In the ashes of the Electronic Entertainment Expo, amid the bloat and pretense of the games industry, always must there be a presentation... always must there be game trailers... and always must there be those who commentate. So it is that we find ourselves in the aftermath of this year's collected summer showcases, a cavalcade of announcements and information to parse in its wake. For my part, I set forth to note the games that stood out among the pack. Today, we go over the high points of the Future Games Show , the Xbox Games Showcase , the PC Gaming Show and, yes , even the Ubisoft Forward . Heaven help us all... Future Games Show The High Point: Duck Detective: The Secret Salami The premise of “riffing on the hardboiled detective story with talking cartoon animals” would be a fine selling point for a game in itself. The choice to also lean into a sticker book aesthetic, complete with characters hobbling around as barely moving objects in a scene? Now that's a fun time ...
Rather Interesting - Super Smash Bros. Ultimate
Don't care if it's "just" all the old fighters in a new package (which, as the footage made clear, it isn't). Don't care if it's functionally a high-definition port of previously-showcased Smash Bros maps, items and game mechanics. It's the biggest in scale, the largest in roster, and potentially the most ambitious in terms of detail and design.
And can we just appreciate for one goddamn second that every fighter in Smash history is coming back for this game! No question, this is awesome.
Runner-up - Pokemon Let's Go Pikachu/Let's Go Eevee
GAH! Your starter Pokemon follows your player character outside of its Pokeball. You catch wild Pokemon not by battling it, but with luring it and carefully tossing Pokeballs a la Pokemon Go. All of the original 150 Pokemon, rendered as 3D models, in what appears to be a lovely recreation of the Kanto region.
Okay, I dig where this is going. The Pokeball accessory for the Switch is a nice touch.
Has Potential - Super Mario Party
Nintendo lost me after Mario Party 8 proved a lukewarm mix of infuriatingly random board mechanics and hit-and-miss motion control gimmickry, so I didn't experience first-hand the anguish many got from playing later titles. Replacing individual movement with a group vehicle doesn't seem like a great decision, though.
That said, Super Mario Party promising to return to older styles of play - characters move on their own again - and boasting some rather enticing mini-games certainly is cause for hope. I'll be ecstatic if this turns out to be a winner in the making.
Runner-up - Daemon X Machina
There's something to the eccentric off-brand Gundam vibe of this mech combat game that I'm kind of intrigued by, even while acknowledging that very little of substance was shown. Could be neat, need to see more of the game in action.
Not Especially Impressive - Fire Emblem: Three Houses
People seem to really get something out of the relationship sim/strategy game blend inherent to Fire Emblem, and I... really wish I was one such person. The games just consistently look like competent but unexciting medieval anime fare from where I sit, and Three Houses looks to be a more polished and expansive expression of that.
Runner-up - The laundry list of Switch Ports & Exclusives
Some of 'em look good, Mega Man 11 gives me warm feelings and Overcooked! 2 seems pleasant... but many of these titles are/will be available elsewhere OR are not necessarily sufficient as system sellers (for me, I stress). Sorry.
Special Honours
Most Gloriously Absurd Moment - The Panda-led Just Dance 2019 parade
Most Adorable Moment of Developer Sweetness - "We Nailed It!"
The "League of its Own" Award for Best Straddling of the Fine Line Between Weird and Awesome - Death Stranding
The "Enduring Respect" Award for Continued Support of Physical Releases - Limited Run Games
The "Astounding Piss-take" Award for Sheer Brazen Nerve - Devolver Digital
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