Though the countless number of leaks may have made the show feel less special, it doesn’t take away from the fact that several great games were shown off at this year’s conference.  Along with the Secret Thoughters, I’m proud to bring you the site’s first official best of the show presentation for E3 2018. Similar to how we’ve done articles like this in the past, if more than one person has the same game listed, only one of the editors will have a write up for it. I hope everyone reading this has enjoyed the work that’s gone up on the site and more importantly, I hope everyone had as much fun watching E3 as I personally did.

ChrisContinue’s Best of E3

Trying to take in as much of E3 from the comfort of my own home has, on one hand, been an absolute joy, but on the other has made creating this list nearly impossible. Every time I think I’ve got my top 3 figured out Game Informer would post a huge write up for Cyberpunk 2077 or I’d see yet another demo of Dreams, or I’d see gameplay for Resident Evil 2. Every time I jumped on Twitter or Youtube it just seemed like I had yet another great game staring me in the face. Somehow though, I managed to do the impossible and while it was painful to take games like Spider-Man and The Last of Us Part 2 off my list, I think I can comfortably say that what made it to my top 3 are all games that either caught me by surprise or somehow managed to exceed expectations that I didn’t think could be exceeded.

Cyberpunk 2077

It has been a very long time since I’ve found myself listening to and reading everything that the internet had to offer about a game that was strictly behind closed doors. Yes, the trailer looked amazing, but it wasn’t until information started flooding the tubes of the internet that I realized that Cyberpunk 2077 was, in fact, going to be the game that I wanted it to be. With the ability to create your own character and play in very distinct ways through leveling up your character or making story/dialogue choices that will allow players to tell their own story, this game sounds like the Blade Runner game I’ve always wanted. I told Secret Thoughter M that I would be willing to sacrifice at least one of his legs to watch this 50-minute demo and I still stand by that. He’s a designer after all. He doesn’t draw with his feet.

Assassin’s Creed Odyssey

I have not enjoyed an Assassin’s Creed game since Assassin’s Creed Brotherhood. That was eight years ago! So to say that I was surprised to come out of this E3 saying that I plan on buying Assassin’s Creed Odyssey day one is a bit of an understatement. While I liked the direction that Assassin’s Creed Origins was moving in, it wasn’t enough to get me back, but I could tell though, the franchise was definitely moving in a positive direction. And my assumption was proven correct with Odyssey’s reveal as Ubisoft showcased the now added on dialogue options to the game. Between the last installment including RPG elements (leveling up, different armor, and weapons) and now this including not only dialogue choices but what seems to be, a real option of crafting my own story (something I’m obviously very much into) Assassin’s Creed Odyssey easily has become one of my personal picks of the show.

Dying Light 2

Dying Light 2 caught me by such surprise that I went out and bought the original Dying Light. Sure, a lot of the features that I’m most excited about aren’t actually in the original game, but I still want to experience the game before the game. Dying Light 2 adding what is obviously one of my favorite features in gaming today and that’s choice. I love the idea of being confronted with a choice in a game and not only will it affect the story but it will actually impact what happens to the world that in which the story takes place. The thought that helping out one faction for a specific mission will change what an entire section of the city looks like sounds incredible. On top of that, not only will the visuals change but how the game itself plays will change. There’s one mission, in particular, that was shown off where players had the choice of either helping out The Peace Keepers or a group of bandits. Choosing to help out “The Peace Keepers” resulted in the city gaining free water. Suddenly the people of that area looked healthier and the player was now able to heal themselves at any water station. On top of that, they also cleaned up the city a little bit so being able to traverse the world was made easier. The tradeoff being that The Peace Keepers are maybe a bit over-bearing and might run the area with an iron fist, but hey, no one’s perfect. Helping the bandits made it so that water was sold on the black market and the city was run by thugs… at least you’re getting a cut of that water money though, am I right?!

