E3 2021 has wrapped, and it’s safe to say that it was a fairly up and down show. The event was home to some major announcements presented side-by-side with
E3 2021 has wrapped, and it’s safe to say that it was a fairly up and down show. The event was home to some major announcements presented side-by-side with segments that felt like they didn’t really fit the typical E3 schedule. Despite the awkwardness that comes with transitioning a show that normally takes place in-person to an entirely online one, we still got some of the big announcements that E3 is known for. I think it’s clear that this wouldn’t have been much of an E3 to write home about without Microsoft and Nintendo. I would also count Geoff Keighley’s Summer Game Fest as a major contributor, even though it technically wasn’t part of E3 proper. It was at those shows, however, that we got the biggest announcements. As for the single biggest announcement of the entire event, that’s a hard thing to call. Summer Game Fest, for instance, gave us not only our first look at Elden Ring gameplay footage but also gave us a release date for the game. Then you had Microsoft revealing things like Forza Horizon 5, Halo Infinite multiplayer, and even the release date for Bethesda’s Starfield. Putting a cap on the show was Nintendo, which shared another teaser for Breath of the Wild 2 and told us that it’s targeting a 2022 release date for the game. These were the big, show-stopping reveals that people tune in to E3 specifically. There were plenty of other big and exciting reveals during all three shows, but if I had to pick the biggest of the event as a whole, I would count all of those I just listed. If my feet were to the fire and I had to pick one that was the show’s biggest reveal, I would probably say it was Elden Ring. The trailer we saw for Elden Ring was much more substantial than, say, the trailer for Breath of the Wild 2, and Souls fans have been waiting a very long time to hear more about it. People have been asking for more on Elden Ring for so long that Geoff Keighley even expressed relief that it was finally shown this year, proclaiming, “I hope you guys are happy – I’m free! Out of prison!” after the trailer debuted. We can only imagine how much that poor man has been hounded by rabid Dark Souls fans wanting to know more about Elden Ring over the past two years. While Elden Ring definitely stole the show during Summer Game Fest’s Kickoff Live, there were other exciting announcements during that show as well. For instance – and this is coming from someone who feels a little cool toward Borderlands these days – I think that Tiny Tina’s Wonderlands sounds like an awesome concept for a Borderlands spin-off and I’m excited to see more. I also think that Metal Slug Tactics looks great, but I’ve always been a sucker for a good tactics game. As SlashGear’s resident man-child who never stopped thinking that dinosaurs are awesome, I’m tentatively excited for Jurassic World Evolution 2 as well. However, I’m hoping that Frontier goes a little deeper with the simulation mechanics this time around. The Xbox and Bethesda Showcase was packed from start to finish with game announcements as well. I’m very excited for Forza Horizon 5, especially after confirmation that we’ll be heading to Mexico in this installment. Not only is this American excited to explore Forza ‘s take on a country like Mexico, but after entries in Australia and Great Britain, he’s also ready to start driving on the right side of the road again. Microsoft’s conference also announced The Outer Worlds 2 in what was quite possibly the best trailer of E3 2021, and it gave us a big surprise when it revealed Diablo II Resurrected ‘s release date.
