GamerFitnation saw some impressive games at PAX East. Some stood out more than others, though. Check out GamerFitnation’s list of the Best in Show at PAX East, which highlights the best Xbox One game, the best PlayStation 4 game, the best PC game, the best mobile game and the most innovative game.

Best Xbox One Game: Evolve

The most impressive showing out of all the Xbox One games we saw was 2K Games’ Evolve.

Evolve pits four players against one on a huge map. The player controlling the monster evades the hunters while tracking down prey. After killing enough wildlife, the monster can evolve to its next stage of development. Eventually, it hits stage 3 and becomes a powerhouse. The playable monster at PAX East was the Goliath, a fire-breathing beast who can throw rocks like a Left 4 Dead Tank. There was also a giant statue of him in the 2K booth that was taller than anything else on the show floor.

The four hunters try to stop the monster by working together. The Assault is the heavy class. He gets a personal shield and does big damage with weapons like mines and a lightning gun. The Trapper gets a harpoon gun that can stop the monster in its tracks, a mobile arena that confines the hunters and the monster in a small arena for about a minute and sound spikes that help the hunters locate the monster when he runs away. The Support can toss shields on allies and do decent damage. The medic can heal allies and use a sniper rifle.

The hunters need some serious teamwork to take down the Goliath, as we found out at PAX East. GamerFitnation’s Antwand Pearman played the monster, and while the match was close, Gregory Laporte and I couldn’t take him down. Despite the loss, Evolve was one of the most entertaining experiences at PAX East.

Best PlayStation 4 Game: Sniper Elite III

The last console iteration of the Sniper Elite series, Sniper Elite V2, had a lot of unique aspects that make you feel like a sniper in ways that few other games accomplish. Bullets were affected by gravity and wind, players could set up traps for enemies and stealth was a big factor. It was lacking in other areas, though. Enemies wouldn’t spawn until the player reached certain areas of each level, which made sections like the rooftop sniper battle frustrating. Plus, the game was pretty ugly — not that Berlin itself was very attractive toward the end of World War II.

Sniper Elite III, which takes place in the North Africa theater during World War II, is a huge improvement in the Sniper Elite series. The level’s enemies are all present simultaneously and the visual upgrade is very noticeable. What’s best is that the core gameplay remains the same, so Sniper Elite III is going to be the game to play for anybody who wants to experience something close to realistic sniping. Look forward to it.

Best PC Game: Orcs Must Die! Unchained

As someone who loved the first two Orcs Must Die! games, Orcs Must Die! Unchained was a surprise. Rather than a co-operative tower defense game, Orcs Must Die! Unchained is a five-versus-five player-versus-player game.

This time, the player gets to simultaneously defend and assault rifts. Orcs periodically spawn from each side, and players have to set traps and use their weapons to stop the opposing orcs from breaching the rift while also escorting their own orcs to the enemy rift. The spawn points can be upgraded to produce more powerful orcs, and additional spawn points can be unlocked.

Playing Orcs Must Die! Unchained was one of the most entertaining experiences at PAX East. The game manages to keep the tactical nature of the previous games by making it necessary to guide computer-controlled orcs to the rifts while also bringing in the chaos of playing against a human opponent. Orcs Must Die! fans will definitely want to take a look at this next game in the series, even though it’s quite different.

Best Mobile Game: Marvel Puzzle Quest: Dark Reign

I’m not a heavy mobile gamer, but every once in a while, a mobile game manages to catch and hold my attention. Marvel Puzzle Quest: Dark Reign is one such game.

Marvel Puzzle Quest plays like other Puzzle Quest games, which is a good thing. Players match up colored tiles on a grid to deal damage to enemies and build up action points that let the player use special abilities. The player can fill his roster with numerous Marvel heroes and villains, and each character has his own set of unique skills. Characters can be leveled up to become even more powerful. There’s a story mode, a versus mode and special limited time events that highlight specific characters.

GamerFitnation talked with the creative director behind Marvel Puzzle Quest at PAX East.

Most Innovative Game: Prodigy

Prodigy brings the tabletop gaming experience to your monitor. Using a game board reminiscent of the hugely popular Skylanders series, players use physical sculptures and cards to play against an opponent whose side is represented in the game.

Prodigy is a strategy game similar to Final Fantasy Tactics. The players take turns moving their pieces on their game boards and attacking or defending. Each character, represented by a physical game piece, has its own special abilities. The objective is simple: Defeat all of the opponent’s heroes.

The game pieces themselves look very nice. There are collectors of Skylanders figures who don’t even play the games, and Prodigy’s sculptures are of such high quality that it’s sure to have similar followers.

GamerFitnation interviewed the CEO of Hankai at PAX East.

Prodigy is expected to launch in 2015.

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