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Top Ten E3 2015 Surprises

Top Ten E3 2015 Surprises

Now that the press conferences are over and the conference is well underway, the announcements have slowed to a trickle and it’s time, instead, to focus on trying out all the new games that the industry announced over the past few days. So far, this has been an E3 full of excitement, with surprising news causing audiences to get up and cheer. These are the top ten jaw dropping surprises we have seen at E3 2015 so far.

Microsoft and Valve team with Oculus

Microsoft and Valve team with Oculus

Sony is sitting alone in its corner of the VR world, as everyone seems to have thrown their support behind Oculus. Even though Microsoft has its new Hololens technology, it has still partnered with Oculus to allow an Xbox One controller to come with every Oculus Rift. We aren’t sure what Valve VR’s partnership with Oculus will bring, but suffice it to say it’s going to be awesome and it will likely integrate with Steam somehow.

Skylanders and Amiibo Team Up

Skylanders and Amiibo Team Up

We have been characterizing the Toys 2 Life genre as a battlefield lately, and it appears as if there are some alliances being made on that battlefield. Nintendo and Activision have just teamed up to create the world’s first dual Skylandersamiibo figures. These two figures of Donkey Kong and Bower can be usable as cameo characters in the new Skylanders Supercharged. Twist their base, and they can be used as amiibo on any Wii U. I suppose this team up makes sense now that Disney and Lego are joining the battle.

DOOM Lets You Create the Multiplayer Suite

DOOM Lets You Create the Multiplayer Suite

DOOM’s multiplayer suite is probably the most interesting multiplayer suite we have seen in the shooter genre. Not only do they have a comprehensive map making engine, they also allow you to use programming logic to define the rules of your game mode. Want to make a horde style defense mode? You can do that. Want to make a Counter-Strike style one shot one kill resource management mode? You can do that. Want to make a first person multiplayer RPG? You can do that. The power of this engine is phenomenal and the mods that will come out of it will do much to change the world of shooters for the better. Maybe one day we will see the shooter equivalent of DOTA.

Pele Showed Up at the EA Press Conference

Pele Showed Up at the EA Press Conference

This isn’t really a game reveal, but was surprising nonetheless. Pele is perhaps the most well known footballer the world over. His stage presence may need some work, and EA certainly could practice trying to get him to say what they want, but his very arrival on stage made the EA press conference crowd hush. We aren’t quite sure what new features are coming to FIFA 16, because the press conference was mostly buzzwords, but if it has enough clout to draw Pele, we are in.

South Park Gets a Sequel RPG

South Park Gets a Sequel RPG

Everyone thought that South Park: The Stick of Truth was going to be a one shot game, but Ubisoft surprised us all this year by announcing South Park: The Fractured but Whole. The game will feature the same graphics and system of the previous game, but will be bigger, longer, and more expansive. It’s worth it to note, however, that Obsidian will not be developing South Park: The Fractured but Whole, but instead Ubsioft’s San Francisco office. While that may seem troubling, we do know that Trey Parker and Matt Stone will still be closely involved.

Mother 1 Coming to Virtual Console

Mother 1 Coming to Virtual Console

We honestly thought that the Mother franchise was dead, and while this isn’t Mother 3, the game that most Mother fans are waiting for, the fact that Mother 1, i.e. Earthbound Beginnings, is finally coming to America after 25 years is astonishing. It’s even going to use the never before released English translation that people have been using in their Earthbound Zero roms for ages now. It’s fantastic that people outside the PC rom dumping community will finally get a chance to play the game that started it all. It’s even more fantastic that maybe this will inspire Nintendo to release Mother 3 here. Someday. Possibly.

Shenmue Kickstarted and Funded

Shenmue Kickstarted and Funded

When Sony said they wanted to announce a new Kickstarter at their conference, everyone was confused. When the iconic Shenmue music started playing, everyone started cheering and/or screaming “what the heck!?” Shenmue 3 is another one of those mythical games that we never expected to see the light of day, but Yu Suzuki not only launched the Kickstarter for it this E3, he managed to get it funded in a matter of hours. It had reached its goal well before the convention doors even opened. So look forward to Shenmue 3, everyone!

Xbox One is now Backward Compatible

Xbox One is now Backward Compatible

This was the “shots fired” moment of E3 2015. Sony has dumped a lot of money into PlayStation Now, the streaming service that takes the place of backward compatibility in the PS4. However, Microsoft turned around and said “the Xbox One is now backward compatible with Xbox 360 games, digital or hard copy.” They also went as far as to say, “we won’t make you pay again for games you already own,” indirectly referencing PlayStation Now’s pricing scheme. Most people have already chosen their next-gen system of choice by now, but Xbox 360 users that haven’t probably won’t jump ship to PlayStation now.

Final Fantasy VII Being Remade

Final Fantasy VII Being Remade

I have never heard a crowd cheer as loudly as they did when it was announced that Square-Enix would remake Final Fantasy VII. Largely considered one of the best RPGs of all time, Final Fantasy VII has been on everyone’s list for a full remake for a long time. Square-Enix has kind of been out of touch with the fans, releasing sequel after sequel for Final Fantasy XIII and publishing other studios’ games instead of focusing on the JRPGs that made them big in the first place. But this simple move shows that Squeenix is trying to get back into the fans’ good graces. It also doesn’t hurt that a new generation will be able to experience the glory that is Chocobo breeding.

The Last Guardian Still Exists

The Last Guardian Still Exists

Holy crap! We actually put this on our list of things that would never happen at E3, and it did. The Last Guardian still exists. It more than still exists, it’s going to release, and we got to see actual gameplay! We honestly can’t believe that Sony was telling the truth all those years when they said “don’t worry, it’s coming.” Well everyone, it’s not The Last Guardian Forever anymore. Let’s prepare our feels for when that gryhpon inevitably and tragically dies.

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