I honestly have no idea why I still do this. Sony announced earlier this year they will not participle in E3 this year. No live press conference, no digital event, nothing. They claim that the 3rd party publishers will showcase their console for them, so they have no reason to do anything. That means no announcement, or even a hint, of a PlayStation 5 in the making; only software. On a similar note, despite having NOA having a new COO and president, Doug Bowser has continued the recent tradition presenting with a short digital event, followed by a long Treehouse demonstrating the games. In terms of 1st party publishes, it looks like Xbox will win just because it participated! I hate to admit it, but E3 is on its way out the door. Honestly, it makes sense. With so many streaming video sites, it makes more sense to reveal games that way that make a big showcase in an auditorium. So while it lasts, and since this is the only thing I post on this blog (besides my end-of-year game log), let's make the best of it. Here is my E3 2019 Preview & Predictions.
1st Party Publishers
XBox
Last year, the game that really wowed everyone was the latest entry in the Forza series. Since the biggest game from last year was a 1st party game, I would recommend to Xbox that they should focus on 1st party games again. Last year, you surprised everyone with Gears 5. I expect to hear more about Gears 5 this year, with both a cinematic trailer and a gameplay trailer. Speaking of 1st party sequel games, Xbox could surprise and amaze everyone if they revealed Halo 6 this year. Even if they don't, Xbox has plenty of Halo news, from Halo Reach added on the Masterchief Collection to Halo Infinite. I'm just saying another Halo game could make this a Halo-themed E3 for Xbox. While it would be wise for Xbox to lead with its 1st party exclusives, it would be just as wise for Xbox to demonstrate some 3rd party games on it, just to prove the Xbox One X is the superior console for gaming even 3rd party games. Some good candidates to demo would be Borderlands 3, Call of Duty: Modern Warfare and/or Monster Hunter: World.
Nintendo
Ever since getting my Switch this past Christmas, I feel like I'm back in the current gen console. I have that excitement again. Nintendo has not disappointed with the Switch. The Switch just surpassed the Nintendo 64 in terms of sales, and it deserves that honor. Nintendo has gotten me excited about the current gen of console gaming, something the PlayStation 4 and Xbox One failed to do for me. Although not live and in person, I'm probably the most excited about Nintendo's digital event. So here's my prediction of how Nintendo's E3 Digital Event will happen, even if it is loaded with more with wishful hopes that realistic predictions.
Nintendo will start of its Digital Event with a bang by announcing for the Switch Mario Kart 9 or Mario Kart Ultimate. This latest edition of Mario Kart will have available all the original Super Smash Bros. characters as drivers, with DLC character from Melee down the road. This new edition of Mario Kart will have a new item similar to the Smash Ball in Super Smash Bros. It unleashes a weapon unique to each character that devastates the race course. And we found out the game's lead designer was Sakuri himself. Speaking of Sakuri, the event will transition into Sakuri to announce the next DLC character for Super Smash Bros. Ultimate: Dante from the original Devil May Cry (yes, I know Dante was technically in PlayStation All-Star Battle Royale, but that was the re-imagined Dante, not the original Dante). This DLC will be available by the end of the month. Next, Nintendo will announce Super Mario Party will receive DLC with more game boards. Continuing the Mario theme, a short segment will reveal more details for Super Mario Maker 2, which includes new themes and new items. On a similar note, we'll see a cinematic trailer for Luigi's Mansion 3, which will include gameplay and a release date of October 2019. From here we'll hear more about Legend of Zelda: Link's Awakening for the Switch, which I predict will receive the suffix HD to distinguish it. This short segment will tell us of gameplay unique to the Switch. Then I expect a short cinematic trailer of Metroid Prime 4. I know Nintendo recently trashed the old Metroid Prime 4 and handed over duties to Retro to make a new Metroid Prime 4, but I think they can at least show us what Samus will look like on the Switch or one of the worlds in 1080p, as well as a brief description of the story. (If Nintendo does want to add something about Pokémon Sword and Shield, they would do it here, but I highly doubt it because Game Freak and The Pokémon Company has already revealed so much.) Next we'll hear about the latest installment in the Animal Crossing series. Finally, to close on a bang as big as the opening one, Nintendo will announce Super Nintendo games are coming to Nintendo Switch Online subscription service, just like NES games. While they will not be releasing Super Nintendo controllers, they will release new joycons with the SNES color scheme. They will also announce the first 6 games. In July, the games will be Super Mario World, Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past and Kirby: Super Star. In August, the games will be Super Metroid, Star Fox and Star Fox 2.
3rd Party Publishers
Electronic Arts (EA)
What is their to say about Electronic Arts? They do the same thing every year. They present to us the game as last year, give it a few updates and new features, call it a sequel, and then they ask for full price (as well as some loot boxes!). I have no reason to expect any different from them this year. Madden NFL 20 is just another Madden game. FIFA 20 is just another FIFA game. Sims 4 is another Sims game. Battlefield V is another Battlefield game. Star Wars - Jedi: Fallen Order will end being a Star Wars: Battlefront clone (no pun intended). If EA wants to mix it up, even in the slightest, spend more time showing how you're supporting indie developers, which you did do a little last year.
Bethesda
Bethesda has a habit of spending most of its allotted time divulging us in one of their soon-to-be-released games, then spending a little time mentioning future projects. This year, I expect the same. The game they will be highlighting for a majority of their press conference will be Doom Eternal, the sequel to the Doom reboot. I'm expecting to see both a cinematic trailer and a gameplay demo. Besides that, we might hear a little about Elder Scrolls VI or an update to Fallout 76, but not much. I wish Bethesda would go back to one the one year when they showed us a little bit of everything they were working on. It demonstrated they could tackle a wide array of game genres. Now it seems like they can only tackle one game genre, which they simply put a different skin on.
Ubisoft
Ubisoft is always the epitome of E3 hype, which I enjoy for entertainment value. Knowing Ubisoft, they will build up hype. First, they will start by reminding us that another Just Dance game will come out later this year. Next, they will announce DLC packs for popular games already out, like The Division 2 and For Honor. Then, we will receive updates on recently announced games, like Rainbox Six Siege and Tom Clancy's Ghost Recon Breakpoint. Finally, Ubisoft will announce brand new games, like the next game in the Assassin's Creed series (possibly wrapping up the prequel trilogy) and the Watch Dog series (also making that a trilogy). While it might sound boring because they are visiting old franchises, I'm sure Ubisoft will present it in an entertaining way.
Square Enix
Square Enix typically keeps their presentations short, usually around a half hour, so I don't expect to hear about a lot of games from them. What I want to hear the most about is the Final Fantasy VII HD remake. They announced it 2 years ago, and they were silent on it last year, so they need to make up from last year by giving us a lot this year. I also expect to hear a lot about their Avengers video game. It would be a good idea. They can use the hype from the Avengers movie to build up the hype from the Avengers video game. With the big announcement of Just Cause 4 last year, it would be great to see how game development has progressed, perhaps with a cinematic trailer and gameplay footage. I imagine these 3 games will take up a bulk of their press conference. Perhaps they can squeeze in an announcement of some Kingdom Hearts III DLC, following up on the success of that game.
Let's enjoy another E3, just in case it is our last.
Showing posts with label EA. Show all posts
Showing posts with label EA. Show all posts
Saturday, June 8, 2019
Sunday, June 17, 2018
E3 2018: Review and Reaction
Every E3 somehow seems to a theme every year. This year's theme seemed to be the year of musical performances. I can't count how many press conferences had a music performance somehow incorporated. Sometimes it made the viewers appreciate that the press conference aimed to entertain them. At other times, the watchers wanted to hear less music and see more games. Did these music performances and other performances get the audience excited about the games the publisher had to offer? As always, we'll start with first party developers, and then we'll move to the third party developers. For their first party developers, I will go int the order of presentation. For the third party developers, I'll go from best to worst. To add to the fun, in order to receive the title of "best game," the game must be presented at press conference, not any post-showcase demonstration.
+Positives+: XBox suprised the audience a few times, they had both games to display from both first party developers and third party developers, had a real life demo of Forza Horizon 4
+Positives+: Has stunning 4K graphics (without having to brag about them), focused on games that tell good stories
+Positives+: Nintendo displayed its graphical capabilities, Nintendo had third party support, Nintendo demonstrated online capabilities, Super Smash Bros. Ultimate made for fanboys and competitive circuit alike.
+Positives+: Entertaining introduction to presentations, displayed both VR and toys-to-life games, provided a full understanding of how the games worked, Shigeru Miyamoto appearing with Yves Guillmont for Starlink
+Positives+: An array of games from a plethora of game genres for a variety of ports
+Positives+: EA supports indie developers
FIRST PARTY DEVELOPERS
Microsoft XBox
As always, Phil Spencer opened and closed the XBox press conference. In the opening, Phil announced the XBox presentation would consist of over 50 games. I thought to myself, "Wow, that will take a while to get through. Indeed, it did take 1 hour 40 minutes (that's literally 100 minutes!) for XBox to get through its showcase. But for the most case, as we have seen in recent E3 press conferences, most of game presentations were cinematic trailers. They did restrict themselves from last year, though. Instead of the 30 game ID@XBOX game montage from last year, this year's ID@XBOX montage was only for 20 games.
