E3 Overview: Day Zero

Jeremy’s Overview:

Microsoft’s Hits:

The New Xbox 360
I have to admit, I’m pleased to see a renewed commitment from Microsoft on the current generation. I always had a bit of a bone to pick when the previous gen systems were dropped like an ugly baby. Especially if backwards compatibility is becoming a thing of the… past. Hey! I was still playing with that!

Sunset Overdrive
Yeah, it was just a pre-rendered trailer of cartoony parkour with Resistance aliens, but I believe that Insomniac Games has a vision here, and a pretty strong one. As someone who liked Brink, I feel like a mashup of nonstop traversal and Insomniac’s penchant for weird weapons could really be something special.

World of Tanks
Did you know World of Tanks is huge? It’s huge. I know it’s huge. And it’s probably fun. But darn it if I could just never get interested… until I saw it at Microsoft’s presser. I don’t know what it was, but my inner child suddenly looked up, pointed a stubby finger at the stage, and remembered “HEY! TANKS ARE COOL!”

The Retirement of Microsoft Points
Glad to see those things go. Why abstract your currency and force you to carry a balance all the time? To be SHADY, that’s why. And that little symbol was dumb too! >:( Anyway, they’re getting rid of them. So that’s a positive! 😀

This also gets the award for “most genuine applause of the press event.”

The Desert Bedouin from the Future…
Really pushed my Dune button. Hard. Possibly my favorite moment of the presser.

Microsoft’s Misses:

…who was actually Master Chief.
Poo. I mean, yeah, Halo is cool. But what if that had been a brave new IP? So deflated.

Project Spark
Hey, it’s not that I have a problem with Project Spark. I like me some god games. A lot. What bothered me was the presentation. Microsoft Studios GM Dave McCarthy was pretty clearly talking over a pre-recorded demonstration video. I fully believe that interesting procedural fun can be had with Project Spark, but the stage demo left me feeling empty inside. Well, emptiER.

Titanfall
I want to give credit where it’s due, but Titanfall is really going to need to sell me on why it deserves my time or money more than any of the other multiplayer shooters out there. It’s made from bits of half a dozen other similar games. Show me that you’re more than the sum of your parts. (I’m looking at you too, Destiny.)

Xbox  One, No- Four Ninety Nine
$499. I have NO PROBLEM with this price on its own. It’s a bargain for what we can expect to get out of  (Unless you’re outside North America, in which case… ouch.) I bet you they didn’t plan to be 25% more expensive than the PS4 though.

Sony’s Hits

PS Three-Ninety-Nine
Amazing. Undercutting Microsoft by a hundred bucks, with very reasonable non-North American pricing. Friendly suggestion: Pre-order this one, because I suspect it will be very supply-constrained just on the price factor alone.

Used Games
I have never seen such a shit-eating grin at a corporate press event as Jack Tretton during the moment of impact when he announced that Sony would not be changing its policy toward after-market sale of software.

Le Gameplay
Actual gameplay footage from Batman: Arkham Origins, Watch_Dogs, and Assassin’s Creed 4. None of these were new announcements, but it was nice to see something a more organic demonstration of several of the games at Sony’s presser.

The Order: 1886
Yes, this one is just a trailer, but the game is being created by Ready at Dawn (who made the excellent God of War PSP games) and Sony Santa Monica. That fact alone should be enough to get all your attention. Plus the steampunk aesthetic (which typically doesn’t interest me) and general badassery just LOOKED great. The Order: 1886 was possibly the best unexpected game announcements of the event.

Indies
It’s great to see that the people with the most creative freedom in the video game space are able to self-publish in the next generation of consoles. This refreshing initiative has been a great move for Sony on a couple of levels. I want to play Octodad.

Sony’s Misses

PS4 Design
Hey, that sure looks a lot like an Xbox One. Which looked a lot like a VHS player. OK, so it’s a box. Seems pretty compact though.

Vita Who?
The Vita got a few mentions, and is shining a bit of reflected light from the PS4 (Remote Play, Gaikai PS3 streaming) but it feels like the Vita was slightly snubbed at this event. I’m not worried at all about the library of games currently (or eventually) available for the platform, but it would be nice to see some promotion, especially if the price is staying the same. At least TRY to sell it on the value proposition!

PS+ Required for Basic Online
Yeah, this has always been my biggest beef against the Xbox. And you, know, I want to stick by my principles… but it’s so hard when they load you down every month with other benefits. Honestly it helps when you really feel like you’re getting something whether or not you’re a regular online gamer. But I thought I should mention it anyway.