E3

This post is a little bit different than most. I just wanted to give my thoughts on E3 this year based on the Microsoft, Nintendo, and Sony press conferences.

First off, I was very disappointed with Nintendo overall. the majority of the titles they released were DS games, and it didn't look like they were giving the Wii much attention at all. New Super Mario Bros. Wii was unimpressive in my book, as it's the same Mario formula we've seen in the past, but with multiplayer. I'm sorry, but it just wasn't interesting enough. Mario Galaxy 2 left me uninspired as well. I mean yea, we all know it will be good and fun to play, but it looked pretty much exactly the same as Mario Galaxy 1, except with some new powerups, which classify as simple gimmicks in my book. I wanted more legitimately new material from Nintendo, and this was not it. Other than that, they presented a lot of games that I don't see why they had to unveil at E3. A dating sim game for girls? Is that really a game that has enough caliber that it needs to be shown at the premier electronics event of the year? I don't think so. Yes, it shows Nintendo is trying to appeal to mass audiences, but we already know Nintendo is doing this. There is no need to show this type of content at a press conference. Also, the Zelda game. I was expecting maybe a new Zelda title that we haven't heard about yet, but they only showed spirit tracks, which we have already known about.

Overall, the only games from Nintendo that I am genuinely looking forward to are Golden Sun DS (It's about time), the new Kingdom hearts (although this was announced way before E3 started, so it doesn't really count), and the new Metroid, which looks absolutely incredible. The fact that they got team ninja to design this game has given me goosebumps, and I can only imagine what the people who brought us ninja gaiden have in store for our beloved series.

Perhaps the most disappointing thing about Nintendo's press conference however, was the motion plus accessory. Nintendo is drowning themselves in peripherals, and it's as if they are saying that their games can't be enjoyed without yet another piece of plastic. Furthermore, this is the only thing that Nintendo has done to update their technology. I want to speak with their marketing department. Nintendo KNOWS that Sony and Microsoft have R&D departments, and they should have been prepared to face motion sensory technology from their competitors and stay one step ahead of the game. The Wii motion plus add-on does not do this at all. Their technology is now on equal footing with Sony's (although Nintendo's add-on makes their controller even more clunky than Sony's and even less streamlined), and behind Microsoft's (more on those two later). That being said, Nintendo is going to maintain market share in 2009 because they will continue to rope in new gamers with Wii fit plus and the like.

I think Sony had the best press conference in terms of overall content this year. When compared to the other two companies, Sony had the largest amount of games that I was actually interested in, and I never really found myself bored during their presentation. Microsoft and Nintendo's conferences on the other hand started off relatively weak IMO. I found myself leaving the room during their presentations because the games they were showing me just did not appeal to me. In my opinion, Sony started off strong, and kept it up for pretty much the entire time aside from the pink PSP for girls - something they didn't have to spend time on at E3. That type of announcement isn't ground breaking enough to be presented at an event as big as E3 (although barbie horse adventure does look pretty fun >_>). For Final Fantasy, I just want 13 to come out already, and I was expecting some footage on FF13 versus, since I actually have no idea what it is and why it's different than the regular 13. And then Square Enix really upset me once again. They announced FF14, but it's not a traditional RPG; It's an MMO, like FF11. I don't mind if they make a final fantasy MMO, just don't give it the Roman Numeral it doesn't deserve. I thought they would have learned after all the complaints they got from FF11. But regardless, it did look pretty good.

I like the design of the new PSP go, and the fact that they are going to keep it purely digital in terms of how you buy your games - we're approaching an age where we wont have to look for games, wipe discs, or blow cartridges and this pleases me. I like the idea of being able to rent downloadable games as well. The lack of a second analog nub however, is very disappointing to me. If you're going to make a mid-life cycle update, fix all the problems that people had been complaining about... like the lack of a second analog. The price is a bit high, however. At $249, it costs the same as a Wii, and I'm not sure there will be enough gaming content to warrant the purchase, if the old PSP is any indication of what the PSP go will be like in terms of software. However, with all the games being downloaded now, that leaves more room open to more bite-sized games, which appeal to me a lot since they don't require a lot of dedication to play through, and offer a quick gaming fix when on the move. The lack of a PS3 price drop didn't surprise me, as lowering the price at the holiday season makes better sense to me anyways, since they can offer bundle packs for their big name titles like God of War 3. However, if they don't lower the price this holiday, I will be very, very disappointed at a poor marketing move.

As for the motion controls, it was nifty, but the controller looked like a sex toy. Overall it doesn't provide enough "new" appeal to me. It's a refined Wiimote, which hasn't been incredibly special in the past, and I don't see it being used in many hardcore games in the future. At this point in time I can only see it as a casual gaming device that will pull more people into the gaming market; but if the price of the PS3 remains the same, people will continue to be reluctant to invest, and if they do invest, they'll go for the cheapest console that offers such technology: The Wii.