Microsoft, as a publisher, put a heavy emphasis on the developers they had acquired. This has both positive and negative quality. On the positive side, buying these developers will provide small developers the funds they need to make better games. On the negative side, I fear Microsoft (as well as other game publishers) will use the developers' name to convince games the game is good without putting any quality control into it. With Microsoft buying these developers, naturally console exclusives will follow. Let's examine how XBox handled their most famous exclusives. Of course, XBox was smart to lead with Halo Infinite. The Halo franchise made XBox famous. The problem, however, was that no one knew really knew it was XBox. At first, it looked like Microsoft was simply showing off the XBox One X's 4K capabilities with a nature scene. It wasn't until the end, when the viewers saw Master Chief's helmet that they knew it was a game from the Halo series. Upon further review, this doesn't seem like the Halo 6 Halo fans wanted. This looks like an open world Halo game on a halo. In reality, it's just an announcement and nothing more.Near the end of the press conference, XBox displayed the skull in the gear, which every gamer knows as the Gears of War symbol. At first, the audience got super excited. They thought this was the big announcement for the next Gears of War game. Viewers found themselves surprised, however, when they saw a Pop! toy break out of the wall. XBox announced Gears Pop!, a Gears of War game game for the mobile device. Next, the announced Gears Tactics, a PC strategy game from the Gears of War series. Then they finally announced Gears 5. Then the watchers lost it. I kind of liked how XBox played the audience like that. It led the audience to think the next Gears of War game was coming, but then it wasn't coming, only it was really coming. Gears 5 wasn't just an announcement like Halo Inifinite. Gamers saw a cinematic trailer, with both old and new faces. Some speculate it's not a real main series game because it's Gears 5 and not Gears of War 5. I think it's just a short hand. Besides, they are less likely to confuse GOW 5 as God of War 5. All 3 games announced for Gears of War can get the fanboy excited. And of course let's not forget Crackdown 3, but at the same time, it's worth forgetting. The audience got another cinematic trailer. No one learned more about the game. It's all probably due yet another delay in release. The game best displayed during the XBox presentation (and probably the all the press conferences) was Forza Horizon 4. The audience saw both a cinematic trailer and a real, live gameplay demo. Playground Games well mapped out the terrain of Britain. I appreciate how they thought how seasons and weather could impact game modes, not just driving.
Microsoft also dedicated time to prove they had thirty party publishers supporting them. From Electronic Arts, the audience saw Battlefield V. From Bethesda, viewers saw Fallout 76. Capcom brought Devil May Cry 5. I still think it looks more like DMC than Devil May Cry 4. Square Enix gave the most to XBox. Those watching saw The Awesome Adventures of Captain Spirit, Nier: Automata, Kingdom Hearts III, Shadows of the Tomb Raider and Just Cause 4. You can tell XBox beamed with pride announcing they would finally have a Kingdom Hearts game. In my opinion, the best third party presentation was Ubisoft's Tom Clancey's The Division 2. Once again, the audience saw both a cinematic trailer and gameplay demo, although their gameplay demo was pre-recorder and probably highly rehearsed. To me, it looks like Tom Clancey's The Division 1 but in Washington, D.C. instead of New York. Still, it looks like Massive Entertainment took the time to fine tune and perfect the game.
After faking out the audience concerning Gears 5, Microsoft had one last fake out to pull. It looked like Phil Spencer was closing the press conference, when the screens around seemed to glitch and seemed like they were getting hacked. It led into the cinematic trailer for Cyberpunk 2077. While I appreciate Cyberpunk 2077 brings some color to the post-apocalyptic future, what game genre does it fit in? Will it be a FPS, TPS, RPG, RTS or open world game? Actually, that describes most of the games presented during XBox's showcase. The cinematic trailer told a lot about the story, but it left me out in the cold for gameplay. You don't need that for the sequels of well-known games, but it's definitely required for brand new titles. The XBox press conference wasn't excited as I thought it would be, and it did not encourage me to buy an XBox One, especially an XBox One X.
+Positives+: XBox suprised the audience a few times, they had both games to display from both first party developers and third party developers, had a real life demo of Forza Horizon 4
-Negatives-: Too long yet still didn't cover enough, too many sequels, trying to impress you with studios instead of their games
~Best Game~: Forza Horizon 4
*Medal*: Silver
Sony PlayStation
When Sony's press conference went live, online watchers saw the live audience crammed in this church-looking building with one medium-sized screen in the front of the building. I couldn't believe the whole showcase would happen in that building. A man came out with a banjo and played a song. I could tell that it was leading into Last of Us Part 2, but they dragged it to long. They eventually got to the cinematic trailer, which led to a gameplay demo (once again pre-recorder, and once again, probably highly rehearsed). It does look beautiful, and it does look like a fun game to play. Then the press conference went to what PlayStation called a "short intermission" but was really a long intermission. No joke; I clocked it as a 12 1/2 minute intermission. 12 1/2 minutes is not a short intermission. It is a long intermission. Listen, Sony, I know that The Last of Us Part 2 was your big game for the PlayStation this year, but did you really have to put the whole audience in that church-like structure to make them feel they were in the hall with Ellie? You burned 12 1/2 minutes which you could have spent demonstrating another game. Subtracting the intermission, you gave your gamers a 65-minute showcase. Many 3rd party publishers gave a longer presentation that that!
When the intermission wrapped up, the press conference started up with another live instrumental performance. Once again, watching it I thought to myself, "Alright, it's taking place in feudal Japan. Let's move on to the actual game." Indeed, Ghost of Tsushimi looked beautiful between is cinematic trailer and its [pre-recorded, highly rehearsed] gameplay demo, but Sony could have spent more time talking about the game without the dragged-out musical performance. Speaking of music, transitioning between games, the audience saw short clips of vegetables playing instruments. Later on, I found out it's from Dreams, but if you don't know that, you're wondering, "What's that about?"
Before moving on, everyone should know Sony promised the press that they would not do what they did last year by rapid firing a bunch of short trailer for multiple games. Instead, they would focus on showing a few games in-depth. Well, either PlayStation is a hypocrite or they took back what they said, for that exactly describes their press conference. Sure, they did have some of that, but for the most part, it was rapid fire cinematic trailers. As I said earlier, this works for sequels, but not for brand new games, and Sony had a lot of brand new games. For example, I saw a game call Control previewed. What's it about? I don't know. All I saw was a cinematic trailer. Only seeing a cinematic trailer for Death Stranding, it more weirded me out than wowed me. It did not make me want to play that game. Finally, PlayStation closed out its showcase by putting Spider-Man on display for the 3rd consecutive E3. For the 3rd consecutive E3, it got old. It showed nothing new. In fact, now Spider-Man feels like an Arkham Assylum clone.
In concluding the Sony press conference, what I find so tragic about the Sony press conference is the live streaming that followed it the next few days. Take the first 8 live streams PlayStation did. They take up the same time as the Sony press conference (including the intermission), yet they are more entertaining. You see cinematic trailers, gameplay demos, developer interviews and so much more. If PlayStation would have done that for 65 minutes or 80 minutes, they would have won. Instead, they had the worst press conference.
+Positives+: Has stunning 4K graphics (without having to brag about them), focused on games that tell good stories
-Negatives-: One long intermission, several short and unexplained intermissions, fell back to rapid-firing cinematic trailers, no explanation to how new games played, Spider-Man felt old
~Best Game~: Last of Us Part 2
*Medal*: Bronze
Nintendo
For their 6th consecutive year, Nintendo did a pre-recorded "Nintendo Direct" instead of a live press conference. Nintendo started off with a bang with Demon X Machina and the Xenoblade Chronicles 2 DLC Torna ~ The Golden Country. These 2 presentations demonstrated what the Switch could do. As I watched these cinematic trailers, I kept thinking to myself, "I can't believe this is on a Nintendo console!" Next, watchers saw Pokemon Let's Go Pikachu/Eeevee. True, nothing new came out about the games, but it reviewed all the highlights of the new Pokemon games, and it continued the same excitement. Then came Super Mario Party. At first, I was surprised it wasn't called Mario Party 11, but I quickly forgot about that. I was too impressed on what it could do. Super Mario Party is clearly meant for portable multiplayer. One of the most impressive feats was connecting 2 Switch consoles to have double screens for minigames. True, it might be hard to find someone with another Switch, but it really displayed what the Switch could do. Of course, with battle royale becoming the popular gaming genre, Nintendo made sure its fans knew it was getting involved. Fortnite is coming to Switch. And all this took place in the first 17 minutes of the Nintendo Direct.
Nintendo reserved the last 25 minutes for what everybody wanted to hear the most. Nintendo dedicated the last 25 minutes to Super Smash Bros. Ultimate. Everyone can relax. Sakurai returned to direct. Anyone can tell Masahiro Sakurai had the fanboys and the competitive circuit in mind. For starters, every character that's even been in a Super Smash Bros. will be in Super Smash Bros. Ultimate. Still, it wouldn't be a new Super Smash Bros. game without new characters. Everyone knew about the Inkling due to the the announcement trailer. Masahiro put some good thought into the Inkling. Splatter shot causes the fighter to receive more damage. The roller slow fighters down. Inklings have to recharge with shield + B. At the end of the presentation, Then at the end of the Nintendo Direct, they announced Ridley as newest fighter! Finally one of the most requested fighters come to Super Smash Bros. I see why Sakurai didn't want Ridley at first. Ridley looks so small in comparison to all the fighters. Contrast that to the Metroid games, where Ridley looks huge! New gameplay features also reveal that the developers kept fanboys and the competitive community in mind. Air dodging is back. Assist trophies can be knocked and cause a loss of stock. Any characters who have charge up or power down abilities will have a meter next to their icon. Final smashes have all been redesigned to act quick. Most importantly, Super Smash Bros. Ultimate will have Game Cube controller support. Even better, those who bought the Wii U Game Cube ports don't have to buy another one, for the Switch will support the Wii U peripheral. Speaking of peripherals, not only can Super Smash Bros. Ultimate support the amiibos of the previous game(s), it also will carry out the saved data in them. I have no doubt that Super Smash Bros. Ultimate will become the best Super Smash Bros. games ever.
