Written by: Riley Hooper
Hey everyone! As I'm sure you know, this year's E3 has come to a close. There were some amazing announcements, and demonstrations of games, but of course, there were just as many, if not more, disappointments surrounding this year's show.
So, I'll just leave my rankings for "Best of E3" in terms of press conferences. The press conferences are where each big company really gets to show off their stuff and try and tell the world that their awesome. So, it's important to have a good conference, especially since hundreds of thousands of people see them.
5.
Sony - Sony's show started off strong with an announcement of a new game from the creators of critical hit, Heavy Rain". This new game, titled "Beyond: Two Souls", stars none other than Ellen Page, and, like "Heavy Rain" plays out a lot like a movie. The game's apparently about a girl (Page) who can see a spirit, which gives her psychic powers, making the whole experience very actiony. I enjoyed "Heavy Rain", so "Beyond: Two Souls" looks interesting. I'm just worried that it becomes too much like a movie, and not enough like a game. Sony also showcased their new game, "Playstaion All-Stars" which is pretty much "Smash Bros." with Playstaion characters like Sly Cooper and Kratos. As a fan of "Smash Bros.", "Playstation All-Stars" looks like an amazing game to me. As the show went on, however, Sony lost a lot of appeal. There was a lot of emphasis put on having as many downloadable titles available, which points to a disc-less next generation console. Then came the absolute worst part of all of the E3 conferences: Wonderbook. Sony is making a game where you read. They're playing it off as interactive because it utilizes giant AR cards and the Playstation Move setup to "Bring the books to life". Then, while trying to show off "Wonderbook" live, it wouldn't work. The game wouldn't pick up the reader's gestures with the Move wand, which just made the whole thing drag on. "Wonderbook" was so boring that people barely clapped when it was announced that J.K. Rowling, one of the world's most popular authors, would be working to create content for the game. After "Wonderbook" Sony tried to win their fanbase back with a live demo of the new God of War game, "God of War: Ascension". Ascension serves as a prequel to the GoW trilogy, and while it received much applause, I noticed a glaring flaw with the game. Kratos wasn't acting like Kratos. Kratos, the Ghost of Sparda and eventual God of War, has always been one of gaming's most brutal characters, using slow, brute force to demolish everyone and everything that was in his path. Even more, Kratos loved to kill and would relish each bloodsoaked moment, taking time to appreciate his kills and really give them that extra bit of brutality. However, in Ascension, Kratos was moving lighting fast, darting from enemy to enemy, killing them as fast as possible, almost like a ninja. This isn't the Kratos that we know and love. Sony severely changed one of its flagship characters, and that just can't be excused. But, despite the atrocities of "Wonderbook" and "God of War: Ascension", Sony was able to save itself with a live demo of "The Last of Us" a game set in post-apocalyptic America where you really have to fight to survive as an older man and his teenage girl companion. The game plays a lot like Uncharted (no surprise there since they're both made by Naughty Dog), and if you don't know about Uncharted, it's a 3rd person shooter. The point is, "The Last of Us" is extremely realistic, and really makes you feel like you're in danger and that you need to be careful and do whatever it takes to survive. I even got this feeling just by watching someone else play. The demo also showed off some pretty gory, action filled scenes, which were just amazing. But, it was just not enough to save Sony.
4.
