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The Best of E3 2016
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DigThatBox.com Picks The Best of E3 2016

Submitted By: DigThatBox.com Staff

Text By: E. Thomas

June 18th, 2016

As E3 2016 draws to a close we take the time to review the best products of the show. Video game fans agree that E3 2016 is one of the best shows in E3 history. Each day there was a new megaton surprise. The event floor was packed with amazing new games, exciting new hardware and tons of cool gadgets. With so many strong contenders this year it was extremely difficult for us to choose just one winner from each category. Here is our review of E3 2016. These games and products are the best of the best, and at the end of this article you will find out who really won E3 2016.

Best Game By Platform: Consoles

Editor's Note: To be considered for an award a game must have a playable demo, extensive gameplay footage, or a demo that is played by a presenter during a private demo or an on stage event. Teaser trailers do not qualify.

Nintendo Wii U:

  1. The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild (Video)
  2. Paper Mario: Color Splash
  3. Jotun: Valhalla Edition
  4. Axiom Verge
  5. Tokyo Mirage Sessions FE

PlayStation 4:

  1. Days Gone (Video)
  2. Horizon: Zero Dawn
  3. God of War
  4. Farpoint (PSVR)
  5. Gravity Rush 2

Xbox One:

  1. Gears of War 4  (Video)
  2. Sea of Thieves
  3. Forza Horizon 3
  4. Dead Rising 4
  5. Halo Wars 2

Best Game By Platform: PC

  1. Dishonored 2 (Video) 
  2. Civilization VI
  3. Star Trek: Bridge Crew
  4. Gwent
  5. Mount and Blade 2: Bannerlord

Best Game By Platform: Portables & Mobile Gaming

Mobile: Android & iOS

  1. Pokemon Go (Video)
  2. Minecraft Realms
  3. Deus Ex Go
  4. Severed
  5. Batman: The Telltale Games Series

Nintendo 3DS:

  1. Pokemon Sun & Moon (Video)
  2. Monster Hunter Generations
  3. Ever Oasis
  4. Mario Party: Star Rush
  5. Ever Oasis

Best Game By Genre: Console & PC

Best Indie Game:

  1. Cuphead (Video)
  2. Inside
  3. Fe
  4. Vampyr
  5. 100 Foot Robot Golf

Best Action Game:

  1. The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild (Video)
  2. Gears of War 4
  3. Horizon: Zero Dawn
  4. Dead Rising 4
  5. God of War

Best Kids & Family Game:

  1. Lego Dimensions (Video)
  2. Mario Party: Color Splash
  3. Infinite Arms
  4. PJ Masks Moonlight Heroes
  5. Anki Overdrive Super Trucks

Best Fighting Game:

  1. Injustice 2 (Video)
  2. Tekken 7
  3. Killer Instinct (Based on New 2016 Content)

Best (FPS) First Person Shooter Game:

  1. Battlefield 1 (Video)
  2. Star Wars: Battlefront (New 2016 Content)
  3. Call of Duty: Infinite Warfare
  4. Titanfall 2
  5. Strafe

Best Horror Game:

  1. Resident Evil VII (Video)
  2. Dead Rising 4
  3. State of Decay 2
  4. Outlast 2

Best Multiplayer Game:

  1. Sea of Thieves (Video)
  2. Halo Wars 2
  3. Mario Party: Star Rush

Best Virtual Reality Game:

  1. Resident Evil VII: Biohazard (Video)
  2. Ripcoil
  3. Statik
  4. Wilson's Heart
  5. Batman: Arkham VR

Best Platform Game:

  1. Cuphead (Video)
  2. Inside
  3. Yooka-Laylee
  4. Bound

Best Puzzle Game:

  1. Batman: Arkham VR (Video)
  2. Inside
  3. Deus Ex Go

Best Racing Game:

  1. Forza Horizon 3 (Video)
  2. F1 2016
  3. Redout
  4. Gran Turismo Sport
  5. Ride 2

Best RPG (Role Playing Game):

  1. Final Fantasy IV (Video)
  2. Pokemon Sun & Moon
  3. Persona 5
  4. South Park: The Fractured But Whole
  5. Skyrim: Special Edition

Best Sports Game:

  1. FIFA 17 (Video)
  2. NBA 2k17
  3. WWE 2k17
  4. Madden 17
  5. PES 2017

Best Visuals:

  1. The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild (Video)
  2. Cuphead
  3. Horizon: Zero Dawn
  4. Gears of War 4
  5. God of War

Game of the Show:

  1. The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild (Video)
  2. Sea of Thieves
  3. Days Gone 
  4. Dead Rising 4
  5. Horizon: Zero Dawn
  6. Battlefield 1
  7. Resident Evil VII: Biohazard
  8. Gears of War 4
  9. Watch Dogs 2
  10. Gravity Rush 2
  11. Horizon: Zero Dawn
  12. Gigantic

Best Gadget:

Video_Games/PlayStation-VR.jpg

PlayStation VR

In a year when virtual reality gaming literally dominated the show floor at E3 2016 one product in particular stood out above the rest. PlayStation VR (PSVR) is truly an amazing product for several reasons. While other more expensive VR PC gaming headsets have garnered much of the attention from the press and the gaming community, PSVR presents a more affordable option for the average consumer. Simply put, PSVR is console gaming VR gaming done right and at a consumer friendly level. It's easy to use, intuitive, and set up will be a breeze. Most importantly it will have a large roster of games available at launch, and more to follow in the coming months and years. We're certain PSVR will be a big seller this holiday season. With over 40 million PS4 owners in the world PSVR already has a massive potential consumer base. Things are certinaly looking bright for the future of console gaming VR.

