16BitJeff’s Top 5 E3 2017 Show-Stealers

With E3 2017 officially done, this year’s show like the last 4 years was a letdown. That said, there were great announcements about upcoming software releases from Home Consoles to PC. These top five choices from this year’s expo are what I would personally call the showstoppers, or the show-stealers. Yet, before we go right into those five choices let us take a glimpse at some honorable mentions.

 

Honorable Mentions:

Monster Hunter World (MH5)
For this year’s PlayStation conference, it was the division’s safest showing since E3 2012. However, one shining example from the sea of already known future releases was an unknown announcement; Capcom’s Monster Hunter series was revealed to be returning to Home Consoles and in a big way. The last installment in the series to grace a PlayStation branded home system was 2004’s Monster Hunter 2 for the PlayStation 2.

 

• Metroid Prime 4:

Sadly while the only thing we saw at this year’s Nintendo digital showcase was a logo for the upcoming sequel with the caption “Now In Development for Nintendo Switch.” It certainly got die-hard fans of the franchise foaming at the mouth for everyone’s favorite bad-ass bounty hunter. Samus is finally making her return to a Nintendo home console in 5 years with 2010’s Metroid: Other M. However, it has been 10 years since the release of the previous installment in the Prime series, 2007’s Metroid Prime 3: Corruption.

 

Code Vein:

Originally Code Vein was teased earlier in the year from publisher, Bandai Namco as a “Souls like game.” It is a post-apocalyptic vampire themed action title from the same developers that brought us God Eater, and I think it is one to lookout for in 2018.

 

Mario + Rabbids: Kingdom Battle:

This announcement caught everyone watching Ubisoft’s E3 briefing off guard; a Mario RPG that crosses over with Ubisoft’s Rabbids IP (originally debuting in Rayman: Raving Rabbids) and it is a tactical RTS! Ubisoft and Nintendo literally just announced at this year’s E3 their own version of XCom! Not only is this a great addition to the growing lineup of exclusives for the Nintendo Switch for the remainder of 2017, but Mario + Rabbids should be a nice alternative for the fans of Nintendo’s Advance Wars series.

 

Wolfenstein II: The New Colossus:

While I agree that id Software’s return to the fold with Doom 4 was a step in the right direction for First-Person Shooters, I personally thought it was already beaten to the punch a few years prior with Wolfenstein: The New Order. While teased at the start of last year’s Bethesda wank-fest, this year’s was its grand debut and boy did it make a great entrance. The opening live-action segment parodying TV shows from America’s past ranging from Lassie, Leave it to Beaver, and the game show “To tell the Truth” was something to behold. The New Order’s developer MachineGames returns to continue the tale of series hero, B.J. Blastkowitz and his never-ending battle with Nazi scum. Colossus’ story supposedly starts right after the last game’s ending, and actually takes place in 1960’s Nazi occupied North America. The game is set to release on PC, PS4, and Xbox One on October 27th (sadly the same day as Mario Odyssey’s US launch).

 

The Top 5

5.) Dragon Ball FighterZ

I loved the series growing up, but I was more of a casual fan of Dragon Ball/Z compared to my best friend and founder of The Geek Fighters, Fighter xaos. Now, while I am not the biggest fan of the franchise (though I will say the recent movies and TV series “Super” has been great), it is yearly release for the franchise was what caught me off guard. FighterZ’s debut at of all places, the Xbox media briefing got me hyped as a fighting fan of good games in said genre. Especially since the developer behind this upcoming fighter is not the usual Bandai Namco developer, or even Street Fighter/Xenoverse developer Dimps, but instead Guilty Gear/Blaze Blue developer Arc System Works! From the clean, crisp animation to the fluid controls that the developer is best know for, Arc did something that even Capcom could not do even back in 2011 and that is to make a proper Marvel vs. Capcom. FighterZ is a legit 3-on-3 fighter and it (along with Skullgirls) outdid “Mahvel”. While I imagine the FGC pros will be able to get a chance to be graced by it is presence at this year’s EVO, us Free plebs will have to sadly wait until early 2018, when it launches on PC, PS4 and Xbox One.


4.) The Last Night

This pixel art game was shown at the Xbox briefing and was the highlight for me during that segment. Whatever the creator of the game said about the outdated “controversy” that was GamerGate, needs to stop bringing it up and appreciate the game its creator in question made. The game is still in a “pre-alpha” stage from the way the story moves forward through character interaction, to the action set pieces feeling more in line of cinematic adventure games like Another World. This Blade Runner styled adventure looks to be another great game in the making and another indie hit.


3.) Tunic

This pixel art Zelda inspired title was the highlight for me at this year’s PC showcase at the Expo. From the Cel-Shading to the action & exploration of adventure games, this game is one to keep an eye out for when it launches later this year on Steam. With the aforementioned “Last Night” and this game from these last four E3 expos have shown me is that not only the indie developers and publishers have kept gaming alive unlike their AAA brethren, but the PC gaming scene has been more and more diverse with various genres.


2.) Super Mario Odyssey

Super Mario Odyssey is Number 2 on this, and this is not a ploy! Now, while I believe like every prior game in the series will be a hit and overall another great addition to the Italian Plumber’s 31 years of adventuring; Mario Odyssey looks like what Breath of the Wild was able to accomplish for the Legend of Zelda series. It reinvents a franchise, but keeps it familiar to the series as to not alienate fans. What was shown at the Nintendo Treehouse segment of the expo, sold me on the game’s expansive levels like New Donk City, and the Desert Kingdom. Furthermore, this looks to be the first 3d Mario game since Galaxy’s release to have an actual story. Mario Odyssey was certainty a highlight for me from Nintendo, and would have been my top choice for E3 2017 if it was not for one more announcement…


1.) Metroid: Samus Returns

Where fellow Geek Fighter, Fighter xaos’s E3 2017 moment was the announcement of Dragon Ball FighterZ, my moment from this E3 expo was not even in the Nintendo digital spotlight. The announcement that became my Number 1 choice was announced in the first hour of the Treehouse segment, and what is even crazier is that its a remake of a beloved title. Developed by MercurySteam, the team behind Castlevania: Lords of Shadow this re-imagining to the 1991 GameBoy classic marks the first return to 2d since Metroid: Zero Mission, which released 13 years ago.

 

Now, that is my Top 5 list of E3 2017 games. I am sure that some readers will have their differences with this article since every gamer is different. Yet, those differences can be discussed and debated about in the comments below. I am 16BitJeff, and I will see everyone next time!

Recent posts

Leave a Reply