At the end of the day, E3 is all about the big reveals. Nobody really cares all that much about what DLC a studio is releasing for their dwindling games as a service title or what celebrity a company paid to shill their new title.
But everyone remembers an amazing surprise announce, whether it be a brand new IP, a long-awaited sequel, or never-before-seen console. The history of E3 has been defined by these reveals, and they remain the reason so many people pay attention to the yearly event.
Here are some of the greatest E3 reveals of all-time:
15. Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic
Good Star Wars games weren’t unheard of when Knights of the Old Republic was revealed at E3 2001, but the disappointment in the wake of The Phantom Menace certainly had fans on their guard. Yet, they dared to hope that BioWare would deliver something that could live up to the sweeping scope, awe-inspiring worldbuilding, and beautiful music featured in its incredible first look. Little did we know that BioWare was working on a game that many consider to be one of the greatest RPGs of all-time and one of the best Star Wars stories ever told.
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14. Reggie Fils-Aimé
No, Reggie Fils-Aime isn’t a game (he is, in fact, a person), but that really shouldn’t stop him from appearing on a list of the best E3 reveals when his 2004 E3 debut was one of the defining moments in Nintendo’s history. At a time when Nintendo was at its lowest, Fils-Aime demanded the attention of the audience. He galvanized the Nintendo fanbase and kickstarted an era of brilliant Nintendo E3 presentations.
Not only did Fils-Aime reveal the Nintendo DS that year, but he also gave us the words that would define him for the rest of his time at the company: “My name is Reggie, I’m about kicking ass, I’m about taking names, and we’re about making games.”
Kick ass he did.
13. Resident Evil 7
No one expected a new Resident Evil title to be revealed at E3 2016, let alone anything as game-changing as Resident Evil 7, a title that did away with many of the franchise’s traditional conventions. The game’s brilliant E3 debut trailer was not only expertly shot but showcased the kind of intimate terror that harkened back to Resident Evil’s roots. Ultimately, the final product did deliver an experience we hadn’t seen from the series before.
Read More: E3: Best and Worst Moments Throughout the Years
12. Final Fantasy 7 Remake
Final Fantasy 7 Remake had become something of a joke by the time the game made its surprise debut at E3 2015. Few people thought we’d ever actually get a remake of this beloved Final Fantasy game, much less see it on the PlayStation stage at E3. But when that trailer aired, it felt like we were receiving a broadcast from some alternate gaming timeline. It was a bit of fan service, but it was damn good fan service.
We’re still waiting to actually play Final Fantasy 7 Remake, but this is about as good as reveals get in terms of genuine surprises that steal the show.
11. The Elder Scrolls IV
Much like the Final Fantasy 7 Remake trailer, The Elder Scrolls IV was thought to be something of a lost cause. Maybe we’d get it one day, but few were ready to get their hopes up. Bethesda may eventually come to regret showcasing The Elder Scrolls VI so far ahead of its actual release, but there’s no denying that the studio gave fans a truly special moment when it revealed the game at E3 2018.
10. Doom 3
Technically, Doom 3 was revealed ahead of E3 2002, but the demo the Doom 3 team brought to that show was all anyone could talk about that year. Many couldn’t believe that gaming was capable of delivering such a stunning cinematic experience. The final product would turn out to be somewhat controversial, but this demo stands the test of time as a fantastic (and surprisingly honest) representation of an ambitious vision of gaming’s future.
9. Nintendo Wii
Console reveals at E3 have been historically tricky. We all remember the disastrous PS3 reveal after all. However, Nintendo deserves quite a bit of credit for nailing the unveiling of the Nintendo Wii.
While the Wii was first referenced in 2004 and physically shown in 2005, we’re talking about the console’s proper reveal in 2006. Nintendo’s brilliant Wii showcase convinced everyone that motion controls were the future of gaming. They certainly felt like it after this presentation.
