Closing Thoughts

During last years E3 show, we were introduced to Project Natal. Now known as Kinect, we were shown some cool motion control, virtual painting, and Milo. With Milo, interaction with a virtual person in a virtual world. Emotion recognition, voice recognition, and recognizing the user were all aspects of Milo's tech demo. But what I found most incredible, was the instant recognition and transformation of a real world object into a virtual object when the girl handed Milo a drawing. Peter Molyneux at the time stated that this was a dream of his, and that last year, they had demo's of Milo for people behind closed doors. This had me incredibly excited for the potential and applications of Natal in future games and even possible applications on the computer (eventually). So when E3 2010 came around, I was really excited for Microsofts Press Conference. If Milo is what they had ready for last year, just imagine what they'd have ready for this year! E3 has come and gone and my impressions of Microsoft Press Conference? Disappointing. To me, it was arguably one of the worst of the Big Three press conferences ever (although not topping Nintendo's snoozefest of sales stats a few years ago). Here's my thoughts explaining why I feel this way:

* No Milo - With Milo being the highlight of Natal's showing last year, I figured it only natural they'd have a lot more to show of him. He wasn't even mentioned. Peter Molyneux was asked about him, and apparently he responded that Milo was "sitting it out in a booth this year." If Natal/Milo was Peters dream come true as stated last year, it's very peculiar he didn't make a showing this year. Molyneux has a history of overselling and overpromising on products, so has he done the same with Kinect? I hope not, but again, time will tell.
* No Official Kinect Pricing - Microsoft didn't announce a pricing structure for Kinect nor games for it. I'd figure that at max, they'd price Kinect at $99.99 with a game bundled with it. Nearly everything they've shown, this year as well as last year, has been geared towards the casual gamer (and more on this point later). The casual gamer, or their parents if younger, aren't going to be spending a ton of money on an accessory to a system. Retail projections, and even Microsofts own store, have placed Kinects price point at $149.99. That's simply too much. For $199.99 ($50 more) they can get a Wii system with games and controls for one person. To use Kinect you have to have a Xbox 360, at least $199.99 more for the upcoming Arcade equivalent of the Slim 360. I just think that is way above what a casual gamer will pay for a new technology with doubts as to how well and for how long it will be supported. Nintendo is fully behind the Wii, and casual gamers/parents know that Nintendo won't leave them high and dry. That uncertainty can play a big part in the decision to purchase. If Microsoft is really smart, they'll introduce Kinect at $49.99-$59.99. I highly doubt they'll go this low, but Kinect I believe would fly off shelves at this price. They need to get high penetration of Kinect quickly, given how close to Christmas they're launching it. The casual gamer/parent is very price conscious, especially the way the economy is currently. Should a parent get the Kinect, a 360, and a few games that are unfamiliar names and no ones played before (highly doubtful that many would get to play them between November 4th and Christmas)? Or get a Wii and a few more games that are very recognizable (Mario, Zelda, etc.)? I think the choice is clear.
* No Official Kinect Game Pricing - Related to the above, no pricing mentioned for Kinect games. Retail projections have the games priced at $59.99. This, again, is simply way too much. Considering at least one of the games was going to be a free download Arcade game (Joy Ride), this pricing seems a bit outrageous if true. Consider at most (with few exceptions), first party Wii games are $49.99, and third party are $29.99-$49.99 new. PlayStation has stated that first party Move titles are to be priced $39.99, although big titles such as Killzone 3 I doubt will retail for that. My guess is they mean Move only controlled games. But with that pricing structure, if true, could see Microsofts games sitting on the shelves through the Christmas season. Hardcore gamers are more likely to pay more, but little was shown, and virtually nothing for launch, that a hardcore gamer would be interested in.
* No Hardcore Gamer Titles - Pretty self explanatory. True that Kinect seems geared for the casual gamer, but they could at least demo'd something for the hardcore gamer, or promised at least one launch title for them. I read somewhere that it takes a hardcore gamer to tell the casual gamer what's really 'cool and interesting,' and I believe that true to a degree. Especially the employees of the stores Kinect is going to be sold in. If they're "blah" about the games, it's going to be really hard for them to show or convince customers that they'll really dig and enjoy Kinect.
* Launch Date - They've got the launch date awfully close to Christmas. They're going to have to do some major marketing blitz and have demo units in stores well ahead of the launch date to get customers interested. November and December are crunch times when it comes to shopping for Christmas. Not a lot of time for sitting in front of the TV. Shopping, wrapping gifts, working longer hours to afford Christmas, school semester ending, etc. all add to the bustling season. Microsoft should have put a date closer to September like PlayStation Move.
* Lag - As most gamers know, lag can be killer in games. From what I was able to tell, there's substantial lag in some of the demos shown. Half a second lag can make or break a game. They really need to get it under control.
* Nerfed Specs - What I mean by this is Microsofts decision to pull the processor out of Kinect and have it run off the 360's processor. Not only does this put a strain on the 360, but it also saps what has been estimated to be at least 20% of the processors power. That's 20% less processing power that could be dedicated to graphical processing, speed, and other miscellaneous game controls, including the aforementioned lag. I also wonder how 'whisper quiet' the fan will be once it's processing the Kinect. And with the lack of a processor, if the higher $149.99 price rings true, it makes it that much harder to swallow.
* Minimal Slim Changes - Yea, they made it smaller and added Wireless Networking built in, but I had hoped they'd make it more on par with what the PlayStation 3 had; ie a Blu-Ray drive and a non-proprietary hard drive. I figured the Blu-Ray drive was a long shot, but user replaceable hard drives I don't think is too much to ask.
* No Dashboard Announcements - I had hoped they'd announce further Dashboard improvements, especially since they shut down the original Xbox Live service. Seamless integration of Zune (so you don't have to see the Zune splash screen and so it doesn't take you out of your current theme), a web browser, clan support, more than 100 friends, getting rid of the 'grey bubble' at the bottom of most themes, etc. could all be welcome improvements they could introduce in a Dashboard update. But no mention of one whatsoever.
* Natal Concerns - It'd been nice to see them address some of the concerns people have with Natal/Kinect. Like mentioning how one can control the game once one gets fatigued, how much sitting down affects games, controller usage an option with games, etc.
* Overall Show Performance - This is really hard to quantify, but a lot of the show just seemed fake. The actors, the forced excitement of the presenters, the lack of any audience interaction with the Kinect demos, just made it seem really 'fake', forced, and uncomfortable.

