Nintendo, Sony, and Microsoft at E3: This Game's Winner Is...? - News
by Daniel Share-Strom , posted on 25 June 2010 / 27,983 Views
Note: The following editorial represents the perspective of the author only, and is not necessarily indicative of the views of the gamrFeed and VGChartz staff as a whole.
The displays have come down. The costumed characters have gone back to their day jobs. And the booth babes, sadly, have gone home. Yes, 2010’s Electronic Entertainment Expo is over for another year, and all we have left to do is bask in anticipation and reflect. Though attending E3 is certainly the high point in a gaming writer’s career, there is more to the event than simply amusing 45,000+ journalists. What, then, is the purpose of E3? On the surface, it is a way for developers and publishers to showcase their upcoming software and hardware to tens of thousands journalists, analysts, and buyers who come to Los Angeles to attend the biggest show of its kind in the world. But more to the point, those exhibitors enjoy the kind of publicity that only this event can offer: savvy writers offering real-time previews, commentary, and on-air video of the event--all as millions of hyped-up gamers wait anxiously for every word that is dropped. And what enthusiastic reporting these gamers get to read! What other trade show has press conferences where seas of professional journalists whoop and cheer with each big announcement?
The real purpose of E3 is threefold; on a basic level, it is a venue to show off the company’s upcoming software; next, it is to display that software in a way that showcases the company’s current direction and philosophies; and third, it is to show why that company is the best damn developer-publisher-manufacturer in the business. With the exception of PC games and peripherals, almost everything shown is tied to hardware produced by these manufacturers. With this in mind, and taking into account the competitive nature of this business, let’s examine who of the Big Three (Microsoft, Sony, and Nintendo) ‘brought it’ to the show.
Microsoft
First off, we have Microsoft. Did they show great product and great strength as a company at the show? You decide. Going into this year’s show, their goal was always going to be to show how Natal (now christened Kinect) would be used to evolve the Xbox 360 experience and entertainment as a whole. They faced the unenviable task of showing how they’ll broaden their audience without alienating their core fanbase. Whether they succeeded as a whole is open to interpretation, but it is safe to say that they showed little for the Kinect that will make many current gamers jump up and dance (except for Dance Central!).
Essentially, they divided their press conference into distinct parts—the first half hour was dedicated to the serious gamer, while the second half showed off non-gaming features and new experiences for Kinect (they demonstrated Kinect to the world the night before via the interpretive dance and choreographed performances of Cirque Du Soleil.)
Microsoft opened their media briefing, as they did last year, by showing a trailer for the latest Call of Duty, this time subtitled Black Ops. It showed a wide array of set-pieces from exhilarating gunfights to rappelling down the side of large government-style buildings, all dressed up in an ‘is this all really happening?’ laboratory pretext.
Mark Flamia, head of development team Treyarch, then demoed the game: marines on a covert op snuck through a tunnel before emerging into a lush forest, engaging hostiles guarding a helicopter, and then going to town at the helm of said vehicle. The game’s theme of ‘history’ and déjà vu was appropriate, because we saw the exact same trailer and demo the previous night at Activision’s press conference—only this time, the conference room didn’t actually explode. These shows are supposed to impress the audience while showing them why the host company’s platform is where you want to game. With that in mind, showing already-seen footage of a game set to launch on every platform under the sun did not start E3 off with a bang for Microsoft. Don Mattrick tried to inject some life into this showing by announcing a three-year deal with Activision, in which time all downloadable content for Call of Duty games would launch first on Xbox 360. He also used some award-winning ‘spin-that’s-not-spin’ when he said that the 360 is the only platform where one can play all three of the industry’s biggest blockbusters—Halo, Gears of War, and Call of Duty.
They then brought out Hideo Kojima of Konami to demonstrate Metal Gear Solid: Rising, the first Metal Gear for the Xbox 360 (though it is also coming to PS3). The game’s producer, Shigenobu Matsuyama, debuted the first footage of the game, which depicted hero Raiden sneaking around a large complex and slicing and dicing lots of fools and robots—not to mention precision-chopping a few watermelons! The crowd was suitably excited, and while this game was still multiplatform, at least this one was something of an unveiling since we knew little about the game.
Microsoft Game Studios Corporate Vice President Phil Spencer took the stage to talk about how Xbox characters like Marcus Fenix (Gears of War), Master Chief (Halo), and Sam Fisher (Splinter Cell) had broken into mainstream culture. Highlighting how passionate MGS is about making games, he gave shout-outs to Halo: Reach, Crackdown 2, and Fable 3, before mentioning that every game shown thereafter would be Xbox-exclusive. Party time, Xboxers! Right?
That depends... really, they only announced one new non-Kinect game at the show. Codename: Kingdoms is a new game from Crytek, the tech wizards behind Crysis and the Far Cry games. The trailer they showed held promise, with swords clashing and blades bleeding (yeah), but it was hard to really glean anything about the game. They showed only a 30-second teaser, and even this rejected gameplay in favour of a prerendered cinematic. We wanted to get excited, but they gave us no reason to.
Next came demonstrations of already-known Xbox exclusives. When Epic Games’ Cliff Bleszinski appeared onstage bearing a campaign demo of Gears 3, the audience was absolutely pumped. The graphics looked more incredible than ever, even more impressive considering the large-scale warzones with huge draw distances and four-player coop. We saw a stunning doomsday environment that looked like it had been hit with a nuke. The Locust were more brutal than ever, ripping off COG arms and beating them to death with them—now THAT’S what your fans want to see! Plenty of minor gameplay tweaks, like swapping weapons with teammates, showed that Epic are listening to their fans. The cliffhanger where a giant Locust breached the wall Marcus and co. had taken refuge behind only made us want to play even more—as did Bleszinski’s casual mention of Beast Mode, which we later discovered allows players to control Locust and destroy puny humans.
