Written by: Kamu Chung-Hoon
With the biggest news of E3 come and gone it is now
time for gamers around the world to voice their concerns and to judge the good,
bad, and ugly of E3 2012.
A quick lesson for anyone who doesn't know, E3, or
the Electronic Entertainment Expo, is an annual convention hosted by the
Entertainment Software Association where video game developers and companies
get the chance to show off the hottest new games and gaming hardware coming to
the market. Often seen as the pinnacle of gaming news June is highly
anticipated by gamers alike who cannot wait to sink their teeth into the new
and now. In recent years E3 as a whole has been grand, but the major companies
who get hours to showcase their new products have been letting consumers down a
little. In 2012 Microsoft, Nintendo, Sony, Ubisoft, and EA pull all the stops
in their attempt to make this year’s E3 the best one yet.
Monday afternoon Microsoft took the floor as the first big company to have a showcase; and they did not let that go to waste. Wasting no time, they opened up right away with a Halo 4 trailer followed by some much anticipated Halo 4 game-play. For me personally, I had planned on waiting maybe half a year after Halo 4 came out and just picking up on a sale like I did with Halo Reach, but after seeing these new trailers and game-play my mind was completely swayed. Master Chief looks better than ever, and the new enemy archetype is sleek and deadly with a whole assortment of new crazy weapons. Definitely a great hook to lead with and they didn't stop there. After Halo 4, Splinter Cell Blacklist was announced and had a great demo shown. Microsoft then began to move south, for me at least, with some trailers for Madden 13 and FIFA 13, which both had their new features and looked to be like good steps in each series next installment. Then, when the Gears of War Judgment trailer began to play I was hooked again, only to sadly see a short and very mysterious trailer about Baird. With the final expected trailer being Forza 4 so far, Microsoft led into their hardware business. They spoke on how Kinect was going to take the future (More gaming, less doing) and talked about the new Xbox Smart Glass, allowing for Phone and Tablet accessibility. Xbox Live will also be seeing Internet Explorer (Finally, even if it is Explorer...), giving gamers the ability to finally run the internet on their Xbox! Following up with the new Tomb Raider game and three never before seen trailers, Microsoft had a pretty sweet run. Before ending the show they showed off the new South Park game with Trey Parker and Matt Stone as well as Usher who showed off some new moves for Dance Central 3. The final piece was what everyone (sarcastically) has been waiting for, Black Ops 2, showing off some on-rail shooting as well as some more of the futuristic aspects. Microsoft overall had a nice conference, leaving most people wanting more with some missing game such as Borderlands 2, but definitely set up a hard act to follow.
Next up was EA's attempt to show off some new
products, and I said attempt because it was far from amazing, although they
definitely got some stuff you cannot miss. Right out of the starting box was a
flashy demo for Dead Space 3 showcasing the new co-op play. It ran very
smoothly, and the idea of Necromorphs now hiding under every step you take is
quite horrifying. With the series looking better than ever the demo ended with
another twist as Isaac entered a bit of a sticky situation. EA talked about the
next Madden 13, and a new Sim City game, Social, with enhanced game-play and a
much more intricate building system. They talked more about their response to
Call of Duty Elite, Battle Field Premium, with score counters, kill totals, and
new features to really make the game shine. I enjoyed their news on SWTOR, with
an all new planet and species coming to the series this year as well as new
missions to hook even more new players. They elaborated more on their new FIFA
game, and spoke about their Football Club, a sort of tracking system for all
things FIFA (Like how many credit card numbers are stolen...). A new UFC game
is coming soon, not much was elaborated, and a new Need For Speed: Most Wanted
was talked about with sleeker graphics and a more developed graphics system
(Those crashes were wicked.). I personally would just re-release Need For Speed
Underground and Underground 2, those are the money makers. The finale entitled
Crysis 3, finally shedding more light on the bow and jungle setting. I have not
played Crysis or Crysis 2, but the wicked trailer made me want to go pick them
up and give them a shot. EA actually had quite a few awesome games and did more
than hold their own against the “Big Three”.
Now for me at least, the show stopper of this year
was Ubisoft. They pulled no punches as they kicked the show off with some
dancers for Just Dance 4 with Flo Rida singing along. Their rep Aisha Tyler and
Toby Turner then took the stage and began listing off game after game in-between
their awkward banter. Far Cry 3 was the first game on the list and without any
warning you are confronted with boobs, drugs, and murder (who's complaining?);
a great way to start anything. Next up was Rayman Legends and a new game,
ZombiU. Having played the latest Rayman plat-former, I'm very much looking
forward to this new one, with new characters and a five player co-op. ZombiU
also looked promising, putting a lot of emphasis on the WiiU tablet to turn,
twist, grab, and punch enemies, doors, and puzzles as you traverse a new zombie
wasteland. Ubisoft summed up most of the games already shown with a short video
showcasing all their new WiiU titles, including Avengers Battle for Earth,
Rabbids Land, and Assassins Creed 3. Speaking of Assassins Creed 3, Ubisoft
showed a short new trailer followed by some much anticipated game-play to
showcase the new foreign setting to the series. I watched as Conner traversed
snowy forests, hunted wild deer, and made small talk in the local encampment.
Assassins Creed 3 looks like a fresh new start after a few years to help
continue the everlasting story of Desmond and the mystery of the Assassins and
Templars. If there is any way to end a conference, it’s with a new game, and
the new game that Ubisoft revealed was completely mind blowing. It started out
by describing a world where everyone is watched and all information about
anyone is known by the government. It then cuts to a demo, which shows off the
abilities the main character will be able to access. He can jam phone signals,
listen in on phone calls, and look up anyone’s nastiest secret. The demo ended
with the games title, Watch Dogs, splashed across the screen and a sense of
mystery as Ubisoft came to a close. Ubisoft showed that not only can they keep
great game series thriving, but they can make brand new games and have a
committed community to brining the best of the gaming world to any and all
gamers.
