5. Ubisoft
With Sony dropping out this year, and EA more or less just doing a chill live stream of games we already knew about, our annual E3 ranking is a bit smaller this year for E3 2019. Maybe the pressure to step things up while in the spotlight helped encourage publishers like Ubisoft step up their game.
No one, not even Ubisoft who is ranked at the lowest position on this ranking for who won E3 2019, bombed. Ubisoft was just a bit less surprising, shocking, and exciting than the others that are ranked higher.
Watch Dogs: Legion looked extremely impressive in its official debut. The biggest shock is the ability to recruit and take control of just about anyone you meet in a chaotic post-Brexit version of London. This feature will shake up the way you approach the game’s missions.
There was also Roller Champions, a surprising roller-derby game that feels very different and refreshing compared to the usual slate of games that we see from Ubisoft. These games, alongside Gods and Monsters, are welcome additions to the lineup for E3 2019.
Aside from those two titles though, the rest was either safe and straight from the Ubisoft playbook or something off-beat that isn’t really meant for the “hardcore” gaming audience that tunes into E3.
4. Bethesda
Bethesda’s conference for E3 2019 was very hot and cold compared to the steady, safe roll of Ubisoft. Still, the higher highs of the Bethesda conference slightly outranked Ubisoft for us.
The conference was salvaged by a few key moments. First off, to the surprise of no one, Doom Eternal looks incredible. It looks to be a proper follow-up that retains everything people liked about Doom 2016, with new gameplay additions to freshen things up without ruining the core experience.
Also, the multiplayer mode at least on paper seems like something that will stand out far better than the forgettable offering from Doom 2016. Two demons with the power of hell’s army at the side take on a Slayer in an arena, which instantly sounds more interesting than whatever even was in Doom 2016, I can’t remember anymore.
Along a similar vein, Wolfenstein: Youngblood appears to have shaped up nicely and will hopefully play as well as the previous games, while not feeling like it’s just more of the same.
It was also refreshing to see new projects from both Arkane Studios and Tango Gameworks. Both Deathloop and Ghostwire Tokyo had impressive (CGI) trailers that set up an interesting premise for both games.
Outside of those announcements though, the ice was a bit thin this year at E3 2019 for Bethesda. The Fallout 76 update at the conference felt like a meme with the announcement of a battle royale mode called Nuclear Winter and Todd Howard basically admitting that last year sucked. I’ll be honest though, it does look kind of fun…
Commander Keen revived as some kind of strange puzzle game isn’t very inspiring. I’ll also go out on a limb and say that most gamers have exhausted their excitement for streaming gaming solutions like the new Orion service Bethesda revealed during its conference.
3. Microsoft
This is where we can draw the line between the okay E3 2019 press conferences and the ones that were genuinely really good. Everything from this point on was quite solid.
It’s hard to rank Microsoft. This is because that arguably, it had the most exciting conference in terms of reveals, announcements, and gameplay trailers.
Seeing Cyberpunk in that way for the first time was jaw dropping. Phantasy Star Online 2 was a total shock and among the most WTF crazy moments of the entire weekend.
However, there was a startling lack of gameplay in a lot of these trailers. For example, Gears 5 is coming out later this year, and it is a major Xbox One console exclusive, so why is it still so heavily under wraps?
The same can be said of other games revealed during the show that are PC/Xbox One console exclusives like Blair Witch and Bleeding Edge.
And while I’m talking about Bleeding Edge, lots of of the reaction towards that announcement is genuine concern and confusion. Developer Ninja Theory is known for creating one of the most acclaimed narratives this generation with Hellblade: Senua’s Sacrifice.
Microsoft’s acquisition of that studio seemed like a home-run for a platform that desperately could use some more single-player, narrative-driven games. The reveal, then, of an arena fighter that looks like a cross between Anarchy Reigns and Overwatch is bizarre and potentially troubling.
Also a bit disappointing is that only some of the reveals were console Xbox One exclusives. Many were not, and while it’s fun for us and that’s nice, it’s not something that’s going to necessarily inspire prospective and current Xbox One owners looking to justify their purchases.
Finally, there was the Project Scarlett reveal which was kind of anti-climatic. It’s great to know that the next home console from Microsoft is going to be a beast, but it’s kind of a false start without being able to actually see the final design.
2. Square Enix
Square Enix made up for last year’s disappointing conference in a big way at E3 2019. This was their best showing in recent years.
Let’s start with the obvious: Final Fantasy VII Remake looked incredible. The demo took up a large portion of the show and delivered significant gameplay that fans have been begging for for years. It finally looks like the game is back on track and heading in a good direction.
Plus, Square Enix surprised us with a release date: March 3, 2020. Wasn’t expecting that one, so sweet!
Then there was Avengers. It was a little unclear from the demo what exactly this game is supposed to be but Square Enix provided additional clarification calling it a cinematic action game. We’ll go hands-on later this week to get a better idea for ourselves.
Final Fantasy VIII Remastered (not remake) was also a shock and a pleasant surprise. I played Final Fantasy VIII not too long ago, and I can notice how much better this demo makes the game look. Fans of the PS1-era of Final Fantasy games must have been in heaven.
On top of that you had other interesting, and even unexpected games show up to the show like Outriders by People Can Fly, and ports/remasters of Mana and Saga games.
It was a JRPG love fest and it showed off exciting new projects for the western-based teams. It’s hard to draw up a better showing for Square Enix this year.
1. Nintendo
As good as Square Enix was this year at E3 2019, it’s hard to top a lineup that includes the announcement of two new Smash characters, Animal Crossing footage, and a bombshell announcement of a Breath of the Wild sequel.
Even if you indulged in E3 leaks, there wasn’t anything out there that I saw that even hinted at a sequel to Breath of the Wild with any credibility. It was out of left field, adding to excitement in the short term. The bigger picture, though, is that the consensus Game of the Year pick for 2017 for many outlets, including this one, will get be getting a follow-up and that’s awesome.
The Smash announcements, although rumored for quite some time, weren’t any less enjoyable. The two-pack of the heroes from Dragon Quest and Banjo-Kazooie is a one-two punch for both the Japanese and western audiences. Although there’s certainly some crossover, the latter felt more meaningful to fans who have been with the series since the Nintendo 64 days where Banjo-Kazooie first made its mark.
Plus the reveal with Duck Hunt trolling was just hysterical and one of the funniest moments of E3 this year.
We’re just scratching the surface, too; The Witcher 3, incredibly, is getting ported which proves that with some sacrifices, you can get just about any game onto this widely popular platform. No More Heroes 3 is a thing and Suda51 fans should be hyped. Panzer Dragoon flew in out of nowhere.
Astral Chain looked incredible once again and made us feel a little bit better about this summer/fall after the delay of Animal Crossing, The list goes on. You can see every trailer and announcement right here if you’re looking for a recap.
The bottom line is that Nintendo loaded their 40-ish minute Direct with something for everyone and had a few bombshells to drop even after leaks. That’s all you can really ask for out of an E3 press conference. Nintendo more than any other company that presented something to the world at E3, took advantage of the void Sony left behind and, in our eyes, “won” E3 2019.
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