Getting Hyped for E3 2015

E3 2015 will be bittersweet for me, since this is the first E3 I won’t be able to attend since I first started going in 2009. I’ve had many fond memories of the past few years, and hope to make a triumphant return to E3 in 2016. Although I’m not able to physically attend this year, I’m looking forward to the show nonetheless.

Bethesda will have their first ever presentation at the show, no doubt to show off more of Fallout 4. Square-Enix will be showcasing the increasingly uninteresting Final Fantasy XV and maybe Kingdom Hearts 3. Who knows, maybe The Last Guardian will finally show up.

I must be honest though, I always look forward to Nintendo’s presence at the big dance the most. I know, according to the internet, that makes me a fanboy (heaven forbid someone enjoys Nintendo games and isn’t one). But oh well, what can I say, it’s always fun to see what the Big N has in store.

What’s interesting is that, despite having a new console in production, Nintendo won’t be showing it off this year. Instead they’ll be emphasizing new games on the Wii U and 3DS. Some think this is a bad move, since the Wii U hasn’t exactly been a runaway success. But I love Nintendo’s defiance here. It’s like they’re saying “If you have a Wii U, here’s our way of saying thanks. If you don’t have a Wii U, here’s all the more reason why you’re stupid for not yet having one.”

On the downside, Zelda won’t be there. On the upside, it gives other Nintendo franchises a chance to shine. We know Mario Maker will be there, and I have huge hopes for this title, since it’s basically a dream come true. Hopefully E3 will give us a glimpse of how deep the final game will be. The return of Star Fox is also confirmed to make an appearance. Let’s just hope it’s like Star Fox 64 for a new generation and not like…every Star Fox game that isn’t Star Fox 64.

Last year, Nintendo surprised the world with Splatoon, their first new IP since Pikmin (well, not really, but don’t tell the internet that). Can we expect a similar surprise from Nintendo this year? I don’t know, but it’d be pretty cool! Perhaps Shigeru Miyamoto’s “Project Giant Robot” from last year’s show will become a new game of its own.

Then there’s Nintendo’s other mainstays franchises, like Kirby and Metroid, who could show up once again. Personally, I would love to see another Donkey Kong Country game to turn the revived series into a trilogy to compliment the original SNES trilogy. But that’s just me.

Of course, we can never rule out another Mario game. The Wii U has already seen Super Mario 3D World, but Nintendo has since announced that another 3D Mario is in the works for the system. If Zelda isn’t going to show up, it’s not too hard to imagine that a new Mario different from Mario Maker could take its place as Nintendo’s centerpiece. A new Mario RPG of some sort would also be great… Just so long as it’s not another Sticker Star.

Nintendo isn’t all I’m excited about though. Playtonic Games has already announced that they’ll be at E3 with Yooka-Laylee in tow, and I’m looking forward to any new information on that one. There’s even a rumor that Rare might announce a new Banjo-Kazooie. Considering most of the original minds behind Banjo are now working on Yooka-Laylee, I’ll still probably see that more as the next Banjo follow-up, but I love the Banjo-Kazooie series enough that I could finally invest in an Xbox One just for a new entry… Just so long as it’s not another Nuts & Bolts (curse these disappointing sequels!).

I’m curious to find out more information on Kingdom Hearts 3, if only because it might have a Frozen level in it. I’m actually not much of a Kingdom Hearts fan. The first one was great. It had some fun gameplay, and seeing all the Disney characters as well as some familiar Final Fantasy faces all lumped together was really cool. But Kingdom Hearts 2 turned the gameplay into button-mashing, the classic Disney villains from our childhoods were replaced with generic anime bad guys, and the story is so convoluted it makes Metal Gear look straightforward by comparison. It also doesn’t help that the small army of handheld spinoff games are actually part of the main story, so if you’ve missed out on those games (like I have), then it makes it hard to care too much. But lord knows I love Frozen, and a level based on the modern Disney classic may actually persuade me to give this game my interest. Of course, I’ll also be the first to pinpoint everything they get wrong with the Frozen level, so it’s a double-edged sword I guess.

Whoa, way off subject there. Anyway, with Capcom recently revealing the Mega Man Legacy Collection (a compilation of the first six Mega Man titles with some modernized bonus content), I can’t help but wonder if Capcom is finally letting Mega Man out of whatever cage they’ve locked him away in these past five years. It would be great if we see a new Mega Man title at E3, but I won’t get my hopes up too much. At least we’ll probably see something from spiritual successor Mighty No. 9 either way.

Of course, there’s so much to look forward to at E3 every year that I can’t cover it all here. Some of the biggest treats will no doubt be the surprise announcements at the show. There are plenty of games we know will be at E3, and I’m hoping we’ll be pleasantly surprised with a host of new announcements at the show.

Whatever E3 2015 has in store, I’ll be counting down the days. Even if I’m viewing from the sidelines, I’m hoping for a great show.

Author: themancalledscott

Born of cold and winter air and mountain rain combining, the man called Scott is an ancient sorcerer from a long-forgotten realm. He’s more machine now than man, twisted and evil. Or, you know, he could just be some guy who loves video games, animations and cinema who just wanted to write about such things. View all posts by themancalledscott