E3 2019 is going to feel weird without Sony. There’ll be no Death Stranding, Ghost of Tsushima, or Last of Us information released at the gaming show. The news of which, when was announced, was enough to set many people off in profanity-laden internet tirades.
But outside the realm of Sony, there are other notable IPs whose E3 absence would similarly have the gaming community spitting their collective dummies.
Beyond Good and Evil 2
If we want to be realistic, Beyond Good and Evil 2 will come out after 2020. An extremely hopeful person might think that it’ll be more like a holiday 2019 to early 2020 release window. Either way, we’re ready for an extensive info dump.
It’s been two years since the game was revealed at E3 2017, and we’re nowhere closer to getting a release date. We’ve seen some pre-alpha gameplay of the space-faring fun that the game promises, but we’re going to need more. The sheer scale of this game makes it one of the most ambitious titles in development.
We’re certainly far from the release date. Hiccups here and there are excusable in the beta and alpha stages. The only mistake they could make is not sharing any new information at E3. Fans just want to know that the developers aren’t in over their heads with the lofty promises of Beyond Good and Evil 2.
Luigi’s Mansion 3
If Luigi’s Mansion 3 is coming out this year, then it needs to not only show up at E3, but it also needs a release date. We’re nearly halfway through the year, and there has been complete silence on this title.
It’s typical of Nintendo to not over-share before they’re ready. The only problem with that is when they under-share. We got a little teaser in the September Nintendo Direct, but that’s about it. All we know is that the phasmophobic Mario brother is back at it again with the brand-new Poltergust G-00.
Luigi’s Mansion is a fantastic series. We just need more information to know how it’s different from past games. Give us that and it’ll be easy to get excited about the game.
Gears 5
This was a welcome reveal at E3 2018 following the announcement of Gears POP! I’m still blown away by Microsoft’s audacity to reveal something like that right before Gears 5. Odd reveal options aside, we need to get some more of Gears 5 news.
Gears 5 and Halo are the biggest exclusives we know that are in development. Halo is already confirmed for this year, but Gears 5 is still oddly missing. The trailer we saw last year seemed to hint towards a more story-driven take on the Gears of War franchise.
Since the lukewarm reception to the previous game, fans of the franchise have been looking forward to something new for a while. Gears 5 dev, The Coalition, may be taking a different path with this title, but that may be what Gears of War needs right now.
Chances are that they’re just trying to build anticipation by not giving everything away before June 9. This one seems like a shoo-in, and it better be or Gears and Xbox fans won’t be too happy.
Bayonetta 3
The last time we heard an update on Bayonetta 3 was in the March 2019 Nintendo Direct. They essentially just said that it’s still coming along just fine. Before that, the reveal at the Game Awards 2017 was the last time we got any Bayonetta 3 news.
We can’t go another 16 months without a gameplay trailer. The cryptic nature of the 2017 reveal trailer didn’t help their case at all. E3 2019 is the perfect time to finally show off more of this game. The fans are ready to see more.
The biggest concern is that the game will end up like Metroid Prime 4, or in the worst case, like Scalebound. Fans have been clamoring for more information for a while now, so it’s about time we see some more of Bayonetta 3.
WB Games Wizarding World RPG
This is an interesting title since it still hasn’t been officially announced yet by WB. A massive gameplay leak of a new Wizarding World RPG made the existence of this game known to the public last year.
Even though tons of information already leaked, there’s certainly still more to share. It’ll also be nice to finally see how the game looks in 4K instead of just a bunch of blurry cell phone videos.
It feels slightly odd to say that we’re looking forward to this game that doesn’t even officially exist. Yet, the leaks gave us a good feel for what the game is like. All that’s left to do is sort out what’s true and what’s false or conjecture.
Metroid Prime 4
This one may seem unlikely to make an appearance, but there’s no doubt that people want new Metroid Prime 4 info at E3. There’s no telling if Retro Studios even has Samus’ character model in a showable state.
The best that we can hope for at this point is a cinematic trailer considering how recently the game development changed hands. Retro can make a Metroid game like nobody else, but it still takes time.
That said, any bit of info on how the development of the Metroid Prime 4 is coming along is always welcome. It’s probably going to be a long time before this game comes out, but more frequent updates on this Prime 4 would be greatly appreciated. Big gaps of time with no Metroid news is always going to be concerning until the game comes out.
Final Fantasy 7 Remake
We just got a new trailer in the latest State of Play for the Final Fantasy 7 Remake, but we still didn’t see major characters like Tifa and Yuffie. It’s time for more character reveals.
The latest trailer showed off the updated graphics by revealing Aerith. More early-game battles and cutscenes would be enough to tide people over. We don’t need everyone and everything shown off in one big blowout unless the first game is coming out this year. Even that previous idea of a “first game” is an assumption.
We already know that Square Enix is going to show off more about the game next month, but they haven’t specified when. It can be assumed that they mean E3, but there haven’t been any announcements of the sort from official sources.
We don’t know exactly how this game will be split up yet. That’s the biggest revelation that we need to get at E3. I want to get excited about this game, but we need to know if the separate pieces that make up Final Fantasy 7 remake will be split between PS4 and PS5.
Splinter Cell
This beloved series is on life support and needs the boost of hype that an E3 reveal would provide. The last release, Splinter Cell: Blacklist, was back in 2013 and fans have been clamoring for a new title in the stealth-action series.
There used to be a heated debate between whether Solid Snake from MGS or Sam Fisher from Splinter Cell was better at stealth. Sam Fisher was a well-known name to gamers everywhere. However, those times are long past. That’s likely due to the fact that it’s been about six years since the last Splinter Cell.
A new title in the franchise was a common E3 2018 prediction and we all saw how that turned out. There was that bit where the lights went out at the end of Microsoft’s conference last year and then it wasn’t Splinter Cell.
Fans of this franchise have suffered enough. It’s ridiculous that there’s no Splinter Cell game on the current generation of consoles. This E3 is the perfect time to change that.
Animal Crossing
Animal Crossing for Switch was the other bookend of the September Nintendo Direct — the first being Luigi’s Mansion 3. Just like that game, we haven’t seen anything since the reveal.
Animal Crossing skipped the Wii U, which means the last console title in the series released over 10 years ago. Even if we look at New Leaf on the 3DS, that is approaching the six-year mark. It’s completely understandable why fans of the series are so rabid for new information.
Maybe they’ll toss in farming to make the game feel more like Stardew Valley or Harvest Moon. You’ve been to cities, islands, rural towns, maybe this next game can explore space. Literally, anything will be welcome news for Animal Crossing fans after eight months of silence.
I don’t expect anything on the level of Smash Bros. Ultimate from E3 2018, but they must do a blowout on Animal Crossing Switch information. It’s possibly one of the most anticipated Switch games of this year next to Pokemon Sword and Shield.
Avengers
Update: Square Enix announced shortly after this article was published that Marvel’s Avengers will be showcased at E3.
I remember there’s a saying about striking while the iron is hot. It has certainly cooled a bit since the release of Endgame, but this Avengers franchise is still massive.
This was another title that many writers and podcasters were anticipating, but it just didn’t happen. With the end of the Marvel Cinematic Universe Infinity Saga, they need to release some new information while this franchise is at peak relevancy.
It’s possible that time has already passed, but this game has been sitting in the dark for too long.
The fact that we found out about Marvel Ultimate Alliance 3 and its release date before we got any meaningful information about this Avengers project is unbelievable. I can’t imagine people being too happy if this game misses another E3.
Published: May 29, 2019 12:41 pm