We’re a couple of days and/or weeks removed from E3 madness, and while gamers, journalists and influencers from all over the world are still roaming the halls in Los Angeles playing the latest upcoming titles, the rest of us are left to stew over everything we’ve seen. And there was a lot! Playstation hit us with Gameplay from some of the absolute gems of their first party studios while new studios acquisitions graced Microsoft's stage alongside Xbox tentpoles and Nintendo dropped Smash. All of Smash. So. Much. Smash.

This is the first real E3 we’ve been able to experience together at The Arcade Vaults, so we thought it’d be fun to hear from some of our friends, volunteers and regulars about the event.

Overcooked 2 is on the way! The original, a multiplayer cooking sim (I guess?), was a fantastic party game. I loved introducing family and friends to it because it was entirely inconsequential how good a gamer you were - it was really a game about communication. And as communication breaks down and the levels get more frenetic and ridiculous, hilarity ensues

Without any further context, the idea of a second Overcooked title seems almost unnecessary - why not just release more DLC for the first game? But having seen the trailer, I'm so on board with this sequel: the levels seem even crazier and more dynamic than before. More moving parts, more recipes, more twists in the tale!

There's now a dedicated throw button for moving ingredients around the kitchen more quickly, but throwing ingredients into another player will briefly stun them - this is inevitably going to be misused and abused as the panic ramps up! Though it's only a small addition, it seems to have afforded the developers more freedom in designing more lively levels, as even if you can't get to the hob due to everything happening around you, maybe you can get that much needed burger patty over there anyway...

It looks like the most notable addition this time around is online play. I can understand why they left it out of the original - the game is probably played best in a room, with good friends that you can laugh/shout/despair at (delete as appropriate)! It really works well locally, as you can all share in the silliness. But, even if playing locally remains the optimal way to enjoy the game, *of course* adding online play is a good idea - who would protest against having more ways to play?

Overcooked 2 is coming to Nintendo Switch and other platforms on August the 7th

Connor Davies is a friend and fan of the Arcade Vaults, and is also a local speedrunner! You can check him out at www.facebook.com/SirEdavSpeedruns