Serra

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Another year, another E3 has come and gone. This year was especially exciting since Sony and Microsoft are set to release their next-gen systems during the holiday season. By now, I’m assuming most (if not all) of you have seen the news coming from these two major reveals. Still, maybe you wanted a condensed and concise summary of the press conferences; maybe you’ve avoided the news till today; maybe I just needed something to pass the time till Last of Us gets here (why are you so slow UPS!?). Regardless of the reason, here is the E3 2013 BG recap.

Microsoft
Microsoft unveiled the successor to the Xbox 360, the Xbox One, last month. However, there were a number of concerns, and many saw E3 as Microsoft’s opportunity to wow the wary gamer community. Microsoft opened their press conference with Metal Gear Solid V. This trailer promised amazing graphics, an open world experience, and realtime weather. It looked like an amazing game, but since it’s not an XBO exclusive, I think they could have started with something better. After that, Microsoft focused briefly on the 360, starting with unveiling a new version of the 360, and trailers for the free to play World of Tanks, a platformer called Max: The Curse of Brotherhood, and Darksouls 2. After about fifteen minutes, the press conference moved on to games for the XBO, starting with Ryse. Some of you might remember Ryse from E3 a few years ago where it was shown as a Kinect heavy game. Thankfully, the Kinect features appear to have been dropped, so concerns about accidentally kicking your TV seem to have been eliminated. Ryse puts players in control of a Roman general, and while the game seemed to offer a realistic take on Roman combat games, the most memorable aspect of the demo was how many quicktime events occurred during combat, and how badly they seemed to interrupt the pace of the action. Microsoft then revealed a new Killer Instinct and a comical Zombie game, Sunset Overdrive. Their next segment focused on Forza for the XBO which felt like Microsoft wanted to use to sell gamers on the cloud aspects of the XBO. Forza will feature something called the Drive-atar, which was really not very well explained, but sounded like a feature that would keep you active, even when you aren’t playing the game. Honestly, the whole thing sounded kinda nuts, but I’ll be the first to admit I didn’t follow it fully. Microsoft then showed a trailer for Minecraft (since giant pixels are a great way to sell next gen graphics), a game that will supposedly connect gaming and TV called Quantum Break, and something called D4. Their next segment focused on Project Spark. This game appeared to be the next evolution of the creativity of LBP (right down to its tagline..). Players essentially can create games, maps, characters, etc. While it sounds cool, and the demo did a good job of showing off some of the cool options, I’ve never been a fan of games that leave the experience almost entirely in the hands of the gamers. But, maybe that’s just cause I don’t have the creativity or patience to really create an awesome level.. Smart Glass was the next item on the agenda. I know a lot of people dislike how Microsoft is pushing Smart Glass on gamers, but honestly, using the XBO to increase Windows 8 and Windows Phone adoption seems like a no brainer. During this segment, players got to see Killer Instinct in action, which involved a very poorly planned bit of smack talk. This was followed by an audioless trailer for a Panzer Dragoon successor, Crimson Dragon and then a demo of Dead Rising 3. While the open world sounds like it could be cool, the presentation just looked subpar and did not make the game look enticing. EA then took the stage to show off Battlefield 4. The game definitely looks amazing, especially at 60 frames per second. As their press conference was drawing to a close, Microsoft unveiled a surprising, but not unexpected, teaser for Halo 5. Nothing was really revealed, but its Halo and it will be out in 2015. They then revealed that the XBO would be sold for $499 in November, 2013. Finally, they closed with the scifi shooter, Titanfall. Now, this game looks amazing. Titanfall is a multiplayer shooter where players are more agile and able to traverse the world than traditional shooters, and are able to call down giant mechs. Honestly, scifi, jetpacks, and mecha – can you really say no to that? Like I said earlier, Microsoft had to wow the gamer community with their press conference. Unfortunately, they didn’t do a great job of making gamers feel they needed the XBO, they didn’t assure gamers that their concerns were unmerited, and they didn’t discuss how the elements gamers had criticized for the past month were important, or at the very least not as bad as they seemed. On its own, Microsoft’s press conference was bad, but not terrible. However, by the end of the day, the other shoe would drop.

