The staff sounds off on our hopes and wishes
E3 is roughly two weeks away and it’s promising to be one hell of a show. We already know a bit about what’s being shown, and there will no doubt be 500 more “leaks” between now and when the show officially opens, but part of the joy in the lead up to the show are the “what ifs.” Those games that remain a glimmer in your eye, your secret want that you know might not happen but you can’t help but holding onto hope that you and whoever makes the decisions about what games are made are operating at the same wavelength.
Last year I asked for WarioWare Switch, saying I’d even be happy for a game that was like Rhythm Heaven Megamix that brought the greatest micro-games from the franchise into one package. Turns out I got my wish with WarioWare Gold, just not on the console I was expecting. I can’t wait for that to be on my 3DS, which brings me to my big wish for the show: I want one final, big game for the 3DS. Not a port, not a remake — though the rumored one to be announced during the Treehouse broadcast sounds juicy — but an honest-to-God, big, new game for the handheld.
I know that’s probably a lot to ask for as all of the Nintendo games in the works for it are ports and remakes. And there is nothing wrong with a really good remake. Metroid: Samus Returns is a great game, but I maxed out Ever Oasis. It’s honestly one of my favorite games for the system and I’d simply be amazed if there is one final game in the works for it that can strike gold the same way it did. Nintendo said it has stuff in the pipeline for the 3DS, though who knows what that will be after Mario & Luigi: Bowser’s Inside Story + Bowser Jr.’s Journey. As someone who is going to play their 3DS until it absolutely dies, I’m keeping my fingers crossed for one last hurrah.
Peter Glagowski
I’ll be the first to admit I’m tired of games being ported from older systems, but there is one title that absolutely needs to be on the Switch. How is Super Mario Maker, Nintendo’s celebration of its mascot, not on its hybrid console? Not only would it tide fans over until an inevitable New Super Mario Bros. Switch , but it would also prevent those Wii U levels created by thousands from disappearing into the void.
I know the game is on 3DS and even has pseudo-online support, but Mario Maker being on Switch is a no-brainer. It would not only sell better by virtue of being on a more widely adopted console, but it’s fucking Mario. C’mon, Nintendo!
Chris Hovermale
While the one thing that’d excite me most is a brand new IP catered to my favorite parts of gaming, that’s never really the kind of answer these “What do you want most from E3” pieces talk about. I mean, when you open the floodgates to be as wide as the imagination, the answers stop being topical and start being an excuse to rattle off a list of things you like. So instead of asking for a new action RPG with online co-op where you collect dozens of giant insectoid characters, I’m gonna ask for a sequel or something else derivative of a pre-existing series… such as another Ever Oasis game. Which is already an action RPG with normal-sized scorpion people, for all that counts.
My oddly specific tastes aside, I’m aware that Ever Oasis 2 probably isn’t happening any time soon, if ever. It didn’t make big waves, it was low budget to begin with, and it was a 3DS game launching after the Switch arrived. But dear Khepri, do I love this niche game! No matter how unlikely it is, I’d be glad to see this world get a second shot, especially on the Switch.
I want more characters with more abilities. I want more townsfolk to build relationships and interact with each other than just Levi and Mariah, something more like the NPC Affinity Chart in Xenoblade. I want more threatening enemies with more exciting moves to fight them with. I want the town management to expand further. I want online co-op. I want Ever Oasis’s ideas to realize their full potential. Whether it’s a sequel, an enhanced remake, a spiritual successor, or whatever else, I want more Ever Oasis.
Though I think announcing another brand new Nintendo IP would be pretty cool and reasonable to expect too. We’ve been getting them regularly of late, we’re still waiting on this year’s new one, and they always pique my interest. Maybe if I’m really lucky, this will be the one starring giant insect protagonists.
Joel Peterson
Hoo boy! Where would I be without Dragon Quest right now? The last few months have been really difficult and stressful, and DQ has been the one thing keeping me sane between school work, having a new baby, my full-time job, and some persistent medical issues. But most of all I have been playing (and enjoying) Dragon Quest X, a game that sadly was never released here. The barrier to entry being entirely in Japanese and region locked is quite high, and it was a little pricey to get started, but in anticipation of Dragon Quest XI, I just had to experience what I know in my heart will never be released. Yet year after year, I go into E3s and Nintendo Directs just hoping Square Enix will drop that surprise announcement and that DQX will arrive on our shores.
