Bwana.org » 2007

Sony attempts to save E3, but fails

Bwana — Thu, 12 Jul 2007 02:04:10 +0000

After my Microsoft and Nintendo rants, I didn’t know if anyone could change my thoughts about this year’s E3. Veronica Belmont hinted on today’s Buzz Out Loud, that the word on the show floor is that this may be the last E3. It’s starting to feel that way. Anyway, let’s talk about Sony.

Sony conducted their E3 press event today and did what everyone expected them to do: Pimp Playstation Home. Playstation Home was announced a few months ago and now is in beta. Jack Tretton began the keynote as a Playstation Home avatar and we saw this theme throughout. Home looks cool and all, but we had seen it all before. Sony then announced a new PSP which has improvements (unlike a Halo edition Xbox 360 which is painted a different color) in the form factor, battery life and video performance departments. A welcome change while keeping the same price of $169. Sony announced PSP entertainment packs that I could care less about which included branded PSPs and exclusive games. So far, it was still a yawner in my mind.

Then Phil Harrison stepped on the stage. It all changed from here. Phil went into further details regarding the improvements of Playstation Home including the ability to lauch stuff from within Home (that’s what I expected anyway) but also, cell phone integration. It was a little surprising to see him upload a picture of the audience from his cell phone to PS Home. Not earth shattering, just surprising.

From this point, Sony went in a fury of game announcements and most notably, new games! One that stood out to me was Echochrome. Oh my God. This game made me tingle the same way LittleBigPlanet did earlier this year. It’s a simple puzzle game that screams brilliance and innovation. That’s what I’m talking about people!!! Nintendo, Microsoft, Listen!! They showed a lot of the same games that Microsoft showed, but in a glancing manner if you will. They didn’t focus on Resident Evil 5, or Rock Band, or Call of Duty 4, but focused on new features and unannounced games (save the Motorstorm demo) They showcased a nice Metal Gear Solid 4 trailer which was completely realtime on the PS3, but it wasn’t actual gameplay. The gameplay will come next week. I’m looking forward to seeing it, because the trailer was amazing.

Sony ended the presentation with probably the most impressive title at E3, Killzone 2. Even though I’m not a fan, it still looked impressive. Very impressive. There was more applause during this presentation than all of the others. Notice I didn’t even mention Heavenly Sword, LittleBigPlanet or Gran Turismo which were expected killer titles for PS3. Sony gave us new stuff to drool over and that’s what E3 is/was all about.

Even with Sony’s presentation, it still couldn’t save an overall lackluster E3. Microsoft and Nintendo produced two total yawners and Sony produced an average E3 presentation. It wasn’t enough to save it though. This year’s E3 is officially a bust says this blogger. I fear, it is the nail in the coffin to the whole conference.

Nintendo continues the yawn fest

Bwana — Thu, 12 Jul 2007 01:15:40 +0000

What is with E3?

First Microsoft, now Nintendo. Nintendo held their media event today at E3, and I gotta say, I’m disappointed. The presentation was ok as Reggie has decent speaking skills, but the actual content was my issue. Sure Nintendo is doing very well in terms of sales of consoles (even though they refuse to ramp up production to meet demand), and they have captured the “essence of casual gaming” if you will. I’ll agree to that. One of my issues with Nintendo has been their lack of *good* 3rd party support. All of their killer titles are Mario or Zelda related, every single one: Super Mario Galaxy, Super Smash Brothers, and Mario Kart. All of these titles are coming soon and were showcased. There were also a bunch lame videos displaying something we already know. Non-gamers like the Wii. What about those of us who don’t care for these Mario titles? Nintendo offered Wii Fit. Hunh?!?!

Wii Fit uses another type of controller which allows you to do these “mini games” that keep you in shape and track your progress. Nothing groundbreaking, as physical fitness has all kinds of neat toys you could utilize. I understand that Nintendo is trying to encourage “active” gaming, but there’s a much bigger gaming world out there guys, and you’re losing it. Oh and speaking of controllers, they released a cheap looking plastic gun and a driving wheel. You’re at E3, and you’re announcing controllers. This guy on Joystiq comments said it best:

This needs to be said: This was an abysmal showing indicating the future of Nintendo and the Nintendo platforms. Truely a depressing realization for any true gamer. Nintendo is not going to focus on innovative gaming they are just going to sell you more peripherals and mini games.

Whether Wii Fit will “sell” or be “successful” is irrelevant in my mind. The direction Nintendo is going is not one that I like. That’s it folks. That’s all the meat at E3 for Nintendo. There were some 3rd party titles announced: Soul Calibur and Geometry Wars are a couple that come to mind, but nothing impressive. These are ports with the, dare I say, “gimmicky” controls tacked on with a tiny bit of new content. Where is the Gears of War for the Wii? Where is the Resistance Fall of Man or Motorstorm for Wii? Where are the games Nintendo?

Sigh, anyone want my Wii? (LOL)

E3 kicks off with a yawn

Bwana — Wed, 11 Jul 2007 16:08:55 +0000

Last night, Microsoft conducted a press event at the Electronic Entertainment Expo. I watched the event on G4 and streamed it live on bwana.tv. If you wish to see a detailed list of what was announced, visit xbox360fanboy for ample drooling and over-excitement. Overall, it was a yawner. The presentation itself was poorly done with lots of errors and awkward moments, and the announcements were mostly predictable and “ho-hum”. The only real surprise was the Disney partnership, since AppleTV is indirectly competing with the Xbox 360. I wonder if Steve Jobs knew about this, or was he consumed with the iPhone launch.

At any rate, some cool games were Mass Effect, Assassin’s Creed, and Bio Shock. Call of Duty 4 was clearly the best game visually which was surprising since Microsoft puts Halo 3 on a pedestal. Personally, I never was interested in Halo since I’ve pretty much seen it all before in games such as Tribes years ago. But hey, FPS fun is not always about innovation so I don’t blame people for getting into it with their friends. Oh yeah, there was an announcement regarding a new Halo edition 360 model. It got exactly 3 claps from the audience and a yawn from me. Let’s hope Nintendo and Sony do something more exciting today or this E3 will officially be a bust.