E3!
So it's come and gone. Every year, this giant news source drops a boatload of content onto fans' shoulders, and leaves us to sort through the mess. In the coming weeks, we're going to take a look at some of the things that might have been overshadowed by the major console news.
For now, here's a quick recap of the biggest stuff with Microsoft and Sony, in case you missed it!
The day of E3 press conferences ended with a bang thanks to Sony's strong showing. We saw the console, got the price ($399, lower than Xbox's $499), nice announcements (Kingdom Hearts 3, Final Fantasy XV (formerly Versus XIII)), and support for indie developers!
Tomorrow, the adventure continues with Nintendo's video presentation.
Join Bosskey on IRC during E3 one of several ways:
Oh, E3. Why do you let us down?
No, not just E3. For the last few years, we, the Real Gamers, have been in a constant state of underwhelmed. We watch as Microsoft makes Mountain Dew-Halo tie-ins, and Sony does some augmented reality gimmick with a camera and a book on your rug and Nintendo mutates their controllers ever further in hopes of surprising us into buying new hardware and we have to wonder: who is this stuff for?
It’s clearly not for us. We want interesting game mechanics, well-told stories, solid control schemes. Games that do things that are fun and new, that we haven’t played a thousand times before. Games like Portal. Or Minecraft. Or Phoenix Wright. Or any other game that hasn’t been dumbed down so that “anyone can enjoy it”. Is that so much to ask?
Unfortunately, that question answers itself.
E3 was underwhelming this year. There were few real surprises, besides Ubisoft's Watch_Dogs, and maybe The Last of Us and Pikmin 3. Now, two weeks later, there’s very little of the typical post-E3 energy left.
By or at next year's convention, Sony's Orbis, and Microsoft's Durango will be unveiled. New consoles mean new dev kits, new engines, new assets, and new opportunities for old franchises to shine once more, plus a chance for new IP to establish itself. As such, this year was laid back, with developers and publishers afraid to get too ahead of themselves. They focused on the retailer, stockholder, and investor angle of the show. As a core gamer, I feel like I’ve nothing to be excited about.
I've provided some light commentary from the perspective of a gamer who wants real games — not pandering, not investment advice. Let us hear about the games that struck you most.
Nintendo's Conference starts at 9 am PST / 12 pm EST! We've been told to expect a lot on Wii U games. Yesterday's conferences were a bit underwhelming, improving as the day went on with Ubisoft and Sony showing some really strong titles. Bosskey's readers have been rating the conferences thus far: Microsoft, C; EA, C-; Ubisoft, B+; Sony, A-. I wonder if Nintendo can top Sony?
You can watch their stream on Youtube or on Nintendo's stream site.
Join us for our live blog and chat! We'll be starting 15 minutes before.
The last conference today is Sony's, at 6 pm PST, 9 pm EST. Nintendo's is tomorrow! You can watch Sony on Youtube or their site.
After a strong showing by Ubisoft, I'm not so sure Sony will be today's "winner." There's going to be a lot of known games, such as Last of Us, which should impress with its unique cinematic game play. Last Guardian most likely won't be there, but we can still dream. I have a feeling Sony won't disappoint on the corniness, though.
You can find the stream at IGN's Youtube page, or some other places. It starts at 6 pm EST, 3 pm PST. Sony is next at 6 pm PST / 9 pm EST.
EA's conference is next, starting at 1 pm PST, or 4 pm EST. They have a lot of games to show this year, ranging from Dead Space 3 to new IPs like Overstrike. Click "Keep reading" to see the live blog! Next after this is Ubisoft at 3 PM PST, 6 pm EST.
You can find a live stream of the conference here.
The live blog will start 15 minutes prior to the presentation. People with icons are those that will be posting news during the conference, so pay attention to them if you aren't watching the video. If you'd like to comment, don't forget to put in your name! Your comments are screened until a moderator gives you free access, after which point you can post as though it were a chat.
Microsoft's conference is first, starting at 9:30 am PST, or 12:30 pm EST. We'll see how they plan to address their competitors with new hardware in the next year. Click "Keep reading" to see the live blog! Next after this is EA at 1 pm PST / 4 pm EST.
Edit!
The conference is over, and you can find it on youtube here. You can also see Bosskey's live blog after the break, as well as a summary of the important news from the conference.
Retro Studios is making a game for Wii U that is "a project everyone wants (them) to do," according to Eurogamer. How terribly vague! With E3 around the corner, and Wii U hype ramping up, we're almost certain to find out next Tuesday at Nintendo's press conference.
Retro is known for its Metroid Prime trilogy, a series that brought a Western edge to one of Nintendo's signature franchises. Following their work on their last Prime game, they compiled a trilogy collection, made Donkey Kong Country Returns, and collaborated on Mario Kart 7 with Nintendo EAD. As an integrated Nintendo developer based in the West, Retro is one of the few anchors Nintendo has to Western-style game development.
Though Nintendo has a wealth of properties that Retro could be working on for them, considering their profile and history, it seems like they'd be working on one of Nintendo's bigger franchises like Metroid or Zelda, moreso than anything else. If they're working on a game "everyone wants", we'll have to listen to what people have been asking for, or guess what they might expect.