Before concluding Nintendo, I want you to recall what I said about Sony's post-showcase live streams. Nintendo had live streams after their Nintendo Direct called "Treehouse Live." The average live stream for PlayStation was 10-15 minutes. The average Treehouse Live session lasted 20-30 minutes. If you can't tell by the times, I learned more about the Nintendo games than the PlayStation games. Nintendo is the first of E3 that made me want to buy a Switch. Oh, and speaking of Switch, I was right, the 3DS is dead. Nintendo only placed 2 3DS games on display, and both of them were ports of Switch games. I hope everyone likes the Switch as a handheld system because that's the direction Nintendo is going.
+Positives+: Nintendo displayed its graphical capabilities, Nintendo had third party support, Nintendo demonstrated online capabilities, Super Smash Bros. Ultimate made for fanboys and competitive circuit alike.
-Negatives-: No mention of Metroid Prime 4
~Best Game~: Super Smash Bros. Ultimate
*Medal*: Gold
THIRD PARTY DEVELOPERS
Ubisoft
O Ubisoft, do you have to do a big musical performance every time you make a new Just Dance game, which is every year? Apparently yes, yes they do. The second I saw the panda dressed in a marching band uniform, I knew it must be Just Dance 2019. Interesting enough, they didn't announce new gameplay or new songs. It simply announced the game was coming out. The next game was Beyond Good and Evil 2. I still don't understand how a prequel has the number 2 as a suffix. The game had a long cinematic trailer, showing all the characters. Jade gave the biggest surprise, as she was a bad guy instead of a good guy. Overall, it made fans happy, knowing their game did not stand still in development puragatory, although Ubisoft gave no release date. To present the next game, the director came out on a motorbike, making quite the ruckus. Of course, it was for Trials Rising. This new Trails game looked like it returned to its roots as an all-out just fun and not to serious motorbike racing and stunt game. Then came Tom Clancey's The Division 2. While the audience did not see any new gameplay footage because it appeare don the XBox press conference, Ubisoft announced new game features, like raids and classes. Skull & Bones appeared at Ubisoft's E3 press conference. Last year's E#, I thought Ubisoft would simply elongate the ship missions from Assassins Creed III and IV. At this year's E3, I could tell they put a lot of thought in graphics, gameplay and story, especially on the multiplayer level.
Ubisoft demonstrated they did not fear incorporating new technology into video games. Ubisoft continues to develop for VR, as seen in Transference. With Elijah Wood producing and Jack Black acting in it, anyone can tell how serious this story will be. While many gamers have declared the toys-to-life genre dead, Ubisoft still experiments with it. Starlink looks awesome. I like how the parts change out to build and improve the ship. I like how the ship's pilot has special abilities which affect gameplay. As if this game couldn't get better, Ubisoft announces that they teamed up with Nintendo to add Fox McCloud as a playable character exclusive to the Switch. If I were to purchase Starlink, I would totally get it for the Switch.
Ubisoft closed out their presentation with Assassin's Creed Odyssey. Ubisoft gave its viewers both a cinematic trailer and a gameplay trailer. For the first time in the series, the game will allow the player to choose to play as a male or female main character. Watching the trailer and the gameplay, it does not look or feel like an Assassins Creed game. As much as I hate stealth missions, without those stealth missions, it looks like a beat 'em up game. Besides that, it looks stunning. Looks, however, mean nothing if it doesn't play like an Assassins Creed game.
Overall, Ubisoft had the most entertaining presentation. I enjoyed watching all the ways Ubisoft could think of presenting the games. Of all the presentations, Ubisoft's press conference best explained the games. All their I have a feeling for how they will play. I got excited about their games.
+Positives+: Entertaining introduction to presentations, displayed both VR and toys-to-life games, provided a full understanding of how the games worked, Shigeru Miyamoto appearing with Yves Guillmont for Starlink
-Negative-: Too many music performances, Assassin's Creed Odyssey doesn't look or feel like an Assassins Creed game
~Best Game~: Starlink: Battle for Atlas (especially Switch version)
*Medal*: Gold
Bethesda
In 2016, Bethesda spent too much time speaking about too few games. In 2017, Bethesda spent too little time talking about too many games. In 2018, Bethesda finally got the balance correct. They spent most of the time highlighting the bran new games, like Rage 2 and Fallout 76. Then they briefly mentioned their old games having new life with updates, updates and expansion packs. Such games included Quake Champions and Prey. Bethesda seemed to milk everything they had from Wolfenstein and The Elder Scrolls. For Wolfenstein, they presented Wolfenstein: Young Blood and Wolfeinsten: Cyber Pilot. From the Elder Scrolls, they presented Elder Scrolls: Legends, Elder Scrolls Online, Elder Scrolls: Blades and even a teaser for Elder Scrolls VI. Despite milking both franchises, the fans didn't mind. In fact, the fans loved it! Bethesda claims they have a game for everyone, they gave such a presentation it's hard to deny.
+Positives+: An array of games from a plethora of game genres for a variety of ports
-Negatives-: Milking famous franchises for all their worth
~Best Game~: Elder Scrolls: Blades
*Medal*: Silver
Electronic Arts (EA)
The Electronic Arts press conference was a typical EA Press Conference. EA Sports announced the next year's Madden game, the next year's FIFA game and the next year's NBA Live. For each of these games, they never demonstrated gameplay nor did they talk about these games in-depth. The audience saw short cinematic trailers for each game, and that was it. For the FIFA game, the producers talked about the excitement of winning trophies, but that really doesn't constitute talking about the game. For the Madden game, we saw a pro football player and pro e-sports player trash talk one another. That didn't tell us anything about the latest Madden. If anything, it was the most awkward thing to watch. Heck, I bet it was awkward for those 2 gentlemen. I bet the football player was thinking, "This is so dumb I have to treat a football video game like real football, the e-sports player was probably thinking, "This is so dumb I have to trash talk someone who can't play video games." All in all, I would barely call EA Sports presenting their games. It's more like an announcement. If you're not going to talk about new or improved features, why bother saying or showing anything?
The rest of EA's game didn't do any better. Battlefield V didn't talk a lot about how gameplay is different beside a different setting in history. The producers might have well got on stage, said, "This is a new Battlefield game! Just get excited another Battlefield game is coming out!" and walked off the stage. Then came Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order. EA knew they had a winner with a Star Wars game. After all, Star Wars Battlefront II was such a hit the previous year, so another Star Wars game would be a hit this year, right? Well, the problem is all EA had for Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order was an announcement from Stig Asmussen, a developer from Respawn Entertainment, the same developers who made the Titanfall series. No gameplay demo, no cinematic trailer, not even a title card or title art. Just a title. Reporter Andrea Rene had to grasp at straws with the most basic questions, like "What game genre is it?" or "Is it an open world or linear game?" with no good answers in return. In fact, Andrea had to stoop down to, "Can I wield a lightsaber?" to finally confirm something about the game. I'm already predicting by E3 2019, we'll see a cinematic trailer for this game, by E3 2020, we'll see a second cinematic trailer with a gameplay demo, and finally in 2021 the game will be released. I hate when developers do that to their games. Don't try to get gamers hyped until you have a working prototype.
Electronic Arts attempted to show their supported indie developers trying to get their start in the triple-A industry. EA has done a good job of finding brand new creators to make hit games, from Unravel to A Way Out. This year, however, EA did not do such a good job. Unravel 2, the sequel from their hit indie game Unravel, just came out. At first glance, it looks like the cooperative multiplayer might add a new layer to the puzzle solving, but at further glance, it's just your typical cooperative puzzle game. EA had a brand new indie game called Sea of Solitude. From first glance, it looks it has potential. The developer promised it would have an enthrall story. EA forgot, however, that when it comes to video games, good gameplay assists in telling the story. Whenever you have new, original game, you can't just show a trailer. You have to show gameplay. I know what the story is about, but what about the gameplay? Is it a platformer, FPS, TPS, RTS, RPG? Gameplay preview would have helped that.
Electronic Arts concluded their presentation with Anthem. EA dedicated the last half hour to it. It came with cinematic trailer and gameplay demo, although once again, it was pre-recorded and highly rehearsed. At the director and producer were there to explain how gameplay works. I think the elongated time spent on Anthem hurt the game in the long run. The more gamers saw, the more they realized it's a Destiny 2 clone. If gamers want to play a Destiny game, they will play Destiny 2.
