The winners and losers of E3

The 2015 Electronic Entertainment Expo (E3) has come and gone. Like all the annual conventions before it, E3 2015 gave gamers worldwide a little more than glimpses of what are to come in the next 12 months.

Gaming companies brought their fans a deluge of news and surprises to rant and rave about this year. There were moments worthy of positive meltdowns; at the same time, there were moments that should have rather been skipped.

It’s time to round up the winners and losers of E3 2015.

Winners
This year’s E3 was more interesting than most E3 conventions of the past. This is due, in part, to two renowned companies, Bethesda and Square Enix, that held their own shows at the convention for the first time in history.

The winners of E3 however, came from almost all companies at the convention.

Bethesda’s entire press conference

Bethesda’s show was dedicated to their most popular games, Fallout, Doom, and Dishonored.

They seemed to know what their fanbase wanted to hear, as each demo and reveal from their three games had everyone cheering loudly. Gameplay trailers from the fourth installment of Doom showed a fresh array of big weapons that fans have come to expect from the game.

Meanwhile, despite being leaked prior to the show, Dishonored 2’s announcements implied a promising narrative. However, it was the unexpected announcement for the early November release date of Fallout 4 that drew one of the loudest applauses at the show.

Square Enix’s Final Fantasy VII Remake

Sony’s game announcement on Square Enix’s Final Fantasy VII Remake shook everyone up.

It was Final Fantasy VII, a game that tugged at the heartstrings of almost every gamer in the late 1990s. A few months ago fans of the game felt duped by Square Enix after revealing that the game will only have a port for the PS4.

The declaration of an actual remake of Final Fantasy FFVII shocked everyone the most. The remake trailer got everyone’s heart pumping and gave everyone the goosebumps.

The guys from GameTrailers accurately portrayed everyone’s reaction to the great announcement.

Aside from Bethesda and Square Enix, there were other winners from a lot of sides of the expo as well.

Shenmue III Confirmed

After more than a decade of waiting, Shenmue fans’ wishes finally came true. Yu Suzuki, Shenmue’s creator appeared at Sony’s conference with a kickstarter campaign video for the purpose of “saving” the game.

The kickstarter campaign gained ground with the fans pitching in to reach the $2 million goal. As of this writing, Shenmue III’s kickstarter campaign has reached more than $3 million with more than forty thousand backers.

Martin Sahlin’s Unravel

Outside the realm of hyped triple-A games of E3, EA introduced a diamond in the rough. Creative Director Martin Sahlin came on EA’s stage nervous yet giddy about the announcement of his unique indie physics-based puzzle game, Unravel.

It was a beautiful and rare moment on E3 when the indie developer spoke about his love for games and how his adorable game symbolizes life. After his passionate account of how Unravel came to be, he presented Unravel’s moving trailer which also showed a smooth and well-crafted gameplay.

Microsoft’s Hololens and Xbox One’s backwards compatibility for Xbox 360 games

Everyone wanted to learn more about Hololens the moment it was first revealed during Windows’ preview event in January. The augmented reality device had a lot of potential in gaming, and Microsoft’s live Hololens demonstration proved that it definitely had a lot of promise. The device was demonstrated with Minecraft and amazed the entire audience. The game was given a completely different perspective in terms of visuals and gameplay through the power of Hololens.

What made Microsoft’s audience rise to their feet, however, was the announcement that Xbox 360 games will be playable on the Xbox One. Backwards compatibility was the most sought after feature ever since the next-gen console wars began.

While it was announced that developers will get the final say as to whether or not they will make their games available for backwards compatibility, Microsoft already has an existing library for Xbox gamers to access this holiday season. As a bonus, Microsoft also announced that gamers do not need to shell out extra cash to gain access to the games they already own.

Losers

It’s difficult choosing the companies and games that fall under this list, as this year, there didn’t seem to be any true loser. It seemed all audiences have been served on this year’s E3. Fans looking for new indie games, fans waiting on sequels to established franchises, fans wishing for the return of their old favorites, fans anticipating new technology. and fans of all tastes got something out of the convention.

But while there weren’t any true losers, there were a few disappointments here and there that did not help games or companies make the cut.

Nintendo’s lackluster game announcements

The return of Nintendo’s classic games have garnered mixed reactions. There was a lot of support for 3DS games, but the lack of new Wii U games disappointed Nintendo console gamers.

However, there were a couple of bright spots in the conference. Star Fox Zero for Wii U was revealed and it was coupled with Nintendo GamePad gameplay. Super Mario Maker, a game that allows players to create their own Mario levels, was given a September 11 release date. And Hyrule Legend Warriors’ arrival to Nintendo 3DS was announced.

Just Dance’s uncomfortable announcement

Ubisoft is known to have predictable press conferences. Usually, in between their big and hyped game reveals are smaller game announcements. When it was time for Just Dance’s yearly update, everyone expected another flash mob to demonstrate a new feature, but instead Jason Derulo came on stage. Sadly, the hit musician’s performance did not draw hype from the crowd and the show became uncomfortable to watch. The game’s new and interesting features, such as no longer needing a console’s camera to play and a game streaming service, were not highlighted.

Playstation’s lack of a first-party 2015 line-up

The Last Guardian, Shenmue III, and Final Fantasy VII Remake shocked everyone to their core. What followed however, was a lackluster 2015 lineup for Playstation. While everyone was happy that their dream games were alive and well, Sony did not have many exclusive first-party games to offer for the near future. While almost every game they revealed were exciting, it was a little disappointing that fans will have to wait longer to play them.

Honorable Mentions

These were great games and announcements that also got everyone excited but were quickly swept away by bigger jaw-dropping shockers. Eclipsed by the hype of monstrous news, these games deserve all the buzz they are receiving and more.

Sequels to old favorites

Mirror’s Edge Catalyst, Kingdom Hearts III, Gears of War 4, Halo 5, Fallout 4, Uncharted 4, Dark Souls 3, Dishonored 2 and the list goes on. Most of the sequels announced at E3 were long-awaited ones, and some of them will be released in 2016. None of the games disappointed, as all their trailers and gameplay demos displayed beautiful graphics and new appealing features worthy of playing on next-gen consoles and powerful desktops. Gamers now have a longer shopping list after this year’s E3.

Star Wars: Battlefront

Fans of Star Wars rejoice! EA’s Star Wars: Battlefront looked fun and amazing with gorgeous sprawling worlds and action-packed multiplayer Star Wars combat. Despite it being easily compared to Battlefield, it seemed Battlefield’s gameplay style is the perfect fit for the game. The map shown on the gameplay trailer looked detailed and complex. Duking it out in the skies can be quite the adrenaline rush as well.

Evie Frye and female characters in general

There has been an abundance of Jacob Frye ever since Assassin’s Creed (AC) Syndicate’s trailer was first revealed. But the announcement of a female character sharing the main role turned everyone’s heads. The introduction of Evie Frye showed that Ubisoft has learned from its E3 2014 “female characters are difficult to create” bluster. Her character trailer displayed a stealthier and more graceful female counterpart to Jacob despite being just as brutal and it has gathered positive reactions.

All across E3 however, the presence of games where female characters take the lead or share the lead role is growing. Tomb Raider’s Lara Croft is the most iconic but this year’s E3 also has Mirror’s Edge’s Faith, Dishonored 2’s Emily Kaldwin, Horizon Zero Dawn’s Aloy, ReCore’s Joule, AC Syndicate’s Evie Frye and more.

There you have it, the winners, losers, and honorable mentions of E3. It was an exciting week of pure gaming and every company delivered.

Who are your winners, losers, and honorable mentions of E3? – Rappler.com