The reports of E3’s death are greatly exaggerated. Los Angeles is yet again abuzz with video games and the people that make, consume, and often hate them, as E3 is back. While bigger publishers have abandoned their expensive floor space, the press conferences remain these staggered flashpoints of insight and intrigue. The big two—Microsoft and Sony—both put on huge events with a couple secrets and exclusives, while some of the smaller publishers tried to punch above their weight, to mixed results. Here are the top 8 things we learned from the six press conferences!

Bethesda Raised The Bar 

When Bethesda announced a press conference last year, it meant one thing: Fallout 4. But this year, with both Fallout and Doom out, Dishonored 2 a known quantity at this point, and no new real Elder Scrolls game in sight, what could they possibly have? Turns out, quite a lot!

First off, Dishonored 2 looks incredible with a more focused narrative and art direction that is second to none. They followed that up with a new Quake and a Skyrim remaster announcement, but it was the Prey unveiling that really got the crowd riled up. The long-in-development, one-time-cancelled, highly anticipated Prey 2 is now just “Prey” and looks to be some sort of space-themed Groundhog’s Day mixed with a Philip K. Dick vision for the future. Get hyped all over again!

Ubisoft Continues To Milk Tom Clancy’s Ghost

Tom Clancy’s The Division is a good game that quickly became a joke. Tom Clancy’s Rainbow Six came out to timid reviews, but a strong fanbase has kept it alive. Tom Clancy’s Splinter Cell is nowhere to be seen. But Tom Clancy’s Ghost Recon Wildlands is looking like it might actually make up for the blunders associated with the beloved author.

Yes, Ubisoft knows where their Canadian bread is buttered and Wildlands is getting back to the more modern design that Future Solider ditched. Still, the name “Tom Clancy” in video game terms basically just means “guns and explosions,” which Ubisoft is still highly obsessed with and continues to mass produce, regardless of quality. Wildlands is impressive from almost all angles and looks to be one of the biggest games of 2017 already.

Microsoft Unveils The Future Of XBOX

While Microsoft had tons of cool games, plenty of exclusives and a cross-buy platform to announce, it was their plans for 2017 that made the most impact. The long-rumored next Xbox One console was officially announced, dubbed Project Scorpio. This thing is a beast: filled to the brim with graphical power built for 4K gaming, VR experiences, and a promise to all gamers that the Xbox will not play second fiddle. 

Sony is cooking up a similar upgrade to the PS4 (codenamed Neo), but they were mum on details during their press conference, giving Microsoft a point in the battle to come. Microsoft also promised that all games and accessories will work on all Xbox One consoles, including the slimmer Xbox One S that was also announced, making sure the consumer base will never be fractured.

Sony Doubles Down on Virtual Reality

This October, Sony is launching the Playstation VR for $399. That was already known, but the biggest questions were around what you’d actually be playing with said headset, given the short tech demos associated with the device up to this point. Well, we got our answers, as Batman, Resident Evil, Star Wars, and Final Fantasy were all shown off in a VR setting, with varying degrees of depth and details.

They promised at least 50 games at launch, but time will tell how many will actually be full games and not just short time experiences. The “killer app” still isn’t there yet to justify the high cost, but potentially the sum of all of these parts will create a good enough library once October rolls around.

We Miss You, Nintendo

It just ain’t the same without Nintendo. Yes, a three-day live stream of Zelda and Pokemon and other fun stuff is fine, but it does not take the place of standing in front of a giant group of people and demonstrating Link’s new adventure or Mario’s next epic journey. Sure, Nintendo has had their share of teeth-clenchingly awkward presentations in the past and it is way cheaper to do it the way they currently are, but gamers love spectacle and Nintendo has been sorely lacking in it for years. And with the gaming industry moving increasingly closer toward post-apocalyptic dystopias, ammo-fueled nightmarescapes, and hi-res texture models of lifeless characters, the bright and uniquely Nintendo quality of their legacy is sorely missed on a grand scale.

EA Is Making All Of The Star Wars Games 

Ever since Disney bought Lucas and announced Star Wars Battlefront, it looked like the floodgates were about to be blown open for Star Wars games. Electronic Arts can take credit (or blame) for that explosion, as they currently have more than a handful of games set in the universe, from AAA titles to mobile side stories in the works. Amy Hennig and Jade Raymond are building the most exciting project—a third-person game with outstanding visuals and (hopefully) a strong narrative element. Each studio around the world is chipping in to create some awesome Star Wars experiences, with Titanfall creator Respawn the latest name in a lineage of devs building something special for fans.

PC Gaming Still Doesn’t Quite Have It 

It’s hard to say what “it” is, but anyone who watched PC Gamer’s three and a half hour “press conference” saw an uncomfortable host, a myriad of known products, and nearly zero newsmaking events. Last year was more of the same, save for Xbox’s Phil Spencer coming on to pledge Microsoft’s dedication to the platform, but this year’s show saw little more than drooling over top-level graphics and experiences that a percentage of a percentage can actually achieve.

Marketing PC gaming is tough, truth be told, as everyone’s machine is built slightly differently than one another, but there aren’t enough personalities to drive a show that long and without any huge reveals or exclusives, the show’s relevance has to be in question for 2017.

Nobody Can Keep A Secret Anymore  

The single word that would sum up these press conferences would be “leak,” as nearly every big game, product, moment, or announcement was already public knowledge well before the events kicked off. Microsoft’s consoles have been known for months, with images leaking a few days prior to their show. Most of their games were also leaked, as was their entire itinerary a few hours before it started. Sony’s big God of War reboot has been out there for months, Titanfall’s trailer was leaked by EA themselves, Bethesda’s entire lineup was predicted a few weeks ago, and nearly everything else was an already announced game.

Part of it is just the new way of things, with gamers becoming increasingly more inquisitive by finding trademarks, patents, and private files right under a company’s nose. But part of it is also how loose some of these companies have become, with footage, release dates, and images coming straight out of their websites, streams and content partners. E3 is best when each trailer is a shocker and this year failed to fool almost anyone paying close enough attention.