Another e3 as past and the big 3 spoken (some better than others). My thought are :
Microsoft - Good enough Conference. They kept referring to PS/360 games has exclusive, but meh, because I will laugh in 360 face when I buy it for PC. Conviction and Alan Wake sparked my interested enough for me to consider a buy( Not sure if Conviction will hit PCs).
A MGS was announced for 360, PS3 and PC as we ALL know. This is isn't that big of a blow as SW is saying it is. We get to play the game, the game isn't made my Kojima (he said it will be made by the new blood from kojima Productions and the he won't be involved), and it isn't in the main storyline of Snake.
Then we get to what was consider the High Point of MS conference : Project Natal. I wasn't impressed by what they showed in the conference, I was impressed by the potential that thing has. Not the motion sensing part because, IMO that was meh. I don't see myself with my arms and legs flailing around the room like in that fighting game from the trailer.
I was impressed by the AI behind Mylo (The Pedophiles Dream). That kind of AI, combined with voice recognition software, will be very good with game like fallout. Instead of selecting the line of speech you want, you will ask whatever you want (that and some motion sensing will make games much more interesting).
Now, I doubt MS will follow that route, simply because the casual route is much more appealing, easy and more profitable. If they follow the Hardcore appealing route...kudos to them I am getting a 360.
My prediction is this : MS indeed will be called a pioneer in this kind of AI (not int he motion camera because, lets be fair here, Eyetoy was doing it in PS2 and it had voice recognition too. Ps3 has a camera that can do similar things. The problem is that this software was not supported.), but by the time MS figures out that Hardcore players matter, all the other companies will be doing it too. So I thing Natal won't bring much in the near future.
Nintendo - Aside from some good DS and Wii games....snorefest, not to mention dumbass hardware like that Vitality crap.
Nintendo needs to feed it's gigantic ego so they like to talk alot about sales and how they have the whole thing under control and how much the rock with casuals and hardcore players....
Wii fit plus? with just some more exercises extra? That justifies a full game price tag? Srsly... go **** yourselves. And the Wii motion plus is what the Wiimote should have been FROM THE START!
But not all was bad, they announced Golden Sun, KH and FF for DS and Super Mario Galaxy 1.5...I mean 2 and Metroid : Other M....the rest of the games were just more mario. This might be good for some people, but to me? No thanks.
Sony - I came to the conclusion that Sony and MS are the ones that know how to do an appealing conference.
I was impressed the second the god damn initial trailer was aired. Now that's what get people excited. Right after that what did they do? Showed games, without delays, crappy numbers or superficial corporal bullcrap.
As expected Uncharted 2 got more applause than all the applause combined for the other 2 conferences. I had to change Pants twice. MAG seemed like a good enough game for me to buy and play with friends.
Then we get to the PSP... so many games were showed for PSP...the PSP go was announced... They called some numbers (which is necessary after all). I guess this is a very good year for PSP and I might have to get one after all. The amount of games that were showed impressed me. The Kojima came to the stage and Peace Walker was announced. I guess this was the part were 360 fans got kicked in the groin : Kojima stated and REstated that this is a true MGS game and this game he will be DEEPLY involved with it, unlike the other MGS. So he pretty much said that 360 won't be getting a true MGS game... IMO I think this is kinda well...unfair but what can I do?
The we get to the PS3 Motion controller.... I have to admit I was skeptical towards it...after all I want PS3 not Wii with pretty graphics. But then they showed how it works and I guess I already have a PSeye so half the equipment I is in my possession.
I remained skeptical, but then the tech demos were showed and the damn thing actually worked. I think that what made me less skeptical about it was the TYPE of tech demos they showed. They actually showed tech demos that could easily be transformed in games. The arch segment was MUCH better than the Wii's and the sword play was indeed much, OH SO MUCH more precise then the Wii's. I mean the buy was adjusting the target's head with the tip of his sword...he actually did it! And he could use a god damn shield!!
What made me "like" this motion controller was very simple : the tech demos they presented showed that they were aiming the controller to a more "I want to slash bodies with high details" audience. And that makes me tingly inside. I don't to jump across the room to smack balls. I want to separate heads from bodies with dynamic cutting!
Then we were showed even more games. To keep it short I will right further down what games I liked the most.
I liked the Sony conference more because they showed more games than all the others. After all, games is what matter. Although MS conference was CLOSE second.... so close I give kudos for MS for Project Natal. I really hope they don't screw it up.
So this years e3 was AWESOME! Not only the the big 3 conferences but the GS live stage show was also very good. I was very happy with the amounts of quality games that were showed.
Games that made me change my pants :
* God of War III
* Assassin's Creed II
* Uncharted 2
* The Last Guardian
* M.A.G: Massive Action Game
* Ratchet & Clank: A Crack in Time
* PixelJunk Shooter
* Star Wars: The Old Republic (twice actually)
* Army of Two: The 40th Day
* Borderlands
* DJ Hero
Uncharted 2 beta :AWESOME!!! I will write a more detailed blog when the beta ends or when I feel like it. For now all I can say is that it's a very nice change of pace from all the other online games. It's fast but not, frenetically fast and using tactics and cover is mandatory or you will die in 5 seconds if you are in the open.