It was a similar situation when Bungie’s Marcus Lehto showed a campaign level for Halo: Reach, calling it the “...most ambitious game Bungie has ever created.” The game appeared to have everything fans have come to love, only intensified. The battlefields are massive, dozens of infantry and vehicles run all over the place, the gunplay looks solid, the heavy metal music got us pumped, and the visuals look better than ever. Not content to just show us better versions of the same old stuff, the trailer ended with a tease that got fans talking—space battles. Yes, Bungie performed very well, indeed.
However, the same couldn’t be said for Lionhead Studios with Fable 3. Lionhead boss Peter Molyneux came out to chat up the game, and... really didn’t tell us much. He regurgitated the series’ emphasis on how your choices in the games have consequences, but didn’t go into detail. He also reiterated the new twist for the franchise—how you will eventually overthrow the king and rule the land—but we already knew that, and the trailer shown next didn’t reveal anything, either.
From this point on, Microsoft’s conference completely changed direction, emphasizing non-gaming features and non-traditional games that would be coming for the Kinect. Xbox Live President Marc Whitten said that XBL “...has changed the way the world plays video games.” A bold statement, Mr. Whitten. He described how it has gone beyond games to incorporate movies, social networking, and other features. Ron the engineer came out to show us how Kinect’s impressive voice- and gesture-recognition technologies can be used to navigate your Xbox’s media collection, from movies to music to the Friends list—the oomph of this presentation was marred, though, by his selection of Justin Bieber.
An Xbox Live team member also showed us Kinect’s video chat capabilities. This portion of the presentation was comically self-aware as the two girls on the video chat started watching The Last Airbender together (simultaneous movie-watching is another feature of this service). The game Avatar: The Last Airbender for Xbox 360 is legendary for how quickly it is to get 1000 Achievement points. Thus, comments about if there had been a game based on this movie were met with “My Gamerscore is 100% legit.” Call it lame, call it funny—this section at least proved that Microsoft can take a joke.
Next, Microsoft introduced another Kinect-Live feature—ESPN on Xbox 360, complete with a flashy sizzle reel of sports videos. Josh Elliott and Trey Wingo appeared onscreen, rapidly mashing buttons on their 360 controllers in typical ‘video games depicted on TV’ fashion, before ‘realizing’ that they were on-air. The two then appeared onstage to talk details, like how you can watch over 3500 live sporting events in year one in HD, and how your Xbox Avatar will mingle with others watching the game. The two demonstrated their 1337 trash-talking skills with such gems as “Kinect is going to make taunting even easier,” and “Well, clearly you need some help in that area.” This feature will be available to Xbox Live Gold members for no additional charge. These Kinect experiences may not incite many Xbox purchases, but they will aid Microsoft’s other goal of pushing Live connectivity.
Kudo Tsunoda, head of Kinect development, came onstage to demo some camera-based games. The first was Kinectimals, where a little girl came onstage to play with her in-game pet tiger. She used realistic motions and her voice to interact with the big cat, whom she called Skittles, and an outline of her hands appeared, showing the fine finger motions that Kinect can detect. Kinect Sports was up next, where they demonstrated two-player hurdle-jumping, as well as Kinect Adventures with its rafting on a cloud. Kinect Joy Ride, a kart-racing game where you drive by turning an invisible wheel, was also shown, and looked like it could be quite the party experience. Harmonix unveiled a new game called Dance Central, complete with executives who could bust some serious moves. And of course, Ubisoft unveiled a new Your Shape game, driving it home that the exer-gaming genre is here to stay.
These games looked highly polished and fun. However, their impact was dulled since Microsoft had already shown them at their Cirque du Soleil event the night before. Moreover, Microsoft will really need to push these games hard to the casual gaming audiences, as each of those games already has a very popular counterpart on competitors’ systems. We are not implying that Microsoft is copying Nintendo. However, Microsoft does need to advertise why Kinectimals is superior to Nintendogs, or how Joy Ride is a zanier kart experience than Mario Kart Wii—especially considering that much of the new audience Microsoft is going for with Kinect will already own a Nintendo system.
The two big Kinect games that Microsoft showed are the ones that, on paper, have the potential to sell the camera to existing 360 owners. The first one had the potential to excite an enormous fanbase--Star Wars. The trailer depicted a Jedi whose lightsaber and Force powers were handled by player hand movements, accurately deflecting laser bolts and tossing enemies aside. The graphics looked like the Clone Wars CG series, and the action was smooth. So smooth it was easy to miss two important details: a) we didn’t see how lightsaber battles would work, and b) it was on-rails, meaning the player had little control over character movement. Without an analog stick, character movement becomes difficult with Kinect, as the player would literally have to run to make the character run. It’s a tricky problem that we hoped to see an innovative solution to at Microsoft’s show, but it was not to be.
Easily the most impressive Kinect demo was Turn 10’s new Forza Motorsport. The premier ‘realistic’ racing franchise on the 360, Forza is a natural fit for Kinect. The rep showed how his subtle movements translated into slight shifting of the car, and he deftly weaved in and out of other cars while racing along a serene hillside. They also showed a feature that we are fairly sure is new to any racing game—you can walk around your car and examine every part in detail, with specs jumping out at you from every which way. It an impressive ending to the Kinect showing.
