WorthPlaying's Best of E3 2017 - Finalists
(in alphabetical order)

Bloodstained: Ritual of the Night (NS/WiiU/PSV/PS4/XOne/PC)
It's harder than it sounds to recapture the fire of an old classic, so that's why Bloodstained is impressive. It's pure Castlevania and utterly shameless about being so. At the same time, it's a boatload of fun, banking on interesting gameplay and strong design rather than sheer nostalgia to carry it over the finish line. If the final version lives up to the demo, then Bloodstained could very well eclipse the franchise it was inspired by. - Chris "Atom" DeAngelus

Days Gone (PS4)
Days Gone is mostly a result of my biases. Whenever someone says, with varying degrees of irritation, that they're sick of zombie games and they're wondering who still buys and plays them? That's me. It's all for me. You're welcome. With Days Gone, I like the open-world approach to problem-solving, the dynamic encounters with near-infinite zombie hordes, the improvised weapons, and being able to solve my problems with a combination of traps, stealth, and occasionally siccing a zombie wolf on a dude. It hits a lot of my sweet spots as a player, so it's definitely got my attention. - Thomas Wilde

Dragon Ball FighterZ (PS4/XOne/PC)
In a year with a lot of great-looking games, Dragon Ball FighterZ stood out for being one of the best-looking games on the floor. Accurately capturing the style and visual feel of the popular cartoon, it's a clear example of how art style can matter a lot. Add into that the stylish Marvel vs. Capcom gameplay, and it's easy to see why it's shaping up to be the Dragon Ball game that fans have been longing for. - Chris "Atom" DeAngelus

Mario + Rabbids Kingdom Battle (NS)
I admire Mario + Rabbids Kingdom Battle on the basis that it's not obvious. It doesn't hurt that it was playable at Ubisoft's booth; that it's actually challenging; and that, against all odds, it actually makes "Mario & Rabbids play XCOM" work as a concept. The Rabbids are really only there as antagonists and rabble-rousers, which means we've found yet another genre that Mario somehow manages to fit into without significant alteration. Next up, I'm hoping we get to see him fight the Covenant. - Thomas Wilde

Middle-earth: Shadow of War (PS4/XOne/PC)
It's easy for a sequel to claim to be bigger and better than the predecessor, but Middle-earth: Shadow of War is aiming to live up to that ambitious boast. With a more dynamic and more complex version of the Nemesis system tied to an improved version of the original Shadow of Mordor's gameplay, it's everything a sequel should be. Add to that even more character customization and design complexity, and Shadow of War is shaping up to be a must-have game for the year. - Chris "Atom" DeAngelus