E3 is the gaming industry’s biggest trade show of the year, and it’s where all the big developers show the press and the public what we can expect out of them for the next 12 months. This year’s announcements really caught my attention.
Microsoft showed off their virtual and augmented reality headset, HoloLens, with a fantastic demo that showed someone interacting with the game Minecraft, splayed out on a real table. It was like the computer interfaces in the movie Minority Report. He was able to manipulate the game world by grabbing it, spinning it and walking around it, as well as giving voice commands to the game. It was surreal, and made me feel like this was some real technology from the future.
The game developer Bethesda showed their new entry in the Fallout series, with Fallout 4. The game is the biggest yet for the franchise, and it takes place in a post-apocalyptic Boston. Players will be able to explore the wilderness, visit towns and complete quests like in previous Fallout games, but you’ll also be able to build your own settlement in the wasteland and attract other characters to come live there and make your community a better and less radioactive place.
The announcement that took me most by surprise, though, was Square Enix’s reveal that they are currently working on a remake of Final Fantasy VII, which gamers have clamored for more than any other title. The original came out almost 20 years ago as an early game for the PlayStation, and its poor graphics and an almost hilariously bad translation from Japanese make a game that is otherwise a masterpiece hard to play alongside modern titles. The remake will have all new graphics and a brand new translation, and will hopefully age far more gracefully than its original counterpart.
