This year’s E3 was a rousing success! …and yet somehow a total failure. Guess it depends on who you ask.

On the heel’s of last year’s awesome show, Rila and Riley are back for their traditional coverage of E3 2018. But this time it came with a bit of a twist.

Writer’s Corner: As the girls said, this year’s EA Conference was exceptionally dull. Though I can’t really call it a disappointment since I never expected much from them. Still, I had hoped to see a little more about Anthem. Instead, they spent a large amount of time on their EA Sports lineup, which once again suffered from a rather awkward presentation. And this time it wasn’t just once, but twice. The trophy was one thing, but bringing that one guy on who won the Madden tournament or whatever was just suuuper cringe-y. And, of course, shout-casting Command & Conquer Rivals was just silly. I get it. E3 isn’t really a convention. It’s a glorified trade show. But I can’t imagine even investors are that out of touch.

Continuing their coverage of E3 2018, Rila and Riley move on to the XBox Conference and hit some of the more interesting points in their MASSIVE presentation.

Writer’s Corner: Microsoft had an absolutely huge selection of games, this year. But I was honestly underwhelmed by a lot of what they showed. This isn’t entirely their fault. But I think because of the sheer volume of stuff they showed, they weren’t really able to properly hype some of the things they really needed to. So I didn’t feel much in the way of excitement for most of the games. The games that did have me marginally interested are pretty much guaranteed to be on other systems as well. Including Jump Force and the Tales of Vesperia Definitive Edition… which is coming to PS4. So none of what they showed really compel me to get an XBone.

The E3 coverage continues, and this time it was all about Bethesda, who put on one of the best shows of the event.

Writer’s Corner: Despite my actually not being personally invested in most Bethesda games not related to Skyrim or Fallout, this conference was awesome. Bethesda knows how to put out an entertaining presentation and exactly how to build hype for their games. They make the event feel more like a convention than a Trade Show, which is great to watch.

I don’t personally care much about Rage 2, but the introduction to it was great. I’m really looking forward to Fallout 76. But I think I’m most interested in Elder Scrolls VI and Starfield. Especially given the wording used to set up the latter – “We at Bethesda feel we’re uniquely positioned to bring you this game” makes one think Starfield is indeed going to be a more high science-fiction game in the style of Skyrim and/or Fallout. I’m looking forward to learning more.

Next up in this year’s round of E3 coverage, Square Enix looks to set a record for the shortest conference ever at E3.

Writer’s Corner: This was honestly kind of pitiful. The games were fine, but Square Enix isn’t Nintendo. They don’t do Directs every quarter or so. So yes. Shadow of the Tomb Raider and Just Cause 4 were super exciting to see more on. But I can imagine people who are mega fans of Square would’ve loved to see more from all the hotly anticipated games (coughFinalFantasyVIIRemakecough). Instead, this “conference” was just sorely disappointing.

Say what you will about them. Ubisoft knows how to have a good time… or a weird one. Jury’s out. But the judgment of their E3 2018 presentation is due!

Writer’s Corner: EA may have actually out-cringed Ubisoft, this year. But the difference is that Ubisoft goes for cringe on purpose. And it shows. Their awkward presentations are a stylistic choice. As a result, they always manage to produce a memorable showing. But with that said, I do feel like this year they disappointed a little. Primarily with the lack of further information around Beyond Good & Evil 2. Don’t get me wrong. The thing with Joseph Gordon-Levitt was cool. And I think it’s awesome how they’re looking to actually get the fans in on the creation of the game. Especially given how much said fans have been asking for this. I just would’ve liked to see more of than actual game as well.

The rest of the presentation was solid. I am really looking forward to Assassin’s Creed Odyssey. But while that is mostly because it looks a lot like a BioWare game, it’s also a matter of my liking Greek mythology and history and stuff. It’s really fascinating to me. So visiting that era makes it way more interesting.

Sony answers Microsoft’s massive selection with a smaller showing of solid games. Was it enough to give them the edge?

Writer’s Corner: If you were to ask me who “won” between just Sony and Microsoft, this year, I’d probably tell you Bethesda. While Microsoft had a huge selection of games that were only marginally impressive, Sony had a smaller selection of games that were mostly really impressive. But the thing that brings their presentation down for me was that the presentation itself was just… boring. So. Boring. Watching those people sitting at a desk for extended periods of time and talking about stuff was just dull. Perhaps if they’d been funny, it would’ve been forgivable. But they weren’t, so it wasn’t.

As to the games, themselves, it’s like I said. Many of them were really impressive. Really looking forward to Ghost of Tsushima. I also want to check out Nioh 2 despite the really brief teaser. I’ve only played a bit of the first game, but I’ve watched playthroughs of it and love the style, blended with this almost Dark Souls-esque combat. And, of course, Spider-Man PS4 is going to be a Day-1 buy for me… if I can afford it. I also really want to take a look at Control. The one thing that has me worried is Death Stranding. The hype is starting to wear off and I’m hoping it’ll live up to its vision when it finally comes out.

Last, but not least, during this round of E3 coverage is the event the girls have been waiting for! Nintendo’s up to bat! Do they impress?

Writer’s Corner: Contrary to the tone of the video, I genuinely loved most of Nintendo’s Direct, this year. Yes, Super Smash Bros. Ultimate was the clear winner of not just this Direct, but all of E3. However, I’m genuinely really excited for Fire Emblem: Three Houses. The new mechanics really look like they’re going to add a lot to the series. And if you know me at all, you know I’m getting both Pokemon: Let’s Go Pikachu! and Pokemon: Let’s Go Eevee! Also, I already have Fortnite on my Switch, and I will concede that it’s pretty fun, but only when playing with friends. The game’s otherwise just pitifully dull or infuriating when playing solo. I am looking forward to all the expansions coming to the game for Switch soon. I’ll welcome new ways to play if it can add to the experience.

And that’s pretty much it! What was your favorite conference, this year? What game(s) are you most looking forward to? Let us know in the comments! That’s all I’ve got for ya here. As always, thanks for reading, folks. Keep up the awesome.

Take care,
C. Voyage