E3 is winding down to a close and we got a chance to see all of the press conferences on offer. And now that we’ve seen them, there’s one question on our minds: What is the best one? Well read on to find out.
Here are all of the E3 2017 press conferences ranked from worst to best.
See Also: E3 2018 Games
7. EA Play 2017
EA Play 2017 was watchable the same way Olive Garden is edible. Other than A Way Out and Star Wars Battlefront II, there really weren’t any stand out games. It didn’t help that every other game was a sports game. Also, their reliance on C and D-list YouTubers only served to alienate its audience with all their shouting. While the conference itself was polished, it just didn’t impress and I can barely remember half the games they showed off. It wasn’t bad by any means, but it wasn’t very good either. It was just… okay. But that won’t save it from getting last place in E3 2017.
6. Sony
Sony’s conference was much like last year’s even down to the live orchestral opening, and that’s both a good and bad thing. Many of the games shown were the exact same ones shown last year. The conference’s only saving grace was that the games featured did look very promising and we did get new information about how they’ll actually play. I also loved how each trailer was allowed to speak for itself without the constant marketing chatter spewing from executives’ mouths. Games like Spider-Man and Days Gone look genuinely fun to play and have neat twists on their otherwise tired gameplay mechanics to give it a fresh coat of paint. But while the games looked awesome, it looks like Sony is resting way too much on its laurels this time around. This is the last time they’ll be allowed to pull a show like this. Also, the sound guy needs a stern talking to.
5. PC Gaming Show
The PC Gaming Show offered a surprising number of games to get excited over. Griftlands, Ylands, Tunic, XCOM 2: War of the Chosen,, and of course Age of Empires Definitive Edition all look good and offer experiences that are definitely a bit out of the norm. Though it speaks volumes that a remaster is the most newsworthy thing to come out of a conference. Also, the constant interviews, while informative, slowed the conference to a crawl. I’m glad I sat through it, but they need to speed it up a bit and give us a few more heavy-hitters. At least it’s not three hours long.
4. Bethesda
Bethesda’s conference was just fun. The “Bethesdaland” aesthetic was a lovely touch and the pacing was very snappy. The games were not only heavy-hitters but just looked so enjoyable. I also loved the addition of the children of the game developers to remind us of the often ignored human element of game development. VR is a perfect fit for Fallout 4 and its not a bad addition for Doom. The Evil Within 2‘s trailer was delightfully unnerving and really demonstrated that they’re going all out for the sequel. But it was Wolfenstein II: The New Colossus that took the cake, offering a parody of Lassie as well as the trailer itself which was bloody, bloody fun. However, what mars the conference was that we didn’t get a whole lot of new games and most of it was either enhanced versions of old ones or ones we already knew about. Never the less, the genuine fun of the conference translated to the fun of watching all of the games.
3. Microsoft
Who knew Microsoft could beat Sony at E3? Not only that, but they have me tempted to buy an Xbox system. What a world we live in. But that’s thanks not just to the new Xbox One X which certainly has impressive stats despite its stupid name, but to the cornucopia of games on offer – 42 of them to be exact with 22 of them exclusives. The Last Night, The Artful Escape, Crackdown 3, Shift, Sea of Theives, Ori and the Will of the Wisps, and more all look fantastic. However, I got more excited about the multi-platform stuff like Assassin’s Creed Origins, Metro Exodus, and Anthem. But the thing about Microsoft’s conference is that it drowns the audience with all this talk of cores and liquid cooling and exclusivity and world premieres and dynamic dynamics. At the end of the day, it’s all just fluff appearing to sound cool when it really doesn’t mean anything. Also, they overcompensated with the number of games on offer, which dragged out the conference way too long. They should have just announced games throughout E3 instead of just this one conference. Microsoft’s press conference was certainly a roller coaster with all its dizzying heights and lows.
2. Ubisoft
I could just say “Beyond Good and Evil 2” here and be done with it, but I have plenty more to say. Ubisoft showed off so many other promising and brand new games this year that, while definitely in their wheelhouse of open world games, all look unique, vibrant, and fun. Games like Mario + Rabbids Kingdom Battle with its family-friendly XCOM gameplay and Starlink: Battle for Atlas with its physical ship figure building look so weird that they just have to work. And the conference itself was nicely paced without too many hiccups (though the Just Dance section did try a little too hard this time around). And of course Beyond Good and Evil 2 looks fantastic, taking quite a bit of a departure from the first game tonally but still retaining its adventurous spirit. I’m just so happy for people who have been waiting ages for the game. While there was still plenty of marketing speak that bogged thing down a tad, Ubisoft’s showing was still great and I can’t wait to play their games, which is a feeling I don’t get often.
But $800 for Assassin’s Creed is ridiculous.
1. Nintendo
(Screenshot by Jack Fennimore)
After a middling appearance at last year’s E3, Nintendo absolutely nailed it out of the park this year. Big game after big game was revealed, with favorites like Kirby and Yoshi on offer. And I’m so glad that were getting not one but two Metroid games in the future, with Metroid: Samus Returns looking especially promising. But it’s Super Mario Odyssey that’s my game of E3, offering a proper 3D Mario game with much-needed improvements, delightful new abilities, and what might just be Nintendo’s most impressive audiovisual presentation. As far as presentations go, Nintendo had the best one. The spotlight presentation gave us a tightly paced look at all of the game trailers and the Treehouse livestream gave us all the information we needed with nether one of them feeling bogged down. Most importantly, we got a view of genuine gameplay – none of the highly scripted vertical slices seen throughout E3. Nintendo proves that you don’t need executives in T-shirts and blazers, misleading trailers, and buzz word-filled drivel to get us excited. All you need are some good games and some gameplay to give us an actual reason to get hyped, and that’s why Nintendo wins E3 2017.