E.G. Impression: The Big Three Press Conferences @ E3
Microsoft
It’s no secret that last year’s E3 was a cluster-fuck for MS. At least for me, I felt MS was struggling with what their focus was. Were they trying to appeal to the hardcore? How about the casual? Or were they trying to appeal to the casual-core? Or is it really hard-casual? It was all over the place.
What a difference a year makes. Simply put, MS seems to have their shit together. They presented themselves as a confident, coherent, and matured gaming company. Since 2001, MS had to struggle to make themselves a viable name in the gaming industry. The Red Ring of Death Syndrome of their 360 systems did not help their reputation. Nearly ten years of growing and learning has netted MS the experience to put their bid in for industry leader and have their critics take them seriously. The MS conference has really demonstrated that the future is truly bright for the 360.
First and foremost, the software is the most important of any gaming conference, and MS delivered in spades. Beatles Rock Band, Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2, FF13, Crackdown 2, Left4Dead 2, Splinter Cell: Conviction, Forza 3, Halo 3 ODST, Halo Reach, Alan Wake, and arguable the best of all, Metal Gear Solid: Raiden have all demonstrated a commitment to the hardcore. I thank you, MS.
MS didn’t stop to impress with just the software lineup. Improvements to the NXE was presented in the form of partnerships with Last.fm, Facebook, and even Twitter. If that wasn’t enough, full HD movie downloads and LiveParty show a promise of streamlined multifunctionality. These are announcements that prove MS has a clear view of what they want to do and who they are in gaming industry.
To cap it off, MS wanted to show their versatility by also appealing to the ever-growing casual market. MS was correct in their summation that controllers are the barrier for most non-gamers getting into games. Project Natal presented a plausible future in interactivity completely devoid of plastic peripherals. Motion tracking and voice recognition opens a worlds of possibilities. Furthermore, Project Natal shows the promise of truly bridging the gap between the casual and the hardcore. “Impressive” is an understatement for me.
I was a reluctant supporter of MS until I saw their press conference. MS has the plan and the means to lead the industry to places unimagined. I can’t wait.
Nintendo
I have made my peace with Nintendo. My hopes for them to appeal to the hardcore in me have long been gone. For the last couple of years, Nintendo has made it clear that the hardcore is no longer their core audience. Their bank is fed from the casual, and, understandably, that is where their focus should be.
My expectations were very low for Nintendo. As I watched the press conference, I saw what I expected: more pandering the casual. What I didn’t expect is a flicker of hope for the hardcore in me. The announcements of new Mario games and, the bomb, a new Metroid made up for the lack luster presentation that I have come to expect from Nintendo.
Super Mario Galaxy 2 is impressive not only because the predecessor was impressive and that more of awesome is very much welcomed but also because it is the first time Nintendo as decided to a direct sequel of a Mario game on a single system. As for Metroid, the fact that it is another reboot of the series in a mixture of 1st and 3rd person perspective is exciting. However, the fact that this new Metroid is developed by a third party developer makes it more exciting. The fact that this third party developer is Team Ninja makes this announcement explosive.
Not to downplay the announcements of the Wii Motion Plus, DS software, the Vitality Sensor, etc. but these announcements were either already known, confusing, or simply boring.
Although Nintendo hasn’t shown a change in their focus on the casual, they did show that they have not forgotten about the hardcore. For me, that is enough to keep me happy.
Sony
The mighty have fallen. Hard. Sony had ruled the gaming space for nearly a decade and for two console cycles. As a result, their third effort, PS3 had massive expectations laid on it right out of the gate. So far, the progress report is not glowing. Being 3rd place is a fall from grace and a slap to the face. E3 is the opportunity to show the industry that they still have what it takes to come back from Hell. For the past three years, at least in my opinion, Sony had fallen short of the promise of a comeback.
This year, although not a complete failure, is a few short steps back from what could have been for Sony. Software-wise, there was not much to cheer for in my eyes. There were plenty of non-exclusives that were impressive, but the exclusives were few in number or not shown at all. Hardware-wise, PSP Go is one of the worst kept secret in the industry. Furthermore, the design leaves a lot to be desired and the $250 price point doesn’t make it any more attractive. As for the motion-controller, Nintendo should consider legal action for infringement. Simply put, it paled in comparison to MS Project Natal and seemed more of a glorified Eye Toy.
Sony didn’t deliver in my opinion. It seems very likely now that PS3 will stay in 3rd place for the coming year and Sony doesn’t have enough in them to pull themselves out. Let’s hope I’m wrong.
-jj
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