Okay, so now that I’ve had time to convince myself I’ve fully recovered from E3 2012, let’s talk about the best and the worst from the show floor, shall we?

Best Press Conference

NONE.

You read that right. None. All five press conferences were severely flawed, but if I would have to give an edge to anyone, it’d be EA. At least they know what we want to hear and see: games and trailers that we plan on actually playing, despite every game being a sequel, minus the UFC announcement. Ubisoft stuttered through many an awkward moment before the Watch Dogs reveal, Nintendo left me saying “…but what about the ‘hardcore’ games you promised!” and Microsoft and Sony both suffered the same problem: the were too frontloaded. Sure, it was nice ending with a Black Ops II or a The Last of Us demo, but 1.) we knew they were coming 2.) all the surprises were early and 3.) we had to sit through Usher and Wonderbook. But if there had to be a worst of them all…

Worst Press Conference

It started so well with Pikmin 3, but then it fluttered. No mention of Animal Crossing, a release date and price point for the Wii U, and a severe lack of gameplay demos; the first one was Just Dance 4. Seriously? Now, I will say that Nintendoland does actually need to be played to be enjoyed, but still…Nintendo is launching a new console this year. Let’s get the excitement started before the show, not halfway through the show.

Best Non-Playable Game

Expect anything different? Ubisoft blew the doors off of the place with their reveal of Watch Dogs, one of the very few surprise announcements of E3 2012. Featuring distinct Chicago visuals, impressive NPC AI, gripping gameplay, and an interesting premise, it’s hard to doubt why the game had so much buzz on the show floor, not to mention we’re left wondering “is this next gen? No way current consoles can run this.” Ubisoft may have shown us the first glimpse of next generation gameplay, and we couldn’t be more excited.

Best Playable Game

Often a game with a linear narrative will mention how no gameplay experience will be similar. Dishonored means this, offering multiple ways to play through the campaign, whether you wish to play stealth based or decapitate everyone in sight. Oh, the game’s pretty challenging, too, meaning you’ll have to remain on your toes and use everything in your arsenal to survive. I may not be 100% sold on the visual style of the game, but boy does it run smoothly and did the gameplay ever win me over.

Worst Playable Game

If Sony had merely copied the Super Smash Bros. formula and thrown in their own cast of characters, it would of been enough to make a decent game. Sure, we’d call them copycats, but imitation is the sincerest form of flattery. By trying to do something new instead, it results in PlayStation All Stars being a game that just, well, isn’t that much fun. It’s nice to beat on people as Fat Princess, but it’s not nice that the is so unbalanced I can do it with my eyes closed, and the more I think about the game, the more disappointing it is.

Best Booth

EA meant business and it showed. Leaving their booth was one of the hardest things I had to do, even after spending hours there. Between the closed door demonstrations and hands on time, I could of easily spent an entire day there alone. Between SimCity, Crysis 3, NHL 13, among others, some of the best games in the show were available at EA’s booth, helping them stand out above the rest of the crowd.