The Best Games of E3 2018 (Best of Show)

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E3 2018 is officially over! Most of our editorial team made the trip to LA and before we left, we each picked our own personal best of shows based on what we either played, or saw on the show floor. In no particular order, and starting with senior editor Hayes Madsen, let’s run through all of the Twinfinite team’s personal best of shows from E3 2018.

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Dragon Quest 11

Twinfinite’s Best of Show for E3 2018 – Hayes Madsen’s Picks

Senior Editor Hayes Madsen: “It may seem like I had the opportunity to do a lot in my demo, but the minutes just fell away and I was left with so many options and things I still wanted to do. I wanted to check out the stores, I wanted to follow the main story, and I sure as heck wanted to find the perfect place to take a desert photo for a nice gentleman. Dragon Quest XI is simply a joy to explore, with fun characters and secrets tucked away, and even just the gorgeous art style left me wanting to see everything I could. The game’s world feels lived in and realistic with great tiny details like the way butterflies and insects flutter around, or the way your character’s hair blows in the breeze, or how horses munch on grass and flip their tails.

I’m dying to jump back into the world of Dragon Quest XI, get to know its cast of characters better, and see what other wondrous sights await me. Whether you’re a fan of the series or not, this is one JRPG that absolutely needs to be on your radar.”

Super Smash Bros. Ultimate

Twinfinite’s Best of Show for E3 2018 – Hayes Madsen’s Picks

Super Smash Bros. Ultimate Exclusives

Senior Editor Hayes Madsen: “The scope of Smash Ultimate truly is staggering, and the demo showed me that the focus is definitely on keeping things moving and smoothing out everything. Most characters’ Final Smashes have been changed to happen quickly and make it easier to cause damage, instead of requiring you to play out some gimmick like before. Loading times, at least in the build I played, were exceptional. In terms of the game’s speed itself, it felt somewhere between Melee and Smash 4 on Wii U, and it played smooth as butter in every occasion I had a controller.

With all of the changes and additions, Smash Ultimate is clearly a game built from the ground-up and not simply some kind of port of the Wii U game. Getting my hands on the game showed me how much thought has gone into its development, and the myriad of items, characters, stages, and more reminded me of the many years I’ve spent playing Smash. It’s incredible to see everything culminate in this epic entry, and the game almost feels like some kind of ridiculous greatest hits album of Smash, with everything fans loved thrown together with something brand new.”

Kingdom Hearts III

Twinfinite’s Best of Show for E3 2018 – Hayes Madsen’s Picks

Senior Editor Hayes Madsen: “Kingdom Hearts III is easily among the most anticipated upcoming games, and as a fan of the series since the beginning I was anxious to get my hands on it. What I played left me impressed, and more excited for the series than I’ve been in years. My demo took me through two different sections, one that had me meeting Buzz, Woody, and the others in the world call Toy Box and the other that had me taking down the enormous Rock Titan in the Hercules world.

Jumping into Kingdom Hearts III’s combat was about as natural as things can get, and I found myself falling right into the rhythm almost immediately. This is Kingdom Hearts combat through and through, and fans should immediately recognize it. There are, however, a number of enhancements and changes. Magic spells function a little differently, summons each have their own unique mechanic, and the over-the-top Keyblade transformations add a ton of variety into the minute-to-minute combat. Even though I played a short snippet of the game, there was so much variety packed in, and that makes me optimistic for the future. It’s been a long time coming, but Kingdom Hearts III might just be worth the wait.”

Honorable Mention: Sekiro: Shadow’s Die Twice

Editor’s Note: Hayes noted that the reason he didn’t pick Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice is that he needed to see more to feel comfortable calling it his personal best of show. However, it did look quite impressive in his hands-off demo.


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Author
Ed McGlone
Ed McGlone was with Twinfinite from 2014 to 2022. Playing games since 1991, Ed loved writing about RPGs, MMOs, sports games and shooters.