Final Thoughts on E3 2015

27 June 2015

Firstly, here are some games I'm surprised we didn't see at E3 (live on stage anyway):

• Drawn to Death, the next game by David Jaffe, as from the last footage I saw it looked near completion. Apparently this was playable on the show floor but still no idea on a release window.
• The next Ratchet & Clank, which is now famous for being a game based on a movie, based on a game. This reboot does look very cool from trailers I've seen elsewhere.
• Scalebound, the next epic monster fighting RPG was shown off at Microsoft at last year's E3. It was only a CGI trailer back then so I expected to see progress this year - but the game wasn't even mentioned.
• Criterion's untitled stunt game, which despite hearing absolutely nothing about since the previous E3, I'm still very excited for.
• And lastly the next God of War, which we know is in development but I guess much too early to talk about let alone show any footage.

Overall I think E3 2015 wasn't what many people were expecting. A heavy focus on games from all conferences and not much at all on VR, especially at Sony. Microsoft and Sony also seemed to focus more on their existing fanbase. Microsoft showed off their very strong first party line-up with the new Halo, Gears, Forza etc. and the backwards compatibility is a huge incentive for Xbox 360 owners. Sony of course had its big hitter with Uncharted 4, but had so many surprises to long-time Playstation fans with The Last Guardian, the Final Fantasy VII remake, and Shenmue III. Neither company will likely win fans over from the rival console as the games coming soon are largely a continuation of the core console exclusives that fanboys love.

So the big question is, as always, who won E3?

For me it has to be Bethesda. High quality games, not quantity, slick presentations and game of the show. All from a newcomer to E3 is a pretty awesome feat. Everyone thought their game lineup was set in stone too. With Doom, Dishonored 2, Elder Scrolls Online, and Fallout 4 either with trailers already published or the game heavily rumoured. But Fallout Shelter really was one of the best surprises of this year's E3, and impeccably presented by Todd Howard.

He commanded the stage throughout and had everyone watching gripped to their seats and screens. I loved one of his opening lines describing E3 - "The world's best week of entertainment ever". For a gamer it really is. Additionally he, along with gameplay from both Fallout titles, provided the most comedy out of all the conferences by far. Usually attempted comedy on an E3 stage equals cringe (as was the case with EA) but the difference here was the gameplay driving the laughs.

Fallout 4 wins my game of the show, and I can't wait to dive into that post-apocalyptic world in mid November, and truly realise why so many gamers love the series.