Electronic Entertainment Expo (E3) Extravaganza!

KWEH!

There has been so many recent game announcements from The Land of the Rising Sun during the Electronic Entertainment Expo (E3) 2015 that it is hard to keep track of. In this post, I will try to post select Japanese games trailers that have recently been announced in no particular order.

Final Fantasy 7 REMAKE!

https://youtu.be/hJ4_t_GqGAM

Yes, there have been some rumors about this legendary game and even Square-Enix trolled us last year by announcing a HD remaster. Now we can see a more realistic graphic of Cloud cross-dressing *wink wink*.

World of Final Fantasy

That… Chocobo… That… THAT… Chocobo… KWEH!!!

STAR OCEAN: Integrity and Faithlessness

STAR OCEAN is an expansive series with its own strong fanbase. The game has been teased some time ago but above is the most recent trailer that came out of E3.

Kingdom Hearts III

*GASP GASP GASP* Finally there is more gameplay trailer of the beloved Disney x Square-Enix franchise. In this third numbered installment of the game, the developers seem to have taken their inspiration from the park rides as evident by the presence of teacups, train/rollercoaster, and pirate ship skills.

Kingdom Hearts Unchained X

Clearly not what the fans of the series was expecting but it does look interesting and cute!

Genei Ibun Roku #FE a.k.a. Megami Tensei X Fire Emblem (NOT the exact title)

Looks like a combination of idol game and Megami Tensei plus Fire Emblem style of JRPG. Maybe you dance and charm the demons? There is even a character named Chrom who may or may not be related to Chrom of Fire Emblem Awakening. Who knows?

Yokai Watch

The uber popular demon-catching franchise in Japan is finally making its way to the US! I am afraid that they will lose most of its Japanese cultural references during the translation process. However, I am looking forward to teaming up with Jibanyan and pawnd other demons. Geddit, pawnd?

Animal Crossing Amiibo Festival and Animal Crossing: Happy Home Designer

My life and money will again be sucked in by Animal Crossing. Nintendo keeps coming out with ways to utilize its Amiibo platform and Amiibo Festival seems like a great way to start using it on the Animal Crossing franchise. I may just stick with the one on 3DS.

Dark Souls III

Here is the final episode of the Dark Souls series known for its hard and unforgiving gameplay and design. It definitely looks daunting and grim. I am anticipating on more information about the gameplay. Though DS3 is supposed to be the final episode, the creators have confirmed that it is NOT the final game from the series. Maybe you can take it as an end of a saga or story arc and expect something new in the future.

EarthBound Beginnings

I know there are many EarthBound fans who somehow had gotten their hands on the games and fell madly in love with the franchise even though the Western release of the series is complicated. This is one of the games that many people did not see the possibility of announcement. Well, surprise!

Shenmue III

Well, this is not so much of a game announcement as it is an announcement of a Kickstarter game project that SONY backed. I personally know about Shenmue since long ago when I went to a friend’s place to watch him play. It is a series highly regarded in designing and incorporating real-life aspects such as characters having own schedules, quick time events, real-time weather effects, and more. It is also one of the fastest Kickstarter projects to hit its two million Dollars goal and it is steadily rising.

Star Fox Zero

This is also one of those titles that seem to piqued the fans interest. The developers seem to care a lot about the series and sincerely want to craft a game that furthers the enjoyment of the franchise.

Mario and Luigi: Paper Jam

This new installment of Paper Mario looks fun! With lots of potential for 2D explorations and puzzles as Paper Mario and 3D platforming as, well, 3D Mario.

The Legend of Zelda: Tri-Force Heroes

This is another interesting game for the 3DS platform where you can play cooperatively as three different Links. I am assuming that the game might have been directly inspired by the older Four Swords Adventure game on the GameCube.

Super Mario Maker

This is also an interesting title that they announced because of its capability to allow players or people who are interested in game level design to create fun/hard/crazy levels and share them with people. A little too bad it is only on the Wii U platform.

Xenoblade Chronicles X

Well, the second installment of the Xenoblade Chronicles series did pretty well in Japan and is slated to launch in the US in December 2015.

Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain

This is a contextually sad trailer because it is most probably the last Metal Gear Solid trailer edited by Hideo Kojima, the brilliant mind who created the franchise. Some of you probably have heard about how Kojima clashed with Konami. As such, MGS, practically Kojima’s most successful child, is going to continue on with Konami without its parent.

Persona 5 (English E3 Trailer)

For those of you who are following Persona 5 news, I am rather sad to report that there is no new gameplay footage or trailer. However, Atlus did make an English trailer of the older one. The company also confirmed that P5 will still be out in the US this year. That is still a great news.

The Last Guardian

This is the game that caused a lot of rumors, ruckus, news of deaths and revivals, joy, sadness, and mixed emotions even before it is out. It is also one of my personal favorites from the barrage of game announcements from the Expo. Fumito Ueda, the creator of this game, also created two highly acclaimed games on the PlayStation 2 namely, ICO and Shadow of the Colossus. The latter is regarded as a prime example of how game design mechanic meets the creator’s message as an artform. No surprise that many people who studied the game, fell in love it and elevated Ueda to be a visionary designer. After many conflicting news and rumors about the project, it was truly a joyous event at E3 when they announced that the game is still on. Even Ueda was in attendance and had a brief airtime while he waved at the audience. Now, please excuse me while I wipe some tears.

This year’s E3 announced many interesting titles, gave us more news of some of our beloved games, and we are only at around the half-way point. There may even be more announcements since the expo officially ends on June 18. I feel good about what they have presented us so far and am psyched for many of the games.

So, what are some of your favorite, most-anticipated, or most-disappointing news and trailers from this year’s E3? If you think that I missed some, feel free to link them in the comments section. I was expecting more news about Persona 5 beyond the English trailer, but it did not happen.