by Derek Kraneveldt Geekscape Roundtable: What We’re Looking Forward To At E3 2015!

Another year has passed, and another E3 fast approaches. What an interesting and frustrating year it’s been. Sure, we saw some phenomenal titles released over the last 12 months (The Witcher 3 has already become one of my favourite games of all time), but we also saw some titles that looked so promising release without much content (Destiny), more delays than we can count (Zelda, Batman, everything else), and nearly two years into their life-cycles, both the PS4 and Xbox One are plagued with remastered versions of last-gen titles instead of all new experiences.

But E3 is where everything (hopefully) changes. We’ll see a myriad of new announcements, promising titles from indie devs and AAA studios alike, a ton of VR, and hopefully some things that we haven’t even imagined to this point. With one of our most anticipated titles being announced the week before the expo, it’s going to take some big reveals to top Bethesda showing off Fallout 4.

It’s been awhile since we’ve done a roundtable piece here at Geekscape, and with most of our writers being gamers as well, what better way to bring the roundtable back than by asking everyone what they’re most looking forward to at E3 (or what they predict we’ll see).

Check back with Geekscape for E3 news as it happens, and be sure to listen to the Geekscape Games podcast, where Shane, Juan, Josh, and Derek chat video games and more each and every week.

Jonathan London

For the first time in years, I’m not attending E3. Repeatedly, while Xbox and Sony beat each other up in a race to announce the next exclusive or HD next-gen remake of a last-gen game, the excitement on the floor has centered on the indie marketplace games coming to Steam, PSN, Xbox Live and Nintendo’s eShop. It’s where I find the most exciting and risk driven titles each year. Or maybe just the most hilarious like last year’s Bro Force and Cloudberry Kingdom from two years ago. As I get busier, the number of giant Triple-A titles I can consume each year shrinks and I find myself able to play more titles like Guacamelee or Pokémon Shuffle for 15 minutes at a time than anything else. Not to say I’m not looking forward to Arkham Knight, but the urgency is no longer there.

That is, unless we’re talking about Zelda for the Wii U. If the rumors are true, this E3 will be all about Star Fox for Nintendo, and for sure I’m looking forward to it. But as one of my top 3 franchises in all of gaming, and after that long gameplay trailer we saw a few months ago, I couldn’t be more excited for Zelda’s arrival to the world of HD (I’m not counting Windwaker HD!). Zelda Skyrim, as many of us are calling it, shows all the promise of the best Zelda game yet and hopefully we don’t end up with another fetch-quest based game like Skyward Sword. Still, I’m getting my hopes up. As much as I’d love some more news on Zelda Wii U, I’ll be patient and realistic. The game has been delayed in order to implement more ideas and will probably barely get a mention from our friend Reggie. I’ll let Starfox tie me over this year and look forward for a big return to Hyrule in 2016. I just hope it’s not buried by the coming of the NX, or whatever Nintendo’s next mystery console ends up being.

Megan Haley

I’m really excited to see all the new HD remastered versions of games that I played last year. I mean, who wouldn’t be excited for Knack: Remastered! Hopefully they would remake it into a something that resembles entertainment this time around.

Seriously though, I’m excited to see what Vicarious Visions is doing with the latest Skylanders game. I always felt that the series had more potential as a game than what Activision has ran with so far. The original Skylanders: Spyro’s Adventure for 3DS was amazing gameplay-wise, and I’m hoping that with VV back at the helm that they can bring back some of the same stellar gameplay from the first DS incarnation.

I’m also looking forward to what new tech they’ll show for VR hardware. I’ve had a few hands-on with Oculus Rift before and the future of VR technology is super exciting.

Eric Francisco

I’m absolutely conflicted about E3 this year. On one hand, I’m jaded. The current console generation in its entirety hasn’t captivated me enough to want to stay plugged in. Believe it or not, I’m still playing on my Xbox 360 taking care of unfinished business — achievements I could still go after and games I hadn’t completed.

Neither the Xbox One or the PS4 have too many incentives to pick one or the other. The only reason I have an Xbox One is because I took advantage of a retail promotion. If it weren’t for that I wouldn’t have one at all.

On the other hand, this might be the year the generation finally matters to me. Arkham Knight is out in just a few short weeks, Halo 5 is on the horizon, and Final Fantasy XV is somewhere around the corner.

I could bother to mention more games that might make me glad I’ve joined the current gen, but there is only one, and ONLY one game that will make or break E3 for me: Mass Effect 4. I want to know as much about that game as possible, and if they happen to announce a 2016 release date I may immediately suffer a heart attack.

Jake Lopez

A Summer hallmark among my circle, E3 continually provides cheers, empty promises, and, if we’re being honest, sadness. If there’s one thing I’ve noticed about E3 2015 is the lack of major leaks before the show kicks off. Anyone who’s really in tune with leaks will be able to find them through a few minutes of google searches, but I believe presenters have a few tricks left up their sleeves. Hopefully we can actually be surprised this year.

