It will be interesting to see where the industry goes. I agree with Mike Wall, the AAA model is not sustainable and the knee-jerk reaction companies have taken to restrict consumer rights to squeeze pennies that will ultimately not fill the void is the elephant in the room. Which way are we going? Can more and varied games save the day? Will there be a competitive market to purchase them in? That's what I'm looking at this generation.
PixlBit's Final Impressions of E3
Read how the staff reacted to this year's big show.
Vic Roman – Graphic Designer
I didn’t have the highest hopes for E3 2013, but I ended up pretty impressed with the showing. A lot of the games shown managed to impress me, so I’d say the show was successful overall.
One of the best moments was one of the first moments: the lengthy Metal Gear Solid V trailer. Despite the fact that it’s current gen, it has phenomenal looking visuals and gameplay. While the next gen games look great, especially Infamous: Second Son, Sony impressed me most with their commitment to indie developers. Creating a platform where indie’s can self publish games is awesome. Of course, Sony’s shining moment was their commitment to unrestricted used games and their $399 price point. I’ve already pre-ordered my PS4 without emptying my wallet.
The biggest reveal of E3, hands down, was Mega Man in Smash Bros… Okay, maybe only myself and a few others are completely obsessed with Mega Man, but damn does he look like a good fit for Nintendo’s brawler. Two more delightful moments were EA’s Star Wars Battlefront and Mirrors Edge teasers. Both are among my favorite games and I can’t wait to play more of them.
The event had a few low points, mostly headed by Microsoft, which left a sour taste among all the sweet goodness. Microsoft showed off a lot of games, but completely avoided their always-online controversy and confusing used game policies. They even cancelled interviews, assumingly to avoid those questions. The few interviews Microsoft went through with didn’t help either, where Don Mattrick infamously told gamers to buy an Xbox 360 if they don’t have an internet connection (of course, now they have reversed their DRM policies, but the lingering effect from E3 is still in the air). Microsoft also dropped the ball when revealing Killer Instinct as a free-to-play game developed by Double Helix, a company with a less than stellar portfolio. I also wish Nintendo made more of a bang at this event. Nintendo doesn’t have a ton of Wii U titles releasing this fall, even though this is the time in a console’s cycle where game development should be thriving.
For my E3 2013, the low point was Microsoft’s public relations arrogance and the high point was Mega Man… the high point is ALWAYS Mega Man.
Comments