Pros:
Lots of games that look graphically stunning.
Lots of open world games.
New Halo in the works.
Titanfall looks to be very cool.

Cons:
Ignored the gaming community’s concerns.
Too few games that make me need an XBO.
XBO priced at $499 (more on this in a moment).

Final Grade: F


Sony
Sony’s press conference definitely started with some concerns – specifically the fact that it was 20 minutes late. While everyone was eager to see the PS4, similar to Microsoft, Sony started with the current generation. One of the biggest complaints I’ve heard against the Vita is the lack of games. While most of their press conference focused on the PS4, it was nice that there was a brief segment that attempted to alleviate this concern. Sony showed trailers for AO, Doki Doki, Counter Spy, Killzone Mercenaries, and a handful of other Vita games. This was followed by a segment on the PS3. Now, while Microsoft’s focus on the 360 felt like a waste of time, Sony emphasized that there were still 300 titles in the pipeline for the PS3, so it felt like less of an issue. Some of these games were Last of Us, Rain, Beyond Two Souls, GT6, and Batman Origins. With the PS3 and Vita out of the way, Sony was ready to move on to the main course – the PS4. Sony finally unveiled the PS4. Now, a lot of people complained about how the XBO looked but then praised the PS4. I’m sorry, but they’re both black boxes. One’s slightly tilted, the other is not. Aesthetically, they both look great and will fit well into an entertainment center, so let’s stop saying the PS4 looks so much better than the XBO, ok? There are other reasons to say its better.. After a momentary discussion of the entertainment benefits of the PS4, Sony moved on to discussing games. One of the big shockers was that Sony had twenty games in the pipeline to be released for the PS4 before the end of the year, with twelve of them being new IPs. The first new game that was shown was The Order: 1886. This game appeared to be a steampunk inspired werewolf hunter. There wasn’t a lot really shown, but it could be an interesting game. A trailer for the next Killzone, unveiled at the PS4 unveiling, followed. I haven’t had the best experiences with the Killzone franchise, so I wasn’t exactly impressed by this game. Sony then showed off a new driving game, Driveclub, which unfortunately was overshadowed by Ubisoft’s The Crew earlier in the day. Sony also unveiled a new entry into the Infamous franchise and reminded players of Knack. Following this, Sony trolled audiences with what I assume was a tech demo titled Dark Sorcerer. I’m guessing this means we won’t be getting any more duck videos out of Sony. The next item on the agenda was a series of indie games. Sony showcased eight indie games. Some of them looked dull to me, but some of them looked fairly intriguing. I suppose it’s just a matter of preference, but with the wide offering, there’s likely something for everyone. Now, at this point, Sony’s press conference was going well, definitely passable, but nothing too extraordinary. However, the next segment, especially for a forum with roots in the Final Fantasy universe, bumped this year’s press conference up to one of the best (seriously, BG chat went crazy). Remember in 2006 when Square Enix unveiled Final Fantasy XIII: Versus? Remember how information of Versus dried up and we all started making fun of it for being dead? Well, we were right. Versus is dead; long live Final Fantasy XV! The trailer for what is now known as FFXV was amazing. Not only did it show that the game is still in development and looks gorgeous, but it also showcased the fast paced gameplay. The game looks phenomenal, and I can’t wait for more information on when we’ll finally get to play it. Of course, after blowing our minds, SE wasn’t done yet. They closed with a brief teaser for Kingdom Hearts III, a game that is long overdue. Honestly, for myself and many others, this five minute segment was enough to rekindle the memories of the greatness of SE and momentarily forget their recent failings. Ubisoft took the stage next, showcasing the gameplay of Assassin’s Creed IV and Watchdogs. After the disappointment that was AC3, I’ll definitely be waiting to pick up AC4, but even I can admit that I’m excited by the sailing element of this game. As I mentioned last year, I’m incredibly excited for Watchdogs. Ubisoft used this time to demo some of the gameplay features. There really isn’t much to say about this game other than I want it now. I’m really excited to wander Chicago and see just how accurate the game is. After Ubisoft, NBA 2K showed off their graphics by having a conversation between LeBron and a virtual LeBron, to which I say, haters gonna hate. This was then followed by a trailer for Bethesda’s MMO, the Elder Scrolls Online. While I’m definitely not the most well-versed in the Elder Scrolls franchise, I can’t help feeling that this game is going to ruin the non-online MMO feeling I got while playing Skyrim. Sony then showed a teaser for a Mad Max before moving onto what I’d like to call the “Kill the XBO” segment. Jack Tretton took the stage to outline a number of features of the PS4. Specifically the fact that there is no used game policy, no always on connection, and no authentication. Amid the cheers from the crowd, they also snuck in that players would have to sign up for PSN+ to play games online, but revealed that players would receive games every month for signing up. Now, Microsoft is doing this as well with Xbox Live. However, there’s a major difference between the new games Sony is offering and the five+ year old titles that Microsoft is offering. After this, the game I was most looking forward to took the stage – Destiny. Bungie finally revealed the gameplay of Destiny which, as expected, looked awesome. As sad as I was to hear that Bungie was leaving the Halo franchise, if Destiny delivers on its promise, I think I’ll be perfectly fine with the tradeoff. As Sony’s press conference was drawing to a close, there were two major questions that had to be answered – when would the PS4 be released, and how much would it cost? Sony shocked gamers by revealing the PS4 would be released this November at $399. The PS4, the machine with better gaming specs, costs less than the XBO. Now, the XBO’s price is completely justified when taking into account that it comes with Kinect and the PS4 does not come with the Eye. However, the majority of gamers don’t care about Kinect or the Eye, and given the major concerns about the XBO which Sony exploited, Sony easily is poised to be ahead in this console war. Honestly, Sony’s press conference this year hit all the right notes. Yes, it started a bit shaky, but this was one of the best E3 press conferences I have ever seen.