8. BioShock Infinite
The original BioShock wowed audiences when it made its E3 2006 debut, but few games in the expo’s history have stolen the show quite like BioShock Infinite did at E3 2011. While Infinite was revealed in a limited capacity ahead of E3, the game’s 2011 demo and trailer were the first real looks most people got at one of the most anticipated games of its time. Infinite would eventually divide that adoring fanbase, but few games since Infinite have made E3 their own quite as this sequel did.
Read More: E3 2019 Predictions: Big Announcements You Should Expect
7. Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare
WWII shooter fatigue had certainly set in by the time Call of Duty 4 made its debut at E3 2007, but few were prepared for the franchise to abandon its historic roots with such grace and spectacle. The first Modern Warfare trailer exhibited everything great about the Call of Duty games until that point but in a new era of warfare. Somehow, this game would turn out to be even more impressive than its debut suggested.
6. Fallout 4
Many people assumed that we’d eventually get a new Fallout game from Bethesda, but the silence that followed the release of Fallout 3 and Fallout: New Vegas cast some doubt on when we would get it. Heading into E3 2016, it seemed like it would be business as usual for Bethesda.
Yet, the publisher shocked everyone by not only showcasing Fallout 4 that year but announcing that it would be out before the end of 2016. This reveal proved to even the most cynical E3 viewers that the show still had the ability to truly surprise.
5. Killzone 2
Real or fake? While E3 trailers before Killzone 2’s 2005 debut had prompted that question, all anyone could seem to talk about after that year’s show was whether or not the stunningly beautiful Killzone 2 trailer could actually be real. It turns out that footage was mostly exaggerated, but Killzone 2 certainly remains one of the most memorable E3 reveals of all-time and something of an unfortunate trendsetter for visual wonders to come.
4. Half-Life 2
We’d say you have to go back to 2003 to appreciate how revolutionary Half-Life 2’s demo was, but the truth is that this gameplay reveal exemplifies more creativity and cleverness than many modern previews. Half-Life 2’s physics-heavy demo inspired people to wonder if they really knew what modern gaming technology was capable of. The Half-Life 2 demo was loaded with “wow” moments that turned out to be just a snapshot of the final product. Most importantly, nobody denied that the footage was real.
Read More: What Half-Life 3 Would Have Been About
3. Halo 2
The Halo 2 trailer was a lie. Bungie later admitted that the engine the trailer was running on was simply not possible on the Xbox. The studio also showcased a sequence that wasn’t actually in the final game and led players to believe the next Halo would spend a significant amount of time on Earth.
Honestly, though, it’s hard to look down on this demo all these years later, even after learning the truth. It was such a stunning and well-executed preview that excited the live crowd watching it like few games before or since could ever hope to.
2. The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess
It’s funny to look back at this reveal knowing what we know now. After all, our first look at what Twilight Princess would become wasn’t even referred to as Twilight Princess and only vaguely resembled the final game. It was also crafted largely in reaction to the negative reception that The Wind Waker’s cartoon-style received (that game is now considered to be one of the best Zelda games ever).
Yet, there’s a certain timelessness to this 2004 reveal that manages to excite to this day. Nintendo gave fans exactly what they wanted by showcasing a “mature” Zelda game and exceeded expectations by proving that concept could look even better than anyone could have hoped for.
1. Metal Gear Solid 2
Video games have obviously always been a big part of E3, but prior to the year 2000, few individual games had really managed to become the undisputed star of the show. But in 2000, hundreds of attendees packed into the Konami booth just to watch a nearly 10-minute preview of Metal Gear Solid 2. Thousands more suffered through early internet download speeds to watch a low-res version of it at home.
Metal Gear Solid 2 really started the trend of studios competing to have their game become the most talked about at E3, and we’ve been the beneficiaries of that approach ever since.
Matthew Byrd is a staff writer for Den of Geek. He spends most of his days trying to pitch deep-dive analytical pieces about Killer Klowns From Outer Space to an increasingly perturbed series of editors. You can read more of his work here or find him on Twitter at @SilverTuna014.