E3 2021 Predictions & Wishes

ccesarano wrote:

Xbox's Game Pass additions for June are looking pretty anemic, but they also only run from the 1st through 10th. I'd expect them to be announcing a bunch of additions for the rest of June at E3 as a hype building mechanism.

So you are saying The Elder Scrolls 6: Hammerfell is dropping June 13th on Game Pass

1. The announcement for the next Battlefield is 9th June. Can’t wait.
2. I’d love to see a new Splinter Cell reveal or barring that a remaster of Blacklist. Not hopeful though.
3. Elden Ring
4. The Last of Us Part II multiplayer (there’s a good chance) and some clarity on the remake of The Last of Us (unlikely.)
5. God of War: Ragnarok. Please, please, please! I know it might be a ways off but I’d just like a flavour so it’s more of a known quantity.
6. More on Stray. Love the world but what do you do in the game?

Higgledy wrote:

2. I’d love to see a new Splinter Cell reveal or barring that a remaster of Blacklist.

You spelled Chaos Theory wrong

Remember that Sony is not officially taking part in E3 this year. Granted, neither is EA, but Sony is probably going to save a State of Play for after the dust has settled from E3 itself and they can monopolize the attention of the games press and players for a while. I'd expect something from them either at the end of June or early July, somewhere snug between E3 and Gamescom.

Rykin wrote:
Higgledy wrote:

2. I’d love to see a new Splinter Cell reveal or barring that a remaster of Blacklist.

You spelled Chaos Theory wrong ;)

Hehe. I never got over how nightmarishly pouty Sam Fisher’s face looked in that game (but I’d gladly accept a remaster.) I adored the multiplayer in Blacklist.

While I’m here: More info and/or release dates for Sifu and Boundary. Sifu is very, very high on my anticipation list; it being a cross between SuperHOT and the movie The Raid: Redemption.

ccesarano wrote:

Remember that Sony is not officially taking part in E3 this year. Granted, neither is EA, but Sony is probably going to save a State of Play for after the dust has settled from E3 itself and they can monopolize the attention of the games press and players for a while. I'd expect something from them either at the end of June or early July, somewhere snug between E3 and Gamescom.

My brain can’t quite accept that Sony won’t announce anything much. There is Summer Gamefest. I could see them letting a trailer or two slip there but you could well be right.

Nacon Connect slated for July 6th.

The event will feature new gameplay, announcements, special guests, and collaborations.

Nacon’s announced lineup of upcoming games includes Blood Bowl III, Hotel Life: A Resort Simulator, The Lord of the Rings: Gollum, RiMS Racing, Roguebook, Rogue Lords, Test Drive Unlimited Solar Crown, and WRC 10.

Further details were not announced.

I had to look up who Nacon is. Turns out they're games accessory company. It's kind of like if MadCatz circa 2005 decided to host an event. Kind of unexpected.

I think Sony just doesn't have much to show right now. And rather than show things too early they're spacing things appropriately. And that's fine, for now. Covid slowed development down and demand is still through the roof due to scarcity. If not for the "good luck finding one" the narrative would be "PS5 has no games".

But that's just a temporary thing, the games will come. Sony can bide their time since the pressure isn't on them, yet, to show more than what they have.

As an aside, I am curious to see where Returnal falls sales-wise in May. Might change the narrative a little.

I can get accustomed to a slower, more sober, pace of reveals. It just takes a little adjusting to when you’re used to a big, one off drop of awesome game news. Horizon II: Forbidden West’s and Far Cry 6’s gameplay demos will keep me going for a while in terms of excitement.

Speak of the devil (and looks like it's already been shared in the God of War thread maybe), but Hermen Hulst had a Q&A with PlayStation Podcast that was transcribed to their blog. Details to be found:

Horizon Forbidden West is being targeted for holiday release now, with God of War Ragnarok looking to be pushed back to 2022. Confirmation that Bend Studio is working on a new open-world IP. It also sounds like God of War Ragnarok, Horizon Forbidden West, and Gran Turismo 7 may release for PS4 as well, though I wouldn't read the quote as a confirmation since it's sort of framed in a "we're looking at that".

