E3 wrap-up. The Good, the bad, and the infuriating

Well E3 is over, and the dust has settled, but has each console manufacturer proved to you that they're deserving of your hard earned money? This blog will be the first of a 3 part series discussing the state of the next-gen consoles, the state of next-gen gaming, and the future of gaming. So let’s dive and review Microsoft’s, Sony’s, and Nintendo’s E3 presentations, messaging, and games.

Microsoft

The Good:
Let’s start with the first conference, Microsoft. Honestly Microsoft had a great conference. Although I felt it was rushed it was still packed with games. Microsoft showed off great demos from multiplatforms to exclusives, and as far as I’m concerned they had the best demonstrations of the Big 3 with Battlefield 4, Metal Gear Solid 5, Dead Rising 3, Titanfall, and Killer Instinct begin the best of their show in my opinion. Microsoft said E3 was all about the games and that’s exactly what they brought. But Microsoft also enhanced some of their services; for example, Xbox Live Gold will now feature 2 free games per month starting July 2013, with Halo 3 and Assassin’s Creed 2 being the first 2 games of the service. Also Achievements will be handled in a new way, allowing gamers to find their perfect match against players from around the world who share a similar achievement percentage/score and skill level as you. This seems like it’s a bit of an overachieving goal early on, but throughout the generation it could possible set gamers up with perfect friendships on Xbox Live. Surprisingly there was a complete lack of Kinect games with only Kinect Sports Rivals being announced, and not even at the actual conference. There were a few other announcements such as a remodel of the Xbox 360 in the design of the new Xbox One, and Microsoft’s attempt to reach out for new game ideas with games like Project Spark, Crimson Dragon, Below, Quantum Break, and D4 all coming to the Xbox One.

The Bad:
Microsoft nailed it on the games front, but all was not sunshine and rainbows for them. The fact that they didn’t answer any concerns regarding the negativity around their console defeated a good portion of the momentum they built with their games announcements, as well as the fact that they pretty much canceled press interviews with executives that usually handle this type of business. It shows a lack of confidence and lack of a concise message within their company regarding the Xbox One. The Indie presence was also dire at the Xbox One conference, which again doesn’t bode well for Microsoft after seeing the Indie love for Sony. The biggest blow to the conference was the fact that the Xbox One will cost $499 compared to the PlayStation 4’s $399 price tag. As a games console the Xbox One seems like it’s sticking to the greatness spawned by it’s predecessors, however, the business and consumer message side of things just erodes anything positive for the gaming masses. To make matter worse now Microsoft has to provide a reason why the Xbox One is worth $100 more than the PlayStation 4 when the PlayStation 4 is the more powerful console and has the majority of the vocal core gaming mass on it’s side. On top of that there’s nothing stopping “informed” consumers from simply buying a gaming PC for a similar price over the Xbox One. The Xbox One has powerful entertainment and media services, but a Gaming PC completely outperforms everything the Xbox One has going for it media wise with the benefit of being just as capable as a dedicated gaming platform, such as this one.

http://www.gamersnexus.net/...

This PC is pound for pound exactly what’s in the Xbox One, and with a bit more money (we’re talking $50) you can surpass the console completely.

Microsoft is in a bad situation, and they need to completely address these complaints and concerns regarding the Xbox One. After being interviewed by Geoff Keighley it’s clear they’ve put a great deal of entertainment concepts into the console, but have no idea what they plan to do with it, or at least that’s how their message is coming across. The Xbox 360 has almost 50 million Xbox Live subscribers; however, there’ll soon be 80 million Xbox 360 owners by the end of the year, so what does Microsoft expect to offer to the 30 million members who don’t subscribe to Xbox Live? Their answer is if you can’t connect online, then stick with the Xbox 360 (aka #tuff, #dealwithit). It’s just completely disrespectful to over 1/3 of the consumers who made your Xbox brand what it is today, or should I saw what it was before May 21st. How Microsoft could completely dismiss 30 million users (or potentially $15 billion from Microsoft’s standpoint) is unbelievable, but that brings up questions like are there really 77 million Xbox 360’s out there or did RROD heavily fluff the numbers if their willing to cut out potentially 30 million users. However, that’s all speculation, but what’s proven thus far is that they have no finite plans on what they’re doing due to the mixed messaging from most of the organization. They’re putting a console together and hoping for the best as they try to build up whatever it is they think the future will bring. Between now and launch Microsoft needs to focus on delivering a clear message to consumers interested in buying the Xbox One. Their hardcore fans will be there Day1, but currently the system’s success is up in the air, and if entertainment and media enthusiast don’t pick up the console then Microsoft is going to have a lot of work to do to make up the loss ground, even more so than Sony with the PlayStation 3 in 2006 – 2007.

