This is my Unofficial List of E3 Winners. Basically, this is what I liked the most with some general market research. We’ll see how it compares to any official lists later.
*Honorable Mentions: Battlefield 1
No one who played Battlefield 1 would shut up about it. Nor could I blame them. The game is gorgeous, the gameplay is as polished as ever, and the physics of the world are truly engulfing. The dynamic weather affects the gameplay and strategy in ridiculously organic ways that do not feel forced. Also something about the pacing of the battles seems to land, it doesn’t feel like a mindless shooter, it feels like a story, which is unheard of in most multiplayer shooters. I probably ranked this so low because of how tired I am of shooters, but this could very well rejuvenate the genre.
5) Deus Ex IRL Augmentation
The lines between virtual and reality are being blurred. For many people their lives online matter more than their lives off it; just check your friends’ Instagram account for clarification. Aside from my cynical view of social media, there is a lot of positive and truly wonderful things that are coming from this blurred existence between the virtual and physical realms. Open Bionics and Eidos-Montreal team up to bring Deus Ex inspired augmentations to those in need. Eidos-Montreal design them based on Adam Jensen’s prosthetics from the series. It is inspiring to see that gaming reach far beyond just entertainment and not only develop some cool looking item but also help make a real difference in the world.
4) Ubisoft
Ubisoft had the most entertaining conference, in large because they chose the best host in Aisha Tyler. Aisha Tyler, a great comedian, actress, and personality, loves gaming. She is hands down one of the most hardcore gamers out there, and from what I’ve seen, one of the better ones too. Her passion could not be contained as she announced each game and guest speaker. With Wildlands, Star Trek VR, Watch Dogs 2, For Honor, and Steep, Ubisoft has a slew of games that hit a multitude of genres. The Star Trek VR looked incredible, because of Levar Burton. I started thinking about it, I don’t know how fun simulating pressing buttons is going to be. Then again I liked Space Team and Star Trek is ultimately THE Space Team to be a part of. Lastly The Fractured But Whole. The sequel to Stick of Truth looks hilarious, flawlessly designed, and a whole lot of hilarious fun.
3) Sony
Sony absolutely ruled the press conferences this year. They started with God of War, hit us with Horizon, gave us naked Norman Redus, Resident Evil 7, etc. It was an electrifying showcase. Not only did sony drop sequels, they also displayed innovative new properties as well as really show some exciting use and implementation of VR. Then the return of Crash Bandicoot! Sony is displaying dominance not seen since the PS2, and it seems they may be starting to pull away from the pack. Xbox did have a great showcase themselves, but it definitely lacked the wow factor that Sony brought this year.
2) VR
Literally everyone is going to VR: Sony, Xbox, Samsung, HTC, etc. VR is everywhere. People are comparing it to Blu-Ray vs HD, but after my experience, it’s more like a pot brownie. There’s no quality control or unified purpose. What is Samsung’s and HTC’s going to do compared to Sony’s? How could a mobile phone really compete against consoles and PC? Will I have to have multiple headsets? When will I actually feel it? I might’ve gotten confused about what I was talking about with that last question. The point is, brow-VR is awesome! But it’s so varied and spread out that it doesn’t make sense as what direction it is going to go. My personal favorite is the Vuzix, which has a slightly smaller field of vision, but reduces the motion sickness completely from what I can tell. Also the set fit over my glasses, which is a huge deal to me, and most importantly it is universal. However, my money is on Sony just setting the bar and everyone following suit like with Blu-Ray. Or Nintendo might surprise everyone, the Wii was flawless when it came out, who knows what’s NXt. (NX is the console they didn’t talk about, and two of the letters of ‘next’ so I thought I’d be clever.)
1) Untitled Spider-Man PS4
*Completely personal choice.
This game has no title, but it has generated mass hype among gamers and comic fans alike. Little is known about the game other than being developed by Insomniac Games and is the first under Marvel Games Studios. I heard from a pretty reliable source, Marvel said, “We need our own Arkham games,” and it looks as if it is being delivered. The downside, Barnes is not voicing Spidey…
But those are my choices for the E3 Winners. Stay tuned for my losers, and my reaction in a tweet.
