With that messy "what it all means" business out of the way, let's talk about why we spend so much time on the Electronic Entertainment Expo in the first place: games.
Before the show, I ranked the top 10 games I wanted to hear about at E3, and I also put together a spreadsheet of the games on display that I'm most likely to buy. Here I'll focus on what during the show (specifically its press conferences) got me most excited to learn and play more soon.
With no further ado, my games of E3 2015:
Honorable mentions: Assassin's Creed: Syndicate, Dishonored 2, The Last Guardian, Mirror's Edge: Catalyst, Xenoblade Chronicles X
10. Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 5
My biggest pleasant surprise of E3 came between EA and Ubisoft's press conferences Monday when Tony Hawk appeared on YouTube's stream with Geoff Keighley to talk about THPS 5, which I've been waiting for since 2003 but somehow missed when it was confirmed last fall. Monday's gameplay video looked crisp and clean like classic Hawk, and the soundtrack will be bigger than ever but still alternative and metal, said the man himself. Sept. 29 can't come soon enough.
9. Star Fox Zero
I was taken aback by how much I dug what Nintendo showed of Star Fox, a franchise I deeply loved in the Nintendo 64 era but lost track of. Nothing in Zero - a "reimagining" of 64 - looks revolutionary save some dubious use of the Wii U Gamepad, but this seems like a chance to dig into what I missed before getting a new dose of what I loved so much to start. (It's damning with faint praise that this was the best thing Nintendo showed during the conference.)
8. Halo 5: Guardians
It's been far too long since I've played a combat-based first person shooter after the wait for Destiny proved to be a mistake. Like with Star Fox, I can't wait to pick up the Master Chief Collection to catch up on Halo 4 and then dive headfirst into Halo 5: Guardians, which appears - based on a short demo, so, fingers crossed - to retain the smart AI, creative weapons and satisfying feel of Halo's combat. I shy away from franchises after the creator leaves, but Halo seems a worthy exception.
7. ReCore
ReCore, on the other hand, is a case where I'm sticking with a creative team. Developers of Metroid Prime are working with Mega Man creator Keiji Inafune on an Xbox One-only game about a girl, her dog and the desolate wasteland they must navigate together, and while the details are still sketchy, ReCore looks like something special.
6. Cuphead
My best-case scenario for Cuphead turned out to be way off: not only was my fifth-most anticipated game of the show not released during E3, it was delayed into 2016. Furthermore, it appears to be a series of difficult boss fights rather than a full 2D platformer - still my favorite type of game. What Cuphead showed Monday was impressive, though: more bosses rendered ingeniously in Fleischer Studios style, a great sense of humor and two-player co-op. I can't stay mad at you, Cuphead.
5. Horizon: Zero Dawn
Horizon: Zero Dawn seems like ReCore's long-lost sibling: another game about a woman fighting a robot-driven apocalypse in third person, although Sony would very much like you to know this one is exclusive to PlayStation 4. It's also pretty far away, although Horizon showed actual gameplay at E3 - including stealth, which worries me the tiniest bit - so hopefully it will be for sale early in 2016.
4. Fallout 4
The second comment on my pre-E3 post was "No Fallout 4?", and for good reason. While I was too intimidated to dive into Fallout 3, I'd seen the trailer for 4 before I wrote that post, and I should have known its scope, art direction and mechanics would blow me away at the show proper. Sci-fi, RPG and FPS games are among my favorites, and I love virtual tourism, so exploring Fallout 4's bombed-out Boston should be a delight.
3. Star Wars: Battlefront
The biggest sci-fi franchise of all time (this list leads me to believe I really like sci-fi) is back in full force this year, and the best part of that revival is the return of the best Star Wars franchise based on a film (AKA non-KotOR division). Battlefront looks exactly how I hoped, from extra-pretty graphics to faithful sound effects and tried-and-true DICE combat. I'm proud to say I've picked up FPS skills since Battlefront 2 released, and I can't imagine a better place to ply them.
2. Uncharted 4: A Thief's End
Look, I get it: It's just more Uncharted. But GUYS, IT'S MORE UNCHARTED. The demo at Sony's presser Monday (after a glitched attempt that called to mind this excellent Patrick Klepek report) reminded me why Uncharted may be my favorite series of the PS3 generation: pulse-pounding action, sky-high production values and virtual tourism unrivaled by any franchise outside Assassin's Creed. I will buy a PlayStation 4 no later than the day Uncharted 4 hits the market.
1. Rise of the Tomb Raider
Take what I said about my Star Fox Zero surprise and multiply it by 10 for Rise of the Tomb Raider. I realized within ten seconds of the demo at Microsoft's conference how wrong I was to doubt Crystal Dynamics. Again, it's not revolutionary: unparalleled graphics and voice acting, a keen sense of place and exhilarating scenarios made 2013's Tomb Raider great, and they were even better in this admittedly tiny slice of its successor.
Sustained greatness isn't newsworthy, but it makes Rise of the Tomb Raider my Game of Show for E3 2015.
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