E3 2017 In Review

2017 may go down in history as having one of the least eventful E3's of all time. Of. All. Time. I mean, beyond Bethesda hosting the shortest press conference of all time and EA hosting the absolute worst press conference of all time, nothing really happened. I had to struggle to find enough products I cared about enough to fill these categories because so many of the items on display this year were either just boring or were devoid of information to the point that I couldn't even formulate an opinion. Ah well. This year I've decided to go with an "in show" theme (best in show, etc). It pretty much means what it always means, though. Which games demoed this year got me the most excited, which got me the least excited, which sorta kinda just existed. Gah this was a crap E3. I'm not even joking, it's been like overcoming inertia to write this article because, as I've said, there's just so little to be excited about this year. This E3 was so bad that the 1% closet Nihilist in me has been taking over my thoughts on the state of gaming. Nearly all the Best in Show entries have caveats attached to them, and though I've watched all the conferences and taken thorough notes for this article, this E3 just didn't feel like the Christmas-come-early event it used to. Ugh. Here we go.

Worst in Show:
These were the games that either looked the worst or irked me the most at E3 this year.





5): Anthem

With Anthem, Bioware appears to have struck a new low: an online-only game in the vein of Destiny, demoed with the same mic tricks commonly employed by Ubisoft. In Anthem, you use an exosuit and live inside of a walled area that protects humanity from "what's out there." There isn't an original bone in its body so far, but we'll just have to see how this progresses.





4): Starlink: Battle for Atlas

The subtitle implies that there have perhaps been other Starlinks, but I wouldn't know. Starlink: Battle for Atlas opened up promisingly, with a unique art style and a seemingly compelling premise...but then, lo and behold, it turned out to be one of those "implement real-life toys with the game" games (a-la Skylanders or what not). Perhaps that was something that everybody else knew going in, but I was really stricken by the early trailer footage before I found out the game would be a constant drain on my wallet.





3): The Darwin Project

Every year it seems there's at least one of these, a project so smug and self-satisfied that I put it on this list not because of apparent quality, but because it lost my interest with its presentation. It could be that its yet another brightly colored quirky character multiplayer shooter in the vein of Overwatch, it could be that it also started off looking promising, or it could be that I just don't like Jethro Tull, but whatever way you slice it, The Darwin Project lost my interest.





2): Days Gone

If you read my E3 in review last year, you may remember that Days Gone was #4 in this category. I should have known that seeing more of the game would bump it up even further on this list. The demo this time around showed such riveting action as the simplest quicktime events known to man and motorcycle driving at a breakneck speed of what appeared to be around 40 mph. That and an uninteresting NPC and an infected bear. I truly wonder how Days Gone has gotten the attention its gotten when it brings literally nothing good or new to the table from what we've seen so far.





1): Monster of the Deep: Final Fantasy XV

You may recall that Final Fantasy XV was #3 on my Game of the Year list for 2016. I can 100% guarantee you that Monster of the Deep: Final Fantasy XV will not be so lucky. A VR title, Monster of the Deep is essentially the fishing minigame from Final Fantasy XV with (evidently) very few of the incentives that fishing in the parent game had. For the price of however many hundred dollars VR systems go for these days, you can play an inferior version of the Final Fantasy XV fishing minigame, but without the guilty pleasure of watching Noctis' fishing skill level up.





Kinda In-Between In Show:
These were the games that I was intrigued by, but that I have too many doubts about to put on the Best in Show list.





5): The Crew 2

I'm not a racing game fan, but The Crew 2 actually gave me a kind of secondhand adrenaline rush the likes of which I imagine racing game fans get when they play. There's no telling if I'll actually want to spend my money on it, but The Crew 2 has my attention, at least.





4): Skull and Bones

Maybe it's just because I'm still deeply in love with Assassin's Creed IV: Black Flag, but I put Skull and Bones (Ubisoft's upcoming pirate game) in my notes as something to keep an eye on. The gameplay seems literally copied and pasted from Black Flag, but hey, more of a good thing can be good, right?





3): Monster Hunter World

I've never played a Monster Hunter game before, so I have no sense of how good Monster Hunter World looks in that context. As a first timer, however, I can say that i sat at my tv, stroking my chin and nodding as the gameplay trailer played. I have no clue what to expect, but I'll be keeping an eye on this.





2): Detroit: Become Human

I've been on the fence about Detroit: Become Human since it was revealed last year. I just can't have the same faith in David Cage since the travesty that was Beyond: Two Souls. However, the trailer at this year's E3 got my spirits up a little. If nothing else, it was a strong presentation that opened up with an android with a blinking bit on his temple smoothly singing a spiritual the likes of which slaves would have sung pre-abolition. There are literally no new stories to be told in the "are androids people or not?" genre, but it looks like Cage is set to try telling this story in a slightly new way.





1): Middle Earth: Shadow of War

Longtime readers may remember that I labeled Middle Earth: Shadow of Mordor the worst game of its year. I thought it was incredibly overrated, and it was just kind of a technical trash heap that had loading screens to get to and from the pause menu. It was also one of the ugliest games I'd played at the time, and the whole story reeked of fanfiction. However, from what I saw of Middle Earth: Shadow of War, things are turning around. At the very least, I highly doubt I'll have to wait for the pause menu to load with this one. Now, if they can just make it so that the equally overrated Nemesis system doesn't essentially amount to watching power struggles for minutes on end every time you die, I'll purchase a copy without delay.





