When you were a young child, did you ever have a Christmas that was so spectacular; no Christmas that would come after would ever surpass it?

A holiday where a combination of an awesome gift or series of gifts, family fun, or good food all coalesced into a nearly perfect moment that will always tower above those other Christmas’s in your memory.

We’ve all had one moment in our lives like that, right?

It’s in this idealistic manner in which I viewed last year’s E3.

How will one ever top the sheer quality of Microsoft’s conference; with its exciting lineup of games like Forza 6, Rare Replay, Rise of the Tomb Raider, and Halo 5? Not to mention the promise of intriguing future titles, such as ReCore and Rare’s Sea of Thieves.

And speaking of promises and future titles; how can one ever top the magnitude of Sony’s megaton announcements? Last Guardian was still alive; Shenmue was resurrected in what was to become the most successful crowd-funded campaign ever. And of course, how can any mention of E3 2015 be complete without the shock and delight of Final Fantasy VII: Remake’s reveal?

We also had a huge blow out of information of games like Star Fox Zero, Star Wars Battlefront, and Fallout 4.

The point is that E3 2015 really did earn the moniker of “E3 of Dreams”, and nearly everything that the most vocal internet gaming fan had ever wanted showed up to last year’s party.

So with that being said, I’m sort of tempering my expectations for this year’s E3. We already know that Nintendo will only be talking about Legend of Zelda, which would normally be okay, however there is the tantalizing prospect of their next console, NX hanging around. So Nintendo’s vow of silence on the subject puts a damper on the proceedings.

There is also an air of uncertainty about the future of E3 itself. We live in an amazing digital age, in which companies don’t necessarily have to be in the same space, competing for the attention of those attending an event. They can now hold their own specialized events and speak directly to the consumer, as Nintendo has been doing for the past few years with their Nintendo Direct presentations. Sony started their own annual event, the PlayStation Experience, in 2014, which is steadily expanding in size and influence.

EA has taken the most drastic measure this year by pulling out of the E3 event entirely, opting instead to host their own off-site conference, which will be opened to the public, as well as streamed to gamers worldwide. When the largest publisher in the world pulls out of an event, how long will it be before others follow suit?

So it’s with this air of uncertainty and tempered expectations that we enter the 2016 season of E3 extravagance.

But you know what?

Even if we don’t get an announcement as earth-shattering as a Final Fantasy VII: Remake, that doesn’t mean that we’re not going to have fun, or see some exciting announcements and surprises. Who knows? Maybe E3 2016 will end up being the best E3 ever!

So let’s celebrate!

E3 is our moment to look towards the future and celebrate the amazing strides that our art form is about to make.

So here is a list of a few things that I hope happen at this year’s E3, as well as a few things I hope the industry avoids.

What I want: A revival of the platform genre

Rumors regarding the revival of Crash Bandicoot, Sony’s unofficial mascot during the launch of the original PlayStation back in 1995, have been swirling around for some time. Heck, Sony’s CEO Shawn Layton even added to the speculation late last year at the PlayStation Experience by wearing a t-shirt, adorned by the beloved marsupial. While I’d be delighted to see Crash make a huge, well.. crash, onto the scene this year, however I’d also like to see a resurgence in the genre.

We know that the king of the genre, Mario, won’t be making an appearance this year, but what about other platform superstars? Yooka-Laylee is a Kickstarter-funded, spiritual successor to Banjo Kazooie that is being developed by a number of ex-Rare developers; but what about an actual Banjo Kazooie game?

Or what if Microsoft revived the deliciously foul Conker series?

The point is – this generation is awash in first-person shooters. I’m ready to see some good ol’ platform fun again, and I hope that a return of Crash Bandicoot helps spark other developers to explore the genre again.

What I want: A surprise from Nintendo

Nintendo made it clear in no uncertain terms that for them, E3 would be all about The Legend of Zelda, so I know that this want of mine is unrealistic. Still, it would be nice if they had some sort of bonus to show, even if it’s Zelda-related. Did you know that 2016 marks the 30th anniversary of the Legend of Zelda franchise? What is Nintendo doing to mark the occasion? How about a Nintendo Direct documentary that gives us a behind-the-scenes look at the history of the series? What about a concert series featuring Legend of Zelda music? Or how about letting all the Wii U owners out there get in on the fun by allowing us to download a demo of the game from the E-Shop. It would be a shame to waste a golden opportunity to honor one of the most important franchises in gaming history. Don’t let us down Nintendo!

What I don’t want: Call of Duty: Infinite Warfare versus Battlefield 1 – Endless stage battle.

The two biggest first-person shooter franchises are set to duke it out in an epic retail battle for supremacy. What is fascinating about this year’s edition of the ongoing rivalry is the polar opposite approaches that each title is taking in their respective designs.

Call of Duty: Infinite Warfare will be looking ahead – way ahead, into the future. The game will feature a number of futuristic, off-world, sci-fi missions that will act as a sort of gauge of how combat might look in the distant future.

Battlefield 1 on the other hand, goes back in time – taking place in World War 1, complete with zeppelins, tanks, and stunning bi-plane dogfights.

While Call of Duty is the undisputed champ of all gamingdom, the recently released trailer has made the wrong kinds of headlines; garnering the distinction of being the second-most disliked video on Youtube.

Think about that for a second. The trailer for the next edition of the largest gaming franchise in the world is more disliked than the trailer for that God-awful looking trailer for the new Ghostbusters movie.

This could spell a drastic shift in the marketplace.

While all of this is intriguing, I personally dislike first-person shooters. They just aren’t my thing. So while I’m looking forward to the marketing battle of the ages this fall, what I don’t want to see is a bunch of stage time taken up at the Microsoft and Sony press conferences discussing exclusive DLC etc for either game. Again, I know I’m in the minority here. Millions of you can’t wait for both games to come out, and I respect that. But this is my E3 2016 fantasy article, and in my E3 2016 fantasy article Call of Duty: Infinite Warfare and Battlefield 1 both get nice press releases and limited stage time.

