I think E3 on the whole was a little more downbeat this year than it has been since it returned from its dreary closed doors years a while back. Thinking about it, that’s to be expected because we’re nearing the announcement of new hardware but I had really been hoping to see both Microsoft and Sony either drop logos for the machines they’re going to try to sell us next year or at least give us their last big pitch for why this generation can still kick arse for the next 18 months. Neither did that. Sure, Halo looked great and so did Beyond and The Last of Us but those are bullet points, I wanted the mission statement.
My game of the show has to be Far Cry 3 from Ubisoft. This was a very tough decision for me but Watch Dogs and Star Wars 1313 look a long way off (or next generation) while Tomb Raider and Assassin’s Creed III were impressive but didn’t seem quite as fresh to me. Far Cry 3 really seems to be doing something with a genre that is long overdue and set against a grey backdrop of modern military blandness; it positively leaps off the screen.
Sony’s conference was a bit of a disappointment. I know that will be an unpopular choice with many of our commenters but I think they had a real need to show the Vita much more positively and a real opportunity, after a drab Microsoft showing, to dominate and steal the headlines.
They didn’t manage to do either of those things, instead seeming very restrained and safe. It felt like they held back the big news and forgot to push the most important things they need to improve. I’ve got a very real fear that those failures will be critical over the next twelve months.
Our industry is currently in a pre-transitional state, something which has been more or less characterised by this year’s showing at the LA Convention Centre. Microsoft began by singing to its bread and butter chorus of fragfest fiends and sitting room body-poppers. A safe bet indeed, though one still attached to a solid software line-up.
Sony didn’t exactly go balls out this year either, though definitely mixed things up a bit with the first part titles on show. God of War Ascension may be God of War III was a few added extras, but at least it isn’t another modern military FPS to force my way through.
Out of the third party publishers, Ubisoft was head and shoulders above the rest. Assassin’s Creed III looks intriguing enough for the series to evade the “stale” label for yet another year and Far Cry 3 seems to have taken the sandbox shooter to the next level. Watch Dogs also had an impressive showing and will likely be a annualised IP for Ubisoft in a few years time, yet it didn’t set my world on fire.
For me, the game that really stole the show has already dipped in and out of the E3 spotlight in previous years. Though it was a tough call between DUST 514 and The Last of Us, the former came out on top, demonstrating exactly what CCP Games had talked about in the past, and therefore living up to my moderate expectations.
Despite my week-long romp with the F2P genre, flagging my choice down as some form of indoctrination would be irrational. For a long time I have been searching for an online shooter that not only offers ample amount of customisation coupled with sharp gameplay, but an organic community and meta-game too. Suturing a cornerstone genre in online gaming to EVE Online (perhaps the most in-depth and perplexing game of all time) is wildly ambitious, and I hope the DUST 514 doesn’t disappoint when it lands later this year.
E3 has been mostly an uninteresting affair for me in terms of the big conferences. What frustrated me the most is companies such as Nintendo and Sony and their “oh, we dont have time to show you that” attitude. Sony did it with the Vita, and Nintendo did it with everything remotely interesting.
Heck, Microsoft showed minuscule amounts of Forza and Gears of War, yet dedicated triple the amount of time to the fact that Kinect can recognise Spanish now. Ubisoft, on the other hand, absolutely killed it with quality titles at every turn.
My game of E3 is easily Watch Dogs. It looks phenomenal, although I should perhaps approach with caution until I see some console gameplay. Disappoints can be traced to Nintendo’s offerings this year. Boring, boring, boring. E3 was the time to sell the Wii U to me but it just didn’t happen.
How long are they going to milk the “New” part of New Super Mario Bros.? I also found the new God of War game incredibly boring. Gorgeous to look at, but at the same time it’s a game we’ve played over and over again.
XisTG
Just when 2D platforming was making a big comeback with Rayman, they go exclusive. I hope they reconsider :/
damoxuk
Most likely won’t be a full exclusive but more timed exclusive.
Omac_brother
Yes. This. Rayman Origins was brilliant. Cant believe they would shorten the audience for their next title.
TSBonyman
For me, it was all about the games and i’m excited for a lot of great up and coming games, too many to mention but the next 12 months looks set to deliver some awesome gaming experiences. Although, with the noticeably grittier tone displayed in many of the games i may have to dip into Flower quite often to restore harmony.. ;)
I remain unconvinced of the merits of a second screen when playing a game on tv but it’ll possibly be handy for some non-gaming elements. I’ll watch with interest to see what develops but i don’t see myself yearning for those features for my own gaming.
LTG Davey
Highlights:- Far Cry 3, Watch_Dogs, Rayman Legends, ZombiU, Tomb Raider, Last of Us, Pikmin 3
Disappointments:- Microsoft’s conference, Lack of Vita focus, Splinter Cell (looks good, just the wrong direction for me), Lack of Wii-U price tag (After their e3 showing I really want one but it’s hard to budget until I know the final price)
damoxuk
Good Points of E3 – Last of Us, Beyond, Watch Dogs, Assassins creed 3 Vita, Halo 4
Bad Points – Lack of Vita Focus, to much talking about Services (microsoft) rather than games, Wonderbook who cares games is E3, Wii-U – pretty much boring as always. But i’m not interested in First party nintendo stuff.
2013 I think will be the killer E3 – And one which Wii-U will be forgotten about immediately.
Forrest_01
“Wonderbook who cares games is E3”
Not to be argumentative, but E3 is an entertainment expo.
damoxuk
Ah but your response indicates an argumentative stance :)
But yes it is an Entertainment Expo but lets face it Games are what people check E3 for.
bigbaldwolf
Soul Sacrifice, Assassins Creed Vita and Watch Dogs all look very good. I was disappointed with how little Sony hyped the Vita but with all the games coming out over the next 12 months and PS1 classics being available soon, I’m very happy
cam_manutd
Good points: Watch Dogs, PS+ Free games, Xbox Smartglass, The Last Of Us, Beyond and Assassin’s Creed 3.
Bad Points: Lack of Vita coverage, Xbox kinect voice commands, Wreckateer, Nintendo+Microsoft Keynotes, Dead Space 3 co-op, Black Ops 2, Halo 4, Wonderbook, Battlefield 3 premium.
Best moment: The roar when Jack Tretton announced everyone would receive a years free PS+in the audience. Think that was as upbeat as it got this year :/
Tuffcub
The best bit was not having to stay up till 4am to cover the Sony conference it and going shopping in New York instead :)
Roynaldo
Best bits? All i read is moaning! :D
Personally i enjoyed it and it kinda put a spark back into my recently lack lustre hobby of gaming. Everything Ubisoft showed, yup everything, was brilliant. Most of Sonys too.
Looking forward to the next 12-18 months of gaming now :)
bunimomike
Same here. There’s so much moaning going on. E3 will barely ever cater for to all of us but I feel like we’re resembling spoiled children when it comes to “E3 sucks because” comments or the like. It was great. It’s always great. Sure, certain conferences screw things up but that’s always the way. You take the good, you forget the bad and you get on with gaming. Sheesh! Not rocket science, eh? :)