I was really hoping for a lot more from Microsoft. The Press Conference left me disappointed. I don't seem to be alone in this thought, but this blog is my thoughts so I won't mention anymore of what others have thought of their performance at this years E3. I figured Natal/Kinect was going to be center stage for Microsoft this year. But I didn't think it'd make such a weak showing. I still think it has a lot of potential. Not only for Xbox, but other uses as well (such as an Operating System option, artistic programs, general PC usage). I just felt that this years showing made me feel that the past year that developers had to work on Natal/Kinect has been wasted. This may seem a bit harsh, and I do understand that there's probably quite a bit that they didn't show. I'd just like to see Microsoft have something that really makes it stand apart from the PlayStation and the Wii. Right now Kinect just seems to be a little more than Move sans controller, and a high-def version of the Wii.

I still prefer my Xbox to the rest, and enjoy the games on it moreso than my PlayStation and Wii. I'm just not nearly as excited after this years E3 as I was last years E3. That being said, I think this is the end of my first blog. Comment as you like, and I apologize if it seems overly negative. I do think my concerns are valid and warrant addressing, but maybe things aren't as bad as I'm seeing. As I've stated before, time will tell.

Mooplaid

Microsoft 2010 E3 Press Conference

Call of Duty: Black Ops

They opened up the conference with Call of Duty: Black Ops. Odd that they started with a third party title. The announcement of DLC first is interesting, but I'm not sure how much it will help attract gamers to the platform. It didn't seem to help all that much with the Grand Theft Auto franchise, and they payed quite a bit for that exclusive window. Time will tell.

