Daily Ramblings: First Edition E3

Welcome to the first of many (I hope) Daily Ramblings post! Everyday I’ll post up a new Daily Ramblings to just say whats on my mind. It could be about tech, games (blah, blah blah…) or other things on my mind. Each day will be something new and hopefully readers can input their thoughts too!

With E3 over I guess I’ll pour my thoughts over what i saw (or didnt see…).

Unlike previous E3s where tons of Game Developers (Ubisoft, EA…) showed up to showcase their games, this years E3 seemed much more dismal. Even Electronic Arts CEO John Riccitiello hated E3. Unlike E3s passed, this years turn out of gamers was a mere 5,000 unlike before when 60,000+ would show up! It felt more like a developers convention than an actual gaming convention. I mean what happen to the booth girls? And the big exciting games that are usually unveiled?

Here’s my breakdown of the Big 3’s (Sony, Nintendo, Microsoft) presentations.

Microsoft:

The first of the three to present what they had in store, Microsoft didnt seem to have anything dazzling or exciting. Sure Avatars and a new GUI is cool but I’m pretty sure I’ve seen the Avatar concept used before and the new GUI looks like a step down from hard core gamer to casual gamer. The Netflix feature seemed cool, but how many people will set up a Netflix account just for the 360? (And the PS3’s video service seems much better.) I would have to say that Microsoft dropped the biggest bomb shell at this year’s E3. The inclusion of Final Fantasy XIII for the Xbox 360. (Who would have ever thought of that?)

Nintendo:

My favorite and next in line at E3 was the worst of all three. Nintendo seemed like much of a letdown. I think I can even call it an EPIC FAIL. There was not one exciting thing in the whole damn conference. Okay, sure Wii Sports Resort, Animal Crossing: City Folk and GTA: Chinatown Wars seem cool, but that was it. Wiispeak was too long overdue and reviews of Nntendo’s MotionPlus were less then exciting. Wii Music looked interesting, but now I’m wondering if the only people who will play it are ten year olds. All in all, Nintendo really let me down this year. They tended to the casual crowd more then the hard core gamer. However the biggest announcement for me was that Pikmin 3 was coming out! WOOT!

Sony:

The best of the three, Sony was the killer at E3 this year. Showcasing new games like Resistance 2, God of War 3 and MAG (Massive Action Game). They also showed off new software for the PS3 like the video downloading service (which seems better than what Microsoft has to offer) and Sony Home, a new interactive world where you control a Avatar and meet other people online. Even PSP was included in the mix with new games and software. Even with the announcement of FFXIII for the 360, Sony still had a lot going for its system.

This year’s E3 FAILED. Not only did the turn out of games dropped but an overtone of gaming in general diminshed. It was more of a developers conference then a gamer’s. Hopefully next year’s E3 won’t be as dismal as this year’s.