Jeff Keighley's show this year left quite an unpleasant aftertaste. Clair Obscur: Expedition 33, as predicted, swept almost all the key awards (including Game of the Year, Best Direction, Best Narrative, and many others — a record 9 wins). No intrigue, no unexpected twists. Really sorry for Daniel Vávra, as Kingdom Come II didn't take home a single award...
A bunch of slop-ads at the start of the show, a lackluster main section without any intrigue, and a finale with the free Highguard from former Respawn developers (who apparently weren't allowed to make Titanfall 3) felt like a weak attempt to wrap up the evening on a positive note.
A ton of time was wasted on mobile game ads, drawn-out cinematic trailers without any real gameplay, and interviews that went nowhere. Everyone was waiting for at least the slightest hints on GTA VI, Half-Life 3, Max Payne 3 Remaster, Assassin's Creed Black Flag Remaster — but nothing... The show felt dragged out and devoid of energy.
That said, a few announcements did stand out against the general backdrop:
🟠Total War: Warhammer 40,000 — the long-awaited transplant of the series into the Warhammer 40k universe.
🟠Divinity — a new project from Larian Studios (but as usual, it'll release in about 6 years).
🟠Control: Resonant — the sequel to the overhyped game for stress-testing graphics cards.
🟠Resident Evil Requiem with Leon Kennedy.
In light of all this, a proposal was put forward to compile personal nominations according to the Gamed community's picks.