Well I know E3 has been done for about 2 weeks now, but it was a lot of information to process. So first before I go any further to the probable 2 whole people reading my blog I am sorry for the late post, but I really had to gather all the information together because again it was a lot to soak in! Having not gone this year I did watch all conferences as they streamed on either Twitch™ or IGN, and watched all available trailers and information as it became available. Here’s hoping I get to go next year!

Now that we got that out of the way let me start by saying that this years E3 was fantastic! I would probably even go so far as to say it was one of the best in years because not to toot my own horn as predicted it was ALL about the games! Now I wrote the blog about not even being day 1 and how amazing of a start it was. So not gonna regurgitate the same stuff I have already stated.  Let me get to the meat of the show and dive full in by listing the E3 games that took us by storm this year and my games of the show. While not all games I will sit and mention in great length and detail I will again reitirate that this was all about the games this year! So much so that I had reserved literally about $200 dollars worth of reserves at GameStop, which as I list the the games I will provide links so that you too can also reserve these titles if available before time runs out so without further stalling here are the top games I seen at E3 :

 

Best Xbox Exclusive Game :

 

 

Sunset Overdrive
(Insomniac Games) Release: 10/28/2014

Runner Up:

Ori and the Blind Forest
(Moon Studios) Release: TBA

This one was really really really tough. Microsoft’s show while enjoyable I could not really shake the feeling that it could have done better. I digress though. Sunset Overdrive third person shooter from the legendary studio that brought us Ratchet & Clank. The game looks first of absolutely gorgeous. When I first saw the trailer at last years E3 I thought this game would be something to look out for but actually seeing the game-play footage and the slew of weapons that you will be able to use. The game play looks like the GTA style sandbox game but its really has emphasis on speed and jump and grinding on power lines and rails. Cover does not seem to be an option in this game, along with a huge 8 player multi-player seems like one of the games that is going to define the Xbox One. The runner up was this beautiful Xbox exclusive game Ori and the Blind Forest. As soon as I watched the trailer for this game I was absolutely mesmerized by the beautiful graphics. The game play is a puzzle platform type with what seems to have a beautiful story to match its graphical style. I had a hard time deciding between Sunset Overdrive and Ori and the Blind Forest. Reason I went for Sunset Overdrive because it will definitely be released this year will Ori is still to be announced, so thats why I gave it the runner up title.

 

Best PlayStation Exclusive Game:

 

 

No Mans Sky

(Hello Games) Release: TBA

Hands down Sony blew me away this year as much if not more then Nintendo, now while No Mans Sky is yet to have a release date it did have a playable demo at the show. And I am sorry this game looks absolutely Amazing! The game is about adventure, survival, exploration, and did I mention that it is literally endless. The developers promise that every game is going to be different for every player that no 2 worlds where you start will be alike. This is a huge promise and I do hope that Hello Games can produce on this one. The exploration aspect seems astonishing. The fact that you can truly explore a world find resources for trade and barter. I forgot to mention that your a space explorer and you have a ship. The part of the game I am looking forward to is the Dog fighting space travel Star Wars feel that you hop into your ship and fly to any system to explore. Its in the first person also to really give you the depth that you are this character and doing the exploration. This is why I had no problems picking this game as the perfect PlayStation Exclusive. I know some people would say pick Destiny or The Order 1886 or even Bloodborne, but this game I feel is whats gonna really just blow everyone away at its release.

 

Best Nintendo Exclusive Game:

 

 

Hyrule Warriors
(Omega Force, Team Ninja) Release: September 26, 2014

 

Super Smash Bros. Wii U & 3DS
(Bandai Namco Games) Release: Wii U: Q4 2014 3DS: October 3, 2014

What can I say Nintendo I would give them all game of show, and all the awards on the face of the planet, but I gotta be fair here. This one I could not just choose one so it had to be a tie between what the new Legend of Zelda IP Hyrule Warriors and Super Smash Bros. for both the Wii U & 3DS. Super Smash Bros. was the star of Nintendo’s lineup. They had a huge tournament for the game and from what I have seen from the Showroom floor it was marketed everywhere. I dunno what I can really say about Smash Bros. other than…Its freaking Smash Bros! The core mechanics of the game haven’t really changed too too much from platform to platform starting from the N64 to the Wii. Granted the character roster, the trophies, stages, and graphic have always been tweaked from platform to platform. What I love most is that they are actually bringing back the Nintendo GameCube controller! Just goes to show you GameCube was the superior system! The thing that definetely blew me away though was the introduction of Pac-Man! I honestly did not see that coming, so now you can have an old school showdown of Pac-Man vs. Mario vs. Sonic vs. Mega Man. It is just bad ass. Where I am really going to focus on is at no surprise to anyone is Hyrule Warriors. I am very very excited for this title. I kind of went over my excitement in my previous entry so not gonna beat a dead horse to death. The game has just this certain appeal, its mostly because its a new Legend of Zelda title but because its bringing a new spin to a classic franchise. I can’t wait to bring the massive scale of Hyrule to my Wii U, hack and slash Moblins and other forces of evil in a grand scale and not only play as the main Hero Link but as Zelda, Impa, and a slew of other recently announced characters.