Ultimately sounds like typical press jargon to me, just through official Sony channels and a way to control how your attempts at damage control sound in regards to the Jason Schreier piece that released earlier this year regarding internal teams being unhappy, and folks such as myself that look at what Sony did to their Japanese division and slapping an exclusivity sticker on games like Final Fantasy (with Interlude perhaps being used to extend that exclusivity window on FF7 Remake and hold it hostage, effectively) being their replacement for making their own stuff. But, I'm also skeptical of this guy altogether.

But hey, if I can play God of War Ragnarok on my PS4, I'm down with that.

As for E3, I'm with Garion. They don't have much to show and therefore won't be doing a big presentation soon. Not of anything big. Any State of Play will likely be for smaller games or deep dive showcases on upcoming major releases. Another reason I think Microsoft will wind up coming out swinging. Question is, will the punches land or will they whiff?

ccesarano wrote:

But hey, if I can play God of War Ragnarok on my PS4, I'm down with that.

That would be great but I just wish they were cross-buy. I'm hoping I can hold off on the PS5 until a slim model is announced and have a bunch of stuff ready to play.

EvilDead wrote:
ccesarano wrote:

But hey, if I can play God of War Ragnarok on my PS4, I'm down with that.

That would be great but I just wish they were cross-buy. I'm hoping I can hold off on the PS5 until a slim model is announced and have a bunch of stuff ready to play.

I’m leaning more and more towards playing what new games I can on PS5 just for the improved graphics but that means buying a PS5. I’m pretty much at the tipping point but we’ll see.

EvilDead wrote:

That would be great but I just wish they were cross-buy. I'm hoping I can hold off on the PS5 until a slim model is announced and have a bunch of stuff ready to play.

Is there confirmation that they won't be? I thought Sony was a case-by-case basis with that?

On another note, Microsoft is kicking off a "Warhammer Skulls Festival" tomorrow, which... makes it sound like Warhammer: Skulls is the name of a game but it's not? I dunno. Lots of stuff for games that are already out and new game announcements, premieres, and reveals and such. Should be fun for fans of one of the most depressing sci-fi setting ever made.

[quote="ccesarano"]

EvilDead wrote:

Should be fun for fans of one of the most depressing sci-fi setting ever made.

Not-40K never gets any love

Actually Warhammer gets a lot more love than Earthdawn ever did.

ccesarano wrote:
EvilDead wrote:

That would be great but I just wish they were cross-buy. I'm hoping I can hold off on the PS5 until a slim model is announced and have a bunch of stuff ready to play.

Is there confirmation that they won't be? I thought Sony was a case-by-case basis with that?

Yeah so far Nioh 1 and Spider-Man are the only PS4 game you have to pay extra for a PS5 version that I've seen.

Immortals Fenyx Rising, Nioh 2, and several others have PS5 versions you can just install with the PS4 disc.

Control Non-Ultimate Edition (Penultimate Edition?) was another notorious example I thought.

Stele wrote:
ccesarano wrote:
EvilDead wrote:

That would be great but I just wish they were cross-buy. I'm hoping I can hold off on the PS5 until a slim model is announced and have a bunch of stuff ready to play.

Is there confirmation that they won't be? I thought Sony was a case-by-case basis with that?

Yeah so far Nioh 1 and Spider-Man are the only PS4 game you have to pay extra for a PS5 version that I've seen.

Immortals Fenyx Rising, Nioh 2, and several others have PS5 versions you can just install with the PS4 disc.

Aren't those just PS4 games with some PS5 enhancements vs PS5 versions of the game? I would assume games like God of War will have separate PS4 & PS5 versions. No, there isn't a confirmation that the upcoming PS5 games won't be but there isn't that they will be.

Edit: Thinking about it more I'm guessing the answer is no but maybe with a paid upgrade. Or they would have to sell the PS4 version for $70 or reduce the PS5 to $60.

EvilDead wrote:
Stele wrote:
ccesarano wrote:
EvilDead wrote:

That would be great but I just wish they were cross-buy. I'm hoping I can hold off on the PS5 until a slim model is announced and have a bunch of stuff ready to play.