For anyone curious, it plays exactly like every other Dragon Quest in the series, with a focus on main story missions and narrative. There are side quests, but the game feels nothing like a traditional MMORPG apart from dailies and the fact that you can party up with other players. The world is massive, the Casino is as fun as ever, and the insanely small (probably less than 20 active players) English player base is dedicated and friendly. I want to write more about DQX in the future, being about 30 hours into the experience, and going through a lot of barriers in order to enjoy it. But more importantly, I really want Square Enix to bite the bullet and take a chance on it, lest it be the single mainline series Dragon Quest to not be brought overseas.
With the Switch being so popular and DQX just having been released for it and PlayStation 4, it would be the perfect time for a surprise announcement. At least we are getting XI though I suppose — which I have also been playing – and it is also pretty awesome.
Jonathan Holmes
I hope that the fan outcry that erupted after I posted an opinion piece about the death of both the Rhythm Heaven series and Mother 3‘s chances for localization caused Nintendo to course correct on each of those rumored decisions. Nothing would make me happier than to see Mother 3 and Rhythm Heaven 5 come to Switch, but I’m not holding my breath.
Rich Meister
Nintendo has a habit of sweeping some of its franchises under the rug for long periods of time. That being said, the Switch seems like the perfect opportunity to bring a few back. We already know that we’re getting a new entry in the Metroid Prime series and rumors abound of a Star Fox racing game, but where the hell is F-Zero.?
F-Zero GX was the last installment on a core console way back in the GameCube’s heyday and I loved every minute of it. Enough time has passed that enough people would be up for another installment and swaths of gamers are completely unfamiliar with the title. I don’t want to love in a world where my nephews only know Captain Falcon as “that guy from Smash Bros.“
Josh Tolentino
For several E3s in a row, I’ve been hyped for something that was eventually pushed back to the next E3, so I’ve learned my lesson. As such, I tend to let E3 news sorta wash over me and take it as it comes. That said, I wouldn’t mind learning more about some games currently on the horizon, perhaps a teaser for whatever the former Persona Team at Atlus are doing with their new all-original fantasy game, or when Vanillaware’s 13 Sentinels is set to release. All things considered, though, I’d probably be better off waiting for the Tokyo Game Show for that sort of news. Similarly, anything I’d like to hear about the recent announcements of remastered releases of Yakuza 3, 4, and 5 will probably wait until then.
There are a few things I am excited for, though, where the timing might be right for an E3 update. Ubisoft’s Wild has been missing in action for at least a year, and the time would be right for them to remind us it exists, now that the fatigue seems to be building on its other franchises. Ace Combat 7 is also due this year, and I’m really down for that.
Dan Roemer
Every now and then I have to remind myself we’re in a timeline where games such as Shenmue III and Beyond Good and Evil 2 are becoming a reality. It’s absolutely wild to think about how a few years ago, titles such as The Last Guardian or Final Fantasy Versus XIII were considered cancelled vaporware. Now they’re fully released games, so, whenever I see people doubting the potential of a possible sequel for a beloved property, I always still cling on to a small grain of hope that it could become a reality at E3 and keep optimistic.
This is something I’m still doing for Skate 4 and let me tell ya’ — it’s hard. Those previously mentioned games at least had the distinct advantage of being in development. I can’t say the same for Skate 4. The closest thing I have to cling on to for that game being a reality are some tweets from an EA community manager using a Skate 4 hashtag and the justifying theory in my head of EA attempting to take advantage of the current lack of any major (and decent) skateboard games in the market currently.
However, the grim reality is skater culture within gaming and extreme sports games being popular within the mainstream, in general, has come and gone. So, I’d be immensely surprised (and thrilled) if Skate 4 does become reality at this year’s E3, and I’ll keep optimistic, but I’m starting to think the chances of that are almost non-existent.
