E3 Verdicts

Over in the sun and pollution of LA the gaming industry have come together for E3, the biggest trade show of it's kind. This year was a special year with both Microsoft and Sony showing off new consoles ahead of launch later this year. That means new games, hardware and a move away from the quiet E3 that we've had lately. Let's see how the big boys got on in this crucial first public viewing of the next generation of gaming consoles.

Microsoft
Microsoft should have come into this on a high, having announced their new console recently and with the Xbox 360 dominating the US and UK markets. However the unveiling of the Xbox One focused on the multimedia and TV aspects of the console which caused much anger in the vocal gaming community which took to Twitter to slam a console "not for them". Microsoft's claim that games would be the focus of E3 were dealt a blow when their aggressive form of DRM yet again ensured that the Xbox One made the headlines for all the wrong reasons. They had to hit a home run at their press conference and it looked good to start with. Metal Gear Solid 5 started us off and it looked nothing short of spectacular. It briefly looked like they would shut up the detractors with a string of great games. Sadly though the rest of the conference was hit and miss with highs like The Witcher 3 and Battlefield 4 being multiplatform and the exclusive titles like Ryse, Killer Instinct and Halo failing to register more than an eyebrow raise. The astonishing price tag of £430 felt like rubbing salt in the wounds. This was a chance for Microsoft to lay out their vision for gaming for the next ten years and it did nothing to inspire. Also having sound problems during big trailers is an amateurish thing to do, but kudos to the guy in the crowd who shouted "pew pew pew" during the dragon thing.

Sony
Oh boy. It's hard not to smile. Sony royally fucked up the PS3 after defining gaming for a long time with the PS1 and PS2 and allowed Microsoft to make huge gains in the western market. The unveiling of the PS4 went down very well however and seemed to indicate that Sony were learning for their mistakes with a console built for developers and gamers. After the car crash that was Microsoft's press conference all eyes were on Sony. For the most part they kept up with Microsoft's games offering by relying heavily on third party titles and peppering it with the odd first party game. So the likes of Infamous, Killzone and Driveclub were joined by Destiny, Watch Dogs and Assassins Creed 3. Where they turned onto a new road was the focus on independent games like Transistor, Octodad and Don't Starve along with the with announcement of a self publishing intiative further proving that they are courting developers in a very real way. After all, they had to. They then directly jabbed at Microsoft announcing no DRM, that trade ins are fine and that the console doesn't have any requirements for an internet connection. They followed that with a staggering price point of £350, undercutting the Xbox One in a massive way. It was a conference with more purpose, a console with all the media stuff Microsoft has but with more focus on games and a lower price point. The DRM stuff is the icing on the cake that has brought the internet masses over to Sony. Whether that translates to the real world remains to be seen.

Nintendo
Nintendo weren't there but did a video instead and largely disappointed. The WiiU is currently on fire and hurtling towards the ground, the 3DS has managed to fly but isn't soaring and I've run out of plane related metaphors. They needed something to start selling consoles and keep it going whilst Sony and Microsoft took center stage. In terms of big games they kept looking at Zelda: Wind Waker HD and whilst it's a fantastic game I think we're at the stage where HD remakes aren't really acceptable. Pikmin is still being discussed having missed the launch window of the console and the makers of Metroid Prime are being given Donkey Kong to work on. You'd maybe want the makers of such a seminal title as Metroid Prime to be given free reign on their own ip but equally you wonder how much of that talent is still there so let's see what Donkey Kong is like. Mario Kart is Mario Kart and is showing it's age, and then Smash Bros is rapidly becoming a niche title again. That's the key problem, all their games felt like niche titles. Even Bayonetta 2 had the tinge of a game a handful of people wanted. Traditionally Nintendo led the industry and even if they didn't sell well you'd see the likes of Sony and Microsoft taking the lessons Nintendo gave out and running with them. This year Nintendo is closer to Kentia Hall, the old hall where the weird and small were shown at E3's of yesteryear. I wonder how much longer they can go on like this before their investors and shareholders start to lose patience.

So there you have it. Nintendo continued a slide into irrelevance and Sony made a huge attack on the US and UK markets they lost last generation. Microsoft looked complacent and that price point serves to highlight their arrogance. I still think there are a generation of kids who are as devoted to Xbox as a brand though and they'll stick with them, so don't expect it to be a failure. It just makes the launch of these consoles fascinating for people like me.