Jun 092018
Our E3 2018 coverage kicks off today with the first press conference! Here’s what we have to look forward to over the next few days.
E3 2018 Schedule
June 9
EA – 11 AM PDT / 2 PM EDT
June 10
Microsoft – 1 PM PDT / 4 PM EDT
Bethesda – 6:30 PM PDT / 9:30 PM EDT
Devolver Digital – 8 PM PDT / 11 PM EDT
June 11
Square Enix – 10 AM PDT / 1 PM EDT
Limited Run Games – 12 PM PDT / 3 PM EDT
Ubisoft – 1 PM PDT / 4 PM EDT
PC Gaming – 3 PM PDT / 6 PM EDT
Sony – 6 PM PDT / 9 PM EDT
June 12
Nintendo – 9 AM PDT / 12 PM EDT
The schedule looks a lot like it did last year, but with Square Enix returning and Limited Run Games having an E3 press conference for the first time. Of course, Nintendo will follow its presentation with Nintendo Treehouse gameplay.
Are you ready for E3 2018?
Table of Contents
EA
Microsoft
Bethesda
Devolver Digital
Square Enix
Limited Run Games
Ubisoft
PC Gaming
Sony
Nintendo
Nintendo Treehouse & Miscellaneous Announcements
EA’s 2018 Press Conference
EA has some games I love, but also several I’m not interested in, so my reactions to their press conferences vary. Let’s take a look…
EA started out with Battlefield V, which I have little interest in. They did get a big cheer when they announced it would have no loot boxes, and they’ll be adding a royal mode for the first time.
They moved onto FIFA 19 and the Champions League, which seems like a big deal if you’re into soccer games.
From there they decided to discuss cloud gaming, which they see as a major part of the future (maybe I was premature in assuming Capcom’s cloud gaming move in Japan was nothing to worry about) and a new subscription service called Origin Access Premier.
Despite them mentioning the “joys of subscription,” I’m not thrilled by the idea.
We learned the name of Respawn’s Star Wars game. Star Wars: Jedi Fallen Order is set between Episode 3 and Episode 4, but they didn’t show anything from it, much to my disappointment.
Sadly for my KotOR hopes, the only other Star Wars game they discussed was Battlefront II, which is getting new features and modes in the future, including Clone Wars content.
But remember the cuteness of Unravel a few years ago? That magic returned with Unravel Two!
They actually showed quite a bit of Unravel Two, which surprised me at first, since it was getting more screen time than anything so far. Then they revealed it’s available right now. Unravel Two looks as cute as the original, and the co-op is optional, so I want to play it eventually.
Yes, I still need to play Unravel first.
Another indie game came next, Sea of Solitude. At first I didn’t quite get what it was about, aside from the themes of loneliness, but the trailer looks creepy and pretty cool.
(Actually, it looks like Sea of Solitude was first announced a couple years ago, but I missed it.)
After that, it was time for more sports, with NBA Live 19 and Madden NFL 19, followed by a long look at a mobile strategy game that turned out to be… Command & Conquer: Rivals. I’m not a Command & Conquer fan, but I didn’t expect it to go mobile.
They closed out with Anthem, and even though it’s from BioWare, I’m just not feeling it. Anthem got a gameplay demonstration, but so far it hasn’t captured me like their usual RPGs have.
As usual, EA’s press conference didn’t have a lot to excite me, but I’m on board with Unravel Two and Sea of Solitude. Come back tomorrow for more press conference reactions!
Who the hell is Limited Run Games and when the hell did they announce a conference?
Limited Run Games publishes physical copies of digital-only indie games in limited quantities. They used to focus on PS4 and Vita, but they’ve started handling Switch games, too. I’m not sure why they’re having a conference, but they announced it either last week or early this week.
…Yeah, procrastinating on deciding you’ll have a conference tells me it’s not a real conference!
You were far too kind to EA in your write-up.
I didn’t have the heart to mention all the points that made me cringe.
Well, I do.
1. Andrea Rene is annoying and her contrived hype makes it even less hype-y
2. Don’t act like World War II has untold stories, it’s been done to death and back
3. A Battle Royale? Really?
4. Trailer music sucks
5. Free trial of FIFA 18 for everyone…everyone implicitly excludes Nintendo Switch even though FIFA 18 is out on the Switch
6. Joy, cloud gaming subscription service…!
7. Vince Zampella is creepy
8. That whole bit with Young Kiv and eSports Madden went absolutely nowhere
9. Command & Conquer Rivals and two random people playing it with dreadful camera angles was shown as something we were supposed to care about
10. Anti-bullying, whoop-de-doo
11. We’re definitely listening to the Internet destroying us for that whole lootbox stuff. Give us another chance, please!
12. Anthem as a big thing at the end was a big dud
Might not be exhaustive.
Hey, the good news is the other press conferences should be able to surpass it! XD