There once was a time where E3 was a massive media event, with metre-high displays, big TV screens and of course, booth babes ;) So it came as a bit of a shock to see that not only was this years gaming showcase in two separate venues, but that both were pretty small compared to last years media blow-out. Don't get me wrong, just having an E3 is a great thing, but it's lost some of its wow-factor. However, now that the live orchestra and scantily-clad models are out of way, we were able to focus on what the event is really about - the games! And we needed that too, seeing as Gamespot barely managed to squeeze all that gaming goodness into their live show (which was awesome, thanks guys). So, two weeks after E3, the cards have been thrown down and in the aftermath of the event it is time to make a judgement about this year's E3 and its participants.
Microsoft - to be honest I was disappointed by Microsoft's show this year. We were treated to a nice musical ensemble at the beginning but by the end of the show it was clear that Microsoft weren't quite as on top of things as last year. The list of games was long but nothing special; mostly third-party titles which will appear on other platforms. Mass Effect and Bioshock seem to be the only good exclusives that Microsoft will have after Halo 3 comes out. Yes, they managed to nick a few exclusives from Sony, but they forgot to actually get them exclusive to the 360. Halo 3 is getting old and has been relied on for far too long, so I won't surprised if Microsoft keeps paying off publishers to forgoe their PS3-exclusivity and go multiplat. The good news was that Microsoft announced a warranty extensions (well, really a product recall in the guise of a warranty extension) which, unsurprisingly, was followed up by firing Peter Moore. So I think it's safe to say that it hasn't been a great year for Microsoft.
Sony - Sony were personal favourite of E3, because they have obviously been hard at work rectifying the mistakes and missed opportunities of last year. We were treated to some lovely-looking first party games, including Little Big Planet, Heavenly Sword and Drake's Fortune, which, to be honest, look damn great. The Home preview was interesting, and it's nice to see that Sony are developing their online community (the fact that Playstation Online is free is enough for me, but I wouldn't turn my nose up at a 3D online community). A UK price-drop would have been very welcome, but you can't have everything. Oh, and one little thing - Killzone 2 was very impressive, even in it's pre-pre-alpha state. Good things lie ahead.
Nintendo - To be honest, I can't really make up my mind about Nintendo's conference. We were shown some exclusives, which look pretty good, but nothing ground-breaking - unless of course, you call Wii-fit ground-breaking. To me it's an overpriced electronic weighing board. You have to give it to Nintendo though - they sure do know how to market to the mainstream audience. If this new direction is good news for hardcore gamers, though, is something yet to be seen.
In conclusion, E3 2007 wasn't quite the E3 of 2006. Everything was smaller and less extravagant. But to be honest, it still did the job. As a result, I now have 30+ hours of game videos and interviews on my computer, and let's face it - if you can take all that away from just one show, you ain't doing bad.