Best Retro Gaming Product:

Video_Games/8bitdo-Retro-Receiver.jpg

8Bitdo Retro Receiver NES Bluetooth Controller Adapter

8Bitdo is a small company with a very unusual name. They came out of nowhere last year and won the best retro gaming product of the show. This year they return to the number one spot again with an incredible new bluetooth Nintendo 64 controller. This amazing product was the biggest surprise of the show. Retro gaming has become a booming cottage industry. The growth of this industry sub market has spurred a major increase in the development of new and innovative retro gaming products. The 8bitdo N64 controller is a quality product built by a team of experts who really know their stuff. Their previous NES and SNES styled bluetooth controllers have been a huge hit with retro gaming fans everywhere. The company has also recently released a product called the Retro Receiver, which allows gamers to use modern bluetooth controllers on their classic NES hardware. Let's hope they have a similar adapter in development for the N64 to go with this amazing new controller. It's truly a solid product and a must have for any serious N64 fan.

Best Gaming Hardware:

Video_Games/Xbox-One-S.jpg

Microsoft Xbox One S

The Xbox One S is such a drastic revision of the original Xbox One hardware that it almost feels like a stealth re-launch of the product. This beautifully designed system is 40% smaller than the previous console. It also features an internal power supply which eliminates the annoying power brick found on other consoles. It comes with a new controller that is both lighter and slimmer than the original Xbox One controller. It also has textured grips, increased range and a new bluetooth capablilities. Gamers will also be delighted to hear that the internal hard drive on the Xbox One S is a full 2 terabytes. The system supports 4K video with full HDR (high dynamic range) video capabilities. This means your games and videos will look better than ever. There is even a rumored bump in hardware power. The system no longer supports the Kinect camera, so therefore the resources that were dedicated to that device can now be used for other, more important functions. The Xbox One S is certain to be a big hit when it launches in August. We're also certain it will be a hot item this Holiday Season.

Best of Show: Runner Up:

Microsoft-logo.jpg

Once again Microsoft showed they are seriously committed to the gaming industry. The company made a massive investment in the console end of their business by announcing not one, but two new video game consoles. The Xbox One S, which launches in August, and the new Xbox One: Project Scorpio, which will arrive in late 2017. Project Scorpio will be an upgrade to the current Xbox One console. It will also be the most powerful gaming console ever made. However, despite launching this impressive new system, Microsoft isn't leaving anyone behind. All new and old Xbox One games will work with every Xbox console. No one gets left out of the fun. Microsoft has literally made a billion dollar investment in the future of the Xbox One brand.

The company also made great strides into the PC market. Microsoft announced that all of it's major titles will be available on both Xbox One and PC. Gamers on both platforms will be able to compete and play together in one massive online gaming community. This is a very bold move on the part of Microsoft. They have just created the largest gaming ecosystem for both gamers and developers. It provides tremendous incentive for developers to produce games for this combined platform. While fanboys may squawk and say that Microsoft is releasing all their exclusives on PC, and therefore diminishing the Xbox One, nothing could be further from the truth. This attitude does not accurately reflect the gaming market, and the reasons why consumers choose PC or console platforms. Simply put, PC gamers are PC gamers and console gamers are console gamers. As we have already stated, Microsoft is making a massive investment in the future of the Xbox One brand. However, by combining forces with the PC market, the company has now created a huge gaming eco system that leaves their competition out in the cold.

Best of Show: Best of E3 2016

Video_Games/Zelda-NX.jpg

Nintendo

Before the start of E3 2016 there was a lot of talk about how Nintendo would only have "one game" to present at the E3 expo. The company actually showed off several new titles during their E3 video presentation, for both the Wii U and the Nintendo 3DS. However, during the actual conference, Nintendo did only have one playable game on the show floor. Their entire booth was dedicated to just one title, the Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild. With just one game Nintendo stole the show. Fans lined up for over three hours in some of the largest lines we have ever seen at the E3 expo. Not since the launch of the Nintendo Wii have we seen this much attention given to one product. The title itself absolutely dominated both social media and press attention. During the show and after it has been the most talked about game on the internet. Since the close of E3 2016 the new Zelda title has won literally dozens of Game of the Show awards. To put it bluntly, Nintendo's actions at E3 were the biggest "boss move" we have ever seen at the show. They arrived confident and left victorious. The humble little company from Kyoto, Japan has once again stolen the show.

BONUS: Best Freebie

Arcade_Tokens/Lucky-Seven-Token-Front.jpgArcade_Tokens/Lucky-Seven-Token-Back.jpg

This year we partnered with the folks at Retro-Bit to distribute our new Lucky 7 collectible arcade token to fans at the show. The turnout was amazing! We were able to distribute over 1000 tokens in just three days! The Arcade Token give-away gets bigger and better with each passing year! These tokens are a celebration of video game culture and they are made exclusively for the E3 Expo. People always tell us this is a great way to promote our site, however we do it just because we like making people happy. We graciously thank you all for making this give away such a tremendous success!