It’s that time of year again – E3! What was once an industry-exclusive trade show has become North America’s biggest source of video game announcements and other game-related news for fans and professionals alike. We’ve condensed the best announcements into a daily highlight reel to really feature what we believe are the best games to come.
Today is E3 2021’s final day, and it’s less hefty than the last three, with the Nintendo Direct being the most anticipating presentation of the day. It has one game trailer after the other, with barely a breath in between. Other highlights of the day included Bandai Namco’s interview with the developer about The Dark Pictures Anthology’s next title, and a short presentation by Yooreka Studio, a relatively new publisher out of China.
There is no such thing as too much Life Is Strange
You know when you can just glance at the beginning of a game trailer, and despite a totally different style than usual, you know exactly what it is? That was me when the trailer for Life Is Strange started during the Nintendo Direct. It’s a sweet animation that isn’t what is used in game, but the first shot was of a generic train and I immediately shouted “Life Is Strange!” I love being right. Three Life Is Strange titles are coming to Nintendo Switch this year. First up is Life Is Strange: True Colors by Deck Nine, which will launch on Switch alongside other systems (basically everything) on September 10. The train I recognized was a symbol from the original Life Is Strange (Dontnod) game, which is bundled with prequel Life Is Strange: Before The Storm (Deck Nine) in Life Is Strange Remastered Collection, which will also be coming to Switch. It’s expected for PC/PlayStation/Xbox on September 30, but for the Nintendo Switch it is just set to launch “later this year.”
For more information on Life Is Strange: True Colors, check out DDnet’s E3 Highlights: June 14, where it was featured in Square Enix’s presentation.
Gods, demons, and everything in between
Shin Megami Tensei has been around for nearly 30 years, since 1992. It has since flourished thanks to its anarchy-based stories and fighting system involving gods and demons as companions. The latest entry in the series, Shin Megami Tensei V, holds a prime spot in the Nintendo Direct as well as Treehouse Live, with both a trailer and gameplay video premiering. After a mysterious “incident” launches a Japanese high school student into another world, they fuses with another being and begins inserting itself into the battle of gods versus demons. It will have to decide what it worth saving, and what is worth sacrificing. Not all demons are all bad, though; some are good, some are iffy, and some will turn against our hero at the first chance it gets. Nintendo and Altus also took the opportunity to announce that Shin Megami Tensei V will be launching exclusively for Nintendo Switch later this year: November 11 in Japan, and November 12 for the rest of the world. In addition to the below trailer, here is a 20-minute section of today’s Nintendo Treehouse Live dedicated to the title.
To view the entire Nintendo Direct on YouTube, click here.
Fall into horror with the next game in The Dark Pictures Anthology
Bandai Namco blessed us with a good long look at the next game in The Dark Pictures Anthology, House of Ashes. I’m talking nearly ten minutes, including some bits of game footage and an interview with Dan McDonald, the executive producer. As with the two other games in the series, it is a completely separate story that is set in the same universe. This one begins at the end of the Iraq war, with a military unit using new technology to find things underground. Something happens, and everyone is plunged underground to a hidden temple with huge structures, where weird things start happening and people keep disappearing out of nowhere. The team draws from myths and history for inspiration, and you can often spot it in the stories. Blood and gore is a guarantee. One of the main characters is Rachel, played by Ashley Tisdale of all people; the developer is extremely happy with the casting and it will be great to see what other things she can do past being a dumb blonde stereotype. The Dark Pictures Anthology: House of Ashes will launch on October 22 for PC, PlayStation 5, PlayStation 4, Xbox Series X/S, and Xbox One.
The above video is the entire presentation, so enjoy!
Here’s a martial arts game where the weapon is wit rather than fists
Mohism as a philosophy was created roughly two and a half thousand years ago, and is based in logical/rational thought and science. Mohism as a video game is a Chinese martial-art detective story inspired by the likes of Gyakuten Saiban, Danganronpa, and Sherlock Holmes. It reminds me a bit of Phoenix Wright, although I don’t know if that was a direct inspiration of any sort. Our protagonist detective defeats enemies not with violence, but rather with his wit. Mohism is described as an AVG, which is like a visual novel with adventure elements (which is becoming more common). It is expected to launch for PC via Steam in 2022.
For more information on Mohism, or to download its demo, check out its Steam page.
– Lindsay M.
News Editor
