E3 2009: Analysis and Reactions
Ah, what once was gaming's biggest convention... and probably still it's most important. After all, though PAX, TGS, and Leizpig are all probably bigger now, E3 is still the first of the year (except for the GDC), and the one where the most actual announcements are made. But I dawdle.
This year has been surprisingly exciting, all things considered. All three of the major platform producers (Microsoft, Nintendo, and Sony) had some big reveals to make. And a good deal of them were actually pretty awesome.
A bit of the top things I noticed about this year's E3.
1. The convention also demonstrated this year that the three are in full competition with one another again, unlike previous years where it increasingly seemed as though Microsoft and Sony were at one another's throats but Nintendo was off doing its own (very successful) thing. But this year. First off, we have both Microsoft and Sony making their own lunge at motion control software, to varying degrees of success. Microsoft has its new sloppy but remoteless Project Natal and Sony has its ultra-sensitive Wiimote clone. So it's clear the two "big" publishers have realized that the Wii, with its ridiculously high sales, is something they should actuall start thinking about.
But Nintendo also paid real attention to its competitors this year, whereas last year it seemed as though they'd entirely abandoned traditional venues of gaming for their new casual audience, with "wonders" like Wii Music. No more this year, where Nintendo announced a lineup of new titles aimed at their more traditional fans. Games like Super Mario Galaxy 2, a new Zelda for the Wii, Red Steel 2, New Super Mario Bros. Wii, No More Heroes 2, and... the biggest surprise of the bunch, a Metroid game developed by the Ninja Gaiden developers.
So, yeah, it's starting to look like old times again. As in - a three-sided console war rather than the casual vs. hardcore gaming vibe that's been running for the past few years.
2. Exclusivity is gone. Well, okay, no it's not. But it's going. Final Fantasy XIII, Dragon Age: Origins, Metal Gear Solid: Rising? These are all games that would have, a few years ago, been exclusive for a single platform. However, as analysts predicted at the beginning of this generation, the very close specifications between the PS3 and X360 mean that games are increasingly being made for both systems. This, of course, is helped along by the fact that the PS3 has been sorely underperforming and the X360 has done far better than most expected it would. With Microsoft's system outselling Sony's by roughly (a little bit under) 50%, it's no wonder developers traditionally attached to Sony are reaching out to bump up their sales in North America and Europe, where the X360 is selling far better than the PS3. And, of course, Microsoft is all too willing to encourage these developers, not least of which because many of them are Japanese and it is Microsoft's hope to increase sales of their console in Japan, the sole market where the PS3 is ahead.
However, I don't expect this to be wholly one-sided. For instance, a year ago, I wouldn't have expected Dragon Age for PS3. X360, maybe. But never the PS3, since BioWare had never developed a game for the console but had developed several already for Microsoft. At this point, I wouldn't be surprised if Mass Effect 2 was released for the PS3, in spite of the fact that when the first game was developed it was allegedly as part of an exclusivisity agreement with Microsoft. With EA's aquirement of BioWare, however, it's a fair guess as to what will actually come of this deal. After all, as aforementioned the PS3 is still selling better in Japan and developing games for two consoles, rather than one, only increases the potential for sales.
Also, while the Wii still is far behind the PS3 and X360 in power I'm beginning to wonder if it's exclusive lineup will also begin shuffling over. Some of the games shown for the Wii at this year's E3 were surprisingly impressive visually and the new motion-control mechanics being worked in for both the X360 and PS3 make me wonder if some developers won't try developing games that use motion controls for all three systems (or at least two of the above). Time will only tell.
3. This was a preview of the next generation. Next year, expect the PR buildup for the next generation to begin. I don't expect any of the consoles to be released before, say, 2011, but I am expecting that we'll start seeing material on them by the end of E3 2010. And, in fact, I would guess we've already seen some elements of that already. Witness the motion controls for the 360 and PS3. While these will most likely be gimmicky add-ons of varying success for this generation, my guess is that they'll be built right in next time round, probably with more refinement. Think of them as the beta test. Feedback and sales figures on them for this generation will inform their development as a central feature in the next one.
4. The PC was ignored. Again.
Now, as for the things I paid most attention to.
