The E3 2018 press conference season is over, and the dust is now beginning to settle. This year's expo was full to the brim with fantastic announcements, with plenty of publishers taking the opportunity to make big game reveals in quick succession. All in all, it's fair to say that the video game community has been pleased by the unveilings on show for 2018's expo.
That said, it wasn't perfect. Although many boxes were ticked, with expected (and unexpected) games getting a share of the limelight, there were still others that did not make an appearance. Even worse, there were some games that were showcased that either weren't given enough time or failed to excite audiences.
Related: Every Video Game Trailer From E3 2018
With that in mind, there were some clear winners and losers of E3 2018. Here's our pick of the best and the worst that the expo offered up.
Winner: Xbox
The Xbox press conference was one of the earliest, but Microsoft came out swinging. The company packed as many reveals as possible into its Sunday morning slot, starting off with the much-wanted reveal of the next Halo game, Halo Infinite. Microsoft showed off dozens of game trailers including Cyberpunk 2077, and although not all of them were exclusives, the likes of Gears of War 5 were more than enough to get the hype train rolling.
Beyond simply the game reveals however, the Xbox conference was also host to some big industry news from Microsoft itself. The company was expanding its core studios, acquiring the likes of Ninja Theory and four other dev studios to truly expand its development side. The fruits of these acquisitions may not appear in the short term, but long term it makes Xbox a major prospect - something that the company was very clear to point out. Things could be bright for the next console generation.
Winner: Sony
The PlayStation press conference may not have been as full on as Microsoft, with considerably less by way of trailers, but nonetheless had its own particular style that impressed. Sony went for the theatrical this time around, and it worked well for the likes of The Last of Us 2 and Spider-Man, especially given that gamers got a much more comprehensive look at the games than certain other presentations.
Of course, that does the games shown something of a disservice. Death Stranding is still looking bizarre and brilliant in equal measure, while Ghost of Tsushima was hugely impressive to boot. Meanwhile, smaller reveals like Remedy's physics-bending Control and that much-wanted Resident Evil 2 remake gave fans what they craved.
Winner: Bethesda
Bethesda may have revealed one of its biggest games of the year just prior to E3 2018, but that didn't stop the publisher from impressing. Fallout 76 is taking the Fallout franchise in a vastly different direction with its multiplayer-focused gameplay, and having a substantial overview of the game definitely helped bring to life exactly what Bethesda is trying to achieve.
Beyond that, though, the game reveals were absolutely massive. The glimpse of Doom Eternal promised more carnage to come, and alongside Wolfenstein: Youngblood showed that the publisher is very much still in the first person shooter market. Do we even to mention the stylistic and beautifully crazy sandbox, Rage 2? However, the confirmation of both Starfield and The Elder Scrolls VI took the audience's breath away, and led some fans to immediately try and work out where The Elder Scrolls VI is set.
Winner: Ubisoft
Ubisoft faced something of a difficult prospect. After all, its planned big reveal, Assassin's Creed Odyssey, was unfortunately spoiled ahead of schedule, meaning that those watching the conference knew that the title would be appearing at some point in the presentation. Even so, the publisher put on a very impressive press conference this year.
In part this was down to the level of detail that each game was given, with many of the developers allowed to give plenty of context for their projects. This worked especially well for the likes of Beyond Good and Evil 2, which had perhaps the most spectacular surprise plot reveal of this year's E3. Meanwhile, even smaller games such as Transference left a serious impression. That's without even mentioning The Division 2, either.
Page 2: Nintendo, Square Enix, and Electronic Arts Were Letdowns at E3 2018
Loser: Nintendo
The end of Nintendo's E3 direct presentation was perhaps the best of the expo as a whole. The company devoted half an hour to Super Smash Bros. Ultimate, and with good reason: the game looks incredible. With a roster that includes every playable character in Smash history and the reveal that players would finally be able to play as Ridley, the title is undoubtedly going to be a powerhouse for Nintendo, and will probably sell a bucketload of Switch consoles too.
Unfortunately, the rest of the presentation was a major let down. Fire Emblem: Three Houses may look impressive, but the only truly big reveal apart from that was Super Mario Party, which hardly sets the pulse racing. Meanwhile, Fortnite for Switch was very much expected, and the lack of any information on the new Pokémon game was a serious problem. In fact, the Pokémon franchise as a whole barely got a mention.
That's why Nintendo's stock prices fell after their presentation...
Loser: Square Enix
Part of Square Enix's problem was that many of its games had been revealed in advance of the expo this year. To be fair, some of these were hardly the publisher's fault, such as the unfortunate leak of Just Cause 4, but this was further diluted by the fact that the game was showcased elsewhere prior to the Square Enix conference taking place, while the lack of multiplayer makes it a less appealing prospect entirely. Kingdom Hearts 3 had exactly the same problem with an early reveal (and some weird sound issue in its trailers), meaning that what should have been one of the biggest pulls of the presentation felt rehashed.
There were a few highlights, such as the reveal of new Platinum Games title Babylon's Fall, while a closer look at Shadow of the Tomb Raider in action was certainly worthwhile. However, highlights came few and far between, and the lack of any information on the Final Fantasy VII remake left a seriously bitter aftertaste for those that tuned in.
It didn't help that the dev behind Shadow of the Tomb Raider stirred up a little controversy by calling out The Last of Us Part II gameplay for being "fake."
Loser: EA
As per usual with its EA Play events, EA was tasked with kicking off E3 2018 as a whole, but definitely failed to do so. The publisher did deliver some highlights, with a closer look at BioWare's Anthem definitely one of them. Battlefield V also provided a few great takeaways for fans of the shooter franchise, but overall the presentation was a misstep from the publisher.
Once again, EA relied heavily on its sports games, but these failed to resonate with an audience who showed little interest in this year's iteration of FIFA or Madden, and even less for delving into the specifics such as FIFA 19's inclusion of the Champions League. When the most exciting reveal of the presentation is a throwaway reveal that included zero footage or even a logo, as was the case with the announcement of Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order, then things haven't gone to plan.
???: Devolver Digital
Devolver Digital held its second E3 press conference this year, and although the surprise felt when viewing last year's off-the-wall, scathing satire may have been missing, the publisher definitely managed to hit home once more. Viewers may have been able to brace themselves this time around, but that didn't stop the company's hilarious critiques hitting home hard.
This time, Devolver took aim at the likes of loot boxes, cryptocurrency, and retro-box consoles with great effect, while the ultraviolence of last year's presentation was back again. It's hard to compare Devolver Digital to the other conferences on show this year, so it's void of a rating, but it definitely deserves a watch.
That brings us to the end of our E3 2018 presentation round-up. Although there were some misses, it's fair to say that E3 2018 had plenty of hits, and even within those conferences that didn't quite live up to expectation there were plenty of stunning announcements to take away. Here's hoping that those games showcased go on to be as exciting as they appeared on stage.