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E3 2018: Top 5 Disappointments | Culture of Gaming

E3 is always full of crowd-pleasing announcements, though there are always some lows. We look at some of E3's more disappointing moments.

E3 is always a highlight for gamers everywhere. Whether you’re at the convention or not, there’s always an air an excitement surrounding it. The demos, the reveals, the surprises. But that doesn’t mean everything at E3 is a winner. There’s always inevitably some disappointments among all of the news that comes out. This year was no different.

With that being said, here’s a look at five news stories that didn’t exactly inspire enthusiasm.

Anthem Will Not Have PvP

Anthem is quite a departure for BioWare in many regards. A mutliplayer-focused title from a studio defined by their single-player RPGs. There’s been a lot of caution exercised when it comes to their newest release. Especially after the underwhelming Mass Effect: Andromeda, BioWare has a lot to prove. While the overall gameplay of Anthem may have received positive marks, there are some other elements that have given some pause.

 width=Anthem is a make or break game for EA and BioWare.

There’s no romance options, for starters. What has been a defining characteristic of BioWare will be seen, causing some controversy. The biggest noise, however, has come from a Twitter exchange, of all things. When asked if Anthem would feature a PvP mode, producer Mark Darrah responded that it wouldn’t.

For many, this came as an unpleasant surprise. Many compared Athem to games like Destiny and The Division, both of which prominently feature PvP. BioWare said they were choosing to focus on the cooperative elements of multiplayer. The studio is instead choosing to focus on more PvE elements. Still, it’s a little disheartening to realize that you won’t be able to combat other players in the harsh, wild world of Anthem.

Kingdom Hearts 3 Gets Delayed into 2019

E3 was pretty good for Kingdom Hearts fans. We got three new trailers in one week! Pirates of the Caribbean and Frozen were revealed! And we got the release date! Unfortunately, the release date was not for 2018, as Square-Enix has repeatedly stated. In case you’re curious, the game will officially launch on Janurary 29.

Nomura went on the official Kingdom Hearts Twitter to explain that the game needed a bit more polish before it is ready to be seen by the world. That’s an understandable sentiment, to be fair. A completed game is much, much more preferable to a rushed, incomplete game. But that doesn’t make the sting of having to wait an extended time for this long-awaited game any lessened.

Sony is Still Against Cross-Play

Fortnite (aka the biggest game in the world) finally came to the Nintendo Switch! It can be played with players on the other consoles, too! Best of all, your Epic Games account will work across all platforms! Well, except for PlayStation 4, again showing Sony is not willing to play with the other teams.

 width=Hopefully soon Fortnite will have cross-play on all platforms.

This is a path Sony has taken before, for sure. Sony declined to participate in cross-play for both Minecraft and Rocket League before. There was an outcry then, but this is something different. The main controversy seems to stem from the fact that even access to your Epic Games account is locked in the PlayStation 4.

So, no players wishing to transfer anything from the PlayStation to the Switch (or Xbox, for that matter) will be able to do so. A huge bummer because it immediately makes playing Fortnite on the go impossible unless players are willing to start over. (Or, play mobile, but that probably isn’t a viable solution for most.) Sony’s tone-deaf responses haven’t helped their situation at all.

Much has been said about how this is ultimately an anti-consumer move. It also gives the impression that Sony is somehow scared of letting PlayStation owners venture into the waters of the other platforms. But considering Sony’s massive advantage this generation, it’s not like they have much to lose. It’s simply a shame, and a problem that should have been fixed by now.

So Many Games Coming Out at Once

Consider this one a good problem to have. The past few years have had had a embarrassment of riches when it came to high-profile games. Many of them being released within weeks or months of each other. This fall looks no different. Shadow of the Tomb Raider is releasing only a week before Spider-Man. Games are moving out of the way to make a clear path for Red Dead Redemption 2. 2019 isn’t looking much better, either.

Resident Evil 2 is releasing the same week as Kingdom Hearts 3, one of the most highly-anticipated games ever. And let’s take a look at February 22. That day is seeing the release of Days GoneAnthem, and Metro: Exodus. It’s October 27, 2017 all over again.

 width=Will Shadow of the Tomb Raider be…overshadowed…by other games coming out the same time?

It bears repeating, it’s definitely not a bad problem to have. Who doesn’t want more games? But when more games are stacked so closely, the likelihood of some falling through the cracks increases. Games like Nioh and Nier: Automata, which we unfortunately overshadowed by more high-profile games. (But soon considered to be hidden gems of 2017.) In this day and age, it doesn’t take simply being a good game to stand out. And because of that, many don’t get their shot.

Cyberpunk 2077 Was Hidden Away

One of the most talked-about games at this year’s E3 was Cyberpunk 2077, CD Projekt RED’s followup to The Witcher 3. A long-awaited game, we finally got the first proper reveal at the end of Microsoft’s stellar conference. It was followed by a behind-closed-doors demo that was raved about by everyone who saw it. Which is good, considering that word-of-mouth is literally the only thing we have to go by, since the demo (or any form of gameplay) was not released to the public.

 width=Cyberpunk 2077 finally made its grand (re)entrance to the world.

Now, this isn’t about criticizing CD Projekt RED as much as it is about lamenting of not being able to see this much-hyped game. The studio’s decision is an understandable one, really. There’s no indication that Cyberpunk 2077 is coming out anytime soon, so understandably CD Projekt RED wants to withhold footage until a release is imminent.

Considering the backlash Watch Dogs received for the length of time between announcement and release, and the backlash for not looking like what was first shown, the decision to save footage is a fair one. It’s very likely the final release will look ‘worse’ than the original reveal, due to the nature of game development. So while the choice is understandable, it’s still a little upsetting we won’t be getting any public gameplay reveals in the near future.

Do you agree with some of these more disappointing E3 moments? Or are there other moments that didn’t sit well with you? Be sure to let us know, and follow us on our social channels to continue the discussion!

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