Microsoft: A-

Tons of great games shown. Halo 5 looks beautiful. They finally gave creative freedom back to Rare and better late then never! The Sea of Thieves showing looks enticing. Also, the Rare Replay is one of the better deals in gaming I have ever seen! 30 critically acclaimed games from 4-30 years ago, for $30? Also, backwards compatibility announced? That really did me in.  The presentation was boring itself to watch, but man did they bring some surprises. Also, that minecraft hololens showing was insane!

Bethesda: B-

Bethesda had an alright first showing, DOOM looked gorgeous but looked pretty bland combat wise, and the guts and gore are a little too much for me.Dishonered, Hell yeah. Their arena combat game that I have already forgotten the name of looked atrocious, and the saver of the day was certainly Fallout 4, which I will put money on being the best game ever made, and it is releasing right before my birthday.

Sony- B+

Sony brought big guns, but they were underwhelming to me. Shenmue being fanfunded makes me quite sketched out. FF7 remake looks cool but its just that, a remake.  And then there was The Last Guardian, which I had forgotten about since about mid 2010, and wished it had stayed that way. The gameplay looked boring, the character design and environment looks no different then 6 years ago, and the worst part, it isn't even coming to next year.  No Man's Sky looks impressive, but also seems to have absolutely nothing to do in that massive universe but explore cookie cutter planets that change the color of the leaves.  They pretend like what they are doing has never been done before, but I've played the atrocity that was spore and this is clearly a modern take on that game in many ways. However, despite this seemingly negative rant, I was quite impressed with the thing as a whole. Also, Horizon might be the game that forces me into buying a PS4.

Nintendo: F

By far the worst E3 I have ever seen (haven't been at it that long, started in 2010). Starfox looks like it should be on GAMECUBE, and the gyro controls and emphasis on second screen play looks awful. Zelda...... Well if they took the developers that are making this game and had them work on Zelda U I could probably have it by the end of the year, instead of this uninspired second coming of four swords that even takes a backstep and only includes three links. The puppet thing made me uncomfortable, and the constant developer interviews ruined the pacing and felt like filler trying to make up for the little and unsubstantial content they had.  Especially the yarn yoshi lady, i wanted to hit her she was so awful.  Instead of  a true animal crossing we are getting a wierd take on mario party that requires amiibos, so to truly enjoy what little is to be enjoyed you have to pay probably and extra 60 bucks to have four players. I thought this was a Nintendo direct not an EA conference. The only saving grace was mario maker, but by the time they talked about it I was so annoyed and frustrated that I didn't even care how awesome it was, Nintendo had already crapped their pants and even an entire container of febreeze couldn't rid my house of the smell. I have been a die hard Nintendo fan since my toddler days of sitting on my father's lap and watching him play Mario64 and Banjo-Kazooie, but as hard as it is it might be time to keep the fond memories but change my course because I do not like this "transformation" one bit..... Sorry for the rant.

What a shame.  They have so much talent and goods to offer but their method of always changing it up gives no stability.  They are now a mostly miss with a few hits now and then. And when they do get a hit game, they change it up too fast instead of just refining the experience, so instead of sequels we are left with new sometimes much worse experiences and all that stays is the name.  Sometimes I wish they would stop innovating for a while and just make great games that people want to play. Also, two Zelda teams is needed if they are going to keep delaying the big puppy so much that it will last guardian itself and by the time it releases no one really cares enough any more. Terrible direct. The only thing that keeps me hanging on to my wii u is that zelda game, and it sure as hell better be good or I'm switching full time to PC.

Okay, so this is a list of what I feel are the best moments this year so far, and the worst.  Please put your own opinions as well!

Best

5. Rare Replay- Microsoft.

 As a massive fan of old school Rare, to be able to receive 30 of their hits for only $30 is a steal.  This will surely take up hundreds of hours of my time come august when this releases, and Microsoft has seemed to have righted their wrongs and let Rare take a creative leap again with Sea of Thieves, a new pirate open world adventure game that looks like Black Flag but in an mmo setting.. Whatever the case I am looking forward to it!

