E3 2021: Company Presentations Tier List

By LUDWIG VON KOOPA - Write-ups of the worst-to-best.

With E3 2021 now over, that means we can reflect on the (calendar) weeks that just transpired. And unlike some bland losers in the mainstream gaming media, we're not going to shy away from sharing our opinions of what we watched on the basis of “everyone worked really hard!” In fact, E3 itself held an awards show (about itself) and in their view, Microsoft had the best presentation and Forza Horizon 5 is the official “most anticipated” game of the expo. ...As a warning, KoopaTV disagrees with that decision.

Here is KoopaTV's tier list, ordered from worst company to best company—and shout-outs to me using a reversed ordered list this time to minimise confusion:

1. Verizon and Take-Two
2. Ubisoft
3. Square Enix
4. Devolver Digital
5. Microsoft
6. CAPCOM
7. Nintendo

Verizon and Take-Two Interactive

I'm grouping these together because they both happened on Monday and they have the same themes of not actually being about videogames and instead actually being about promoting diversity, inclusion, and equity (DIE). KoopaTV live-reacted to Verizon's but did not do so for Take-Two; nonetheless I did watch Take-Two's diversity panel afterward. It's basically just gibberish. Neither company has any core proficiency in this and they haven't explained how their company has anything to do with the space. I kept waiting for Verizon to tie their core business or presentation themes (how 5G networks will do so much greatness for the gaming industry) to DIE, but they never did. It was a bait-and-switch.

E3 isn't the right venue for those types of discussions. They should've saved it for Game Developers Conference (GDC), which happens to be next month and includes an entire “Advocacy” track. No general member of the public listens in to E3 for this stuff. Almost by definition there's no potential for a takeaway.

I genuinely tried to listen to the words of what the participants were saying for an hour,
but I really couldn't follow it. At least the character animations were amusing, especially Gordon Bellamy of Gay Gaming Professionals.

E3 2021 Game and DLC Sales

By LUDWIG VON KOOPA - Who knows where you'll find the time, but this should help the money.

There have been many games talked about over E3 Weeks 2021. Most of them won't be of interest to any given person, but there should be several games coming up that you'll be interested in. I know that applies to me. But some of those games might not be coming out until way later in 2021, or 2022, or even 2023 if you're Eiyuden Chronicle: Hundred Heroes. So what if you want to buy things right now? Well, as is recent tradition, E3 brings big game discounts on digital storefronts!

First of all, on the Xbox, their big sale ends June 17, so you... better get on that. That includes Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney Trilogy for only $20.09 as opposed to $30. But if you look over on the Nintendo eShop, you'll see the same game for only... $19.99! And that sale will expire June 22, 2:59 AM Eastern. The other Ace Attorney games back on 3DS are also on sale at the same prices they were on sale a month ago.

But there are a lot of other things on sale on the Nintendo eShop right now, from a dizzying list of publishers... including Nintendo themselves. Interestingly, this includes The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild, Fire Emblem: Three Houses, Paper Mario: The Origami King, Octopath Traveler (published by Nintendo on the Switch—I like the art style but I've heard very mixed things about the game itself...), and Xenoblade Chronicles: Definitive Edition all at 30% off. AND their downloadable contents (such as The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild's Expansion Pass and the Fire Emblem: Three Houses Expansion Pass) are ALSO on sale for 30% off. Usually DLC is left at full price and that's how they make up for giving you the main game at a discount.

Anyway, check out your wish list and see if stuff you want is on sale. ...And think quick before it ends.


Ludwig wants you to buy Ace Attorney if nothing else. It should help prepare you for The Great Ace Attorney Chronicles, which he actually has pre-ordered the physical edition of. ...Very rare of him to do that!


There was a similar mid-June sale in 2020 with first-party Nintendo games, though which ones specifically were different.

Nintendo Treehouse: Live | E3 2021 KoopaTV's Live Reactions

By LUDWIG VON KOOPA - Some detailed gameplay scoops.

Continuing immediately off where the Nintendo Direct | E3 2021 left off is the Nintendo Treehouse: Live | E3 2021, where members of Nintendo of America's product marketing and localisation crew will show us some of the games that they showed off during the Direct, but in much greater detail.

