E3 2015 is over. Another week full of game announcements, interviews, demos, and trailers is behind us. This week lets us have some time to breathe and look back on all that we saw during the conference. Everything at E3 gave a glimpse at what is to come, but some games and announcements were particularly striking. Here are some of our favorite moments from E3 2015.
The Last Guardian — Alexa Ray Corriea
There was something kind of magical about being in a room full of people when The Last Guardian was shown during Sony’s press conference. Everyone went quiet as Scott Rhode began his announcement, and we thought that maybe it wasn’t this, it couldn’t be this, it had been too long… But lo and behold, there it was. I think I must have begun laughing hysterically or something, because others were looking at me. But then we were all just… silent. Reverential, even. The best moment of E3 was seeing this white whale, this mystical unicorn of game development suddenly there, in front of us, with a 2016 release date. It was surreal.
Halo 5: Guardians — Eddie Makuch
Halo 5: Guardians was my E3 game of show. After Halo 4 wasn’t everything I hoped it would be, and the obvious issues with Halo: The Master Chief Collection, Halo 5 appears to be on track to move the franchise forward in an exciting, meaningful way. Halo 5’s 12v12 Warzone mode is a total blast. It’s controlled chaos on the biggest maps the Halo series has ever seen. I played a few rounds at E3 and can’t wait to jump back in come October. Also at E3 this year, I tried the Halo HoloLens experience. It’s not a game, but rather a demonstration of the augmented reality technology–and an impressive one. I didn’t go into E3 this year thinking I would be so excited about such a “legacy” franchise, but that’s exactly what happened.
Unravel — Alex Newhouse
Few announcements could make a room full of adults laugh will child-like delight, but EA’s reveal of Unravel was one of them. We all smiled as the creator came on stage, shaking with nerves as he talked about his project at last. We oohed as he held up a real-world Yarny, Unravel’s adorable main character. As the gameplay showed off Yarny swinging from red twine through beautiful environments, we were hooked. The 2D platformer got the most vocally positive reaction of any game shown in the press conferences, and I cannot wait to jump in and control Yarny myself. EA surprised us all with this eclectic, cute game, and its announcement was my favorite moment of the show.
Virtual Reality — Tamoor Hussain
I tried a virtual reality headset for the first time with Sony’s Project Morpheus and, surprisingly, came away completely sold. Sure, putting on a giant headset and headphones made me significantly more vulnerable to malicious forces in the outside world, but it also immersed me in a game like never before.
In Impulse Gear (working title), I was dropped on an alien world somewhere between planet Zebes and Installation 04 to fend off waves of enemy combatants. Truth be told, I was terrible at it. Despite the fact that the game realistically mimicked the movements of the PlayStation Move-equipped plastic gun in my real hand–going so far as to let me raise it to my face and look down the sights–I was too distracted by scenery to avoid becoming spider-chow.
The unnamed alien world completely enveloped me, and there was an unshakable sense of realism. I knew I was in a poorly air-conditioned room in LA, surrounded by people who were probably pointing and laughing as I tried to duck non-existent bullets. Yet I gazed in wonder at the strange crystal formations on a cave wall, I flinched from shock as a geyser erupted nearby, and I nearly fell flat on my ass when a meteor crashed into the ground mere feet away from me.
I won’t be as bold as some have and proclaim VR as the future of gaming, but it’s it’s definitely one of them, and I couldn’t be more excited about it.
Final Fantasy VII Remake — Peter Brown
There was no shortage of personally gratifying moments at E3 this year, but when the trailer for Final Fantasy VII Remake hit the screen during the Sony press conference, I was beside myself. They’re actually going for it.
People have been pushing Square Enix to revisit the game for a long time, but their demands were almost always met with resistance. Many people thought it was too grand to remake and would likely require an astronomical budget. However, I believed that other factors would dissuade Square Enix from giving it a shot. Final Fantasy VII is a divisive game, one that people largely love or hate. It’s been torn apart and examined ad nauseam. How, I thought, could Square Enix ever recreate something that’s so well known and so far removed from the RPGs it makes today? In a world where publishers favor caution above risk, I didn’t think they had the balls to do it. Boy, was I wrong.
Even though the Remake will deviate from the source material in countless ways, I’m thrilled to see a major publisher step out of their comfort zone. I have no reason to be confident that I’ll like the finished product, but based on the announcement alone, I can’t wait to see what Square Enix comes up with. I guarantee it will be a surprise.
What were your favorite moments of E3? Let us know in the comments!
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