Top 5 Best Games Shown at Microsoft’s E3 2018 Conference

5: Kingdom Hearts III

Best Games Shown at Microsoft’s E3 2018 Conference

It’s been a while but after Kingdom Heart III’s appearance at the Microsoft conference, the game is finally starting to feel close despite the delay into 2019. We got a somewhat brief, but very action-packed and eventful trailer.

In this latest trailer, we got to see a new world based on the hit movie, Frozen. We also got glimpses of Wreck-It Ralph and Tangled, along with returning favorites like Simba (as a summon, apparently) and Hercules (as a boulder holder, apparently). While it derailed in typical Kingdom Hearts fashion when it came to the Organization XIII stuff, the magical world of Disney comes alive within the short trailer that we saw.

Also, Utada Hikaru. Come on.

This is the Kingdom Hearts we’ve been waiting more than 10 years for, and it’s finally almost at our doorsteps. What’s not to love about this?

4: Metro Exodus

Best Games Shown at Microsoft’s E3 2018 Conference

Some FPS franchises are de-emphasizing their campaigns such as Battlefield, which has opted for segmented short stories, and Call of Duty which has removed their campaign all together. 4A Games and the Metro series remain all-in on telling Dmitry Glukhovsky’s tales through a focused single-player only campaign.

Metro Exodus impressed us last year with its debut trailer which showed how the franchise is leaving the tunnels behind and finally venturing out fully into the world. For those looking for a compelling story that has gameplay that is still anchored by shooting things, the Metro series, and Exodus of course, appears to be on track.

However, what really impressed us this year is how crisp and fast the gunplay looked (60 FPS mmmmmm), and how menacing the enemies appear to be. Mutated fish the size of whale sharks, and a gargoyle-looking enemy that I have no idea what it’s inspired by. Metro Exodus has been giving me very Doom-like vibes in terms of having a compelling story coupled with visceral, gory gameplay. If it’s anything even approaching the Doom 2016 remake in terms of quality, then we have very good reason to be hyped about Metro Exodus.

3: Cyberpunk 2077

Best Games Shown at Microsoft’s E3 2018 Conference

To be honest, the reason we don’t have Cyberpunk 2077 any higher than three is because we really didn’t get a good look at what the gameplay is going to be like. That said, we do have a much better feeling for what vibe CD Projekt Red is going for. We of course had an idea based on the source material and, well, the name of the game, but seeing the setting with our own eyes, and getting a small taste of the game’s story has us at ease. And again, while there’s gameplay that we can see yet, considering how incredible The Witcher series was in all aspects that would matter to most gamers, we’d need to see CD Projekt Red mess things up before we believe it to be possible. The only problem with the trailer is that we wanted more.

Although it’s a popular genre outside of gaming, you don’t see too many video games that are planted firmly in cyberpunk despite there being plenty of material to draw inspiration from such as classic films and book such as Bladerunner, Demolition Man, and The Running Man to name a few. I have a feeling, after Cyberpunk 2077 is released, if it lives up to the hype, the cyberpunk setting is going to suddenly be a lot more popular.

2: Gears of War 5

Best Games Shown at Microsoft’s E3 2018 Conference

Don’t get us wrong, the Gears of War games have consistently been great games, but they have felt a bit predictable since Gears 2. Gears 4 positioned the series to take off in a new direction, and it looks like Gears of War 5 is finally ready to drive us there.

The new trailer shown at E3 2018 was moody, atmospheric, and seemed more into selling its story, instead of its gameplay, which feels very different for the franchise, in a good way. The overarching story of Gears of War has always felt secondary to the personal journeys. The fascinating end of Gears 4 has set up the character of Kait to be the main focus of Gears 5, and based on what we saw, I think it’s going to work. Until Marcus Fenix showed up, I never even thought about where he was, I was very wrapped up in seeing where the story had landed with Kait after the end of the last game.

Plus, it helps that areas that were shown look gorgeous and colorful, which is not something I’m used to saying about a Gears of War game which normally sports various degrees of brown and flesh. If this is just another Gears of War game, then Microsoft has done a pretty good job of fooling us otherwise. Consider me way more hyped for the new Gears than I was before going into E3 2018.

1: Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice

Best Games Shown at Microsoft’s E3 2018 Conference

Finally we land on what was arguably the biggest surprise of Microsoft’s press conference this year: seeing From Software unveil their latest game, Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice, on the big green stage. It’s easy to understand why fans are hyped. For starters, it’s From Software, who has developed a stellar reputation since, well, forever, but certainly since the Souls genre was born with Demon’s Souls. It has inspired many other games from many other developers, but hardcore fans are obviously going to be extra hyped to seeing how director Hidetaka Miyazaki is going to drive the style of gameplay he popularized.

Bloodborne was noteworthy with how it quickened the pace of play a bit, but Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice appears to be going even further. What the trailer showed appeared to be a mix of the familiar combat style we’ve grown accustomed to, with a more arcade-like quick pace of play. It’ll be interesting to see as we learn more whether or not this faster-pace leads to any change in the level of difficulty Miyazaki’s games are known for.

Finally, and perhaps most obviously, Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice appears to take place in a terrifying take on Japan-inspired world with grotesque enemies that seem more than capable of whooping you.