4. Horizon- Zero Dawn

  the new Open world RPG in a  post apocalyptic setting looks to play fantastically! And I am a sucker for games like this, the gameplay looked incredibly smooth and creative, and the robot monsters are a cool twist! Too bad I do not have a PS4... Yet

3. Dark Souls III

  Not much has actually been shown for this new game, but after playing both of the prequels I am super excited for the third installment!  I know it is probably a ways away, but just seeing concept for it chilled my bones. A nice surprise in a lineup of great games.

2. Mario Maker

  When I saw this game last year I didn't think much of it, I thought it was going to be very limited and closed in what it could do. However I have been proved wrong by Nintendo. They have put great effort into making this a fantastic tool that has seemingly limitless potential.  Day one buy for me.  (Also that final round of NWC was so intense, it basically sold me on this game!)

1. Call of Duty  FALLOUT 4!!!!!!

The game looks like a combination of just about everything popular in gaming. Post apocalypse Check.  Giant open world check.  Crafting check.  Guns check. Sandbox and city custom building check. Tower defense check.  Everything a modern gamer could want is on this.  And despite the backhanded Nintendo slap, this game has everything that I could want.

The Worst

3. The Last Gaurdian-  I know, this game is one of the most anticipated titles of the last decade, but the gameplay was completely underwhelming and looked like it could get annoying fast.  The boys character design is awful, and his call for the beast is downright obnoxious.  This game will have taken 8 years to develop when it releases, but it looks like an ambitious indie title at best.  I hope they prove me wrong, but this game looks like it will disappoint.

2. Star Fox: Zero

 The game looks like it is for the gamecube, super bland textures and Zero details.  But I don't care about graphics as much as I care about what looks to be a very annoying second screen experience. I HATE GYRO.  And I will get really annoyed switching between the screens and it looks like this is the only method in the game. Also, no multiplayer? Seems odd to me.  The game is certainly nothing exciting.

1. Nintendo in general

 I had high hopes for a metroid game, and they blew it with the 3ds game which looks half assed.  I had high hopes for animal crossing on wiiu, and All i get is a pay tons of money for amiibo mario pary-esque game that looks boring as heck.  I had high hopes for paper mario, and they blow that with yet another 3ds version that seems to crap on the classic first two by combining it with the popular but less quality Mario and Luigi series.  And last, I had high hopes for Zelda Wii U which they left out because they are taking their good old time with it and instead of dedicating people and time to their one game that can save them they are giving me a four swords second coming that for the 3ds that looks like it is far inferior to the other 3ds zeldas and felt like a slap in the face. **Takes deep breath** Rant over.

This was the worst E3 show/direct form anyone I have ever seen.. I just wasted 45 minutes of my life..

Am I the only one who is happy about this? I really hope they create a game that people remember for generations, like aLttP, or OoT!

I wonder if the surprise they are talking about is that the next Nintendo system, NX, will be of much greater power than the two twins... I doubt it but it is fun to think about.

I really do not know what to think of this.. I'm happy they are planning things but I am also a little bit worried they are announcing it this soon.  If it is a third pillar, I have no idea other than maybe a phone or a tv streaming box thing... But still, I am only worried.

I think all Zelda games are really fun personally except the DS ones.. Majora's Mask is by far my favorite though but I do see how some people wouldn't like it.  I think they all bring something new to the table while retaining enough from previous games to feel like a series. It's funny that those are the two games you love because they are my least favorite, WW was incomplete and absurdly easy and I guess I just never got into the whole setting of Awakening. But everyone has their own opinions which is what makes forums work

This is almost exactly what I've envisioned BK would look like in HD.  I cannot wait to see what these talents will do with their newly found freedom.  I really hope they can achieve the same amazingly fun gameplay that was featured in the original, but also add enough new mechanics to make it fresh.  As for the people hoping Nintendo buys them, I believe they have said that they want to remain independent, which is understandeable considering their talents have been wasted for the last decade and a half with Microsoft!  They will be getting my Money in May, that is for sure.

Me from 5 years ago would say WRPG hands down, but nowadays I think they are equal, JRPG's are starting to  make a comeback after about a decade of bland garbage, while WRPG's are starting to morph together and all become open world sandbox games that throw you into some tolkeinesque, generic, high fantasy world that is indistinguishable from the rest. 

