Overall E3 thoughts and analysis
 

I've now seen and watched all the main conferences preceding E3. That means we've really learned the bulk of what we are going to this week. In light of that, I decided to sit down and write down my overall feelings for what I've seen, and welcome you all to do the same. It's hard to put this kind of content into any of the console specific threads.

Sony: Of all the things I saw, I think I was most excited for the Greatest Hits line of PSP games. I've had that thing for a year. Now, I can maybe pick up a game or two for it. The idea of being able to play PS1 games on it seems kind of neat on paper, but this generation of games really didn't age well with me. It was a huge leap from the previous generation, but we're very far beyond them now... I think revisiting that lacks the nostalgic feel of the Virtual Console because we've had access to these games on the PS2... but who really uses that? Outside of a few big games, there's very little here to me that's worth revisiting... but it's a nice ability to have.

Looking at some of the forthcoming games for the PS3... all I can say is "Man, they sure are pretty"

That said... outside of that kind of nifty looking card battle game, I didn't see anything I've not played before. That's okay... and I think there's room for bigger faster and better looking in this generation, but none of the games really blew me away. Outside of the sure lock that is MGS:4, I don't see a gauranteed system mover here, but it's hard to really make that judgement without getting some play feedback. Then again, the PS2 didn't really have a system seller at launch, and it did fine resting on its laurels.

The tilt sensing in the controller reeks a bit of throatcutting. It seems like a poorly done attempt to steal the Wii's thunder... but I don't think it will work on a large scale. Seems like a gimmick, and I doubt you're going to see much using this at launch... and possibly not all. It is pretty old technology, so I don't see it as devastating or all that bastardly, but it smells desperate to me... though I'm not sure what Sony needs to be desperate over. With the 100 million users and their name recognition... they'll be fine.

I don't think the price point is as ridiculous. I broke it down in the Sony Conference thread... but with accessories and all the added features... The Sony machine can come off as a bargain... IF you want a Blu-Ray drive. It's not a dealbreaker for me personally, but I can understand why it would be for some people.

I do not own an HDTV yet... but I most certainly will by the end of the consoles lifecycle. So the HDMI output makes it worthwhile to me to move up to the premium unit if I choose to do so, but the lack of two HDMI seems like a minor loss to me. I can't envision having two HDTVs in this console's lifespan... but who knows. Overall score: Moderately interested

Nintendo: I'm a fan of the Big N. So my thoughts here will be colored with that. I wasn't psyched to see that almost nothing was announced for the GBA. It must be heading towards the end of its lifecycle.

The Wii really does look to be, for lack of a better word, revolutionary. I didn't see much, outside of spongebob, that I wouldn't at least give a try to. Everyone playing with those things sure looked to be having fun.

I've never really been into Metroid or Zelda, but I'm a huge fan of Mario, so the new Mario game looks really good. Even Metroid and Zelda might become infinitely more playable with the new control scheme. There was nothing here that seemed revolutionary as a game in and of itself, but the controller opens up so many possibilities to make old games new again.

The failure to announce a price is a missed opportunity to strike a big blow at the other two... but maybe this goes with N's strategy that they're not competing with the other two?

I would have liked to have seen some more examples of their online plan including an interface, a look at the Virtual Console.

In fact they skirted around pretty much all questions about technology and power, which kind of fits with what they've been saying... but after watching the PS3 and Xbox demos, some of the games look almost like N64 technology. I'm not big into graphics, but they do pale in comparison. I know we were told to expect that... but I guess I wanted something on Xbox-like levels, at least. It's early yet, and we may see that when these games get some polish.

Overall Feel: Excited. Very excited.

Xbox 360: I owned an Xbox this gen, and didn't really have it very long. I've kind of been bouncing around in my head between this and the PS3 as my "big" console in the forthcoming gen, but other than the price, I can't see any reason to consider switching. Now that price is a big factor... but once I save that 300 bucks, or 200 bucks, or whatever, what am I going to play. I don't really do FPS games, so Halo 3 isn't my speed. Unfortunately, this conference should have basically been called "Hey, we still have Halo."

The GTA announcement seemed big, until we discovered that it's not really exclusive. That might have been a swaying factor for me... but some additional content isn't really enough to me, at least.

Live is where this console is powered by. Should Sony totally botch its online plan, This might be enough to put Xbox ahead.



