Well, E3 is over. It looks like it was a huge hit and for some a huge miss. I didn't get a chance to talk about the other two competitors and their showcase (read my earlier blog on my Sony opinion) so here is my two cents...
Nintendo:
They did a great job this year. I am still not sold on the Wii and the remote. I think it will be fun, but I feel that it will be more of a social gaming console akin to a very interactive board game you play on your TV. I will need some palying time with the system to really give my opinion.
What Nintendo showed though was a fantasic display of fun game play. Quirky titles such as the concert game and the drum game looked genuinely fun. The tennis game and most of the interactive demos they showed looked playable and fun. The smiles on Reggie's face was priceless.
The Demos for Zelda looked good. Still need to try the controller to see how it all comes together. Mario looked good. As for Red Steel, eh. It didn't blow me away- as none of the graphics did. I know Nintendo's stance this generation is about game play, not game looks, but it still matters, at least to me.
I was once a huge Nintendo geek, but the loss of third party support and lack of mature games have pushed me in otehr directions. This showing has peaked my interest enough to check out what Nintendo is selling. If the price is right ( I am hearing more in the $200 range), I think that it could be a good companion to whatever system floats your boat.
All in all, Nintendo did what it needed to do this E3. Get gamers excited and wanting more.
Microsoft:
I am an early adopter. I latch on to systems if I think they are cool and worth the amounts of money asked. I sometimes get burned over this fetish, but I usually have a good time with it. I was one of those early adopters of the Xbox. I had a N64 at the time and was truly exasperated with the lack of mature games and I was drooling over the kinds of games Sony had. I vowed that the 64 was my last Nintendo console and I would purchase the PS2 next. (I know, I know- I could have gotten the PS1. But at the time I was poor ass broke and college bound. I could only afford one system and I was in Nintendo's corner). Anyway, I was saving up for my PS2 when I caught wind of the Xbox. It sounded great and it seemed much beefier than the PS2 in terms of power. I was so intrigued and hesitant to get burned again, I decided to wait this one out to see what Microsoft had to offer.
The more news I read, the more I got excited over the Xbox. I made up my mind and got the box and have been loving it since. I've played the PS2 since and it just didn't feel right. Xbox graphics and Live were really what sold me and made me an Xbox fan.
So here I watch the conference from Microsoft and I knew that XBLA and Halo were going to be front and center. Live Anywhere was a cool concept that I think will further distance MS from both Nintendo and Sony. Aside form what I knew, it was business as usual for MS. Peter Moore did a great job in hosting the event. The electricity from the conference was great. Same with Nintendo- good buzz and a sense of fun that was sorley lacking from Sony.
Gears of War demo (I need to have that game now) looked amazing. Showcasing the games the way they did gave them a bit of the upper hand in this generation of consoles- against Sony. The announcement of GTA4 on its launch day was a huge shocker. The Halo 3 teaser was amazing, but didn't show much. Graphically, it looked great, but we've seen that from Sony. I have faith in Bungie, but tech demos are what they are.
If I had to pick a winner, it would have to be a tie. Sony coming out the biggest loser. They felt so disconnected from the audience, that I feel they have really dug themselves in a hole. It isn't one they can't climb out of, but it will be a struggle with more than a littel dirt on them. The stakes are high in this round for the living room and they stumbled- not worrying too much from the other two.
Nintendo and Microsoft tied for first. I think Nintendo eeks out a bit here in the short term with the amount of positive buzz they generated for the Wii. It has people talking and I think their target for the casual gamer is spot on. The problem with the casual gamer is that they are casual. They may buy the system and perhaps 3 titles, closeting or pulling out the Wii for special occasions. I guess in those terms, it's the amount of consoles they sell with a decent attachment rate that will ultimately prove their success. I believe that Nintendo may get out of the console business and focus more on their handhelds and IP. Look for Mario and Metrod Prime making their way to another console in the future.
Microsoft did what they had to do. Generated excitement, showed off games, gave a glimpse of where they were heading and most importantly, showed their console as a very even priced system. The accessory route is working for them, especially with the 2 SKU model Sony borrowed from them. It's a shame for all the Sony folks that they didn't include that model from the beginning. It looks like that may bite them in the end.
Well, that's what I have on the big 3 at E3. I have read and watched a bunch of demos coming out and it seems that this holiday and beyond will be a banner year for gamers. So many good looking titles- no matter what console you buy it will place a large strain on your bank accounts.
Load Comments