The A-Z of E3 2017: Warp Zoned’s Full Recap of Gaming’s Biggest Showcase

Posted on June 20, 2017 by Warp Zoned Staff

The 2017 E3 Expo was one of firsts. It was the first time that gaming’s biggest showcase was open to the public, and the first time that developers sat down for panel discussions in the E3 Coliseum.

It was also a show of firsts for us here at Warp Zoned. We premiered the first two episodes of our Content Crash podcast (Episode #1: The Eve of E3 2017 and Episode #2: The E3 2017 Recap), and asked “So Did Anyone “Win” the 2017 E3 Expo?” for the first time.

But we also got our first glimpse at how the game industry will be shaping up this Fall and into 2018. The Xbox One X is going to make everything a little prettier, but Nintendo wants to make everything a little weirder. And Sony just wants to make all our Spider-Man dreams come true. So read on for a full recap of this year’s E3 Expo, and to learn more about what we thought of this year’s biggest games-to-be.

All the Games and Announcements

Anthem
You could not help but be impressed by BioWare’s newest game, Anthem. The company needed to hit it out of the park after the poor reception to Mass Effect: Andromeda, and they did so with aplomb. The new action RPG has the look and feel of Destiny, coupled with elements from Monolith Soft’s Xenoblade Chronicles X (specifically the Skell exosuits), which are known in Anthem as Javelins. – Andrew Rainnie
Cuphead
Back in 2013, I had a hard time debating the merits of Microsoft’s Xbox One versus Sony’s PlayStation 4. At the time, I didn’t feel like there was a compelling reason to choose one over the other, and I ultimately went with Microsoft’s machine more-or-less at random. But after viewing the reveal of Cuphead during the consolemaker’s 2014 E3 Press Conference, I know I had made the right choice. I got to play Studio MDHR’s darkly whimsical side-scrolling shooter at PAX East last year, and finally knowing that a release date is imminent is enough to get me vibrating with excitement like a cartoon character from the 1930s. – John Scalzo
Days Gone
I was really hoping to see a little more of The Last of Us Part II at Sony’s Press Conference, but Days Gone made up for it a little. The game looks equal parts exploration, survival, and edge-of-your seat thriller. Getting clotheslined on a motorcycle and then getting jumped seems like it would end in death, but your character is pretty darn resilient. And then trying to figure out the strategy of saving Manny by going into detective mode and then unleashing a hoard of zombies on your enemies seems like a super fun time! But also really ruthless and terrifying. Oh, and they had real dudes hanging from the ceiling during the Sony press conference, which I bet scared the crap out of some people. Bonus!
– Nicole Kline
Detroit: Become Human
I remember the first time I spent an entire night playing Fahrenheit: Indigo Prophecy from start to finish in a single sitting. It was unlike any game experience I had had up to that point. I became invested in whatever video game developer David Cage and his studio, Quantic Dream, would put out.

Detroit: Become Human is the next installment in his signature “interactive drama” genre, and this time, with a bigger more ambitious sci-fi take than previous games. I admit that I’m not enthralled with its setting, nor the main characters based off what I’ve seen. But Cage is only one of few who delivers a truly cinematic feeling and pacing to games that I cherish dearly, an approach I love to see done in an interactive medium like games. I miss the David Fincher-esque noir/thriller style of Heavy Rain, and though Beyond: Two Souls went off the rails at times, I can’t deny that I played it more that once. I respect Cage and will play just about anything he puts his name on. – Kurt Indovina

God of War
Although we first saw it during last year’s E3 Expo, God of War remains one of my most anticipated games for the PlayStation 4. Mashing together the fatherly dynamics from The Last of Us with God of War’s larger-than-life action seems to have formed a more grounded game steeped in Nordic mythology. – Andrew Rainnie
Mario + Rabbids Kingdom Battle
Fans and indifferent acquaintances alike have wondered when Nintendo would give Mario a gun. It only took almost 40 years, but it’s finally happening this Summer in Mario + Rabbids Kingdom Battle. This bizarre mashup of the Mushroom Kingdom, Ubisoft’s Rabbids franchise, and a tactical RPG is just the right amount of weird for Nintendo’s Switch. I honestly can’t wait to see how it all turns out. – John Scalzo
Metroid: Samus Returns and Metroid Prime 4
I absolutely wore out my Game Boy with Metroid II: Return of Samus, so I’m thrilled that Nintendo is revisiting this oft-forgotten corner of the franchise. The redone graphics look amazing, and Samus’s new abilities should go a long way towards making it feel like a brand new game.