Metal Gear Solid: Rising

Next up is Metal Gear Solid: Rising. When I first seen this, I thought "Sweet! This will be a really good exclusive!" but come to find out, it's also on PlayStation 3. Again, odd that they show a third party title if it's not exclusive. The swordplay does look cool. And is that Gordon Freeman from Half-Life that he's slicing up?

From here on it's stated that all titles shown will be exclusive to Xbox 360.

Gears of War 3

Now to get things in gear! Cool four player coop. It's looking good! New being able to play as a female, again cool. Interesting plant like creatures reminding me of "Feed me, Seymour!" ;P With a new enemy being enemies to everyone, I wonder how many "Mexican Standoff" moments there will be? I've always found such moments in games to be a lot of fun, especially if the enemies truly will attack you as often as they attack the other enemies. Uh oh! A worm-like Lambent spits out out a large monstrosity. It's...it's...

Rosie O'Donnell!!!

Firing at it but not doing much damage, they run away and try to nuke it from orbit (the only way to be sure now!). Hiding behind massive doors in a base, they wonder "Did we fry that 'female dog'?" Massive pounding on the door soon answers that question. Rosie...erm, the creature...leaps on top of the wall, then in the base as the camera goes black. Are they doomed? We shall see!

On a side note, the creature does also greatly resemble D'Compose from the Inhumanoids cartoon from the '80's. Interesting, no?

Fable III

Peter Molyneux talks of the setting and storyline of Fable III. Announcing it will release on October 26th, he shows a video. It does look interesting. I had wished he'd show some of Kinect's (formerly Project Natal) controls for it, but that will have to be shown at some future date.

Codename Kingdoms

A live action trailer for this Crytek game has me curious. Showing several different warriors, it makes me wonder what type of game it's going to be. My guess is a third person action game, but maybe perhaps a strategy title, hmm? I think that'd be cool. But time will tell.

Halo: Reach

They show some campaign footage. Yes! I was hoping to see some campaign info. And it sounds like the Spartan that's we're watching is female. They did mention that you'll be able to customize your Spartan and have it carry across all modes. And space combat! That does look really cool. It's a campaign only feature which some might balk at. I think it's a good idea, as gives players incentive to play the campaign whom might otherwise just be interested in the multiplayer.

Kinect Zune Controls

They talk about Kinect and how it will enhance your Xbox experience. Using ones hand, they can sign in and manipulate the dashboard. They further mention you can even use your voice to control your Xbox. They show controlling Zune movies and music. Hopefully you'll be able to control any and all videos and music that are on your system or accessible through Media Center. Interesting, although I think most Xbox users have better tastes than to have Justin Beiber on their Xbox. ;)

VideoKinect

They demo video chat using Kinect. They show being able to watch videos together, in this case the trailer for "The Last Airbender". As an aside, they also mention "Avatar: The Last Airbender" game and people using it just to boost their Gamerscore as one could get 1000 points in just a few minutes time. I thought that was really funny how they put that in there. I can say I've not done so. Like the girl demoing the VideoKinect states, my Gamerscore is legit. but there are quite a few who have. I do think it's cool that you can watch stuff together. Hopefully you can make the movie fullscreen. They also show the tracking of the user by Kinect. You can also talk to anyone on the Microsoft Live Network. Video chat anyone in the world for the price of a year of Live? Yea, pretty neat.

Another aside, I did notice Bing on the bottom. Are they finally going to add a browser to the Dashboard? Let's hope!

ESPN Sports

I'm not much of a sports fan, but I can see how this would draw a lot of people in. Encompassing over 3500 events, it does seem quite a lot. They do fail to mention NFL coverage, and that's a huge draw (at least in the United States) for many. I'm not sure how that will play out. They demo some Kinect compatibility with ESPN such as replay and choosing sides on a team. I will say that it does seem that these guys are more excited and have more energy and fun in their presentation than anyone else during the entirety of the press conference. It seems to put the mood of the whole Microsoft Press Conference in perspective.

Kinectimals

One of the launch titles, a little girl demos Kinectimals, playing with a tiger cub. This game does look excruciatingly cute. :) I can see it doing well with kids as well as fans of such games as Nintendogs and the Petz series of games. It will have 40 different animals. From the screenshots given it looks to be mostly wild animals. Curious if they'll have domesticated animals as well.