Best in Show:





10): Spider-Man

Spider-Man's gameplay demo was a rare event in a setting like E3 in that certain aspects could have been staged, but if they were staged, they were staged so effectively that they blended seamlessly with the actual gameplay. It seems like the team behind this game is taking inspiration from Rocksteady's Arkham games, but they're doing so without giving up the more lighthearted nature of Spider Man. I'm not really a Spider Man fan myself, but I'm ready and willing to spend my money on this game when it comes out.





9): Ori and the Will of the Wisps

I never played Ori and the Blind Forest because I don't own an XBOX One nor do I use a windows machine. That's never stopped me from wanting to play it, however, and from what was shown of Ori and the Will of the Wisps, this will be no exception. The art looks stunning, the music was beautiful, and it looks like a powerful, wordless story. Here's hoping I can avoid totaling my car or breaking all my limbs so that I might be able to get my hands on an XBONE.





8): Far Cry 5

Normally a Far Cry game would be further up the list, but after seeing a little bit more of Far Cry 5, I'm a little bit more hesitant. I defended the game in my article, "The Far Cry 5 'Controversy'," and I can't help but feel like maybe I jumped in defense of the game's quality too soon. They have this brave new premise for conflict, but it doesn't look like they're doing anything new with it. That, and it looks like they're going to be putting a lot of the focus on the game's side characters, and...look, Far Cry, I love you and all, but you reaaaaaaaaallly don't wanna do that. To put it into context, it looks like you could be spending a lot of the game with characters who say such insightful and believable things as "Boom boom, motherf****rs." Side characters have never once been strong in a Far Cry game, so lord have mercy, let it just be like a Fallout 4 kind of optional companion system. I've spent this entire paragraph talking about how hesitant I am about Far Cry 5, but it still gets a spot here because its a new Far Cry and I'm still excited about it.





7): South Park: The Fractured But Whole

Had you offered me a copy of South Park: The Fractured But Whole this time last year, I would have bought it without a moment's hesitation. That still rings true today. I don't really have much more to say about it other than that it looks exactly as good as it did at last year's E3.





6): God of War

This year's demonstration for God of War did wonders for my doubts. As a God of War fan, it's great to see that this new installment remembers what made the original games good. The only reason God of War isn't further up this list is because while I liked what I saw, it still seemed a little clunky and a little less original.





5): Moss

Moss is one of the few games I actually got excited about, but the fact that it's a VR exclusive means that there'll probably be caveats. In Moss, you either play as or assist a cute little mouse in...stuff. Look, it looked really adorable and unique, and oh my goodness the mouse was just so cute. If I had a VR system, Moss would probably be a guaranteed purchase for me, because I hastily scribbled it's name in the "good" section of my notepad after it was shown.





4): CodeVein

I've been an outspoken opponent of anime for a very long time. I've always found it self-congratulatory and all flash with no substance...but lately, I've had my eyes opened a little more. Having now seen fantastic shows like Death Note, Your Lie in April, Clannad, and Clannad: Afterstory, I've come around to the idea that a good story or concept, one with depth and purpose in mind, can be enhanced by the anime art style. Very little was shown of CodeVein, but from what I saw, it feeds into this idea. A Dark Souls-esque action game rendered in the style of a 3D anime is an intriguing concept that I'm going to be keeping an eye on to learn more about.





3): Assassin's Creed: Origins

It appears that Ubisoft has finally realized that literally nobody in the entire world wants to play an Assassin's Creed game set in the recent past (with the possible exception of world war 2, which Ubisoft has said they don't want to do). With that in mind, they decided to once again seek out periods of history that we can really learn something from, periods of history with sights we might never see for ourselves. Ancient Egypt is an excellent location for an Assassin's Creed game, and even though it has the worst subtitle it could have possibly chosen, I look forward to spending time wading in the nile and bumping shoulders with the hebrews and the pharaohs.





2): The Last Night

Really, the way to go about talking about The Last Night is to just point you to the trailer, so I'll do that. Go and look for the trailer, and chances are you'll understand what I'm talking about. The Last Night just radiates intrigue with its interesting take on pixelated graphics and striking use of color and sound.

We now come to what I thought was the best product announced at E3...and also....to the moment where I have to confess to being a hypocrite.

I'm a hypocrite, and if you're a longtime reader, you'll see why....
















1): Metroid Prime 4

I spend so much time mercilessly making fun of fanboys (especially in the Nintendo sphere) and people who bank entirely on nostalgia, and yet when I heard about Metroid Prime 4, I found myself physically shaking from the excitement. I then looked at myself and thought, "I've become that which I despised so greatly." It was a truly humbling experience the likes of which not many people get to feel. Regardless, though, I have to be honest about my feelings. Metroid Prime is, in my opinion, the greatest science fiction game ever made. It was the first game that I ever truly loved, and it alone is responsible for my love of gaming. I even enjoyed Metroid Prime 2: Echoes and Metroid Prime 3: Corruption. Sure, they weren't as good, but the gameplay and joy of exploring deep science fiction environments never got old. 12-13 year old me would explore every single nook and cranny of the environments looking for extra little tidbits of the backstory or new things to scan in hopes of getting even more out of these games. Nintendo didn't really show anything of Metroid Prime 4, just an announcement that it was being made, but my weak, pitiful, fanboy self still started putting together a section in my monthly budget in the hopes of getting a Nintendo Switch (which I already tried to do, but there wasn't a single console within a 100-mile radius of my town. Way to go, Nintendo). I have high hopes for this game, and with the waves Nintendo has been making in the open world sphere with Breath of the Wild, I don't think I'll be disappointed.





Well folks, that's E3 2017 for you. My obligation is fulfilled. I hope you enjoyed your time here, and if you didn't, I can at least take some comfort knowing that it was both better than EA's conference and lasted longer than Bethesda's.