E3 Roundup

E3 is finally over and we have a plethora of new information on a multitude of games coming both soon and in the more distant future. We even got a few glimpses of new hardware. So let’s recap the ones that have us at Super Casual the most excited.

First up let’s get this party started with Final Fantasy 7 remake. We finally got a solid look at both gameplay and more of the setting and character design for this new image of one of the most iconic JRPG’s ever made. A large part of the original team including the original director are onboard for this one and it shows. Many of the cutscenes showcased in the new trailer and the demo are almost shot for shot recreations of the classic game. The character designs are faithful as well, even down to Tifa’s tanktop and black skirt. Barret’s group of resistance fighters even look straight from the original. There are glimpses of Materia throughout the demo, but no actual gameplay on the Materia system. All the combat is very similar to Final Fantasy 15 with some new tweaks to help it fall more in line with the feel of 7. You can temporarily slow time while engaged in combat once an ATB meter fills up, in order to give you some time to strategize. Turning primarily action combat into a more strategic affair much like old school 7. So far we like what we see but we are eager to see more.
Square Enix wasn’t done with FF7 Remake. They finally gave us more information on the Avengers game they have been developing with Marvel. The excitement quickly died down though, as the character models seemed a bit off. They weren’t quite in line with any of the currently accepted appearances of the Avengers either in the comics or the Marvel Cinematic Universe. And on top of that, they almost seemed like last generation designs. Textures and lighting seemed over the top in some areas ( like Tony Stark’s epically full hair) and missing in others (everyone else’s hair). The gameplay looks fun and a new and original story sounds intriguing to say the least, but visually this seemed too close to a cash grab game. It is worth noting that in several interviews, the game’s director noted that even the trailer footage was pre-alpha and there is a lot of work to be done before the final product debuts. So there is some hope they can clean up these characters and give us a version of The Avengers that doesn’t make us question which of universe we are in.

Xbox had an epic showing at their conference, showcasing more than 60 games many of which will be debuting on Game Pass. Speaking of Game Pass, Xbox debuted a new service, aimed at grabbing the PC crowd often overlooked for much of this conference every year. Game Pass for PC was both announced and debuted at the conference, along with Game Pass Ultimate, a subscription service that combines Xbox Game Pass, PC Game Pass, and Xbox Live, all for $14.99 a month. Xbox Game Pass is currently $9.99 a month and Xbox Live if you break down the yearly subscription of $60, works out to $5 a month. So for virtually the same price as Game Pass and Live you can get the PC Game Pass at no additional cost. Even without an ultra powerful PC, that’s not a bad deal.

CD Projekt Red gave us some excellent new looks at their new game Cyberpunk 2077. Including a look at a new character in the game. Keanu Reeves. Immediately after his in game reveal,The Chosen One himself showed up on stage to announce a release date and introduce more gameplay footage. Needless to say it was breathtaking. Cyberpunk is a dystopian future to a tea, and the team at CDPR are well known for their storytelling and world building. The demo’s on the floor didn’t provide much more than combat, which was fluid and fun, but left us eager to learn more about the world and what our part will be in it.

Nintendo came out rapid fire, giving us lots of new looks for both current and new games, including some more information about the upcoming Pokemon Sword and Pokemon Shield. They also announced two new additions to Super Smash Bros, Banjo Kazooie and The Hero from Dragonquest. Luigi’s Mansion 3 is coming sometime this year with a new multiplayer mode. More Resident Evil’s and Final Fantasy’s are getting Switch ports, along with The Witcher 3. Perhaps the biggest news from Nintendo though, is that Zelda ; Breath of the Wild has a sequel in the works. There were no details given, just a short trailer, but it excited the room nonetheless.


 There were a ton of trailers and other media that gave us glimpses of upcoming games without giving us too much information. The Outer World’s looks every bit like an Obsidian game, very reminiscent of the older Fallout games. Elden Ring is a collaboration with Dark Soul’s creator Hidetaka Miyazaki and George R.R. Martin. For a first look it appears intriguing. Doom Eternal showed off some very Doom looking gameplay. It’s every bit the Doom you would expect it to be. Dying Light 2 and Watchdogs : Legion look like great continuations of alright games. We will see when they give us a better look. And Halo Infinite has Masterchief jumping back into battle. All in all it was an excellent week of video gaming celebration and we can’t wait to get our hands on some of these upcoming titles.