When Don Mattrick came back out onstage, it was to a somewhat-bemused audience. More than an hour in, Microsoft had yet to show anything remarkable. The last hurrah was anticlimactic, too: Mattrick ended the night by unveiling the Xbox 360 Slim. This slim version of the console comes with a 250gb hard drive, built-in wireless, and a sleek black paint job. He then surprised the audience twice over, ending the show by announcing the console was already being shipped to retailers, and gifting everyone in the audience with their own new 360.
The verdict on Microsoft’s conference? Inconsistent. They wanted to cater to all audiences, and in doing so, created a clear divide between the Kinect and non-Kinect sides of their business. They showed very promising traditional software, such as Gears of War 3 and Halo: Reach, but only one new game controlled with a traditional Xbox 360 controller. On the other end of the spectrum, we’d already seen most of the Kinect games they showed. Moreover, these games were mostly so similar to existing software on other systems that they will likely do nothing to attract the casual gamer that already has a Wii. On the bright side, they put on an impressive show with regard to showmanship, from studio heads to sports personalities to people who just knew how to bust a groove. Microsoft has a solid line-up of Xbox games coming this year, and some pretty spiffy new features for Xbox Live—it’s just a shame how little of it they showed off effectively, and how little faith they inspired that Kinect could satisfy traditional gamers. They also left us wondering how well they’ll be able to pull consumers away from existing motion-control initiatives toward Kinect. In light of this, it can be said that Microsoft’s conference was relatively weak .
Sony
Sony was very solidly-represented this year. They showed off their new initiatives, made gamers laugh and gasp, and even hired a clown. Unfortunately, they also had had to overcome their share of hurdles, such as pacing issues and too much time bashing the competition. Last year at E3, they introduced their then-unnamed Playstation Move motion controller, and were accused of copying both the Wii and Natal. This year, in addition to showing how 3D would soon enhance the PS3 experience, they needed to prove that the Move was versatile and powerful enough to back serious games. It was also important for them to show their upcoming plans for the PSP, as we’d heard very little with regard to the platform in recent months. Outside of a few inspired moments, showmanship was absent from the show, as they spent a long time bashing the competition and talking about new advertising initiatives, but they definitely came out with some incredible games.
To begin with, Sony showed a sizzle reel of upcoming Playstation titles, with a PS3, a Move, and a PSP sitting prominently in the middle of the action. In the middle of all this came their first big gaffe—a clip of a Kevin Butler ad in which he ‘promoted’ the Playstation Move by downplaying the capabilities of Microsoft’s Kinect. Instead of simply explaining the benefits of holding something in one’s hand to play games, he questioned why we’d want to pretend to shoot things by pointing at the screen (“What is this, third grade?”). In gaming, as in politics, your platform should stand on its own merits—if your foundation is strong enough, it will speak for itself.
Jack Tretton continued the bashing of the opposition when he came onstage, mentioning how there is no need to wear a poncho to this show (a reference to Microsoft’s admittedly ridiculous Cirque du Soleil event two days prior). About three minutes in, the show was not off to an impressive start.
Thankfully, Mr. Tretton quickly got the presentation onto its proper track, reminding those in attendance of Sony’s vision of the Playstation 3 as a future-proof home entertainment device. As is customary for all platform holders nowadays, he shared their belief that Playstation is a brand with something for everyone, before highlighting high-quality exclusives such as Heavy Rain, God of War, LittleBigPlanet, SOCOM, and Uncharted. He also briefly mentioned how PS3 is not just for gaming, but for all kinds of entertainment, with thousands of movies and TV shows available via the Playstation Network. This segued smoothly into his introduction of Kaz Hirai to demonstrate how 3D games on PS3 will enhance Sony’s vision for entertainment.
Mr. Hirai has been known for some pretty outlandish statements at E3, so it was a relief to see him keep the shenanigans to a minimum. He promised that Sony’s dedication to innovation and content will continue this year, and stated that what the PS3 did for Blu-Ray penetration, it is ready to do for 3D at home. He talked up games that would get 3D updates, and reminded us that dozens of 3D games are in development. Remembering that E3 is about showing, not telling, he put his money where his mouth was—he introduced Guerilla Games’ Herman Hulst to show us the highly-anticipated Killzone 3 in 3D.
Donning our provided 3D glasses, we looked forward to feeling the rush as Helghan warriors assaulted our senses, stereoscopically popping out of the gigantic screen to blow our heads off. First things first—we were most definitely blown away by the graphics of the game. As the Earth soldiers blasted their way through a snow-laden ship of some kind, the texture detail was almost unparalleled by anything previously seen on a console, and that draw distance? Snow-capped valleys seemed to go on for miles, all while there were plenty of soldiers firing at us with nary a framerate hitch.
But did the game sell us on the impact 3D can have on home gaming? Meh... kinda. The 3D KZ2’s 3D wasn’t nearly as dramatic as we were led to believe, at least for the first while. Save for the aforementioned graphical improvements, the first section of the demo looked just about like Killzone 2. It wasn’t until the main character donned a jetpack whose flames almost seemed to burn our eyes out that we started to see the potential here. The large open valleys seen once Hulst started flying certainly seemed to trail way off into the distance, and the snow hitting our ‘face’ gave us the shivers.
But it wasn’t enough. Sony had the chance to start their show off with a bang, and while Killzone fans were obviously happy, the effect certainly didn’t give us any urge to go out and spend a few thousand dollars on a 3D-ready TV and accompanying glasses. When Kaz Hirai retook the stage, he made the bold claim of saying that Killzone 3 would do for 3D games what Avatar did for 3D movies, and named some titles that would take advantage of it, such as Gran Turismo 5, Sly Cooper Collection, Mortal Kombat, Shaun White, Crysis 2, and Ghost Recon. This led into discussion about games that took advantage of the Playstation Move, such as The Fight: Lights Out and Eyepet. Confident in these new technologies, he said they are “...future of entertainment... that Sony will lead.” The following sizzle reel, set to “I’ve Got What the People Want,” really did showcase how their technology can appeal to anyone, with diverse software like Eyepet, Crysis 2, Gran Turismo 5, Boom Blox, and MLB among others.
