Who Won E3?
- Alexander Suffoletto
- Jun 25, 2018
- 8 min read
So people have been asking me… who do you think won E3? Was it Xbox’s massive roster of titles with the next gen console tease? Sony with the all star lineup with more in depth game-play reveals? Or maybe it was Nintendo and Smash Bros Ultimate? Sorry EA, you still have a lot to resolve on your end. However, none of these major companies won E3. Wait… so who did? I will tell you. The gamers. Wait, that is a cheesy answer though! Bethesda literally teased Elder Scrolls 6 and Death Stranding game-play though! Yes. Both were pretty great. Yet nobody is focusing on the real triumphant moments here. This summer won E3. Frankly, this has been the best E3 in almost four years running in my personal opinion. Genres that which were thought long gone are making a comeback, single player games are not dead like the industry wants to assume they are and holy cow, there was so many games! We need to appreciate what was shown. There was exclusives of course but… peeps… the lineup coming this year and next year alone is pure insanity.
Oh, but the E3 trailers are glorified and will not be like anything on release! Again, we are missing the point of, IP’s have emerged from the muck of a rough rut of gaming releases and so much nostalgia has been getting tapped into in such a short amount of time. Resident Evil 2 remake, Kingdom Hearts confirmed release date and Doom guy is bringing hell on earth for the current generation. There is so much hype from every company that no one group has “won” the show. Everyone brought some big guns and anticipation to hold for this next coming year. So with this addressed, I decided to make a completely bias list of what I am excited for. These games vary between almost every company that hit the show floor and every conference had me on the edge of my seat. Maybe not Nintendo so much but still had some great things to show. And to keep the thrill of the top 10 going, I will start from what I am least excited to most. Note, this top 10 will not go over what was cringey, boring or an embarrassment to watch. Just all hype here! Let’s jump into it!
10 - Battletoads - The toads are back and it seems like that retro nostalgia is coming back with some lovingly hand drawn animations! The 2D style was teased but it is unsure if it will stay a true 2D game or mix in some 3D style. With Rash being in Killer Instinct, my guesses of Microsoft jumping on this opportunity has come through and it is such a relief to see! One less IP to worry about that needs some treatment.
9 - Cyberpunk 2077 - The Witcher developers hit the main stage for this year’s E3 bringing an actual animated interpretation of the expected world of Cyberpunk 2077. It was only a theatrical trailer and aiming for next gen consoles but I have been curious about Cyberpunk for a few months leading up to E3. The world looks like GTA and Witcher could be having a angsty cyber rebel baby. Apparently it was playable but I would love to see it myself. Have not found anything more on it.
8 - The Quiet Man - The presentation of this trailer, weak. However, when the main protagonist tapped his ear and everything rang, I started rustling in my seat. The concept of playing a deaf character sounds so awesome. There have been a lot of indie titles that have gone over blindness but I think a triple An interpretation of deafness just conceptually sounds amazing. I cannot wait to see more on how this game will implement this idea.
7 - Tunic - Legend of Zelda get’s a Microsoft adaption. If it was not for the isometric camera, I would say this game was going straight for being a spiritual successor straight to the Nintendo series. It looks absolutely gorgeous from the characters, enemies and luscious yet abandoned environments. We got a big taste of what to expect from this game in it’s trailer but I just wanna get my hands on this game as soon as possible. That main character is too cute.
6 - Rage 2 - Bulletstorm comes back without all the linear side garbage. Do not get me wrong, I thought Bulletstorm was a ton of fun. When Bethesda starts getting uniquely creative with their titles, things starting hitting the fan in the best way possible. And this beautifully sculpted abomination called Rage 2, is ripping it’s identity from the original title and just turning it on it’s head. This fast paced, obsessive action get’s the adrenaline flowing nicely and I want to go on a murder spree in this world Bethesda has created from the ground up. Still so hard to believe Rage spawned this title. It truly could have been it’s own IP.
5 - Cuphead DLC - Cuphead isnt done! When I heard that nostalgic band start playing, I almost freaked out. Cuphead is still making content! They teased they wanted to aim for DLC’s but no we are getting it! It was a healthy surprise and the minute it drops, you can bet I am ready to jump back into Inkwell and play that new wonderful character, Ms.Chalice! I am super excited to see the new bosses personally. Gotta appreciate those animations and kudos to StudioMDHR for still pushing through the intense lifestyle of game development!
