1ST PARTY DEVELOPERS
MICROSOFT
As I predicted, the show started off with a bang. The first thing Microsoft showed us was Halo 5: Guardians. It was the best looking Halo in the series so far. The scenery was beautiful. The characters were so lifelike, I could swear Nathan Fillion was literally in the game. Even the science fiction weapons looked real. Halo 5: Guardians fully utilizes the Xbox One. Even I, who has just started the Halo series, am looking forward to the game. Halo wasn't the only first party game to get the full treatment. Forza Motorspot 6 was introduced with a real life car. Gears of War displayed both a cinematic trailer and a game trailer. They also did show Fable Legends and Rise of the Tomb Raider, but honestly, they didn't show much more than last year. Still, Xbox did what I say they needed to do and focus on the first party games for the sake of the Xbox fanboys.
Then I said Xbox needed to demo favorite third party games for the sake the hardcore gamers. Xbox showed their array of third party developers with an assortment of games. From Bethesda, we heard about Fallout 4. From Ubisoft, we heard about Tom Clancy's Division and Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six Seige. From Rare, we heard about Rare Replay. Believe it or not, I think the Rare Replay was the wisest choice to show off as a third party game. A lot of the games in the Rare Replay were classics that the hardcore games would nostalgically love. But even then, Xbox took it step further. Every year I complain that the only "new games" we see are sequels to old titles. Xbox made sure they introduced fresh new games. My favorites were ReCore and Beyond Eyes. So now not only did Xbox show it was back for its fanboys, but also back for all hardcore gamers.
But it's neither the first party titles nor the third party titles that impressed me the most with the Xbox media briefing. What impressed me the most was that 2 years after the Xbox One came out, Xbox continued to add to its hardware. First, Xbox made a way for Xbox 360 games, both on disc and downloaded games, to finally become backward compatible on the Xbox One. Yeah, sure, we found it wasn't as cracked up to be. The game developers need to give permission for their games to be backward compatibile, which is easy for 1st party games, but harder for 3rd party games. Saved files need to transferred via the cloud, which means older games won't transfer because they can't save on the cloud. But they really tried, and this try was significant. When the Xbox One first came out, they made a lot of mistakes. Year by year, slowly, Xbox One began to fix those mistakes. By making Xbox 360 games available on the Xbox One, Xbox finally fixed the last and biggest mistake. But it doesn't stop there. To compete with PlayStation's Project Morpheus, Xbox showed its compatibility with Occulus. But it didn't even stop there. Xbox took it a step further. Xbox demonstrated how the Microsoft HoloLens is compatible with Xbox games. They demonstrated Minecraft augmenting reality. It was amazing. I haven't been this amazed since Kinect was first demonstrated as Project Natal. This technology put Microsoft HoloLens ahead of Sony's Morpheus.
With the first party games, Xbox caught up with the Xbox fanboys. With the third party games, Xbox caught up with the hardcore gamers . With the new hardware technology, Xbox took the lead and wins this E3 among the first party developers.
+Positives+: Continuing to develop old franchises, full support
from 3rd party developers, new game ideas, advancing the hardware (especially backward compatibility)
-Negatives-: Nothing new about Rise of the Tomb Raider or Fable Legends, the car coming down from the ceiling was a little gimmicky, backward compatibility isn't the best
~Top 3 Games~: ReCore, Beyond Eyes, Halo 5: Guardians
*Medal*: Gold
SONY
I almost feel bad giving Sony the silver. They did everything I said a good first party's press conference should do. They introduced brand new games. I counted at least 6 specifically discussed. In fact, the first two games introduced were brand new, The Last Guardian and Horizon: Zero Dawn. Both of these games won the audience over. PlayStation also utilized many 3rd party games in its presentation to show their 3rd party backing. From Activision, we saw Call of Duty: Black Ops III and Destiny: The Taken King. From EA we saw Star Wars Battlefront. From Square Enix, we heard about the Final Fantasy VII remake. From Ubisoft, we heard about Assassin's Creed Syndicate. On top of that, PlayStation showed off some sweet 1st party games. My favorite was Uncharted 4: A Thief's End, presented at the end. This might be the best Uncharted game yet. Like, I said everything a good conference needs.
There is only one that they lacked, and Microsoft took the lead. That was in the hardware. Sony had nothing to the hardware, with neither the PlayStation 4 nor the PS Vita. The closest when it came to hardware was Project Morpheus. But there wasn't much to it. We pretty much just heard about it; no demonstrations. In light of Occulus, it's a copycat, and in light of HoloLens, it's behind. That's why Sony falls to second, but a close second at that.