+Positives+: EA supports indie developers
-Negatives-: All EA Sports games were pretty much announcements, little to no details about Battlefield V or Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order, Sea of Solitude need gameplay explanation
~Best Game~: Sea of Solitude
*Medal*: Bronze
You'll notice I did not mention Square Enix. That's because they did not place. They get an honorable mention at best and an dishonorable mention at worst. In a half hour, they gave us full gameplay of Shadow of the Tomb Raider, and then they rapid fire a bunch of short trailers for any and all games coming out in the near or distant future. Even ending on Kingdom Hearts III did not help, for it didn't add anything new. Hearing nothing about the enhanced remake of Final Fantasy VII didn't help either. It probably would have helped PlayStation. After all, Final Fantasy VII helped make the the PS1 famous. Now only tell will tell if all these developers and publishers will live up to the hype.
Sunday, June 3, 2018
E3 2018: Preview and Prediction
ALL ABOARD the hype train know as E3! As I prepared for this year's E3, I looked back on the previous years of E3. And yes, I have come to realize E3 is just a bunch of hype. How many times have developers and publishers made announcements about games, only to have the game come out completely differently, to have the game delayed for several years, or the game never comes out at all! Still, with all the hype, any gamer watching gets a magical feel, like anything can happen in the world of gaming. For the 2nd year, the floor of E3 has been opened to everyone, not just the press. Knowing the wider audience, E3 has jam packed the week with events, from famous developer interviews to video game tournaments. Still, with all this ruckas, the press conferences of the first and third party developers stand as the most important part of the expo. Here is a preview of what to expect, as well as predictions for what each development team will do come out on top.
FIRST PARTY DEVELOPERS
Microsoft XBox
Last year, Microsoft displayed the XBox One X. No doubt the XBox One X is the most powerful out there, but unfortunately, Microsoft did very little software-wise to prove that gamers need an XBox One X. This year, to prove that the XBox One X was not a waste to neither Microsoft nor consumers, XBox One X has roll out a slew of games that make the XBox One X look good. Backwards compatibility won't do. Why bother to buy an XBox with 4K abilities if it mainly gets used for games that display 720p and 1080p graphics? Indie games, like Shovel Knight, and retro games, like Mega Man, won't do. Why buy a system with 4K capabilities if it plays games that the Super Nintendo or Sega Genesis could have played. Microsoft needs to display real, full, hardcore 4K games. It can't just be a theatrical trailer; it has to be real gameplay footage that displays 4K detail. I suppose Forza Horizon 4 could do the trick, but really, how shiny does a developer have to make the car to prove 4K capabilities? Besides, XBox will overshadow it by bringing in a real car. Activision has Call of Duty: Blacks Op IIII coming out this October. I can see this game being the star of the XBox presentation. The only other game that could upstage the whole XBox presentation is if Microsoft gives a sneak peek of Halo 6. Halo 4 pushed the XBox 360 to its limits, but it meant little to nothing on the XBox One. Halo 5 did show off what the XBox One could do. Now it's time for Halo 6 show what the XBox One X can do for Halo. All in all, Microsoft needs to give the gaming community a desire to buy an XBox One X, and if they don't have one already, a 4K TV, too.
Sony PlayStation
After the most powerful console of the 7th generation lost a humiliating defeat to the weakest console of the 7th generation just because of motion control, it looks like Sony will win another console generation with the PlayStation 4 [Pro]. Sony has done an excellent job convincing gamers that real, hardcore gamers play a PlayStation 4 [Pro]. Unlike XBox, who tries to convince gamers that through hardware, PlayStation does it through software, more specifically, its games. In order to demonstrate how seriously it takes its games, PlayStation will probably take an artistic view on games. For PlayStation, it's not just about a game having the best graphics or the best gameplay. For PlayStation, both the graphics and gameplay contribute to a good story. The games PlayStation has already lined up will convey that message. Both Death Stranding, Dreams, Ghost of Tsushimi, The Last of Us Part 2 and Spider Man will all demonstrate how PlayStation approaches games artistically. As for hardware, I hope Sony continues to support PSVR. In my opinion, PSVR has one of the best VR out there. I like to see them continue to develop it, for it can only get better. I think Dreams would work wonderful on VR, so I hope Dreams gets VR support. I know rumors have begun cirrculating about a PlayStation 5. Although the PlayStation 4 is 4 1/2 years old, the PlayStation 4 Pro is not even 2 years old. It's too soon to tell everyone who bought a PlayStation 4 Pro that their newest piece of hardware will soon be out of date. Besides, I can see the PlayStation 5 not coming out until holiday 2020, and Sony couldn't hype it up for 3 E3 presentations. If Sony wants to have the best E3 presentation, they need to demonstrate continual support for the PlayStation 4, especially PSVR.
Nintendo
Nintendo has made so many big announcements in May, I keep thinking to myself, "Hold off something until E3!" Nintendo has held off a few things until E3, and I think those things will be the headlines of the Nintendo showcase. First and foremost, there's the Super Smash Bros. for the Switch. This is probably the most hyped game. Nintendo announced development for this Super Smash Bros. while the Switch was still known as the NX. Nintendo has thought up the best way to display this game. They will host a Super Smash Bros. tournament with the latest installment in the series. This is a good game to highlight, as it really highlights the system's ability for mobile multiplayer. I imagine 4 Switches can utilize 8 joy-cons for the 8-player multiplayer. I hope to see all the characters from all the previous games return, as well as new characters, like in the Inklings. Last year, Nintendo announced Metroid Prime 4, but all they gave nothing more than a title card. If Nintendo can give us even a little bit of gameplay or a short cinematic trailer, it would leave a big impact. I hope they can keep Metroid Prime 4 their first person shooter. On top of the Super Smash Bros. tournament, Nintendo also will host a Splatoon 2 tournament. It would not surprise me if this tournament can with a big Splatoon 2 announcement, like a major DLC pack. Although Nintendo has already made a bunch of big announcements in May, I still expect to hear about those game. Of them all, I expect to hear the most about Pokemon: Let's Go Pikachu/Eevee. Some Pokemon fans fear this will make the Pokemon games too casual, so Nintendo will have to appeal to the sense of nostolgia to remind them of Pokemon Yellow. And with that, I proclaim Nintendo 3DS dead. Don't believe me? I got 3 good reasons. First, the Switch is a better handheld than the 3DS. It allows mobile multiplayer without needing 2 separate systems, on top of having better graphics. Second, games important to Nintendo's handhelds have already migrated to the Switch. Kirby, which began on the Game Boy, had its first console game since Return to Dreamland on the Wii. Now with the next generation of Pokemon moving to the Switch, the 3DS doesn't have much left. Third, notice how Nintendo calls their presentation a "Switch showcase." No mention of the 3DS. When the Wii U was on its way out, Nintendo focused on the 3DS and mentioned very little about the Wii U. I see the same thing happening. Nintendo's quiet on the 3DS means they plan to fade it out. With that in mind, I expect Nintendo to announce the next edition of the Switch, either a "deluxe Switch" with a bigger hard drive and more accessories, or a "Switch Lite," a cheaper version of the Switch with fewer accessories. Nintendo, don't focus on keeping up with the competition, but focus on appealing to your lifelong fans, and you'll win again.
THIRD PARTY DEVELOPERS
Electronic Arts (EA)
Electronic Arts will not present a press conference at the expo. Gee, isn't this what happened to Konami? :-P Jokes aside, the gaming community has vocalized their disapproval of their practices, from micro-transactions to using controversy as marketing. EA has got a lot to prove to their games that they really do care about authentic gaming experience. I'm not going to get into EA Sports, for I think EA Sports will once again make a little change to their sports and still try to convince the audience they need to buy the newest edition. Since the Battlefield series has already matched punches with the Call of Duty series, I expect a majority of the presentation to cover Battlefield V. I still think it will be a hard sell. The gaming community has already had enough World War II games. EA will really need to convince gamers that Battlefield V is the best WWII game out there. For the rest of their presentation, EA will talk more about Anthem. I think they should focus a lot on the details on Anthem, for that;s their best shot at standing out among the third party developers. If not, everyone will see the Electronic Arts presentation as another Battlefield sequel and more EA Sports sequels.
Bethesda
Last year, in my "E3 2017: Preview and Predictions" blog, I said Bethesda's first presentation in 2016 spent too much time on too few games, and they needed to talk about more games. Then, in my "E3 2017: Review and Reaction" blog, I complained that Bethesda spread themselves too thin by talking about too many games in such a short time period. I know it sounds like I contracted myself, but think it more taking back what I said. I think Bethesda will return to their original press conference plan by going back to going into great detail about a few games. On May 30, Bethesda teased Fallout 76. It's so good, it skipped Fallout 5 to Fallout 75 :-P. Jokes aside, at the Bethesda press conference, we'll learn how the new Fallout plays. I expect to hear a lot about Rage 2 as well. Perhaps in between, someone will mention a major update or major DLC pack for The Elder Scrolls: Legends card time, but it will be a brief mention. Just like in 2016, if Bethesda keeps their presentation simple yet action-packed, they will give a decent press conference.
