The Obligatory (Not) E3 2023 Round-Up Part 1: Sony & Summer, Oh My!

On March 30th, it was made public that this year's Electronic Entertainment Expo would be cancelled. This decision was attributed to the strain of the ongoing plague and an increasing number of studios electing not to attend. 

This would be only the latest in a line of troubles faced by the long-running trade show. Setting aside that two of the previous three shows were also cancelled for similar reasons, the 2021 expo faced criticism for pivoting to an online-only interface that had technical issues, lacked vital information and came across as irrelevant in the face of individual game publishers' digital showcases. The last pre-pandemic show in 2019, meanwhile, was embroiled in controversy over the leaking of personal information for thousands of media professionals attending E3. 

It's not unthinkable that this latest cancellation will prove to be the fine point capping off a larger industry narrative: the decline and impending death of E3. Nevertheless, the gears of industry turn ever onward, and thus must there be something to fill the void where once there stood an E3. Rather than experiencing the usual cavalcade of game announcements in the format of one show with multiple big-ticket exhibitors, this year we were "treated" to the spectacle of everyone and their nephew pushing their own showcase all at once.

Many a game was shown, many a presenter did their best with cringe-inducing material. Now the time comes to sort through the cluttered aftermath and determine what, out of any of this, proved most (or least) promising. We begin with May's PlayStation Showcase, which arrived a little earlier than most but was still very much in the spirit of this year's proceedings...

The PlayStation Showcase

The Questionable Stuff

3. Metal Gear Solid Delta: Snake Eater (???)

Credit where it's due, the trailer doesn't immediately give away how it's going to break a lot of hearts. It's your usual pre-rendered mood building fare - a panning shot following a range of animals in a jungle, each overtaken and consumed by a larger predatory creature. And then, that familiar orchestral track begins to play...

I acknowledge that many folks who play games may not necessarily follow games business news. Thus, they may be out of the loop when it comes to Konami's alleged mistreatment of employees past and present, its known attempt to erase the accomplishments of Kojima Productions on Metal Gear Solid V, and its (at least) two decade history of mishandling its own video game properties. But these are important factors to consider, as is the knowledge that Konami's more recent pushes to develop games have had decidedly mixed results.

I do not trust Konami to run an ethically-minded business, never mind approaching the remake of an honest-to-god PS2 classic with either care or creative integrity. They absolutely have not earned that kind of benefit of the doubt.

2. Fairgame$ (???)

This year saw many games that could potentially prove interesting, even outright good, but have their chances to entice hurt by trailers that clarify little and lean on empty spectacle. They're loud and colourful and move fast... and provide neither a sense of moment-to-moment game feel nor explicit narrative context.

What I can glean from the trailer for the obnoxiously-named Fairgame$ (because dollar signs in place of the letter 's' are Very Cool and Edgy and Risque, bro) is that this is pitching a topical-for-2010 hacktivist variation on the law-versus-crooks competitive multiplayer template. The idea seems to be that players will take the role of modern-day vigilantes breaking into billionaires' estates to abscond with their (in fairness, likely ill-gotten) fortunes, with what appears to be either private military contractors guarding the estates or rival vigilantes competing for the funds.

Put another way, I would not be surprised to find out the final game really is just the aesthetic of Watch Dogs 2 wrapped around the basic structure of Rainbow Six Siege. And the very thought of that makes me so very tired.

1. Five Nights at Freddy's: Help Wanted 2 (TBA 2023)

We didn't get gameplay footage for this latest invasion by the Freddy's franchise and frankly, that's for the best. You know the score with this property at this point - homicidal robot mascots, repetitive jump scares, and some poor desperate soul just doing their security job in-between lore dumps that only a slim minority of game players will care about. One suspects this will bring more of the same, even after Scott Cawthon's departure from the franchise because he had a hissy fit over everyone discovering that he's a reactionary tool.

The Promising Stuff

3. Spider-Man 2 (October 20th)

It would seem that, after the success of Marvel's Spider-Man and its sort-of-sequel Miles Morales, developer Insomniac Games has taken a "if it ain't broke, don't fix it" approach to game design with this next game. There's nothing inherently wrong with that approach, especially when, based on its appearance at the PlayStation Showcase, Spider-Man 2 looks as slick and polished as its predecessors.

The major new information here, besides reaffirming that we're getting a version of the Black Suit storyline from the comics, is that Kraven the Hunter and The Lizard are going to be featured players this go-around. I appreciate the confident ruthlessness with which Kraven conducts himself and the elements of body horror to Lizard's arrival, the web-swinging chase we get in the trailer showcases the talents of both Spider-Men, and the discomfort that Miles and his tech-minded friend Ganke begin to express at Peter's likely Symbiote-fueled jerk behaviour feels on point.

2. Final Fantasy XVI (June 22nd)

I'll echo the observation made by other, more qualified folks that it's a little odd how very pasty white (or at the very least, extremely light-skinned) the cast of this next mainline Final Fantasy is looking. It's especially weird considering much of the setting shown appears to be specifically evoking Middle Eastern and North African cultures in its architecture and climate.

