E3 2019 was a week filled with great games

Another E3 has come and gone. It had been a long time since I had been to E3, 22 years in fact! So, I was super excited to return to the greatest video game event of the year and not have to sit on the sidelines. Let me tell you, E3 2019 was every bit as spectacular as I had hoped. I am already looking forward to next year!

There more than 200 exhibitors and over 66 000 people attended E3 2019. I have to admit; my schedule was jam packed all week. I’d spend around 9 hours on the show floor each day, then back to my hotel room and spend several more hours writing up everything I had seen to share with you.

You know what? I loved every single minute of it! Now that E3 2019 is officially over and I’ve had some time to recuperate, by relaxing and playing games, it’s time to look back at all the amazing announcements and surprises. Here are my favourite moments from E3 2019.

Memorable moments of press conferences I attended

In my previous E3 adventure all those years ago, I wasn’t able to attend any of the press conferences. So, this year would be my first time seeing them live in person. I’ll never forget the Xbox E3 2019 Briefing. Not only did Xbox show a ridiculously amazing amount of games but it was there were the bombshell for Cyberpunk 2077 was first announced.

Xbox E3 2019 Briefing

The crowd at the Microsoft Theatre went absolutely nuts when we found out that Keanu Reeves was a character in Cyberpunk 2077. Not only that, but he came out on stage in person to reveal the game’s launch date, April 16, 2020.

It was a truly electrifying and I could barley hear myself think. We also got more news on the next generation Xbox hardware, which currently goes by the name Project Scarlett. And, we also learned that Halo Infinite will launch with this new hardware.

Bethesda E3 2019 Showcase

Bethesda’s showcase was full of new games and announcements. What caught my eye the most are two brand new previously unannounced games. The first comes to us by the studio that brought us The Evil Within games. GhostWire: Tokyo takes place in Tokyo where people are mysteriously vanishing into thin air.

It is up to you to find out what is happening and how you can stop this supernatural evil. Aside from the overall look and feel of the game, what I found intriguing is that it isn’t a survival horror game like The Evil Within games are.

The second game is called DEATHLOOP and is developed by the creators of Dishonored. Two assassins, Colt and Jules are pitted against each other on the frozen island of Black Reef. In a constant struggle, one is looking to break the cycle while the other is trying to keep it going. The trailer showed off fantastic gunplay and swordplay. There isn’t a whole lot known about both of these titles and I am really looking forward to learning more about them in the near future.

Ubisoft press conference

Without a doubt, my absolute most favourite highlight of the Ubisoft press conference was Watch Dogs: Legion. The game takes place in London, in the not too distant future. Its people are oppressed and held captive by an all-seeing corrupt private military that controls the streets and preys on the most vulnerable. Your mission is to build a resistance to fight back and take control of the city.

Watch Dogs: Legion is billed as giving gamers the complete freedom to play as anyone. And, after going hands-on with it at E3 2019, it’s no lie!

Top 3 games on the show floor that I’m most excited for

There were so many games that I played at E3 2019 that I could go on and on about. And, let’s face it, I could probably list about 20 or more games that I played that I am excited for. However, here are 3 games that really knocked my socks off and left a lasting impression.

The Legend of Zelda: Link’s Awakening

Let me start by telling you this, after visiting the Nintendo booth, the Switch has the best lineup of games slated to actually come out this year. And, yes, I can’t wait for Luigi’s Mansion 3 as well as Pokémon Sword and Pokémon Shield. Though I am most excited to get my hands on The Legend of Zelda: Link’s Awakening. Sure it’s a remaster of an old Gameboy game but let me tell you, the gameplay and puzzles still hold up some 26 years later.

The new art style is absolutely fabulous and the characters are every bit as entertaining as I remember them. One of the reasons this game stands out for me is that it is one of the few Zelda games that doesn’t take place in Hyrule and Princess Zelda is not in it, nor is the Triforce. It has its own unique story and I think a whole new generation of gamers will fall in love with it.

Final Fantasy VII Remake

I’d be lying if I didn’t tell you that Final Fantasy VII Remake is one of my most anticipated games and one of the top 3 games, I played at E3 2019. Final Fantasy VII on the PlayStation is still my favourite RPG to this day. Fans have been waiting years for a remake, and it’s almost here.

At the Square Enix Showcase this year, footage of Cloud and Barret battling against a Scorpion Sentinel was shown as part of the Final Fantasy VII Remake reveal. It was this sequence that I was able to go hands-on with the game and play. The Sentinel Scorpion is no slouch! It is very agile, has devastating attacks, and heavy armour. It took strategically using both Cloud and Barret to even put a dent in the scorpion’s health.

Enemies now have a focus gauge and when they are attacked it starts to fill up. When it is filled, they become staggered and you can perform attacks on them for additional damage. And, now Cloud has 2 bars called ATB, which can be filled by using standard attacks. However, when they are filled you can slow down time and use the all-new tactical mode to choose actions from the command menu. The game’s visuals look outstanding and I loved the updated gameplay elements.

Marvel’s Avengers

In all honesty, when I first heard about this game rumoured to be unveiled at E3 2019 I wasn’t all that excited. Then, Square Enix showed off some footage of the game at their press conference and I started to gain interest in it. Though, it wasn’t until I went behind closed doors to see actual gameplay of Marvel’s Avengers that I fell in love with the game.

As far as gameplay footage goes, everything is hush hush. At the presentation, there were no pictures allowed or audio recording. They even went as far as to have us all wear headphones to listen to the person speaking.

We saw gameplay from all of the Avengers: Thor, Iron Man, Hulk, Black Widow, and Captain America. My two favourite segments were Thor and Black Widow. Thor makes his way though enemies by smashing and throwing his hammer at them. And, there is even some hand to hand combat. The action looked fast and fluid as enemies were sent flying.

My next favourite gameplay segment shown was Black Widow. She battled it out against Taskmaster. As he flew around, Black Widow grabbed on and rode on his back punching and kicking him until he finally crashed into the ground.

E3 2019 left me excited for what’s to come

I really could go on and on about all the awesome things I saw at E3 2019 this year. I highly suggest checking out all the articles I wrote during my week at E3 2019 right here. Some of the games I went hands-on with include Doom Eternal, Wolfenstein Youngblood, Dragon Quest Builders 2, Contra Rogue Corps, Borderlands 3 and so much more.

Again, this year, Best Buy Canada had a E3 contest and it was very successful. The Road to E3 contest generated a lot of comments and interest on the Best Buy blog and featured some amazing prizes. New contests appear all the time on the blog and right now you can win an ASUS Gaming monitor! Make sure and bookmark the “contests in progress” page for more great contests to enter at Best Buy Canada.

Let me know in the comments section below what news and games shown at E3 2019 that you are excited for.