Recap: E3 2019
After a bit of hibernation to recover from the excitement of E3 2019, here’s some of the amazing things we got to experience at this year’s E3, featuring some of my personal favorites!
So obviously, there were some games that many people were excited for that really hit the news, especially after the conferences that premiered on the weekend leading up to the actual convention. But down below are just some of the games that we got to play and experience and fall in love with!
Borderlands 3
I will be quite frank, I had never played Borderlands ever before in my life, so I was at a bit of a disadvantage when it came to appreciating this game and understanding what it was about. However, that ended up not really mattering too much because I learned a lot from the demo. It was easy to see exactly why people love this game. The customization for the players is basically endless from gameplay to cosmetics, and the art of the game was honestly one of my favorites that I got to see at E3. The comic, pop-art style of the game is quirky and bright, and just so eye-catching. It can be a bit much if you stare at it all the time, but it really just brings you into the experience!
Pokémon Sword and Shield
Okay, okay, we all know that there is going to be a new Pokémon game coming out in the fall that is set in a new region of Galar, and we already know that the starters were super cute: Grookie, Scorbunny, and Sobble. For the most part, if you’ve played any of the past Pokémon games, you know how it goes. But that did not stop me from being wildly excited to play this game. Nintendo truly went the extra mile for its booth, too, decorating it as though you were entering a Pokémon stadium, ready to take on a gym leader– which you are. You face Nessa, the water Pokémon gym leader and her Crocknaw. It was a glorious battle and as someone who loves Pokémon and all the past iterations of the game, this was a fun bit of nostalgia. Also, I love Yamper and I want a giant Yamper in real life –Nintendo, make it happen.
Luigi’s Mansion
Gooigi is, hands down, the star of this game. This was another major game that I had very little prior experience with, but I managed to quickly pick it up and I had a blast. I honestly loved this game so much because it was fun. But mostly, I loved playing the demo for this game because the booth was so immersive. By now you probably already know that Nintendo basically created a haunted mansion for people to enter in order to play the demo version of Luigi’s Mansion. It was fantastic and it had amazing special effects inside with super cool details (especially if you’re a secret goth kid like me).
Creature in the Well
So, this game is an innovative take on the dungeon style sort of game, and the best way to describe it (which I know will not do it justice) is that it’s kind of like a pinball game but…better. The game took me a little bit to understand, but once you get the groove of it, it gets pretty addictive and pretty fun. It’s definitely a game that really pushes you to try and redo levels to get a higher score than before. Plus, the art is so charming and so detailed that it was immediately one of the first things that struck me about this game. The colors are beautifully saturated and the music fits the theme of it so well, that the overall aesthetic of the game is just so perfect to me. Not to mention, this game did win quite a few awards during E3 so, it’s definitely a winner for me.
Super Crush K.O.!
Super Krush K.O. is a run-and-gun game, and you will quickly learn to see that oftentimes, a main reason I decide to try a game is because I love the art of it. This is definitely one of those instances. This game is a pretty standard run-and-gun game. From the demo alone, it didn’t seem like there was much backstory to what was happening in terms of who you play as and who you’re fighting. But, the gameplay felt pretty natural and the aesthetics and artwork of this game is just so gorgeous. I am a huge Sailor Moon fan and it is clear that there is a lot of influence from that manga and anime, and many other ’90s vibes.
Dicey Dungeons
I came across this game that I was enticed by initially because of the cute graphics (and trust me, it is super cute). It’s a dungeon game (as you can probably tell by the name) and you play by rolling dice and hoping to beat the enemies with your rolls! It sounds simple but there are actually quite a few different hero variations that you could play, much like it is in many other fantasy games. I can’t remember the name of my favorite, but basically it was a take on black jack but with dice rolls. It was super fun, but most of all, this game was addictive. I could easily have seen myself playing this and not realize a lot of time had gone by because it was that fun.
Boyfriend Dungeon
Yes, this is another dungeon game but it’s also a dating simulator, and yes I wanted to play this game because the art is super amazing. The premise of the game is a little odd, but it is actually super interesting. Essentially, you are dating your weapons that can transform into gorgeous humanoid beings. Each weapon has a different personality and a different backstory. The game was pretty easy to figure out how to play and it was so much fun to go through the dungeons and fight all the creatures. Once you got the hang of it, it gets so addictive as you go back and forth between battling in dungeons, and wooing your weapons. One of my favorite parts was that you healed up by drinking boba! Finally, my dream come true where boba is good for you.
Dialect
I know E3 is all about technology and digital games and all that sorts of stuff, but Dialect is actually none of those. Dialect is actually a table-top game which actually, for me, made this stand out. As an avid dungeons and dragons girl myself, I have been looking around for more table-top games to immerse myself into and Dialect is super interesting. What this game essentially boils down to is that players come together to create a new language. It’s a little complicated to understand at first, but it really comes together in a game of team-building. What I liked most about Dialect is that this game works really well for world-building, especially if you like to play other table-top games!
LEGO Star Wars
So this wasn’t a game that we could demo or anything, but LEGO Star Wars is doing a cool thing where this game (whenever it comes out) will feature all nine movies. Essentially, the player can visit any of the nine movies and play the game that is set there. Obviously, they couldn’t show us anything from the ninth movie, but it was pretty cool to see that all of the movies could be put together in one game!
Final Fantasy VII Remake
Of course this was a hot topic for a lot of people and while I didn’t get to play, I did get to see and wow! The game is gorgeous. I wish we had pictures to show of the game but we weren’t allowed to take any pictures or videos of the gameplay, but trust me when I say it was pretty bad ass. If you’ve played the first Final Fantasy VII, it’s pretty true to that version. The high-def, though? Pretty great to look at.
That’s about it for some of the things we got to experience at E3 this year! We can’t wait until all of these games come out for people to enjoy just as much as we did.
