Reactions among the viewing audience were rather strong. Core gamers combusted as Microsoft announced Kinect after Kinect project, some snoozed during Sony’s conference, and countless watchers wondered why Nintendo decided to named their new console after the sound of a police siren. Just as the community has their opinions, being on the front line exposed all of the PALGN writers to both the best and the worst of the annual video game conference.
So, what did we think of this year’s E3? Was there a definitive winner? What was the worst moment? Which games wowed as, and what titles were mysteriously absent? The answers to all these questions, and more, reside in part one of PALGN’s staff’s reflections on E3 2011.
E3 2011 summed up what I already knew - the video game industry has changed forever, and I can't do anything to save it. I didn't stay up for the press conferences, and you know what? I'm glad, because everything was terrible apart from the PlayStation Vita. Sleep is more important anyway.
It's well known that I dislike Nintendo for what they haven't done, i.e. making a console designed for genuine games as opposed to gimmicks. Damn, even a console that plays movies would be an improvement. But no, the Wii-U was revealed and share values dropped (hit up Google if you don't believe me). After foolishly purchasing the 3DS, which has left me feeling underwhelmed, I shouldn't have expected anything better than a hilariously named console. The whole announcement was a joke.
Microsoft's press conference was equally terrible, and their Kinect commitment is so disappointing. Great technology, useless software (Child of Eden excluded). There was nothing, absolutely nothing of interest. Star Wars, Fable...it was all a bit too messy for my liking, and I'm a huge fan of both when done properly. I'll end up punching the wall if I start writing about all of the casual rubbish, so let's skip it. Microsoft also showed the biggest game of the year - Modern Warfare 3. And...and...damn it, I'm going to end up punching the wall either way. It looked average, and I can't wait to see everyone fall into the Call of Duty trap once more.
Will Modern Warfare 3 be substandard?
Finally, Sony's press conference was slightly less uninspiring. The PlayStation Vita will be the best handheld ever, you can hold me to that. It blows Nintendo's 3DS out of the water, and with great pricing, I can't see how it's going to fail. It's exactly what I want from portable gaming; no more headaches and (fingers crossed) no more dodgy ports. As for the PlayStation 3, well, it could be finished after Uncharted 3. New consoles will be announced next year, and Sony can't afford to miss the boat again.
A few highlights were found elsewhere: Battlefield 3, Assassin's Creed: Revelations, Prey 2, BioShock Infinite...yeah, they were all great. But they were always going to be great. My biggest problem with E3 2011 was the lack of surprises. Beyond Good and Evil 2? Negative. Metal Gear Solid: Rising? Nope. The Last Guardian? Nein.
Honestly, I'm over how this industry is moving forward and I don't care if I sound like a grumpy, bitter old man holding a grudge...because I am. E3 2011 confirmed that money is more important than quality, and since only a small portion of developers are remaining true to themselves, I'm not sure what's going to happen in the years ahead. Frankly, I'm a little scared.
Despite E3 being my favourite time in the calendar year, I say with a hint of sadness that I just wasn't overly impressed at the mixed bag that was 2011. Though I wasn't completely disappointed by this year's show, by the same token it didn't manage to floor me like those of years gone by.
Sure, Uncharted 3 makes me want to wet my pants with excitement, but I already knew it was going to be awesome. Similarly, Bioshock Infinite looks as though it's going to take to the skies (excuse the horrible pun); but again it's nothing the hardcore gaming public didn't already know about. It just felt as though the surprise announcements and reveals that once defined E3, failed to be in attendance.
Microsoft presented us with another lacklustre conference, once again placing a large focus on Kinect. Despite a more hardcore direction and some interesting integration ideas (like voice command in Mass Effect), I'm still not convinced. Especially in light of showing me that I will be required to squat and make pseudo swimming motions in order to alter a weapon's characteristics. Wouldn't it be easier to just hit a button, or am I missing the point here?
The guardian was missing – again.