Kinect Sports

Showing hundreds of avatars in an audience, the presenter gets 'em all cheering and such. They soon demo, eventually, hurdles. It does look like it has a bit of lag however. After the race, the people demoing the game walk off and the presenter starts clapping while the audience has little reaction. I just get the feeling that the audience isn't really into it so far. It just seems like and that Microsoft is trying really hard to rally the audience but failing miserably. Kinect Sports comes off to be a HD version of Wii Sports basically, albeit with more events.

Kinect Joy Ride

Originally Joyride was to be a game free for Gold members, but now looks like that is no longer the case. It is now a launch title for Kinect. It looks like a cross between Mario Kart and Cruisin' USA. I do wonder how long it'd take for ones arms to get tired holding them out like the lady demoing the game. It ends with the presenter clapping again and the audience seemingly less than thrilled.

Kinect Adventures

After commenting how the presenter looks like Lorenzo Lamas (and getting more response from the crowd than the presenter), the guy demoing the starts dodging and reaching out while riding on a platform on rails. Here the lag is really noticeable. Hopefully they're able to minimize that by the launch date. They also show a river rafting type of game. Two players are cooperating to jump and reach different objects. Working together they'll be able to reach more distant targets.

Your Shape: Fitness Evolved

This 'game' shows more of Kinect than anything they've shown during this press conference. Kinect scans the presenter, and gets her measurements and height. It is odd, that during the Ubisoft conference, it shows her as two inches shorter. In this one it shows her as 5'8", and during the Ubisoft event it shows her at 5'6". This minor difference does raise some doubt as to the accuracy of Kinect, but it also disproves a theory among some that this game was 'prerecorded' and the presenter just went through the motions making it look like it was real. If it was prerecorded, both shows would show her at the same height. So while it does raise some concerns about Kinect, it does prove this was a real demo.

Going back to the game, such as it is, I am curious why it doesn't 'skin' her avatar using the camera. It just shoes her as an orange figure. Again, the lag is pretty noticeable. I do see though, that this game could be really popular with those that intend to use Kinect for a workout. It also has combat training, and I could see people wanting to learn that. Even though it's an exercise game, it'd be neat if it could teach you judo or karate moves. Just to be clear, they don't show such training in the demo. I'm just thinking out loud here. :) And as one who's had to go to physical training for an injury, I could see a possible use of this game to help motivate one to work through the pain.

Dance Central

I'm not into dance games. However, a lot of people are. DDR and such games have done quite well. Heck, Just Dance has outperformed Call of Duty in Europe. So this game could do quite well. The presenter mentions that there will be a mix of **** like pop, hip hop, and r&b **** from artists such as No Doubt, the Beastie Boys, and Americas favorite hermaphrodite, Lady Gaga. Though that last artist makes many (including myself) want to shout "Noooooooo!!!" like Vader at the end of Episode III, having No Doubt and the Beastie Boys is a smart move. They mention having many choreographed moves, including some from the music videos the songs are from. That does sound cool. Just imagine, dancing to the "Safety Dance!" Bring on the Renfest and let's boogie! :P Or even Michael Jacksons moves, but...later on something shown puts doubts on whether or not you'd be able to dance such moves in this game. Another presenter comes on and starts dancing to the game. I feel sorry for the dude because you can tell he's going to be put in YouTube videos for the foreseeable future. :P I mean at times he looks like Michael Flatley dancing to the songs. The lag isn't as noticeable as in some of the other games, but it is still there.

Kinect Launch Details

They state that there will be fifteen titles at launch which is November 4th. Unfortunately, no details on price given. They do also show a Star Wars game, but it won't be available at launch. It looks cool enough, using the Force to move tanks and such. However, when using the lightsaber to slice into Stormtroopers, it looks more like you're knocking over cardboard cutouts than slicing into an enemy. Whether this is due to it being an early look at the game, or LucasArts tendency to show minimal gore remains to be seen. Nevertheless, a Star Wars game is what I think a lot of people have been hoping to see on Kinect/Natal.