Overall: I'm still getting the Wii first. And I'm still getting either the PS3 or 360, but I don't think enough was answered here... nor do I see the game that I have to have to make that decision. It almost comes down to the format war, and I can see myself holding off and waiting a year to see how next E3 goes to make a decision. If I had to choose now, I'd go with the PS3... but its a free country, and I don't think I have to make that decision yet.

Nintendo impressed the hell out of me. It was all about the games, and that's all I want consoles for. Tons of games coming on the DS and Wii (and even GC) that I can't wait to play.

Sony and MS showed some interesting stuff, but nothing that impressed me too much. Looks like I'll have an easier time than expected going from owning all 3 this gen to only Nintendo's next gen.

Gotta say Nintendo impressed me too, Xbox 360 has a very exciting future, The ps3 is pretty disapointing so far, the graphics arent much different then what we are playing on the xbxo 360 right now, they are no where near the kill zone 2 graphics they were promising and trying to say that that was in game footage. the controller is dissapointing too, the tilt feature looks like it was done crappy and I think it was a dumb idea to include a half ass thing just cause Nintendo is coming out with a new controller, Plus 600 bucks is way to much for me.

Oooh, where to start.

Sony -

Im a big PS3 fan. I love my ps2 and all the awesome RPGs and Adventure (GOW) and Fighting games available on it. If PS2 had a Xbox-Live service working 100%, id never even want a PS3. But alas, the PS3 is just a gaming powerhouse. Ontop of Blu-Ray films which intrest me a lot, it has the true online capabilities we're all Hoping it says. If its anything like Xbox-Live, they'll have a true winner on their hands. The system comming with a Gigabit ethernet tells me that they have great plans network wise. I was overjoyed when they did the demo of the controller. For one, sony listens to their fans. You know, the people who buy their hardware and software. They didnt like the boomerang and they gave them something very familar, and just upgraded it. 100% Wireless, standard USB re-charging along with the motion sensing.

I realise theres a LOT of hate torwards it, but i loved it. Why? Because its a STANDARD feature. If sony released it 6 months into the systems lifespan, id call it a junk addition as well. But they didnt. Its going to built into the hardware from day 1. That to me, is establishing room for growth. Not all of us want to wave a remote control around and pretend we're sith lords. But the thought that it is possible if the need arrises, truely brings a smile to my face. To me, the PS3 has all bases covered. I like my gaming how it is now, just with new features, better HD graphics and better online experience. So as far as sonys presentation, 2 huge thumbs up.

Nintendo!!

I couldnt have felt more nostalgic when the Zelda opening theme was played. I loved my NES and SNES so much. I still remember the day i walked into Mainplace Mall and walked into Babbages to buy Final Fantasy 3 on SNES. Im a old school gamer from the atari 2600 till now days. Ive had every major console possible. So with the N64 being such garbage, the Gamecube 100% disapointing me other then RE4, and DELAY after DELAY for Twilight Princess.. I was really going to need to be buttered up good by this presentation to get my support again.

So, what did we see? Bunch of games that looked like N64 games being controlled with the remote. Ok, this is what the whole point of the system was, the remote, so it wasnt so shocking to see it happen before my eyes. The graphics did look insanely sad however. Hardly looked up to Gamecube spec, let alone what is supposed to be double its power. Then the first blow came, no price. That pissed me off. Then the big 2nd and final blow came. They not only delayed twilight princess to death, they were supposed to make it on a single medium to work on GC AND Wii. But instead, they release 2 DIFFERENT versions. Again, WAY TO SCREW OVER EVERYONE THAT HAD FAITH IN YOU. Obviously they didnt have a killer app to save their lives, so they took their last promise to all GC owners and said "sorry, you got screwed, heres your table scraps tho, thanks for waiting". Nintendo really lost all respect it had in my eyes.

Also, do i need to talk about the HILARITY that was the endless FMV DEMOS!! When sony did this, everyone said it was bullshit, show playable games. Nintendo does it, and now they turn a blind eye to it. BLASPHOMY. Now that they have DVD storage space, FMV's are back in style? Nice goin, and welcome to 1999. Coupled with games like a guy with a Hammer, and a car racing game that looks worse then PS1 racers.. Yah, im just not into it.