Square Enix
Just like Bethesda, I expect Square Enix to only talk about a couple or a few games, but they will go into great detail about those games. I have 2 games in mind that would work perfectly for them. First and foremost is Kingdom Hearts 3. Square Enix has the gift to take any license and turn it into a great RPG. Super Mario RPG: Legend of the Seven Stars is still my favorite of all the Mario RPGs. The Kingdom Hearts franchise is no exception. Disney could have never made such a good RPG on their own. Kingdom Hearts 3 is the long awaited sequel to Kingdom Hearts 2, and the fans will clamor at any news they learn, especially if has a cinematic trailer or gameplay. Square Enix will also cover in great detail Shadows of the Tomb Raider. Ever since rebooting the franchise, Square Enix seems lost on what direction to take Lara Croft. I'm hoping this press conference will show that Shadows of the Tomb Raider has given clear direction to the Tom Raider reboot, and now merely an Uncharted copycat. Just like I told Bethesda, I tell Square Enix to keep it simple yet action-packed.
Ubisoft
I try not display partiality towards Ubisoft because they are my favorite third party developer, but I can't help it. They always cover a variety of gamin genres, so there's always something that someone would like. Recently, however, Ubisoft has led toward making every a sandbox game. I'm almost surprised that even Just Dance has not become a sandbox game yet. So I expect Ubisoft's press conference to present a slew of sandbox games from different genres. First, we'll see Assassins Creed Oddyssey. From the name and the title art, expect a game dating back to Ancient Greece. Since Ancient Greek takes place way before the Crusades, I'm wondering if they will approach this game as a "2nd sequel." Speaking of Assassins Creed, remember how Assassins Creed IV: Black Flag introduced us to the ship sailing mechanic to the series? Well, just because Assassins Creed took it out doesn't mean they abandon it. Skull & Bones brings back the sailing mechanic with a pirate feel to it. No assassins, just pirates. Back to sandboxes, I expect to hear a lot about Tom Clancey's The Division 2. I like that their took their shooter game a different route than just war, especially than World War II. I just hope they don't turn it into Assassins Creed in the modern context. Speaking of sequels, I believe Beyond Good and Evil 2 will come out of development limbo. We will hear more details about it, as well as a release date. Ubisoft won't keep hashing out sequels. I'm looking forward to Starlink: Battle for Atlas, the new toys-to-life game. I look forward to seeing how building the ship will contribute to space exploration. Last, I expect somewhere in the middle for Ubisoft to mention an update or DLC in regards to For Honor. With such a wide array of games and game genres, Ubisoft will stand out as the best third party developer at E3.
With only 1 week until, let's review what has to go done for each developer to win. Microsoft needs to prove it has the best console out there and the best games to highlight the best console out there. Sony needs to continue to support PSVR, as well as produce artistic games. Nintendo needs to appeal to the nostalgia of its fans. Electronic Arts needs to prove the sequels are way better than their predecessors. Bethesda needs to keep the games few, yet at the same time, go into great detail about them. Square Enix needs to demonstrate it still does best what it does best, yet at the same time, display they can try new things. Finally, Ubisoft needs to continue display a plethora of game and game genres. Let's hope our hype balloons do not deflate.
FIRST PARTY DEVELOPERS
Microsoft XBox
Last year, Microsoft displayed the XBox One X. No doubt the XBox One X is the most powerful out there, but unfortunately, Microsoft did very little software-wise to prove that gamers need an XBox One X. This year, to prove that the XBox One X was not a waste to neither Microsoft nor consumers, XBox One X has roll out a slew of games that make the XBox One X look good. Backwards compatibility won't do. Why bother to buy an XBox with 4K abilities if it mainly gets used for games that display 720p and 1080p graphics? Indie games, like Shovel Knight, and retro games, like Mega Man, won't do. Why buy a system with 4K capabilities if it plays games that the Super Nintendo or Sega Genesis could have played. Microsoft needs to display real, full, hardcore 4K games. It can't just be a theatrical trailer; it has to be real gameplay footage that displays 4K detail. I suppose Forza Horizon 4 could do the trick, but really, how shiny does a developer have to make the car to prove 4K capabilities? Besides, XBox will overshadow it by bringing in a real car. Activision has Call of Duty: Blacks Op IIII coming out this October. I can see this game being the star of the XBox presentation. The only other game that could upstage the whole XBox presentation is if Microsoft gives a sneak peek of Halo 6. Halo 4 pushed the XBox 360 to its limits, but it meant little to nothing on the XBox One. Halo 5 did show off what the XBox One could do. Now it's time for Halo 6 show what the XBox One X can do for Halo. All in all, Microsoft needs to give the gaming community a desire to buy an XBox One X, and if they don't have one already, a 4K TV, too.
Sony PlayStation
After the most powerful console of the 7th generation lost a humiliating defeat to the weakest console of the 7th generation just because of motion control, it looks like Sony will win another console generation with the PlayStation 4 [Pro]. Sony has done an excellent job convincing gamers that real, hardcore gamers play a PlayStation 4 [Pro]. Unlike XBox, who tries to convince gamers that through hardware, PlayStation does it through software, more specifically, its games. In order to demonstrate how seriously it takes its games, PlayStation will probably take an artistic view on games. For PlayStation, it's not just about a game having the best graphics or the best gameplay. For PlayStation, both the graphics and gameplay contribute to a good story. The games PlayStation has already lined up will convey that message. Both Death Stranding, Dreams, Ghost of Tsushimi, The Last of Us Part 2 and Spider Man will all demonstrate how PlayStation approaches games artistically. As for hardware, I hope Sony continues to support PSVR. In my opinion, PSVR has one of the best VR out there. I like to see them continue to develop it, for it can only get better. I think Dreams would work wonderful on VR, so I hope Dreams gets VR support. I know rumors have begun cirrculating about a PlayStation 5. Although the PlayStation 4 is 4 1/2 years old, the PlayStation 4 Pro is not even 2 years old. It's too soon to tell everyone who bought a PlayStation 4 Pro that their newest piece of hardware will soon be out of date. Besides, I can see the PlayStation 5 not coming out until holiday 2020, and Sony couldn't hype it up for 3 E3 presentations. If Sony wants to have the best E3 presentation, they need to demonstrate continual support for the PlayStation 4, especially PSVR.
Nintendo
Nintendo has made so many big announcements in May, I keep thinking to myself, "Hold off something until E3!" Nintendo has held off a few things until E3, and I think those things will be the headlines of the Nintendo showcase. First and foremost, there's the Super Smash Bros. for the Switch. This is probably the most hyped game. Nintendo announced development for this Super Smash Bros. while the Switch was still known as the NX. Nintendo has thought up the best way to display this game. They will host a Super Smash Bros. tournament with the latest installment in the series. This is a good game to highlight, as it really highlights the system's ability for mobile multiplayer. I imagine 4 Switches can utilize 8 joy-cons for the 8-player multiplayer. I hope to see all the characters from all the previous games return, as well as new characters, like in the Inklings. Last year, Nintendo announced Metroid Prime 4, but all they gave nothing more than a title card. If Nintendo can give us even a little bit of gameplay or a short cinematic trailer, it would leave a big impact. I hope they can keep Metroid Prime 4 their first person shooter. On top of the Super Smash Bros. tournament, Nintendo also will host a Splatoon 2 tournament. It would not surprise me if this tournament can with a big Splatoon 2 announcement, like a major DLC pack. Although Nintendo has already made a bunch of big announcements in May, I still expect to hear about those game. Of them all, I expect to hear the most about Pokemon: Let's Go Pikachu/Eevee. Some Pokemon fans fear this will make the Pokemon games too casual, so Nintendo will have to appeal to the sense of nostolgia to remind them of Pokemon Yellow. And with that, I proclaim Nintendo 3DS dead. Don't believe me? I got 3 good reasons. First, the Switch is a better handheld than the 3DS. It allows mobile multiplayer without needing 2 separate systems, on top of having better graphics. Second, games important to Nintendo's handhelds have already migrated to the Switch. Kirby, which began on the Game Boy, had its first console game since Return to Dreamland on the Wii. Now with the next generation of Pokemon moving to the Switch, the 3DS doesn't have much left. Third, notice how Nintendo calls their presentation a "Switch showcase." No mention of the 3DS. When the Wii U was on its way out, Nintendo focused on the 3DS and mentioned very little about the Wii U. I see the same thing happening. Nintendo's quiet on the 3DS means they plan to fade it out. With that in mind, I expect Nintendo to announce the next edition of the Switch, either a "deluxe Switch" with a bigger hard drive and more accessories, or a "Switch Lite," a cheaper version of the Switch with fewer accessories. Nintendo, don't focus on keeping up with the competition, but focus on appealing to your lifelong fans, and you'll win again.
THIRD PARTY DEVELOPERS
Electronic Arts (EA)
Electronic Arts will not present a press conference at the expo. Gee, isn't this what happened to Konami? :-P Jokes aside, the gaming community has vocalized their disapproval of their practices, from micro-transactions to using controversy as marketing. EA has got a lot to prove to their games that they really do care about authentic gaming experience. I'm not going to get into EA Sports, for I think EA Sports will once again make a little change to their sports and still try to convince the audience they need to buy the newest edition. Since the Battlefield series has already matched punches with the Call of Duty series, I expect a majority of the presentation to cover Battlefield V. I still think it will be a hard sell. The gaming community has already had enough World War II games. EA will really need to convince gamers that Battlefield V is the best WWII game out there. For the rest of their presentation, EA will talk more about Anthem. I think they should focus a lot on the details on Anthem, for that;s their best shot at standing out among the third party developers. If not, everyone will see the Electronic Arts presentation as another Battlefield sequel and more EA Sports sequels.