As Sony’s Peter Dille took the stage, he assured core gamers, spurned by some other motion-control efforts, that the Move will offer them challenging and rewarding experiences. He assured that the Move’s fidelity and precision made the difference, going into detail about how it works with the Playstation Eye work together to make it seamless fun for casual and core gamers. He then played a video in which two things happened; One: Kevin Butler once again made fun of the competition, this time the Wii’s less-precise controller; and two, developers raved about the new possibilities the Move allows. Showing everything from archery, to swordplay, to golf, they demonstrated the exactitude of the device’s measurements. This video drove home that they are serious about this device.
At this point, the competition-bashing just got repetitive and made Dille and Sony seem childish. “The Playstation Move has buttons, which are critical to precision,” he said, “...And we’re really not trying to stir the pot here, but we think it’s an important distinction and a unique advantage to our technology.” Once again, it is possible to advocate one’s own product without being derogatory to the competition.
If you’re not trying to stir the pot, Mr. Dille, don’t dip the spoon in.
Eventually, it was time to actually demonstrate a Move game on-stage, and this is where the technology really impressed this writer. Christian Busic of The Workshop came out to demo Sorcery, their new magic-based adventure game. This is the Harry Potter-style game we’ve all been wishing for since the Wii was announced; only it’s actually coming to the PS3. The apprentice wandered a dangerous castle, and Mr. Busic defended himself by making various movements with the controller to cast spells, such as bolts, ice, fire, and tornadoes (all of which could be mixed together for various effects). This game really showed off the new experiences that Move makes possible.
Of course, that wasn’t the only Move-enabled title they showed off that day. EA’s Andrew Wilson came onstage to demo the new Tiger Woods, which turns the Move into a golf club. The controls seemed perfect (too perfect—he got a mulligan), and they were even able to skirt the fact that Tiger ’10 did this on the Wii last year by mentioning how the game was revolutionary because it had both 1-to-1 and HD. Another surprise game was Heroes on the Move, which stars the main characters of the Jak & Daxter, Ratchet & Clank, and Sly Cooper franchises. It was important to get this game shown, as they need a game starring familiar characters to get some current Playstation gamers to buy the new controller. All in all, Sony did a good job showing how the Move is an attractive prospect for any kind of gamer. It will have to be, considering the main controller is $49.99 and the Navigation controller $29.99.
Where Sony’s conference really took a nose-dive in terms of entertainment and information that gamers even care about was when they started going into their various advertising initiatives. They spend several minutes on their partnership with Coca-Cola for contests that would give away free Move-related products—after all, he said, Coke has always supported healthy living, right? And that wasn’t even the half of the cheesy advertising stunts. Later, when they talked about the PSP, they took the opportunity to debut their new advertising campaign, which introduced ‘stereotypical black kid’ aka Marcus as the new spokesperson for the handheld platform. When ‘interviewed’ for the job by Kevin Butler and asked his favourite snack, he replied that he, “...consumes a healthy amount of suckers online every day.” We wouldn’t even want to sit through this type of borderline-offensive ad at home on TV, let alone have it take up valuable E3 time. At least they also showed a PSP sizzle reel, highlighting big games like Kingdom Hearts, God of War, Metal Gear, Madden, and Persona, among others.
After all the advertising stuff, it was a huge relief to see Kevin Butler himself come prancing onto the stage, as we knew that laughter would be imminent (“Peter, you look like you could use a Coke!”). This was EASILY one of the more memorable moments of E3 this year. “I’m kinda in the middle of something here, Kev,” said Dille, to which the Playstation spokesman responded “I’ll be quick,” before ushering him offstage. He then proceeded into a speech about gaming that transcended console bias. “I say it’s time we focus on what really matters—the games... I love walk-off homers and headshots. I love drifting a turn at a hundred miles an hour, and boss battles with a 600-foot-tall Greek god who may or may not be your father. Gaming is having a ridiculously huge TV in a tiny, one-room apartment. Staying up until 3 am to earn a trophy that isn’t real... but is!” The gallery roared with laughter at pretty much everything he said, giving a real boost to Sony’s conference in the performance department. He was even able to work in some props for casual gamers: “It’s why we made the Playstation Move—so that every single person... will be able to get a taste of teh PS3 sugar. Families, kids, grandparents, and you hardcore guys... don’t hate on them... Look at it this way—if you’ve got an awesome girlfriend, and then someone else gets an awesome girlfriend, you know who wins? Everyone... because every gamer is a true gamer. Motion gamers, sitting gamers, everyone. And though we may pledge fanboy allegiances to different flags, deep down inside we all serve one master, one king, and his name is gaming! Forever may he reign!” Did it have anything to do with Sony’s objectives at E3? Sorta, not really. Was it absolutely hilarious, and did it spawn at least two new internet memes? Hell yeah!
There was no shortage of new online services at Sony’s event—their new Playstation Plus initiative was pretty well-received. It’s an interesting subscription plan—for a monthly fee, the user gets access to hundreds of dollars worth of content that they own as long as they have the subscription. The base multiplayer service will still remain free, so it was a good way to differentiate their online system.