Sony managed to provide one of the biggest surprises of the show with its thankfully competitive price point for the PS Vita (seriously, who is naming these things?); a device that just keeps convincing me to spend my hard earned money come launch day. But apart from that, the whole conference fell into the 'safe zone.' Uncharted, Resistance, portable Uncharted, NBA 2K12 and the usual dose of PlayStation Move all got their time in the spotlight, yet STILL no mention of The Last Guardian.
Then we have The Big N. I won't jump on the hate bandwagon that many in the industry seem to be pushing along, because to be honest, my level of intrigue as to where the Wii U will go is incredibly high. Nintendo is always one to break the mould and has managed to do so yet again this year. But while this 'revolutionary' controller presents a whole range of possibilities, the technology is still quite clearly in its infancy; unable to show any real demo’s that could astound members of the press and public alike. It was a promising reveal trailer, but only time will tell if they can make good on its claims.
Ultimately, if E3 2012 really wants to blow me out of the water, then developers and publishers need to stop consistently retreading the same ground as a primary focus and instead focus on creating fresh and exciting gameplay experiences for gamers of all generations that remind us of why we fell in love with this industry in the first place.
That being said, after years of pining, there will finally be a portable Super Smash Bros. , with 3DS AND Wii U versions in development; so it's not all bad news for fan-boys like me. Well played E3, well played.
For me, E3 was definitely underwhelming at best. There was a hunger amongst everyone for something new or at least a stunning surprise, but no such thing eventuated out of any company. Last year's conference saw a slew of new information and surprising announcements, but this year seems to have been a big 'eh' from all companies concerned.
If I had to pick the poorest performer out of the three E3 conferences, I would have to go with Microsoft. Their focus on Kinect and a lack of exciting new games or developments left their efforts feeling very flat. Sony and Nintendo, on the other hand, were at least able to announce their Vita and Wii U consoles respectively, but even those announcements were faulty - on the one hand, we already knew quite a lot about Vita anyway other than its name, while we really didn't get a whole lot of insight into just what it is about the Wii U that will be special and rock the industry in the same way the Wii did a few years ago.
Is the Wii U the next big thing?
Oh, but the wow factor was back in form this year - however, thoughts of 'wow, that's amazing' have been replaced by 'wow, that's it?' The only moment where I personally let out a yelp of joy was the announcement of a Super Smash Bros game for the 3DS, but again we really don't know a lot about it. The return of Sly Raccoon in a full console game is also pleasing. In the end though, we really didn't get anything new and exciting - and yes, once again, we've been left in the dark on anything at all to do with Beyond Good and Evil 2. Will it become the next Duke Nukem Forever, languishing in development hell? We can only wait and hope that it shall not.
Prior to this year's E3 conferences, it seems that the three big ones put their heads together and said: "Ok, this time, we're going to cooperate. This time we're all going to just play it safe".
And could they have played it any safer? There wasn't anything really unexpected at this year's E3. I have to admit that I wasn't expecting too much from Sony in light of their security breach earlier in the year, but I expected Nintendo to have something much more significant up their sleeve (apart from the unveiling of the Wii U. The Zelda orchestra was pretty cool, though, as was talk of the new Super Smash Bros.). In my opinion, the most significant gambles Sony and Nintendo took were in regards to naming their new consoles.
Microsoft continue dancing to the same tune.
Similarly, the whispers of more core titles utilising Kinect was something I eagerly stayed up to watch, and while there were some interesting titles (Ghost Recon and Fable, to name a couple), it seemed as though there was too much focus on the Kinect. I understand that it was a significant investment for Microsoft but really, Kinect features outnumbered controller-based games about 5:1.
As for what I'm disappointed with, it's the lack of any truly laugh-out-loud funny/awkward/terrible moments (except for maybe those kids playing the Disney Kinect game...). Oh, and where were the horror games?
Check back on Saturday for part two of our E3 2011 Reflections feature, and learn what the other half of PALGN thought of this year’s event.
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