Yeah, I know, all the hatred toward the Xbox One must be getting pretty tired now (and with all due respect, I commend the Xbox fans who put up with it), but with E3 having passed, I thought I would weigh in my thoughts on E3 and what may come from the rest of this very young generation.
Microsoft's E3 conference was... not bad. It truly was not. People demanded games from Microsoft, and while I hate to admit it, that's what Microsoft delivered. Games. Lots of them. However it's not all ups from here. Titanfall, for instance, is also coming to PC and won't be exclusive for longer than a year. Killer Instinct is not being made by Rare (whether this is good or bad is certainly debatable) and the indie support is nothing short of abysmal. Only two indie titles were confirmed for the platform and one of them was a port of Minecraft, a game already available (console) exclusively on the Xbox 360.
In the end, Microsoft was able to give their fans and pretty much anyone looking forward to buying an Xbox One some good software to look forward to. But as someone who used to be a big Xbox gamer, I cannot say I am one of those people. Microsoft could announce the next Zelda game for Xbox One and really would not matter for me. I've made my stance clear; I will absolutely NOT put forth any of my money toward an Xbox One, or any system that employs such horrid, anti-consumer restrictions and obvious potential risks to user privacy. Until these restrictions, DRM and always-online features are removed, the Xbox One is completely irrelevant to me.
Sony's platform on the other hand, is brimming with enthusiasm. While Sony seems to have put the Playstation Vita on the backburner by marketing it mostly with PS4 games, the PS4 itself has a plethora of content from new and established franchises, such as Knack and InFamous. Indie support is ripe on the system, with at least twelve indie games confirmed for the platform and supposedly a large supply of big name devs and publishers generating content for the system.
Furthermore, while I am disappointed in Sony for putting online multiplayer behind a pay wall and omitting backwards compatibility, it's good that they have taken a far more passive approach to DRM, pleasing whichever scumbag publishers that desire it, but omitting it for their own games. Furthermore any and all sorts of always-online or mandatory logins and camera-type devices are non-existent (though I believe there is an optional PS4 EyeToy). The PS4 is not ideal in every respect, but it's definitely shaping up to be a much, much stronger and more robust console than its seventh generation brethren.
Nintendo's E3 was pretty safe, to say the least. Its only surprise, in terms of games this year, was Donkey Kong Country Tropical Freeze, already a disappointing announcement given that fans were led to believe the project was something much more epic. Though on the flip side it was a relief to hear the game was coming out this year.
Nintendo's Best Buy Experience proved to be decent to me (I already have a different blog on that subject if you would like to read my thoughts on it). With some nice looking (if inessential) games coming out this year, Nintendo fans at the very least would have some nice reasons to own a Wii U. Gamers without a great deal of brand loyalty or interest in older Nintendo IPs may want to hold off until after they have gotten a PS4.
Nintendo's future with the Wii U really feels uncertain to me. I really can't figure what will happen since the Xbox One's constantly dwindling reputation since its unveiling. Wii U has an opportunity to bounce back from its post launch funk of January and onward.
How it all fares in the end is up to the public consumers out there, but as far as I'm concerned, this generation is between Wii U and PS4. I will not ever purchase the Xbox One in what is expected to be its current form, especially not at the abysmal price tag of $500. I will gladly take a more powerful console with far fewer restrictions (PS4) and weaker hardware with Nintendo franchises (Wii U).
Now then, your thoughts?
Press Start writes: "There’s a lot to like about the new Forza Motorsport, then, but there are a few things that hold this title from back being truly excellent. While significant improvements have been made to the experience of racing when it comes to visuals, physics and audio – the AI drivers are a different story. Almost entirely unpredictable at times, the AI will consistently disrespect the racing line, side-slam your car and even brake check you during races."
If you're among those who wanted to play Diablo 4 on PC but have been holding out for a Steam release, the wait is almost over following today's announcement.
I was initially interested in this as it looked externally closer to Diablo 2 than 3, but it does seem like the game is not a great single player action rpg I was hoping for. If you take all the press and whatnot hype out of it, is this really any good, for example compared to Diablo 2 or Grim Dawn? The latter has not been as addictive and interesting for me as Diablo 2, but maybe it will get better as I progress. I'm looking for a 100% single-player side of this.
I got the sorcerer to 82 and I thought it would be good similar to diablo 2 but the thing is it is boring. All the dungeons feel the same, the loot is uninteresting you find unique, you pick it up and you continue without looking at it because you know its probably bad and not very different from what you have. You never feel powerful unless you make The Build everyone is using on internet
ESTNN writes: "The Season 7 "Rise of Darkness" trailer for Overwatch 2 also gave us our first look at an anticipated Sombra rework."
I thought E3 this year was great, but then again, the E3 prior to the launch of multiple next-gen systems is typically full of excitement. I mirror your thoughts on all three conferences: Sony listened to the fans. Microsoft tried to distract us with oooh-shiny-games!, and Nintendo phoned it in with the safest, most predictable announcements of all time.
What was your game (or games) of the show? Mine was probably MGSV.
Good post
Some of my thoughts are the following:
This E3 should've been really awesome, but it was so full of conflict that it was hard to sit back, relax, and enjoy the show (this is my opinion, others may feel different). I was disappointed that I couldn't just focus on the games, that issues like DRM, used games, and online requirements were center stage.
For every shining moment (like The Witcher 3), there were endless consumer issues that were further in the spotlight. It will be hard to leave the Xbox brand after putting so much time into it (all those achievements...sigh), but it's really a question of what I want to see in the future. They haven't given a good, gamer-centric reason for many of their policies. Maybe the industry will end up where Microsoft wants it, but I don't want to give 500 dollars of my money to MS's scheme as long as there are other reasonable options available.
Hell, even games left me worried when I could focus on them. Like I mentioned above, The Witcher 3 looks amazing, but, for me, it is doesn't have a lot of company at the top. Thief has me cautiously optimistic, but for every good thing I hear about the continuation of the franchise, I hear something that is made to appeal to an audience that doesn't care for the series to begin with. I watched Splinter Cell go further down the action-oriented drain. Practically every hardcore Ubisoft game looks the same with a different title slapped onto it (gameplay mechanics, artistic design choices, etc.). You might disagree with that particular statement, as many others probably will, but I stand by it and can provide examples if need be.
While I should've loved this E3, I'm more worried about gaming than excited at the moment, particularly which developers/publishers are going to cater to the hardcore gamers, the true fans, and which ones will throw them to the curb to try and attain Call of Duty-like sales (which never happens, but they don't seem phased by that). I also have less options as a gamer, with one console maker imposing strict rules to use their system.
I'm excited about new games, and worried about new games. I'm excited about new consoles, and worried about new consoles. Too much conflict with this E3.
Sorry for the long post Poprocks, but you clearly asked for some thoughts.