Looking back on this year's Electronic Entertainment Expo, I decided to type up a few words about a week after the fact. Overall I thought it was a good show. There were a couple of no shows that are worth mentioning, Tomb Raider 3, The Last of Us 2, Halo 6, Nintendo Switch ports Smash Brothers and Mario Maker, Xbox VR support and more third party support for Microsoft's Games anywhere program. For the most part, this year's E3 was about Games, games, and also more games.

Here is my list of the stuff I found the most interesting in no particular order.

-Original Xbox Backwards compatibility

Microsoft finally announced that Original Xbox backwards compatibility for the Xbox One. The announcement came with few details and only one confirmed game (Crimson Skies) at the press conference itself but it was later revealed that the program would not be as expansive as that of Xbox 360 compatibility and that it will arrive some time this Fall. I fully expect it to function in a similar way in that you will insert a Xbox Game disc and download a digital version of said game from Xbox live that you will need the disc as a disc check in order to play.

-Ori and the Will of the Wisps

For me, the biggest surprise of the show was the announcement of Ori and the Will of the Wisps, the sequel to my favorite game from 2015. As a sequel to the best looking game of this console generation it was stunning, even from the short trailer that was shown. The game appears to take place immediately after the events of the first game. The trailer also seems to suggest a second playable character. It will be interesting to see if they incorporate some kind of character switching aspect to this "Metroidvania" style game. There was no release date given.

-Cup Head release date

My biggest fear coming into the show was that Cup Head, one of my more anticipated games for a couple of years now, was going to get a release window of sometime in 2018. thankfully that was not the case as it was announced to be September 29 of this year. They show a brief trailer at Microsoft's press conference ending it with the release date, which was more than enough to satisfy me. The game was supposed to come out last year but it was delayed for a year to add more traditional platforming elements to this game which was going to be a "boss Rush" game.

-Anthem

The beginning of this game's trailer made it seem like a Star Wars game set in the new Trilogy (Episodes 7,8,9) but it very quickly opened up to a larger seemingly open world. Anthem seems to be a cross between Destiny, Just Cause, and Far Cry. Visually it looks fantastic as the kind of game one would expect to see from a game for a next gen console (what ever that means nowadays). I am not sure what the game play will be like but it seemed to be exportation focused with some traversal and combat thrown in. The game also seems to switch between a first person view point in town and a third person one in the jungle areas. The game was announced for sometime 2018 (I'm thinking Holiday).

-Metro Exodus

Another Show stopper in the Microsoft press conference Metro Exodus seemed to conjure up memories of the first Killzone 2 trailer from 2005 as being perhaps too good to be real. In all probability it was real (if highly scripted) and will likely be a 30 fps game at least on consoles. This game peeked my interest because with its prominence at the Microsoft press conference and its high visual polish, the developers of this series might finally be making a Metro game that is at least somewhat more approachable. I have the last two games via Xbox live Games with gold for the Xbox 360 but these games always seemed much too intimidating for me to give them a try. There was no release date announced.

-Xbox One X

The big enchilada, Project Scorpio was officially name the Xbox One X (or the X.B.O.X.) and was priced at the expected $499 price point. The system was also shown to be slightly smaller than the (already smaller) Xbox One S. I do not as of yet have a 4K TV so the use I would have for such a purchase would be limited. That being said I could use the reduced load times, a fast operating UI (hopefully) having all the games be rendered at least 1080p (if not benefiting from super sampling) and a smaller system with a built in power supply. If there is a good enough trade in program for my launch Xbox One I could see myself upgrading. As for what criticism there is about the price it should be pointed out that a similarly capable PC would cost at least twice as much as this console. The system is scheduled for release November 7 of this year.

-Super Mario Odyssey

The Game I expected to be my game of the show, Super Mario Odyssey certainty did not disappoint. If anything the showing at Nintendo's E Video thingy (I really don;t know what to call them anymore) was far more over the top than I expected. for starters you use your living hat to take over other things, ranging from Goombas to bullet bills to ordinary people and even cars, with each person or thing you take control gains a Mario style mustache. If I end up getting a Nintendo Switch it will be because of this gamer. Super Mario Odyssey's release date is October 27 of this year.

-Mario + Rabbids: Kingdom Battle

What do you get when you cross Ubisoft's Rabbids with Super Mario? Apparently you get X.C.O.M., crazy right? As far as I am concerned this game is too bananas not to consider getting should I end up buying a Nintendo Switch. It is expected to be released August 29 of this year.

-Sea of Thieves

Rare's colorful pirate themed M.M.O. like game is getting more and more interesting to me each time I see it. Sea of Thieves is starting to look like a game with missions and quest and the like that normal games tend to have. It certainty is a good looking game but it is till a long way off with no release date announced.

-Wolfenstein: the New Colossus

Even after having bought the first game, Wolfenstein: the New Order on sale for $6 I have still not yet gotten around to playing it yet. seeing the trailer for the sequel however makes me want to play it more and one of these days I am sure that I will. The New Colossus is set in a post World War 2 America in which The Germans won the war and have taken over. It would seem from the trailer that the success of the first game both critically and commercially have given the game's developers license and free range to go bonkers with the sequel. The game's release date is October 27 of this year, I will make a point of playing and finishing the first game before then.

Well there you have it ladies and gentlemen, another random list of stuff from E3.

Thanking you for reading this anyway,

Gangway