Hello again, game-likers! It’s your editor, back again with another write-up.

It’s been a really exciting E3 hasn’t it? We were certainly blown away by some of the announcements that came out of it.

So, we decided to have a discussion amongst the Emmen team and pick a list of the top announcements that got us the most excited. There were plenty of great announcements, of course… but these are our picks.

With no further ado, let’s talk about our top 5 favorite announcements from E3 2021.

1. Elden Ring

This game has been steadily building hype and expectation since it was announced in 2019. But for the longest time ever, we barely heard a peep from the team at From Software.

So, imagine our shock and delight to see this fantastic trailer for Elden Ring. It looks so open and gorgeous! It has everything from cool monsters to mounted combat to a pot with legs! 

What’s more, we have a release date now too! 21 January, 2022! 

We’ve basically gone from knowing basically nothing about the game to being thrown headfirst into a swimming pool full of knowledge and content about the game. 

SoulsBorne content creators will be kept busy for months on this, and we love to see it.

2. Strangers of Paradise – Final Fantasy Origin

Let’s talk about

This trailer for the game made us feel one thing first and foremost; curious. The curiosity about Garland from FFI and his involvement in the story convinced us to overlook the (in our opinions) rather bland character designs and give the demo of the game a try. 

What we got out of it turned our curiosity into genuine interest. The gameplay was similar to games like Nioh and Ninja Gaiden. It was fast and satisfying. It was definitely a very different flavor for a Final Fantasy game.

We are now keenly interested to see what this tale of Garland and Chaos will entail. We hope that it features the original Warriors of Light in some way.

3. Breath of the Wild 2

When Legend of Zelda – Breath of the Wild came out, it blew our collective minds. It was huge and exciting to explore. It ended up being one of our favorite gaming experiences. But since we finished it, one question has been running through our thoughts: when will we get a sequel?

After waiting for what felt like an eternity, we finally have a new trailer. 

The first thing that got us all thinking is the question of where all of this fits on the Zelda timeline. The inclusion of islands in the sky made us immediately think of Skyward Sword. We also found the time control displayed in the video, along with the reversed music to be fascinating. 

Plus, the fact that Link appears to be different in a few of his appearances made us wonder if the game takes place over several years. Might explain his longer hair as well.

All in all, the trailer had us gasping for more. But with a release date of sometime in 2022, the game seems closer than ever.

4. A Plague Tale – Requiem

This the unexpected sequel to a game that captivated us when it first came out in 2019. 

The game featured survival and stealth gameplay with a story about siblings living in the time of the Black Death plague. It ended up being very emotionally resonant and interesting. But once the game was done, we figured it was the end and slowly moved on.

But then came this trailer. With its striking visuals that we couldn’t look away from and the evocative narration formed many questions in our minds. Where are they? Who is that? What’s going on? You know how it is.

Another point we’d like to touch on is how the original game, A Plague Tale – Innocence, is too underrated for its own good. It was a gem of a game with an interesting story and mechanics that deserves more love. That’s one of the reasons why we wanted to highlight it here.

5. Shin Megami Tensei V

Shin Megami Tensei is considered by some to be one of the three pillars of JRPGs, with the other two being Final Fantasy and Dragon Quest. It is a long series with a storied history.

The 5th mainline iteration of the game was announced in 2019 and fans (like us) have been waiting with bated breath for anything. Even scraps. But this E3, instead of scraps, we got a feast!
With a cool English trailer, a cool(er) Japanese trailer, AND a freaking 19 minute gameplay demonstration, it is safe to say that SMT fans are finally eating well.

The trailer showed an SMT that looks different from anything that came before it. With 1:1 scale demons, new demons, a fresh new busted up apocalypse world to explore, and that gorgeous head of hair on the main character, there’s a lot to look forward to.

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And there you have it! Our top 5 picks from all of the great offerings from E3. We know that there were plenty of other fantastic announcements, but this is what got us hyped the most.

But now, we throw the question out to you, game-liker.

What got you the most excited for at E3 2021? What are you looking forward to the most? 

We’d love to hear what you think. 

Once again, thank you for your support throughout our E3 coverage. We look forward to doing it again but even better next year.

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