Is there confirmation that they won't be? I thought Sony was a case-by-case basis with that?

Yeah so far Nioh 1 and Spider-Man are the only PS4 game you have to pay extra for a PS5 version that I've seen.

Immortals Fenyx Rising, Nioh 2, and several others have PS5 versions you can just install with the PS4 disc.

Aren't those just PS4 games with some PS5 enhancements vs PS5 versions of the game? I would assume games like God of War will have separate PS4 & PS5 versions. No, there isn't a confirmation that the upcoming PS5 games won't be but there isn't that they will be.

Edit: Thinking about it more I'm guessing the answer is no but maybe with a paid upgrade. Or they would have to sell the PS4 version for $70 or reduce the PS5 to $60.

Nope they are entirely separate installs with their own saves and trophies. There was a bug where disc versions of games would start installing in the background. So after playing the PS5 version for a while then playing something else, I accidentally started the PS4 version of Fenyx. So now I have a 0% trophy listing for that version and had to switch back to the PS5 version to continue my progress.

They did fix that bug finally.

God of War 2018 is one that is still a PS4 version but got a PS5 performance patch or something. Like a lot of PS4 games did for Pro version. Just extra graphics modes or something.

Die by the Sword remake in the style of a comedy Souls-like.

E3 has provided an official schedule.

  • Saturday, June 12, broadcast pre-show starts at 10am PT / 1pm ET
    • E3 2021 will kick off with press conferences from Ubisoft and Gearbox Entertainment, as well as a session with GamesBeat.
  • Sunday, June 13, broadcast pre-show starts at 8:45am PT / 11:45am ET
    • Microsoft’s long-awaited Xbox & Bethesda Games Showcase will take place starting at 10am PT / 1pm ET.
    • Fans can also look forward to special presentations from SQUARE ENIX, the PC Gaming Show and the Future Games Show.
    • Warner Bros. Games, Back 4 Blood and 24 Entertainment will also be featured.
  • Monday, June 14, broadcast pre-show starts at 8:00am PT / 11:00am ET
    • Alongside press conferences from several indie developers, presentations from Take-Two Interactive, Mythical Games, Freedom Games, Razer and Capcom will take place throughout the day.
    • Verizon and Intellivision will also be featured, along with a session with VENN.
  • Tuesday, June 15, broadcast pre-show starts at 8:00am PT / 11:00am ET
    • The last day of E3 will include Nintendo’s Nintendo Direct and Nintendo Treehouse: Live programming starting at 9am PT / 12pm ET.
    • BANDAI NAMCO, Yooreka Games and GameSpot will also have focused events.
    • The broadcast will round out with the Official E3 2021 Awards Show.

Wish it was a bit more specific regarding times, but Square Enix already announced they're going to be 12:15pmPT/3:15pmET on the 13th.

It looks like the events I care about will, fortunately, occur between morning and evening Church services on Sunday. Whoo hoo!

Square Enix confirmed Babylon's Fall, but they're also stating that a new game from Eidos Montreal is incoming. This is the studio behind both Deus Ex games, as well as Thief and Shadow of the Tomb Raider, of which the last is the only one I played (and honestly the one I liked the least of the reboot series). There's already suggestions the game is Guardians of the Galaxy, with Schreier himself stating it'll be the showcase.

Most folks here will probably be most interested in Life is Strange: True Colors getting a deep dive, as well as a Guardians of the Galaxy game, but I'm really hoping for a 2021 release of Babylon's Fall.

How many people with be there and how will they be seated?

Edit: Sorry, I mean the pressers. Will there be no audience at any of these things? That's gonna be hella interesting.

My understanding is that it's all digital streaming. They're instead registering special attendee and press ...access? There's a bunch of stuff you can register for, and it looks like if you're an "influencer" you can register to stream the event on your own channel.

I figured this is where they'd try to make their cash but most of it looks free. Guess they're going to have ads for all them gamer brands, like Doritos and Mountain Dew and stuff (which has to be a self-aware joke by now, right? ...right?)