 

Best Multiplatform Game :

 

 

Alien:Isolation
(SEGA) Release: October 7, 2014   Consoles : PS3 , PS4, Xbox 360, Xbox One, & PC

Lots of games to really choose from in this category, it was a real twister because what I really saw this year was a lot of Multiplatform games however it was mostly a peeing competition with Sony and Microsoft because there was going to be exclusive content to each system so I really didn’t want to pick one console over the other when it came to games like Batman: Arkham Knight which has supposedly more exclusive items to PS4, Destiny where each console was getting different content, and even Dragon Age: Inquisition which is getting exclusive Xbox One content. So I decided to go with Alien: Isolation. I know what most people are thinking, the Alien franchise as far as video games are concerned have a very long track history of being absolute god awful pieces of crap. However this looks like the Alien game we have been so desperately waiting for. The game takes place before the events of Aliens and you play as Ripleys daughter trying to solve the mystery of her mothers disappearance.  This game looks absolutely horrifyingly scary. This looks like its really bring back the suspense of the survival Horror genre. The Xenomorph (The Alien) can literally be very unpredictable, your going to be spending most of your time trying to hide and at all cost avoid the Xenomorph who can crawl through vents the ceiling and is just a hunting killing machine. If the Xenomorph wasn’t enough there are more then just Aliens to fear aboard. My only fear with this game is that what they are showing is always as “A Work in Progress” and that it will not live up to what we have been expecting. mostly because of the horrible lawsuit that followed Colonial Marines. If they can produce what they have shown so far it should be an amazing game for not only the franchise but for the survival horror genre.

 

With so many games to choose from this year was a real nail bitter and while I wish I could give awards in every category and say how great everything is that would take WAY TO LONG… This year was all about the games. This is all leading up to and with out further ado I bring you my E3 :

Game of Show :

 

Evolve
(Turtle Rock) Release: October 21, 2014   Consoles : PS4, Xbox One, & PC

Now I know what some people are thinking, that why didn’t I choose a Nintendo Game? Why didn’t I choose maybe an RPG or an Adventure Game? Why is it that FPS always seem to win game of show? Did you sell out Keith?

Well let me say that this game looks absolutely sick! I picked this game because of it originality and because this is what Next Generation is!  It is like Monster Hunter Ultimate on Steroids, Crack, and Viagra all at the same time. Made by the Legendary Team who brought us Left 4 Dead comes Evolve. Evolve is a first person shooter but there is a twist to it. It is a 4 player vs. 1 Player game. You can play as either the one of 4 classes of Hunter either a Trapper, Medic, Assault, or Support or even play as the Monster that is being hunted. I think this game not only looks beautiful but plays insanely. The goal is if your the hunters to take out the monster and if your the monster take out the Hunters. If that wasn’t enough though you got a giant rampaging ever upgradeable monster to deal with but you gotta deal with different elements of the game such as just the surrounding where a rock isn’t really a rock but some monster ready to tear you to shreds! It is really help defining the new age of multiplayer that you see in games like Monster Hunter. You can upgrade your character or monster as playing through as the game progresses. The game seems fast pace strategic and over all just a leap forward for the next generation consoles. This is the game to watch out for!!

 

In conclusion, I know I left out a lot of games that either flew to under the radar like Tales of Xillia 2 or Kingdom Hearsts HD 2.5 ReMix  or games that are so in your face like Rainbow Six Siege or Mortal Kombat X. I think this years E3 was one of the best by far. Two things I seen shine at this years E3 was that independent studios are finally getting the recognition and time of day they so richly deserve because a lot of these games aren’t made with Millions dollar budgets but can contest with the best and biggest Studios out there.  Secondly the war has really begun with the exclusive content to different systems. I dunno how I feel about this, because its really forcing me to buy multiple copies of the same goddamn game. Which is what companies want for you to spend money!  I digress…I wish I really had more to really write about all the games I didn’t get to talk about but then again I am just one man and these are the games that stood out to me the most. These are my opinions. And while I reserved more then just the games listed above this is really only the tip of the iceberg. I look forward to the next few months as these amazing titles are released!

-Keith