It's June, and another E3 is upon us. The 23rd E3 is already different from past E3s. For the first time in E3 history, the floor will be open to the public. While E3 itself is offering something new, the question will be are the developers, both the 1st party and 3rd part developers offering something new? Looking forward to this year's E3, I honestly believe that anyone can win it, as long as they can prove that they have something new to offer than everyone will love. This preview will look at how each developer, both 1st party and 3rd alike, can prove they are new and improved. We will look at 1st party before 3rd party, and within each party, we will go in the order presenting.
1st PARTY DEVELOPERS
Microsoft
Last E3, Microsoft opened with Xbox One S, the smallest Xbox ever made. They focused the whole presentation centered around the Xbox One S. Then they threw it all away by giving a preliminary preview of something they called "Project Scorpio." I imagine this year's E3 will center around Project Scorpio. This question on all our minds is that whether Project Scorpio is a new Xbox console from Microsoft or if it is a "half console": the same, old console with major upgrades (like the PS4 Pro). At some points, it sounded like that "half console." It would still have full compatibility with all Xbox One games, controllers and other accessories. At other points, it sounded like a new console, with all the hardware specs sounding so different. If I was Xbox, I would make it a new console. As crazy as this sounds, Nintendo is ahead in the console race. The Switch is the front runner of the new generation of consoles. Xbox is not one for fall behind (heck, they even moved their E3 press conference up a day to make sure they didn't fall behind). If Xbox doesn't want to fall behind, make this a new console, just with full backwards compatibility with all games, all controllers and all peripherals. If Microsoft can do this, they can easily win E3 2017. If they choose to make Project Scorpio the most recent edition of the Xbox One, I can still see them bringing home a win. They just have to show they can beat Nintendo at its own game. Nintendo had to totally go to a new console to bring back local multiplayer. If Microsoft can demonstrate can do the same local multiplayer with 4 Surface tablets next to each other, the hardcore gamers will be wondering, "Why bother getting a new console when I can do the same with my old console an a Surface?" In this way as well, Xbox can take the win away from Nintendo.
As for the software, the best bet is for Microsoft to set themselves apart from Nintendo Switch and PlayStation 4 is to prove that 3rd parties prefer their console. The best 3rd party to do that with is Activision. Activision produces some of the Xbox fanboys' favorite games for Xbox. If Xbox wants to prove they have the console for hardcore games, they need to work closely with Activision. I'm expecting to hear a lot about Call of Duty: WWII and Destiny 2. Of course, Microsoft will need to convince Xbox fanboys to update to the new Project Scorpio, so they'll need to present what Microsoft Studios will give Project Scorpio exclusively. I'm expecting State of Decay 2 to be the frontrunner for that. If the games demonstrate it is worth upgrading to Project Scorpio, I imagine that Microsoft can easily take home the gold for E3 2017.
Sony
Despite winning last year E3 and the console war against the Wii U and Xbox One, PlayStation still has be wary approaching this E3. With the PlayStation 4 Pro out for a while now, and also with PlayStation VR out for some time, Play Station 4 cannot focus on hardware too much. They have now present a game library that demonstrates it was worth spending the money to make the half upgrade with the console and buy the additional VR. If I see any hardware improvement, I want to see Move 2.0. The current PlayStation VR is still dependent on a Move meant for the PlayStation 3, and players can tell. If Sony wants to improve VR, they need to improve the motion control aspect. Then it will truly feel like VR. I also want to see Sony continue its improvements on the Vita. Nintendo has held a firm grip on the handheld video gaming. I would really like to see something compete with the 3DS. It needs to be something better, yet cheaper.
More importantly, as mentioned before, it needs to have a game library that demonstrates it was worth the upgrades. I want to see games in 4K. I want VR that looks and feels like virtual reality. With its stupendous lead in the console race, PlayStation will have a wide array to choose from across the board of 3rd party developers. I expect a little bit of all the major developers: Activision, Bethesda, Electronic Arts, Sega, Square Enix, Ubisoft and Warner Bros. Games. By demonstrating a plethora of games from a plethora of developers and publishers, Sony will display that all these developers and publishers back PlayStation 4. With access to a huge library of games spanning over several gaming developers and publishers, the hardcore gamer will want a PlayStation 4 Pro, knowing he can play any game on it.
Nintendo
Let's start with what the Nintendo press conference should have been. The Nintendo press conference should have been the announcement of the Switch we saw all the way back in January. Then, at the end of the press conference, Reggie would announce, "And this Nintendo Switch will be available in stores worldwide tomorrow!" Yeah, sure, it would have meant we would have to wait another 3 months for Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild, but if Nintendo did that, they would have won E3 hands down. Besides, it would have also helped the Switch by releasing with a library more than the 2 games of 1,2 Switch! and Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild.
Snap back to reality, and Nintendo is doing E3 just like they have in the past. They are foregoing the typical press conference for a Digital Treehouse Event. Like they did a previous E3, they are going to have live gaming tournaments. This one, however, stands unique, for the whole purpose of each tournament is to highlight and new and upcoming Switch game. Therefore, from the tournament schedule, we know which Switch games Nintendo will cover in the majority of their digital event: Splatoon 2, Pokken Tournament DX and Arms. I also expect to hear some about Super Mario Odyssey, Harvest Moon: Light of Hope, Fate/Extella: The Umbrel Star and Shantae: Half-Genie Hero. Those last 3 are important, for Nintendo has to prove they still have 3rd party back. Still, already this is a better lineup than last year, as last year all we heard about was Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild and Pokémon Sun & Moon. Speaking of Pokémon Sun & Moon, I expect the Nintendo Digital Event to pause from Switch to take a quick nod to the Nintendo 3DS with Pokémon Ultra Sun & Ultra Moon. From the title alone, this sounds only slightly more interesting that Pokémon Black & White 2.
