The 15 Best Video Games of E3 2017, Ranked

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Credit: Sony/Nintendo/Activision

The Electronic Entertainment Expo has just wrapped up, and we’ve gotten a good, long glimpse into the future of gaming. We spent days on the show floor checking out the latest and greatest video games coming your way. Here are our top picks for the best games from E3 2017. 

15. Kingdom Hearts 3, Square Enix

The ever-elusive Kingdom Hearts 3 barely made this list, but we’re gluttons for punishment and it’s hard not to continue to pine for the third installment of this crossover RPG. We’re not holding our breath for a launch date. It’ll likely be 2018 but we’re not betting the house on that.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Dokpy_KIuyA

14. Forza 7, Microsoft Studios

Microsoft touted its annual racing franchise as the shining example of how good a game will look on their new Xbox One X. Graphically, Forza is a powerhouse. Forza 7 will also be the first game to benefit from the six-year deal Microsoft inked with Porsche to bring 911s and more to the world of racing sims.

13. Beyond Good and Evil 2, Ubisoft

Ubisoft only announced that Beyond Good and Evil 2 was in development, but they did drop this bonkers trailer for the action-adventure sci-fi game. The hype train is strong after such a good looking glimpse at the game.

12. Uncharted: Lost Legacy, Sony

The guys behind the Uncharted series can really do no wrong in our book. The games are globe-trotting adventures, riddled with nail-biting puzzles and huge, exciting combat sequences. Not having Nathan Drake at the helm this time around feels like a bummer, but this spinoff will undoubtedly deliver our treasure-hunting fix.

11. South Park: Fractured But Whole, Ubisoft

We’ve been waiting a while for Matt and Trey’s follow up to The Stick of Truth but it seems well worth it. The upcoming sequel has already shown us that the South Park crew knows exactly how to bring the huge cast of fourth graders to the video game world without sacrificing a joke OR gameplay. Fractured But Whole is going to kill it again later this fall.

10. Middle-Earth: Shadow of War, WBIE

We may not be getting new Tolkien movies any time soon, but that isn’t stopping Warner Brothers Interactive from pumping out great games that take place in the LotR universe. After the blockbuster Shadow of Mordor proved Middle-Earth was worth revisiting, we’re now on to a new adventure with familiar characters for its sequel. If your life is missing some high fantasy and wise-cracking ogres, this one’s for you.

9. Wolfenstein II: The New Colossus, Bethesda

Wolfenstein has emerged as the arcade-style FPS game that doesn’t take itself seriously. Instead, the series opts for hellzapoppin carnage and bodycounts that would make an ’80s action-flick blush. And it’s all fantastic. New Colossus picks up immediately after the events of the last Wolfenstein game and keeps the adrenaline pumping throughout.

8. Assassin’s Creed Origins, Ubisoft

Not every Assassin’s Creed game has been a winner. It’s a risk you run when your story requires each new game to introduce an entirely new setting and cast of characters. Our time with AC: Origins definitely rubbed us the right way though. The ancient Egyptian setting, big improvements to combat and some of the best trademark elements from the series have been borrowed for the latest game, looking like a return to form for both the gameplay and the story here.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k_9fG8hPCi0

7. Crackdown 3, Microsoft Studios

Microsoft’s open-world super cop game didn’t get any love at their presser but was a darling of the show floor where players were reacquainted with the somewhat dormant franchise’s return. It was a great reminder of how much fun it is to scale buildings and throw cars at whole lots full of violent gang members. We don’t even mind the constant reminders that it’s gonna look great in 4K (it does) when it’s Terry Crews doing the reminding.

6. Call of Duty WW2Activision

One of the most surprising games on the floor, COD WW2 delighted us with its raw gameplay and return to its Nazi-killing roots. This is one of the best looking and playing COD games we’ve ever seen and we couldn’t be more excited to return to the beaches of Normandy and share that experience with an entirely new generation of gamers.

5. Destiny 2, Activision

Just when we were ready to let go of our Destiny obsession, Activision shows off Destiny 2 and sucks us right back in. There is no argument that Bungie knows how to make excellent shooters and D2 has airtight gameplay, tons of lustworthy loot and, a first for the series, the promise of a robust story to keep gamers interested and playing for the long haul.

4. God of War, Sony

Krato’s new father/son adventure seems to be coming along nicely, building on last year’s reveal in a huge way with new gameplay shown and even more bits of the mysterious story revealed. Sadly, we won’t be seeing this Norse-tinged sequel one until 2018. 

3. Anthem, EA

Electronic Arts pulled out all the stops with their Anthem announcement. Showing off gameplay that got huge reactions from the crowds, the game is an ambitious sci-fi adventure with a scope we haven’t seen from EA before. Largely a tease with its Fall 2018 release date, it didn’t stop gamers from hyping up BioWare’s latest efforts in a big way.

2. Spider-Man, Sony

There are huge expectations for Sony’s new Spider-Man game. Existing outside of the new movie reboot, this is an entirely new take on the Peter Parker story and has given the gamers hope that this will be to Spider-Man what the Arkham games were to Batman. That means we expect it to be awesome and, from what we’ve seen so far, it doesn’t look like Sony intends to disappoint. 

1. Super Mario Odyssey, Nintendo

Nintendo has done it again, stealing E3 with a character decades old but, somehow, made to feel entirely fresh again. Super Mario Odyssey is a paradigm shift for the plumber, moving the game to large open-world themed areas and giving him entirely new abilities thanks to the cunning use of a clever cap. Even in our hour-long hands-on, we could feel the beginnings of addiction starting to settle in. If you can actually get your hands on a Nintendo Switch, Odyssey will be a must-play game come this fall. 

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