Bethesda
Last year, in my "E3 2017: Preview and Predictions" blog, I said Bethesda's first presentation in 2016 spent too much time on too few games, and they needed to talk about more games. Then, in my "E3 2017: Review and Reaction" blog, I complained that Bethesda spread themselves too thin by talking about too many games in such a short time period. I know it sounds like I contracted myself, but think it more taking back what I said. I think Bethesda will return to their original press conference plan by going back to going into great detail about a few games. On May 30, Bethesda teased Fallout 76. It's so good, it skipped Fallout 5 to Fallout 75 :-P. Jokes aside, at the Bethesda press conference, we'll learn how the new Fallout plays. I expect to hear a lot about Rage 2 as well. Perhaps in between, someone will mention a major update or major DLC pack for The Elder Scrolls: Legends card time, but it will be a brief mention. Just like in 2016, if Bethesda keeps their presentation simple yet action-packed, they will give a decent press conference.
Square Enix
Just like Bethesda, I expect Square Enix to only talk about a couple or a few games, but they will go into great detail about those games. I have 2 games in mind that would work perfectly for them. First and foremost is Kingdom Hearts 3. Square Enix has the gift to take any license and turn it into a great RPG. Super Mario RPG: Legend of the Seven Stars is still my favorite of all the Mario RPGs. The Kingdom Hearts franchise is no exception. Disney could have never made such a good RPG on their own. Kingdom Hearts 3 is the long awaited sequel to Kingdom Hearts 2, and the fans will clamor at any news they learn, especially if has a cinematic trailer or gameplay. Square Enix will also cover in great detail Shadows of the Tomb Raider. Ever since rebooting the franchise, Square Enix seems lost on what direction to take Lara Croft. I'm hoping this press conference will show that Shadows of the Tomb Raider has given clear direction to the Tom Raider reboot, and now merely an Uncharted copycat. Just like I told Bethesda, I tell Square Enix to keep it simple yet action-packed.
Ubisoft
I try not display partiality towards Ubisoft because they are my favorite third party developer, but I can't help it. They always cover a variety of gamin genres, so there's always something that someone would like. Recently, however, Ubisoft has led toward making every a sandbox game. I'm almost surprised that even Just Dance has not become a sandbox game yet. So I expect Ubisoft's press conference to present a slew of sandbox games from different genres. First, we'll see Assassins Creed Oddyssey. From the name and the title art, expect a game dating back to Ancient Greece. Since Ancient Greek takes place way before the Crusades, I'm wondering if they will approach this game as a "2nd sequel." Speaking of Assassins Creed, remember how Assassins Creed IV: Black Flag introduced us to the ship sailing mechanic to the series? Well, just because Assassins Creed took it out doesn't mean they abandon it. Skull & Bones brings back the sailing mechanic with a pirate feel to it. No assassins, just pirates. Back to sandboxes, I expect to hear a lot about Tom Clancey's The Division 2. I like that their took their shooter game a different route than just war, especially than World War II. I just hope they don't turn it into Assassins Creed in the modern context. Speaking of sequels, I believe Beyond Good and Evil 2 will come out of development limbo. We will hear more details about it, as well as a release date. Ubisoft won't keep hashing out sequels. I'm looking forward to Starlink: Battle for Atlas, the new toys-to-life game. I look forward to seeing how building the ship will contribute to space exploration. Last, I expect somewhere in the middle for Ubisoft to mention an update or DLC in regards to For Honor. With such a wide array of games and game genres, Ubisoft will stand out as the best third party developer at E3.
With only 1 week until, let's review what has to go done for each developer to win. Microsoft needs to prove it has the best console out there and the best games to highlight the best console out there. Sony needs to continue to support PSVR, as well as produce artistic games. Nintendo needs to appeal to the nostalgia of its fans. Electronic Arts needs to prove the sequels are way better than their predecessors. Bethesda needs to keep the games few, yet at the same time, go into great detail about them. Square Enix needs to demonstrate it still does best what it does best, yet at the same time, display they can try new things. Finally, Ubisoft needs to continue display a plethora of game and game genres. Let's hope our hype balloons do not deflate.
Wednesday, June 28, 2017
E3 2017 Review and Reaction
If you were to describe this year's E3 in 4 words, it would be, "Trailers now, gameplay later." Most of the developers chose to merely present a cinematic trailer during the actual presentation, and then they would follow up their presentation with some kind of display of the gameplay. I get why they did this. A good gameplay demo could take 5-10 minutes, which is 5-10 minutes wastes talking about other games. This approach, however, has its negatives as well. Many gamers will tell you that a lot of times cinematic trailers may not even appear in the final game. Even the trailers that claimed to have "in-game footage," they mean it's an in-game cutscene, not gameplay. Cinematic trailers don't tell you how to play the game. A lot of games looked like they might be potentially interesting, but I could never know because I had no idea what it was about. All the developers were guilty of presenting this way. Still, some rose above the others. As normal, I will start with 1st party developers and then go to 3rd party developers, and as normal, I will go in the order they presented.
1ST PARTY DEVELOPERS
Microsoft Xbox
Last year, Xbox closed its briefing by teasing the audience with "Project Scorpio." Opening its press conference this year, Xbox wasted no time. Immediately, Project Scorpio had a new name: Xbox One X. The presentation did an excellent job putting the new half console update on display. No doubt it is now the most powerful console out there. Highlighting the new half console upgrade was its superior ability to deliver the best 4K experience. While Xbox demonstrated the hardware could deliver the 4K experience, they did not display the software that could do the job. 4K is best for games which are trying to achieve a realism look, but Xbox displayed games that use caricatures and cartoons as characters, not realistic people. Does Minecraft really need to be in 4K? Even with the games aiming for realism, Xbox spoke to a minority of its fans when it talked about 4K. Not many people have 4K TVs due to their high price. Without a 4K TV, the graphics go back down to 1080p, which means it's equal again to the PS4 (Pro). It had to argue more than graphics to compete with PlayStation. Perhaps it did have the games to compete, but we didn't really get to see them. It look like the goal of the Xbox press release was to put on display as many games as possible. It may have revealed that there is such a thing as too many games. In order to display as many games as possible, they presented a lot of small trailers for the games. I never got to see gameplay. Heck, I didn't even get enough time to consider what the game was about. The Darwin Project looked interesting, like a Hunger Games kind of game, but it never stopped long enough to talk about it. The most we heard about was Assassin's Creed Origins, showing both cinematic trailer and gameplay, but Ubisoft had enough to say about it. Xbox closed their press conference with announcing backwards compatibility now included the original Xbox games. This announcement I also found lackluster. Backward compatibility for games from the original Xbox may sound impressive, but with so many of those games already remade into HD versions, and so many 360 games still needing backwards compatibility, it doesn't wow me. All in all, while the Xbox proved that the Xbox One X proved it was stronger than the PS4 Pro in graphics, it did not present a new console that brought new gameplay, like the Nintendo Switch did.
+Positives+: Most powerful console, best 4K resolution, backward compatibilities for original Xbox games, displayed huge library of games
-Negatives-: Too many games, not a lot of gameplay demos, games did not demonstrate the 4K potential, not a lot of explanation of games, no mention of next Halo game
~Best Game~: The Darwin Project
*Medal*: Silver
Sony PlayStation
After watching the Xbox briefing, Sony's briefing of the PlayStation was quite disappointing. Microsoft came out in full force and said, "The Xbox One X is the best console out there!" Sony did absolutely nothing to convince gamers not to trade in their PlayStation 4 (Pro) at GameStop for an Xbox One X. They never compared or contrasted their consoles, no did they argue their console was better. Their silence pretty much admitted defeat. The only nod towards hardware they did was continuing to support PlayStation VR by increasing the game library. But some of those games that they did display had me wondering, "Does that game really need to be on VR?" Just like Xbox boasted in their 4K ability but failed to put on stage games that displayed it, PlayStation bragged about their VR, but they failed put on stage games that demonstrated it.
Continuing with this year's theme, PlayStation's goal was to just jam pack their showcase with as many games as possible, probably to display a huge game library. Because they did, most of their game presentations were merely cinematic trailers. I rarely saw gameplay. That's important. While I appreciated PlayStation displayed brand new games, when I don't see any gameplay footage, I really don't know what it's all about, nor do I know what to expect when I play the game. For all I know, all these games are interactive movies, like Heavy Rain. I got that feeling the strongest when I watched the footage from The Inpatient and the Spiderman game. Speaking of the Spiderman game, when I watched it I also felt like it was trying too hard to be the Marvel version of the Arkham series. If that was their big game to wow, then all the other games would fall short, and they did. Days Gone felt like just another post-apocalyptic zombie slayer, this time on motorcycles. Shadow of Colossus was just a remake, and I'm afraid the Shadow of Colossus will remake will do to the original game what remaking Silent Hill 2 and 3 did to that series. More surprisingly than what was displayed was what was not displayed. Nothing regarding Last of Us 2. Nothing new was presented about Uncharted: The Lost Legacy. The presentation on Detroit: Become Human felt like I was watching PlayStation's 2016 E3 press conference all over again. Same goes for the new God of War game. These should have been the flagship games of the presentation, yet they seemed absent. All in all, nothing attracted me towards the PlayStation 4 (Pro), and I imagine a lot of people watching felt the same way.
