And so we conclude the Super
Bowl for gamers, E3.
Also known as the Electronic
Entertainment Expo, E3 is where the hottest soon-to-drop gaming titles and
hardware are announced. The ultimate showcase for what's become a $65
billion-dollar industry.
If you didn’t have a chance
to tune in to our 17 hours of live coverage on Spike, let me give you a quick
and dirty recap of everything you need to know.
Microsoft - Xbox
"This will be the biggest
year for games at Xbox.” We saw the
announcement of numerous games, including but not limited to the
much-anticipated Halo 4, Splinter Cell Blacklist, Dance Central 3, FIFA ‘13 and
even a new South Park game.
A lot of Kinect integration
with games and a push in voice recognition on Madden 13, FIFA 13 and Splinter
Cell.
Halo 4 gameplay was
off-the-charts amazing. Post-show, a Microsoft lead told me they even set of
the seismic alerts at USC during a rehearsal.
Microsoft is also pushing the
Xbox as more of a content and entertainment machine. They announced the
addition of 35 content partners, from Nickelodeon to ESPN to Univision. We also
saw the add of notables such as Amazon Instant Video.
One of their biggest
announcements was SmartGlass. The app basically connects your mobile or tablet
device to your Xbox. Surprisingly, SmartGlass is not proprietary to Windows and
will also work on iPhones and iPads.
Internet Explorer will also
come to Xbox. Google TV anyone?
As we've known since March,
there would be no word of a new Xbox console until next year.
Nintendo
Nintendo obviously had the
most at stake with the highly anticipated Wii U. They wisely held a pre-E3
announcement showcasing a few details on the GamePad (controller for the Wii
U), managing to beat Microsoft and Sony to the punch. But overall, most were
disappointed with the takeaways.
The Wii U- one part tablet,
one part console - failed to awe. Here are some of the specs:
• Wii U hardware supports two
separate gamepads
• GamePad works with your
fingertip or stylus
• Control pad and four way array
• Analog sticks
• (2) trigger buttons on the
backside
• Infrared transceiver
• Accelerometer
• Rumble feature
• Built-in camera and
microphone
There was also a push to a
more immersive Wii Fit, which will be backwards compatible with the Wii U. They
noted “sweating more” and this got me excited. Then they showed a Wii Fit
demo, and I was embarrassed for them. I could have yawned and burned more
calories away than I would've with the example they showed.
A few new games announced were
Pikmin 3, Super Mario for Wii U and Zombie U. But then, with games like Batman:
Arkham City, one has to wonder if someone is really going to buy a game that’s
already been out again just for the Wii U console.
I did like the addition of
Miiverse. A more social approach for Nintendo, Miiverse allows users to connect
and send messages to each. However, messages have to be approved in order to
keep it clean. Uh, delay anyone? Iwata noted “I think 30 minutes should
be acceptable.” Thirty minutes!? In a world of instant gratification that’s like
10 years!!
In short, there was a lot
unanswered at the Nintendo press conference. Sure, we know its going to be a
connected entertainment device with the likes of Amazon Instant Video, YouTube,
Hulu and Netflix. And yes, we get that it has a second screen tablet. But
I think there was a collective nod that everyone wanted to see more and dive a
little deeper.
Sony
A number of game
announcements. Quantic Dream’s Beyond:Two Souls and Naughty Dogs: The Last of
Us wowed fans.
They also balanced the
presentation out with Wonderbook, an augmented reality book/accessory to be
used with a new game called Book Of Spells (from J.K. Rowling). Wonderbook will
allow integration for the Sony Move as if you were a Hogwarts student
performing spells.
They also introduced
PlayStation All-Stars Battle Royale (think Super Smash Bros). The game was
demoed nicely on stage, but for an amount of time that just seemed endless.
(Dear Sony, We are all are hyperactive. Get to the point.)
Sony also announced
cross-play functionality between the Vita and PS3.
No word on a PS4.
EA
Sports
This was one of the smoothest
press conferences, so I wanted to showcase a few notables.
Infinity Engine showcased for
Madden 13. Real-time physics for the first time ever in gameplay. I had a
chance to speak with Andrew Wilson, EVP of EA Sports, who told me it added a
more immersive and real game play than has never been done before
SimCity (dropping in
February) also looked pretty sweet. And there was a lot of excitement
around Dana White and the announcement of a new UFC game.
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EA had a solid presentation with new features on Madden and Fifa but nothing got more excitement than an announced partnership with UFC and a Dana White appearance.
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Success! 17 hours of live programming! |
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We celebrate at an amaze Spike party at the rooftop of the standard with waterbeds!! |
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I can't wait for Pikmin 3! Here is my own version ;) |
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