What I want: The Next Red Dead Game

In my opinion, Red Dead Redemption was the best game to come out during the entire 7th generation. It’s a masterpiece of open-world game design coupled with a fantastic story and an engaging lead character. Its western-frontier setting is one that is woefully underutilized by game designers, which made Red Dead Redemption that much more refreshing and brilliant upon its release in 2010. Simply put, I’m more than ready go be a virtual cowboy again.

Luckily, there are a number of signs that are pointing to us getting another edition in the series sooner, rather than later. Take 2 has flat out stated that they view Red Dead as an ongoing series, so that’s a confirmation that we will at least someday get a new one. The more intriguing sign is the recent leak of the supposed map of the next game. The geography of the leaked map fits in perfectly with that of Red Dead Redemption and backs up the reports that the next game will be a prequel to RDR. Plus, the fact that there is a leaked map means that the game is real and being worked on at this very moment!!

So let’s see the game at E3 2016! I can’t think of very many other potential sequels that would make me more happy to see, than a new Red Dead title.

What I want: Release dates!

For the past couple of years we have been bombarded by some incredible looking titles that make us excessively salivate in anticipation of the day we can finally cradle that special disk (or digital download) in our arms and call it, our own. And then every year, those same titles become a metaphor of the carrot being dangled in front of our faces, as we are forced to endure a never-ending mantra of “it’ll be a few more months”.

It’s high-time that we finally got some of these endlessly-promised games out to market. Let the following list of games be our notice to the developers that it’s time to put up, or shut up. So let’s finally say farewell to the following games. It’s not that we don’t love you; it’s that we’re sick of you perpetually “coming soon”.

• Cuphead
• Tekken 7
• Last Guardian
• Kingdom Hearts 3 (Who am I kidding? We’re not getting a date on this anytime soon.)
• Dreams
• No Man’s Sky (If the reports that it has been delayed are true)

What I don’t want: Mid-generation hardware upgrades

If the rumor-mill is accurate, then it is pretty much an inevitability that at least Sony is working on an upgraded version of the PS4: the PS4K, or “Neo”. Rumors have also strongly indicated that Microsoft is gearing up to do the same with the Xbox One. Recent, to-good-to-be-true deals being run be several retailers as a means to clear out remaining stock of current Xbox One hardware, has adding credibility to those reports.

I’m an old man, set in his ways. I don’t want to have to buy another $400 machine to “upgrade” the $400 machine I just bought 3 years prior. I’m quite content with the traditional 5-6-year hardware cycle and doubly content with the extended 8 year cycle of the last hardware generation.

I’d rather spend my excitable energies on breath-taking games and concepts; and not have to constantly get hyped for the next iteration of the PlayStation 4.5.7.

While the idea of a more powerful set of current-gen hardware may seem alluring at this moment in time, how are we going to feel several years down the road, assuming this first round of upgrades is successful? Do we as consumers, really want to fork over serious cash every 2 or 3 years in order to stay up-to-date with console gaming? And wasn’t it this same constant hardware upgrade cycle that seriously endangered PC gaming prior to Steam revolutionizing that market?

To me, the dangers of iterative hardware revisions over-saturating the market, far outweigh the potential benefits.

What I don’t want: Reading journalists complain about having to go to E3

This hasn’t been as much of an issue in recent history, however in the past, there used to be a litany of self-centered columnists who would incessantly whine about being forced to go to E3.

I understand that hours of waiting in lines for a shot at a demo which only lasts for a few minutes, is probably not the best time/reward equation out there. I also understand that the days are long and filled with a ton of conferences and work to do. And the crowds – I dislike crowds, so I really, truly empathize with your being forced to broadcast and report amidst a crushing throng of less than well-groomed individuals.

You know what? Suck it up!

I saw one journalist on Twitter, whom I admire and respect, so I won’t call him out by name; asking if E3 2016 was over yet. Well no bub, it’s not. You need to think about how lucky you are that you got to leave your corporate gig, where you wrote about videogames; and then left to start your own thing, which is doing very well and is essentially you and your friends talking about games.

There are some of us out there who still get genuinely excited for E3 and treat it like a holiday, who would love to trade in their 9-5 cubicle hell for a chance to produce words about this art form for a living.

So I beg of you – please keep your complaints about having to go to E3 to yourself.

 

What I want: A true sequel to Chrono Trigger!

I know. I ask this same thing of the gaming gods each year, but please Square Enix, let’s really do this.

• We got Final Fantasy VII: Remake
• We’re getting a new Shenmue
• Heck, we’re even getting another Nier game..

So is it too much to ask to make this one last impossible gaming dream come true?

I know that I Am Setsuna is supposed to be a lovely homage to the classic RPG’s of yesteryear. However, there’s nothing like the real thing, baby!

Actually, a Chrono Trigger sequel may not be out of the realm of possibility. In an annual report last year, Square Enix noted that as a way forward for the company, they planned to “revitalize” some of their older properties as a way to take advantage of modern hardware and smart devices.

“For example, we will take an IP developed for earlier generations of game consoles and recreate it for the latest consoles, while also proactively developing versions for play on smart devices.”

Chrono Trigger definitely falls into this category, so there is always hope.

And really, isn’t that what E3 best represents to all of us who hold games so near and dear to our hearts?

Hope?

Hope that the future of this art-form will forever continue to eclipse the present.

Hope that our excitement about games will continue to be renewed.

E3 season is officially here! I hope you will enjoy our extensive coverage of all the announcements, festivities and excitement of E3 2016 right here on NerdBacon.