E3, or not E3, that is the question

#06: Show's over folks

April 01, 2022

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E3 2022 is no more. Following a largely disappointing digital-only event in 2021, showrunners the ESA have confirmed that there will be no E3 at all this year. Once the year's biggest gaming event, its impact has diminished greatly over recent times. Publishers have been steadily distancing themselves from the event by hosting their own shows (albeit, often right across the road during the very same week), and digital events were becoming increasingly popular even before the pandemic began.

Of course, E3 itself can't really be blamed for a lack of content if publishers don't bring exciting games to show off there, but the last few years have been disappointingly thin on big reveals. Sony's E3 Conference of Dreams™ in 2015 in which The Last Guardian, Shenmue III, and the Final Fantasy VII Remake were all shown off within 90 minutes seems like a long, long time ago now. I woke up at 2 am to watch it, and I don't think I'll ever forget it.

Maybe I'm not as cynical as I thought I was, but I'm really going to miss it. Corporate pomp and self-congratulating aside, I've always loved how E3 brought gaming so vividly into the spotlight; a full week of announcements, reveals, gameplay demos and interviews across all platforms, genres and disciplines. Gaming websites and mainstream ones alike would burst into life with reports, previews and trailers for games we had no idea even existed just days before, and then a couple of weeks later magazines would arrive filled with their own E3 write-ups to devour.

Of course, within hours of E3 2022's grave being laid, Geoff Keighley came along to dance on it, announcing that he is "Excited to share that the Summer Game Fest will return this June... with announcements, news and first looks." Summer Game Fest (alongside Keighley's The Game Awards) is getting bigger every year, and has attracted a number of big game reveals itself. But it doesn't capture the feel of E3 at its best, and the knowledge that for one week only in a Los Angeles convention centre, the entire video game industry came together to celebrate the medium we all love so much.

Since I was a child I've always held onto the hope that one day I'd be able to go to E3, and perhaps now I'll never get the chance. I really hope that something comes along that can recreate the thrill of it in its heyday, but despite the ESA itself promising E3 will return in 2023 with a reinvigorated showcase, I doubt it.

At least I'll always have that memory of sitting in the dark at 2.00 in the morning back in 2015, my eyes and mouth wide open as Sony confirmed the existence of three mythical games we all thought would never, ever see the light of day.

For that memory and for many others, I'll always be a fan of E3.

-

As always, thank you so much for reading. I hope you enjoy the rest of the issue.

Have a great weekend everyone!

Jeff

NEWS

For the Payers

Sony have finally revealed the long-rumoured refresh of its PlayStation Plus subscription service. In order to simplify the offering of its two-tier PlayStation Plus and PlayStation Now services, they will now offer a, um, three-tier PlayStation Plus service.

The most interesting (and most expensive) Premium tier promises "A catalogue of beloved classic games available in both streaming and download options from the original PlayStation, PS2 and PSP generations." It'll be interesting to find out exactly how many retro titles will be included, and if all of them will indeed also be downloadable (my fingers are firmly crossed for a downloadable ICO).

The official blog post was a little convoluted. So here's Eurogamer's more simplified rundown of what the different tiers offer:

PlayStation Plus Essential (£6.99 monthly / £19.99 quarterly / £49.99 yearly) offers the same benefits as PlayStation Plus now, namely two monthly downloadable games, online multiplayer access, cloud storage for saved games, and extra discounts.

PlayStation Plus Extra (£10.99 monthly / £31.99 quarterly / £83.99 yearly) adds to the above a catalogue of 400 PS4 and PS5 games to download "including blockbuster hits from our PlayStation Studios catalogue and third-party partners".

PlayStation Plus Premium (£13.49 monthly / £39.99 quarterly / £99.99 yearly) goes further, with 340 additional games. PS3 games will be available to stream, while classic PS1, PS2 and PSP games will be available to stream or download. Time-limited game trials will also be included for players to try before they buy.

OTHER NEWS:

  • Nintendo has confirmed that the still-unnamed sequel to The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild has been delayed to "Spring 2023". But here's Shigeru Miyamoto's smiling face to reassure you that everything's going to be ok:

NEW RELEASES:

This week saw the release of Weird West from WofEye Studios. GameInformer were very enthusiastic about the game, whilst Eurogamer weren't quite so taken with it.

Moss: Book II, a game all VR fans will have surely been looking forward to for a while, also released.

Also noteworthy this week is the release of Sonic the Hedgehog 2 in cinemas. It plays closer homage to the games than the first film did, and is supposedly pretty good.

(PS5, Xbox Series X/S) – March 29

(Switch) – March 29

(iOS, Android) – March 30

(PC) – March 30

(PS4, PS5) – March 31

(PlayStation VR) – March 31

(PS4, PS5, Xbox, PC) – March 31

UPCOMING RELEASES:

(PS4, PS5, Xbox, PC, Switch) – April 5

(PS4, PS5, Xbox, Switch) – April 5

(Xbox, Switch, PC) – April 7

(PS4, PS5, Xbox, PC, Switch) – April 7

(PS4, PS5, Xbox, PC, Switch) – April 7

(Switch) – April 7

(PS4, PS5, Xbox, Switch) – April 7

(Switch) – April 7

(PS5, PC) – April 7

GAME OF THE WEEK

A randomly selected game each week! Any and all games are eligible for selection regardless of age, platform, popularity, or otherwise.

This week, the honour goes to…

Project Gotham Racing (2001)

A spiritual successor to the Dreamcast’s sublime Metropolis Street Racer, Project Gotham Racing continued Bizarre Creation’s brilliant winning streak with a number of excellent ‘simcade’ racers for Microsoft’s Xbox consoles that are still held in high regard to this day.

Rather brilliantly, it also marked the first appearance of twin-stick-shooter masterpiece Geometry Wars, in the form of a playable arcade machine in the game’s garage.

RECOMMENDED READS

This week’s recommended articles see Andrew Reiner suggest the best games to turn to when first introducing a child to the medium, Martin Robinson discusses Sony's new PlayStation Plus service, and Kim Justice asks if extreme retro game prices are here to stay.

Andrew Reiner - Game Informer

How old should your children be when introducing them to video games? What are the best titles to teach them how to use a controller? Are there games that both a youngster and adult will find equally enjoyable?

Martin Robinson - Eurogamer

The new PlayStation Plus might look broadly similar to Game Pass, and at its top tier it costs broadly the same too, but with Sony's first-party games not hitting the service on day one this is quite pointedly not a direct competitor.

Kim Justice - Wireframe

Retro game prices are crazy. Kim Justice of Wireframe discusses whether the bubble is likely to burst, or if it's here to stay.

CROWDFUNDING CAMPAIGNS

Dead by Daylight: The Board Game

By David B Talton Jr. - campaign ends April 22

A strategic survival horror experience for 3–5 players. Become a Killer or fight for your life as a Survivor. Death is not an escape.

Toasty: Ashes of Dusk

By Pocket Llama - campaign ends April 28

Stop the cataclysm and save your friends in this Action RPG! Overfunded in just 5 hours!

Long Live Mortal Kombat - The Definitive History of MK

By David L Craddock - campaign ends April 28

This first book in the Long Live MK trilogy of books celebrates the series' coin-op era, the fandom, and impact on pop culture.

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