WorthPlaying's Best of E3 2019 - Finalists
(in alphabetical order)
Cyberpunk 2077 (PS4/XOne/PC)
As my preview touched upon, it feels like Cyberpunk 2077 is going to be the new standard-bearer for the cyberpunk torch in video games. It's a large world with a unique aesthetic woven through it, and it's populated with interesting characters. The gameplay appears to be a natural improvement over similar games, such as the Deus Ex series, but it's done in such a way that seems fresh rather than merely derivative. With the game looking better and better every time I see it, I am greatly looking forward to playing this more so than nearly anything else I saw at E3 2019. - Tony "OUberLord" Mitera
Dying Light 2 (PS4/XOne/PC)
To me, the ideal game sequel takes the foundation of the first and uses it as a platform to make a near-quantum leap into another tier of potential. Assassin's Creed 2 did that. So did Uncharted 2. Techland is poised to ensure that Dying Light 2 joins that kind of company. You can still look at the original Dying Light as a zombie survival game at its heart, but in this next installment, you're not just surviving; you're a full-fledged postapocalyptic warrior who can grapple-hook, paraglide and parkour across the scene to chase down trucks or use what looks to be an exquisitely improved hand-to-hand fighting system that'll make you feel like zombie Batman. Probably the most intriguing part of all this is the introduction of a moral undercurrent, where the choices you make as a character can end hundreds of lives or reveal a new part of a massive map. This was one the first things I saw at E3 2019, and it's sticking in my mind. That seems like a good start. - Redmond Carolipio
Espire 1: VR Operative (PC)
While I'm far from deeply involved in VR, I'm always on the lookout for games that do interesting things with the tech. Espire 1 managed to absolutely grab my attention in a way that few other games have done in recent memory. It is exactly what I would want out of a Metal Gear-style VR game, and yet it's so remarkably flexible in allowing the player to play their own way. It's one of our finalists for Best of E3 2019, but even greater yet, this mere preview was one of the better things I've played in years.- Tony "OUberLord" Mitera
No Straight Roads (PS4/PC)
As every person, animal, sapient machine, and eavesdropping alien is exhaustively aware of by now, I have a lot of love for Jet Grind Radio. As such, any game that's even close to its particular wheelhouse gets my attention automatically, and No Straight Roads is deliberately a love letter to both it and recent American animation. The title is set in a futuristic dystopia where EDM has taken over the planet, and you play as both a guitarist and a drummer as you use the power of rock music to save the world. It's a game about music that doesn't require you to be good at music to play it, with multi-stage boss fights and levels that were designed around the soundtracks written for them. It deserves your attention. - Thomas Wilde
Watch Dogs Legion (PS4/XOne/PC)
I've always liked how Ubisoft has never been bashful about tapping the energy of geopolitics to serve as the fuel for its next project. After touching on the idea of a divided America in the latest Division project, it's now heading to a post-Brexit London that's covered under a vision of high-tech, oppressive futurism. I really enjoyed the previous Watch Dogs chapter, and a return of the series to a much weightier tone has me both wary and very much intrigued. Also, it's ballsy: There's no main character, and you have the ability to recruit and use literally anyone you see in the world. If I need an undefeated pro boxer on my team, I can get him. If I need a drone operator, I can get her for a favor. The potential for fluidity, almost amoebic, storytelling actually appears overwhelming at a glance, and I am amazed at what the developers are trying to pull off. They're onto something — this was one of the most fun things I got to play at E3 2019. - Redmond Carolipio