With the big, long E3 2021 weekend now behind us, the press conferences all wrapped up, it’s time for us to digest all the game announcements, re-reveals and juicy little tidbits that have occurred over the last few days.
What were our favourite and most wanted games from E3 2021? Was it all about Elden Ring? All aboard the good spaceship Starfield? Perhaps ‘that game with the guy that really, really hates Chaos’? Let’s find out!
Dom – Forza Horizon 5
Xbox’s show offered a couple of real highlights this year, even if E3 as a whole was mildly underwhelming, and Forza Horizon 5 quickly racing to the front of the pack. Playground know what they’re doing, and have done for years, but with the added power of the Series X now a known quantity I expect them to put in an even stronger performance. The new mini-games and arcade modes look fantastic, and it really seems as though there’s going to be more reasons than ever to return day in, day out for this open world arcade racer.
Forza Horizon 5 is sure to be another sublime arcade racer.
I also really liked the look of Halo Infinite’s multiplayer, while Lemnis Gate continues to excite me, and Jurassic World Evolution 2 will keep some parts of my family entertained for months.
Ade – Metroid Dread
I’m so very excited for Metroid Dread. Metroid is one of my favourite video game series of all time and I cannot wait to get stuck into a proper new 2D entry. It’s been a long time coming but early impressions from what Nintendo have shown suggest the wait has been worth it.
Also, I’m keeping a look out for Metal Slug Tactics, Firegirl, Two Point Campus, Trek to Yomi and Redfall.
Jake – Elden Ring
While the trailer was long overdue, seeing Elden Ring’s gameplay trailer in all its glory was a pleasant surprise. With the last Souls experiences still fresh in my mind – I’ve only played through them all this past month! – it’s obvious to see the familiarities with the other FromSoftware titles, particularly between Dark Souls and Elden Ring, but with small shades of Sekiro and Bloodbourne added into the mix too.
Aside from that, Metroid Dread came out of nowhere for me, the Breath of the Wild 2 trailer looked spectacular, and Halo Infinite also looks great.
Stefan – Sable
There were some big new game announcements from the big publishers, but E3 2021 was as much about indie games as it was AAA blockbusters. Having played the demo, I’m all in on Sable, this gorgeously stylised coming-of-age tale. It soundtrack is wonderful, as well.
We’re looking forward to a gorgeous and relaxing coming-of-age story in Sable.
It was close, but Sable just beat the surprisingly hard, but cute foxy adventure of Tunic to be my favourite from the show. I’m also 100% here for Nintendo reliving their Game Boy Advance years with Metroid Dread and WarioWare: Get it Together, looking forward to Mario + Rabbids Sparks of Hope, and Forza Horizon 5 also looks sublime.
Aran – Sherlock Holmes Chapter One
Sherlock Holmes Chapter One probably flew under the radar for most, but the new trailer for the game has really got me interested in the game. An open world Sherlock Holmes game with dozens of quests and cases to solve? Count me in. I enjoy a good puzzle and an open world game, so mixing the two for an ambitious project like this by Frogwares could really create a sleeper hit.
Other games that piqued my interest were Forza Horizon 5, Advance Wars 1+2 Re-boot Camp, Harold Halibut, Guardians of the Galaxy and Trek to Yomi.
Steve – Monster Hunter Stories 2
Considering that Capcom was one of the publishers that seemed to show up at E3 out of a sense of duty more than anything else, it’s somewhat ironic that it’s Monster Hunter Stories 2 that I’m looking forward to most. The first game was a delightful JRPG that managed to take the core elements of its big brother and translate them to a cutesy turn based adventure. I’m really looking forward to raising my Rathalos (which sounds dirty written down) next month when it launches next month.
More narrative RPG goodness is coming to the Monster Hunter universe.
Other games that caught my eye included the grisly looking Death Trash which checks all my boxes, ‘Hades with armaments’ Wizard With a Gun, and various 2D puzzle platformers.
Gamoc – Guardians of the Galaxy
This one’s pretty simple for me. AÂ proper story focused single player marvel game was what I wanted from Marvel’s Avengers, but where that game failed, I’m hoping Eidos Montreal succeed. Also, it’s Guardians!
Elsewhere, I loved the look of Kena: Bridge of Spirits, Far Cry 6, Sifu and Jurassic World Evolution 2, and am keen to see what The Outer Worlds 2 offers after that announcement trailer.
