by Mackenzie Portfolio

It’s a yearly tradition of mine to stream the live E3 press conferences, and inevitably get up from my seat, start pacing back and forth, my eyes wild with excitement as they’re glued to the screen, hands waving in the air, and shouting something to the effect of “Holy f*cking shit!” This year was no different. Between Microsoft, Sony, and Nintendo there were some memorable moments to be had all around.  While I can’t possibly cover it all in one weekly update I do want to share my favorite “Holy f*cking shit!” moments. 

Microsoft revealed that the Xbox One will be backwards compatible to support Xbox 360 games. Admittedly I lean more towards Playstation than Xbox but heck, Playstation isn’t even backwards compatible yet so I can imagine the sheer joy on fanboy’s faces when they heard this news. Currently Xbox Preview members are able to utilize the Xbox One backwards compatibility and by this holiday season everyone will gain access to hundreds of titles. Holy f*cking shit!

Then there was Nintendo’s press conference. Microsoft and Sony consistently blow our minds every E3, so Nintendo generally has to bring it. But like most years they just weren’t able to compete. It’s interesting to note however, my general attitude towards the Wii U has changed significantly since it’s initial debut. I vowed I would never even own one and now I probably play it more than my PlayStation. Despite the overall lackluster forum, there were some titles that are worth noting. In fact, many of the titles are for the 3DS, which never interested me…until now. Hyrule Warriors Legends, Metroid Prime Federation Force, and Mario & Luigi: Paper Jam to name a few. And as far as the Wii U goes there was Super Mario Maker, Yoshi’s Woolly World, and Star Fox Zero had some interesting new game play. Star Fox utilizes the control pad so you can now fly around using the pad as your cockpit while the TV screen shows your surroundings.  Though I’ve never got into the Star Fox, I can get behind this new wave of gameplay. Holy f*cking shit!

Now is when my arms start flailing around as I grow giddy with excitement. My most “Holy f*cking shit!” moments came out of the Sony Playstation press conference.  Since 2007 we’ve all been waiting for the release of The Last Guardian. Delay after delay turned into E3 after E3 of teasing us that this game will eventually make its debut. At this point it’s become the running joke that THIS is the year The Last Guardian comes out. Well jokes over my friends. Sony started their press conference with the mic drop heard round the world.  When I heard Shawn Layden, (President and CEO of Sony Computer Entertainment America) announce, “Our first game tonight has long been anticipated by the gaming community,”  I was like, “Wait..no..no he doesn’t mean…” He continued, “it is conceived as a poetic story of adventure and friendship, heroism and companionship,” … “Does he mean what I think he means?” I thought.  And then cue the trailer… with the words The Last Guardian appearing before my very eyes. Mind. Blown. While no exact date has been given we can FINALLY expect to see the game in 2016. Holy f*cking shit!

Other memorable titles to come out of the Sony conference was No Man’s Sky, an open world exploration and survival game.  This was seen at last year’s E3 but what was cool this time around was that they showed live gameplay.  A massive screen was filled with small bright lights, each representing a sun. Each sun has it’s own solar system for you to explore. And while pulling back and falling deeper and deeper into the galaxy you realize there’s no way one person could ever visit it all.  In fact they noted there are some planets that may never be discovered in the game because of its expansiveness.  Holy f*cking shit!

Even more titles include Uncharted 4: A Theif’s End, Dreams (seriously the concept and gameplay for this is so sick), Tearaway, Unravel  … FINAL FANTASY VII! When I heard that familiar opening song and saw that yellow spikey hair my heart wanted to explode. Holy f*cking shit!

And my final “Holy f*cking shit!” moment to come out of E3 is the overwhelming amount of girl power. This is the first time, in ever really, that so many games are to be released with playable female protagonists.  In addition to the OG of badass video game chicks herself, Lara Croft, we will see some new seriously badass chicks in ReCore, Mirror's Edge Catalyst, Horizon: Zero Dawn, Nier, Beyond Eyes, Dishonored 2, and Assassin’s Creed Syndicate.  I couldn’t be more stoked to see the gaming community begin to introduce more heroines to their games and open the door to what’s been known for a very long time as the boy’s club. Holy f*cking shit!

For complete E3 coverage check out: http://www.e3expo.com/takeover

What were your “Holy f*cking shit!” moments from this year’s E3 conference? Let us know in the comments below!