USgamer's Best of E3 2017 Award Winners and Community Picks

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Phew! It's been quite a busy E3 this year. We wrote a lot. Played a lot. And now we're ready to name our favorites of the annual conference.

This year, we've switched up the subsections of awards a bit differently from last year. This year we've divided our awards into Best Game of the Show (our only requirement is that it's playable), Best Non-Playable Game, Best Reveal (as in, something that was just a trailer or title card to hype up the world, and nothing more), and of course, our Community Pick for Best Game of E3 2017. We have all banded together, and these are our official USgamer picks of the best games of E3 2017. Thanks for following our coverage! And now for the big occasion, the Best Game of E3 2017 is...

USgamer Best of E3 2017 Winner

Wolfenstein 2: The New Colossus (MachineGames)

Good first-person shooter campaign design is officially back. Following a dire decade in the wake of Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare (which itself was excellent), developers are once again pushing the limits of single-player FPS design. Nowhere is that more evident than id Software, where Wolfenstein and DOOM have combined to produce some of the best FPS campaigns in years. Wolfenstein 2 looks to continue that trend with a phenomenal opening level that puts BJ Blazkowicz in a wheelchair and forces him to fight his way through a horde of Nazis in a submarine. It's a brilliantly realized bit of FPS design, and a hopeful sign that Wolfenstein 2 will meet and exceed the highs of the original. It may not have received the same level of hype as some of the other games on the showfloor, but Wolfenstein 2 was undoubtedly the best game of E3.—Kat

Best Non-Playable Game

A Way Out (Hazelight Studios)

Two men have to trust one another to survive. Leo and Victor are two very different men who barely know each other, but they'll have to work together to escape prison and much more. The hook of A Way Out is that while Leo and Victor are learning about each other, a pair of players controlling each of the men is doing the same. It's an adventure game where you have to talk to your partner, wrapped in a presentation that's nearly cinematic. As Leo or Victor take over the story, their side of the split-screen will gain prominence. It's a good way to show off where the focus is and allows the game to pass the baton back and forth between the players. A Way Out is looking very good so far.—Mike

The Rest of Our E3 Top 10

Super Mario Odyssey (Nintendo)

No one can accuse Nintendo of playing it safe this generation. Super Mario Odyssey is every bit as experimental as Zelda, eschewing its usual platforming in favor of a greater emphasis on exploration. It doesn't always work; but when it does, it's simply grand. The Sand Kingdom in particular stands out as a really interesting bit of open-ended design that lets you explore at your pace. We'll see where this ends up going, but there's no denying that this is a very different approach to Mario. If Nintendo manages to stick the landing, it could be the best and most original Mario in years. —Kat

Assassin's Creed: Origins (Ubisoft)

I missed you Assassin's Creed, but I understand why you need to go away for a bit. Sometimes, a series has to take a short breather to recenter itself. Assassin's Creed Origins rethinks some of the franchise's conventions, while taking players back to the beginning of the Brotherhood itself. Coming down from a desert valley into the oasis of Faiyum was awe-inspiring. The small city teems with life, citizens hawking their wares in the streets, others toiling in the fields. Boats sail the oasis waters as crocodiles and hippos mill about under the surface. And Bayek, the first assassin, can explore it all seamlessly: leap from rooftop to rooftop, on horseback, underwater, and even soaring high above the world through the eye of his eagle, Senu. Add in some RPG elements and a new combat system, and I'm in. Origins reminded me why I loved Assassin's Creed.—Mike

Madden NFL 18 (EA)

This is going to be a big year for Madden. In addition to transitioning to the Frostbite Engine, they are introducing Longshot—a fascinating new story mode that highlights one player's journey from the Combine to the NFL Draft. As far as I can tell, the transition is going swimmingly.

Far from being a "roster update," Madden 18 looks to be a reinvention from top to bottom. The transition to Frostbite has made it feel heavier and more realistic, which is especially noticeable in the running game. There are also dozens of smaller improvements, from the addition of coaching adjustments that let you choose your matchups to pregame runouts. Traditional Career Mode unfortunately won't be getting that much work; but in every other respect, Madden 18 is a major step forward for a franchise that has been on a roll of late.—Kat

Forza Motorsport 7 (Turn 10 Studios)

I wrote about this a little bit in my Xbox One X preview, but I can’t forget that one moment during my Forza Motorsport 7 demo where I slid my race car off the tracks. It’s a moment that overwhelmed me completely in terms of just how realistic it felt, even if I was just playing the game using a controller and seeing the action through a screen. It’s the kind of moment that reminds you how powerful video games are as a medium. It doesn’t hurt that it’s also one of the most jaw-droppingly gorgeous looking games currently in development, but the graphics only further enhance the overall experience. Forza 7 is powerful because it performs as realistically as it looks, and the fact that a video game can simulate reality so closely (it’s not even VR), then that’s a video game experience worth having.—Matt