One area Dille focused on was how Sony is working with third parties to bring PS3 the best version of multiplatform games, before showing many games that will have exclusive content on PS3. John Schappert of EA came out to announce that the PS3 version of the new Medal of Honour would feature an exclusive playable character; Assassin’s Creed: Brotherhood and Mafia 2 will have free extra missions, and the former a PS3-exclusive beta. The exclusive Limited Edition of Dead Space 2 will come with an entire extra game—the formerly Wii-exclusive Dead Space Extraction. But the biggest coup for Sony in this department was when Gabe Newell came onstage to announce that Portal 2 was coming to PS3, and that it would be the best version due to having support for Valve’s Steam Cloud service. This is a very big deal, as Mr. Newell had previously been outspoken in his disdain for the PS3—a fact which he acknowledged when he thanked the fine folks at Sony for not repeatedly punching him in the face.
But Sony was well aware that exclusive games are the most important element to a console, and they did deliver in earnest. LittleBigPlanet 2 looked like an amazing step for the ‘Play, Create, Share’ genre, allowing gamers to create shooters, RPGs, party games, and even full-blown RTS’. Gran Turismo 5, probably the premiere video game racing simulator, has the most realistic cars ever committed to a game disc, and it is arriving in a 3D that looked much more impressive than Killzone’s (why they didn’t show it at the beginning is beyond us). Infamous 2 sees hero Cole on the run from everyone in the city, as they now see him as a threat and are rising against him—good thing he now has ice powers to go along with the lightning!
Everything previous may have been of uneven quality, but Sony sure ended their show right, at least by this writer’s standards. Two cabbies on-screen were arguing over the quality of some car combat series that used to be on Playstation. It had high-speed action and epic explosions, said one guy, but the other remained unconvinced and drove off. The former tossed away his cigar, and all of a sudden, ice cream truck music started playing. “Oh, no, they aren’t!” thought they average viewer. The camera closed on the cigar, and some clown shoes appeared behind it. A hand picked it up, and the camera slowly rose to reveal the face of... Sweet Tooth the clown, who promptly lit his hair on fire and said, “It’s good to be back.” Then a real live sweet-tooth drove onto the stage bearing studio head David Jaffe to tell us about the new Twisted Metal. That is how you excite your audience for your platform!
As mentioned, Sony had the type of E3 one would reasonably expect from most companies. There were some setbacks, and some great announcements, some ‘what were they thinking moments’ and some times of glee. But really, it all came down to the fact that they effectively portrayed their message of being an entertainment-for-everyone platform and just showed off some great games.
Nintendo
Finally, we have Nintendo. Serious gamers tend to approach their annual conference with some trepidation. After all, some years Nintendo has made software like Wii Music or Wii Fit the highlight of the show. While those titles deserve their time in the spotlight, they leave serious gamers feeling unsatisfied, disappointed, and wanting more. Nintendo seemed well aware of this fact this year, as there was no hint of their pulse-monitoring Vitality Sensor at the show. They later confirmed to VGChartz that, while it is still in development, E3 is not the platform to show such hardware.
With this in mind, outside of a few vague leaks and meatless announcements, we really had no idea what to expect out of Nintendo this year. So when the lights dimmed at their conference in the Nokia Theatre and NOA President Reggie Fils-Aime strutted onto the stage like the cat that ate the canary, we were cautiously optimistic. He started off by acknowledging just how crazy the industry got during E3 time, with all the new hardware shown off, and then segued into how the hardware is only important if it serves to enhance the gaming experience. Then, fully cognizant of his audience’s expectations, said, “Let’s begin with details on an experience you’ve been waiting for.” They then unveiled the game that many Nintendo fans have been clamouring for—The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword for Wii. After a video showing the game’s beautiful new art style, an image of Nintendo legend Shigeru Miyamoto appeared onscreen to instruct Bill Trinnen on how to play the game. When Bill ‘couldn’t get the hang of it’, Miyamoto said “Bill, that’s not right!” and literally hopped out through the screen to THUNDEROUS applause. Unfortunately, Miyamoto’s Wii MotionPlus controller was hit by wireless interference from all the journos streaming and LiveBlogging the event, preventing him from showing some of the game’s functionality. Fans were still undeniably impressed. This combination of software and showmanship defined the rest of the press conference.
Now, both Miyamoto and Zelda games are typically reserved for the end of a Nintendo conference, to finish with a bang. So what’s a journalist to think, other than, “If that’s just the start, what can they possibly end with?” As the show continued, Reggie introduced amazing game after unexpected game, all to the delight of the audience. The way they segued between each game was effortless and natural. For instance, after showing off the previously-announced Golden Sun: Dark Dawn for DS, Reggie remarked at how the term ‘Golden’ meant something completely different to most gamers, before revealing a remake of Goldeneye, one of the most beloved shooters of all time. After showing a trailer for Metroid: Other M, they remarked on how Retro Studios had made great Metroid titles, but now wanted to do something new with an old franchise. “If you listen, you can hear it coming,” Reggie smirked. The room went dark, and a few seconds later, we’re hearing the bongos and flutes that signified the arrival of a new Donkey Kong Country. The crowd went wild yet again. This cavalcade of new games also included a new Kirby, Disney’s Epic Mickey (with demonstration by Junction Point’s Warren Spector), Mario Sports Mix, Ubisoft’s Just Dance 2, and a party game aptly named Wii Party.
