In case you're reading this and wondering what in the world E3 is or happen to be curious in general, E3 is the Electronic Entertainment Expo (hence the name E3, clever, right?). It is an annual event that allows major players in the gaming industry to showcase all their upcoming games, systems, and other products. It is a highly anticipated event for gamers everywhere as we get a first look at the games that are coming out in the upcoming years. The only way to get in is if you have a professional connection to the video gaming industry, so the rest of us have to watch the live stream of the event like a bunch of peasants, and consequently, some of us miss our favorite gaming companies present their upcoming projects. So, here is an article hitting some of the highlights you may have missed.

Let's start with the big hitters. Here's what Microsoft presented for their gaming platform:

The two biggest bombs that Microsoft dropped was two new gaming systems. Yes, you heard me, two new gaming systems. Despite the Xbox One dropping not too long ago after the long years of the Xbox 360 reigning supreme (which, admittedly, I still play my first gen Xbox 360 on the daily). First, they presented the Xbox One S, which is a smaller, sleeker version of its previous release. It also has a 4K HDR video output. The second is the still elusive Project Scorpion which is set for a Holiday 2017 release, however according to the head honcho at Xbox Phil Spencer says it will be worth the wait since they claim it will be "the most powerful gaming console in the world." Spencer also stated that ALL Xbox games would be playable on the Xbox One, Xbox One S, and Project Scorpion because whether you're willingly going to admit it or not, that's really what we all want. All those old games we're hoarding and are unable to let go of. Or admittedly because selling them to GameStop is a joke (that feeling when you bring in 100 games and they're like, "Oh, we can give you a penny and this gum on my shoe.")
Microsoft also dropped a pretty impressive list of games in the works:

• Battlefield 1
• Dead Rising 4
• Final Fantasy 15
• Forza Horizon 3
• Gears of War 4
• Gwent: The Witcher Card Game
• Halo Wars 2
• Killer Instinct (new characters)
• Minecraft: The Friendly Update
• ReCore
• Scalebound
• Sea of Thieves
• State of Decay 2
• Tekken 7
• The Division: Underground Expansion

Here's a link going in-depth about the Xbox E3 highlights.

The next big hitter is Sony. They mainly hit the jackpot by announcing the remastering of everyone's childhood favorite Crash Bandicoot series. However, that wasn't the only impressing release of Sony's hit filled press conference. They unveiled an entirely new Spider-Man that is currently being developed by Insomniac Games, and if that name happens to ring a bell it's because they also developed the famously successful Ratchet and Clank and Spyro franchises. It has been 12 years since a good Spider-Man game was released. I guess it's about time they gave Spidey a reboot in the gamingverse since Marvel has been milking the movie reboots. Am I right? The downside? It's exclusive to the PS4, sorry Xbox fans. Here is a pretty cool teaser that Sony released.
Another highly anticipated release is Horizon Zero Dawn. It also exclusively for the PS4 (very sneaky, PlayStation, very sneaky). The kicker though? The main character that you play as is a female. Here is some gameplay of this game set to release in February of 2017.
Also, a big hit at this years E3 conference was the incorporation of Virtual Reality. That's right, virtual reality. Welcome to the future, folks.

The next big thing about this announcement? The new installment in the horror-filled Resident Evil franchise. Here is some gameplay for Resident Evil 7 biohazard set to release January 27, 2017.
Next, Sony is releasing an entirely new game based around the virtual reality system called Farpoint. Based on the gameplay, this game looks like it's a real winner.
Also, our dreams of being Batman can officially come true with the release of Batman: Arkham VR. Not a whole lot has been released on the game itself, but the reveal trailer looks pretty wicked. Don't wanna miss being Batman now do we?
If you happen to still not be impressed with Sony, you will now officially be able to fly your very own X-wing from Star Wars with the release of Star Wars: Battlefront X-Wing VR Mission. If you're not excited now, just get out, man. It doesn't get any cooler than this, especially for hardcore Star Wars fans (like myself). This kind of sounds like a dream come true. As to be expected, the reveal trailer is phenomenal.
If you're ready to buy your virtual reality, it will be released on October 25 of this year and will cost 399$ (which in short means, get ready to have your wallet weeping and your dignity lost by digging in your couch for change for the dollar menu at Taco Bell).
God of War. That's it. Do I really need to say more? And yes, you heard me right. Sony is releasing a new God of War. In case you're slacking in the video game department, God of War is one of the best franchises in PlayStation history. The gameplay trailer itself is a mic drop, so check it out.

Nintendo also dropped some pretty good stuff with the release of Pokémon Sun and Moon hitting in the fall. They also hit a home run with the release of a new Legend of Zelda game entitled Breath of the Wild. And if you're anything like me and played Legend of Zelda religiously as a child, you have to admit that you lowkey got excited about another one coming out. The graphics are pretty amazing and you can bet on a pretty great plotline as well. Just take my word for it and watch the trailer.

Electronic Arts impressed by unveiling some highly anticipated games (*ahem* Mass Effect Andromeda). However, that wasn't the only one that has people excited. Titanfall 2 is getting an October release and the single player gameplay colored me all shades of impressed.
But, it's not an EA conference without sports being mentioned. You can expect Madden NFL 17 to be released and FIFA 17 is getting a plot line. Yes, you heard right. FIFA, the soccer game, will have a plotline. What are you doing over there, EA? Do we really want a plotline with our FIFA? (No, not really)
EA also has a Star Wars game in the works. They didn't release any gameplay or trailers for the game, but rather talked about the plans they had for the game. Here's a little bit on that.
Despite the hype surrounding Mass Effect Andromeda the trailer was incredibly disappointing as it mainly showed behind the scenes of the game and showed very little gameplay, disappointing gamers everywhere. Lame.
Lastly, Battlefield 1 was another highly anticipated game and a playable beta of the game will be released sometime this summer. Here's the multiplayer gameplay trailer.
Also, if you're interested in watching the whole panel for yourself, knock yourself out.

Here are the highlights from the Bethesda press conference.

And finally, after spending a pretentious 2 hours for their showcase, Ubisoft released some pretty highly anticipated games. Here's a video hitting the highlights of their two hour presentation.

And to sum it all up, the five most anticipated games of the E3 conference can be seen here.

Happy gaming.