That night the second big contender got on stage
and Sony wasn’t about to let Microsoft, EA, or Ubisoft take the show. Sony
started off loud, with tons of game-play layered with music to get everyone
pumped. Jack Tretton begins by saying this year Sony plans on paying homage to
the gamers (whatever that means), and showing a preview of a brand new game by
Quantic Dream, Beyond: Two Souls. With the main character voiced by Jody
Holmes, it’s supposedly centered around the mysteries of the afterlife, but
with a short “movie” we’ll have to wait for any more info on this game. Then
the most talked about game prior to the event, PS All-Stars Battle Royale, got
a live demo; and it was more than just a Smash Bros. rip off. The point is to
gain energy so that you can use your supers to kill your opponents, although I
was not entirely sure what constituted as “health” in the game. The big selling
point the game is that it is cross platform between the PS3 and Vita (And you
better believe they put emphasis on that). Regardless, PS All-Stars is looking
like a good thing for PS3 and Vita owners. The Vita was shown off a lot more,
and although it has some cool controlling features, it’s starting to look like
a $300 controller. Vita is also getting some of the greatest PS1 games as well
as its own new games, like Assassins Creed Liberation. PlayStation then showed
their next edition to the Move and Eye, the WonderBook. The WonderBook is a
giant AR card that is picked up by the PS3 and then becomes a book on screen.
Claiming to have titles written by even J.K. Rowling the whole concept still seems
a bit gimmicky, and based on the live demo, still has a lot of kinks to work
out. Saving the best for last, Sony rolls out a God of War Ascension and Last
of Us demo back to back. The GoW demo shows off the “old” Kratos and some of
his new tricks to go along with the game. It was a little, gentler? Kratos was
not as violent as before and a bit more swift than normal, but I’m sure Sony
has a plan. Now what rocked was the Last of Us demo. Rushing through the
apocalyptic wasteland a lot of game-play is shown as well as some focus on the
characters. One of the best games shown by Sony and made me want to get a PS3!
Sony was definitely having some troubles with a few technical difficulties but
overall they didn’t let that hold them back and finished strong.
As the final company to go up, Nintendo did not
disappoint, with a slated 23 new titles to be talked about at the conference as
well as the specs for the WiiU. Miyamoto wasted no time in shedding some light
on the game that I personally had been waiting years for to be unveiled at E3,
Pikmin 3. He treated gamers with a long video showing off new lands, enemies,
and friends while describing what makes this new Pikmin installment so
enthralling. He also showed off a new Pikmin type, the Rock Pikmin, which can
be used to break sturdy objects and enemies by repeatedly tossing the Rock
Pikmin at them. With many new Pikmin, the ability to control up to four
operators, and the mysterious disappearance of Captain Olimar, Pikmin is back
and looks better than ever. Nintendo used this as a platform to then dive into
information on the WiiU, starting with the overall design of the new gamepad
and the way it will change game consoles to be independent of the television.
Of course, with any new Nintendo console there must be a Mario game to go along
with it, and New Super Mario Bros. U is that game. This installment in the New
Super Mario Bros. series adds new features to the fast paced plat forming
action everyone already loves to help keep the game series fresh. Big additions
are new baby Yoshi types and the ability for the player with the WiiU gamepad
to place blocks in game for Wiimote players to utilize. Along with a new Wii
comes time for some new Miis, and Nintendo’s invention of Miiverse isn’t just
for making a character. Miiverse helps WiiU players keep in touch through hubs
where they can then send messages and help each other out in games. Nintendo
also spoke on the many third party games coming to the WiiU, such as Arkham
City Armored Edition, Scribblenauts Unlimited, Darksiders 2, and much more. But
Nintendo wasn’t only focused on mainstream gaming; they also had new news for
fitness and music genres. Wii Fit U is the new Wii Fit that not only let’s
players use the Balance Board but the WiiU gamepad to optimize their gaming
workout experience, while SiNG is a new music game that tries to tie the whole
party together by offering singing and dancing that multiple people can
attempt. Nintendo didn’t leave out the 3DS from the show either and showed
trailers for New Super Mario Bros. 2 and Super Paper Mario Sticker Star as well
as announcing they’d be having another conference later completely devoted to
the 3DS. Finally Nintendo closed with their answer to Wii Sports, NintendoLand.
NintendoLand (for the WiiU obviously) will have WiiU users all over meet up in
a central hub where they can play a handful of new mini-game type games
together to get a better feel for how the WiiU gamepad works. It was obvious
that they would need some type of launch title to help players become more acquainted
with WiiU controls; it was just a bit gimmicky and the game demo shown seemed to
lack real entertainment value. Closing off with a bang (There were video game
fireworks), Nintendo wraps up a very impressive conference with confidence that
2012 marks the year of new beginnings.
Altogether, E3 this year was quite a show, with
many new titles and gaming hardware being announce. Personally for me Pikmin 3,
Watchdogs, Halo 4, Dead Space 3, and Last of Us were some of the best parts and
I cannot wait for their releases. Even with some gamers feeling a like there
should have been a little more, E3 2012 was fantastic and the rest of the
gaming industry for 2012 and 2013 has quite a lot of great things to look
forward to.
Sincerely, The Worlds Mightiest #1 Employee
You guys I am your number one fan!! You have the best blogs ever. Thanks for putting an emphasis on Pikmin 3 - game looks so great!
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