1. Dragon Age, ME2, and Alpha Protocol. You all know me. I'm an RPG fan at heart, particularly of Western RPGs. I would have been happy to see some stuff from Bethesda as well but they more or less just stuck to talking about Fallout 3 DC... not that I'm unhappy with that or anything.
Actually, the show for western RPGs at E3 this year was altogether slim. The above three titles all showed, but not with the glamor or showiness of several other titles, many yet unannounced before E3. However, Mass Effect 2 did get an awesome trailer, which got me quite anticipated for its release next winter/spring. Disappointingly, I wasn't impressed with AP's trailer, however, which was really a case of "telling" instead of "showing." Where's the cinematic quality that makes a good trailer? Nowhere to be found, apparently, which is a bit odd given how well made the previous trailer was. Still, what has been shown has excited me about AP and has brought back memories of certain other games I once played. Which brings me to...
2. Splinter Cell: Conviction. Since the first game was released I've been a pretty big fan of the series, though I actually finished the second one first (I was a newb in those days and got stuck in the third mission of the first). Double Agent was ultimately disappointing, though still entertaining, and it came with an embedded hook for a sequel... which never came. After years of delay, it seems that Conviction might actually come out - complete with gameplay footage and a new trailer. And it looks sweet. But I'm not holding my breath yet. I'll believe it when I see it in stores. Until then, I'll patiently move on to other things, such as...
3. PS3 exclusives now made for 360. I've never owned a PS console. Not once. Not the PS1, PS2, or PS3. It just never really came across as something I wanted to buy, really, with the kinds of games that attracted me more commonly found on the XBox or PC (and, for a time, the Gamecube). By the time the 360 was out my brand loyalty had been bought and paid for. However, as I've looked more into it, I realize I've missed out on a lot of classics. Such as, for instance, the Final Fantasy and Metal Gear Solid series. By all accounts these are among some of the best games ever made and so I was truly delighted to learn that the two most recent installments were coming to the 360. Finally a chance to see what everyone else was talking about. Will they meet my expectations? I don't know. But I intend to find out.
There were also a few other things that grabbed my eye, but those were the key ones that stood out to me. Overall, a good year for gaming by all appearances.
This year has been surprisingly exciting, all things considered. All three of the major platform producers (Microsoft, Nintendo, and Sony) had some big reveals to make. And a good deal of them were actually pretty awesome.
A bit of the top things I noticed about this year's E3.
1. The convention also demonstrated this year that the three are in full competition with one another again, unlike previous years where it increasingly seemed as though Microsoft and Sony were at one another's throats but Nintendo was off doing its own (very successful) thing. But this year. First off, we have both Microsoft and Sony making their own lunge at motion control software, to varying degrees of success. Microsoft has its new sloppy but remoteless Project Natal and Sony has its ultra-sensitive Wiimote clone. So it's clear the two "big" publishers have realized that the Wii, with its ridiculously high sales, is something they should actuall start thinking about.
But Nintendo also paid real attention to its competitors this year, whereas last year it seemed as though they'd entirely abandoned traditional venues of gaming for their new casual audience, with "wonders" like Wii Music. No more this year, where Nintendo announced a lineup of new titles aimed at their more traditional fans. Games like Super Mario Galaxy 2, a new Zelda for the Wii, Red Steel 2, New Super Mario Bros. Wii, No More Heroes 2, and... the biggest surprise of the bunch, a Metroid game developed by the Ninja Gaiden developers.
So, yeah, it's starting to look like old times again. As in - a three-sided console war rather than the casual vs. hardcore gaming vibe that's been running for the past few years.
2. Exclusivity is gone. Well, okay, no it's not. But it's going. Final Fantasy XIII, Dragon Age: Origins, Metal Gear Solid: Rising? These are all games that would have, a few years ago, been exclusive for a single platform. However, as analysts predicted at the beginning of this generation, the very close specifications between the PS3 and X360 mean that games are increasingly being made for both systems. This, of course, is helped along by the fact that the PS3 has been sorely underperforming and the X360 has done far better than most expected it would. With Microsoft's system outselling Sony's by roughly (a little bit under) 50%, it's no wonder developers traditionally attached to Sony are reaching out to bump up their sales in North America and Europe, where the X360 is selling far better than the PS3. And, of course, Microsoft is all too willing to encourage these developers, not least of which because many of them are Japanese and it is Microsoft's hope to increase sales of their console in Japan, the sole market where the PS3 is ahead.
