Ranking E3 press conferences is kind of dumb, right? I mean, it’s so subjective. It really just boils down to what games the author is excited about. So what’s the point?
I’m not sure. But I decided to do it anyway! Here is my definitive ranking of the E3 2018 press events.
8. Square Enix
“Just because you can have a press event at E3 doesn’t mean you should,” was the sentiment of a Gamespot commentator as the Square Enix extended montage concluded. Said commentator is correct.
The fact that Square Enix decided to air 30 minutes of mostly recycled content bummed me out because I’m legitimately excited about several of their games. Shadow of the Tomb Raider looks really good (and, in fairness, was the one game they showcased well). Kingdom Hearts III is a huge deal. But they just failed in producing any excitement most of their titles.
Luckily, many Square Enix titles were better showcased at other events. Maybe Capcom will take that press spot next year.
7. EA
The format of the EA conference felt weird. It just didn’t flow well. Anthem is a really big deal, but the stage demo approach fell a little flat to me. I’d rather have seen more gameplay and pre-scripted discussion than the Q&A they employed.
The two games I came away from EA most excited about are Unravel Two and Sea of Solitude, both indie-type titles as opposed to EA’s typical AAA blockbuster fare. That’s unexpected, but a pleasant surprise.
The rest of it was typical EA content – Battlefield, FIFA, Madden, etc. The Respawn tease of their Star Wars title was a bummer. It could have been a really big part of the show, but instead was an awkward interview in the crowd.
6. Nintendo
If you love Super Smash Bros. and/or Pokemon, you likely loved the Nintendo Direct and Treehouse Live. If those aren’t your thing, there wasn’t much from Nintendo for you this year.
They had a few teasers and a semi-cool announcement with Super Mario Party on Switch. But most of their Nintendo Direct time focused on Super Smash Bros. Ultimate. It’s really cool that every character that’s appeared in the series will appear in this one. There are also a couple of additional characters – the Splatoon character and Ridley from Metroid.
But the time they spent on their character-by-character deep dive appealed exclusively to the die-hard fan. I’d have been as excited about the game with five minutes worth of gameplay and updates.
The real news was what Nintendo didn’t show – no Metroid Prime 4, no Zelda DLC, no Mario Odyssey DLC, etc. However, Nintendo seems to live in their own world, and I doubt a lackluster showing (in my opinion) will have any effect on their bottom line.
5. PC Gaming Show
The PC Gaming Show is always fun because of its randomness. It rarely breaks any big news. The big finisher this year was Hitman 2, which is a fine game and all, but not one of the big titles people leave E3 talking about.
But the fun is all the niche titles. I was super excited about Satisfactory right at the top of the show. I’m also really into Two Point Hospital, Sable, Overkill’s The Walking Dead, and, as discussed on the podcast, the irreverent Rapture Rejects from Cyanide & Happiness.
Of course, there’s also plenty that doesn’t interest me from the PC show. I’m not into Killing Floor or Anno, though I understand there are big fan bases for each of those titles. So while the variety makes the PC Gaming Show great, it also makes the experience pretty stop and go as a fan.
4. Bethesda
Honestly, Bethesda should be lower on the list. It’s more of a testament of the lackluster nature of some of the other shows than the stellar performance of Bethesda.
The conference started out on a bad note with Andrew WK’s performance. It was just weird and contrived. However, Rage 2 looks like a much better game than I expected. The Wolfenstein announcement was also exciting. And while I’m not really into Prey or the Elder Scrolls Online, it looks like they’re doing good things for those communities.
The best part of the show was Todd Howard coming out to talk about Fallout 76. Okay, the best part was the Keegan-Michael Key’s Alexa Skyrim skit. Todd was the second best part. But he is a natural on stage and an incredibly effective communicator. All that said, I still don’t know what to think of Fallout 76. I’ll play it, but I’m not sure if I’ll like it.
The announcements of the new Doom, Starfield, and Elder Scrolls VI all landed with a bit of a thud as they didn’t have anything to support them. I’m excited about a new Bethesda IP, especially if it’s more in line with their RPGs. But I need a little more information.
3. Ubisoft
Ubi has become a consistently solid E3 experience, and this year didn’t disappoint. The fact that we got a big helping of Beyond Good & Evil 2 right at the top of the show was a pleasant surprise. That game may be 20 years off still, but I’m excited nonetheless.
I’m also excited for a new Trials game, a franchise I wasn’t even aware of until Trials Fusion showed up on Playstation Plus this month. The Division 2 has piqued my interest and Skull & Bones still looks interesting enough to give a try. And Starlink is getting Fox McCloud on Switch, though the additional cost of little toy ships will likely keep me from that title.
Finally, Assassin’s Creed Odyssey looks way better than I was anticipating. After all the hype of Assassin’s Creed Origins, I was worried Ubisoft was going back down the annual Assassin’s Creed route with incremental changes. But Odyssey is doing a lot of new stuff, including the option to play as a male or female protagonist and branching dialog options. Also, Spartan kick!
2. Microsoft
Microsoft has been disappointing at E3 for the past several years. That changed in 2018. They came with games, games, and more games. They promised 50+ titles in their conference. It was rapid fire software, starting with a new Halo announcement right at the top.
We also got a new Gears of War. Actually, three new Gears – a kiddy version, a tactical version, and Gears 5 (GEAR5?). At least two of those look really fun.
Microsoft also featured two of my most anticipated indie titles – Ori and the Will of the Wisps and Tunic. Ori will be fantastic – the first game is phenomenal. Tunic looks like it will scratch the old-school Zelda itch in a new, isometric way.
But the best part of Microsoft was the finisher. The Cyberpunk 2077 trailer stole the show for me. Sure, we haven’t seen gameplay and we’ll likely not be playing it for years, but it’s the game I most want to play coming out of E3.
1. Sony
Let’s be clear – Sony’s press conference was a mess. It started out with bad lights and sound, then a weird banjo performance. The intermission 15 minutes in felt very strange. And even coming back to a more traditional venue after the intermission, the transitions and flow were still off.
In spite of all that, Sony still provided my favorite E3 experience for one simple reason – games. The format they chose to showcase the four main titles – The Last of Us Part II, Ghost of Tsushima, Death Stranding, and Spider-Man – made up for every bit of awkwardness in their show.
Each game got 8-10 minutes of just gameplay. No developer talking over the game. No wide shots showing a dude with a controller in his hand. No text on screen bragging about draw distance. Just gameplay. And the games looked fantastic.
Sony continues to prove why I, as someone who loves single player, narrative-driven games, will continue to play games on Playstation, almost assuredly into the next generation. I hope other publishers take a note out of Sony’s playbook this year and give us unfettered gameplay of their best titles at next year’s E3.