+Positives+: Lots of brand new games, full 3rd party support
-Negatives-: Not a lot on Project Morpheus, very little on the PS Vita
~Top 3 Games~: Uncharted 4: A Thief's End, The Last Guardian, Shenmue III
*Medal*: Silver
NINTENDO
One could say the Nintendo's E3 began on Sunday. On Sunday, Nintendo held its first Nintendo World Championships in 25 years. The Nintendo World Championship demoed a lot of the games that Nintendo would present at E3, including Metroid Prime: Federation Force and Super Mario Maker. The championship also demoed newer DLC of older games, like Mario Kart 8 and Super Smash Bros. Speaking of Super Smash Bros., on that same day Nintendo released DLC for the latest Super Smash Bros. The DLC included the characters Lucas, Roy and Ryu. Each of these characters represented a new game that would be talked about at E3. Roy represented Fire Emblem Fates. Lucas represented Mother finally coming to the U.S. as Earthbound Beginnings, which was also released on this Sunday. This got the Nintendo fanboys excited about what was coming. They had high expectations for the Digital Event on Sunday. That's why I mentioned that Nintendo's E3 could be considered as starting on Sunday. Because that might have been the high point of Nintendo's E3.
The high point of Nintendo's Digital Event on Tuesday, the second high point of Nintendo's E3, was the opening of the Digital Event. The first game we got to see was Star Fox Zero. It was truly an 8th generation game. The 1080p graphics made Corneia look beautiful. I appreciate hearing about the history and about the development of the game and of the series. Truly, this game was the best Nintedo showed off at E3. The second best game was Super Mario Maker at the end of the presentation. But we heard about that last year. Sure, we learned new things, like the name changed for Mario Maker to Super Mario Maker, 16-bit is an option on top 8-bit and 1080p, and Amiibos can change the character. Once again, I enjoyed hearing about the creation of the original Super Mario Bros. That's about it. Then it all went downhill from there.
Maybe I should be more specific, Nintendo, when I said give the fanboys what they want by making more games of their favorite franchises. I meant GOOD games that advance the series in both story and gameplay, not BAD spin-offs. Your fanboys and I wanted an open-world Legend of Zelda game for the WiiU, not a co-op spin-off of Four Swords Adventure for the 3DS. When I said the fanboys and I wanted a new Metroid game, I meant a sci-fi first person shooter for the WiiU, not a sci-fi sports shooter for the 3DS. And when I was open to a new Mario game, I meant a new platformer, either a side scrolling platformer or a 3D platformer, not a Mario tennis game, not a Mario Olympics game, not a Mario RPG crossover. And a real Yoshi game would have been appreciated, not a spin-off to Kirby Epic Yarn.
On top of all that, Nintendo emphasized amiibo too much and showed too much desperation in third party support with the new Skylanders game. These are things that not lose the hardcore gamers and the Nintendo fanboys alike. One more thing I observed. The WiiU was hardly mentioned, especially in comparison to an overwhelming focus on the 3DS. Last time that happened, it was the last year of the Wii. A few months ago, Nintendo mentioned a Project NX. It could be a new controller or a smartphone for Nintendo games. But I hope I really hope it's a new console. True, it would a short console life, especially in comparison to the last generation. But like I said in my preview, Nintendo caught up, only to fall behind again. Now Nintendo must catch up again, or it might so fall so far behind, it will fall out of contention.
+Positives+: Getting people pumped with Nintendo World Championships, hearing from developers about the creations of the games, many 3DS games
-Negatives-: Too many spin-offs, too much emphasis on amiibos, lack of WiiU games, lack of support from 3rd party developers
~Top 3 Games~: Star Fox Zero (WiiU), Super Mario Maker (WiiU), Earthbound Beginnings (WiiU Virtual Console)
*Medal*: Bronze
3RD PARTY DEVELOPERS
BETHESDA
Bethesda didn't do too bad for their first E3 media briefing. They knew they needed to start off with a bang, and I would consider their bang to be a triple bang in one game. They opened up with Doom. They showed us the solo play, and that was a single bang. They demonstrated how the multiplayer worked, and that was the double bang. Then they displayed the mod, and that was the triple bang. Doom had so much to offer. It was awesome. I wasn't into Doom before, but now I could be. I bet many other gamers are now into it as well, too.
Not only did they start with a bang, they ended with a bang, too. The ending bang was Fallout 4. It was already well written in both game play and story. Then they made their own Pip Boy that is compatible with a Fallout smartphone app to give the player a real Pip Boy and real second screen play. That was awesome. On the side, they made Fallout Shelter, a simulation game for the iPhone and iPad. Not only is it free to play, it was available to download right after the show. Of course, I downloaded it immediately. Bethesda truly invested in the Fallout franchise, and it paid off.
In between Doom and Fallout 4, we saw Dishonored: Definitive Edition, Dishonored II, The Elder Scrolls: Legend and Battle Cry. All of these games were introduced well with trailers. My only complaint was they spent too much on Doom and Fallout 4. Fallout 4 took about 40% of the presentation and Doom took about 20% of the briefing. This time could have been used to talk more about the other games or talk about even more games. Still, with a presentation like that, Bethesda finishes 2nd among 3rd party developers. If they keep presenting like that, they will surely win a 1st in the future.
