoft does from time to time.  I’m not a total Nintendo fanboy!  They announced a new console called the Scarlett.  I don’t know about you, but considering their bad reputation with the ‘red ring of death,’ I don’t know if I’d name their new console after another shade of red.  Just joking!  That may not even be the final name of the thing.  I just thought that was a funny observation.  I heard that Microsoft bought Double Fine, so does that mean Psychonauts 2 will be an Xbox exclusive?  Aw man, and I really wanted to play it, too.  Other Xbox games I would like to see more of include the Ori sequel, as I heard the first game was good.  And there was a new Battletoads game as well, except it looks awfully cartoony.  Not that I mind too much, just something I noticed.  I don’t have an Xbox One because there’s not enough games on it that I would like to warrant a purchase, and now there is one less title as Super Lucky’s Tale is going to be on the Switch.  It’s a cute and colorful 3-D platformer starring a fox character who looks like he belongs in a Sonic game.  But it still looks cute and I wanna play it!  I just wish Sony was at E3, too.  I wonder why they skipped it?

Namco

Namco is my favorite video game company.  I thought it was neat that they announced a new Tales game and Ni no Kuni on the Switch.  I probably won’t get those games, but I still think it was neat.  If I visited Namco’s booth at E3, I would totally cover games that nobody else really did, like Disney Tsum Tsum Festival.  And they are also publishing a new Story of Seasons game with Doraemon characters.  How wacky is that?  I don’t know if that one was at E3, but I totally would’ve asked about it if I were there.  Like I said in my title of this blog, I’m probably just too weird for E3.

XSEED

XSEED is one of those companies who have been supportive of me through most of their existence, so I’m really appreciative of them for that.  I don’t know if they were at E3, but I did get a press release from them right before the show that had some awesome games on it.  One was Rune Factory 4, a remake of the 3DS title on the Switch.  I don’t know if I’ll have time to play it, but I sure wish I did!  But what I was really excited about was they are publishing a new BurgerTime game called BurgerTime Party.  I loved BurgerTime in the arcade and it was one of the few to pull me away from Pac-Man.  So I’m pretty excited about this one.  I might be just as excited about the new BurgerTime game as I am the new Breath of the Wild sequel.  Again, I’m just too weird for E3 I guess.

Ubisoft

Ubisoft has been supportive of me since my Dallas Morning News days, and I still get press releases from them!  They didn’t really have much that interested me this year, but I think it’s neat that they’re doing a free DLC educational add-on for their Assassin’s Creed game set in Greece.  I’ve been to Ubisoft shows where people were inspired to visit these places in real life after playing Assassin’s Creed games, so I think that’s neat.  I didn’t know they did one for the Assassin’s Creed game set in Egypt, too!  Of course, Ubisoft announced another Just Dance title, but I think it’s funny that they still make it for the Wii as well!  Don’t know if I’ll get it, but Gods and Monsters looks like a neat colorful 3-D adventure game, too.

Square-Enix

I’m so glad I’m on their press list.  While I probably won’t get titles like the FF7 and FF8 remakes and remasters, I’m happy for the people who are excited for them.  But I’m not feeling it with Oninaki, and considering I liked RPG Factory’s other games: I am Setsuna and Lost Sphear, that’s a little disappointing.  But I do like how that company uses classic game style concepts in their titles.  I wish I had time to play Dragon Quest titles, like 11 on the Switch and Builders 2.  But the two games that really excited me were Collection of Mana and Trials of Mana.  I’ve already requested a review code for Collection of Mana, which is out now on the Switch eShop.  They’re making a physical version of it, too, but it won’t be out until the end of August.  I’ve already got it preordered, though, in case my request falls through.  I’m just a sucker for SNES games.  I want to play the third Mana game NOW, but for 40 bucks, I’ll wait for the physical release, especially since it’s the same price as digital.  One thing about the third Mana game is that while it sounds cool, some aspects of it also sound like a hot mess, so hopefully the Trials of Mana remake coming next year will fix any problems, if there are any.  Right now I just registered for my press pass for PAX West, and I always have a good time with Square-Enix at that show, so hopefully I’ll be able to meet with them and play some of these games!  Please pray for me that I can go to PAX West this year!

SEGA

I’ve always had lots of fun at SEGA’s booth at E3.  It’s neat they have a Panzer Dragoon game coming out.  A lot of people seem to like that game.  I’ve never played it, but I’d like to try it!  The dragon in the video of the new game looked more like a Pterodactyl, though.  I played the very first Mario and Sonic Olympic game and didn’t like it, so I never tried the others.  But this new one seems to have some kind of retro mode, and if you can play the whole game like that, I might have to change my mind!

