Now that we all have had time to digest everything that E3 (and Youtubers @ E3) threw our way, it is now time for me to attempt at writing a piece “objectively”. This style of writing, especially with regards to E3, is a paradox in and of itself. A definition of ‘objective’ from Lexico.com, powered by Oxford, is (of a person or their judgement) not influenced by personal feelings or opinions in considering and representing facts. To begin with, anytime that you have to state “of a person or their judgement”, it is always subjective. Plus, after all those E3 2019 conferences and live gameplays, and hours of marketers telling me why I should be hyped for their upcoming games, holy shit, of course I’m going to have opinions and personal feelings about them! It’s instinctive. But, you know, I’m still going to give it the old college try.

If you’ve had a chance to read my previously posts, you’ll know that this is the first E3 that I followed almost all in real-time (as in I had them in the background of my laptop while I was working or studying. I wish I was there.) Despite overwhelming opinions that E3 2019 was a transitional year, where developers are awaiting the release of the next generation of consoles, I completely AGREED, LOL. 7/10 (I honestly was going to give this E3 a 10/10, but after the analysis I presented below, I’d have lost all credibility. Not that I had any to begin with.)

MY GOD WERE THESE CONFERENCES DRAGGED OUT WAY LONGER THAN NECESSARY. And post-reactions from the internet only reaffirms the boredom I felt.

8. Electronic Arts (EA)

To start, Electronic Arts (EA) LOVES doing their own thing a few days before E3. You can say, however, that it is kind of a genius move. By doing so, they are able to take advantage of the hype surrounding E3 2019 and use it as free marketing. While they weren’t the first to present this year (as Stadia stole their annual E3 MO by staging their first Stadia Connect two days before EA’s livestream), this strategy was still definitely effective. Since EA has taken a lot of hits from gamers over the last half-decade due to their excessive incorporation of pay-to-win, micro-transaction gameplay, I was especially hyped for their show this year. Yes, I was excited for the next single player, adventure set in the Star Wars universe. But mostly, I was excited to see how EA were going to reimagine themselves as game developers, and how they are going to apologize to EA fans after years of disappointment (most notably, the company brought home Worst Company Of The Year “achievement” in 2012 and 2013 from The Consumerist.) Thank god they started out with Jedi: The Fallen Order (that was really the only game that I, and probably 97% of gamers floating in that live chat, cared about.) Many people weren’t too impressed with what they were shown. Me, I was blown away. I believe that this next Star Wars game will go down in history, alongside its predecessor Star Wars: Knights Of The Old Republic and The Force Unleashed, as one of the best, if not THE BEST, Star Wars game of all time. This could be the Star Wars:13/13 that we were promised, but never given. Mark my words (I will probably regret saying that too.) The next 2 hours and 40 something minutes was dreadful. I just did not care. Overall, I don’t think the games they presented were awful in any way. I mean it was the usual EA (i.e. Madden 20, FIFA 20) with the reintroduction of the Sims 4, I guess? Please let me know if people are still playing Sims 4, nowadays. Really, please. I need to know. Where was I, right. They brought 6 games to show. SIX, over the span of almost 3 hours … that’s just TOO long, EA. You’re not Nintendo, and even they had 22 games prepared and presented in under an hour. If you’re trying to pull a Nintendo, EA. You’re failing at it.

7. Ubisoft

Ubisoft showed off gameplay footage of the next Watch Dogs game, Watch Dogs: Legion. Unfortunately, I have yet to play Watch Dogs, and I’m probably not going to anytime soon. Don’t get me wrong, the prospect of being a hacker in modern day London is more than intriguing enough, I just simply don’t have enough time as a fan of (JRPG) games that are usually upwards of 100+ hours long. Then, they introduced a bunch of small add-on features for various games and like a gazillion different Tom Clancy’s games, which then got them this spot on my list (I care very little for shooters, but hey, at least I rated Ubi above EA.)

6. Bethesda

Bethesda was in full apology mode this year, and it is totally understandable. After their massive buggy launch failure that is Fallout 76 in November 14th of 2018, these developers have been bending over backward to amend their reputation. Included in their hour and a half presentation were 4 different “together” and “thank you to the players” videos, which made for extremely cheesy, but totally laughable moments. Because when I think about it, when talking about Fallout 76, Bethesda kept reinforcing the fact that they have an amazing active player-base. Which got me thinking, who’s still playing Fallout 76? Either, Bethesda is exaggerating to make themselves look better, or my Fallout-enthusiast, close friend is just too ashamed to admit that he still plays Fallout 76. Either are hilarious, but the former is definitely more realistic than the later. Following Fallout 76 was the announcement that The Elder Scrolls: Blades was coming to the Switch. A game so poorly balanced (combined with repetitive gameplay mechanics) that I deleted off my phone within 48 hours, even though I had access to it months before any of my friends did (and trust me, I am someone who will not only brag about early access, which clearly I am still doing, but also take advantage of it to get ahead of my friends). Deleting an opportunity like that only equates to how poorly I thought of the game. Through all of this Bethesda nightmare, however, shines one the of brightest star of E3 2019, creative director of Ghost Wire:Tokyo, Ikumi Nakamura. Oh my god, not only was it refreshing to see a woman of color, who is directing the creative process of the game, but Ikumi was also extremely real, and energetic. A much needed boost to Bethesda’s overall conciliatory vibe. If you’re dying tomorrow, it is only more of a reason for you to click on that video below, and see her in action. She’s great.

Jesus christ, that was so depressing talking about those losers. They get more views apparently though. But wait no longer, because here is the reasons why I FUCKING LOVE E3 2019!