As each game came and went, this writer was thinking, “Ok, that was awesome, but that’s not something you would end with. What’s next? ” Mr. Fils-Aime summed up how, while revivals like Kirby, Konkey Kong, Goldeneye, and Metroid brought us back to the past, Nintendo also intended to fling us into the future, and brought it full-circle back to how the hardware must serve the experience. To this end, he introduced the world to the Nintendo 3DS, the successor to their current DS portable line. This didn’t exactly count as a surprise, as they announced such a system several months ago at an investor briefing, but they had only announced the name and some kind of 3D capability at that time. Nintendo President Satoru Iwata took this opportunity to unveil the system in all its glory, with the handheld rising out of the ground through billows of smoke. In order to show what the new system was capable of, they debuted the graphically-stunning, action-packed Kid Icarus —subtitled Uprising (fans have been waiting for a new entry for nearly twenty years). In addition to the expected touch screen, dual screen, and DS backward-compatibility, they announced built-in gyroscopes and motion sensors, a camera system that can take 3D pictures, vastly-improved technical specifications, and a top screen that can display both games and movies in eye-popping 3D without glasses.
Iwata then proceeded to wow the gaming press with a slide show showing a partial list of launch games for the new system. In the launch period, the 3DS will have such an extremely diverse lineup, including Resident Evil, Metal Gear Solid, Kingdom Hearts, Street Fighter, Professor Layton, Paper Mario, Animal Crossing, and Nintendogs, among many others. They clearly wanted to assuage fears that the console would launch with little compelling software, as no other console has ever had a launch period so jam-packed with quality brands.
They admitted that, due to the 3D nature of the console, they couldn’t exactly showcase it properly on a 2D screen. To that end, they showed a fan-service concept ad, in which first Iwata and then Miyamoto got sucked into a 3DS, and various Nintendo-related items (such as a Star Fox Arwing) popped out. Reggie picked up said 3DS, laughed maniacally as the two leaped away from obstacles in the game—that is, until Bowser came out of the screen and scorched him. Reggie then returned to the stage, clothes burnt, and brought new meaning to the term ‘silicon(e) valley’ when they trotted out a hundred beautiful booth babes, each armed with a 3DS, so we could experience the 3D effect for ourselves. If that wasn’t enough, The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword demo stations rose from the floor in a puff of smoke to give those in attendance an early chance to try out this hotly-anticipated game.
All this isn’t to say that Nintendo had a perfect show. As mentioned, there were technical problems with their Zelda demonstration. Games known to be in development for a long time, such as Pikmin 3, were no-shows. And with the hubbub around the phenomenal 3DS, it somehow slipped through the cracks that they didn’t announce a price point—is that a bad sign? However, the important thing is that Nintendo hit all the marks—they blew their fans away, showed promising new software for three separate platforms, and they wrapped it all up in a show that was equal parts entertainment and information. Nintendo pulled off an exceptional show.
Conclusion
So who put on the best show this year? Remember, the three main goals for any company at E3 are to showcase their software, present it in a way that highlights their philosophies, and show why their platform is the place for all your gaming needs. Microsoft showed software, for sure. Games like Halo, Gears, Metal Gear and Fable are all sure to be big hits for core gamers, and a well-marketed Kinect could give the 360 some momentum by opening up some new markets. Unfortunately, while Microsoft presented everything well, there were few surprises—almost everything they showed had been seen before. They also seemed unable to achieve their goal of providing motion games that appeal to all kinds of gamers. This is in stark contrast to Sony, who showed plenty of games for the Move that anyone can enjoy, though 3D probably didn’t make as big a splash as they were hoping for and their pacing was seriously uneven. For every Twisted Metal and Kevin Butler giving a motivational speech, there were long periods of talking about upcoming services with nothing shown, and their show really lacked a clear focus.
Nintendo’s conference, on the other hand, was succinct and to the point. They came out, knowing grins on their faces, and said “BAM! New game you’ve been waiting for! BAM! Classic revival you had no idea about! BAM! Here’s a whole new console with an amazing launch lineup that you can play right here, right now!” Of course, they weren’t without their share of hitches themselves, such as Miyamoto’s controller failing him in the middle of the Zelda demonstration. However, overall, it’s fairly clear that Nintendo had the strongest media briefing overall, having delivered showmanship, entertainment, information, and most of all, incredible new games.
But really, the conference this year was amazing all around and no one should be ashamed of their chosen platform’s performance. Amazing games for each littered the massive show floor, and each manufacturer has a strong forecast when it comes to developer support and new first-party initiatives. So rest, all ye gamers—the chaos begins anew on June 7, 2011!
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@Teo...
Here I'll write this just like you want so you can maybe understand what you read instead of looking like a complete moron when you reply. First of all if you reread my first comment over and over (I know it's hard for you to comprehend certain things when you read them the first time) you would notice that I mentioned I am NOT a Nintendo Fan Boy, I favor it the least and I prefer Sony above all else. Secondly if you couldn't understand my simple point that all the gaming companies use old titles from previous generations, and that Nintendo does indeed have many new IP's that they've put out this generation as you've ignorantly opposed, then you my friend have no sense at all. You should worry less about the way I chose to type and more about how you sound like the kind of fan boy nobody likes, the one that makes no sense what so ever.
Good luck in life my friend. =]
If you felt you were debating, I feel sorry for you as you never got the point across. Really though, go buy a Grammar book please. You make all Nintendo fanboys seem like they just learned what Grammar means.
@Teo
Lol And Your Debating Skills Are As Good As Your Comprehension. Good Job Getting Your Point Across Though, It Was Interesting ReadSpeaking To Someone who Had Absolutely No Idea What he Was Saying. Thanks Again Teo =]
Give up? Sorry but I never read a single post by you completely, your capitalization skills are as good as the Wii's software library.
of course Nintendo is the winner! : )
@Teo
I'm Glad You Gave Up Pal... ;]
@Curl-6
Don't Waist Your Time, Teo Obviously Doesn't Know Much About Games. He's The Kinda Guy That Blutters Things Out With Nothing To Back Himself Up With., But Then Again What Can You Expect From Just Another Fan Boy...
