Long Form
E3 - Highlights of a LONG Day of Press Conferences
The first, yet unofficial day of E3 was a jam packed adventure, with press conferences from Microsoft, Electronic Arts, UbiSoft and Sony.
While each company had their pros and cons, one thing became clear - for those of us who play games, 2014-2015 will be an amazing time.
After the jump - my brief thoughts on each press conference, along with my picks for the best looking games shown so far!
I’m not going to try to recap each press conference for you - there are better teams to do so.
Personally, I love Polygon’s coverage, so that’s who I’ll be linking.
The Press Conferences
Microsoft: After a very rough 2013 E3 press conference, where the company seemed unsure of the focus of the Xbox One, and if they wanted to be a video game company or a media service, their 2014 Press Conference was - refreshingly, almost all about games. That said, while there were some very strong looking Xbox One exclusive titles (Sunset Overdrive) and some great looking third-party games shown (yeah! Rise of Tomb Raider!), I didn't walk away feeling like Microsoft delivered the key game - or games - to make someone an Xbox owner. Halo and Crackdown are great for existing Xbox fans, but nothing grabbed me as a "must have" from their press conference.Electronic Arts: Oof. EA had a rough hand this year. On one hand, they showcased many potentially great sounding games that are currently in development. That said, most of their games showcased were very early in development, and in turn, it was hard to get excited about anything tangible. I am quite excited for Criterion’s multi-vehicled racer (which is yet to have a title - like I said, it was early in development), I know the Mass Effect fans were excited to see that a new game is coming, but honestly - the big deal was tossed out early - Star Wars: Battlefront will be a license to print money. Savvy move with the Battlefield: Hardline beta giveaway, though.
UbiSoft: UbiSoft’s press conferences always feel odd to me. Perhaps it’s because their games are showcased similarly in the Microsoft and Sony press conferences, making UbiSoft’s feel unnecessary. That said, fans of their franchises should be excited as the new installments of the Assassin’s Creed and FarCry franchises are certainly aimed to please.
Sony: Wow. I realize I may have an innate bias, as I am a PlayStation 4 owner, and in turn, Sony’s my dog in the race, but boy did they ever come out swinging last night. TONS of incredible new games were showcased, and while yes, many aren’t Sony specific, Sony is locking in exclusive content, or a period of timed exclusivity, or being the only console for certain games. In an era where game developers need to be able to branch out beyond a single system to remain profitable, it’s smart to pull together these kinds of deals, and the PlayStation 4 looks to flourish over the next year. They’re clearly going all in on Destiny, with an exclusive alpha period (starting this week), having the beta first (in July), getting exclusive content, and even releasing a special bundle. I certainly hope it pays off, as Destiny is the game I’m most excited for so far this gaming generation. But that wasn’t enough, oh no. They showcased an extremely wide breadth of games, from A-List third-party games (Batman: Arkham Knight), to console exclusives (Uncharted 4 was teased) to remarkable indies (No Man’s Sky), and even a commitment to original programming with the announcement of the PlayStation-only Powers series, due to hit PSN at the end of the year.  There truly was something for everyone, even if moments - especially the Vita and PlayStation Now discussions - floundered.
So, what did I like?
A LOT of games. But I'll try to keep the embedded trailers to my absolute favorites.Sunset Overdrive is the first Xbox One exclusive that has intrigued me.
After loving the reboot, I am very excited to continue with Rise of the Tomb Raider.
Star Wars: Battlefront is going to be HUGE. And beautiful.
By the team that created Journey, ABZU looks like a can’t miss.
Yeah, I am 100% in for Destiny in September.
Holy hell. LOOK AT HOW PRETTYÂ Batman: Arkham Knight is!
Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain continues to look fantastic.
And finally - from a team of just four people (Hello Games), No Man’s Sky isn’t even a game that I knew I wanted, but now that I’ve seen it, it’s the only thing I think I want!
It’s another long day of gaming announcements today, with the big press conference being digital only - from Nintendo. Here’s hoping we have another day of awesome game reveals. It’s a good time to be a gamer!
Tuesday June 10, 2014