 

My, my... I've certainly been appearing all over the place these past few days! If this keeps going, maybe it wouldn't be a stretch to expect me to pop up in a new Zelda game, too...? Ho, ho, ho... I've got some new masks, too, if you'd like to try them on... If I do make an appearance, I'm sure everyone will experience such happiness! Believe in your strengths... Believe... Ho, ho, ho...

 

During a Miiting the other day on miiverse, the Happy mask salesman was teased to be featured in a New Zelda Game!  Personally, I believe this will be one of the many sidequests in the upcoming Zelda U, where his masks are the reward for doing trade sequences much like in OoT.  However, as the source stated, the possibility for a new game based off of MM is pretty high considering how amazing the game has sold for being released in February, maybe a N3DS game? It is a bit of a stretch but I think one thing is for sure, that creepy smile will soon haunt us all again soon!

What are your thoughts?

Link: http://www.nintendol..._new_zelda_game

Maybe not that big, but at least something larger than anything we have seen in Zelda beforehand, which I am almost certain we will get.  But, whether we get the other towns and hamlets is far less likely unfortunately. It would still be nice to see some though!

At least we get the tropical lush forestland to counterbalance it... That place looks insane and I cannot wait to delve into its enormity.

Wow, you learn something new every day! But believe me, I know what snow is. I live in a small town on Lake Erie near Erie PA, and believe me, I get 140-150 inches of snow yearly. That's more than 10 feet.  And snow worlds in video games always feel boring and uninspired to me.  That was my only beef with Skyrim was that it was pretty much... snow.  Snow by its very nature is boring.  But fine, they want to have snow, cool (see what I did there), but make it something different than a enormous field with a few cobweb trees.... I guess I just have a personal vendetta against snow because I deal with ten feet of it that I have to stare at for 7 months of the year. I hate snow. but I will get passed my deep antagonistic attitude about it and have fun with this game so CHEERS

5? Impossible for me. Maybe 50 but nothing under that. I am terrible with lists. Only list I can do is my top 3 fave games of all time

What are your top three games of all time then?

Yes I have the Wii U and the One and I can definitely say the U gets sooooooo much more play time.  Games on the x1 are so sparce and far between.  Although PC still gets the most use.

Twilight princess was developed for the gamecube, a sixth gen console, so yes it is 6th gen.  It came out on the wii only due to the wii basically being an overclocked gamecube so the game was incredibly unstrenuous to port.

The 7th generation was by far the most commercially successful generation, and with a 400 million+ install base came the companies who saw games a means to make money rather than an interactive art form. However, there were dozens of absolutely fantastic games made that came from those many developers that still carry with them the instinct to make beautiful, expressive, enthralling, and entertaining games.  The purpose of this thread is to honor those studios and their games, expressing not only a list of titles but a list of fond and unforgettable memories that those brilliant minds left with us,  IT IS NOT TO TARNISH OTHERS' FOND MEMORIES! Not everyone is going to have the same list, so if you disagree with someone, please either keep it to yourself or do so in a respectful and open-minded manner. Ports of older games, remakes, and/or any game that existed on a previous generation is not to be included (ie. Twilight Princess). 

My top five:

5. Uncharted 2: Among Thieves (PS3): Among the library full of playable movies from last generation, few of them stand out in a way that U2:AT does.  The game had an engrossing story, fun tps combat, and the most realistic graphics of its time, showing that the PS3's cell processor wasn't all theoretical. It was Truly the most worthy 10 hour theatrical video game of the last generation.  Not much else needs to be said about this masterpiece.

4. Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword (Wii)- While not my favorite in the series, it managed to finally include a worthwhile and not completely frustrating motion control scheme.  It also took great steps towards modernizing the series with a heavier focus on story.  In a time where HD games on the other systems were making the wii games hard to even look at, this game was a bright light because of its impressionistic, beautiful art style.  Also, while the world was considerably smaller than previous games, it was also infinitely times more interesting, and every chunk of land was used for something, although the same cannot be said for the sky...  I will argue that in used space, this game was far bigger than any Zelda before it.  Overall, a shining example of design expertise in the 7th generation.