Forza III

Next they show some driving of a Ferrari and an intimate look at one using connect. It says coming 2011, so how far into 2011 this will be patched into Forza III is unknown. Will it be an expansion? A patch? Time will tell.

360 Slim

The 360 Slim is finally unveiled. Everyone knew this was coming, so it was good to see it finally unveiled. A bit smaller than the current Xbox, it's a glossy black design reminiscent of Alienware computers. Looking like the design mainly caters to the standing upright, it is capable of laying horizontally. Sporting a 250 GB hard drive and integrated wireless networking (finally! And Wifi N to boot!), and coming in at $299.99, it definitely has some advantages over the Elite that it's replacing. The presenter states it's also whisper quiet, I have heard reports that this isn't the case. There are conflicting reports, so until I hear one spinning up a disc myself, I'm on the fence.

Closing Thoughts

Unfortunately due to size limitations, my thoughts must be mentioned in my next blog.

Until then, may the Schwartz be with you! :D

Mooplaid

Hello everybody. This being my first blog on Gamespot, I do realize that 'everyone' might just consist of one person but hopefully that won't be the case. Maybe I'll get three views! Anyways, I thought I'd provide my thoughts and such on Microsoft's press conference. I do hope and plan on doing so for all the press conferences given, which consists of Nintendo, Sony, Microsoft, EA, and Ubisoft. Konami gave one however I've only seen snippets of it. We'll see what I can get to and such.

First off, I'll give a short little insight into the author of this blog. I love gaming. I have ever since I was but a wee Mooplaid sitting in front of the 2600 arguing with the family over whom got play Pac-Man or Outlaw next. I've amassed a pretty good collection of games as well as systems. I used to play a lot more in the past, but of course having a job and responsibilities and such precludes some of that from happening as often as I'd like. I play when I can, and I play to have fun. I don't 'boost' in games as that just doesn't feel right to me. Fun is my main motivator.

I enjoy strategy and role playing games the most as I tend to think a bit when playing games versus memorizing where gun spawns are and camping our player spawn sites. I do enjoy shooters, don't get me wrong. However I mainly play campaigns or cooperative modes when I do. On the rarer occasion that I do play multiplayer in a shooter, I again play to enjoy myself. If I die, I die and if I take a few people with me, all the better. Those that know me know to keep away from me if I have a rocket launcher in my hands. ;) Be it friend or foe. hehe That's how I approach multiplayer in shooters. I find the idea of practicing constantly to get to spawn points quicker and such or getting all bent out of shape when your ranking is affected to not be in the spirit of a true gamer. Some may dislike me or dismiss me for those views, but I am entitled to them, just as they're entitled to their opinions.

I have nearly all the gaming systems. Of the current generation, I enjoy playing my 360 the most. The time I've played my PS3 combined with the Wii doesn't even come close to the time I've spent playing my 360. I consider myself a Xbox fan moreso than a Sony or Nintendo fan. I'd not consider myself a fanboy, because I do realize each has their strengths and weaknesses. I also tend to differentiate the companies from their respective consoles. They each have their place in the market currently. I guess I'm hopeful that Xbox comes out on top primarily because that's the one I enjoy the most.

I also work with gaming. No, I'm no developer. I wish. I work in the retail end of it. I have for quite a few years. I'm the most knowledgeable (overall) gamingwise at my job (in terms of the store(s) I work at), and that has been the case ever since I've been working in retail. I know many customers well, enjoy talking to them when they come in, and getting them excited over new games coming out. So suffice to say I'm pretty good at recognizing what customers want and enjoy.

There's a lot more to me and my gaming habits. However, that's a short primer on the gamer known as Mooplaid. :) That hopefully allows you to see where I'm coming from and understand a little bit on my viewpoint when I talk about subjects. Oh, and I do like to joke around a bit and be sarcastic at times, so hopefully that's not a bother to anyone.

Ok, that's enough chatter; on to the Microsoft Press Conference (in the next blog due to space constraints). In doing so I am going under the assumption that most of the readers have seen the briefing. If you have not, it is available to view and download right here on Gamespot. Keep in mind this is the briefing (other than Konami's) that I was most looking forward to seeing.

Mooplaid