E3 2016 has officially wrapped up, so while we members of the press emerge bleary eyed from a week of covering each and every new game that emerged from the LA expo, it’s time to reflect upon which of the newly announced titles left the most significant impression upon us.
Both Sony and Microsoft held similarly impressive press conferences this year (though we preferred one slightly more than the other, as outlined here), while Nintendo’s lengthy demonstration of The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild made us almost forget that the company had decided not to debut their new NX console at the event for inexplicable reasons. It was an exciting week filled with things we couldn’t wait to throw our money at, but some of those things demanded our cash a little bit more than their peers.
With that being said, here are the top 10 best games of E3 2016:
Top 10 Best Games of E3 2016
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10. God of War
God of War or, as we have previously branded it, Bad Dad Simulator 2016, is an odd deviation for the famed series, with it serving as a reboot that appears to replace the combo-driven action of the original trilogy with a more methodical and story-focused experience. How well this works will be thoroughly dependent upon how much we care about Kratos and his family issues, but in a Sony press conference that featured many surprises, this ranked high atop the list.
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9. Forza Horizon 3
The Forza Horizon series has always essentially been Forza Motorsport but for people who don't necessarily have a hot flush every time they see a hubcap, with it providing an authentic driving experience that also foregoes several simulation features in favor of focusing upon racing at a breakneck pace. The debut footage of Forza Horizon 3 was gorgeous, with the game set to offer a more diverse selection of vehicles and a focus upon off-road driving across an array of idyllic locations.
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8. Inside
An upcoming indie game from Limbo creators PlayDead, Inside is a puzzle platformer with a similar monochromatic visual style to the studio's previous game, though with fewer giant spiders and more grotesque human experimentation. It looks creepy as hell, and as the most heavily promoted independent release during Microsoft's E3 2016 press conference (alongside the similarly unsettling We Happy Few), it also ranks around the top of our list of Xbox One games we cannot wait to get our hands on.
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7. Titanfall 2
The original Titanfall heralded in a new breed of FPS, focusing more upon verticality than boots-on-the-ground action. Although Call of Duty attempted to emulate its wall-running gameplay, it never managed to better Respawn Entertainment's first crack at the whip, though Titanfall's lack of content ultimately let it down. Titanfall 2 looks to rectify this, introducing a single-player story campaign alongside a robust multiplayer offering that features new additions such as a grapple hook and mech melee combat. With its release window positioned alongside Battlefield 1, it's got a difficult task ahead of it if it wants to best EA's other blockbuster FPS release, but all signs point to it being a major improvement over its predecessor and the game that many hoped the first Titanfall would be.
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6. Resident Evil 7: Biohazard
Resident Evil 7: Biohazard makes a drastic but completely necessary departure for Capcom's dwindling series, returning to its survival horror roots but with an added emphasis upon terrifying players. Opting for first-person scares over a static or third-person viewpoint, we're still not really sure whether or not Resi 7 even features zombies, given that its trailer and subsequent PlayStation Plus demo placed a focus upon a The Ring-esque ghost girl. Either way it finally makes Resident Evil look terrifying again, and this time it even seems to feature voice acting and dialogue that doesn't make us want to rip off our own ears.
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5. Battlefield 1
Battlefield 1's showing at E3 2016 was one of the highlights of EA's time at the expo, with DICE's World War I squad-based shooter shaping up very nicely. Though its gameplay demo was something of a fever dream, with YouTubers going toe-to-toe with the likes of Terry Crews and Snoop Dogg in battle, it looks like a dream come true for those hoping the series would stray from its modern military setting.
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4. Spider-Man
Spider-Man has had a varied history when it comes to video games. Though Spider-Man 2 is widely regarded as one of the best movie tie-in games ever, subsequent attempts to recapture this magic have proven mostly fruitless. However, Insomniac's PS4 exclusive Spider-Man game could well give spider-fans something to smile about once again, with its reveal trailer revealing a beautiful Manhattan skyline to web sling through and explosive action set-pieces. We know very little about it at the time of writing, but with the rumor that Marvel is looking to build a superhero video game universe in the same vein as its movies, we couldn't be more excited to see more of Insomniac's take on everybody's favorite neighborhood Spider-Man.
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3. Dishonored 2
A bunch of gameplay footage from Dishonored 2 was unveiled at E3 2016, showcasing the abilities of the game's two selectable protagonists. Interestingly, publishers Bethesda have positioned it for a November release, signalling that it is the company's flagship release of the year despite the original game being something of a sleeper hit. The snippets of in-game footage offered up to us at E3 2016 looked tremendous, retaining the gruesome assassinations of the first game but now placing players in the shoes of new protagonist Emily Kaldwin. She looks badass, the game looks badass, and we know that we'll feel badass for playing it. Badass.
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2. Death Stranding
Though we received no information about this upcoming Hideo Kojima game aside from its odd teaser trailer, that was enough to get our collective hearts racing. After departing from Konami, Kojima has now set out on his own two feet alongside actor Norman Reedus, who is joining the developer in collaboration once again as the star of whatever Death Stranding turns out to be. The trailer featured a naked Reedus, a disappearing baby, dead whales and floating humans. We have no idea either, but we can't wait.
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1. The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild
Considering that Nintendo dedicated almost their entire E3 2016 presence to previewing The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild, it was inevitably going to be an impressive game. However, coming away from the expo it seems even more likely that Nintendo have created what could very well be the best Zelda of all time, combining the enduring qualities of the iconic franchise with more modernized gameplay to produce an engrossing combination of the old and the new. Though Nintendo may not have had as barn-storming a presentation as either Sony or Microsoft, they certainly had the best game up their sleeves.
