GameCentral readers debate which was the best game at E3 and which company put on the best show.
E3 is over for another year, so theres only one obvious subject for this weekends Inbox: what did you think of it and what game impressed you the most? Which company do you think put on the best pre-E3 conference and do you think there was a definitive winner of E3 2018?
Most people seem to agree that it was not a classic year for the expo, but that it wasnt actively bad. There was no clear census on who won, with most suggesting that there were no particular standouts. Cyberpunk 2077 and Resident Evil 2 were definite favourites in terms of games though.
A cut above
I think the best game of E3 was Ghost Of Tsushima. I know Sonys conference was pretty weird (surely they mustve had someone different in charge this year?) but the games themselves, I thought, were still excellent. Ive been reading the Inbox discussion on The Last Of Us Part II and agree with the side that say that its looking a bit too grimdark and Im not sold on it yet – including the idea that it needs a sequel at all.
Spider-Man was very good but Im still concerned that it relies too much on QTEs, as a lot of the demo looked liked you were watching rather than playing. Im not a big Hideo Kojima fan at the best to me but to my eyes Death Stranding just look straight up boring. I dont really care what mumbo jumbo story it is, the gameplay looks like just playing postman and more boring stealth.
OK, so maybe I didnt think all Sonys games were excellent but Ghost Of Tsushima blew me away. It basically looks like my dream samurai game and I love how serious theyre taking it and that its actually based on real history (and no giant enemy crabs either!). It was by far my favourite game at E3 and I cant wait to play it. I just hope its not a PlayStation 5 game!
Pixellator
351 days and counting
To me this years E3 was distinctly average, if it wasnt for Microsoft I think it would have been a poor E3. Microsoft did impress me though, they may not have had any new exclusive IPs to show off for the Xbox One but I think they showed that they were planning for the future with the acquisitions of multiple talented studios which should lead to many new exclusive franchises on the next Xbox. I think this is the best strategy they could have deployed, as whilst Im sure they dont class Xbox One as a failure it has definitely been second place to the PS4 this generation.
They also showed off my game of the show which was Forza Horizon 4, which I will be getting on PC day one (providing it is optimised well). I havent played one of the Horizon games before but I thought the British setting looked simply stunning and lots of fun.
My other favourite game which was shown was Spider-Man, shown in Sonys show, which I thought was the worst Sony conference in a long time. Sure, the games they showed looked very impressive and I look forward to playing them all but there was a lack of surprises which is what I think E3 is all about. It was a massive change of direction from the conference which announced the Final Fantasy VII remake, Shenune III, and The Last Guardian.
Sonys conference kind of summed up E3 for me, the lack of surprises. The biggest disappointment for me was that we didnt get to find out what Rocksteady were working on, when it wasnt shown at the Xbox conference I assumed it would be at Sony, but unfortunately not.
If rumours are to be believed that the next generation of consoles will be released in 2020, then at least we should see them unveiled at the next E3. So counting down the days to that.
Truk_Kurt (PSN ID)/trukkurt (Steam ID)/Angry_Kurt (Twitter)
Now playing: Zelda: A Link Between Worlds (3DS) and Titanfall 2 (PS4)
Blame Walmart
Well thats E3 for another year, and it was all a wee bit underwhelming to be honest. While there were a few stunning looking games, there were no real big surprises, which was pretty disappointing.
I think the best game of the show was Cyberpunk 2077, which just looked outstanding. CD Projekt Red have proven what a talented developer they are with The Witcher 3 and I cant wait to explore the sci-fi world they have crafted.
The Resident Evil 2 remaster also looked fantastic, with atmospheric graphics and a good dollop of nostalgia. I also really liked the look of Control by Remedy, which looks like its been inspired by the film Inception, with the environments changing around you. The Last Of Us Part II looked great too, although like others have said, it looks a lot more brutal than the original.
Battlefield V also looked good, and I hope it has the all-out destruction of Bad Company 2, which for me is still the best Battlefield on consoles. Ghost Of Tsushima and Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice both looked fantastic, and it will be interesting to see From Software cutting their teeth on a new game that looks quite different to their recent titles.
In terms of the conferences, Xbox definitely had the best show out of the console manufacturers, with some interesting exclusives and news of the acquisitions of studios like Ninja Theory, which should help with the Xboxs lack of first party exclusives. Sony were simply treading water this year, with games we already know about, but thats not to say the games didnt look great, with Spider-Man, The Last Of Us Part II, and Ghost Of Tsushima all looking superb. There just wasnt any surprise announcements that they had been great at, and the conference felt a bit disjointed.
Nintendo also didnt have any big news to share either, although Super Smash Bros. Ultimate does look pretty good. I was disappointed that Pikmin 4 didnt make a showing, as its been years since the last game on the Wii U and I wouldve liked to see a new Luigis Mansion for the Switch as well.
E3 2018 showed off a lot of quality games, but it just didnt have the big shocks that previous years had, with Walmart spoiling a lot of game unveilings. This took the shine off it for me, but there is a lot to look forward to in the years ahead, and it sounds like new consoles could be arriving before long too.