+Positives+: Huge game library, continued support for PSVR
-Negative-: Did not choose good games to display, fogginess on what the game was actually about, no mention of Last of Us 2, nothing new on Uncharted: The Lost Legacy,Detroit: Become Human, or the new God of War game, PlayStation 4 Pro looked lackluster next to Xbox One X.
~Best Game~: Uncharted: The Lost Legacy
*Medal*: Bronze
Nintendo
Well, Nintendo followed suit of every other briefing. They presented a cinematic trailer during the briefing, and then they showed gameplay after the briefing. Although not verbally stated, you could see what Nintendo was trying to do. They emphasized the local multiplayer abilities of the Nintendo Switch console, showing off plenty of multiplayer games. They emphasized the third party interest in the Switch with Mario + Rabbids and Rocket League. They also made it look like they were getting back to the good ol' days of the Game Cube, announcing games we haven't seen the Game Cube era, such as Metro Prime 4 and "an unnamed Pokémon RPG for the Switch console" (I'm thinking a gameplay sequel to Pokémon Coliseum/XD). This may seem like Nintendo is stuck in the past, but this is exactly what Nintendo needed. This is why Nintendo fanboys really love Nintendo. In its own odd way, this is Nintendo's way of telling its fanboys that it really loved them, and it further showed with another Kirby game, another Yoshi game, another Fire Emblem game and another Xenoblade game. This may be the Nintendo fanboy inside me, but this press conference got me the most excited out of all of the presentations, especially among the first party developers.
+Positives+: Continued to show off Switch abilities, demonstrated support from 3rd party developers, provided quality sequels to nostalgically beloved franchises
-Negatives-: Briefing itself was a short half hour, very little mention of the 3DS, too many Switch games are "Deluxe" versions of a Wii U game, Super Mario Odysseys looked and felt like Sonic '06.
~Best Game~: Arms (Switch) & Metroid: Samus Returns (3DS)
*Medal*: Gold
3RD PARTY DEVELOPERS
Electronic Arts (EA)
In my preview and predictions of E3 2017, I said I expected the Electronic Arts briefing to pretty much be a presentation of sequels. No surprise came to me when I saw a bunch of sequels. What did pleasantly surprise me was that EA proved that their sequels were not the same old game, but rather they could be a new and improved game. EA Sports is really taking hold of adding a story mode to their sports game. Not only will FIFA 18 continue the story of Alex Hunter, Madden NFL 18 will add its own story mode, centering around Devin Wade. NBA Live 18 will bring build-your-own-player to a whole new level. Outside of EA Sports, the other EA did the exact same thing: prove a sequel is not just the same, old game, but new and improved. Need for Speed: Playback has a brand new story for the same open world gameplay as the last one. Star Wars: Battlefront II has an original, single-player story available offline that anyone could look forward to. I also think EA made a smart move with Battlefield 1. Instead of pushing another sequel and making gamers dish out more money, they simply created more DLC to expand the world of an already great game. As the saying goes, "If it ain't broke, don't fix it." But the game I'm most excited about is A Way Out. It has both original story and original game play. It's a breath of fresh air in a gaming world of such much repetition. My biggest criticism would be that Anthem looked like it had the potential to be a great game, but EA said nothing about it. I get it why, though. They wanted to display it on the Xbox One X, but at the time of their press conference, it was still Project Scorpio, and Xbox would not allow EA to steal that thunder. Still, EA could have displayed Anthem on the PS4 Pro, and we would have gotten the same effect. Overall, while we have seen FIFA, Madden, NBA Live, Need for Speed, Star Wars Battlefront and Battlefield 1 in past briefings, and we will see them again in future showcases, I still feel like EA presented us with brand new games.
+Positives+: FIFA 18 continuing story mode, Madden 18 adding story mode, NBA Live 18 improving the player creator mode, Star Wars Battlefront II adding an original, single player story mode that can be played offline, Battlefield 1 DLC expanding the Battlefield 1 world, A Way Out offers a brand new story with brand new gameplay
-Negatives-: Feels like the same game franchises are presented at every EA E3, more mentioning of how EA is working with Nintendo Switch and PlayStation 4 Pro/VR, needed to see and hear Anthem
~Best Game~: A Way Out
*Medal*: Silver
Bethesda
The best part of the Bethesda briefing was its display of Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim for the Nintendo Switch. Bethesda just didn't simply republish Skyrim for the Switch. Instead, they took full grasp of its capability. It grasped the amiibo capabilities. The Breath of Wild Link amiibo will give you Link's outfit, including the Master Sword and Hero Shield. It gets even better. Skyrim grasped the motion controls of the Switch. Now Skyrim can be played with motion controls. How cool is it that you can now play Skyrim anywhere, dressed as Link, using motion controls. If I do not have Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim yet (and I don't,) I would get it for the Switch. That was highlight of the Bethesda press conference. Everything else was downhill. Bethesda wanted to show they were onboard with VR, liks PSVR and Oculus, so they announced they would be working on VR games. What VR games are these? Fallout 4 VR and Doom VR. From what I could tell, these games were not any different from Fallout 4 and Doom, except they were now in the 1st person view for VR. It felt like Bethesda was taking the same route with VR, trusting in well-liked old franchises instead of risking it a fresh, brand new idea. Speaking of trusting in old franchises, most of their showcase centered around new DLC for old games. Once again, while I appreciate them not rushing into an old game, by just adding on a good current game, I feel like Bethesda is playing the safe route again. Bethesda's safest move yet, and probably the most disappointing was at the end. Before E3 even began, Bethesda hinted at their briefing with a drawing of a theme park called "Bethesdaland." 2 areas of Bethesdaland were covered up, labeled "Coming Soon." With that, I would expect I brand new title. Boy, was I disappointed. Instead, we got The Evil Within 2 and Wolfenstein II: The New Colossus. Like I said, safest route yet. Yes, these are brand new games, but coming from old franchises, it's a safe route. Overall, Bethesda did nothing to wow me. I was glad their press coference got over as soon as possible, before it bored me to death.
+Positives+: Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim is made for the Switch, Bethesda is not afraid to try VR
-Negatives-: Playing it safe by trusting in old franchises, too much DLC and not enough new content
~Best Game~: Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim for the Nintendo Switch
*Medal*: Bronze
Ubisoft
Ubisoft also followed theme of "We'll show you a cinematic trailer now at the press conference, we'll show you the gameplay demo later on after the show." Again, there might have been great new games that Ubisoft had thought up, but we couldn't tell what they were about because all the audience saw was a short cinematic trailer. The few gameplay demos we did see were highly rehearsed, almost to the point they were music videos! As they have done in years past, Ubisoft again demonstrated they had games for all players from all genres. This year, what they added is that they proved that they had games from consoles. No matter what console you had, whether that be a Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4 (Pro) or a Xbox One (X), Ubisoft had games for them all. This great variety, in both game genres and game consoles, gives Ubisoft the win for the 3rd party developers.
+Positives+: Presented games from all genres, presented games from all consoles
-Negatives-: Too many cinematic trailers, game play demos were highly rehearsed, no Aisha Tyler
~Best Game~: Far Cry 5
*Medal*: Gold
1ST PARTY DEVELOPERS
Microsoft Xbox
Last year, Xbox closed its briefing by teasing the audience with "Project Scorpio." Opening its press conference this year, Xbox wasted no time. Immediately, Project Scorpio had a new name: Xbox One X. The presentation did an excellent job putting the new half console update on display. No doubt it is now the most powerful console out there. Highlighting the new half console upgrade was its superior ability to deliver the best 4K experience. While Xbox demonstrated the hardware could deliver the 4K experience, they did not display the software that could do the job. 4K is best for games which are trying to achieve a realism look, but Xbox displayed games that use caricatures and cartoons as characters, not realistic people. Does Minecraft really need to be in 4K? Even with the games aiming for realism, Xbox spoke to a minority of its fans when it talked about 4K. Not many people have 4K TVs due to their high price. Without a 4K TV, the graphics go back down to 1080p, which means it's equal again to the PS4 (Pro). It had to argue more than graphics to compete with PlayStation. Perhaps it did have the games to compete, but we didn't really get to see them. It look like the goal of the Xbox press release was to put on display as many games as possible. It may have revealed that there is such a thing as too many games. In order to display as many games as possible, they presented a lot of small trailers for the games. I never got to see gameplay. Heck, I didn't even get enough time to consider what the game was about. The Darwin Project looked interesting, like a Hunger Games kind of game, but it never stopped long enough to talk about it. The most we heard about was Assassin's Creed Origins, showing both cinematic trailer and gameplay, but Ubisoft had enough to say about it. Xbox closed their press conference with announcing backwards compatibility now included the original Xbox games. This announcement I also found lackluster. Backward compatibility for games from the original Xbox may sound impressive, but with so many of those games already remade into HD versions, and so many 360 games still needing backwards compatibility, it doesn't wow me. All in all, while the Xbox proved that the Xbox One X proved it was stronger than the PS4 Pro in graphics, it did not present a new console that brought new gameplay, like the Nintendo Switch did.
