[UPDATE: Unfortunately before we could edit this in time, it was confirmed that Final Fantasy XV and Kingdom Hearts 3 won’t be shown at E3. While certainly a downer it still doesn’t take away from our excitement for the titles.]
E3. Is there more that needs to be said about this exciting event? Every year, game developers have a way to make us as excited as children on Christmas Day. Last year’s event was one of the most exciting events that we have witnessed so far. The war between Sony’s PS4 and Microsoft’s Xbox One was certainly entertaining to watch, with Sony taking jabs at Microsoft back when they had controversal policies on Xbox One such as putting a price on borrowing games. Nintendo’s big announcement on Mega Man debuting on Super Smash Bros certainly made as excited as children in a candy shop. If neither of those were enough, the loyal Kingdom Hearts fans were in for a big surprise upon the announcement of Kingdom Hearts 3. As E3 2014 approaches, we shudder in anticipation for what’s in store for this years event. Since it’s just around the corner, all of the Last Token Gaming Staff would like to share on what they hope to see in this year’s E3.
Jake:
I’ll admit, I haven’t been part of the Kingdom Hearts craze since the very beginning (since I didn’t own a PS2 during its years. In fact, I haven’t had a console since N64 until I got a 360). I haven’t been able to catch on until I picked up Dream Drop Distance (and being slightly disappointed that I didn’t have Donald and Goofy and not being able to fight the heartless). several months before last year’s E3 event, but I have managed to relate to the frustration that the loyal KH fans felt throughout the years upon seeing new Kingdom Heart entries that don’t have the number 3 (no, not 365/2 days). After being caught up with the story, I too wondered when they are going to come around to start making Kingdom Hearts 3.
When I saw that it’s finally coming, I was just as ecstatic and relieved to see the big news as the rest of the fans. I have been trying to follow the updates the best I can since then. They have made some announcements on the new features for the latest installment before keeping a tight lid on any more details for a time being. That being said, I am excited to see what more they have to reveal about Kingdom Hearts 3 since it has been a long time since they revealed that different Keyblades can transform. I’m very excited about this game because from what little details we were exposed to, I can tell that its going to be an amazing conclusion to the Xehanort saga. I hope that they can give us an idea on when the game will be released so that the rumors (regarding KH3 being released before 2015) can finally be put to rest. If Square Enix for some reason decides to delay some details on Kingdom Hearts 3, I really hope they can at least show us more details on the upcoming 2.5 HD remix. It has been a long time since Square released a trailer for 2.5 and they have yet to set an release date for that as well. 2.5 will have to do to satisfy our hunger for Kingdom Hearts for a time being for experiencing the HD remix beauty.
Terry:
If there’s any game I can’t wait to hear about at E3, it’s Final Fantasy XV (formerly Final Fantasy Versus XIII). Ever since being first announced back in 2006 as an exclusive title for the Playstation 3, I’ve held on firmly to the belief that we would see this game come to fruition. At the time, I remember looking at the announcement trailer realizing that the graphics looked incredible…to the point where I worried the system wouldn’t be able to handle processing both graphics and gameplay. That didn’t stop the firestorm of hype the trailer created; forums all over the world were drooling over this game. More so than the game that actually was actually going to be released: Final Fantasy XIII.
However, after that announcement trailer, news began to die off like the plague about the game. Square Enix was keeping their mouths tight about the game, and fans were beginning to worry about the production. The company tried to assure the fans that everything was alright; just be patient. Yet, with the increasingly declining sales of the Fabula Nova Crystallis series (Final Fantasy XIII, XIII-2, XIII-3), it didn’t help to ease anyone’s mind.
Then it finally happened: Final Fantasy Versus XIII was finally going to be released under the new name Final Fantasy XV. While the signs point to it no longer being a Playstation exclusive for the PS4, the game still looks sharp and as exciting as eight years ago. The art style harkens back to a mixture of past and present, the visuals crisp and stunning, and combats a interesting mix of Kingdom Hearts and Tales series. In my mind, I have no doubt Tetsuya Nomura is going to create a marvelous game. That said, there are some questions that are raised around the game; why did it really take THIS long for production? Can the game live up to the hype? Any about this news about this game is more than welcome, and no matter what, it’s on my radar of games to be giddy about for E3.
Oh and maybe some hint about The Last Guardian. Anyone with me on that?
Chris:
Three words: Super Smash Bros. for the Wii U and 3DS. Aside from the Italian plumber and company, Super Smash Bros. has been the stalwart franchise to increase the sail of sales for their consoles by the ten fold. Who doesn’t like the idea of enjoying a good fight with some of our favorite characters? Nintendo has certainly done a good job of keeping its fans dangling on the hook with enough screenshots, teasers and trailers.
The best part about it this new iteration? It’s portable. With the inclusion of a 3DS version for the occasion portable fights, Nintendo is making all the right calls on this game. Adding into the mix an adapter for Gamecube controllers, interconnectivity between the 3DS and Wii U versions and a stellar roster make up a sure profit maker for this monolithic developer.
Also, if the rumors are true, I’m excited about God of War 4. God of War has been a consistently good franchise that’s been able to improve upon its predecessors (for the most part). The only question I’m left with is what’s left to tell of Kratos’ story? I guess Santa Monica Studios and Sony have an idea.
Chris & Terry:
With that said, both of us are hoping that a truly new and unique IP will come out this year at E3. Last year’s E3 was certainly a phenomenal one that certainly shaped the perspective of the new-current generation consoles, and now it’s time to give fans a reason to own said consoles. Are there going to be games that improve the integration of the touch pad on the Dualshock 4 controller? Can Microsoft give us a game proving the necessity for the Kinect integration? Or are we seeing console gaming hitting it’s peak? We’ll have to wait and see.
Ryan:
There are a few things I would like to see at E3. Of course two of them are wishful thinking. I would absolutely love to see another Star Fox. A real Star Fox I might add. No ground combat or anything like that. Starfox 3D was a great revisit but I want new. Also, I would like to see is another F-Zero. GX left a huge impression on me. I still go back to play it as often as I can. It would compliment Mario Kart 8 very well. As for reality, I can’t wait to see what the 2nd season of Killer Instinct characters will be. Hoping Eyedol is in this one. Killer Instinct was a huge part of my childhood and love being able to revisit it and the characters that were involved.
Sean:
I’m with Ryan on the whole StarFox and F-zero thing. F-Zero GX was one of my all time favorites and while it would be insanely hard to top (including beat the game man that was crazy) I still want to see them try it again. At the very least a port with online play would be nice. StarFox I really wanna see it return to its routes much to Nintendo seeming to try hard to forget its start on the SNES. Beyond my hopes for Nintendo making the best come back ever I am actually really really excited for the final reveal of the Steam Box systems. Valve’s attempt at hitting the console market. Not so much excited for a new console so much as I am excited for what it will change in what we think about the console market. The freedom of PC gaming with a console form factor with an open free market both in software and hardware. Plus we might see a manufacturer make something completely unexpected with features we can use with the Steam game libraries we already own. It could just be seen as no more than a fancy PC with a bigger price tag than it should have but I’m very hopeful this will change everything, or at the very least give us some new options and choices.