Nintendo was the worst of the show. Hands down. Just cause their controller actually works as advertised, doesnt say much.

Microsoft.

Was a clean presentation. I dont like FPS games, so Halo 3 was no biggie for me. I also dont like GTA games, so also, dont care. The Forza 2 news was cool, ill try that. The biggest news was more Live Arcade titles! BADASS! Ontop of that, the news that PC gamers and 360 gamers will play together against each other, was also huge news. Nothing else really struck me, MS continues on its way and is lookin good doin it. As long as they keep it up, they'll be good due to the great Xbox-Live service and the graphics in the games are looking more and more amazing. Lost Planet is probably one of the most gorgeous games ive played to date, and its not slated to be released till 2007. For it being this early, it is truely mind blowing.

So, its Sony first, MS second and at dead last (if 3d0 came and did an announcment, id rank them 3rd) comes nintendo. So there you have it. Now, im off to play more Lost Planet in 720p then some Uno on Xbox-Live while i wait for the ps3 to come out LOL.

I think out of the 3, Microsoft had the worst conference. It's all about the games and their BIG news was Halo 3 and GTA 4, two games which we won't see until late 2007. Yay!

Nintendo I thought stole the show...it IS about the games and their line-up of games coming for the Wii, GBA and DS are quite impressive. Practically every game that was showed had me saying, "I want to play that!". Whether the Wii launches for $199 or $249 I don't care, I'm getting one.

As for Sony, I thought they had a pretty decent conference. I was glad to hear the price officially announced and I had pretty much figured it was going to be $600. I think for the hardware your getting it's well worth it. Who knows if going with BR will be a good move or not but I give props to Sony for making their system a truly next-gen system. While they didn't showcase too many games that caught my interest, I'm not overly concerned because I know the games will be there.

Right now, Nintendo and Sony have my support because in the past they've delivered on games and I don't expect that to change with their next-gen consoles. As far as MS goes, I'm going to need more than just 2-3 games to make the purchase worthwhile. I bought an Xbox for KOTOR and since then I bought a total of 4 games(Jade Empire, Fable, MVP Baseball 05, and KOTOR 2). Thank God for mod chips and emus otherwise I would have sold my Xbox by now. I'm not going to make that same mistake with the 360. If the quality of games start coming in and their support in Japan grows I'll have no problems spending $400 and getting one but until that happens I'm going to pass.

I'd say it was close between MS and Nintendo, but with Nintendo pulling out the win.

Sony did more harm than good and came away with a distant 3rd place showing.

This is my problem with Nintendo and wii. When the gamecube came out, they were focused on the gamecube as a gamer's machine (lame excuse for no online). Again, it was all about the "games". Years after launch it is apparent that it was not about the games for Nintendo. As the years passed the lack of 3rd party support increased.

And about those games.... everybody talks about how innovative Nintendo is. Yet, they have continued to rehash the same games for the last 20 years. How many more times can we collect the triforce crystals and obtain the master sword in zelda? How many more times can we beat bowser? How many more sports can Mario play?

I was leaning towards a PS3, but now Ive decided that I will get the Wii, even though I have some doubts about the controller. I would like to use Blue Ray or HDDVD, but they are too expensive and apparently my tv wont support them.

Nintendo had the best conference, but as I have said many times before... I just cannot excuse some of the graphics I've seen today. We didn't expect this thing to be able to run Gears of War, but why would anyone want to pay $250 for N64 graphics? Yes it's all about the gameplay, and again I'm a Nintendo fan, but I've played PS1 games that look better than ExciteTruck and a few others shown (not to mention the WiiSports, though those look to be very fun). Why do I have to beg Nintendo to give me a game that looks even marginably better than a Gamecube game? With that said, this controller is excellent. That does not surprise me since the N64 controller is my favorite ever, and the GC falls in right behind it. There seems to be an unlimited number of ways to utilize the remote, and Nintendo displayed an insane amount of ways in just over an hour. The launch (and later) line-up is the most spectacular I've ever seen for a system so young, and the two on two tennis has to be the best presentation for a system in the history of E3. You have to love Nintendo! I'd give their conference a B.

