So another E3 has passed and there was some great announcements and insights into what is hot and upcoming in the video game industry. We went around the staff (well most of them) and decided to pick their brain on what they liked about the show and what they possibly didn’t. Here’s what they had to say.
Chris N’s Thoughts
E3, it’s that exhilarating time of the year where gaming enthusiast from a vast array of different nations and time zones congregate in stream lobbies all over the internet united in their anticipation and excitement of what the future may hold for gaming as we continue to usher in a new era barely past its infancy. Heading into E3 i thinks its fair to say that most of us had a pretty calculated perception of what our favourite industry titans may have in store for us, in the flurry of assorted press conferences and stage demos, but its the anticipation of the curve ball we didn’t see coming that is always the most welcome.
The title that caught me by surprise this year was most definitely Crackdown. I have a deep admiration for the obscenely addictive nature of the original’s gameplay and although the sequel was quite a colossal disappointment, i will continue to follow its development with great anticipation. The Big 3 (Sony, Microsoft and Nintendo) all had quite impressive showings this year with a more than healthy amount of content coming to all platforms, from Crackdown, to an exquisite looking new Zelda title, topped off with a breathtaking Uncharted announcement trailer, the future for gaming is looking bright indeed.
Ben’s Thoughts
E3 was won and lost on the back of the many vying brand’s commitment to real gamers’ interests. This was especially seen in the press conferences, rather than in off-hand comments made by developers on the show floor. For me, after the strange and lopsided promotion of the Xbox One last year, it was nice to see a genuine focus on Microsoft’s upcoming games, instead of third party support for apps that no one cares about.
Sony inversely displayed a mostly exciting look at new games, only to bring the pacing of their conference to a screeching halt before dropping the nuke that is Uncharted 4 at the very end. Being mainly a PC gamer, E3 is always an opportunity for these companies to make me want to adopt their hardware. The ultimate results have been a confirmation that the PC can hold its own; and almost out of nowhere, the Wii U became more tantalising than ever. Nintendo is promising loads of fan service and new experiences in the coming months, leading into 2015. Rounding up, my top games of the show were Splatoon, Rainbow six: Siege and No Man’s Sky.
Toby’s Thoughts
There were many games on show this year, but the one that I took the most interest in was Uncharted 4: A Thief’s End. Is this going to be the end of Drake’s adventure? It sure could be. With the problems at Naughty Dog happening in early 2014 I was slightly worried about how the development of the game was going but hearing that Neil Druckmann and Bruce Straley, the team behind The Last of Us and Uncharted 2: Among Thieves, were heading the game gave me a lot of hope. The trailer at the end of Sony’s conference not only gave me hope that this would be an incredible Uncharted game, but that this well could be the last adventure we see with Nathan Drake, Sully and co. A 2015 release was also a nice touch too, but take your time guys, I’ll be waiting.
This years E3 was excellent, jam-packed filled with great conferences, announcements, gameplay and the like. We have a lot to look forward to over the next year and a bit – and I can’t wait to get my hands on most of the games shown off in due time.
Agus’s Thoughts
Ah, it’s that time of the year again where publishers, developers and the press gather in one area of the world for the annual E3 Gaming Expo in LA. Every year, I get all excited over any new unique title or IP that gets announced because of the mystery that surrounds it. Yes all that CGI can sell me, all that hype – I’m one of the those guys. This year however was quite different. For months now, I’ve been waiting patiently for any signs or news of my favourite series – Rainbow Six. It’s been a while since we last saw anything about Rainbow Six: Patriots and I was begging to the UPlay gods for something… anything about Rainbow Six. Well I guess they’ve been listening. Ubisoft dominated their press conference by showcasing Rainbow Six Siege (goodbye Patriots). It simply blew me away at how incredible the destruction was and the return of tactical shooters was a good sign. It’s been a while Ding Chavez… if he’s still alive…maybe.
The other game that took my interest was No Man’s Sky. Why? Well who can’t pass on that incredible design visuals, space ships and mother freaking space dinosaurs. I have no idea what it’s about but it just seems so refreshing watching the trailer over and over again. I’ll be keeping my eyes on this.
So there you have it, our opinions on what we liked about the show. What did you like about this E3? Any games you looking forward to?