E3 2021: Pie in the Sky Hopes

The yearly Electronic Entertainment Expo, more commonly known as E3, is almost upon is, and with it comes announcements and updates for upcoming games from hardware manufacturers and third-party companies alike (except for Sony, sadly). Naturally, there’s a few things that I would like to see come out of E3 2021, several of which are expected, while others have absolutely no basis in reality. So let’s talk about these games and what I want from them, all so that I can look at this article in a few weeks and chuckle about how wrong I was.

EDIT: Now updated with information about what we saw at the event!

Fire Emblem: Shadow Dragon and the Blade of Light Alternatives

April 1st, 2021 wasn’t only the conclusion of Super Mario‘s 35th anniversary, but the end of Fire Emblem‘s 30th anniversary. Despite the series being exclusive to Japan until 2003, Nintendo celebrated the event by releasing Fire Emblem: Shadow Dragon and the Blade of Light, the 1990 Famicom original, with an official English Translation onto Nintendo Switch as a limited time digital download. They also released a physical deluxe package containing, among other things, an art book (“Legacy of Archanea”) and replica game pack in limited numbers.

Unfortunately, as of this writing, the download is no longer available for purchase. Nintendo made good on their mindboggling decision to remove the $6 game from the eShop once April came around, leaving anyone who hadn’t bought the game in the cold. Of course, that wasn’t the only way to actually play the first Fire Emblem, and a few of these options provide a better experience.

Favorite Games of 2020

What a year 2020 was, eh? Between pandemics, corruption, and the oppressive feeling that we’re teetering on the edge of ruin, video games only became more popular as friends and families were confined to their homes. I was no different, intent on performing my civic duty of avoiding other people whenever possible, which wasn’t all that different from before COVID-19.

10 Favorite Games of 2013 (2020 Edition)

You won’t find any evidence here that PlayStation 4 or Xbox One launched in 2013, basically because it wouldn’t be until late 2014 before I purchased either of them. Older hardware was good enough for satisfying my gaming enjoyment, even though 2013 struggled somewhat in that regard. My descriptions for around half the games included below sound almost like apologies than praise, although I wouldn’t include them if I didn’t genuinely enjoy them.

That. . . doesn’t sound convincing, does it?

Six Things to Know Before Playing Shadow Dragon and the Blade of Light

Finally, 30 years after hitting Japan, Fire Emblem: Shadow Dragon and the Blade of Light is being officially released in English this Friday, allowing Western fans to experience the first Fire Emblem without learning Japanese or using a fan translation. Still, for as much as Shadow Dragon and the Blade of Light laid the foundation for sequels to come, there’s an obvious “Early Installment Weirdness” at play. So whether you’re a newcomer to the franchise or a Fire Emblem vet who’s never touched the original, I present six things to know before jumping in.

PlayStation 5 Alternatives

So, you couldn’t purchase a PlayStation 5. You missed the short window for pre-ordering and shook your fist at Sony when they apologized for how botched it was. You tried ordering online after release, but inventory went from “Coming Soon” to “Out of Stock” in mere seconds. Getting a PS5 anytime soon feels like a hopeless endeavor, especially with the holidays just around the corner. How scarce will inventory become if Santa Clause is forced to buy his supply off eBay?

Now what?

10 Favorite Games of 2012 (2020 Edition)

If nothing else, 2012 is notable for releasing two consoles that crashed and burned: Wii U and PlayStation Vita. The former struggled with a contentious tablet controller that went for a dual-screen gimmick similar to, but worse than, Nintendo DS and 3DS. Meanwhile, PlayStation Vita suffered from a lack of widespread developer support, including from Sony itself. Coincidentally, only one game from either of these consoles made the cut and it should be painfully obvious to many which from the banner above.

Fire Emblem: Ranked by Sales

In the past decade, Fire Emblem has transformed from a series at risk of being cancelled to one able to repeatedly exceed a million units sold. That’s not a bad comeback story for a turn-based strategy franchise exclusive to Japan for twelve years. Still, I often wonder which Fire Emblem titles are the most successful. So I started looking up sales data before ranking every game by what I learned.