Nick P – Metroid Dread
Sure, Elden Ring is cool, but have you ever played a 2D Metroid game? Super Metroid is one of my all time favourite classic SNES games and seeing Metroid return to it’s roots fills me with excitement. The Prime games were great, but the heart of Metroid games is that 2D environment, which spawned the term ‘Metroidvania.’ Going back to it’s humble beginnings can only be a good thing!
19 years after it was first thought of, Metroid Dread is actually happening!
As for the rest, I’m quite looking forward to Jurassic World Evolution 2, Forza Horizon 5, Atomic Heart, Evil Dead: The Game and the Death Stranding Directors Cut!
Reuben – Eiyuden Chronicle: Hundred Heroes
I love a good action JRPG, and Eiyuden Chronicle stole the show for me during the Xbox & Bethesda conference for its visual flare, diverse roster of characters and just the pure nostalgic feel to the whole thing. Then for them to announce that another title in the series is coming before the main game in 2023 was just the icing on the cake, with the news that it’s coming to Xbox Game Pass on day one being the cherry on top.
Other titles I’m now excited about: Metroid Dread, Redfall, Stranger of Paradise: Final Fantasy Origin, Wizard with a Gun, Advance Wars: Re-boot Camp.
Miguel – STALKER 2
I remember when I was first getting into PC gaming, in the earliest days and years of Steam being a thing, I would always see one name thrown around online when it came to niche game recommendations – the S.T.A.L.K.E.R. series. There was a small but explosive fandom surrounding S.T.A.L.K.E.R.: Shadow of Chernobyl, specifically, and I came to love this clunky and drab yet immersive and addictive shooter. The series has always lived in my head as that sort of small and aged experience, so seeing a gorgeous, high-fidelity S.T.A.L.K.E.R. sequel shown off at the Xbox showcase filled me with the same sense of wonder and intrigue I got when I first heard of the series nearly a decade ago.
Aside from that? Well there’ WarioWare: Get It Together!, Forza Horizon 5, Halo Infinite, Doki Doki Literature Club Plus and TOEM on my watch list.
Jim – Rainbow Six Extraction
Originally revealed two years ago at E3 2019, Rainbow Six Extraction (formerly dubbed Quarantine) is a completely new spin on the popular Tom Clancy franchise. Based on a time-limited game mode that briefly appeared in Rainbow Six Siege, Ubisoft have now turned this into its own tactical co-op shooter. Combining Siege’s tense, tactical gunplay with sprawling alien-infested hives, Extraction has already enlisted a number of fan favourite Rainbow Operators. Hopefully, Ubisoft will give us a reason to keep coming back mission after mission, perhaps giving us the option to collect, level up, and customise an elite roster of familiar faces.
Overall, it’s been a tame E3 for me this year though there are still some highlights including Eiyuden Chronicle, Forza 5, WarioWare: Get it Together, and Stranger of Paradise: Final Fantasy Origins.
Phew! That’s quite a lot of games and variety, and not even a single mention of how much we all hate Chaos! Let us know in the comments below what your picks from E3 2021 were.
doomsday619
For me it would be Guardians of the Galaxy, being a Marvel Comics now movie fan for most of my life. It’s great finally seeing these characters in their own games. Other than that my day one games would have to be Far Cry, Sherlock, Fatal Frame and Dark Pictures: House of Ashes. Plus plenty more on my watch list after E3. My wife is going to hate me.
Andrewww
I think I’ve grown out of E3. Up until last year, I always watched the presentations by Sony, Ubisoft, EA, and others, sometimes until early in the morning. This year, I’ve not watched a single press conference, I just couldn’t be bothered. Maybe it is because Sony’s not there, or there is no ‘proper’ E3 anymore.
Or, I’ve simply got tired of listening to all this cheap overhyping of games that may be out seven years from now or turn out as rubbish as Anthem or Cyberprank.
Of course, there’s some interesting games, like e.g. Twelve Minutes, or Elden Ring. But they’re not coming to any platform I play on (thanks, Annapurna, for selling this to MS), or I never got round to playing the previous game(s) in the series. I’m probably just too old for this. And, if any of those games being announced years before release really turn out well, and are actually becoming available, I’m sure I’ll hear of them and have plenty of time to join in.