Well my friends, E3 has come and gone, and now it’s time to talk about it! Specifically, let’s talk about the games that were announced this year! Truth be told I’m hyped for a lot of stuff, and so we’ll be splitting this list in half. Today we’ll be talking about AAA games, the big boys, and in the next list we’ll tackle the indie games.
So, we’ve got ten games to talk about, let’s dive right in!
10: Tom Clancy’s Rainbow Six Extraction
I’ll be honest, I really like a lot of the characters Ubisoft created for Tom Clancy’s Rainbow Six Siege. There’s some great designs and great personalities. But multiplayer only has never really been my thing, and Player vs Player(PvP) is even less my thing. So the announcement of taking those characters and putting them in a game where not only is solo play an option, but the focus in multiplayer is on fighting monsters controlled by the AI? That really grabbed my attention.
Add the fact that you’re fighting distinctly inhuman monsters (rare for a modern military shooter outside of side games) and I’m honestly quite interested! However, Ubisoft’s less than stellar record as a company drags it down, as does their often less than stellar story telling in past Tom Clancy games. I remain cautiously optimistic that this will be good, but I’m not as excited as I could be.
9: A Plague Tale: Requiem
I…honestly loved the first game in this series. It was dark, yes, but I wouldn’t slide it into grimdark. Amicia was a wonderful protagonist, it was nice to be playing a sister protecting her brother for once, and the story was engaging. I honestly did not expect to get a sequel, and I’m rather pleasantly surprised to see this!
So why is it only at number nine? Well, simply put, no gameplay and no story. That’s fine, it’s a reveal trailer, it’s just there to say ‘hey, we’re making this!’. But it’s hard to get that hyped over just that. Which, actually, is why the next game is where it is.
8: The Outer Worlds 2
I honestly loved Obsidian’s The Outer Worlds. It wasn’t perfect, it was flawed, but it had heart, good companions, and a good sense of humor. I enjoyed my time with it, and I’m glad I went and got the Season Pass. And, like with A Plague Tale, I was pleasantly surprised to see that we were getting a sequel.
Honestly it’s at number eight for the same reasons that A Plague Tale: Requiem is at number nine. It’s bumped up above the previous entry solely because I think this had the better reveal trailer.
7: Atomic Heart
This is technically cheating, as this isn’t the first time this game has been revealed to us but…this wasn’t a great E3 y’all. But to be fair, of the games that were given spotlights at E3 that had been revealed in the past, this has some things going for it. Partly just that, yes, this was the one that had had the least revealed for it in the past. But also, I loved the aesthetic.
From the snappy pop song to the cool (and often times weird, lookin’ at you unicycle mascot robot with apples in its head) visuals and designs, to the interesting looking gameplay snippets, this trailer got Atomic Heart on my radar. And since the trailer got the game on my radar, it’s only fitting that it gets the game on my list as well.
6: Eiyuden Chronicle: Hundred Heroes
This is the debut game of Rabbit & Bear Studios, made by the creator of the legendary Suikoden series of JRPGs. With an interesting and different art style, fun character designs, and a good pedigree, it’s definitely something to keep an eye out for. I confess I don’t have a whole ton of other things to say about it, because this is a reveal trailer for a game coming out in 2023, but it ranks higher than the other reveal trailers for having gameplay and showing us what the game will actually be like. And for sneaking in a side game announcement at the end. That was cute.
5: Shin Megami Tensei 5
In all honesty I’ve never actually played a Shin Megami Tensei game. Nor a Persona game, believe it or not, though I plan on rectifying that with both in the near future. So for a trailer for a series I’ve never given a shot to make me sit up and take note really says something about the game.
And…yeah, this looks great. From the neat design of the main character and the world she explores, to the interesting mechanics of befriending and recruiting monsters to your side, it honestly just looks really good. Maybe it looks terrible to Shin Megami Tensei fans, I don’t know. But from the outside looking in, this trailer is what got me interested in taking a look at this series, rather than just its more famous spin-off.
4: Mario + Rabbids Sparks of Hope
The best (and weirdest) Mario spin-off in a long time is getting a sequel y’all! A weird, seemingly Guardians of the Galaxy inspired sequel. And it’s taking stuff from one of the best Mario games, Super Mario Galaxy! A good choice, honestly, and I can’t wait to see what kind of weapon Rosalina gets.
From the look at gameplay we got during the Nintendo Direct, it looks to be taking the game’s simple but good mechanics and turning them up another notch, something which I really appreciate. A sequel that mostly delivers the same gameplay but adds a few new things, building upon its predecessor, is welcome to see for a game as surprisingly good as Mario + Rabbids. Definitely going to keep an eye out for this one.
3: Redfall
I love Arkane’s games. Dishonored 2 is honestly my favorite stealth game with a great setting, Prey was a fun and fascinating journey, and I can’t wait for Deathloop. So the announcement of another Arkane game definitely got my attention. Add to that a diverse cast, interesting setting, and the chance to fight vampires, and I’m all here for this.
Now, we didn’t get to see gameplay, but…screw it, this is a subjective list, the combat and characters looked fun in the trailer, and I’m biased. I am completely and unapologetically hyped for this game. Maybe it’ll let me down, but Arkane hasn’t done so yet, so I’m going to keep my optimism, and keep this one at number three
2: Advance Wars 1+2 Re-Boot Camp
Holy crap holy crap holy crap. Coming towards the end of an incredibly good, incredibly hype inducing Nintendo Direct, this game pushed me to a level of excitement I didn’t realize I could still feel. I adore the Advance Wars series, and the only way this could have gotten me any more excited was if Advance Wars: Dual Strike was included in the line-up. Oh well, maybe if this one does well.
Regardless, this is a fantastic looking remake, with great visuals, all the charm of the originals, and the same core mechanics that made the originals so good to begin with. Honestly just remaking the first would have gotten me excited, but adding the second on top of that is just amazing.
Now, before we get to number one on this list, an honorable mention
Honorable Mention: Legend of Zelda Game and Watch
This is adorable and I want it. That is all.
1: Metroid Dread
This announcement killed me. It killed me, I’m dead, I am a ghost as I write this, Nintendo has blood on their hands.
In all seriousness…holy hell. A new 2D Metroid? A new 2D Metroid? The first in almost twenty years? And it’s being made by the team behind the honestly excellent Metroid: Samus Returns? After the constant delays of Metroid Prime 4, after the garbage that was Metroid: Other M and Metroid Prime: Federation Force, we’re finally getting a proper 2D Metroid? With a creepy, intimidating new enemy and exploration and navigation? And it looks amazing?
The answer to all those questions is yes. A glorious, shining, miraculous yes. Metroid Dread is real, and it looks fantastic. I can’t wait for it to come out. Just…holy hell.
Anyway, that was my list of the best looking AAA games announced at this year’s E3! What’s on your list? Feel free to tell me, and check back in soon to get my second list, covering my top 10 Indie games of E3 2021! Thanks for reading!
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