This is the last reaction log from KoopaTV for E3 Weeks 2021. And it's the longest yet. Remember when Nintendo announced that Treehouse Live would only be three hours long? ...Yeah... it was over four hours long. ...So... let's see if you can get through this log...

In a rare display of concern for your user experience, I actually put together a table of contents:

Metroid Dread

Mario Party Superstars

Monster Hunter Stories 2: Wings of Ruin

Mario Golf: Super Rush

Shin Megami Tensei V

Advance Wars 1+2: Re-Boot Camp

WarioWare: Get It Together!

Metroid Dread

Nintendo Direct | E3 2021 KoopaTV's Live Reactions

By LUDWIG VON KOOPA - E3 2021's saviour, or the final nail in the coffin?

Welcome to the start of the last day of conferences for E3 Weeks 2021. We've gone through several companies so far, and the overall impression is that E3 2021 has been overhyped, and the expo hasn't justified its existence.

But those impressions have been generated before Nintendo's presentation. Can Nintendo end E3 with a favourable impression? We're big Nintendo fans at KoopaTV (obviously), so here are our unfiltered, live reactions to the Direct:

[11:50 AM] Kamek: Link?
[11:50 AM] Ludwig Von Koopa: https://www.twitch.tv/e3/
[11:52 AM] Ludwig Von Koopa: Glad you're alive!~
[11:59 AM] Ludwig Von Koopa: So... This is it... Nintendo at E3 2021.
[12:00 PM] Ludwig Von Koopa: (In under 30 seconds.)
[12:00 PM] Ludwig Von Koopa: ...........

[12:00 PM] Ludwig Von Koopa: RP TO MATURE
[12:00 PM] Kamek: Watching an ad
[12:00 PM] Ludwig Von Koopa: Yeah you're supposed to get into the stream before it starts to get the ad.
[12:01 PM] Kamek: You're lucky I'm even here

CAPCOM's Presentation at E3 2021 KoopaTV's Live Reactions

By LUDWIG VON KOOPA - I'm a happy Koopa.

We are now coming to a highly anticipated live reaction log: That of the CAPCOM conference at E3 Weeks 2021 (click for the schedule of the whole expo). Unlike some of the other companies we've reacted to so far, I'm an outright fanboy of a certain franchise that may be showcased by CAPCOM, so I have a lot of personal feelings at stake as opposed to being a detached observer. Heavy Lobster is here too and it's more level-headed than I am. It being a machine plays a part in that, probably.

Warning: The presentation—and therefore the reaction log—has some minor spoilers for what I assume is the first case of The Great Ace Attorney Chronicles. ...Which also means, spoiler alert, The Great Ace Attorney Chronicles is featured. If you're smart, you may be able to connect the “I'm a happy Koopa.” statement with that fact. And if you can make those logical connections, you may enjoy the Ace Attorney series.

[5:20 PM] Ludwig Von Koopa: Oh crap the stream has some kind of CAPCOM thing already.
[5:21 PM] Ludwig Von Koopa: A Reddit Ask Me Anything with the Monster Hunter Rise producer or director or something. ...Eh wotever.
[5:22 PM] Ludwig Von Koopa: Here's how I feel: All CAPCOM has to do is show The Great Ace Attorney Chronicles, not cancel or delay it, and imply or directly state that the franchise is important to the company. That will guarantee CAPCOM is better than any other company at E3 up to this point.
[5:23 PM] Ludwig Von Koopa: They don't even have to announce anything new!
[5:25 PM] Ludwig Von Koopa: (They can even include a small diversity segment to fit in with today's theme and they'd still be better off than the others.)
[5:25 PM] Ludwig Von Koopa: So they have a veeeeeery low bar to clear.
[5:25 PM] Ludwig Von Koopa: ...Though they probably need to announce some new stuff if they wanna be the #1 company and not be #2.
[5:26 PM] HeavyLobster: What if they make Phoenix Wright black and gay?

Verizon Conference at E3 2021 KoopaTV's Live Reactions

By LUDWIG VON KOOPA - Time to find out what they're doing here. ...It's worse than I expected.

