The annual Electronics Entertainment Expo is the event that gamers of all shapes, kinds
and skills eagerly await for – from new announcements, big reveals, and world premieres,
E3 never disappoints.
The industry’s biggest giants show face with their own individual press conferences,
and sometimes those conferences can be hit or miss.
Between Sony, Microsoft, Bethesda, EA, Square Enix, Nintendo and Ubisoft, we got some really
awesome showcases, but a few stood out more than the rest.
Here’s who won E3 2018.
Microsoft Microsoft did a really good job with their
conference this year, all things considered.
The company is really stepping up to the competition – they showed off 50 titles, 18 exclusives
and 15 World premieres.
They announced they acquired 5 stellar indie studios, including the studio behind We Happy
Few, which got a release date of Feb 22nd 2019.
A teaser trailer for the new Halo game, titled Halo Infinite, had fans going wild at the
start of the showcase.
Gears of War 5, Devil May Cry 5, a Cup-Head DLC, Dying Light 2 and Forza Horizon 4 were
also featured.
Perhaps the biggest win for Microsoft is the title they ended their showcase with – Cyberpunk
2077.
From the makers of the Witcher 3, Cyberpunk 2077 has been one of the most highly anticipated
titles in recent history – a new IP set in the future that gives off some serious
blade runner vibes.
The trailer showed off much more about the world of the game, but didn’t release
Bethesda Bethesda was arguably the second biggest conference
to make waves – their Fallout 76 reveals were perhaps one of the biggest of E3 altogether.
Available November 14th 2018, Fallout 76 is a game entirely online, with both solo and
multiplayer options.
You exit Vault 76, into a wasteland set in the hills of West Virginia, 20 years after
the war.
It’s a completely different and untamed wasteland, and the game is really optimized
for collaborative multiplayer gameplay – you can build together, fight together, and even
hunt down nuclear missile sites, which you collect launch codes for.
You can then do whatever you want with that missile, and you can drop it where ever your
heart desires.
The Wolfenstein franchise got some big announcements – not only is The New Colossus available
for Nintendo Switch, but the series is also getting two new games – one a VR game titled
Cyberpilot, where you play as a hacker who hacks Nazi tech, turning it on its masters.
The second is the follow up to New Colossus, titled Youngblood, in which you play as BJ’s
twin daughters in 1980’s Paris, following in their father’s footsteps.
Because it’s twins, there’s an option for co-op along with single player.
In addition to that, Doom 2 was announced, and we got some gameplay footage from Rage
2.
But, if Fallout, Wolfenstein, and Doom didn’t do it for you, this just might – Bethesda
not only announced new DLCS for Elder Scrolls Online AND a new groundbreaking mobile Elder
Scrolls game – oh no – they announced that Elder Scrolls 6 is officially in development.
Everyone lost their
So what could top a conference with both Fallout 76 and massive Elder Scrolls reveals?
Well, the second last conference of E3 did.
But first, honourable mention time!
Nintendo, who is known for its meticulous work ethic when it comes to its games, really
showed up this year with Super Smash Bros Ultimate, detailing all of the major new improvements
and advances the game entails.
They also showcased Super Mario Party, and their new Pokemon games for the Switch, Let’s
Go Pikachu and Let’s Go Eevee, a more casual pokemon trainer RPG that you can integrate
your Pokemon Go captures with.
Unfortunately, they didn’t show up with anything concerning Metroid Prime – they
hinted to a new installment in the franchise last year, but there was no mention of it
at this E3.
Ubisoft also hand some hits on its hands, including Assassin’s Creed Odyssey, which
news leaked of prior to E3.
It boasts some improved game mechanics, along with more emphasis on it being an RPG with
branching quests, multiple dialogue options, romantic options and alternate endings.
You can also play as a woman or a man, which is pretty cool.
Ubisoft also showed off more of Beyond Good and Evil 2, but it had no release date, and
it’s multiplayer pirate game Skull and Bones was also highlighted.
But, now on to the real winner of E3 2018 – Sony.
Sony’s Playstation press conference gave us everything we really, really wanted.
In other words, they gave us a whole lot of The Last of Us Part 2.
The Last of Us is arguably one of the most important games in recent history, setting
a new bar for the kinds of narrative stories that developers are striving to tell, all
while giving us a game that has a ton of meat on its bones and never fails to immerse and
entertain players.
And, from the looks of it, The Last of Us Part 2 will be no different, although it seems
the game’s story will focus more so on Ellie rather than Joel, who has been fairly absent
in all three of the trailers that have appeared since last E3 – he does make an appearance
in one of them, but we only really see his silhouette.
This trailer showed us Ellie, all grown up now in a stunning – and very human – cinematic
in which she shares a kiss with a new romantic interest.
This transitions seamlessly into gameplay footage that focused on a combination of stealth
and melee combat, and featured some new subtle advancements that we can expect from the title.
Needless to say, everyone had their minds blown by how amazing it was, and we can’t
wait for more.
The only downside though?
Sony didn’t announce a release date.
Aside from that colossal reveal, Sony showed off more of its anticipated titles, including
Hideo Kojima’s Death Stranding, Marvel’s Spider-Man game – which is set to release
September 7th 2018 – and announced Resident Evil 2.
Alright, there we have it friends!
Which press conference was your favourite?
What games are you looking forward to the most?
Let us know in those comments below!
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Thanks for watching everyone!