Konami

They had a new 3-D Contra game that just looked bonkers.  I’m not a super big Contra fan, but it’s nice to see Konami doing something.  But what really interested me is that they are making a TurboGrafix-16 mini console!  Nice to see them use the properties from Hudson Soft that they bought out.  Speaking of new consoles, Atari supposedly showed theirs at E3 as well.  Again, if only I were there.

Arcade1up

This company was one of my favorite things about last year’s E3.  They even quoted me saying that on one of their videos.  I loved it when the CEO of the company said about me to the PR rep, “Give that boy a review copy of whatever arcade machine he wants.”  And then they kept ignoring my emails later.  I hate it when people don’t do what they say and don’t say what they mean.  This year they had an arcade machine with Marvel games, and one with both TMNT arcade games.  I wonder if it’s got four joysticks on it?

Nintendo

Nintendo’s Direct was very well done.  It almost had TOO many games!  Many of the things I listed above were actually in the Direct, I just put them beforehand just to break things up a little.   The Bowser scene at the beginning was cute and was nice to get some humor in since the new NOA president’s last name is Bowser.

They did a really good job with the reveal videos for the next two DLC characters in Smash: the hero from Dragon Quest and Banjo-Kazooie.  I wonder if the different DQ heroes are echo fighters?  I’ve never gotten any of the DLC Smash characters, but I might have to cave in for Banjo.  Love that game.

Luigi’s Mansion 3 also looks great.  Further proof that Luigi is cooler than Mario.  I can’t seem to get a straight answer if this one is mission based or not.  Hopefully not, but I guess I’ll just have to see.  They didn’t give us an exact release date, but they’d be stupid not to release it in October.  As a Jim Henson fan, the Dark Crystal game certainly caught my eye.  Unfortunately it’s a strategy RPG and I hate those.  I’ll certainly try and catch the Netflix, show, though.  Other games they dashed over include the Spyro Trilogy.  I wonder if the first game is on there only, and you have to download the sequels like the other ports were.  That’s why I didn’t get that game.  Yooka-Laylee: Impossible Lair looks like a 2-D version of the previous game, and gives me some Donkey Kong Country vibes.  And of course, Super Mario Maker 2, which comes out soon.  There were a couple of games that I won’t get, but they still looked interesting.  I wonder if there will be 8-bit mini games in No More Heroes 3?  Astral Chain also looked fun to watch.

If you think about it, they showed and/or announced three Zelda games this year.  Granted, one is a remake and the other is a spinoff, but it’s still cool.  Cadence of Hyrule is based on an existing music rhythm dungeon game.  I wonder if the developers were trying to think of a way to make me interested in it.  “What characters can we dump in to make Cary want to play this?  Pac-Man?  Nah.  Kirby?  Nah.  Zelda?  Yeah sure, why not?”  I’ll be checking the eShop later to see if it’s available to download yet!  Link’s Awakening is my all-time favorite Zelda game, so I’m really excited for the remake.  I love how it looks.  Top down 2-D and cute is how I like my Zeldas.  Does it make me weird that I’m more excited about this game than the Breath of the Wild sequel they announced?  As much as I complain about Breath of the Wild, I still beat it and spent 65 hours on it, so I must’ve liked it somewhat.  I’ll definitely get the sequel, too.

And that just leaves one last big game: Pokémon Sword and Shield!  Just kidding!  It’s Animal Crossing: New Horizons of course!  I’m a little disappointed that it got delayed, but I’ll have plenty of other games to play. I really feel bad for others, like some of my relatives like my mom.  Animal Crossing is all she plays, so she’ll just have to wait even longer.  I explained to her that if we got that game this year, it would be winter in the game and there wouldn’t be as much stuff to do.  But getting the game in Spring, there will be more stuff to do.  She said, “That’s OK, I’ll just keep playing my free Animal Crossing mobile game.”

And that’s really all I have to say about E3 this year.  There were lots more games, but if I wrote about all of them, this blog would be hundreds of paragraphs long.  I’m surprised I didn’t get any press releases about LEGO games like I usually do.  I heard there’s a new LEGO Star Wars and a LEGO add on for Forza.  So what did you think of my take at E3, and tell me in the comments what was your favorite parts of E3?  Also, I wonder if you could do me a favor?  If there was anything you heard at E3 that you think I would’ve liked, but I missed it, please let me know.  It’s hard to read and watch everything out there!  Thanks!

I’d like to leave you with one final thought.  I’m trying not to complain too much about not being able to go to E3 again this year.  But when I see a YouTube video where seven or more people from the same channel got to go, I have to wonder: did they really need that many from the same place?  Considering that I can cover most of the show by myself, I think not.  They can certainly cut down on the number of people going from the same place to allow others, like myself, a press pass.  Just sayin’.  –Cary

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