As for Metroid Prime 4, it’s concerning that Retro Studios isn’t working on it, but I’m not sure I’ve ever been that excited by a logo reveal before. By the by… just what is Retro Studios up to? It’s been three years since Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze and we haven’t heard a peep out of them. – John Scalzo

Ni No Kuni II: Revenant Kingdom
I’m not sure what was going on in the trailer for Ni No Kuni II: Revenant Kingdom, but I loved it anyway. It looks like another magical adventure, set in a bizarre, whimsical, and painfully adorable place. I gasped when I saw the scene where it looks like you’re controlling small battalions of familiars, and when that Calcifer-looking fellow popped up on the screen. But nothing was more delightful than seeing a 2017 release date! I can’t wait to get that one. – Nicole Kline
Shadow of the Colossus
When the Shadow of the Colossus remake started playing during Sony’s E3 Press Conference, there was a brief, beautiful moment where I couldn’t catch my breath, because I thought… It’s Ico. But it’s OK, if I can’t have a remake of Ico, I’ll take a remake of Shadow of the Colossus. The graphics look utterly gorgeous, and it was hard to not get choked up (spoiler alert: I spent my first time playing through the game sobbing every single time I killed one of those giant creatures. I was a mess.). I look forward to playing this through once more – hopefully with fewer feelings – in beautiful HD. And maybe, just maybe, if the sales are good enough, my dream will come true, and they’ll remake Ico as well. – Nicole Kline
Spider-Man
I’ve never played a Spider-Man game, nor have I been that into the Spidey movies, but this new baby Spidey who’s been in the latest movies is pretty much my favorite. Add his awesomeness to a game developed by Insomniac that has a lot of what I loved from the early Batman games, and it’s really right up my alley. The webslinging and swinging looks smooth and seamless; I’m loving the different ways he can use webs for creative takedowns; and the story seems like it’s going to be amazing. Baby Spider-Man fighting Fisk? I’m into it. And the hand-to-hand combat, in which the enemies fill up with a red meter as they act – it looks incredibly intuitive. Bring it on, Insomniac! – Nicole Kline
Super Mario Odyssey
“And the weirdest looking game award goes to…”

No, but really, talk about Nintendo doing whatever the hell they want. Mario can possess any object he wants with his hat? Humanoids in a Mario game? Realistic dinosaurs? I’m curious to know what ideas from the brainstorming sessions for the game won’t make it into the final product. For the first time in a while, it seems that Nintendo is listening to its fans after all. It’s been seven years since we’ve seen a full blown 3D Mario game and I think it’s safe to assume that we’ve all been hungry for one. But this is also the first time in while that it appears they’re using the franchise to really push the boundary beyond previous installments, while still maintaining all the things that make it a Mario game. If Nintendo manages to do with Super Mario Odyssey with what it did for Breath of the Wild, 2017 could be shaping up to be one of my favorite years in gaming since 1998. Waiting till October for its release will be torturous, but from the looks of it, hopefully very well worth it. – Kurt Indovina

Uncharted: The Lost Legacy
It’s exciting to see another game in the Uncharted universe, and even more exciting to see Nathan Drake sit this one out in favor of a story that follows the unlikely pair of Chloe and Nadine. In Uncharted: The Lost Legacy, the two are after the fabled Horn of Ganesh, in a story full of solving puzzles, back-talking to baddies, and, of course, a little backstabbing. We got a look at their dynamic in the trailer – and, knowing both Chloe and Nadine, I’ve got no problem believing it. After the subtlety of Uncharted 4: A Thief’s End, which focused more on Drake’s relationships than on Naughty Dog’s signature sweeping landscapes, I’m excited to get back to more of what made the series so magical. – Nicole Kline
Wolfenstein II: The New Colossus
It’s confession time… I never finished Wolfenstein: The New Order. Believe me, I know! I know. MachineGames built an amazing world for their rebooted take on the adventures of B.J. Blazkowicz, but I somehow drifted away from it and never saw the end. Thankfully, the developer is bringing back the world’s foremost Nazi-Killer for another round of 1960s-set excitement. And this time they’re taking the fight to America. Wolfenstein II: The New Colossus was the most impressive trailer I saw at this year’s E3 Expo, and I imagine it could also be the most impressive game I play this Fall. – John Scalzo
Xenoblade Chronicles 2
After a slight detour with Xenoblade Chronicles X, Xenoblade Chronicles 2 looks to return to its roots with another epic story spanning a brand new world of giant beasts to take down. And despite the odd lip-syncing issues found in the trailer, it looks stunning. I still have some reservations about the over-stylised manga look of the characters, but considering I spent over 100 hours with the last two games on the Wii and Wii U, I expect Xenoblade Chronicles 2 to take up lots of my Switch time. – Andrew Rainnie
Yoshi
These Yoshi games have got to stop. They are killing me with how adorable they are. Yoshi is still mmmmmm-bop!ing his eggs into enemies and other parts of the landscape, but now he’s also dressed like a dinosaur and doing co-op puzzles with a friend… in more dimensions than usual! It’s like Yoshi met all those cute yarn games, which then also met LittleBigPlanet. Bummer that we have to wait until 2018! – Nicole Kline
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