Back when we were still learning which companies would be represented at E3 2021, I singled out Verizon as a company I'm really curious in what they have to share. They're not a gaming company. They're an Internet service provider...but they also have been branching out and acquiring a lot of other things... though now they're selling off their digital media brands after buying them a few years ago, which... probably means they made a mistake and they realise it now. So what are they doing here if they realise going into news and entertainment wasn't a good bet for them?

Too bad I'm the only one on KoopaTV's staff who is curious about this. So this is a solo reaction log with just me...well, Heavy Lobster does appear to let me know who a certain guest is. We will have more... very gaming-related things for the rest of E3 Weeks 2021, however!

[11:59 AM] Ludwig Von Koopa: Alright, we're moments away from Verizon's presentation.
[11:59 AM] Ludwig Von Koopa: I'm hoping it's not just about mobile games or else I'm torturing myself.
[12:00 PM] Ludwig Von Koopa: I want better Internet connections and stuff. Who knows what'll happen!
[12:00 PM] Ludwig Von Koopa: "The battle to come will not be easy."
[12:00 PM] Ludwig Von Koopa: There's some kind of rivalry strength thing.
[12:00 PM] Ludwig Von Koopa: 5G Ultra Wideband...
[12:01 PM] Ludwig Von Koopa: ...just sort of thrown into there.
[12:01 PM] Ludwig Von Koopa: Some guy named Diego who is the Chief Marketing Officer at Verizon.
[12:01 PM] Ludwig Von Koopa: "Why am I here and why is Verizon here?"
[12:01 PM] Ludwig Von Koopa: ..Yeah I got that question too.

Square Enix Presents at E3 2021 KoopaTV's Live Reactions

By LUDWIG VON KOOPA - Great if you're a mobile gamer!

You may think that E3 2021 hasn't been all that so far—based on the presentations KoopaTV has live-reacted to that you can consult our E3 Weeks 2021 Schedule to read up on. But Square Enix can be a really good company with interesting presentations...if the right part of Square Enix shows up. ...But was it good and did that part show up? Myself and Heavy Lobster watch and find out.

[3:09 PM] Ludwig Von Koopa: https://www.twitch.tv/e3

Square Enix coming in a few minutes!
[3:11 PM] Ludwig Von Koopa: They're showing a "Square Enix memories" advertisement before it begins with some drag queen right at the front.
[3:11 PM] Ludwig Von Koopa: Talking about Kingdom Hearts.
[3:12 PM] Ludwig Von Koopa: That's a good reason not to watch the stream before it actually begins...
[3:12 PM] Ludwig Von Koopa: (That's a slight on the drag queen not on Kingdom Hearts.)
[3:12 PM] HeavyLobster: Square Enix is sometimes really good.
[3:14 PM] Ludwig Von Koopa: I don't care about any of Square Enx's Western contributions to the industry. So I'm hoping that some of the Japanese stuff actually shows up!
[3:14 PM] HeavyLobster: And sometimes they make Life is Strange.
[3:15 PM] HeavyLobster: I legitimately cannot understand how someone could seriously like Life is Strange.
[3:16 PM] Ludwig Von Koopa: Noting that the E3 commentators (the same freaks who were crawling on the floor before Microsoft's) are telling people to use #E32021 on social media but not promoting the E3 fan portal. Ha. But they're setting expectations low.
[3:17 PM] Ludwig Von Koopa: And it's beginning now.
[3:17 PM] Ludwig Von Koopa: "Good afternoon."

Xbox & Bethesda Games Showcase at E3 2021 KoopaTV's Live Reactions

By LUDWIG VON KOOPA - A games showcase featuring more than two-dozen games. No movies or TV shows!

Today marks one of the more major days for E3 2021 (and you can keep up with it on our E3 Weeks 2021 Schedule). Microsoft will be presenting Xbox games, and they're also bringing recent acquisition Bethesda to show content as well—and Bethesda used to have their own conference, so it's convenient to consolidate it.

Your KoopaTV personalities live-reacting to this showcase—which is very focused on games—are myself... and Heavy Lobster, though it seems preoccupied watching some baseball game.