@Teo: See, when you start calling your opinion "fact" that's when you start coming off as a fanboy.
New IPs on Wii? Off the top of my head: Madworld, Da Blob, Zack & Wiki, Endless Ocean, Zangeki no Reginleiv, Red Steel, Trauma Team, Last Story, No More Heroes...
Not here to argue about hardware, go do it on a on-topic thread :)
@Teo
Why Wont You Answer Any Of My Questions.?.
I Asked you Slew Few That From The Get Go you Refuse To Answer...
And I Only Mentioned Motion Controls In 1 Sentence Mind You., It Seem's Your the One Who Fails To Read.
P.S.: Please Answer My Questions, I'm Dying To Here From The All Knowing Teo...
Oh fidiga, you fail to read again. All you talk about is motion controller changing the industry when it has nothing to do with software throughout the three systems. Nintendo has brought nothing close to 360/PS3. Simply a fact.
sorry i have to dissagree. one peace of hardware does not decide the victor. its about the support given to the hardware. i just don't see 3DS deciding the victor of E3. Move and PS3 showd more software so theres your winner.
@Oniyide: No Nintendogs? You might wanna watch the presentation again, my friend :-P. Nintendogs is the second game they announced for it. I don't care, though, Nintendogs is great.
And who really cares if there are games that other people like? You're still getting Assassin's Creed, Metal Gear, Resident Evil, etc etc etc...
with that being said, as much as I love the PS brand and Twisted Metal (finally) gotta give it to Ninty, they surprised me with games I had no idea about, even though Kid Icaurus looks like a N64 game right now, bring it. The 3DS has a bunch of games that are ports, but at least their core games, not a cooking mama or nintendogs in sight, great! no mention of the useless vitalty sensor either, hopefully they canned it. Yeah Ninty won this E3, SOny 2nd and MS besides Kinect was just boring
I think what Teo is trying to say is Ninty has not made as much new IPs this gen, outside of WIIwhatever, and he's not really wrong. I wouldnt say they are milking Zelda(they usually make one or two games per gen) like MS milks Halo. Sony has been trying to make new IPs at least (resistance, LBP, MNR, Infamous) so kudos to them. Yes Ninty did make motion controls that changed the game but lets be real, there some genres where that control wont work for everything (FPSs still arent up to snuff, and for fighting games forget it)
@Teo., No You Stated Your Argument That Everyone Of The Wii's 1000+ Games Are Rehashed From The Past Generations And I Showed You That The Biggest Titles On The 2 Systems You So heavily Defend Are Also Rehashed From Previous Generations. You Argued That They Keep "Milking" Their Zelda Games And I Asked You How Many Zelda Games Have Come Out On The Wii Opposed To Say Halo Games On The 360.?. You Mentioned That The Only Thing They've Brought To the Table That's New Is Motion Control And I Told You That's The Biggest Thing And Only Serious Game Changer That's Been Brought To This generation Period. And I Asked You a Question That You Blatantly Failed To Answer., So i'll Ask Again My Friend... Tell Me What has Sony And Microsoft Brought To The Table That's So Outstanding And New.?.
I've Taken Everything You Have Said And Turned It On You Completely., It Is You My Friend Who Lacks A Good Defense For Your Arguments.
ya Nintendo lol. So i was impressed by both sony and nintendo not really microsoft though...
@fidiga and curl-6
That list of games means nothing to me as I don't play FPS's or racing games, and I am speaking of new IP's, pointless to bring those games up. Changing the subject to a controller just shows how you have nothing to defend the wii by with new original IPs
@ Teo: Yeah, because Killzone 2, Halo 3, God of War 3, etc totally aren't the same last-gen gamplay with a coat of HD paint.. oh, wait... that's exactly what they are.
Not much wrong with that if you liked the old gameplay to begin with, but claiming Sony and Microsoft brought more new ideas to this gen than Nintendo is laughable. Sony's still using a controller from 1997 for God's sake.
@Teo
Oh That's Right., Because Microsoft Doesn't Milk Halo, And Sony Doesnt Milk Killzone, And They Both Don't Milk Grand Theft Auto (Oh And Red Dead Redemption Is Such An Original IP), And Grand Turismo Is Something That's Never Been Seen Before. Oh And Madden NFL And Fifa Aren't Like Any Other Sports Titles From Past Generations, and this Is The First Generation Theyve Ever Made A Star Wars Game Of Course, and ratchet and clank is sony's brand new idea for PS3 only, And The List Goes On And On., Yeah Your Totally Right, Sony And Microsoft Only Sell Games That Have Never Been Seen Before. Oh And They Definately Cant Stop Milking Zelda, Your Right, BTW How Many Zelda Games Have come Out on The Wii.?. More Than Halo Games On The 360 Right.?. Yeah Your Soooo Right. The 1000+ Wii games That Have Come Out Since It's Launch Are All "rehashed from other generations" and no other company has done that this generation. I Remember playing mario galaxy on my N64 as a matter of fact, and metroid is the EXACT same game all over again. Dude you sound like a fan boy with no sense at all. Nintendo fanboys are blind.?. No your blind. You say Nintendo has brought nothing new to this generation other than motion control.?. Well what has sony and microsoft brought this generation.?. Nintendo Is leading this generation with new Ideas like the Wii and the 3DS and sony and microsoft has no choice but to jump on the bandwagon and follow it's lead. You need to open ur eyes and accept the truth friend...
1st Nintendo
2nd Sony
3rd Microsoft
1st Nintendo
2nd Sony
3rd Microsoft
IMO
1st Nintendo
2nd Microsoft
3rd Sony
IMO
This Penny Arcade comic strip sums up the 2010 E3 conference very nicely...
www.penny-arcade.com/comic/2010/6/16/
Nintendo bitches... WE OUT!!!
