12DOVE E3 2018 awards - the best, most exciting games at E3 2018

We came, we saw, and we played all the games we could at E3 2018. Now, after a whirlwind week of announcements and trailers, the show has wrapped, and we're left waiting in fervent anticipation to experience all the best E3 2018 games in their entirety. We've had time to mull over all the winners and losers from the week that was, and after careful consideration and plenty of hands-on demos, we've nailed down a list of our absolute favorite games that E3 2018 had to offer. What follows is our list of staff picks from those at the show in LA and covering it from afar - and while they're broadly ordered in terms of popularity with the 12DOVE crew, Cyberpunk 2077 was the unanimous choice for game of the show. Without further ado, let's get into all the games we awarded for their excellence. 

• Xbox E3 2018 recap
• PlayStation E3 2018 recap
• Nintendo E3 2018 recap

E3 2018 Game of the Show - Cyberpunk 2077

Platform(s): PS4, Xbox One, PC
Release date: TBC

Why do we love it?
For Cyberpunk 2077, CD Projekt Red could've taken The Witcher 3, put a robot arm on Geralt and turned his horse into a motorcycle, and it still probably would've been one of the best sci-fi RPGs in years. Its trailer at the Xbox E3 2018 presentation promised much more, but that wasn't the incredible part. The incredible part was the behind-closed-doors presentation where it actually delivered on that promise. A fully customizable hero led to first-person shooting and action led to branching dialogue led to upgrading your cyberware led to driving a rad future sports car, and it all stacked up into the 50 most exciting minutes of E3 2018. Cyberpunk 2077 could be coming out next week and it would still be too long a wait to get back into that world. 

Best of E3 - Ghost of Tsushima 

Platform(s): PS4
Release date: TBC

Why do we love it?
Mongol invasions never looked so fun. Ghost of Tsushima seems like the open-world samurai game of dreams, blending elements of Tenchu, Nioh, and Way of the Samurai with the scope that Sucker Punch games are known for. Jin Sakai is a relatable hero who's forced to change with the times if he's to survive, even if that means slicing up many an aggressor along the way. That moment where Jin crests the hill overlooking the Otsuna Grasslands was utterly sublime, with pagodas in the distance and the wind blowing through the photorealistic field, and we can't wait to see more of the environmental artistry and deadly combat on display. 

Best of E3 - Fallout 76 

Platform(s): PS4, Xbox One, PC
Release date: November 14, 2018

Why do we love it?
Fallout multiplayer always seemed like such a fascinating idea, as people emerge from the vault and brand together to rebuild (or conquer) the world. Turns out, Bethesda's been thinking the exact same thing - and after years of work, we'll soon be set loose on Fallout 76, with its map of West Virginia that's reportedly four times the size of Fallout 4. The whole nuke system, where can drop an atom bomb anywhere on the map to instantly create a high-level zone (and maybe demolish someone's house in the process), sounds like it'll make for some amazing emergent moments in this shared wasteland.   

Best of E3 - The Last of Us Part 2 

Platform(s): PS4
Release date: TBC

Why do we love it?
Unless you want your legs shot, throat slit, or body turned into a shower of gore courtesy of an explosive arrow, it's best not to mess with Ellie. Yes, the gameplay shown at E3 2018 was incredibly brutal - but it was tempered beautifully by heartfelt character development as we were introduced to Dina. The fanatical Seraphite enemies, with their creepy whistling communication and bloodlust at the mere sight of Ellie, might be even freakier than the Clickers (who will be returning, as Naughty Dog told us) due to their sheer savagery. But Ellie's a tough cookie, and she's definitely a match for a small army of deranged survivors. 

Best of E3 - Death Stranding 

Platform(s): PS4
Release date: TBC

Why do we love it?
Death Stranding has been such a complete mystery for so long that its long-awaited gameplay reveal was in danger of seeming mundane by comparison. But Hideo Kojima outfoxed us yet again, defying our expectations of over-the-top action to bring us literal mundane scenes of Norman Reedus lugging cargo around a giant, seemingly deserted world. And somehow it was utterly engrossing. Meanwhile, the story just gets weirder and weirder, and now it even has a starring role from The Bionic Woman. 

Best of E3 - Spider-Man 

Platform(s): PS4
Release date: September 7, 2018

Why do we love it?
The largest, most detailed open world that ol' webhead has ever swung around in, an assortment of A-list villains to fight against, and graphics so lush you'd need eight eyes to fully appreciate every little detail. It's been 14 years since Spider-Man 2, but people still think of it as the best game to star Marvel's web-slinging hero. It's high time Spider-Man for PS4 usurped that title.

Best of E3 - Assassin's Creed Odyssey 

Platform(s): PS4, Xbox One, PC
Release date: October 5, 2018

Why do we love it?
Assassin's Creed was a franchise in severe danger of becoming stale. Yearly entries, each buggier than the last, wore down our enthusiasm for time-traveling, globe-trotting conspiracy plots. After a short break and a reinvention of the series formula for AC Origins, Assassin's Creed Odyssey takes an even bigger departure from what came before by going full RPG. Dialogue trees, character customization, and skill trees take center stage in this epic tale, and the setting of ancient Greece provides an opportunity to explore larger-than-life myths.

Best of E3 - Super Smash Bros. Ultimate 

Platform(s): Switch
Release date: December 7, 2018

Why do we love it?
Making every Smash Bros. fan happy is quite a tall order - but by bringing all the playable characters from throughout the entire series, Super Smash Bros. Ultimate is welcoming no matter fighter you prefer. Newcomers like Ridley and the Inklings are wonderful additions to the roster, and the sheer number of refinements worked into every facet of the game is staggering. It hasn't been talked up enough, but simply being able to play a Battlefield version of every stage (in addition to the Omega/Final Destination version) is a stroke of genius that'll go a long way in the thousands of matches you'll inevitably be playing. 

Best of E3 - Skull and Bones 

Platform(s): PS4, Xbox One, PC
Release date: 2019

Why do we love it?
Two words: stealth ships. Being able to hide your galleon in plain sight by flying the enemy flag is a brilliant bit of game design, and the possibilities for the high-sea battles of Skull and Bones seem endless. Taking in the sights and scouting out your next score from the crow's nest, trading volleys of cannonfire with rival pirates, even customizing the smallest details on your ship (like that killer toothed helm) - it all makes you feel like you could claim the seas as your own in this shared world, even if you have to stab a few allies in the back to get there.

Best of E3 - Beyond Good & Evil 2 

Platform(s): TBC
Release date: TBC

Why do we love it?
Of all the games on our list, Beyond Good & Evil 2 is probably the furthest away from being a reality. Still in the early stages of development, E3 2018 only gave us a hint of BG&E2 gameplay and a new cinematic trailer. Still, there's so much promise here it's hard not to get excited - who doesn't want to be a space pirate, seamlessly transitioning from on-foot combat to aerial dogfights, then (again, seamlessly) exiting the atmosphere to go explore other worlds? And via Ubisoft's partnership with HitRecord, there's even the chance that you could create something other players see or experience in the game.

More E3 2018 awards await on the next page!