Spider-Man (Insomniac Games)

Insomniac has a unique chance with this game. It gets to craft its own Spider-Man mythos from over 55 years of comic history. Spider-Man hasn't always had great games, but the winners are the ones that's capture the feeling of being the character: soaring high above the city on a webline and fighting a host of colorful villains. This new Spider-Man is the convergence of different ideas, bringing together the play of Spider-Man classics with the kind of action set pieces you'd find in an Uncharted title. It's a game that brings together an older Peter Parker, old villains like the Kingpin, new villains like Mister Negative, and the potential of an interesting supporting cast with the appearance of new Spider-Man Miles Morales. It looks great and it looks like it plays great, which is why I'm excited for its 2018 debut.—Mike

Star Wars: Battlefront 2 (EA DICE)

Star Wars: Battlefront played well, but there just wasn't enough in the box at launch for long-term play. This time around, DICE is coming out with blaster high. There's a full story mode, featuring the plight of the Empire from the end of Return of the Jedi until the beginning of The Force Awakens. Galactic Assault is a beefed up version of Battlefront's Walker Assault, with a full contingent of classes to play, letting you shoot, snipe, dogfight, and lightsaber across every Star Wars era. Battlefront 2 is the game that Battlefront should've been, but I'm glad it's actually coming out finally.—Mike

Dragon Ball FighterZ (Arc System Works)

Who knew that a Dragon Ball fighting game would end up stealing most of Capcom's E3 thunder? Bandai Namco blew the doors off the fighting game community with an incredibly gorgeous new fighting game by Arc System Works, the creators of Guilty Gear and BlazBlue. It was every bit as grand in person, though I must admit to being pretty intimidated by the actual mechanics—Arc System Works is known for being one of the hardest of hardcore game developers. And like many of the most intense fighting games, it is heavy on aerial combat and combos, requiring a keen grasp of the mechanics and even keener reflexes. Time will tell whether it can rope casual fans in as much as the hardcore fighting game faithful; but in the short term, Dragon Ball FighterZ has made a hell of a first impression.—Kat

Mario + Rabbids: Kingdom Battle (Ubisoft)

Color me surprised. When I first saw the leaks about Mario + Rabbids, I was skeptical alongside everyone else. When I sat down to play it though, I came away shocked. It was fun! Mario + Rabbids is a bright, charming take on the XCOM strategy formula. The strategy is still here, with new movement and attack mechanics. If you wanted to get someone into strategy games, I'd honestly say this is the place to start. Sure, the Rabbids can be annoying, but they didn't wear on me too much in my playthrough and the Mario side of the equation balances them out nicely as the straight man of the affair. Good job with this surprise, Ubisoft!—Mike

Most Exciting Reveal

Metroid Returns with not one, but two games (Nintendo)

We're not just getting Metroid Prime 4 at some point in the Nintendo Switch's lifespan, but now we're getting a remake of Metroid 2 for the 3DS as well. It was a heavy two-hitter in a single day—even if one announcement was buried in a Nintendo Treehouse livestream. We're all big fans of Metroid games over at USgamer, and as the series has been dead for so long, both announcements came as a huge, but exciting, surprise. Even if one was just a title card.—Caty

USgamer Community Pick — Best of E3 2017

Super Mario Odyssey (Nintendo)

Super Mario Odyssey looks like a fever dream of random ideas from a pitch meeting put into motion. And it seems like a lot of people are excited by the Nintendo Switch's upcoming game in the Mario universe. Enamored by human-possessing hats and a charming trailer, Super Mario Odyssey won our community poll for Best of E3 2017 by a wide margin. Kat didn't fall head over heels in love with the game during her time spent with it, but enjoyed its quirkier elements. That seems to be the most enticing thing for the odd adventure game: that it's rethinking what makes a Mario game by turning its expectations on its head (or rather, hat). In a lot of ways, it feels similar to what The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild did earlier this year to the adventure-open world genre. We all won't have to wait long for Super Mario Odyssey either, it's arriving on the Switch on October 27 of this year.—Caty

Community Runners-Up

• Metroid Prime 4 / Metroid: Samus Returns
• Dragonball FighterZ
• Mario + Rabbids: Kingdom Battle
• Wolfenstein 2: The New Colossus
• Xenoblade Chronicles 2

Other Staff Favorites From E3

• Uncharted: Lost Legacy (Naughty Dog)
• Yakuza 6 (Sega)
• Monster Hunter World (Capcom)
• Beyond Good & Evil 2 (Ubisoft)
• Anthem (BioWare)
• Shadow of the Colossus Remake (Bluepoint/Japan Studio)
• Kirby Switch (Nintendo)
• Need for Speed: Payback (EA)
• Far Cry 5 (Ubisoft)
• Skull & Bones (Ubisoft)
• Monster of the Deep: Final Fantasy XV (Square Enix)