Pros:
PS4 costs $399
FFXV and Kingdom Hearts in the works.
Destiny is shaping to be phenomenal.
Lots of really good and really enticing trailers.
Sony took direct and aggressive jabs at the XBO.

Cons:
Have to pay for online games now.
Lots of games won’t be out for a long time.

Final Grade: A


Nintendo
Nintendo chose to forgo the traditional press conference this year, instead opting for a Nintendo Direct that would be streaming worldwide. This format has been very successful at generating hype for Nintendo in the past, but many did not seem to understand why they chose this option. Still, for most of us, is there a major difference between watching Iwata speak before a crowd on our TVs or computer screens versus watching Iwata speak from a conference room at Nintendo? In any case, I will say that a major flaw with the Nintendo direct was the lag. It was clear that Nintendo’s network could not handle the amount of attention they were receiving, so if they choose to continue this format in the future, this is something that must be addressed. In fact, the lag was so bad, I missed most of the Pokemon trailer trying to find a stable stream. In any case, the new trailer for Pokemon X and Y revealed a new type, Fairy. While a new type isn’t exactly groundbreaking, it does have the potential to shake up the game quite a bit. The trailer also revealed Pokemon Amie, a new gameplay feature that allows players to bond with their Pokemon. Personally, I’ll be bonding with my Pokemon by crushing the dreams of my opponents, but Fennekin is pretty cute.. Nintendo followed this with two Mario games: Super Mario 3D World and Mario Kart 8. Super Mario 3D World appears to offer the same four player gameplay as the New Super Mario Bros games, but this time with Peach rather than Yellow Toad. Unfortunately, it seems Nintendo did not get the memo about this being the generation of the dog, and gave Mario a cat suit. Mario Kart 8 seems to draw inspiration from Mario Galaxy, with gravity changes, upside down segments, and tracks that look fairly crazy. My favorite entry into the Mario Kart franchise is still Double Dash, but I’m pretty excited for this game and hope it can dethrone its GC predecessor. Nintendo then took a moment to showcase their 3rd party support, showing clips of games like Batman Origins, Assassin’s Creed 4, Rayman, ScribbleNauts with DC characters, a Sonic that seems to share elements of Mario Galaxy, and Watchdogs. While the graphics of Watchdogs on the WiiU will definitely be disappointing compared to the PS4 and XBO, I imagine the WiiU controller will offer the best gameplay experience, if Ubisoft capitalizes on it. Nintendo followed this with a segment on the HD remake of The Wind Waker. It always bothered me how many people say they’ve never played the Wind Waker because of its graphics, and hopefully this new version will work to convince them otherwise. It’s not my favorite Zelda game, but it is a good one, and this trailer reminded me how much I loved the sailing music. Wonderful 101, a game revealed at last year’s E3, was up next. Players control a mob of heroes to fight alien invaders. The gameplay seems to take cues from Kirby Mass Attack while the graphics bear a resemblance to the Viewtiful Joe franchise. To me, this game epitomizes the potential of the WiiU, but we’ll