5. Stadia

Having already written quite a bit on Google’s next big thing, Stadia, when the first Connect aired, I will focus more about my thoughts on how competitive it might be, post E3 2019. Having watched their Connect video few days before the flock of E3 presenters, I was extremely curious to see whether Stadia had their footings in the upcoming games. Especially since they showcased Destiny 2, Assassin’s Creed: Odyssey (giving off a vibe that you could only play simply dated games), I was a little skeptical about how successful Stadia would be. Much to my surprise, they actually completed deals with developers of upcoming, late 2019, early 2020 games. (I know, I really should have seen that coming. I really need to rethink how much of a downer I am, sometimes.) According to 9to5google.com, alongside the 30 or so games that were shown during their Connect event, Square Enix new IP, Marvel’s Avengers will be joining Gods and Monsters on Stadia. Together with Borderlands 3, Just Dance 2020 and Watch Dogs: Legion, Stadia has definitely emerge from that fresh of the boat kid, to an up-and-coming young player in the gaming industry, that the three pillars of gaming (Nintendo, Microsoft, and Sony) need to watch out for. The only reason that they are the “worst” winner of E3 2019 is sincerely because I have yet to see their technology function, on a large scale. The question of how long it will take for Stadia to function seamlessly, remain to be discover.

4. Microsoft

Microsoft’s performance at E3 2019, honestly, disappointed me. This was the only conference that I had a chance to watch with a friend of mine, who is also quite passionate about video games. As the screen turned black, he turned to me and said “I want them to impress me”. “Yeah,” I thought to myself. Sony opted out of E3 this year, for a no apparent reason. If there was ever a hint of doubt in my mind about Sony, Microsoft could cast it right here. I thought they’d had gone with a sure banger like Cyberpunk 2077 from the start, but The Outer Worlds intrigued me nonetheless. Unfortunately, following that was a game that reminded me of my certain distaste for Microsoft exclusive, Bleeding Edge. Now, it certainly looks like a good game. It’s just not my type of game. From the animation, to the fact that is a mixture of close-combat and battle royal just send chills up my spine. No, thank you. Another 15 goes by and OMG, WHERE IS CYBERPUNK 2077?! My patience was running thin. What triggered me even more is the lack of additional gameplay that we were given at Microsoft’s conference this year. I mean, COME ON. Yes, the footage you shown last year was 45 minutes long, but CD Projekt also went ahead to say that the game has changed drastically since that demo. Like cool, you got Keanu Reeves. I’m not sure how I’d feel about having Keanu in my ears, Joker to Batman in Batman: Arkham Knight style. The rest of the show was kind of average, with a few high points such as Elden Ring, and Tales of Arise. I wanted them to be better. While it would have taken a lot to shaken my belief in Sony, I still wanted Microsoft to sway me a little. And they just felt flat.

3. Square Enix

These guys are the real winners of E3 2019, in my opinion. But hey, I’m trying to be objective here, so I think this is a realistic spot for them. As a true fan boy of the Square Enix, I was easily amused when they started their show with Final Fantasy VII: Remake. A topic in which I have previously dove into so I will refrain from doing so here. I’m still drooling over Tifa guys. I mean, they even have an Ethics Department at Square Enix to make sure that Tifa’s chest isn’t unrealistic. Thank you, Square. I appreciate that. She’s even more bae now. But I had to stop dreaming at some point. Looking back, that was the only bright spot for me. KH3: Remind was alright. It was honestly hard to get too excited about this DLC with how little I know about it. And don’t even get me started on Square Enix’s Marvel The Avengers. Yes, the cinematic trailer was incredible. Why didn’t they show us more gameplay though? That made me feel like they had something to hide. And come on Square, I hate doubting you. Don’t let me doubt you. At least, it looks like you’re not going to mess up Final Fantasy VII. And for that, I thank you. Just please, don’t make me regret my words. It’d be heart breaking to stop loving you.

2. Nintendo

As I was watching this conference, a reality smacked me across my face. I am just not that big of a Nintendo fan. Yes, they had the best conference out of everyone else by far. Not only did they keep it short and sweet, they were also able to excited the crowds throughout the presentation. I could tell this was the best show this year because all of my friends loved it. And upon a second one, I would say that they were definitely the best. I’m happy that Japanese finally received the long awaited Luminary as a Smash Ultimate character. I’m excited for the new Fire Emblem game (truth be told, it looks relatively mediocre. But I’m a fan of the franchise so I’m still going to eat that shit up.) Other than that, I’m really excited for Animal Crossing. Now, I was never that much of an Animal Crossing fan. I, however, do have a friend now that will be “obsessive” about it when it arrives in 2020. I bet my experience of Animal Crossing will definitely change, and for that I’m really excited to dive into Animal Crossing.

1. Sony

Yes, they pulled out of E3 months in advance. Yet somehow, they still won. Really though, here’s why. First of all, if you look at the games that every other developers presented: Cyberpunk 2077 (coming to PlayStation), Watch Dogs: Legion (coming to PlayStation), Final Fantasy VII: Remake (coming to PlayStation), The Avengers (coming to Playstation). I could go on, but I think you’re seeing my drift. Free marketing! Also, I am weirdly confident that Tales of Arise and Elden Ring will be playable on PlayStation as well. The funniest thing is, only a week after E3, we are starting to hear from developers that the PlayStation is going to be slightly more powerful than Microsoft’s Xbox Scarlet. And Sony didn’t even have to present. Yes, they were very strategic and cautious in their decision to not attend E3 this year. Not only did we get the first ever State of Play, weeks before E3, Sony was only smart enough to release the specs of their consoles beforehand too. Well played, Sony. Now, bring PSX to New York City, pleaseeeeee.