All the pre-E3 shows are done. What did you think of them? Here are my verdicts:
EA: 4/10.
The 30-minute-per-game format was an epic failure. Only six games, some of which felt too stretched out, and the waiting between games was unacceptable. Star Wars: Jedi Fallen Order looked promising. Apex Legends Season 2 looked like nice improvements. Battlefield V was maps, maps, and more maps. FIFA's Volta looked fun, but the rest was just talking and talking about incremental improvements - and Rio Ferdinand. Urgh. Madden? More talking about incremental improvements. The Sims 4: Island Living looked like a solid bunch of content, but it was not the big finish the show needed. And Greg, please stop shouting. Seriously. Only credit I can give was for the focus on actual gameplay instead of bullshit trailers. Mixed bag of mixed bags, and overstayed its welcome.
Xbox: 7/10.
Generally solid show. Lots of games to show, yet nicely paced and not overstuffed. Highlights were Jedi Fallen Order, Cyberpunk 2077, Ori and the Will of the Wisps, Psychonauts 2, Flight Simulator, Elden Ring (From Software + George R.R. Martin collab), Gears of War 5 and Phantasy Star Online 2. The one big announcement was Project Scarlett next-gen console, and that Halo Infinite will be its launch title. Not sure if Halo is the same console seller it used to be, but cool nonetheless. Game Pass on PC looks very tempting. Most of the games were already announced or released, and would have liked more actual gameplay. Keanu Reeves in Cyberpunk 2077 made my day.
Bethesda: 4/10.
A right mess of a show. Seems like they tried the slow start, big finish again like last year, but they stretched out the start too long and didn't have enough finish. Too many mobile games. It's like Bethesda are turning to NetEase West or something. Fallout 76 getting NPCs, dialogue trees and a Battle Royale mode. Yup, GOTY right there. Rage 2 getting stuff. Wolfenstein: Youngblood got a release date. Shinji Mikami's Ghostwire Tokyo and Arkane's Deathloop did look interesting, but not enough to go on. Finally, Doom Eternal was... ...Doom, which was great. What else is there to say? Wished that could have been half the show instead.
PC Gaming Show: 7/10.
Solid, solid show. So many good stuff. Highlights were Vampire The Masquerade: Bloodlines 2, Chivalry 2, Age of Wonders: Planetfall, Planet Zoo, Shenmue III, Vermintide 2 Versus update, Borderlands 3, Maneater and Baldur's Gate III. Lots of sweet looking indies laced in there as well. Pacing was decent; gave all the games enough time to shine without slowing down the show. Strong start, then tailed off a bit. Baldur's Gate III wasn't the big finish I expected, but still appreciated the guys coming to talk about it. Tim Sweeney showing up to a hail of boos would have been the icing on the cake, but I guess we can't have everything. Still, thoroughly enjoyed it.
Ubisoft: 3/10.
The one-game show. Watch Dogs Legion looked crazy ambitious... ...and that was about it. Roller Champions looked alright. Gods & Monsters was too little of a tease, and what was shown looked like a Breath of the Wild rip-off. The rest of the show was just updates to their live service games, Ghost Recon Breakpoint trailers, a spin-off from a Rainbow Six Siege game mode, cringey Just Dance musical number, and a Tom Clancy mobile game with Sam Fisher. There it is, your new Splinter Cell game. Worth every penny of the $15/month subscription service, that. The least said about the sitcom and the movie, the better. When your best moment was Jon Bernthal's dog, you know you've f***ed up.
Square Enix: 8/10.
Now this is how you do an E3 show. Final Fantasy VII Remake looked great, and they showed Tifa at her best. Outriders looked intriguing, but nothing else to go on. Marvel's Avengers closed the show strongly with great-looking gameplay. Still not sure about it being a live service game, but the promise of more Avengers like Hank Pym tantalises. There was also a slew of other announcements and trailers, most of them RPGs - if Square Enix doubles down as the "RPG Company," I will not complain one bit. Final Fantasy XIV expansion and The Last Remnant and Final Fantasy VIII remasters round out a thoroughly great show. Well done Square Enix.
Nintendo: 8/10.
A delightful mix of everything. Lots of games to show, decent amount of gameplay, and even a few pleasant surprises. Highlights were Dragon Quest XI, Luigi's Mansion 3, Link's Awakening remake, Fire Emblem: Three Houses, No More Heroes III and Marvel Ultimate Alliance 3. Animal Crossing getting delayed was a bit of a downer, but the game looked nice. Astral Chain looked properly sweet. Smash Ultimate also got cool Dragon Quest XI and Banjo Kazooie crossovers. A Fire Emblem-style Dark Crystal game and somehow cramming The Witcher 3 into the Switch were pleasant surprises. The big finish with the Breath of the Wild sequel sealed the deal. Doug Bowser's E3 debut was appropriately cute. Awesome show.
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