However, I don't expect this to be wholly one-sided. For instance, a year ago, I wouldn't have expected Dragon Age for PS3. X360, maybe. But never the PS3, since BioWare had never developed a game for the console but had developed several already for Microsoft. At this point, I wouldn't be surprised if Mass Effect 2 was released for the PS3, in spite of the fact that when the first game was developed it was allegedly as part of an exclusivisity agreement with Microsoft. With EA's aquirement of BioWare, however, it's a fair guess as to what will actually come of this deal. After all, as aforementioned the PS3 is still selling better in Japan and developing games for two consoles, rather than one, only increases the potential for sales.
Also, while the Wii still is far behind the PS3 and X360 in power I'm beginning to wonder if it's exclusive lineup will also begin shuffling over. Some of the games shown for the Wii at this year's E3 were surprisingly impressive visually and the new motion-control mechanics being worked in for both the X360 and PS3 make me wonder if some developers won't try developing games that use motion controls for all three systems (or at least two of the above). Time will only tell.
3. This was a preview of the next generation. Next year, expect the PR buildup for the next generation to begin. I don't expect any of the consoles to be released before, say, 2011, but I am expecting that we'll start seeing material on them by the end of E3 2010. And, in fact, I would guess we've already seen some elements of that already. Witness the motion controls for the 360 and PS3. While these will most likely be gimmicky add-ons of varying success for this generation, my guess is that they'll be built right in next time round, probably with more refinement. Think of them as the beta test. Feedback and sales figures on them for this generation will inform their development as a central feature in the next one.
4. The PC was ignored. Again.
Now, as for the things I paid most attention to.
1. Dragon Age, ME2, and Alpha Protocol. You all know me. I'm an RPG fan at heart, particularly of Western RPGs. I would have been happy to see some stuff from Bethesda as well but they more or less just stuck to talking about Fallout 3 DC... not that I'm unhappy with that or anything.
Actually, the show for western RPGs at E3 this year was altogether slim. The above three titles all showed, but not with the glamor or showiness of several other titles, many yet unannounced before E3. However, Mass Effect 2 did get an awesome trailer, which got me quite anticipated for its release next winter/spring. Disappointingly, I wasn't impressed with AP's trailer, however, which was really a case of "telling" instead of "showing." Where's the cinematic quality that makes a good trailer? Nowhere to be found, apparently, which is a bit odd given how well made the previous trailer was. Still, what has been shown has excited me about AP and has brought back memories of certain other games I once played. Which brings me to...
2. Splinter Cell: Conviction. Since the first game was released I've been a pretty big fan of the series, though I actually finished the second one first (I was a newb in those days and got stuck in the third mission of the first). Double Agent was ultimately disappointing, though still entertaining, and it came with an embedded hook for a sequel... which never came. After years of delay, it seems that Conviction might actually come out - complete with gameplay footage and a new trailer. And it looks sweet. But I'm not holding my breath yet. I'll believe it when I see it in stores. Until then, I'll patiently move on to other things, such as...
3. PS3 exclusives now made for 360. I've never owned a PS console. Not once. Not the PS1, PS2, or PS3. It just never really came across as something I wanted to buy, really, with the kinds of games that attracted me more commonly found on the XBox or PC (and, for a time, the Gamecube). By the time the 360 was out my brand loyalty had been bought and paid for. However, as I've looked more into it, I realize I've missed out on a lot of classics. Such as, for instance, the Final Fantasy and Metal Gear Solid series. By all accounts these are among some of the best games ever made and so I was truly delighted to learn that the two most recent installments were coming to the 360. Finally a chance to see what everyone else was talking about. Will they meet my expectations? I don't know. But I intend to find out.
There were also a few other things that grabbed my eye, but those were the key ones that stood out to me. Overall, a good year for gaming by all appearances.