LHG Roundtable: Favorite E3 Moment Part 1

“Ready to fuck some shit up?”

Disclaimer! *The thoughts and opinions from the LosHarrowGames writers do not represent all of LosHarrow*. We are talking about our favorite moments from E3’s Past. The employees, products, or companies have every right to be a part of this.. No matter if you have some interest in video games, are new to video games, or a die-hard fan, we are all #GamersUnited. That being said, get ready to soak in all the joy and happiness from us.

No matter who you ask that likes video games, they will have at least one moment from E3 that they lost it over in a good way. Over the course of this two-parter you will hear from the usual suspects and some people you either haven’t heard from or haven’t from in a while. Now, let’s get this started.

Allan Muir – Managing Editor and Xbox Stalwart

Fallout 4 Reveal

“War. War Never Changes.”

If you have listened to me or Emmett talk about Fallout 76 recently we mention that one of the unfortunate side effect’s of the game is that while fun, it makes you want to play Fallout 4. I have a long and sorted history with the Fallout series. I played at least over one hundred hours on the Xbox 360 version and even more on the PC. Of course though I had no idea how to understand games like Fallout so I got the failure ending where you do not correctly activate Project Purity. I then spent the following nine months going through the game and its downloadable expansions. Then after New Vegas the following year i was waiting for an announcement for the next mainline Fallout game as New Vegas was to Fallout 3 what Fallout 76 is to Fallout 4 at least in conception.

It was June of 2015 when a video was released of a familiar looking screen counting down to June 3rd and like most things leading up to E3, things got leaked and it was a video with “It’s All Over But The Crying” by The Ink Spots who have been prominently featured in Fallout 1 and 3. It featured a dog walking around a post-apocalyptic home and things were flashing back to the pre-war Commonwealth and post-war Commonwealth and would end with said Dog meeting up with an individual in a Vault 111 jumpsuit.

A week or two later was the first ever Bethesda E3 Showcase and people were curious as to what would be shown and I remember falling asleep during the pre-show back when I had a functional sleep schedule. Maybe it was nothing or perhaps some divine intervention but I woke up right as Todd Howard walked on stage and he did a very similar presentation during the Fallout 76 reveal in terms of going over the history of E3.

We then go to what seems like a dream to someone who’s obsessed with all the details in Fallout games which was the reveal that every item in the Fallout 4 game was not useless as it could be added to the crafting system that I personally never cared for but for those who enjoy it run wild with it. Perhaps the most astonishing thing about the reveal was the opening of the game. With all the mainline Fallout games you either a Vault Dweller or someone that has a connection with a vault. In one you were simply “the Vault Dweller” from Vault 13, in 2 you were “the chosen one” a direct descendant of the Vault Dweller, in 3 you were born in the Wasteland but for the first 18-20 years you are raised in Vault 101 and became known as the Lone Wanderer, in Fallout 4 you were actually someone from the world before the bombs dropped. Albeit you only spent a small time in both the world and ultimately the vault you would be known in history as the Sole Survivor. Despite what people think of Fallout 4 after the series became a punching bag as a result of Fallout 76 which I don’t particularly like. But I still think Fallout 4 gets a bad rep which it does not deserve whatsoever.

Josh Miller – The Backbone

Final Fantasy VII Remake Reveal

Let me be perfectly clear in case you haven’t read many of the articles I’ve written around here. Final Fantasy VII is one of my favorite games of all time. The number of times I have played it probably outranks any other and I have wanted for so long to see that game redone in a way to look the best and most consistent it could be. So of course the reveal of Final Fantasy VII Remake is my favorite E3 moment.

But let me back up to explain why. First off, the original game was kind of a disaster in terms of one unified look. A character would look like a set of blocks in one moment, smoother with small proportions the next, or look closer to human size with more defined features. Aside from the CGI, and not necessarily the character parts of that, the game was kind of…well…ugly. Especially when compared to other games on the PlayStation.

Fast forward to the reveal of the PlayStation 3. To give an indicator of how powerful the system was, a small tech demo was made using Final Fantasy VII as the setpiece. Of course, rumors would fly that this meant Final Fantasy VII would receive some treatment and make a return with an all new look. NOPE!

Then came the troll of all trolls at PlayStation Experience 2014. Square Enix took the stage with big Final Fantasy VII screens behind them playing up the legacy and bringing back a classic. Surely a simple port wouldn’t be big news? But it was supposed to be apparently. The audience reaction was clear they wanted a remake, and upon seeing the port in action, was obviously disappointed – myself included.

So yes, when it finally came to fruition…my heart skipped. I was smiling ear to ear and the Easy Allies reaction meme is exactly how I felt inside. A dream come true. Maybe it hasn’t been smooth sailing since the reveal in 2015, but they have me hook, line and sinker. I will be there day 1 for each episode no matter how long they take to release.

Graydon Webb – Contrarian American

Overstrike Reveal

Wha- don’t you dare click away! I know damn well this is a ridiculous choice, but I can explain!

So back in 2011, I was in the prime of my video gaming lifestyle. I had my finger on the pulse of all the latest news, I was knee-deep in games old and new, from indie to triple-A; I was a super fan. Two years later I’d attend my first PAX East and officially start my own entertainment blog. But in 2011, I was enjoying my free time and dreaming about upcoming releases that would change my life.

Insomniac had been pretty life-changing in the past, what with Spyro being one of the first games I can recall playing on the original PlayStation. Over time, their partnership with Sony grew and my love of Xbox blossomed; suffice to say we ran in different circles. So imagine my surprise when Overstrike was announced at EA’s E3 2011 press conference, for all platforms.

If you don’t remember Overstrike – which ultimately became Fuse – the game followed four agents that seemed to be called in for missions, similar to Overwatch, each with their own unique talents. One girl could go invisible while another shot these big suffocating bubbles, and one guy had an electric crossbow while the other carried a big energy shield. They were like a more violent, wise-cracking Incredibles.

For those of you who do remember Fuse, I know why you’ve stuck around. Why in the hell is this massive critical and commercial failure with a 62 on Metacritic my favorite E3 moment?! Well, because it’s always where my mind goes when I attempt to summon nostalgia.

Sure, there are a lot of video games I adore, and a lot of them were announced at E3. I still hold the original Watch Dogs demo near and dear to my heart (same year, coincidentally), and don’t get me started on the first time we ever saw the Battlefront reboot in action! But when I think of E3 and how exciting this season is as a whole? I think of Fuse. Nay, I think of Overstrike, a game that brought memories of my childhood flooding back and made me proud to be a gamer watching this reveal alongside millions of like-minded individuals.

There’s just something about that adrenaline rush, seeing something we’ve never seen before as it completely redefined everything you were expecting. Overstrike had the action, the humor, and the development team to be awesome. And while the product was fairly lackluster, I’ll never forget how amped it’s reveal got me, and has kept me for years to come. Long live E3!