3. Skyrim(PC version)- "Holy crap, where did that last 12 hours go!" During my days of playing skyrim, this was an often thought statement.  In terms of amount to do, this game trumps all.  The world, while slightly bland, is a engrossing and life filled environment that makes sense.  Unlike many contemporary RPGs, a lush forest doesn't give way by the means of a canyon or pass to a desert, and then to a fantasy style plains.  It is simply a cold, unforgiving world worth every penny spent to get it (1,200/$12 for me, steam sales <3).  It is one of my personal favorite RPGs, and is ultimately the game that took up the most of my time last gen.  Also, the 1000's of mods for this game give it nearly infinite replay value.

2. Minecraft (PC)- While some may argue with me for days about this, this game is obviously one of the most substantial and inventive games of the last gen.  It gives you and infinite world made of pixely chunks, than lets you just... do. You can do and build nearly anything.  Ride horses? of. Fly? ok. Hunt monsters? ok.  Build a massive kingdom? ok.  Sale the vast sea of greatness? go ahead. Not only did this game take up 100's of hours of my time, it also opened up some of the most creative corners of my brain, and because of that, it is on this list.  Good job Notch.

1. Tie between Sonic 06 and Call of Duty: 13 year olds who bang moms

1. Super Mario Galaxy 2: So cliche I know, but what other 3d game has done platforming so flawlessly? None.  This game is a spectacle of platforming, no, gaming itself.  Its soundtrack is brilliant, its visuals are stunning for a wii game, and despite being a little lazy with the level design with it being so similar to its predecessor, it gets away with it because it is better in every single possible way.  While at first I hated the galaxy games for being so linear, I then had one too many open world sandbox AAA games shoved down my throat and realized that the controlled experience this game offers you is so pristine that it craps on the whole open world sandbox scene.  I also remembered the point of mario and Zelda, how they are supposed to be almost opposites, one being linear and controlled, and the other being open and free. I am now a huge fan of this game after my second playthrough despite hating it my first because I realized I missed the plain fun aspect of this game, and the brilliant level designs. 

And a few honorable mentions: 

Portal 2

Pokemon Black and White

Xenoblade

Mass Effect trilogy

Oblivion

Donkey Kong Country Returns

Valkyria Chronicles

Super Smash Bros. Brawl

Banjo-Kazooie: Nuts and Bolts

Also, for fun, my 6th gen faves:

1. Twilight Princess

2. Morrowind

3. Super Smash Bros. Melee

4. Shadow of the Colossus

5. Halo: Combat Evolved

What are your top five?

Something similar was done with the ocarina world, its nearly perfect!

that lab is insane.. I never even knew that crap can happen in Minecraft hahah

I think the Gorons and the Zora will be in more of cave complexes than villages.

 

And it would be horsing awesome if the lost woods was procedurally generated, so if you even turn around you find yourself in a different area.

I didn't mean for a "generic" village, but moreso a large hub such as zora's domain and goron city that contains quests and many unique NPC's with homes.  

Oh my lord a procedurally generated lost woods would be insane! Finally actually getting lost... Although the possibilities for it are endless!  I think the lost woods will be in the Southwestern portion of the map, and I am so excited to see how they utilize the new power to create that portion.  

Also, I have recently noticed that the southern border seems to extend further, I wonder if there is more to the map that we haven't seen.. Or if they are making room for possible expansions?

Yeah it will be incredibly interesting to see if they implement large towns/hamlets in the game.   I'm hoping for a very large castle town and then a few hylian villages, a few human villages, and then a large town for each of the other races such as the gerudo, zora, and goron.  Also, I can't wait to see what the lost woods looks like in this game!

Yes that GIF Appears at almost every analysis on the Internet.  I think this further proves my original point that the world seems to take heavy influence from the first few games of the series.  I cannot wait to get more footage so I can speculate more and more and more!  Also, after watching a few videos I learned that the end of the game award trailer was likely below lake Hylia, due to the bridge and the direction of Death Mt.  Truly cannot wait for this game and how it is doing everything I have ever hoped for in a Zelda

Just updated the OP with map size calculations and info on Icons!

New update to op with Cool speculation video

Wow.. Probably zombiU and some dumb game that was released three years ago that we are now just getting a port of and the rest of the gaming community will rainbow on us some more but than I can shove X and Bayonetta down their throats