E3 2008 Roundup: Focus On The Positive!

15 Jul 2008

Ah yes, the Electronic Entertainment Expo (E3). That conference that all console gamers look forward to. It has a history of providing us with insight into upcoming gaming titles, new features, and new hardware. Over time the conference has lost it’s glitter and mass appeal. Last year’s E3 had it’s moments, but overall, it wasn’t all that impressive. This year was no better.

I’m sad to say, E3 2008′s keynotes from Microsoft, Nintendo and Sony were worse than last year. I went on record to call them out in 2007 and seemingly, here I am again to basically do a repeat of last year. Rather than rant on all the poor presentations, I think I’m going to focus on the positive aspects of each keynote and stay there.

Microsoft

Dashboard redesign and Avatar System – I think Microsoft is taking a step in the right direction by improving the Xbox Live experience. The blade system, while not completely gone, was started to show its age compared to Sony’s Home and Nintendo’s Mii avatar system. The concept of “live party” parallels PS Home’s emphasis on gathering friends in a room in order to watch videos, view photos or play a game. It’s pretty clear that Microsoft borrowed some ideas from both Nintendo and Sony, but I can’t blame them for it since Sony and Nintendo have generally done the same.

Final Fantasy XIII comes to 360 - In my mind, this was Microsoft crown achievement of the event. Very few saw this coming and the way they announced it was fairly creative. Even though FFXIII will retain PS3 exclusiviity in Japan, you have to wonder how Sony will recover from such a huge blow. I mean, this is Final Fantasy!! This is a momentum victory for Microsoft which will widen the gap that Sony began to close in 2008. Well done, Microsoft.

Nintendo

Wii Motion Plus – I have mixed feelings about this new peripheral that Nintendo announced. I believe by increasing the accuracy in the existing Wii-mote, they have enabled the way for new types of games. Nintendo announced Wii Sports Resort, which is essentially Wii Sports 2. It shows off the new abilities of the Wii Motion Plus add-on with a sword fight and a “Wave Race” type game. My mixed feelings are derived from Nintendo’s “yet another peripheral” syndrome. How many more do we need? There’s the Nunchuk, the classic controller, the Wii Wheel, the Wii balance board, the Wii gun, and now the Wii Motion plus. Is every new game going to require a new peripheral? We’ll see.

Wii Music – I have mixed feelings about the newly announced Music game, Wii Music, as well. Imagine Rock Band, without the instruments. Wii Music employs the Wii-mote and the nunchuk to simulate movements used in playing instruments. Sound gimmicky? Well, it is. It does look like it’ll be fun for a couple of weeks and on holidays, but, I can see this title collecting dust next to Wii Sports. Nintendo made it a point that they are making it a goal to stay ahead of the game, but it seems like more of the same to me.

Sony

PSN Video Content – Starting tonight, Sony will be offering video content on demand on the Playstation Network. This is one of the few announcements which will come to fruition in the next coming days. While Sony is still playing catch-up in this area, I think they are making strides in the right direction. Why? By offering the ability to transfer downloads the PSP, they are presenting a value-add to owners of the Sony brand. This is standard and high definition video for sale and rental. Good show, Sony. (no pun intended)

Massive Action Game (MAG) – From the OMGWTFBBQ dept, Sony pulls out an unexpected title called Massive Action Game, or MAG. MAG is very early in development but promises a 256 player online experience with 8 man squads in each “world”. Wow? This seems too good to be true and a lot of folks are crying foul until they see it in action. Me? I’m hoping it also comes to PC since I ain’t too good at first person shooters on the PS3. Otherwise, this thing screams I gotta have it. I heard 5 people say right after the announcement, “I’m getting a PS3 for this.” I think this announcement was a must-have given the FFXIII situation. Sony had to restore faith in those who have invested in their brand, and I think announcing MAG was a good start.

As I stated earlier, there were so many things that I didn’t like this E3, and some of them even were stated in the positives. I want to keep the tone of this post positive so that gamers will know that competition between these three companies is constantly driving them to win your loyalty. Very few industries can demonstrate such dedication to delivering new and shiny every single year. I do hope, for the sake of the future E3 conferences, that Microsoft, Nintendo and Sony jazz up their presentations. Sony really impressed me by using LittleBigPlanet to demonstrate business numbers. Hello! Now that’s innovation. I hope Microsoft and Nintendo do something else next year. These presentations are painful to sit through.

Post written by Bwana