I use to be a Nintendo "fan" with my Game Boy, N64, and Gamecube. I'm disappointed with all the current Nintendo fanboys who are s blind to what the Wii is. It is delusional to compare the 360/PS3 library of games to the Wii when all its' greatest games are rehashes from other generations. A system that fails to bring anything new besides motion control. They can't stop milking Zelda, which I use to love. I happily donated my wii to my niece who could probably find more use of it than I.
P.S. Not every (ex)Nintendo "fan" likes Mario and Pokemon.
@Teo
Boy I'm tired of ignorant people that claim nintendo has no hardcore gamers as fans. Now I'm no Nintendo fan boy., as a matter of fact I sold my Wii 2 months after I bought it, and I play my PS3 more than any system I own. Firstly just because a game involves shooting and HD graphics doesnt mean its hard core. A hard core gamer isn't someone who plays call of duty doesn't make them a hard core gamer. Hard core gamers are people who spend a huge amount of time on their video games. People who play WOW for hours at a time are hard core gamers, people who play Halo for hours at the time are hardcore gamers, people like me who buys every PS3 title just to unlock all the trophies and try to shoot for the best online are hardcore gamers, and people who sit at home and play mario and kirby and DK over and over are hardcore gamers. If your going to sit here and tell us that Nintendo have no "hardcore" games, then you my friend don't know gaming. People like you are just so bent on the success of the Wii with casual gamers (people who pick up wii sports every now and then to play with family when they come over) That you try to put it down and pretend as though true gamers are only on the 360 and PS3... Dude get your head out of your ass and except the fact that Nintendo has done an exceptional job this generation. I'm a huge sony fan head myself, but i'm not going to put a bag over my head and try and convince my self that Nintendo's Wii is for little kids and grand parents, I want to see you try and beat Mario Galaxy 2 without failing a few times.
Nintendo FTW
Just wanted to mention that GT5 is going to have the 'walk around your car' feature that was shown in Forza with Kinect
@Teo: "hardcore" =/= "teh guns and teh blud and teh bewbs in Haych Dee!!1!" It's simply a play mentality. COD and Halo are actually more casual than Zelda and Donkey Kong. Many, many peope who aren't big gamers play Halo with friends and little else.
Kirby's gameplay doesn't look very casual, with its potentially quite complex mechanics, and DK looks more less hardcore than say, Black Ops.
Way too much though on something that doesn't really mean anything.
Your understanding of the goals of the companies is flawed, and hence I feel your conclusions are inaccurate. You imply that the goal of the companies is to appeal to "us," with us being gamers that tend to trawl these forums.
That is not their primary intention at all. The sorts of people that that implies E3 are already going on these forums every week, all year. No, the goal of these companies is to transcend the usual audience that receives and examines each of their press releases, and appeal the the wider consumer.
Did any of them do this successfully this year? I'd say I agree that Nintendo still did that very well, announcing some very major selling titles. But Sony did nothing to gain mass appeal from a non-regular audience. Move was scarcely mentioned in the wider press, if at all. And their other major mass market push 3D was, as you pointed out, a major flop.
On the other hand, the next two nights after Microsoft's conference, Australia's leading Current Affairs program, that would normally only mention video games to accuse them of spreading violence, ran positive stories centered on Kinect and it's technology.
That was the goal, that is why Microsoft comfortably bested Sony this E3.
Hardcore players should shut the hell up and buy a pacman arcade.
No need to think about it, Nintendo wins as usual...
@Teo
Nah only shooter and action games are hardcore aint they? "sarcasm"
Ironically, Sony and Microsoft focused on appealing to new gamers while Nintendo focused on seasoned ones.
@Soriku
How can you say Epic Mickey, Donkey Kong, and Kirby are hardcore games? Most people that will buy these titles will be casual players, and list all those ports/possible ports for the 3DS is not making your point any stronger.
@TX109
Good job taking MY statement as a fact, when it was just MY opinion.
As much as I like reading short reviews and previews, when E3 rolls around, I wanna know what it's like to be there. This article gave me the best idea so far of what really went on in each of those press conferences, and what it felt like to be there. Enjoyed!
Even if the MS conference had polished games, as a whole, their event was totally boring, and even lame as far as I'm concerned. Nintendo's was my fave, and Sony's wasn't too far behind.
@ teo
yeah cuz Kid Icarus Uprising and Skyward sword are totally like their previous games. also know that this is an opinion.correct me if im wrong but the author wasnt trying to tell and convince people that Nintendo won. just a sharing of opinions.
OT: good read. i agree with you.
Nintendo is not the winner because they still lack any good hardcore gamer line-up. They had the best non-new IP line-up that fails to reinvent each game, except Kirby of course.
It comes down to what you are going to play, telling a Microsoft/Sony owner that some how Nintendo won is useless because they don't like those kinds of games. Works the same way in reverse.
With that in mind, you already know who won, the f**king one you own.
IGN was doing damage control in order trying really hard not to say the obvious
Nintendo won, that is a no brainer
Hunter_Alien: The new Medal of Honor is getting an exclusive character in the PS3 version, in addition to an updated version of the original game. In order to keep from dragging on, there were some details on some games I had to leave out in order to maintain a flow.
Glad people generally agree with me so far :)
lol, i had my fingers crossed it wans't going to be like IGN video I saw.
EVERYBODY IS A WINNER lol!
i approve this article.
Pretty good read... there are some mistackes ( MoH on the PS3 is actually getting a HD remake isnt it?) but overall I agree with the conclusions ;-)