As crazy as this sounds, I still believe Nintendo has the opportunity to have the advantage coming into this year's E3. They have taken a lead in the console wars as the newest console on the block. They have the opportunity to show this is the future of gaming, and this is how console gaming should go. But, being Nintendo, they will screw that up. Let's be honest here. The only brand new game we really see for the Nintendo Switch is Arms, and even that some people have said is one step up from boxing on Wii Sports. Splatoon and Super Mario Odyssey and sequels to old franchises (one older than the other). Mario Kart 8 Deluxe and Pokken Tournament DX are really the game on the Wii U with a few additions. It's like Nintendo is saying, "Our apologies for putting these great games on wrong system, the terrible Wii U. Let's make it up to you. Here are they are on the Switch, where they belong." And as many people have said concerning Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild, the differences are so small, it's not worth buying a whole new console for these games. The only thing that made it worth it buying the Wii U were those brand new games with brand new ideas that demonstrated the Wii U's full functionality, like Zombi U and Splatoon. If Nintendo wants to take a true lead in the console wars, they need to display games that can show off what the Switch can do and can demonstrate this what other consoles need to follow. They can only do that with original, creative ideas, not recycling the same old franchises and same old games.
3RD PARTY DEVELOPERS
Electronic Arts (EA)
As usual, I expect a majority of the Electronic Arts E3 presentation to cover EA Sports. Front lining the EA Sports portion will be Madden NFL 18, FIFA 18 and NBA LIVE 18. As I will say time and time again, Electronic Arts has to show this game is worth buying again. The technology of the current generation of consoles allows for minor updates to happen to without needing to buy a new game. We already see that with automatic updates with the new draft class. Therefore, these new gams have to demonstrate major changes from the previous year's edition. I'm proud that last year EA stepped away from using the gimmick of celebrity and endorsement. Now all they need is a full gameplay demo to show that this year's game is totally different than last year's game, or else sports video gamers will turn to PES instead of FIFA 18, and they will turn into NBA 2K18 instead of NBA LIVE 18, for PES and NBA 2K18 continually update their game every year to make it more real.
As for the rest of the Electronic Arts segment, I fear it will be the same as the EA Sports portion. We will see another sequel to the same franchise. Headlining will be Need for Speed Payback and Star Wars Battlefront II. Once again, EA needs to prove that this isn't the same old game in the franchise. This is a brand new game that makes the last game outdated. As opposed to EA Sports games, these games have a small advantage. They can use story. They can argue it's a different story, so the gamer will want this story. For these games, displaying story is just as important as displaying gameplay. I expect to see both cinematic trailers and gameplay demos for both Need for Speed Payback and Star Wars Battlefront II. Without either of them, EA will have a hard time convincing its players to go out and buy the new game.
Bethesda
For being fairly new to this whole E3 press conference thing, Bethesda hasn't done too shabby of a job. Yeah, they only highlight a couple, and possibly briefly mention a couple more, but the ones they do highlight they put on full display, from cinematic trailers to gameplay demos. Both do a good job of hyping up gamers. With that in mind, Bethesda has been pretty hush-hush about what it is doing this year at its press conference. Its only preview of the presentation in an art piece of an amusement park called "Bethesdaland." Most notably about this theme park is that it has 2 attractions labeled "Coming Soon." Therefore, I imagine the Bethesda press conference will mostly be about those 2 brand new, coming soon games. What could they be? A new Fallout game? A new Elder Scroll game? A new Witcher game? A new Wolfenstein game? Your guess is as a good anyone else's. Whatever those 2 games are, I can tell you that we will see full cinematic trailers, we'll get a good amount of gameplay, and it will be trending on all the social media outlets.
Ubisoft
Ubisoft has always been a favorite of mine. It's not because they are my favorite I keep picking them to win. Rather, they are my favorite because they keep winning. The reason they keep winning is because they do excellent job displaying an array of games from a plethora of genres. I expect no difference this year. There's a lot to look forward to. First and foremost is my last is the latest installment in the Assassin's Creed series. Rumor has it this will be a prequel, set in ancient Egypt. With a year off, we're expecting the best. Next, Ubisoft will present the first sequel to their open world racing game The Crew. I like the direction they've taken the racing genre. The best I could see them advancing the game is to team up with Google Maps to make this as open world as possible. Then we can look forward to Far Cry 5. At first, I was a little skeptic when I learned that they took the series out of the exotic locations and traded it for the mainland U.S. But I've always appreciated how the franchise has done an excellent job making the antagonist a complete jerk, so I look forward to how they will do it again. Props to Ubisoft for producing yet another Just Dance game. As motion control games are on the way out, it looked like the Just Dance was on its way out, too. Ubisoft saved it by using smartphones to act as the motion control device. I expect the most up-to-date soundtrack, inviting a whole new generation to dance along with this game. Finally, I like how Ubisoft is headlining its superhero games with South Park: The Fracture but Whole. Ubisoft has even demonstrated to the gaming world there is room for a comedy genre when it comes to video games. With such an array of games from a plethora of genres, I predict another win for Ubisoft in E3!
Let the 23rd E3 begin! As they say in the Hunger Games, "May the odds be ever in your favor!" :)
No comments:
Post a Comment