Stele wrote:
EvilDead wrote:
Stele wrote:
ccesarano wrote:
EvilDead wrote:

That would be great but I just wish they were cross-buy. I'm hoping I can hold off on the PS5 until a slim model is announced and have a bunch of stuff ready to play.

Is there confirmation that they won't be? I thought Sony was a case-by-case basis with that?

Yeah so far Nioh 1 and Spider-Man are the only PS4 game you have to pay extra for a PS5 version that I've seen.

Immortals Fenyx Rising, Nioh 2, and several others have PS5 versions you can just install with the PS4 disc.

Aren't those just PS4 games with some PS5 enhancements vs PS5 versions of the game? I would assume games like God of War will have separate PS4 & PS5 versions. No, there isn't a confirmation that the upcoming PS5 games won't be but there isn't that they will be.

Edit: Thinking about it more I'm guessing the answer is no but maybe with a paid upgrade. Or they would have to sell the PS4 version for $70 or reduce the PS5 to $60.

Nope they are entirely separate installs with their own saves and trophies.

I meant built from the ground up for next gen. I could be wrong but from what I'm reading Fenyx runs mostly the same textures / effects but enhanced at 4k / 60fps. This would be similar to what Cyberpunk did and would feel cheap if they charged for that. I guess we'll find out more when the Sony first party PS4/5 games start releasing were PS5 was the primary target.

Thanks ccesarano. I have added the dates and times to the top post.

I also added the days to the top post so it is easier to see when stuff is happening at a glance.

Still waiting on show times for a couple of them.

Nintendo Predictions:

Breath of the Wild 2: March 2022
Some Zelda collection for late 2021
Some really weird peripheral

Other predictions:
Xbox Game Pass drops involving a recently acquired studio
No date for Horizon Forbidden West
Warner Bros games announces "The Hobbit", featuring a nemesis system where the Sackville-Baggins come over and eat all your food.

Aristophan wrote:

Warner Bros games announces "The Hobbit", featuring a nemesis system where the Sackville-Baggins come over and eat all your food.

GAME OF THE YEAR!!!

The PreE3 Easy Allies podcast just mentioned Skull & Bones. I don’t need to see it at E3 but it occurs to me that, if they can get that game right (i.e. recapture the magic of AC: Black Flag’s ship combat) then it could be a phenomenal game. What they were describing before they went radio silent sounded way off the mark to me so, hopefully, they’re taking a different tack (pun only slightly intended) and fleshing the game out in ways I’ll gel with. I’d love to see more once they’re done however many E3’s away that is.

Were you hoping to see more of the Prince of Persia: Sands of Time remake at E3? Sorry to burst your bubble, but it won't be present since it's been delayed to 2022. If I had to hazard a guess, there was a lot of backlash to the original announcement and, if I recall, visual look or something. So, following the mixed reception, they're diving in and doing their best to fix what people ended up complaining about.

It looks like Ubisoft may be counting on not just Far Cry 6, but Rainbow Six Extraction on headlining their Forward event (as well as the inevitable Just Dance release and performance, though it just won't be the same without clearly being performed live in front of a crowd of people there hoping for a new Assassin's Creed announcement (which I think is taking another year off?)). A teaser trailer was released today with the new title, as the original title of Rainbow Six Quarantine likely provoked way too many responses due to Covid and therefore incited a change to keep things separated. Expect "smart" games writers and YouTubers to practice their literary analysis by making the most superficial links to Covid anyway because that's how you get clicks.

Lastly, the first day of Summer Game Fest will have the premiere of a new project from Gearbox and 2K Games, which could be the rumored/leaked Tiny Tina focused game. Given that no one has liked anything made by Gearbox but Borderlands for the past... decade now? it would not surprise me if the only thing they can hype up this much is a spin-off or DLC.

Actually, given the "Be Chaotic Great" tagline, it sounds very in-line with the whole Tiny Tina D&D thing so yeah, expect something along those lines.

Jeff Grubb seems pretty confident that there well be a trailer of some kind for Elden Ring at Summer Game Fest. He recons a trailer exists, people he knows have seen it and that, ‘Keighley has it.’

Our life (my family) has been crazy since our 3rd baby was born hehehe

I just want my BoTW2