4 - Fallout 76 - I was incredibly skeptical about Fallout doing multiplayer. Then realized, why am I questioning Bethesda so much? Though everyone is jumping down their throats or saying Bethesda lost their way, I do not think we are giving them the benefit of the doubt and actually embracing the fact that we can play these series we love so much, with others. Elder Scrolls Online I feel does not count here as Zenimax is the lead developers and designers on that front. Fallout 76 is going right through Bethesda and it is the first major time they took the wheel for a multiplayer title. It is practically aiming to be Fallout 4 with multiplayer. Same graphics engine, similar aesthetic and same building features. Though I have many looming concerns about the overarching player experience, the fact I have an amazing group of friends ready to jump into the wasteland, I find it hard not to discover what Bethesda is feeling so passionate about in this odd yet very common fantasy many of us gamers have had for these series.
3 - Resident Evil 2 - Okay, Resident Evil 7 came out and gave me hope for the true horror experience to make a come back in the next generation. Now it is coming back and giving a facelift to another classic title in the series. It is retaining the true grit or the horror genre with a brand new interpretation to the title. No locked cameras but an immersive over the shoulder experience, similar to Resident Evil 4. It is crazy how spooky this game looks and how Capcom is actually sticking to elements that make horror actually scary in video games. Claustrophobia, lack of vision, tense environment presentation. It is all there and I am so ready to trot in Raccoon City again. I am truly proud of the developing teams that have worked on the recent Resident Evil series and I just want more.
2 - Kingdom Hearts 3 - Like I have mentioned in a few blogs of mine already, though I am getting into the series now, nothing is stopping my anticipation for the new Kingdom Hearts. More characters that look familiar, absurdly par to par looking to their film counterparts and our iconic trio of protagonists, Kingdom Hearts 3 is going to be a heart throbbing experience from start to finish. It makes me want to finish Kingdom Hearts 2 as fast as possible just so I can jump into this title day one and get a handle of everything coming ahead for me. And Toy Story, dammit! Hell yeah!
1 - Doom Eternal - Oh yeah, you bet your ass I am ready for this. Doom (2016) blew me away with what the first person genre was capable of becoming in this generation. The high paced action sequences, insane yet almost harmonious waves of endless bullet hell sections and most importantly, a true power fantasy. Becoming the deranged psychotic doom slayer has never felt so good and you can bet every penny you got that I am ready for Hell on earth. When Mick Gordon's track started amping up in that blood red reveal trailer, you can bet I lost sensation in my body to the pure joy I was experiencing.
"Bring forth, the DoomSlayer!!"
All in all, E3 was absolutely fantastic all around. Every showcase had something I fell in love with. EA with Unravel 2, Microsoft with the piles of games to come, Playstation with the interesting reveal of Ghosts of Tsushima, Bethesda and the DoomSlayer, Ubisoft with a pile of freshly wrapped titles to come and even Nintendo with it's expansion into third party titles. Gaming is going in a fantastic direction and my heart was rekindled into the industry I once thought could not bring such passion back to the franchises we have grown to love. If you have read my E3 coverage, you can see how astonishing the week was from start to finish. Though E3 never meets expectations, we can at least expect that gaming is far from ever growing. Bring on the love and let's get ready for a crazy year! Last but not least, if I were to choose a winner for E3, I would have to give to Bethesda. This year for E3 was the deceleration of new and revitalized series. New IP's, reboots and the next sequel after. No new console announcements or crazy additions to the software we have already. Just games. Bethesda stole my heart with quite literally, every title that hit their stage. Always great seeing the Elder Scrolls titles and we finally got that one tiny teaser we have been yearning for on the horizon of Elder Scrolls 6. It is still so far off from ever releasing but we know it will be here in our near future. With Doom, a cooperative Wolfenstein and a multiplayer over-world of Fallout, Bethesda is making some huge changes and additions to the company and I am proud to exemplify my fandom for the titles that are on the way. Every other company did a fantastic presentation do not get me wrong. Ubisoft was way less embarrassing this year, Sony built up some nice presentations and Xbox was on fire with all the games. Yet I need to give my imaginative and bias trophy to Bethesda this year. What do you peeps think? Do you agree? Do you have another company that you were proud to root for this year? Do you agree with me that there is so much to look forward to? I hope everyone found something they were looking for! With so many announcements, I am going to see what I can do for my next blog, so stay tuned!
This news was gathered off of Nintendo's live-stream during the E3 2018 Showcase. Note, all images and videos provided were taken from official press releases advertising the games mentioned above or recorded with the live version of the current live-stream.
Disclaimer: I was not paid nor offered any incentives to write this review by the accompanying publisher, developer or any outside force. This is solely for personal production and interest. My opinions and recommendations are based off my personal interpretation of the product and it's design.
Comentarios