Sony- I can't knock their show, mainly because the price point is pretty good considering what you'll receive and they answered every question that was asked of them. Hate them or love them, you have to respect that. Still, none of the games impressed me. Well, visually most of them were "next-gen" (few were stunning), but nothing really felt like new territory for gaming. I'm one of the few that likes the inclusion of the tilt/motion sensing in the controller, but I still would have preferred force feedback (how the hell is Metal Gear not going to have that?). I'd give them a B-.

Microsoft was just trying to hang on for dear life after the two devestating blows from Sony and Nintendo, and they barely did that. I mean, what did we learn? Gears of War and Too Human looked cool, but who didn't already know that? Halo 3 is coming, which a two-toothed liquor store hobo could have prophesied. And GTA 4 is coming out for XBOX 360... in October 2007. And oh yeah, it also comes out for PS3 the same day. So what's the news? Peter Moore looking like an idiot with a tat for a game that is not exclusive, maybe? Price drops need to be in the 360's immediate future. Conference rating is a D...

As far as nintendos gaming rehashes. One word for you, my friend. INNOVATION.

LOL. I literally lol'd as i typed that, its so funny. To see people get so worked up over games that are sequals of games from 20 years ago never stops to amaze me. I guess if nintendo wants to be innovative from here, they should close up the hardware shop for a home console, stick to portable systems and become a 3rd Party software company for Sony and MS.

That would actually be innovation!

I would rate Nintendo slightly ahead of Microsoft for the show. Both had very good showings to me. I would give Nintendo a B+ and MS a B-. Sony's meeting was like sitting in a boring college lecture and I would give them a C. Nintendo really has me excited about the Wii and really gave a good showing for the DS. Microsoft really has me excited about Live Arcade and their games for the 360 looked freaking amazing.

Sony gave me nothing to hope for with the PS3's high price and broken promises and they really skipped over the PSP yet again. Oh wait, I can play Ridge Racer on it and use it as a rear view mirror. I'm hoping the PSone thing on PSP turns out to be pretty hot, but gaming wise they really should have done more for the PSP.

As far as rehashes, to me Microsoft really showed the most cool looking original games. I agree the Nintendo showing and especially the Sony showing were way too focused on remakes. At least with the Wii you will get to play the old franchises in brand new ways. With the PS3 its more of the same with the same old controller I have disliked for a decade. Oh wait, they slapped some quick Wario Ware Twisted rip off technology in there. I almost forgot. Lame.

the best: Nintendo- They stuck by their guns and said that they are all about fun ... and they are sure in position to do it.

Very good: Microsoft. HD Add on, GTA4 exclusive updates, Halo 3, XBOX live Arcade- It has a very good future

Sucked: Sony- PS3 costing $499 and $599, free online, free chatting, - Sorry but their online is free now and No HDMI unless you get the premium version... sorry but i love my ps2 but i wont get this system until it goes down in price....PRICE IS WHAT KILLED THEM.

Sony:

There weren't any HUGE shockers like last year, but I would have to say that they once again stole the show. After months of rumors stating that the console was being delayed again and wouldn't make a showing at E3, put down their cards (literally). After last year's announcement of Microsoft being the first console to make the wireless controller standard, Sony actually does it were Microsoft failed. Sony confirmed what most had expected - a hard drive standard (another failed Microsoft innitiative). The price, while high, was not unexpected. The system turned out to be a monster, and at the show, in playable form.

If anything was disappointing about the conference, it was the reduction in specs. We went from 6 USB ports to 4. We went from 3 Gigabit ports to 1. And we went from 2 HDMI connections to 1. Not totally unexpected, but it was a nice dream to have. The controller was a pleasant surprice, especially after the decoy they threw out last year. Of course you are going to have constant bickering about how "it was just stolen from Nintendo" but what can you do. I guess Nintendo stole using a DVD drive for gaming from Sony, right?

Nintendo:

Coming in second and maybe third depending on how these price rumors pan out ($250!). Yes, the controller is neat, and it works well with some games (not all), but its not a standard controller. That means, if I buy one, I also have to buy the controller, otherwise I'm just paying twice as much for a GC. Its going to take me trying the controller out before I am sold on the idea. Didn't see anything exciting on the 3rd party front, which is a shame. Nintendo really needs their support.

Microsoft:

As many others pointed out, their two big stars won't even come out this year. Halo 3 won't be ready for the PS3 launch, and GTA will be on the PS3 as well. They totally dropped the ball with the HD-DVD add-on, but I don't think they expected Sony to go through with making Blu-Ray standard. Microsoft needed something big to help sales, and they failed horribly.

