Goodness gracious, what an E3 this has been. As usual, a lot of new things were announced and shown off, previously announced games received status updates, and certain no-shows continued to be no-shows. And I'll be honest, most of what was shown this E3 did nothing for me. Microsoft continued to make me not care about their console, Sony's offerings were largely irrelevant to my interests, and both of their conferences leaned heavily on third-party titles that aren't even exclusive to their respective platforms. EA, meanwhile, continued to be EA, and Ubisoft, while offering some cool-looking games, took the brunt of the foot-in-mouth attention for something I'll talk about further down.

But on to more specific thoughts.

Presentation of the Show: Nintendo

This isn't a "Who won E3" discussion. The idea of "winning" E3 is an absurd argument, but I would argue that, of the companies that put on large-scale PR events, Nintendo's was easily the best this year. Their pre-recorded digital event, at less than an hour long, was entertaining and provided some good information on a variety of their coming games. Its brevity was welcome after the marathon press conferences like Sony's, which dragged at points with an extended presentation on extraneous things like a Sony-produced TV show. It also managed to avoid cringe-worthy moments like an EA rep, in all seriousness, proclaiming "all the feels!" while talking about Dragon Age: Inquisition. That is a phrase that no one should ever say out loud, and if you do, it is a sure sign that you have been spending far too much time on the internet. Go outside.

But more than the pre-recorded event, Nintendo put on a PR clinic with their Nintendo Treehouse livestreams that ran the span of E3. Staff from the NOA localization team sitting in front of cameras, casually talking about the games that they're there to present, getting commentary from producers and development staff, and generally just being very open about what they had to show, whether it be something fairly complete, like Hyrule Warriors, or early concepts like Shigeru Miyamoto's Project Giant Robot. They streamed extended demos, offered interesting tidbits, and even occasionally cursed at each other while competing in Smash Bros. Never stiff or awkward, they were just there, talking about their games and being completely confident in them. And before that was even over, they took one more opportunity to reveal a brand new strategy RPG IP to the press in Code Name S.T.E.A.M.

It was a PR effort that frankly put everyone else at E3 to shame, regardless of what other companies had to show. Microsoft and Sony would be wise to learn from what Nintendo did this year.

Foot in Mouth of the Show: Ubisoft PR

OK, let me be upfront here. I don't believe that just because a game allows for custom, player created characters that having a gender selection option is or should be a requirement. There are some games where such just might not make sense.

That being said, Ubisoft's excuse for why there aren't any playable female options in the forthcoming Assassin's Creed: Unity come off as lazy and intellectually insulting. Blaming it on "realities of production" when, in the past, they have been able to create female assassin characters (including the protagonist of Liberation), and particularly when compared to other, much larger-scale games that feature gender selection as part of very robust character creation tools, is an absurdity. Especially for a company the size of Ubisoft.

And then there is, of course, the historical precedent of Charlotte Corday, an actual, real-world assassin of Revolution-era France. And yet, the option to play as a female assassin during this same era, and in a game where assassination is depicted in a much more fantastic manner, is completely absent because Ubisoft couldn't be bothered to put in efforts that other developers take for granted. Or at the very least, if such an option isn't included, the absence isn't generally excused in such a ridiculous manner.

"Give Me Now!" of the Show: Hyrule Warriors

September 26th, 2014. That is the date that I must wait for in order to finally have Hyrule Warriors in my hands. It is a date that is both months away, and yet tantalizingly close. As a Warriors fan first and a Zelda fan second, I want to play this game. I want to see all of the insanity that Omega Force and Team Ninja could muster. I want to summon the Great Fairy from Ocarina of Time so that I too could smack a dragon out of the sky with the evil moon from Majora's Mask, because that is a thing that actually happens in this game. I want to play as Zelda and a whole host of characters from the series and cut down thousands of dudes.

I WANT THIS GAME, DAMN IT. WHY IS IT NOT SEPTEMBER YET?

Surprise of the Show: Devil's Third is Alive...and Wii U Exclusive?!

OK, so it's not necessarily a surprise that Devil's Third is alive. It's no secret that the game has had a rocky history given the troubles with the game's original publisher, the now-defunct THQ. And the game does look a bit rough in the footage that's been shown, but of course the game isn't finished yet, so who knows what sort of polish they intend to give it between now and release. But, really.

Tomonobu Itagaki teaming with Nintendo to bring an M-rated action game of his personal style to the Wii U? It makes for funny speculation, sure, but I wouldn't have guessed that it was reality. And well, it's reality!

I'll be honest in that, prior to this announcement, my general interest in Devil's Third was more curiosity than actual desire. Nothing much of the game had really ever been shown at all, even during its THQ days. I've learned more about the game in the past two days than I had in the past several years. And roughness acknowledged, the game looks bonkers enough for me to have actual, honest interest in it now.

Again, it's just bizarre. And yet, it's a bizarreness that I am totally cool with.

Ridiculous Debate of the Show: Zelda Wii U - Link's Identity

Come on, people. Did you really think that wasn't Link in the teaser?

Not that it wouldn't be cool to play as Zelda (HYRULEWARRIORSHYRULEWARRIORSHYRULEWARRIORS) or another character, male or female, but there is such a thing as getting enmeshed in overanalysis to the point that the obvious is completely missed.

Game of the Show: Xenoblade Chronicles X

Holy Gnosis, this gamem is looking fantastic! Originally teased for over a year and a half under the simple code name "X", Xenoblade Chronicles X is looking like a bigger, more elaborate Xenoblade Chronicles, with new bits like a custom player-character and more combat customization options. Nintendo livestreamed a demo of the game's opening quests twice, going a good forty minutes, and it is just looking fantastic. Xenoblade Chronicles on the Wii is one of the best RPGs of the past generation, and X is looking just as good, if not better. It's projected to come out next year, and it's looking every bit worth the wait.