+Positives+: Most powerful console, best 4K resolution, backward compatibilities for original Xbox games, displayed huge library of games-Negatives-: Too many games, not a lot of gameplay demos, games did not demonstrate the 4K potential, not a lot of explanation of games, no mention of next Halo game
~Best Game~: The Darwin Project
*Medal*: Silver
Sony PlayStation
After watching the Xbox briefing, Sony's briefing of the PlayStation was quite disappointing. Microsoft came out in full force and said, "The Xbox One X is the best console out there!" Sony did absolutely nothing to convince gamers not to trade in their PlayStation 4 (Pro) at GameStop for an Xbox One X. They never compared or contrasted their consoles, no did they argue their console was better. Their silence pretty much admitted defeat. The only nod towards hardware they did was continuing to support PlayStation VR by increasing the game library. But some of those games that they did display had me wondering, "Does that game really need to be on VR?" Just like Xbox boasted in their 4K ability but failed to put on stage games that displayed it, PlayStation bragged about their VR, but they failed put on stage games that demonstrated it.
Continuing with this year's theme, PlayStation's goal was to just jam pack their showcase with as many games as possible, probably to display a huge game library. Because they did, most of their game presentations were merely cinematic trailers. I rarely saw gameplay. That's important. While I appreciated PlayStation displayed brand new games, when I don't see any gameplay footage, I really don't know what it's all about, nor do I know what to expect when I play the game. For all I know, all these games are interactive movies, like Heavy Rain. I got that feeling the strongest when I watched the footage from The Inpatient and the Spiderman game. Speaking of the Spiderman game, when I watched it I also felt like it was trying too hard to be the Marvel version of the Arkham series. If that was their big game to wow, then all the other games would fall short, and they did. Days Gone felt like just another post-apocalyptic zombie slayer, this time on motorcycles. Shadow of Colossus was just a remake, and I'm afraid the Shadow of Colossus will remake will do to the original game what remaking Silent Hill 2 and 3 did to that series. More surprisingly than what was displayed was what was not displayed. Nothing regarding Last of Us 2. Nothing new was presented about Uncharted: The Lost Legacy. The presentation on Detroit: Become Human felt like I was watching PlayStation's 2016 E3 press conference all over again. Same goes for the new God of War game. These should have been the flagship games of the presentation, yet they seemed absent. All in all, nothing attracted me towards the PlayStation 4 (Pro), and I imagine a lot of people watching felt the same way.
+Positives+: Huge game library, continued support for PSVR-Negative-: Did not choose good games to display, fogginess on what the game was actually about, no mention of Last of Us 2, nothing new on Uncharted: The Lost Legacy,Detroit: Become Human, or the new God of War game, PlayStation 4 Pro looked lackluster next to Xbox One X.
~Best Game~: Uncharted: The Lost Legacy
*Medal*: Bronze
Nintendo
Well, Nintendo followed suit of every other briefing. They presented a cinematic trailer during the briefing, and then they showed gameplay after the briefing. Although not verbally stated, you could see what Nintendo was trying to do. They emphasized the local multiplayer abilities of the Nintendo Switch console, showing off plenty of multiplayer games. They emphasized the third party interest in the Switch with Mario + Rabbids and Rocket League. They also made it look like they were getting back to the good ol' days of the Game Cube, announcing games we haven't seen the Game Cube era, such as Metro Prime 4 and "an unnamed Pokémon RPG for the Switch console" (I'm thinking a gameplay sequel to Pokémon Coliseum/XD). This may seem like Nintendo is stuck in the past, but this is exactly what Nintendo needed. This is why Nintendo fanboys really love Nintendo. In its own odd way, this is Nintendo's way of telling its fanboys that it really loved them, and it further showed with another Kirby game, another Yoshi game, another Fire Emblem game and another Xenoblade game. This may be the Nintendo fanboy inside me, but this press conference got me the most excited out of all of the presentations, especially among the first party developers.
+Positives+: Continued to show off Switch abilities, demonstrated support from 3rd party developers, provided quality sequels to nostalgically beloved franchises-Negatives-: Briefing itself was a short half hour, very little mention of the 3DS, too many Switch games are "Deluxe" versions of a Wii U game, Super Mario Odysseys looked and felt like Sonic '06.
~Best Game~: Arms (Switch) & Metroid: Samus Returns (3DS)
*Medal*: Gold
3RD PARTY DEVELOPERS
Electronic Arts (EA)
In my preview and predictions of E3 2017, I said I expected the Electronic Arts briefing to pretty much be a presentation of sequels. No surprise came to me when I saw a bunch of sequels. What did pleasantly surprise me was that EA proved that their sequels were not the same old game, but rather they could be a new and improved game. EA Sports is really taking hold of adding a story mode to their sports game. Not only will FIFA 18 continue the story of Alex Hunter, Madden NFL 18 will add its own story mode, centering around Devin Wade. NBA Live 18 will bring build-your-own-player to a whole new level. Outside of EA Sports, the other EA did the exact same thing: prove a sequel is not just the same, old game, but new and improved. Need for Speed: Playback has a brand new story for the same open world gameplay as the last one. Star Wars: Battlefront II has an original, single-player story available offline that anyone could look forward to. I also think EA made a smart move with Battlefield 1. Instead of pushing another sequel and making gamers dish out more money, they simply created more DLC to expand the world of an already great game. As the saying goes, "If it ain't broke, don't fix it." But the game I'm most excited about is A Way Out. It has both original story and original game play. It's a breath of fresh air in a gaming world of such much repetition. My biggest criticism would be that Anthem looked like it had the potential to be a great game, but EA said nothing about it. I get it why, though. They wanted to display it on the Xbox One X, but at the time of their press conference, it was still Project Scorpio, and Xbox would not allow EA to steal that thunder. Still, EA could have displayed Anthem on the PS4 Pro, and we would have gotten the same effect. Overall, while we have seen FIFA, Madden, NBA Live, Need for Speed, Star Wars Battlefront and Battlefield 1 in past briefings, and we will see them again in future showcases, I still feel like EA presented us with brand new games.
+Positives+: FIFA 18 continuing story mode, Madden 18 adding story mode, NBA Live 18 improving the player creator mode, Star Wars Battlefront II adding an original, single player story mode that can be played offline, Battlefield 1 DLC expanding the Battlefield 1 world, A Way Out offers a brand new story with brand new gameplay-Negatives-: Feels like the same game franchises are presented at every EA E3, more mentioning of how EA is working with Nintendo Switch and PlayStation 4 Pro/VR, needed to see and hear Anthem
~Best Game~: A Way Out
*Medal*: Silver
Bethesda
The best part of the Bethesda briefing was its display of Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim for the Nintendo Switch. Bethesda just didn't simply republish Skyrim for the Switch. Instead, they took full grasp of its capability. It grasped the amiibo capabilities. The Breath of Wild Link amiibo will give you Link's outfit, including the Master Sword and Hero Shield. It gets even better. Skyrim grasped the motion controls of the Switch. Now Skyrim can be played with motion controls. How cool is it that you can now play Skyrim anywhere, dressed as Link, using motion controls. If I do not have Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim yet (and I don't,) I would get it for the Switch. That was highlight of the Bethesda press conference. Everything else was downhill. Bethesda wanted to show they were onboard with VR, liks PSVR and Oculus, so they announced they would be working on VR games. What VR games are these? Fallout 4 VR and Doom VR. From what I could tell, these games were not any different from Fallout 4 and Doom, except they were now in the 1st person view for VR. It felt like Bethesda was taking the same route with VR, trusting in well-liked old franchises instead of risking it a fresh, brand new idea. Speaking of trusting in old franchises, most of their showcase centered around new DLC for old games. Once again, while I appreciate them not rushing into an old game, by just adding on a good current game, I feel like Bethesda is playing the safe route again. Bethesda's safest move yet, and probably the most disappointing was at the end. Before E3 even began, Bethesda hinted at their briefing with a drawing of a theme park called "Bethesdaland." 2 areas of Bethesdaland were covered up, labeled "Coming Soon." With that, I would expect I brand new title. Boy, was I disappointed. Instead, we got The Evil Within 2 and Wolfenstein II: The New Colossus. Like I said, safest route yet. Yes, these are brand new games, but coming from old franchises, it's a safe route. Overall, Bethesda did nothing to wow me. I was glad their press coference got over as soon as possible, before it bored me to death.
+Positives+: Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim is made for the Switch, Bethesda is not afraid to try VR-Negatives-: Playing it safe by trusting in old franchises, too much DLC and not enough new content
~Best Game~: Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim for the Nintendo Switch
*Medal*: Bronze
Ubisoft
Ubisoft also followed theme of "We'll show you a cinematic trailer now at the press conference, we'll show you the gameplay demo later on after the show." Again, there might have been great new games that Ubisoft had thought up, but we couldn't tell what they were about because all the audience saw was a short cinematic trailer. The few gameplay demos we did see were highly rehearsed, almost to the point they were music videos! As they have done in years past, Ubisoft again demonstrated they had games for all players from all genres. This year, what they added is that they proved that they had games from consoles. No matter what console you had, whether that be a Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4 (Pro) or a Xbox One (X), Ubisoft had games for them all. This great variety, in both game genres and game consoles, gives Ubisoft the win for the 3rd party developers.+Positives+: Presented games from all genres, presented games from all consoles
-Negatives-: Too many cinematic trailers, game play demos were highly rehearsed, no Aisha Tyler
~Best Game~: Far Cry 5
*Medal*: Gold
Friday, June 9, 2017
E3 2017 Preview & Prediction
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!" :)
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!" :)
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)