E3 2018: 3 Ups & 6 Downs From Square Enix's Conference

5. The Near-Total Lack Of (Good) Surprises

Alright, it was always incredibly optimistic to even consider the possibility that Final Fantasy XVI could get its first teaser trailer during this show, but there's no denying it would've broken the Internet and sent fans into a frenzy. After all, look at how nuts everybody went over Bethesda's generic logo tease for The Elder Scrolls VI.

As it turned out, Square Enix's show as a whole was almost entirely lacking in crowd-pleasing announcements, save for the reveal of one new IP (but more on that in a moment). There were surprising moments, sure, but they were largely negative ones, sadly.

Of course, showcasing quality content is always going to be more important than surprising the audience just for the sake of it, but with EA shadow-dropping Unravel, Microsoft debuting teasers for new Halo and Gears games and Bethesda introducing Starfield and The Elder Scrolls VI (albeit hilariously early), Square Enix's show just felt incredibly tepid by comparison.

That's right, it was somehow even less whelming than EA's show, which is saying quite a bit.