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It is absolutely insane to think that it has almost been a year since the mad scramble for the newest generation of console powerhouses. There are still a lot of people watching from the sidelines though. Stock shortages have persisted far longer than anyone expected. On the flip side, there is still plenty of support for previous generations. There are plenty of games slated to be cross-generation titles. With rumblings also on the horizon for a Switch Pro in the works, gaming as a whole has never been stronger. Time for E3 2021!
Whether you have a new console at the ready or are desperately hoping your current console can survive through to the restocks, there are plenty of games to look forward to. But where the hell are they!? There are games that have been absent from the limelight for literal years! Here are a few examples of games that we want to see at the soon upon us E3 2021.
Gotham Knights, FFVII Remake PT2 & Dead Space – Paul Blyth
It’s great to have E3 back. I feel like I took it for granted and really missed it last year when it was (understandably) cancelled. I’m really hoping to see a new trailer from Warner Bros for Gotham Knights. Originally slated for a February 2021 release, there’s been very little news since its announced delay. Arkham Knight came out in 2015, which is a long time to go without a Dark Knight game. Granted, Gotham Knights won’t feature the caped crusader. Well, it might considering Arkham Knight wasn’t supposed to feature the Joker. It will, however, have Batgirl, three flavours of Robin (Nightwing, Red Hood and Tim Drake’s Robin) and multiplayer.
I’m also hoping for news on Final Fantasy VII: Remake Part II. Having the Director of Kingdom Hearts, Tetsuya Nomura, in charge of the remake is worrying. You see, the first Kingdom Hearts game came out in 2002 and the closing of the story-arc in Kingdom Hearts III came out in 2019. That’s 17 years. If he takes that long to finish FFVII I’ll be in my 50s before I see the end of the beloved series.
In a completely “out there” hope I’ve got one more game, or should I say ‘games’, on my list. I’ve been riding high on wish fulfilment since the Mass Effect: Legendary Edition came out (sorry everyone, I’ll stop talking about it eventually). It’s given me hope that EA is starting to listen to fans, or at least out wallets. EA won’t be at E3 and will be holding their own live stream event - EA Play LIve - on July 22nd. And I’m hoping and praying! Just as I did for a Mass Effect Trilogy release, that they’ll announce a Dead Space Remaster.
A trilogy would be perfect, but I’ll settle for the first game. If you’re not aware of Dead Space, it’s a third person, sci-fi survival horror. It’s the perfectly horrific blend of Resident Evil and The Thing, with an industrial aesthetic of Event Horizon. It’s also damn scary. Nothing has been heard about the series or protagonist Isaac Clarke since the third entry. So, it’s a long shot... but here’s hoping!
Metroid Prime 4 & Nintendo Switch Pro – Michael Nelson
Can you believe E3 2017 was the first time Metroid Prime 4 was dangled right in front of our eyes? No, neither can I.
To say the production for Metroid Prime 4 has been ropey would be an understatement. Delay after delay has plagued this project. All until 2019 where Nintendo, in a public statement, announced they were not happy with the project, scrapping it altogether. Thus, starting a new search for multiple jobs to hopefully bring one of Nintendo’s biggest franchises back to life.
Metroid has always been one that catches my, and many other Nintendo/Gaming enthusiasts’ eye. Alongside Castlevania, it paved the way for the 2D exploratory world. Because of this, the phrase ‘Metroidvania’ was coined, a genre of game that players around the world would obsess over. Since then, it has sparked a surge of games from Mega Man to Sonic the Hedgehog.
Metroid the series has branched out and taken so many different avenues. The first being on the GameCube in the 3D title ‘Metroid Prime.’ 2016 was the last new Metroid Prime game, there was a title released in 2017 on the 3DS but it was a remake. So, it’s been a while since I’ve really been able to scratch that Metroid itch that has been looming over me.
Now with the rumours of a new Nintendo Switch Pro, (which supposedly will support 4K) is this the perfect time to give the fans what they want and make this the first if not second exclusive on the new console? I think so! Nothing was ever released about Metroid Prime and what route they tried to go. Whether it be 2D or 3D, either would equally please me. However, if the rumours are true, an open-world Metroid game would be the quintessential moment to showcase the performance of a new switch. The graphics in particular!
Bar the Breath of The Wild 2, which is another hope of mine, surely Metroid Prime 4 is the title that can sweep the E3 crown away from Sony and Xbox for Nintendo. Nintendo over the past few years (in my eyes) have always nailed their presentation. Leaving fans satisfied by broadcasting multiple triple-A titles, beautiful indies and enough gameplay footage to get people hyped.
Elden Ring & Beyond Good and Evil 2 – Dan Hilton
Elden Ring is a given right? The dust on the new generation has settled, it has been a decent amount of time since the release of Demon’s Souls remake, so this would be the perfect time to showcase Elden Ring. Bandai Namco are slated for a virtual booth at E3 so this HAS to be the time for an official reveal. But then, I have said that for every online con/expo that has been broadcast for the last year. Come on Bandai Namco, I NEED this!
More importantly though, I am tired of waiting for news on Beyond Good and Evil 2. The first one was released all the way back when we still had cables attached to our controllers. The original was such a unique and interesting game. The second looks like one of the most ambitious projects of all time, something like what No Man’s Sky should have been.
A massive open-universe game with dense, rich, and populated planets played out in an MMO setting, your loveable anthropomorphic mechanic pig uncle from the first game is now some sort of mob boss and the main character is now somehow a baddy!? This is a sequel? A prequel? A reboot? TELL ME DAMN IT!!
Where and When?
For a long time now E3 has played less and less of a crucial role in the video game scene. I have a feeling however that E3 2021 will have some tricks up its sleeve and deliver the best showcase we have seen for a long while.
E3 2021 will be entirely digital this year, for obvious reasons. It will be taking place over this coming weekend, between the 12th and 15th of June. Stay tuned here on Zatu for some important showcase breakdowns!