Hey folks, welcome to another installment of Waypoint Weeklies where we present a question or prompt for everyone to discuss.
It’s almost that time of year again! It’s early June which means E3 season is upon us. Love it or hate it, it’s likely to take up much of the Gaming Discourse these next couple of weeks, so for this week’s topic, we’re engaging in a time-honored E3 tradition and asking everyone, what are your E3 hopes, dreams, predictions, and the like?
The main thing I’m hoping for is some concrete news about either Bayonetta 3 or Dragon’s Dogma 2. But I’m also excited to see the rumoured Starfield release date announcement, just because we know so little about the setting and mechanics other than that it’s a Bethesda game in space.
I’m hoping to not be disappointed by whatever the Elden Ring announcement is.
Honestly? Just surprises. Something that I wasn’t expecting. Like, a brand new game that blows everyone away, or a returning series that manages to defy expectations. I already know I’m getting Halo, Elden Ring, whatever else known quantities. So let’s see what’s coming out of left field.
Also, I wouldn’t mind either the Xbox controller design lab coming back or a new Series 3 Elite controller. Would be nice!
I’m with you Navster, primarily I just wanna be pleasantly surprised by something I didn’t anticipate.
I do have a couple “no way in hell” dream announcements though:
Judging by Jason Schreier’s Twitter feed, apparently there are going to be presentations not only from Microsoft and Nintendo and Ubisoft (and EA’s showing off Battlefield on Wednesday) but Capcom, 2K, Warner Bros., Gearbox (they do some publishing - I think they published Risk of Rain 2), and Square-Enix.
I don’t really have a lot of predictions, per se. Starfield will be there in some capacity, but that game’s not done yet so anything they show will be super early and not necessarily reflective of the final product. Halo: Infinite will be there. A lot of the stuff Microsoft announced previously (Fable, in particular) will not be there because that stuff is still mad early.
I’m interested in what 2K and Warner Bros have to say. Those two usually have co-marketing deals with MS and Sony for their One Big Game so I’ll be interested to see how much they have to say on their own. I wouldn’t expect Shawn Elliott’s BioShock to be there, though, sadly.
The thing I really want, though, is for a video game to come out this fall. Don’t really care which one. Just, by some miracle, let a game survive the trials and tribulations of game development in the middle of a global pandemic and sneak out.
I NEED some good Elden Ring news! I honestly kind of doubt we’ll get much there. Also, as an aside, I’m getting the vibe that it’s going to be very different from their post Demon’s Souls output. And that’s good! I trust that anything they make will at least be interesting! But it’s also dawning on me that we may never get another game that really feels like Dark Souls… I gues I can just watch this video and cry in my bed…
Besides some new FromSoft, I’d love to see something about that new Metroid Prime! I realize that they completely rebooted it a while back, but the first game is one of the best games ever, and I’d like more of that in my life. BotW 2 and Starfield would be cool, but I expect those to be pretty far out too.
In terms of known quantities, it’s been three years since Elder Scrolls VI was announced so it may be time for a prerendered, cinematic trailer announcing the title and setting.
In terms of new announcements, I am always watching for that Level-5 logo. I would be happy to play a sequel to Fantasy Life or Ni no Kuni (preferably more like the first than the second, but I’d play it regardless). A port or remaster of any old games, maybe Dark Cloud 2 or Jeanne d’ Arc would be nice. And a new IP is certainly welcome.
Mostly, though, I am just here for cool indie announcements. Unusual city builders, maybe a good cooking or palaeontology game, perhaps a tactical RPG. I’ve already watched two presentations leading up to E3 focused on indies, and things like the Wholesome Direct and Nintendo/Microsoft indie montages are still to come. Always the highlight of this show.
While I’m thinking of it, I’m quite curious about Microsoft and Bethesda doing a joint conference. Ghostwire: Tokyo and Deathloop are both timed PlayStation exclusives. Starfield is alleged to be exclusive to everything that isn’t a PlayStation and could easily close a press conference by itself, although I’d eat my hat if Microsoft didn’t close with Halo: Infinite and a release date. It’s all a giant commercial but it’s so baked into my year that I don’t know what I’d do without it at this point.
I want Eiji Aonuma to appear on screen, smile for a few seconds, wax poetic for a moment about the history of Nintendo, about how now that Mario’s 35th anniversary celebration is over, Zelda is going to have its own, with missions and weird tie-in events and classic remasters and lots of amiibos that I would either completely ignore or utterly hate if any other company were to do it, we get another quick Skyward Sword update, and then, finally, the big announcement.
Boom. Minish Cap is coming to Switch.
Shin Megami Tensei 5. It should come out this year, and I just want a release date! That new Mario Golf also looks real fun, but beyond the last trailer I’m not sure how much more I need.
Other than those games and the upcoming Pokémon releases, I’m not too interested in new games. I hope everyone here gets good news about whatever they’re waiting for! While I don’t like the capitalist video game hype train in general, it’s fun to be excited for new game on here/the discord server
I’d be so hyped for a new battle network title. Also second smt 5
I’m actually more excited about Elder Scrolls VI news than Starfield. SF is an unknown quantity, but with ESVI, i at least have an idea of what to expect: janky controls, huge open world, overwhelming amount of side quests that will inevitably lead me to shelve the game for two years before finally finishing it.
My prediction: Super Giant Games is going to announce a Hades expansion. I know that they said they’re done with the game, but there’s so much more they can do with it, it would almost be a shame to not explore it at least a little.
SMTV news just leaked a few days ago. I dunno if you want spoilers on that though.
I really want to see everything SE is bringing. We need the next big Kingdom Hearts game announced. Even if it’s like four years away. Union X just ended and the lore is stuck until we get something.
I don’t think we’ll get FFXVI, that seems to be the vibe. But there are rumors about Team Ninja’s Final Fantasy, all but confirmed by Imrar Khan, and I’m way curious that.
I want some stuff for this year, mostly. Outside of Scarlet Nexus looking like a good time I can’t really think of anything I’m properly jazzed about.
I guess I’m looking to see something… joyous? Like, something that is well and truly into itself in a way that so many games right now aren’t, if that makes sense. Something to shake off the malaise of a very grim feeling AAA industry, something that everyone else is going to copy but until they do it’ll feel refreshing.
Not exactly a clear expectation but those are the vibes I’m hoping for at least. I guess.
I’ve already got my new Sonic game announcement so as far as I’m concerned E3’s over already.
I did see a general recap- release date and protag info. I guess I’d like it confirmed, and maybe another trailer
Mostly just hoping that Microsoft doesn’t continue to buy everybody.
Also for the current Arc System Works rumor to be false and for them to actually be making a Fate game instead.
This is mostly me, too: mainly because everything has been super silent for so long.
Honestly, I’m at the point now where I’m out of touch with the non-indie video games scene, so I don’t really have any expectations, predictions or otherwise for E3 anymore.
I only want an XCOM announcement. Even if it’s just a teaser for an XCOM 3 2023 release and another side game.
Platinum currently has (at least) 3 games that they’ve shown a logo of and that’s it. The last thing they showed actual game play from (Granblue Relink) is no longer being made by them. I feel like at some point one of these games has to show up somewhere or they have to announce that they’re bankrupt or something.