That said, I'm not immune to the charms of a big-scale fantasy RPG that thematically appears to be hitting on some interesting notes. The overriding message of defying the will of oppressive leaders and even destiny itself feels of a kind with the best stories in Final Fantasy's history, and the fast and flashy nature of combat looks enticing. Plus, Square can still deliver an epic-scale tableau of fantastical creatures and otherworldly imagery like almost no one else in the business.

1. The Plucky Squire (TBA 2023)

While only teasing a handful of titles at the showcase, Devolver Digital's presence there acted as a solid reminder of why they remains a reliable publisher of independent titles. I was taken in by the exquisite animation and twisted imagery of Neva and I'm intrigued by the prospect of a sequel to The Talos Principle.

However, it's The Plucky Squire that most endeared itself to me, thanks to its delightful core conceit. The game focuses on a group of heroes in a fantasy storybook, rendered in an adorable hand-drawn style, as they attempt to liberate their realm from an evil sorcerer. As part of their quest, the heroes depart the pages of their book and leap into a three-dimensional realm similar to our own, their cartoon forms shifting to a style akin to stop-motion-animated figurines. What's already been shown of this surface-hopping concept - including the eponymous squire Jot running around the art-adorned outside of a coffee mug - gives me a great deal of confidence that developer All Possible Futures' work will pay off.

Summer Game Fest

The Questionable Stuff

3. Star Trek Infinite (TBA 2023)

While strategy games aren't the most represented genre in the Star Trek franchise, there's certainly hasn't been a shortage of them. From early text-based works like 1971's Star Trek for the Sigma 7 mainframe computer, to later dalliances in colony-building with Star Trek: New Worlds or real-time tactics in Away Team, we've seen quite a range of strategy titles have their turn with this property. The downside to that is each new variation has to work harder to find ways to stand out and quickly establish how it intends to compel the player to engage with its world.  

Star Trek Infinite's Game Fest teaser stumbled on both fronts by not giving a sense of the gameplay and offering the barest of stale franchise scraps. Were you expecting the Borg to show up? Did you think there was going to be a "Captain's Log" that broadly alludes to whatever conflict is supposed to be at the center of this game? Well... that's what you get, and nothing else. Even having now seen the later gameplay trailer and knowing that publisher Paradox Interactive's earlier space-strategy game Stellaris was an influence, I feel as though there's a hook missing here to make this enticing to more than just the hardcore strategy fanatic set.

2. Final Fantasy VII: Ever Crisis (???)

In between backing the odd diamond-in-the-rough project and putting out a compelling RPG every few years, Square Enix's main hobby in the 21st century has been throwing its weight behind business decisions of questionable merit. One of their more dubious endeavours involved the Compilation of Final Fantasy VII, an expanded universe building on the narrative foundation of that seminal 1997 classic. Despite the pedigree of all involved and the sheer amount of money one imagines was thrown at it, little of the Compilation is regarded with overwhelming fondness.

It did, however, make money and so Square continues to keep it around in one form or another. Ever Crisis represents the latest effort on that front, a mobile game intending to stitch together the disparate plot lines of the Compilation's various entries into one narrative. That it already looks like a monetization-heavy experience rooted in some of Square's least compelling modern storytelling is a bad sign, especially given the company's current attitude towards Games-as-a-Service.

1. Throne and Liberty (???)

What? An online role-playing game set in a medieval fantasy setting? Hints of anime influence to the character design and lightshow-heavy combat powers? All conveyed in a largely pre-visualized trailer with brief snippets of what could be gameplay, suggesting a world and experience that feels like the second-hand version of what other games have done before and better?

Brilliant. Visionary. A revolutionary game in the making. Amazon should feel very good about their decisions.

The Promising Stuff

3. Warhammer 40K: Space Marine II (TBA 2023)

I have stated before that Warhammer, as a property, does not typically interest me given its appeal to the sensibilities of edgelord shut-ins. However, I am also someone who is honest about the times when a concept improbably manages to overcome a particular hurdle and present itself in compelling fashion.

This is one such time. Space Marine II looks handsome and the prospect of gunning down hordes of Not Zerg with an assortment of large firearms has the potential to hit that perfect "dumb but satisfying" sweet spot. If the surrounding game also turns out well, all the better.

2. Sonic Superstars (TBA 2023)

There's a part of me that has grown to suspect the Sonic the Hedgehog games may be better off if it stuck to its two-dimensional platforming roots. Certainly the notion has merit; fewer of Sonic's side-scrolling outings have turned out troubled than the 3D equivalent.

Sonic Superstars certainly seems primed to not shake me of that idea. Classic Sonic's character design remains lovable, and the chance to see Amy Rose, Knuckles and Tails depicted in the same bright 2.5D fashion is exciting. Add to that the presence of co-operative play and the suggestion of tweaks on familiar Sonic level design, and you've the makings of a swell time.

1. Under the Waves (August 29th)

The underwater exploration offshoot of the simulation genre has never exactly called to me with great strength, aware though I am of the appeal and audience interest in works like Subnautica.

So it's a testament to the efforts of Parallel Studio that Under the Waves caught me off-guard and made me pay attention. Between the melancholy mood befitting of the loneliness and isolation one expects of undersea operations, the amusingly literal yet unfallingly earnest AI companion, and the hints of otherworldly happenings intruding on explorative gameplay, there's plenty of reasons to keep a close eye on this one.

Next time: I talk the good and the bad of Xbox, Ubisoft, and more...