As a gamer of most platforms this generation E3 is a time for me to be excited, who will announce what, what type of new services are coming and what will cause the fanboys to tear the limbs out of each other using comment box sections. Having watched the first player to enter the arena i.e Microsoft I was left with a major feeling of underwhelmed shock.
It left more questions than answers and the desperate lack of new games being announced has to be a concern for anyone who follows the Xbox 360. I've read the reactions from the community across all forums and its not good and those who are defending the strategy that has taken place claim its all good from a exclusive standpoint because of Halo:Reach, Fable and Gears 3.
While I dont doubt the quality of these titles from what I have seen it just seems that it isnt enough for E3 which is a place for new announcements, to give people a clear indication of what the console has for not only the short term but long term. Microsoft seemed only interested in the short term and I'll explain with these points:
*Gears of War 3, Halo: Reach and Fable III have already been announced and should of been shown alongside other new games to complete the package of whats ahead instead of being the focus point of the conference.
* One new game announcement in terms of Crytek's exclusive deal with Microsoft. A very brief trailer was shown and no gameplay. One new previously unannounced title is not enough.
*There was no other game announcements apart from those featuring on Microsofts new motion control device. Why? Surely E3 is THE time to showcase what you have. A worry but its alright Reach is coming.....
*Its becoming more clear than ever and a worry with regards to Microsofts first party strategy this generation. They are lacking in this department and it is really beginning to show.
*Microsoft needs to focus on more than Halo if they want to remain comfortable, at the very least they need a bit more diversity in the exclusive range like Playstation.
Then we move onto Xbox Live, a strong selling point for gamers who want the best online console experience and what did we have for that?
*ESPN for Gold subcribers.
....Thats it. No new update which going by years past is due soon and not even a hint of one in the press conference. Once again underwhelming.
Finally we have Kinect, the Xbox 360's answer to Wii and Sony Move. Most of the games did not interest me and although I respect people who do have interest, the device and its software left more unanswered questions:
*Where was Milo? The presentation that left many talking about it a long time after last years E3. Was it a smokescreen? An impressive showing last year but this year was no where to be seen? Hmmm...
*Why was the main focus on games that are designed for younger audiences and so called casual gamers? Surely Microsoft should of known that a large majority of hardcore players who are their bread and butter were skeptical of Kinect and judging from the reaction, hardly any of them will want to get involved in the games shown and probably expected two or three games to focus on their needs.
*Why no confirmation of the price?
I could go on but as you can tell Microsoft failed to impress me and I suspect many others on Monday. Many blogs and sites dedicated to gaming were suggesting this was one of the biggest E3's of all time, if that is the case Microsoft should really study the reaction of the gamers across the board and while I could be wrong, would it be so harsh of me to say there is a majority of negativity? Halo or no Halo, move past that and you will find despite third party support, 2011 is looking weak and is a concern.
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meh
I think MSFT had a good showing. They demo-ed more of games for Kinetic. The price is all but confirmed.
The only thing there were missing was more core games for Kinetic. Having Forza Kinetic Compatible is a good sign. Perhaps the other Software was not ready. Last thing they needed was another Natal flub.
Me thinks the core gamer was not the target audience for E3. I think they were trying to show that MSFT also has kids games....A LOT of kids games
If Kinetic works as they demoed on Stage, I may be considering replacing my stolen PS3