We are about three weeks out from E3, the biggest video game conferences the world knows, and people are understandably getting excited. As a five year E3 veteran I know better than to get too excited. Most of the big stuff, like the recently revealed Halo 5 , will likely consist of little else other than trailers or stage demos. Still, there are a few things that I am able to get cautiously hyped over. These are the games that I am excited to see on the E3 show floor.
The Indiecade
Perhaps I am alone here, but I absolutely adore the Indiecade. Granted, you can see the games shown here at shows other than E3, but they always include some of the most thoughtful and interesting indie hits. Who knows when we will find the next Limbo , or Bastion , or Super Time Force , or Braid . Personally, I can’t wait to see what the indie-sphere has to give… even if it’s just a release date for Miegakure .
Persona 4 Arena Ultimax
Fighting games are kind of an anomaly at E3. Every other game takes 30 minutes to an hour to demo, and so games journalists end up running feverishly back and forth between booths just trying to play everything and maybe get a slice of crappy 10 dollar convention center pizza in the middle of it all. Fighting games, however, are different. Their fast paced nature actually makes them the slowest game to demo. Step up, play a minute match, then wait and play some more. Walk away when you want or stick around for an hour. It’s perfect!
The big fighting game release this year Is Persona 4 Arena 2 or Persona 4 Arena: The Ultimate Ultimax Suplex Hold , or Persona 4 Arena Ultimax , depending on what title you like the best. Atlus will be showing it off in their booth. You will likely be able to see some more of it in the ASW booth as well, if they are showing up again this year. It has new characters, new mechanics, new stages and more. It’s already made a splash on the Japanese fighting game scene, so I can’t wait to get my hands on it.
Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain
Well we already had a 40 dollar demo for this game in Metal Gear Solid: Ground Zeroes , so how about we get an ACTUAL demo. Playing Big Boss is fun and all, but I want to see what The Phantom Pain is actually going to be all about. Is it going to be exactly the same as Ground Zeroes ? Will there be new mechanics? How big will the open world be? Let us know Konami! We have a fever and the only cure it more UNNNGH METAL GEAR !!!!
Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare
COD: Advanced Warfare is going to be a huge release. COD fans everywhere are frothing at the mouth at all of the mech suits, active camo, and Kevin Spacey the game has to offer. After the mediocre performance of Call of Duty: Ghosts , COD fans want to see if this will really shake up the COD formula, especially considering that it’s the first COD in ages to not be developed by Infinity Ward or Treyarch. There probably won’t be a playable demo on the show floor, but hey anything we get will be better than the dog pictures from last year.
Super Smash Bros.
I’m calling it right now. This will be the biggest attraction on the show floor. Everyone and I mean EVERYONE is looking forward to the next Smash Bros. Will it be tournament worthy? Who will fill out the rest of the roster? What will the mechanics be like? Will it be as unbalanced and weird as Brawl was? The line for this game will be out the door, as it has been for pretty much every single Smash showing at an E3 since. Gonna have to wait for several hours just for one match, and it will be totally worth it.