For Microsoft, I have some of the same gripes with them as I do with Nintendo. First off, the irrelevant content. They opened with Rock Band, The Beatles. As much as I love the Beatles, the 360 has only one exclusive song. One. That does not warrant them opening with a 5-10 minute presentation on this game. Furthermore, when Paul and Ringo came on stage, it was as if they were not prepped for the event, didn't know what to say, and most importantly, it seemed like they didn't care. Now I could care less if the actual Beatles liked video games or not, just don't have them speak at an electronics convention if they don't. It seemed to me like they never played a game in their lives. The irrelevant content went on pretty much until they announced Left 4 Dead 2, which surprised me a little bit considering how short a time period Left 4 Dead 1 has been out. Didn't Valve promise us downloadable content with the first one? I may be mistaken, but if they did, that's a slap in the face to their consumers.

Next up was Halo. They showed gameplay to ODST and it looked okay. It's pretty much the same Halo we've seen time and time again, and I think Bungie is reluctant to let go of their franchise for good (same goes for Kojima and Metal Gear btw). Then they presented another not-really trailer in the form of Halo: Reach. I don't know what to think of it really because they didn't show anything. The "trailer" however, was well done, provided intrigue, and was a bit artistic. It also goes to show that Bungie doesn't want to be original, and instead they are fully content with releasing the same type of game over and over, which disappoints me considering how much talent they have in their studio.

And then they had Metal Gear Rising. A metal gear game on the xbox. The trailer wasn't really a trailer, but that's okay, I wouldn't expect any gameplay footage or even a cinematic trailer at this point, but what I don't understand is how Hideo Kojima plans to work on two metal gear games simultaneously. He's working on Metal Gear Peacewalker for the PSP go, and now Metal Gear Rising. I don't know how he plans to work on both projects and be able to finish in a reasonable amount of time, so I am left to assume that since he said the MGS4 team will be working on Peacewalker along with himself, that he is not going to work on Rising, he only lent out the rights to Microsoft to use the Metal Gear franchise on their console. Either that, or he's going to work on them one after another, in which case we might not see Rising for some time.

I don't remember when they showed it in Microsoft's press conference, but by far my favorite normal game that was shown at E3 was Alan Wake. The story was mildly interesting, but I actually felt a connection to the characters in the cinematic trailer they showed. When they followed that up with the actual gameplay, I felt like it came together in a very well crafted way. While playing, Alan talks to himself in his head in the form of a voice over, and it helps you stay focused to the task at hand. When engaged with enemies, there seemed to be automatic (?) slow motion effects that gave the game some real cinematic edge, although I can't be sure if the slow motion was activated by the player or not. The game just felt like an interactive movie, but in a good way. It wasn't just a bunch of quick time events like Heavy Rain, it felt more like you were being put inside the place of the character for the duration of the demo, something I found very appealing.

And then, Microsoft hit us with what I thought was the most ground breaking, and innovative piece of technology at E3: Project Natal. I showed the intro to my brother, and he told me that this type of technology shouldn't exist yet. For those of you who haven't seen it, here is a link:

http://www.gametrailers.com/video/e3-09-project-natal/50013

When I first saw this, I was blown away. The possibilities seem endless, and the family interaction made me forget what Nintendo was even trying to do to the industry. I strongly feel that this is the next step in gaming. Playing games without a controller will bring in ridiculous amounts of non gamers to the industry. Being able to skype with your friends through your television, and digitally share information with one another is just one more step towards making our lives convenient, not to mention that if you can digitally "preview" clothing and how it will look on you like it showed in the trailer, I will invest in Microsoft stock asap. The voice/facial recognition that they showed made Natal seem like it was part of the family. I feel primitive now when I pick up my remote to play DVDs. The possibilities are vast, and I can picture my future children and family using this technology.

But that wasn't all that was shown. Just when I thought it was too good to be true, Peter Molyneux showed up, and presented us with Milo:

http://www.gametrailers.com/video/e3-09-lionhead-milo/50016

Wow. That's all I have to say. I would be very hesitant at asking "What is Milo?" because Milo is a he. Emotional recognition, conversation based on previous conversation - we're not just playing a game, but rather, we are interacting with something, someone - a virtual friend. At one point, I literally screamed like a little girl, something I have never done before out of impulse. I can only imagine how this technology is going to develop in the future, and I am left to assume that this will eventually turn into a real skynet once Milo becomes self aware.

So until Natal reaches the public, the Wii will have dominance of the market and Sony will be gaining some as well once they release some of their motion control games as well as lower their price. But in conclusion, I strongly feel that Natal is the beginning of a new age of technology, one that can potentially revolutionize the way we live.