I'm a simple man. Provide some hype announcements with some unexpected surprises, don't screw up your gameplay demos and don't go too long in between trailers. If you do that then I'll be a fan of your conference.
EA, Microsoft, and Bethesda all did that this weekend (those are the three conferences I cared about), and while EA had multiple hosts and interviews, they showed enough of Fallen Order and revealed NCAA teams in Madden 20 that made me forgive them. Microsoft talked a lot during their conference but one of the speakers was Keanu Reaves and their other big announcements were surrounding Gears 5 and Project: Scarlett.
Let's start on Saturday though with the EA: State of Play!
EA did what they're supposed to on Saturday! They showed off 15 minutes of Jedi: Fallen Order and the game looked even better than I hoped it would! I had confidence in Respawn as a developer and their ability to make a great Star Wars game, I'm just happy to have my faith rewarded. This game looks like a combination of Arkham Knight with Uncharted and that is the perfect game for me!
That was about all I thought was significant on Saturday besides EA announcing that 10 NCAA teams will be in Madden 20. It's a step in the right direction towards the return of NCAA Football, but I have a bad feeling the game will just feel like an NFL video game with college jerseys on. I want a game that feels like college. I want to run the triple option on offense and actually have it work!
Microsoft, taking the place of Sony as the biggest company at E3, came to play and didn't hold back.
Their biggest reveals to me were: Elden Ring
This game basically confirms that George R.R. Martin will never finish the ASOIAF books since he's an executive producer on this game.
Cyberpunk 2077
The Keanu reveal rivaled the 2016 God of War E3 reveal moment in terms of crowd reactions. I loved it and then having Keanu on stage made everyone ever crazier!
Outer Worlds.
This game looks like Fallout in space. I'm all in. We saw a teaser for this at the Game Awards in December, but seeing actual gameplay and open world elements confirmed that this is a game for me.
Dragon Ball Z: Kakarot.
I thought the name and gameplay reveal was really great! The game looks like it's a semi open-world version the Dragon Ball world. My hope for this game is that it's basically a massive, better version of Legacy of Goku. This game has the potential to be one because it looks like it knows what it wants to be. It isn't trying to fit an RPG and a fighting game into one like Xenoverse. It also looks to be a truly faithful recreation of the anime.
Ori and the Will of the Whisps.
This game looks stunning and beautiful in every way. We also got a release date. Finally! The art style of this game is truly unique am in awe every time I see this game on screen.
Age of Empires: II, Remastered.
This remaster looks even better than I would have hoped for! This is a must grab for any Age of Empires fan. The release date is tough because it comes out in the middle of a lot of other games, but I think a lot of the fans buying Age of Empires II won't be as interested in other titles.
Twelve Minutes.
Tense, scary, and quick. This game looks like an intimate, contained version of Edge of Tomorrow. I love the concept of reliving one day over and over again with the intention of trying to save a loved one.
Way to the Woods.
Look how adorable these deer look! I'm all in on bashing vending machines with my antlers! The art style was also beautiful and the music was great.
Finally, it wouldn't be Microsoft E3 without Halo.
Halo: Infinite (running presumably on Xbox: Scarlett) looked realer than real life. The detail on Chief's suit and the shading combined with the lighting in space, that game is set to be the most beautiful game of our generation.
While I was mainly interested in these games, there were dozens of other games that I'm not interested in but still looked incredible. Gear 5 looked unreal, Fallout 76 seems to be correcting the course, Elders Scrolls Online is still humming along, and Doom Eternal is going to be even better than the first Doom (2016).
Forza Horizon Four: Legos also looks like a fun new iteration of Forza, and all of the Lego Star Wars games being released together in one game is something I've been waiting for since the new sequel movies (7-9) were released.
E3 has kicked off and there will be plenty more announcements and full in-depth gameplay displays throughout the week. For more analysis and reactions be sure to check back here!