PaigeFTW: ‘This reunion is for you’: E3 Hype Recap
It begins with the threads of luminescent green, weaving across the stage at Sony’s E3 2015 press conference as the lights dim.
“No,” a voice inside my heart says, “no, it can’t be. They’re faking us out. It’ll be another weird spin-off. There’s no way.”
But these dirty streets are familiar. “South Edge,” a map says. I know this place — or I did, long ago.
Then those iconic opening notes play, and that famous spiky-haired silhouette comes into focus. I feel tears welling in my eyes because this is real. No title, just that famous meteor logo, and one word: REMAKE.
Yes, if you ask this diehard RPG fan, the highlight of E3 2015 was the surprise announcement of the long-requested remake of Final Fantasy VII. That was it. Game over. Everyone go home, Sony won it all.
But it was a pretty strong E3 overall, I thought. No new console announcements meant that everyone stayed focused on the games, and I saw a lot that says that 2016, at least, will be a kickass year. (Though, there were a notable lack of 2015 must-haves, and both the PS Vita and third-party support for Wii U appear to be dead.)
Some of my other personal highlights, alphabetized:
- Assassin’s Creed Syndicate (Oct. 23): Never been a big AC fan, but the promise of Victorian steampunk mayhem has made me a believer.
- Fallout 4 (Nov. 10): I’ve never played Fallout before, but I kind of feel like I need to, now.
- Horizon: Zero Dawn (2016): Post-apocalyptic robot dinosaurs!
- Kingdom Hearts III (no release window): Combat continues to look amazing, and “Tangled” was confirmed as a new world.
- Mass Effect: Andromeda (Winter 2016): Shepard’s story may be done, but that’s OK, because I love BioWare.
- Star Wars Battlefront (Nov. 17): The battle of Hoth looks amazingly visceral, real in a way that Star Wars has never been for me.
