Even though the grand ol’ Electronic Entertainment Expo may have lost a bit of its luster over the years, I can’t deny that I still look forward to watching its developer conferences and panels while maintaining a shred of ambition for a really good surprise or two. Granted, my hopes are usually dashed, but each year there tend to be a few announcements, at least, that manage to capture my attention. With that, here are a few of my favorite things from E3 2019. 

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The Outer Worlds is alive and well, and has a launch date.

Whether or not we actually get to travel to The Outer Worlds on October 25th of this very year remains to be seen, but still, just seeing more of this game and what it offers was plenty to keep me on the Obsidian bandwagon. These days, I tend to only look forward to one key release each year, and this year, The Outer Worlds is that game.

Video from YouTube user Obsidian Entertainment

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Hey, Cyberpunk 2077 has a release date, too, and it’s not 2077.

This shoutout goes mostly to a number of fellow acquaintances who have been really looking forward to this title. For some time now, it’s felt as if Cyberpunk 2077 might end up in some sort of forever-in-development limbo (lookin’ at you, Star Citizen). But no! Less than a year from now (April 16, 2020), fans will be able to get their hands on what’s sure to be another winner from CD Projekt Red. With such immersive design and storytelling, this game is bound to keep folks busy for a while. Maybe until 2077!

Video from YouTube user GameSpot

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A NEW Dark Crystal game, you say?

Despite my hardcore love of this movie (and anything Jim Henson ever did), the original 1980s Dark Crystal game from Sierra On-Line escaped me. That offering was a typical graphic/text adventure game. This new game, Dark Crystal: Age of Resistance Tactics, inspired by the upcoming Netflix show of the same name (minus Tactics) looks sleek and very much like Final Fantasy Tactics as an RPG strategy game. All in all, it sounds like a good time. However, it’s for the Switch, which I do not have. Hmmmm…..

Video from YouTube user IGN.

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Final Fantasy VII Remake is a pretty, pretty thing.

All I can say is “wow.” I won’t profess pre-order status or anything, but the new content shown from Final Fantasy VII Remake made me think about it, at least. I remain unsure about the choice to release the game episodically, but when the game is released next March I’ll certainly be considering it as an addition to my library.

Video from YouTube user PlayStation

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Ori and the Will of the Wisps looks gorgeous…and is probably still difficult.

In case you didn’t know it, I recorded an entire playthrough, belated and blind, of Ori and the Blind Forest, a game was simultaneously amazing and frustrating. I can only imagine that the same will go for Ori and the Will of the Wisps, which, if it’s possible, looks even more beautiful. And look! We finally got a release date! February 11, 2020. So, I guess I’ll put it in my Steam library, and then wait until 2024 to purchase and play it. (Haha.)

Video from YouTube user Xbox

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Fallout 76 isn’t dead, and it may get…better?

I’m not afraid to admit that I recently started playing Fallout 76, and further…I don’t hate it. But while the game may no longer be the fiasco it was at launch, it still has a way to go in terms of being categorically enjoyable. So I was happy to hear direct from Mr. Todd Howard not only an apology to fans but also assurances that Bethesda remained devoted to making the game better. (It’s not what a game is a launch, it’s what it becomes. How’s that for a paradigm shift?)

Yeah. File this one under “cautiously optimistic.”

Video from YouTube use Bethesda Softworks

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The mysterious sequel to Breath of the Wild.

You can balk at me for not completing The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild, but as the world’s mildest fan of the series, I got as much, if not more out of that game than I expected. Therefore, of course I sat up at the news of its sequel. The biggest question now in my mind is “…but is it enough for me to get a Switch?” This plus the new Dark Crystal game might just make me a convert.

Video from YouTube user Nintendo

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With the way both the gaming industry and games journalism have evolved, it’s no doubt more difficult for developers to turn up the “shock and awe” factor that makes people tune into events like E3. From what I’ve watched, the only thing that truly surprised me was the announcement of the new Dark Crystal game, but that might be because I’ve been wholly avoiding watching anything about the Netflix show. Most of what was announced wasn’t “new” news. Or if it was, it wasn’t fantastic enough to overcome my jaded world view. And of course, I went in with a few pie-in-the-sky notions of my own.

Did I hope against hope for something, anything to be said about Fable 4? Sure.

Did I wish upon a star that someone would simply mention Dragon Age 4? Maybe.

Did I kinda, sorta think that we’d get a taste of the next Grand Theft Auto game? Admittedly, I did.

Maybe events like E3 will totally fall out of fashion someday, but for now, I don’t mind the yearly tradition of pitting my gaming anticipations against that thing we call reality.

Lede image from The Outer Worlds press kit © Obsidian Entertainment