As somebody who isn’t actually attending E3, I feel it’d be extremely disingenuous to award any sort of “Best of Show” awards. But after three days of paying, arguably too much, attention to a parade of new game demos, announcements, and demonstrations, I feel pretty confident in highlighting some of this year’s standout titles from E3.

When it comes to big E3 presentations, Metal Gear Solid has long been up there. The cinematic stealth-action franchise is infamous for its big ideas, big storylines and big trailers. This six-minute look at The Phantom Pain is full of spectacular cinematography, breathtaking visuals and some crazy moments that probably don’t even make sense in context. Let Hideo Kojima take you on the most confusing action ride of the summer, releasing on September 1st.

From one type of visual marvel to another, Cuphead is a sight to behold. A classically styled 2D combat platformer (think Contra, or Metal Slug), but done in the style of a 1930s cartoon. Cuphead‘s animation is almost unbelievable — the rare case of a game that tricks your brain into thinking its’ something else altogether. Get your hands on it next year.

From the writers of Telltale’s The Walking Dead, with art design by Olly Moss, Firewatch is a narrative first-person adventure game. The fluid movement, cel-shaded art style and charming dialogue all mix to give Firewatch an irresistible vibe. Set in the wilderness of Wyoming, you play as Henry — a man who has left everything behind. Henry is tasked with watching over the forest for wildfires. The mystery unfolds from there, and it’ll be hard to resist learning more. Firewatch releases sometime in 2016.

Just Cause 2 is one of my favorite games, ever. A limitless sandbox of explosions, fast cars and grappling hooks that laugh in the face of gravity. Fortunately, Just Cause 3 looks like it will live up to that legacy. This 10 minute clip is an excellent demonstration of the bombastic mayhem that makes this franchise a must-play. Of particular interest is the new wingsuit which looks like a delightfully terrifying way of getting around this action movie playground. Unleash the chaos on December 1st.

Of all the new franchises that debuted at this year’s E3, few had quite the presence of Horizon: Zero Dawn. Coming from Guerrilla Games (Creators of the Killzone franchise), this unique take on the post-apocalyptic genre is making the most of the PlayStation 4 hardware. A full millennium after the fall of mankind, tribes of human beings stand against massive robotic beasts. The hunting gameplay shows all the complexity of games like Monster Hunter, but backed up by a large RPG storyline written by the team behind Fallout: New Vegas. Expect the full game sometime next year.

Back in my early years of Nintendo fandom, I was infatuated by fan-made levels for Super Mario World. Made using hacked ROMs, they created insane and brutally difficult challenges that strained the patience of players to the limit. It’s that history that makes me so excited for Super Mario Maker. As this compilation of custom levels (built as the conclusion to the 2015 Nintendo World Championship) shows, Nintendo has made an art of design that seeks to abuse its players. I can’t wait to see what masochistic brilliance the whole world can dream up when the game hits shelves on September 11th, 2015.
Follow Chris Berg on Twitter, @Mushroomer25