Cubes (PSN ID)/SW-3654-9259-0500/Kevin M
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Expect nothing
I know theres a lot of disagreement about it but I thought Nintendo had a very good E3. The problem, I think, is people refusing to listen to what they said beforehand (and which GC) warned as they made it quite clear they werent going to talk about anything much else. Which is why I was happy we got as much as we did – Super Mario Party and Fire Emblem were very welcome surprises.
I realise that Star Fox rumour was very tempting, and it wouldnt surprise me if it was eventually proven true, but Nintendo has both Pokémon and Smash coming out this Christmas – that is a lot. Those are two of their biggest sellers and while hardcore fans may want more I dont think it was ever likely to happen.
Im not saying it was Nintendos best ever E3 or not but what they showed looked great and it was more than I expected. But then I try to expect nothing and ensure Im always pleasantly surprised.
Onibee
Destroy the brain
As an Xbox One owner Im in two minds about their E3. On the one hand it was probably the best theyve put on this generation but on the other they didnt really announce much concrete and nothing brand new at all. A new Gears and a new Halo is about as uninspired as you can get and I think its pretty obvious theyre just treading water until they can release a new console.
Halo Infinite probably is an Xbox Two game anyway, and I suspect the reason they didnt announce Fable or anything else new is because its all going to go towards ensure a good start for the new machine.
I can see the logic of course, but as an Xbox One owners its just the final proof that I back the wrong horse and Im not really going to get much more out of it. Maybe Im being pessimistic, as I assume its still got at least a year or two left on its own as Microsofts only console, but it seems to me that the Xbox One was DOA and is just shuffling on like a zombie before Microsoft shoot it in the head.
The King in Yellow
Never give up
I think the game I got most excited about was Devil May Cry 5, just because Ive been waiting for it for so long and had almost given up hope. The trailer was great, especially the surprise ending, but Im not sure why it wasnt actually playable at the show.
As far as I understand the game is 75% finished, so there shouldve been more than just a trailer to show. I guess maybe Capcom wanted to put the focus on Resident Evil 2 but they had a really good E3 Im not sure why they couldnt have done both.
Im hoping for a lot more news at Gamescom and/or the Tokyo Game Show and hopefully a release next year. Microsoft can keep Ninja Theory, Im just glad this is a Capcom game through and through.
Sinder
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The best of times
Thoroughly enjoyed E3 on Twitch in various broadcasters streams and the Sony conference was probably my favourite, though Microsoft had the winning game in my mind with Cyberpunk 2077. And on top of that I also enjoyed one of the developers being interviewed, which made me more excited at learning what is to be expected from this breakthrough game. It sounds like a Judge Dredd type city with huge vertical buildings with societies and communities, or basically cities in the sky with no need to leave them.
The report which GC gave sounded like the game was so good that Cyberpunk 2077 may be in danger of being so hyped up that it might be released and people being underwhelmed by it all. I know I have certain favourite settings of which may have been fulfilled already, either in fantasy or sci-fi or the Gothic like Bloodbornes amazing artistry and architecture, which was excellently described by Galvanized Gamer of which I totally agree with.
The fact we may have the definitive Blade Runner type city, of which I was already impressed with from the Deus Ex games, just excites me to no end. Fantasy is already owned by The Witcher 3 game and Elder Scrolls and space sci-fi is already owned by the original Mass Effect trilogy.
What is going to be the hard thing to decide about Cyberpunk 2077 is what system is gonna to be the main one to get the game on. The current generation or a possibility it may be the next generation of consoles – which may be the definitive version to get. The Last Of Us Part II and Beyond Good And Evil 2 just look like game immersion and may be at the next level. The problem with Beyond Good And Evil 2 is that they are CGI videos and no gameplay yet, whilst The Last Of Us Part II just looks so violent and visceral that it could just be the most violent game ever created.
The quick brief Elder Scrolls video for me just confirmed that VI is on the cards and thats all I need to know right now. Death Stranding showed an amazing amount of actual game footage (I think it was game footage) and I now know as much about the details of the game as I do of the 30 second Elder Scrolls VI video! It still looks awesome though. Fallout 76 being a multiplayer does not excite me quite as much, Fallout 4 is something I still play now and again and I just dont do multiplayer.
The presentations and shows with live musicians and background/foreground scenery was very well done and made viewing quite pleasurable, and the build up to Ghost Of Tsushima from the Sony event was quite something to behold. It was one of my favourite introductions and the yellow fields and falling red leaves in the wind during the gameplay was absolutely beautiful. Definitely a game to watch out for.
Just before I sign off, are they serious about another Assassins Creed game called Odyssey! How come so much money goes into creating these fairly impressive detailed games but mere average gameplay at a constant rate nearly every year! Deus Ex may not have a third game but Assassins Creed just goes on and on and on. Oh well I guess its fans are very loyal to the franchise in that case.
Thanks again GC for another impressive E3 conference report, with the special exclusive reports and other breaking news. I am yet again very excited still about the gaming future and it just looks mind-blowing, and we still got Red Dead Redemption II to look forward too also! My gods this is a good time to be gaming and if Bloodborne 2 gets a mention in the near future then thats me well and truly staying in and just forget about the outside world, the virtual world is the place for me.
Alucard
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