E3 2012: The highs and lows of the big three

E3 2012 E3 press conferences are over and the show floor is open. Who got most of the attention? Which press conference was the best? Well, lets start by saying - E3 2012 press conference's overall was pretty bad. While there were amazing game demo's, the overall presentation for the big three left a bad taste in my mouth. With Microsoft's Usher performance that came out of nowhere, to Sony's Wonderbook, to Nintendo having awkward discussions on stage, each press conference made me shake my head in disappointment. Here are the highs and lows of the big three's press conferences.

Microsoft Press Conference 

+ Great third-party game demos - This shocked me in Microsoft's press conference. Game's like Tomb Raider, Splinter Cell: Blacklist, and even Resident Evil 6 made its appearance at the Microsoft stage, impressing the audience with a live gameplay demo.Tomb Raider and Splinter Cell is definitely on my to-buy list. Resident Evil 6 though I need more convincing. Is it even Resident Evil anymore?

- No new exclusive Xbox 360 titles - This is what I was hoping to see during the press conference - A reveal of a new title that could stand side by side with Microsoft's most beloved franchises. Instead, we got the a safe lineup - Halo 4 and Gears of War: Judgement. People will still love it I'm sure, but just one new title would do for me.

Microsoft SmartGlass

+ Microsoft SmartGlass - Microsoft revealed a neat application. This is their answer to Wii U's gamepad features and pretty much offers the same deal. An extra screen and yet another way to control your console. What makes SmartGlass amazing is the fact that you can use this application on any smartphone or tablet device. As long as your device is being runned by Windows 8, iOS, or Android, you can use SmartGlass. Pure genius Microsoft, but what a low blow.

- Kinect heavy announcements - Sadly, this was inevitable. If we had to predict what Microsoft would do for this E3, it would be them going heavy with the Kinect, and that's what they did. Kinect's voice recognition was presented in a lot of presentations. From Splinter Cell being able to use your voice to call support, to Madden 13.  They also announced a number of Kinect games as well as a game that has a similar concept to Angry Birds. Kudos to Microsoft though for jumbling those Kinect announcements with third-party game demos. It was bad enough seeing them, but seeing them revealed one after the other is bad.

- Dance Central 3 reveal with Usher performance - Yes! They actually had Usher show up and perform. And were not talking about a 1 minute short performance, I'm talking about a whole song. When Dance Central 3 was revealed, instead of just showing the same old game(Because thats really what it is) they dumped the crowd with Usher, with the Dance Central 3 being shown in the monitors during the performance. I vowed never to see an Usher performance, but I did thanks to Microsoft. It was a trap!

Sony Press Conference 

+ Reveal of David Cage's new game - Beyond: Two Souls - Sony always states that they are always in the mercy of core gamers and they tried to show that by starting the show with a new title exclusive to Playstation 3. Exclusives are pretty rare now, and I'm happy to see new 1st party titles showing up and taking the risks. Beyond: Two Souls is Heavy Rain creator's next game. To sum it up real quick - Its Heavy Rain with a lot more action. That's how I understand it. The trailer did not give much on how the game is played but Quantic Dreams are aiming to bring the same quality shown in Heavy Rain but add more excitement to the gamers. The protagonist is also played by Ellen Page. Funny how she is sort of linked to two PS3 exclusives.

Playstation Wonderbook

- Wonderbook - This was pretty unusual, Definitely aimed for the casual market, Wonderbook is a new peripheral for the Playstation 3 that serves as an augmented reality device. You place the book on your lap, and with the help of the PS eye, you can see intractable images in Wonderbook in your TV. Think of it as 3DS's augmented reality feature with the cards. It's a good piece of tech but looks a bit raw for now. The fact that it only has one title for it called the Book of Spells (being collaborated with J. K Rowling) and that you need the PS Move and the PS Eye as well to make it work. Its a educational device for children but we need to see more.

- Not many PS Vita announcements - We all know the PS Vita is only a few months old, but we also know that the handheld market is pretty darn crowded these days. They needed more titles to keep people interested and prevent dust from gathering on their devices. Call of Duty: Black Ops: Declassified and Playstation: All-Stars Battle Royale cross play was a good start, but it's not enough. I'm sure Vita owners agree.