LOL, NICE!

Yes, they dont have a super insane killer app for a lot of people. Halo 3 doesnt intrest me at all as well. However, the point of the GTA announcment was to take some fire away from another game that was thought to be a sony exclusive. I could care less tho, i dont like the GTA games.

With that said tho, you have to see Lost Planet. It is FREAKIN AMAZING. Capcom gaming at its finest, awesome action and gameplay with graphics that literally kept me saying "i cant beleive im playing this" many times during playing the demo. Not to forget the Xbox Live Arcade, which there is nothing that can compete with it till now. Its awesome and its in HD! Dont get me wrong, i got my 360 for SF2 on XLA, there is still no retail game i need to own.

Nintendo was tops for me (no surprise, I'm sure) as stated above it's all about games for them and they more than delivered. No big surprises, no show stealers, no real "Wow!" moments and honestly nothing new we didn't already know about or suspect, but the sheer number of games they showed or talked about got me hot. Even if I wasn't getting the Wii, the DS stuff alone made me anticipate the later half of this year like nothing else.

Sony came in second for me.. despite their sad chest-thumping, their clever attack on "gimmicks" only to show off three of their own, a short video of PS2+ games and a price that blew them off my radar for good, at least they weren't Microsoft. To me, Playstation isn't about Sony, it's about all the other guys.. so anything that'll get me riled up for a PS2/PSP/PS3 is going to come from the guys on the show floor the remainder of the week.

Microsoft, wow. Xbox Live on my PC and cell phone. Now I can connect to racist, vulgar 12 year-olds everywhere I go! Whee! Their presenter basically belittled E rated games and then Gates came up talking about how they wanted to approached "gamers of all ages." Very smooth. *golf clap* Then they talk about Japanese games but only mention the one single title they've been bragging about since the 360 conception (albeit one that may just get me to buy their damn system) with no others mentioned. They make a big deal about GTA4 when it's coming out for the PS3 on the same day and then they fall on their crutch, Halo 3.

See, I don't think people get excited for Nintendo sequels because it's another Mario/Zelda game, but because Mario/Zelda games are always so damn fun to control and play. There is no great overarching story there - it's just the gameplay that gets us Nintendo fans jazzed (well at least me). And they really aren't sequels as much as franchises. Mario Bros, though made 20+ years ago, really has no tie to the gameplay of Mario 64 or Sunshine (outside of jumping on stuff).

For me nothing really knocked me on my ass. My biggest let down was the Wii not announcing a price. And some of these new games look really great and interesting, but without being able to play them (or read any impression yet) it's all just buckets of hype. Perfect Dark Zero looked great last year too.

I really want to hear more about Spore and how that works.

:hscratch: Huh? My 360 came with a wireless controller.

:lol: DVD isn't a gimmick or even a way to play games. They finally adopted a standard medium. The controller on the other hand is about as far from standard as you can get. You can't honestly say/think that the PS3 would have the tilt if Nintendo hadn't done it first. Not in a million years.

Is a throwaway add on as an option. MS just sees that 95% of the population CAN'T use the new tech, so why force MILLIONS of these people to pay a couple hundred extra for something they won't ever use? I'm glad I didn't have to pay extra for it out of the box. If I decide I can utilize it later then I can add it on.

Once again, you are wrong.

Sony did not create the DVD standard, in fact Sony was at odds with it with their own (and Phillips) format. (Surprised anyone?) Sony only later comprimised after getting two small demands over the standard that was created by Toshiba, Time-Warner, Matsushita Electric, Hitachi, Mitsubishi Electric, Pioneer, Thomson, and JVC. The modifications desired by Sony and Phillips actually resulted in less data being able to be stored on the disc, it went from 5GB to 4.7GB I believe. The benefit of course was that the technology made the discs more durable. (Which I appreciate.)

DVD was adopted by PC computers in 1996 and the first games that used the DVD format were released early 1997, 3 years prior to the PS2 release in Japan. Although Many PC games continued to be released on both CD-ROM and DVD, DVD has become more and more then standard for PC games, excatly how it has occured on the PS2.

Remind me again where I can get an orignal Xbox without a harddrive?

