The Top 8 E3 2021 Announcements

Welcome all to another edition of The 8 Ball! This week I’m here to talk about the E3 news that mattered the most to me. Let’s be honest, my predictions column a few weeks ago was pretty off with only one thing coming completely true, no Switch Pro, and a few things coming somewhat true, like the Metroid stuff. With that said, let’s begin:

#8: Plumbers Don’t Wear Ties

If I’m being honest, this is actually the most important announcement of E3 2021. Limited Run is releasing a physical version of Plumbers Don’t Wear Ties. Now, this is a notoriously bad, even for its era, PC/3D) FMV game with a hamfisted plot, bad acting, and all the visual quality of a poorly recorded VHS tape made in 1982. What’s more impressive is that the game actually came out in 1993 and still manages to look bad. To say it’s FMV is actually a bit of a misnomer since there isn’t any actual motion, it’s all just still images. This game is coming to the PC, PS4, PS5 and Switch. Sorry Xbox fans, but with this release, the PS5 has already won this console generation war.

#7: Shin Megami Tensei 5

I’ll admit I haven’t kept up on this game too much. Atlus has really not said a ton about it before this trailer. It, honestly, looks like another SMT game, if anything it kind of reminds me of Devil Summoner game with the perspective and general action. When I watched the trailer, I was honestly kind of shocked that the main character wasn’t a woman. While he looks a bit boring in the “real” world, when in the demon realm, with the long blue hair flowing, I thought it was a girl for sure, but I guess not. The only other thing I’ll note is that the battle UI looks straight stolen from Tokyo Mirage Sessions, which isn’t a bad thing at all.

#6: Psychonauts 2 Release Date

It’s nice to finally have a firm release date for Psychonauts 2. Due out in just about 2 months, this game looks like a return to the Double Fine of old, by making an actual good game again. While Adventures has its fans, their output over the few years has been spotty, at best, so them returning to a franchise that really put them on the map is exciting. The only bummer for me is that, considering I have a PS5, it’s pretty unlikely that a Psychonauts 3, if one ever gets made, will be released on a Sony console in the future, especially given the next game on this list.

#5: Outer Worlds 2

Unlike with Psychonauts 2, I don’t expect to ever see Outer Worlds 2 pop up on a PS5. Hell, they didn’t even have a Steam logo on it, so who knows if it will end up there, either? Still, I really enjoyed the sarcastic mood of the trailer, especially with it making fun of other video game/movie trailers that have been done. Even though they showed off no actual footage, I’m actually fine with this trailer. At any rate, I’m more excited for this game than Starfield, due to how lackluster some of Bethesda’s recent games have been.

#4: Advance Wars Re-Boot

I’ll admit it, Advance Wars is a franchise I’ve honestly never played. I only ever had a few GBA games and that was not one of them. I had a friend watch the trailer and considering he reviewed the original game for GameSpot back in the day, he was suitably excited for it. The game itself reminds me of another franchise, Military Madness, only with actual characters/storylines going on. I actually kind of dig the look also, it’s definitely softer than the original game(s) but looks more adorable now. Plus, having online play seems like a lot of fun for this style of gameplay.

#3: Humankind

I’ve been excited for this game for a year or two now and it looks to be coming along quite nicely. I wasn’t a huge fan of Endless Space 1 or 2, it was a bit too complicated for me but Endless Legend remains one of the best 4X games I’ve ever played. So, if they can basically use the Endless Legend gameplay system, dump the fantasy crap but transfuse it with “real” history, I am completely on board. I am more on board, since Civilization 6 wasn’t exactly an impressive game to me. When it’s eventually released, I’ll also be the one likely to review it, so go me.

#2: Lost Ark Coming to America

FINALLY! While as not a big of a wait as the final game, I’ve literally been waiting about 5 years for this game to actually come out in America. It’s been out in South Korea since 2018 but had a long beta period before its official release. It is basically a MMO-version of Diablo, with a fair amount of different classes, a gorgeous art style (even now), and just really interesting gameplay with no two classes really playing the same. It kind of reminds me of how Marvel Heroes was a MMO-lite game with a lot of Diablo mechanics. The only downside is that it isn’t coming to consoles, yet, at least.

#1: Metroid Dread

It’s only been 19 years, why not push it back another few months to make it an even 20? Kidding aside, this looks really cool. People seem to still be excited for Metroid Prime 4 but I’d much rather have a 2D Metroid game rather than a FPS game based on the franchise. It just looks nice return to form for it, especially with the new moves Samus can get and that EMMI thing chasing her. I imagine Nintendo finally got the message that Metroidvania games are actually popular again, so they finally had to be dragged kicking and screaming into making a new one.

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For comments, list which E3 news or announcements interest you must and why.

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Top 8 Game Franchises I Haven’t Played