+ The Last of Us Gameplay Demo - This is what I was waiting for - First look at The Last of Us gameplay, and boy, did it deliver. If Ellie's AI is actually a reliable source in the game, then Naughty Dog succeeded. We all know how much of a pain AI companions can be, so hopefully they found a solution to that problem. Sony is really pushing exclusive titles for the Playstation 3 and kudos to them for taking such risks. New IP's are always a risk since its unfamiliar to the market.

- No Kevin Butler - Come on Sony! We all know he is the perfect host for E3. No KB on a Sony press conference feels wrong and you know it.

Nintendo Press Conference

+ Pikmin 3 announcement - Nintendo needs exclusive titles, and Pikmin 3 felt like a good start. But from how they revealed the game gave you an idea that this wasn't their focus. While Pikmin 3 looked great with better graphics and such, most of the presentation was about the Wii U gamepay and what it gives the player.

- Third Party support feels a bit weak still - With Nintendo having third-party support, I was expecting a world premiere of a game coming from a big company. Instead, we got Batman Arkham City : Armored Edition - A game almost a year old with some Wii U features. No matter what they say, it's still an old game, and putting new costume, and new ways to play the game doesn't make it worth the full retail price.

- Too much emphasis on the Wii U GamePad - It really felt like part 2 when they revealed the Wii U. We know what it can do already, but can you give us a reason to buy the Wii U console? I consider the new controller amazing, but with so much focus on it, and no focus at all on the console, can you make the GamePad a compatible with the Wii? So I can buy it separately for it? Because you brought a good presentation for it, and now all I want is just that controller. Screw the console.

+ Zombi U announcement - This is what we needed to see, but that was just it. Zombi U is exclusive to the Wii U and it looks amazing. A perfect way to use the new features of the console and I really can't wait to see more if it. This is what we wanted from the Nintendo presentation - Game reveals to make us want the console. Not a detailed explanation of how to play Luigi's Ghost Mansion with the Wii U GamePad features. Seriously, that was just too long.

- No Zelda, Smash Bros, Mario, Metroid for the Wii U - I really don't understand Nintendo. They announce third-party support and graphics somewhat in-par with current consoles, but they don't give any flagship exclusive to get us all excited inside. Yes we do want a Zelda or Mario game with the same graphics power as the 360 and PS3. At least one big game announcement like that would cover core gamers, but sadly we'll have to settle with Pikmin 3. Better than having nothing at all I guess. It was announced that a new Mario game for the Wii U would be revealed. But all we got was Super Mario Bros. U, exactly the same game now on the 3DS and Wii, just added features thanks to the GamePad... again.

So there you have it. Not the E3 press conference I was looking for. Especially with Nintendo, they are first in line to bring us the next-gen console. Sadly, this doesn't look like it... yet. It was make or break, impress us or leave a bad first impression forever. Who won E3 among the three? None. If I had to pick a press conference, I'd go with Ubisoft. Have you seen Watch Dogs? Great reveal.

E3 is not over yet. The press conferences may be over but there are still two days for other companies to show off their games to the public. Go ahead to Gamespot or GameTrailers to see live coverages of each third-party game in E3.

E3 2012: Quantic Dreams new game - Beyond: Two Souls

Beyond; Two Souls During Sony's Press Conference, the show started with the reveal of Quantic Dreams(Heavy Rain) next big game - Beyond: Two Souls. I'm a bit confused on how this game is going to play out but the studio aims to create the same level of story telling mixed with a bit more action.  They brought in actress Ellen Page to play the main protagonist Jodie Holmes in Beyond: Two Souls. Still a bit vauge in the details about this game but Jodie seems to have some sort of connection to a sort of entity. What kind of entity? Have no idea. Check the trailer out though and maybe you can give some insight about this new PS3 exclusive.

 

E3 2011: Sony Press Conference Highlights!

Sony's Press Conference is finally done and it was....ok i guess. They've always had this kind of presentation used every year that I never really liked. Of course we all got blown away with a sick uncharted 3 Live demo, a short Resistance 3 live demo, info about the ICO and Shadow of Collosus HD version, lots of Palystation Move games, Bioshock: Infinite and presenting the sequel to the PSP, the Playstation Vita. Check out the highlight of Sony's Press Conference. - Because of the Sony PSN outage, Jack Tretton does an personal Apology about the incident.

- Uncharted 3: Drake's Deception Live demo presented. Also revealed a new trailer revealing the return of Chloe and Elena.