have to wait till later this year to see if it capitalizes on this potential. This was followed by trailers for a new side scrolling Donkey Kong and Bayonetta 2. The next segment was for a game that is, at the very least, a spiritual successor to one of my favorite games of this last generation, Monolith’s X. Similar to many of the other games of E3, this will be a large scale open world. Honestly, if it’s anything like Xenoblade, I will love it. Unfortunately, we’ll have to wait till 2014, at the earliest, before we get to play it. At this point, Nintendo was wrapping up the Nintendo Direct. But before that, there was one (two) final game(s) – Super Smash Brothers! We all knew a new Smash was in the works, but Nintendo surprised gamers with the announcement of one for the WiiU and one for the 3DS. Now, Brawl was, in my opinion, a step down from Melee, but I have high hopes for this next entry. With three new characters already announced (Villager, Megaman, and the WiiFit Trainer), this game has me very anxious and excited. That said, Sheik better be back to her Melee levels of awesomeness – just saying.. Nintendo’s take on E3 this year was interesting. While I can understand why they didn’t do a full blown press conference, they needed to do a better job with the Nintendo Direct. And strangely, they had a handful of games with new trailers they could have included which might have helped – Zelda: A Link Between Worlds, Yoshi’s New Island, Pikmin 3, etc. They also needed to do a better job of convincing gamers to get a WiiU. Yes, there are a handful of really good games in the pipeline, but I don’t think there are any that will get me to pick up a WiiU before its one year birthday. Worse, with the PS4 priced just $50 more than the WiiU, I think Nintendo has to either cut the price of the console, or get out some amazing, can’t miss games.

Pros:
Monolith’s X needs to be out now.
2 New Smash Bros.
Wind Waker HD looks gorgeous.
Games that capitalize on the WiiU controller seem to be coming out.

Cons
Too Short
There was no “I must have this now” game to sell the WiiU.
Games that should have been shown weren’t.
No WiiU pricecut.
No new Zelda, Mario, Metroid, etc for WiiU.

Final Grade: C


Game of E3: Destiny
This year didn’t have a really shocking game that came out of nowhere and blew me away. While there were a number of games that looked great and really promising, I think all of them were shadowed by Bungie’s Destiny. While this wasn’t our first look at this MMO-FPS, it was our first chance to see actual gameplay. While I knew the FPS aspects would be well polished, their demo gave a good idea of the team dynamics that will go into this game. Destiny’s Halo roots are definitely evident (just look at some of the weapon reloading), but given my love for Bungie’s work with the Halo franchise, that’s definitely not a bad thing. I still have a lot of questions about Destiny, but the flow of information has steadily made me want to play this game more and more. Without a doubt, this is the game of E3 that I most want to play.

So that was E3 2013. What are your thoughts? Are you with, what seems like, the majority of gamers in abandoning the XBO for the PS4? Which system will you be picking up next? What was your game of the show? A new generation is almost upon us. I hope you’re excited~