The Game Critics Award is a post-E3 tradition in which an independent group of 50 global media and influencer outlets covering the video game industry vote on which games take home the gold among a variety of categories. There are over a dozen categories: Best of Show, Best Original Game, Best Console Game, Best VR/AR Game, Best PC Game, Best Hardware/Peripheral, Best Action Game, Best Action/Adventure, Best RPG, Best Fighting Game, Best Racing Game, Best Sports Game, Best Strategy Game, Best Family/Social Game, Best Online Multiplayer, Best Independent Game, Best Ongoing Game, as well as Special Commendations for Graphics, Sound, and Innovation.
While this occurs annually, I still find the concept itself fascinating because it’s based on getting just a glimpse of these games. But in general that’s what E3 is about: it’s one big hype machine. And the game that walked away with the most hype was Capcom’s Resident Evil 2 Remake, awarded Best of Show.
Which is to say video game ideas peaked in 1998, but our execution needed some work. It’s weird to think a game that came out ten years ago was the best thing at E3, but people have been raving about the presentation of this terrifying nostalgia trip so I can’t say I’m too surprised. Still, as good as this remake might be it doesn’t feel representative of where we are today for a 1998 game to be the best thing at E3 2018.