One thing that worries me is the potential for remastered collections of past video games. Up until now, gamers were treated to upgraded versions of GTA: V, Halo, Last of Us, and Tomb Raider. It won’t stop there. In fact, I’m sure we can expect a couple of remasters on both the Microsoft and Sony platforms. I’m all for remasters, but lets just hope they’re not the center of attention in this year’s keynotes.

Now, for some wild predictions:

Nintendo announces a new console

An announcement from Activision/Bungie for a new Destiny title

Microsoft announces a few cross-platform titles that will group console gamers with PC gamers

Rockstar announces a new Red Dead title

Juan Carlos Marquez

It should come as no surprise that Nintendo’s E3 presentation is the one I’m looking most forward to.

With the announcement of Zelda Wii U being pushed back to 2016, I’m curious what Nintendo plans to release this holiday season–especially when they are going up against Halo 5 and Star Wars: Battlefront. Star Fox Wii U is still on track to be out this year, but I don’t know if Nintendo would place the weight of their holiday sales hopes on the shoulders of Fox McCloud and company. Unless Star Fox Wii U ends up blowing us all away at E3 with incredible game mechanics and multiplayer modes which made StarFox 64 a commercial success, Nintendo needs to show off a new Metroid or Super Mario Galaxy game. Devil’s Thirds, Mario Maker, and DLC for Smash Bros. and Splatoon will undoubtedly get Nintendo fans hyped up for the remainder of 2015, but what will attract those who have yet to purchase a Wii U?

Of course, this wouldn’t be E3 without some Smash Bros. talk, so let’s get right to it. With Mewtwo making his long-overdue return and Lucas arriving June 14, I’m willing to be Sakurai makes an announcement concerning the addition of at least two more DLC characters. Will it actually be Ryu and Roy as rumored back in April, or will it be two new fighters from the Smash Bros. Fighter Ballot? (Shovel Knight, please). Hopefully we also get an update on the online tournament mode. That feature alone would keep the online community satiated for years.

And while we won’t get to purchase a new Zelda game this year, I’m sure we will get an update on what Aonuma and his team have developed thus far with the extra time alloted. Another teaser trailer wouldn’t be too much to ask, right?

My mind is just flooding with possibilities and wild hopes, and I know Nintendo will have a slew of titles that will keep many Nintendo fans like myself happy, but one thing is for sure—I won’t be hoping for any news of The Last Guardian. I’m done waiting in that pumpkin patch.

https://youtu.be/7jZKDfh1xhs

Shane O’Hare

E3 2015. I am so incredibly torn on this years conference. Last year my favorite developer, Ubisoft, really lost my faith. The entire AC: Unity debacle (and their dubious decisions with Tetris) made me question their sanity.

That being said, like a domestic abuse victim, I couldn’t be more hype for their press conference. Rainbow Six Siege, The Division, the new Assassins Creed and any new original IPs they come out with (thought I honestly think this year won’t be the year of anything brand new from the Frenchies) will get me going.

I pray that there will be more Battlefront info, maybe a playable demo or beta invites?

I have a feeling that this year may be the year Sony announces a new handheld to compete with the New 3DS, at the least they’re going to announce and even SLIMMER Vita!

I expect the DOOM reboot to have some serious in game content at the Bethesda conference.

My biggest wish would be some new, first party games from Valve. A huge expansion to Global Offensive? More info on Source 2? Half Life 3? Half Life 2 HD Remake?

Derek Kraneveldt

Whatever happens at this year’s expo, I’m already a happy camper: one of the games that I’ve been waiting for for years was announced last week (instead of stealing the freaking show). Fallout 3 is one of my favourite games ever, and I didn’t love New Vegas, which means I’m more than ready to see Bethesda Softworks at the helm of this one. Seriously, it looks so good.

Really, the stuff that I want to see announced, well, never gets announced. So maybe this year, if I don’t think about The Last Guardian or Half Life 3, they’ll actually happen? A watched pot never boils, right? Right.

Some of the games I’m most looking forward to seeing this year are new iterations of games I played when I was younger. I put countless hours into Need for Speed Underground and Need For Speed Underground 2, and EA’s newly announced title (so far) looks like a spiritual successor. Awesome. Plus, Tony Hawk is coming back, and if it’s even a little better than the last seven or eight Tony Hawk titles, it should be pretty alright.

Had things gone a little differently, I’d probably go off about how freaking excited I am to see more from Konami and Silent Hills. The clever announcement of that game coming from Hideo Kojima, Guillermo Del Toro, and Norman Reedus, may have been the most excited I’ve ever been for a game. Silent Hill is my favourite game series, and it’s a series that fell from greatness, became absolute trash, and apparently can’t get back up. Damn. On the horror front, I hope that The Deep End Games is on the floor with Perception, because that game looks insane, as does Frictional Games’ Amnesia follow-up, SOMA.

One last thought. Please, Nintendo, hold back on the Amiibo announcements. You’re already making me broke, and I’m living in constant fear that I’ll miss a pre-order because your company has no freaking idea how to keep stores even semi-adequately stocked.

There’s just a week until showtime, so be sure to let us know what you’re hoping to see at this year’s E3!