Secret Thoughter M’s Best of E3

As an avid enjoyer of mostly all video games my best friend and I have followed E3’s yearly showcases since I could remember. This is no exception to this years. As we all sat dear eyed staring at our screens waiting for the first conference, the announcement of games kept flooding our brains with immense anticipation and an extreme desire to want more. This E3 seemed to contain two things: Innovation and Fast Approaching Release Dates. As someone who thinks of E3 as “The World’s Fair” of video games, I was a little let down at the future ideals of the business, but to argue with myself, I do enjoy knowing that the amazing footage and gameplay I saw throughout the conference will be accessible within a year’s time. I know that this most likely means that next year will contain more of “the future of gaming”, so I can comfortably leave thinking that it was a highly successful E3. Some of the conferences were a bit tough to watch due to some awkward moments, or a plea for some positive PR (EA…), but in the end, everyone brought some great games to the table that are set to be released sooner rather than later. After the last conference, I was able to pick a few games that I stayed with me and I’m more than excited to get my hands on.

The Last of Us Part 2

I remember in 2013 when The Last of Us was released for PS3. That first installment, the announcement, and the release were mouth-dropping from beginning to end. The sequel seems to be giving me the exact same feeling I had felt then. I’m overly astonished by the visuals I saw at the Sony conference as well as the gameplay and the seamlessness between actions. This game plays like something I would dream, except this game is actually coming out. I am counting down the days for the release of this game, and the release can’t come soon enough.

Division 2

Control

At first, after watching the original trailer, I was kind of taken aback by how interesting and unique this game looked. Not giving me much information to go on, my initial reaction was intrigue. After watching 10 minutes of gameplay, my intrigue has risen by 80%. I find the gameplay to be exactly as the trailer had shown, but the story (I prefer not to know) is still a mystery to me, but that mystery along with the style of the game, the fast pace action mechanics, and the setting being New York makes this game one of the tops on my E3 list.

Secret Thoughter J’s Best of E3

I don’t pay attention to E3 as much as I used to these days. Kids. Family. You know, the typical excuses. But this year, I paid much closer attention and truly felt excited. From Todd Howard’s Wal-Mart Canada jokes to Death Stranding literally leaving me with more questions than I had answers, this E3 was super fun to watch. Even more, while watching with friends 1300+ miles away. Video games make (and keep) some of the best bonds I’ve had with friends. And here’s my top 3 games that I’m super excited for (not looking at you DLC for Battlefront 2).

Forza Horizon 4

Back in the Xbox 360 days, I spent HOURS playing Test Drive Unlimited. And I’m not the biggest racing game fan ever, but the open world and randomly running into players and racing was an adrenaline rush for me. I fell in love. And now those feelings have come racing back (pun intended). You can buy houses and businesses according to the information I have come across, and that seems to really open a whole new aspect of racing gameplay to me. Stoked for this game.

Satisfactory

I would have never seen this game if it wasn’t for my main man, Secret Thoughter C, keeping me informed. This game blends No Man’s Sky with the building aspect of Rust, Ark, etc., from what I’ve seen in the trailer. That is crazy. If No Man’s Sky implemented a “build from scratch” system, I would have no need to play any other games. I hope this game lives up to the hype I personally feel for it.

 

Division 2

I spent many a night a night scouring the Dark Zone with my friends. Chasing down other players and getting into immense firefights really was a great time. And then I fell out of it. I don’t know why. But after seeing Division 2 trailer and gameplay, I’m definitely back on the bandwagon when this game releases. Solo? Boring. With a team of friends? Amazing.

Game of The Show

The Last of Us Part 2 did not make my (Chris) personal top 3 for a very specific reason and that’s because I don’t need to see any more from this game. Naughty Dog is one of the most talented studios in the entire industry. I have no reason to doubt them when it comes to how great The Last of Us Part 2 will be. Even with my comfort level being at an all-time high with this game, it doesn’t mean that they still don’t deserve to be recognized for their incredible work. Everything shown in the latest Last of Us Part 2 demo was masterful. The demo told a great story, it showed off just how brutal the world is, and it put on display the intense and fluid gameplay. Despite how great I think CyberPunk sounds or how much fun Dying Light 2 looks, it’s nearly impossible for me to wonder if any game has a chance of beating this out for Game of The Year whenever it releases. And with all of that being said, that is why it is my pleasure to announce that Thinks of a Thoughter’s first ever game of the show for E3 2018 is The Last of Us Part 2.