Pixie The Fairy
Okay, so I know somebody is probably going to say Dark Souls 4 or Bloodborne 2, but I think such people are in for a disappointment and should hope for something reasonable like a successor to Kuon and a new Armored Core because it seems that’s where they’re going. Plus, From Software said long ago DS3 was going to be the last DS game, so there’s that. I get the enthusiasm for the series, but I think they’re moving on from that one
That doesn’t mean you can’t hope for a Demon’s Souls remaster, though, because that’s kind of just as much up to Sony and Atlus as it is From Software. Having just rebought a PS3 with Demon’s Souls (which I will get back to after Bloodborne and the DS remaster), I have to say it hasn’t held up as well as the rest and unless you have a shady workaround there’s no online play now. This leaves it the odd one out.
I guess I’m really hoping for an Ico remake from Sony after they had Bluepoint do Shadow of the Colossus. I just hope they keep the dream-like visuals for Ico, SotC’s realistic visuals were nice but the game lost something of what it was as a result.
For Nintendo, maybe another Metroid 3DS surprise? Metroid: Samus Returns did tease something for the future at the end of its credits. And look, as much as I like Bloodborne and Dark Souls, I don’t want From Software anywhere near Metroid on Nintendo Switch. They do big bosses and vast, interconnected worlds well, but they’re not so hot on the platforming/agile hero thing.
Salvador G-Rodiles
After the Wii and DS’ lifespan ended, we were never treated to a new board game RPG that destroys friendships. Likely due to Sting making stuff for Compile Heart, the Dokapon series remained absent during the current console generation.
Honestly, it’s a shame that there aren’t any other games that mix Mario Party with classic RPGs and Munchkin. Because of this drought, a new Dokapon installment for the Switch would be a great E3 announcement. While Sting might not get to develop it, I could see it being made by Atlus’ Etrian Odyssey team. Both series have a fantasy setting and a job system, so they could deliver a great take on the title.
Thanks to the Switch’s portable mode, this will make it easier to gather a group to play a campaign. Whether it’s at home or at a local restaurant, a Dokapon game for the system will let you bring despair to your buddies at all times. Let’s just say that it’ll be useful in putting the bonds with your friends and loved ones to the test.
Robo Panda Z
Every year, I have the same pile of E3 requests that I repeat. Each year, it’s the same thing. I know I’m not going to get them, but I ask anyway, like a small Cockney pickpocket requesting more soup.
For a while, my dream of getting a new Ogre Battle seemed like it would become a reality, with the success of the Unsung Story Kickstarter. The former’s complexity, strategic complexity, and Queen references hold up even now. That dream was sunk with the latter’s trainwreck and the absconding of all that money. And yet, I continue to ask, “Please, Squeenix, may I have some more?”
A more realistic hope of mine would be the remaster and re-release of Chrono Cross for PC. Formerly merely the delusion of rabid panda, the recent string of console RPG (particularly the older variety) ports — and most importantly, the commercial success of Chrono Trigger‘s port (as crap as it was to start) — means I might not be crazy after all.
I tried to think of a clever allusion to Oliver Twist here, but I’ve realized I don’t recall how the orphanage scene ends. I’m pretty sure Oliver walks out back, pulls the Sword from the Stone, and is pronounced king of England. I think it’s supposed to mean that, “good fortune can come to you, regardless of station” — so why not this?
Chris Seto
This year marks the 20th anniversary (Damn, I feel OLD!!) of my favourite game of all time, and Square Enix knows it! Xenogears has been feeling a lot of love recently, with an anniversary concert, a re-release of the amazing OST and even figures of the characters and gears being announced! But how amazing would it be if they announced a complete remake of the original game at E3? Not just an update on the original game (preferably keeping the old combat system) but also finishing off the game and fully completing the parts on the original disk 2? I would scream louder than the internet did when FF7 Remake was announced!!
Of course, with all the rights all over the place and the staff all separate as well, I really don’t see this happening but one can dream, right? I mean, we got FF7 Remake AND Shenmue 3 in a single conference…
(I would also go nuts for a Valkyrie Profile collection announcement with a tease for a VP3)
*****
Those are our crazy hopes and desires. What do you want to see revealed at E3?