Now, my opinions:

1. Nintendo
2. Sony
3. MS

1. Nintendo - Innovation. They are offering a fun new way to play games not the same ol shit rehashed with a few more polygons. Nintendo & IGN have both been saying that the graphics are taking a backseat this gen so most anyone that read anything on the Wii knew that going in. Also if you look at interviews with some of the developers, they plainly state that their first focus is coming to grips with the control and are getting to the graphics last. I personally think the Wii & DS is a one two punch that will take the country by storm. 27 playable games? Amazing. Speaker in the controller? Sounds like a gimmick on one hand but could add a little something to the total immersion into the games, much like that little gimmick known as the rumble pak. It would have been nice to see a VC launch list. Only disappointing thing is release date and price, which won't get a mark against me because I won't need to take a second mortgage out to afford it.

2. Sony - I think their biggest mistep was E3 2005. Promising the world and barely walking away with a portion of the promises this year. Nothing but downhill from last year. Graphics? Same thing, promising the world - what 5-10x more powerful than the 360? :lol: rotfl :lol: Other than a couple games most barely come close to the 360's beauty. Hard drive? Wecome to 2001 Sony. 4 controller ports? 1996 here we come! Ethernet? 2001 Xbox anyone? Online Service? Live anyone? 5 years fresh! Oh it's free? So was the PS2's, so this will be a wait and see scenario. Tilt function in the controller? rotfl Could they be less obvious in their "innovation." I'm basically giving them second because they showed their hand despite the empty promises. They at least had the balls to announce a price(s) and launch date and show the hardware specs no matter how lacking they are. Also because I think MS's showing was <u>that</u> bad.

3. MS - Poor MS. They didn't have to focus on hardware so the games should have been there. They weren't. Everything they showed we have already seen, other than the two big dogs that won't even be here for a year. An uninspired Halo trailer? zzzzz... 30 year old Live Arcade games? Puh-leaze. Give me new stuff. I'm not dropping $5-$10 on Centepede or Asteroids, or whatever. Drop the prices then maybe. Where is the bigger hard drive? Dashboard update? Backwards compatibility update? Free Texas Hold'em? The only real surprise were some of the accessories. Kudos to a first party wireless headset. :up: But none of it was show-stopping. I think they really dropped the ball. The only thing from keeping their show from being completely worthless is the seamless Live integration with the show, being able to download trailers and whatnot while E3 is going on. Not perfect, but I blame that on the free Gold week which was poor timing. Nice for them to give is a shot though.

My thoughts on the show, in order of appearance:

Sony - Goo line up shown, loking forward to GT as always. Terrible presentation skills. Did they not know they were supposed to be giving one of their most important presentations that day?

Nintendo - Great focus on the games, way to be on point. Excellant presentation. Need more games further in development, but 27 on show floor is impresive.

MS - Games on par with Sony, lots of good looking titles coming but kind of thin. Presentation was well polished as well.

I think more usefull info on all these consoles is going to come out from the show floor more then the presentations themselves. There ws no real shockers other then the confimed PS3 launch date and price. I'm ready to start reading some show floor reactions.

Guess you didn't buy a Core.

Done it first? I guess Nintendo would have never done an online system if Microsoft hadn't done it first. I guess Nintendo would have never used optical media as their main distribution format if everyone else wouldn't have done it first. Could Nintendo even had thought up the Wii controller if Sony didn't come out with the EyeToy first?

If 95% of the population can't use the tech, why offer it at all? That's not good business. 99% of the population can't use a 360 in a VR room, but why won't Microsoft provide the necessary hardware for the 1% that can? Not one previous console add-on has been successful, and that won't change this round either.

Seeing how nintendo demoed the exact same technology on the N64 (with Mario Studio) at Spaceword years before EyeToy, I'm going to go out on a limb and say that the EyeToy was not their source of inspiration. I do give credit to Sony for bringing it to market and making it work with the more powerful PS2 hardware.

Nintendos was just displaying the image in-game, the EyeToy is actually interactive.

The game that came to market, yes you are correct. However, at Spaceworld Nintendo demoed an interactive game setup where characters could act out your dance you did in real life, etc.

They never released it publicly, only going with static images due to the N64 being to weak to do it well and that it was still quite cost prohibitive. (camera)