Nintendo A+ Sony B+ Microsoft C Nintendo showed about a half dozen games that are each going to sell a bajillion. Sony showed that they are working towards improving, based on their renewed support for PS2 and PSP, plus the Greatest Hits line and one (final?) SKU for PS3. Microsoft showed great games. But, they didn't do anything to show that they're going to do better business than they're doing now. You don't get the belief that they're going to: A. Catch Nintendo. B. Stem Sony's gains. C. Grow business.
This isn't a gaming event. It's a business event. Besides, most of those sites have paid subscription services. It's probably them doing some business - if you want the "quality" stuff, pay for it.
Nintendo A+ (What retailers, after seeing that, wouldn't want to be selling those products. What investers would doubt the future of that company)
Tylendal
That's the closest to correct. Nintendo = A+ Sony = B Microsoft = C It's the E3 Media and Business Summit. Not E for All. If you want to see "hardcore" games, go look at 1UP.com. Nintendo made the best media and business decisions with their conference, showing about 6 or 7 titles that will each sell several million. In addition, they showed investors that they're going to continue to do what has made them #1 and hugely profitable. Sony showed the potential to do big business with unique titles, continued support of the PS2, one (final?) SKU for the PS3, continued support for the PSP, and the Greatest Hits line hitting the PS3. Microsoft did a great presentation for gamers, yes, and they showed excellent support from Netflix and NBC Universal, but you don't really get the perception that they're going to, not only catch Nintendo, but really do anything to stop the rise of Sony.
The Gears 2 footage CRUSHED the Resistance 2 footage. Look again at the 2 - deeper. Never mind that it's absolutely impossible for Hale to have survived being thrown by that Leviathan. Just look - the squad he was with did absolutely NOTHING to combat the Leviathan. They just stood there to let Hale attempt to bomb that thing. Also, there just weren't enough pyrotechnics going on. It was a boring-looking battle. From a logical standpoint, you would think that there would be a lot more done to battle the Leviathan than just watching one guy try to take it down with a rocket launcher and assault rifle - hasn't Cloverfield taught the director anything? Gears, on the other hand, was very action-packed. Lots going on. Lots of pyrotechnics. Lots of logical action. For a pair of games that are coming out at about the same time, Gears looks way further along and looks to be the superior game at this point. Maybe Resistance can flip that, but only time will tell.
You need to master the art of punctuation, my friend. Anyway, my "best" E3 moment - for an E3 that just officially started today - was watching Sony's financial charts and data illustrated in LittleBigPlanet. That was very clever and very enjoyable.
Well that's the problem with the "new" E3, it's more about impressing the industry (particularly the retail side) than impressing the fans. So rather than seeing MS, Nintendo and Sony try to one-up eachother by making the biggest splash, we get a bunch of presentations trying to convince the guys at EB/Gamestop, Best Buy and Wal-Mart to buy a couple hundred thousand more units of X, Y and Z. Why bother hyping the new Zelda when you can hype a game like Wii Sports Resort that will not only sell millions of copies on its own, but millions of Wii Motion Plus adaptors?
PBSnipes
It's not called the E3 Media and Business Summit for nothing. If they want to impress the fans, they'll go to E for All.
The hardcore fanbase is too busy putting up Smash Bros Brawl fansites and writing Marth/Ike homoerotic fan-fictions to even care. Nintendo is a business about making money, and they've pretty much put up about a half dozen titles that are each going to do crazy bank for them. Did I want to see something "hardcore"? Sure, I want Punch-Out!! But, that doesn't eliminate the fact that Nintendo's got to make money, and this is their best way to do so. Did I like their press conference? Not at all. But, they're still going to sell a bajillion games this year. Besides, "hardcore" games like Metroid Prime 3 didn't sell on Wii. Why should Nintendo put their faith in the "hardcore" when they've (we've) already proven that we don't buy the games, while the "casual" do at a rate of 4:1 (looking at Prime versus Wii Fit)?
While Guitar Hero and Rock Band are both superior music games, I wouldn't be surprised if Wii Music outsells them both combined. And that's a shame, because Wii Music doesn't look that great at all. Especially in Japan, where Rock Band isn't even out and Guitar Hero doesn't sell - Wii Music will probably sell more in its first week than Guitar Hero III did in its lifetime.
Yeah, Nintendo dropped the ball. But, to play Devil's Advocate, they showed at least 6 or so games that are each going to sell a milli+. I was watching the press conference and just thinking "wow, that's a complete waste, but it's going to sell a bajillion" after pretty much every game announcement.
Nintendo doesn't really have to do anything besides what Microsoft did last year - announce games that you'll be able to play (mostly, sorry GTA IV) by the end of the calendar year. Nintendo is already #1, and it looks like they're going to stay there. They don't really have to prove anything to anyone.
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