Nintendo- I have to give Nintendo some credit. They started off strong. Like Lexington Steel strong. Mr. Miyamoto himself started off the show by walking onstage and announcing that Pikmin 3, a game wanted by millions (including our own Kamu), was in fact a reality, and that it would be coming to the WiiU. Of course, they showed a short trailer, and then Pikmin was gone. Everything was down hill from there. The rest of the show, Nintendo continued to show off WiiU and 3DS games, but most of them either weren't exciting or just didn't seem like good games. For example, they announced that Batman: Arkham City, an amazing game, would be coming to the WiiU, but its already been beaten a dozen times over by millions of people. So I honestly don't think it'll sell well for Nintendo. The crowd barely cheered. There were a few gems of the show, most notably a new Scribblenauts which really allows you to create ANYTHING to solve puzzles. You can even draw new inventions. But, Nintendo really dissapointed me with their ending. They announced a game called NintendoLand, which is essentially a collection of minigames based on different Nintendo franchises, like Animal Crossing and Metroid. The game looks fun, but they seriously bogged it down by having the game's creator come onstage and describe, in explicit detail, how to play the minigame based off of Luigi's Mansion. There was a video going in the background, but it would constantly pause to let him explain a game aspect. It was like watching a boring tutorial. That, combined with a large lack of entertainment, is why Nintendo gets 4th place in my book.
3.
Microsoft- Like, Nintendo, Microsoft started out really strong. They showed a trailer for one of the hottest games of the year, Halo 4. Now then, I wasn't excited for Halo 4. At all. But after seeing that trailer, coupled with a gameplay demo, I need that game. They've really changed the Halo franchise by adding new weapons, new enemies, a new environment, and a new story that simply looks brilliant. After, Halo, there was a demo for the new Splinter Cell: Blacklist, showing Sam Fisher climbing around like Ezio and shooting guys in the face. Yes, it was exciting. Tomb Raider was next, showing 18-year old Lara Croft shooting arrows at bad guys and flying through rapids, taking enough damage to shatter every bone in her body. But no, she was fine. That makes me really mad at the creators of the new game, because early on, they stated that they wanted this game to look and feel real. They said that the old Lara was too fake, and was indestructible, but they wanted the gamer to feel like they're in danger when they played as young Lara. Well hitting a rock at 30 MPH and not getting a single scrape is not realistic. That being said, the game does look fun and I am looking forward to playing it. After more games were shown off, such as Madden and Fifa, it was time for Microsoft to do what they do every year and stop talking about games at a gaming press conference. But, what they showed actually looked good for once. They showed Microsoft Smart Glass, an add-on to the Xbox that essentially turns your smartphone or tablet into a WiiU controller, allowing you to get more deeply immersed into the game. For example, when playing Madden, you can draw custom plays on your tablet, and then use it in-game. This is my favorite feature of the WiiU so I'm very excited to see it coming to my Xbox. Of course, Microsoft got a serious hindrance from a representative from Nike, who announced that Nike+ Kinect would be a new exercise game coming to the Xbox. The game looks great for people who like to exercise, since it syncs up to Nike+ shoes, but the way the game was announced was very boring, and didn't make me want the game. Another key focus of Microsoft's press conference was the integration of Kinect voice controls into many games. I own a kinect, and I can honestly say that the voice controls are its best quality. They let you do more than the controller can allow. For example, in Mass Effect 3, voice controls let you switch weapons, use powers, and control your teammates, all without menus that take you out of the game. So, I'm very happy to see that more and more games will be getting voice commands. Microsoft closed its conference in a very predictable manner by showing off Call of Duty: Black Ops. While I'm not anticipating this game, and that feeling wasn't changed by the demo, the amount of cheering that came out of the audience was hard to ignore. I'm sure that the game will sell millions of copies, and it will probably also get good reviews. I'm just not a big FPS fan.
2.