- Also annouced that the Beta of Uncharted 3 starts on June 28.

- Resistance 3 Live demo was presented.

- God of War: Ghost of Sparta and God of War: Origins getting HD treatment.

- ICO and Shadow of Collosus HD collection mentioned to be released on Sept of this year.

- Sony reveals their 24" 3D TV . build for gaming and ready for 3D. With the 3D enabled you can play any co-op looking as if you have your very own screen instead if sharing the screen with a friend. They also presented a bundle with Resistance 3 that includes 3D glasses and an HD cable all for $499.

- NBA 2k12 Presented with Move support. A live demo was shown with Kobe Bryant showing how to play the game with the PS Move.

- Sports Champion creators reveals a new PS Move-controlled game, Medieval Moves: Dead Man's Quest. Live demo shown.

- a new inFAMOUS 2 trailer was shown.

-Little Big Planet 2 will get updated so that you can do anything in the level creator using the PS Move.

- A new Starhawk trailer revealed.

- Sly Cooper: Thieves of Time announced. Coming 2012.

- Dust announced. an PS3 exclusive FPS title that is said to be link with EVE Online some way. Closed beta coming at the end of the year.

- a new in-game trailer for Bioshock: Infinite was revealed. Bioshock: Infinite creator working on making it Move support. Creators of Bioshock: Infinite also tease a game their working on for the PS Vita, a possible Bioshock game.

- Saint's Row 3 announced to have Move Support.

- A Star Trek game announced to also have Move Support. Trailer shown.

- EA giving exclusive content for the PS3 versions of three new games that they announced today. SSX will have an exclusive level in the PS3 version,Need for Speed: The Run will have 7 Super Cars Exclusive to the PS3 version and Battlefield 3's PS3 version of the game will include a free copy of battlefield 1947 in the Blue-Ray disc.

-PlayStation Suite announced. It's a framework that will be used to provide downloadable Playstation content for playstation devices. Devices like the PS Vita and I'm assuming their new Playstation Phone, Xperia.

- Plastation NGP officially named their PSP sequel PS Vita.

- PSN Party and Near services revealed for PS Vita.

- Uncharted: Golden Abyss announced for PS Vita. Live game demo was presented showing off the feature of the PS Vita and the game.

- Ruin announced for PS Vita. An Action - based RPG game that can also be played in your PS3 by simply uploading your save file from Vita.

- Mod Nation Racers for the PS Vita was announced. Demo was shown showcasing the features of the Vita being used to create a track. All Mod Nation Vita game owners will have access to all tracks created by players in the PS3 Mod Nation Racers version.

- Wipeout 2048 announced also for PS Vita and PS3. can be played up to 8 players with the PS Vita version linked with the PS3 version.

- Little big Planet for PS Vita announced with a trailer showcasing the PS Vita features.

- Street Fighter X Tekken announced for PS Vita. Capcom announces Cole from inFAMOUS to be exclusively in the PS Vita version. A short but sweet Live game demo was presented showing off Sucker Punch's Cole.

- Sony announces over 80 Vita titles are being developed right now from developers and producers like EA, Ubisoft, THQ, Activision and more.

- PS Vita is out this Holiday Season.

- The WiFi only PS Vita version will cost only $249 and the PS Vita with 3G is priced at $299.

Sony is done and the best highlights for me was the Uncharted 3 demo and all about PS Vita. The reveal of Street Fight X Tekken going to PS Vita was a shocker, they also added Cole into the mix making him an exclusive character. They presented a lot of PS Move games and games having Move support. Just like Microsoft, they presented the Move a lot but not as much as Microsoft's Kinect. Sadly no appearance again from Team ICO's The Last Guardian and no presentation from Twisted Metal, but they are there in E3 showing off the game.

The PS Vita is looking good and with that price range, everybody's excited for it. The Press Conference was i think better than last year. The PS Vita really saved them but they should have given sneak peaks of games coming to the Vita similar to what nintendo did with the 3DS.  hopefully those 80 Vita titles being developed actually gets ready for the Vita launch. One thing Sony should not do is have a small lineup of games on release similar to the PS3 release. Sony did well, their done and Nintendo is next and i predict that Press Conference will steal the show with the reveal of their new console.

Here's a link to the Press Conference to watch it yourself - http://e3.gamespot.com/press-conference/sony-e3/?tag=content_nav%3Bvideo%3Bsony