+Positives+: Showing off all the features of Doom, the second screen feature of Fallout 4
-Negatives-: Too much time on Doom and Fallout 4, not enough time on the others, could have showed off more games
~Top 3 Games~: Fallout 4, Doom, Battle Cry
*Medal*: Silver
ELECTRONIC ARTS (EA)
Well, that turned out exactly as I expected. It's the newest Madden game and the newest FIFA game. It's another Mirror's Edge game, another Need for Speed game, another Star Wars Battlefront game, another Plants vs. Zombies game. But I have to say, there was some innovation. FIFA 16 finally included women players and teams. Plants vs. Zombies Garden Warfare 2 allows you to play as either plants or zombies. Star Wars: Old Republic - Knights of the Fallen Empire brought a good story to an MMORPG, just like the fans wanted. Star Wars Battlefront allowed players to play as their favorite Star Wars characters, just like players wanted. You hear the commonality here. EA listened to the fans. As much as don't like see repetition of the same series, it's what the fans like, and EA has reached out to his fans, not only in producing sequels, but also developing the sequel. But EA is more than just sequels. They are out to make new games, too. One of such is Unraveled. Yeah, I know what you're thinking. Yes, it's another game about yarn. Yes, it was weird seeing the creator get emotional about a yarn doll. But it's an original idea with an original character. I probably would have been more accepting of Kirby: Epic Yarn and Yoshi's Wooly World if Nintendo would have created an original character and original story around him. All in all, EA needs to produce new games like this if they want to embrace the artistic side of the video game industry. But if EA is satisfied with just being a business, keep making the old games for the fans.
+Positives+: Bringing new development to old games, bringing new ideas when they do bring no games, Star Wars Old Republic - Knights of the Fallen Empire has a good story, Minion's Paradise bring more variety to EA
-Negative-: Same old games, felt like the same presentations
~Top 3 Games~: Mirror's Edge: Catalyst, Star Wars: Old Republic - Knights of the Fallen Empire, Star Wars Battlefront
*Medal*: Bronze
UBISOFT
Once again, Ubisoft did what it did best and demonstrated it appeals to hardcore gamers and casual gamers alike by displaying an array of game genres. Their RPG game was South Park: The Fractured But Whole. For racing games, Ubisoft brought forth The Crew Run Wild, Trials Fusion: Awesome Level Max and Trackmania Turbo. For a simulation game, Ubisoft has Anno 2205. As a music video game, Ubisoft of course has Just Dance 2016, but it now has the feature to use your smartphone as a controller. For an action-adventure game, Ubisoft showed off Assassin's Creed: Syndicate. For shooters, of course there's 3 different Tom Clancy games - Tom Clancy's Ghost Recon Wildlands, Tom Clancy's The Division and Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six Siege. With the last 4 games, Ubisoft gave us full gameplay for us to watch. Watching this gameplay, I know what I am getting into when I buy the game. Don't think that Ubisoft is just repeating the same franchises. Ubisoft had new games, like For Honor. With games for both the hardcore gamer and the casual gamer, and with both theatrical trailers and gameplay trailers in the presentation of the games, no wonder Ubisoft wins E3 among the 3rd party developers.
+Positives+: Wide array of games and game genres, new games like For Honor, both cinematic trailers and gameplay trailers to show off games, more smartphone integration for Just Dance 2016
-Negatives-: Too many sequels, too many Tom Clancy games
~Top 3 Games~: Tom Clancy's The Division, Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six Siege, Tom Clancy's Ghost Recon Wildlands
*Medal*: Gold
SQUARE ENIX
I'm trying to give Square Enix a break because I know this is the first E3 media briefing. But the other 3 third party developers had much better presentations than Square Enix. Where Square Enix lacked so much was that it pretty much said a lot about very little. Square Enix was excited about about the new NieR game, but all we saw was some concept art and the credits, naming an all star cast. They also announced a new game under the name Project Setsuna, but the little we heard about the game. It just sounded like around JRPG. Speaking of RPGs, there was a lot of focus on RPGs. I know RPGs are Square Enix specialty, but I know Square Enix can make other games, as we will see later. They need to show that variety. There was also a lot of focus on iOS games. Square Enix first talked about the success of Hitman Go, and then announced Lara Croft Go. Once again, I would have liked to hear more about both games. It felt like an iOs game just for the sake of having an iOS game. Square Enix did have some good presentations. Square Enix started off its presentation with Just Cause 3. It was your typical Just Cause game, with crazy destruction...well, just 'cause, for a just cause. They ended their presentation with Deus Ex: Mankind Divided. It looked like the perfect game for the Deus Ex series. Rise of the Tomb Raider would have been good, too, if they would told us something more than the Xbox presentation, and the Xbox presentation told us little new stuff in the first place. Altogether, Square Enix did OK for a first press conference, but if it wants to play with the big boys, it has work on it.
+Positives+: Both cinematic trailers and gameplay trailers for Just Cause 3 and Deus Ex: Mankind Divided, sticking with the RPGs the know best like Final Fantasy and Kingdom Hearts, attempting to grasp the iPad/iPhone as a gaming device
-Negatives-: Too many RPGs, too much talk with very little new information about the games, too much focus on iOS games,
~Top 3 Games~: Deus Ex: Mankind Divided, Just Cause 3, Rise of the Tomb Raider
*Medal*: None/4th/Honorable Mention