EA- EA was one of two companies that focused solely on games, so I've gotta hand it to them. They also showed off some great games. Most notable was Dead Space 3, which adds co-op to the horror franchise, and now takes place on a frozen planet that reminds me a lot of Lost Planet. I'm a huge fan of Dead Space 2, and now that there's co-op, you can definitely expect to see Kamu and I playing Dead Space 3 together. Of course, EA showed off their new sports games, which I'm not a fan of, but I'm sure many people will enjoy them, as there are a lot of changes being made. A new Medal of Honor was also announced, and new Battlefield 3 content was shown off. I liked the last Medal of Honor, but hated Battlefield 3. so you can guess which game I'll advocate. SimCity was shown off, which looks like a lot of fun, and really gives you total control over your city. One of the biggest announcements was that THQ's license with UFC had come to an end, and that EA had bought it. This is so huge because THQ hasn't been making a lot of money lately to the point where they might have to close down. UFC was one of their big sellers, so the loss of the license could mean an end to THQ. I actually love THQ games, especially the Saints Row franchise, so I was sad to see this announcement. Moving on though, a remake of Need for Speed: Most Wanted will be coming out soon, and looks like a total revamp of the the other game. I'll definitely check it out. Then, there was talk of the Star Wars MMO, The Old Republic, and announcements that there would be many updates soon, including one that added Free-to-Play up to level 15. I've played a alot of SWTOR, and I can tell you that it's one of the best MMO's. Definitely check it out when it's free later this Summer. EA closed their conference by showing a demo for Crysis 3, this time set in a New York City that's been ravaged by jungle growth. You still play as some guy in a power suit, but this time you get a bow and arrow! Seriously though, the game looks great. Crysis 2 is one of the few FPS games that I've played and absolutely loved, so I cannot wait for Crysis 3.
So yeah, EA had a pretty solid show, but only one company can win it all:
1.
Ubisoft- That's right, Ubisoft wins E3. Well, in my books anyway. They started with a great showing of Just Dance 4, featuring a live performance form Flo Rida, and right after that, Aisha, the star of the show went onstage. Aisha, a representative from Ubisoft, was full of energy, and didn't talk in that slow monotonous voice that everyone else did at E3. She generally sounded excited for the games that were coming out, which made me excited. Joining her was none other than Toby Turner, better known as Tobuscus on YouTube, who sounded just as excited. The show started with a demo of FarCry 3 that involved boobs, tigers and shooting stuff, all in an open world. So yes, it looks amazing. Immediately afterward was a WiiU demo for Rayman Legends, the spiritual sequel to Rayman Origins. The player on the WiiU controlloer controls a fairy that can highlight paths and drop extra coins to help out the other three players. And yes, obviously, this game has four player co-op. Also, there doesn't have to be a player on the WiiU controller. Everyone can play like normal Rayman. The game was very fast and colorful, and even added music that synced up to a high-speed platforming section at the end of the demo. The game looks amazing. Then there was a trailer showing slow motion zombies in London. It was very reminiscent of the Dead Island trailer. The game is called ZombiU, and will be a WiiU exclusive, and is all about survival in a zombie apocalypse. If you die, then you become a new character, and your old character is a stronger version of a zombie, that you can kill to get your items back. It's sort of like Minecraft in that way, where you have to go back to where you died to get your stuff. Again, the game looks amazing, but that should be expected at this point in the conference. Of course, it was only a matter of time before the Assassin's Creed 3 trailer came on. You play as Connor, a native american, who kills the British during the Civil War, and you can kill bears. That's right, bears. Need I say more? The game looks amazing, and I can't wait to play it. Ubisoft closed their show with a surprise. A trailer showing a city where every single electronic device and every record of every person is all connected and stored into one local internet. You play as a guy that can hack into that internet. The game is played in a 3rd person perspective, and is set in an open world. Int eh demo, you caused a power outage to break into a nightclub, found an associate of a man you wanted to kill by scanning all of the faces in the club, changed a traffic light to all green, causing a massive crash, and then got in a gunfight, eventually killing your target, who was in one of those crashed cars. Then, as you were driving away, the game switched to another character, and it was revealed that the game would be co-op, with many people playing at once, all with the same hacking abilities. The game's name was revealed as Watch_Dogs, and, like everything else that Ubisoft showed, looks amazing. Watch_Dogs will definitely be a day one purchase for me.
To sum up Ubisoft, there were a lot of amazing games, and even better hosts, that really made you excited for the games. That's why Ubisoft won E3.