Sony

The Good:
Sony’s E3 conference was a solid performance as well. Personally I feel they didn’t deliver quite the same level of impressive demos as Microsoft, but that’s because Sony has 3 systems to focus on; therefore, their exclusives were spread thin a bit by comparison. However, that’s not to say the games demoed didn’t look good. As a matter of fact they were amazing. Watch Dogs, Final Fantasy 15, Destiny, Infamous: Second Son, and Assassin’s Creed 4 were all there and impressed. But the highlight of Sony’s conference surprisingly wasn’t a game release, but the massive amount of consumer and indie support. Sony basically came out and said “We are the console for developers and gamers.” Sony showed off 8 indie games during their E3 presentation, all games that would usually never see the light of day on an E3 stage, and Sony showed that the problems of 3rd party developers struggling with PlayStation hardware were over with the introduction of the PlayStation 4. The greatest moment of the conference was easily Sony announcing to it’s fans that all the fears gamers have regarding the Xbox One will not be a part of their console and the PlayStation 4 will technically be the most powerful console this generation and only cost $399 ($100 less than the Xbox One). There’s really not much more to say, Sony did everything they needed to do, and the competition has done nothing but allow Sony to position the PlayStation 4 far ahead of them.

The Bad:
Japanese support again was slim, and on top of that most of the 3rd party franchises once thought of as PlayStation exclusives have gone multiplatform such as Final Fantasy 15 (formerly Final Fantasy versus 13), Kingdom Hearts 3, and Metal Gear Solid 5: Phantom Pain. It’s not really a strike against Sony, but it does provide gamers a chance to purchase an Xbox One over the PlayStation 4 if they prefer Xbox as their main console. Sony also failed to show the abundance of exclusives they’ve been working on, or even the abundance of PC developers porting their games over exclusively to PS4. Demos for Sony’s first party games were smashed into a short 6 minute video reel for Knack, Drive Club, Killzone: Shadow Fall, and Infamous: Second Son which are they games they should be promoting the most. Sony’s E3 conference almost felt like what you’d expect from a great Microsoft conference. It’s like Sony and Microsoft switched places for a brief moment. The only pass Sony gets is the fact that all of their developer confirmed that they’re working on PlayStation 4 titles and many of their teams have split up into 2. However, telling us you have a bunch of games is nice, but you need to show them. There’s really nothing negative to say about the Sony’s E3 conference or the PS4. They hit it out of the park with their fans and the reaction and fandom within their conference was borderline inspiring.

Wii U

The Good:
Nintendo finally showed a barrage of first party games, and some great exclusives like Bayonetta 2, Super Smash Bros. Wii U & 3DS, X, Pokémon X & Y, Mario Kart 8, and a new Mario. But unfortunately that’s all I can say about Nintendo, because they decided to play it extremely safe this E3 rather than go all out like they needed to considering their competition.

The Bad:
Nintendo’s position is almost as bad as Microsoft’s after E3. Third party support for Nintendo only consist of Ubisoft, Sega, potentially Activision, and smaller third parties as developers have flat-out refused to support the platform. Nintendo’s first party games all look good, but as predicted it’s more of the same, which makes their event all the more angering. It’s like Nintendo refuses to innovate or evolve their franchises or create new IP’s. On top of which their biggest Wii U games such as Bayonetta 2, Super Smash Bros., and X aren’t launching until 2014, which means another missed holiday for gamers who are looking for Nintendo’s “mature” exclusives. Another killer is once again the Wii U’s hardware, since outside of first party games, it makes little sense now to buy a Wii U compared to a PS4 when there’s a $50 price difference between the two yet a ocean between them technologically speaking. This was Nintendo’s chance to make a comeback and come out swinging, and they came out swinging a glitter stick instead of the hammer they needed. Nintendo has just positioned the Wii U as the console to play Nintendo games, and that’s great for Nintendo fans, but for the masses and core gamers who are looking into a 2nd console that’s simply not enough. The Xbox One restrictions caused Microsoft all kinds of headaches, and while Sony has capitalized on it Nintendo is still clueless walking around trying to find out what’s going on. Making journalist wait an hour to unveil Wii Fit Girl as a character in Super Smash Bros. is just one of the making aggravating things Nintendo continues to do not only to the media, but gamers who want to see them succeed and return to the greatest they once had in the days of NES, SNES, N64, and even GameCube. But it seems Nintendo has lost its way. They’re lost in magical land of Wii, where Mario and friends effortlessly appears and pours money from the skies for Nintendo, developers, and shareholders, while back in reality they’re at a serious risk of the Wii U becoming another GameCube (which was a solid console, but lacked the appeal to become a success). I don’t know what it’ll take, but hopefully something happens and Nintendo becomes aware of the current crisis they’re in so they can leave Wii Land and come back down to reality.