Well, that’s it. E3, the gaming world’s most important yearly conference, has come and gone leaving us in the wake of so much exciting news. As RPG players, the show was filled with more than one stunning surprise and a good many reasons to be excited for the coming upcoming gaming year. Didn’t have time to watch the show? We’ve got you covered. This week, we’re breaking down E3 2015 for the RPG Gamer. Here’s what you missed.
Microsoft unveils backwards compatibility for Xbox One
One of the biggest surprises of the show was Microsoft unveiling backwards compatibility for Xbox One. This is a big deal. Not only does it strike a hearty blow against Sony who still charges to re-buy or stream these games, but it also opens up a huge array of back catalog games to Xbox owners. Fallout 3 will be free to players who buy Fallout 4, for example. Microsoft promises over 100 games will be greenlit in time for Christmas -- publishers still have to approve games before they’re made available.
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Final Fantasy 7 is finally being remade
Square Enix finally unveiled the long requested remake of Final Fantasy 7 at the show. No gameplay was shown but we were shown a high detail CGI trailer that certainly looks faithful to the original tone. The trailer labeled the project as a “remake.” That’s important, because previous Square reworks have all carried the simple “HD” tag. FF7 may, but for now, seeing the “remake” tag on there is promising that the classic RPG will receive the grander treatment it deserves. Few details are known but Square promises we will find out more this Winter. The original PS4 version of FF7, plain HD, will still be coming but has been delayed to Winter as well.
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Original Final Fantasy 7 is coming to iOS
Along with that, the original Final Fantasy will be making its way to iOS later before the end of summer. No word on Android devices yet, which will come as a disappointment to many franchise fans. Here’s hoping they price it reasonably and don’t exploit nostalgia which a higher cost.
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World of Final Fantasy is announced, coming to PS4 and Vita
Rounding out the Final Fantasy news, a new entry will be joining the franchise line-up sometime in 2016. The game is called World of Final Fantasy and will arrive on both PlayStation 4 and Vita. The game will adopt a cuter, chibi-like aesthetic with its characters and more cartoony environments to introduce the franchise to a younger audience. The title will allow players to adventure through selections of the different worlds in the series and to catch and raise creatures such as chocobo and cactaur. This game is a necessary move to keep the franchise relevant in the gaming world. Remember, Final Fantasy 7 -- heck, Final Fantasy 12 -- doesn’t mean much to a current ten year old.
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Fallout 4 gets a release date…
We heard about Fallout 4 before the show, but now we know that it will be warming our hard drives in just over four short months: November 10th.
… On top of lots of new details…
Bethesda’s Todd Howard seemed to enjoy teasing the audience, breaking away to talk about different systems, as he gave an overview of just what players can expect. This will be their largest game yet, with the most refined combat to date. VATS will be coming back, but it will be accompanied by a deep crafting system that will let players completely reshape their base weapons using materials gathered in the world. Everything you gather will now have a purpose.
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On top of that, you will now be able to build up an entire base of your own. Beginning with a simple shelter, you will be able to acquire generators, plant gardens, and expand into a full fledged town. Once you’ve developed your homestead, you’ll even attract travelers and merchants to bring your village to life. Plus, you’re able to customize your town’s lighting blocks to make custom signs and large-scale pixel art.
… And consoles will have access to PC mods, beginning with Xbox One
This is HUGE. And unprecedented. It will be interesting to see what the process is like since console releases have certification tests to pass before being able to release to players, but somehow Bethesda is making it happen. Since the studio worked closely with Microsoft to make it happen, it is unclear how long PC mods will be exclusive to Xbox One owners. Limited exclusivity timetables have seemed to extend recently with critics speculating that Rise of the Tomb Raider may be exclusive to Xbox for up to 18 months. Hopefully we’re talking weeks on mods but it doesn’t seem likely with that kind of precedent.
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Fallout Shelter is available on Apple devices now
To tide us over until Fallout 4 releases later this year, Bethesda surprise-released a mobile game called Fallout Shelter. The game will allow you to act as the overseer of your own vault, managing every aspect of your resident’s lives. You’ll give them jobs, send them on missions, even name their babies! Best of all, the game is completely free, only charging for extra lunchboxes which reward random loot. Check it out!
Bethesda joins the CCG fray with Elder Scrolls Legends
Because, why not? The game will bring together elements from all of the Elder Scrolls franchise in a strategy card game set to arrive to PC and iPad later this year.
Click through for our thoughts on the new Mass Effect, Dark Souls, and Pillars of Eternity expansion!