[12:47 PM] Ludwig Von Koopa: https://www.twitch.tv/e3
Microsoft is coming in a few minutes, featuring Bethesda.
[12:58 PM] Ludwig Von Koopa: (Get in there now so the mandatory 30-second ad is out of the way.)
[12:58 PM] Ludwig Von Koopa: (They want you to buy a McDonalds chicken crispy sandwich, which I will never do.)
[1:00 PM] Ludwig Von Koopa: For anyone keeping track, the E3 portal works today, unlike yesterday.
[1:01 PM] HeavyLobster: God supports Chik-Fil-A, not heathen McDonalds.
[1:01 PM] Ludwig Von Koopa: Including the forum, which features boards like "AAPI in Gaming" with 0 replies.
[1:01 PM] Ludwig Von Koopa: The E3 2021 commentators are being really weird and obnoxious and crawling on the floor.
[1:02 PM] Ludwig Von Koopa: This is apparently what counts for mainstream gaming content.
[1:02 PM] Ludwig Von Koopa: Alright, they're starting it now.
[1:03 PM] Ludwig Von Koopa: And by starting it's actually into another countdown.
[1:03 PM] HeavyLobster: I hate "gamer" pandering so much.
[1:03 PM] Ludwig Von Koopa: But at least it's a Microsoft countdown and not an E3 countdown.
[1:03 PM] Ludwig Von Koopa: Huh. They're opening with Todd.

Devolver MaxPass+ | E3 2021 KoopaTV's Live Reactions

By LUDWIG VON KOOPA - MaxPass+ is my kind of subscription...!

Over recent years, publisher Devolver Digital has been known to have meme presentations during E3 time (here's a plug for KoopaTV's E3 Weeks 2021 Schedule) that both showcases some games they're publishing... and teasing some practices going on in the gaming industry. This year, the target of their derision are subscription games passes. I live-reacted to what they had to say... with Heavy Lobster being sick of their act by now.

[4:25 PM] Ludwig Von Koopa: https://www.twitch.tv/twitchgaming
[4:25 PM] Ludwig Von Koopa: Devolver Digital is apparently going to hang out in this stream because they're not allowed on the E3 stream.
[4:25 PM] Ludwig Von Koopa: I'm not sure why they're allowed on KoopaTV, either!
[4:30 PM] Ludwig Von Koopa: Uh... Where are they? These Twitch Gaming show people keep talking and talking.
[4:31 PM] Ludwig Von Koopa: "It's coming right right now."
[4:32 PM] Ludwig Von Koopa: .......(It's not coming.)
[4:32 PM] Ludwig Von Koopa: Uh.. I can't tell if this is Devolver or it's a Twitch ad, but I have nothing to say regardless.
[4:34 PM] Ludwig Von Koopa: Okay here's the actual Devolver Digital thing.
[4:34 PM] Ludwig Von Koopa: Showing past hits from their scary skits.
[4:36 PM] Ludwig Von Koopa: This is called "Devolver MaxPass+"

Ubisoft Forward at E3 2021 KoopaTV's Live Reactions

By LUDWIG VON KOOPA - It's the very first E3 Weeks 2021 conference!

As promised in KoopaTV's E3 Weeks 2021 Schedule, KoopaTV is live-reacting to the Ubisoft Forward as the opening act of E3 2021.

Myself and Heavy Lobster are the only KoopaTV folks to bother showing up for Ubisoft. We have no actual hype going in for them. Did their conference have anything to change our mindset? Find out.

[2:51 PM] Ludwig Von Koopa: THE FIRST SESSION OF E3 in just 9 minutes.
[2:52 PM] Ludwig Von Koopa: Before it starts, shout-out to the E3 Portal for being a disaster with constant "Service Not available - 503" errors and emergency maintenance.
[2:56 PM] Ludwig Von Koopa: https://www.twitch.tv/e3/
Twitch is the official spot to watch E3; it's like 10 seconds ahead of YouTube.
[3:00 PM] Ludwig Von Koopa: Ooh, it's happening.
[3:01 PM] Ludwig Von Koopa: Featuring Neelam and Youssef?
[3:01 PM] HeavyLobster: French diversity.
[3:01 PM] Ludwig Von Koopa: They have burnt-in captions so they're at least not hiding it's pre-recorded.
[3:01 PM] Ludwig Von Koopa: Does this mean there won't be a dance segment?
[3:01 PM] Ludwig Von Koopa: ...Or will there be an even bigger dance segment than usual?