Friday, July 13, 2007
E3 - Game Over
Two days, four hotels, one airport hangar and billions of polygons later and another E3 has come and gone.

So, before my eyes adjust to the sunlight, let me quickly tap a few final impressions from the show.

Wii Love The Wii Board
I got a chance to step up on Nintendo's new Wii Balance Board and get a little taste of their latest innovation Wii Fit. And I have to say, it's pretty cool. Initially, I haven't been the biggest fan of the Wii's control system.

As a "core" gamer, I'm more comfortable with the button mashing controls of say the Playstation or XBox. But this year, after seeing how developers have really found a way to create innovative new ways to play using the Wii controls, I've definitely warmed up to the idea.

Factor in the Wii Balance Board and the Wii Fit game, and Nintendo has once again changed the conversation in terms of how developers are going to approach gaming over all.

While I don't think that Wii Fit is going to replace your gym membership, it IS fun to play with. And you can immediately see the potential for the system in the overall gaming arena.

Sequels, sequels, sequels...
This year's E3 seemed like a lot of "been there, played that."

To be fair, a lot of titles are getting their first play on next gen systems and truthfully they LOOK amazing. But after seeing so MANY different sequels to games, I didn't get the impression that I was really seeing anything new.

Yes, "Halo 3" is a sequel - but Halo is an empire bent on world domination.

As I mentioned in a previous post, one of the very few titles I saw that really caught both my eye, and the eyes of gamers at the convention was Activision's "Call of Duty 4." The reason, aside from being a great looking game, it has taken something that has been a proven formula, and given it more than a fresh, new look - it's giving players a fresh, new way to play.

I wish there was more of that this year.

Play Differently, Play Together

I will say that some of the most innovative things I saw this year, came in fact from the PC side of gaming. I spoke to a couple of developers about the way they're trying to change things up and many of them are moving towards offering players access to the actual tools that help shape their RPG's (role-playing games, for you noobs).

This concept, of allowing players to create their own adventures or game modules opens up the conversation and offers the chance to let gamers put their own creativity into the mix.

Obviously, this type of activity works best in a PC environment, where gamers can work with tools outside of the confines of the game itself and certainly, online connectivity only adds to the expansiveness of the gamers' community.

However back on the console side developers are also working on ways to give gamers the chance to expand their play experiences, too.

I was treated to a very innovative and exciting demo of "Little Big Planet" from Sony that won't be hitting the market until sometime in 2008, but when it does, it's going to potentially change the game of gaming.

For now, I'm hoping to actually get some time to play outside this Summer.
It looks like I'm going to be mashing quite a few buttons come Fall.
E3 seems like an interesting event to attend...it's a bit disappointing that the public can't attend.

Although, I have yet taken the opportunity to play the Wii, I would certainly like to do so.

-billy
www.goodpersontest.com
E32007 was all about the Sony PS3's comeback. It's a bit disturbing to read an E3 blog with no mention of Killzone 2, Metal Gear Solid 4, or the other AAA Sony first party games such as Uncharted, Heavenly Sword, and Lair. Then there's the price drop. At least we spent some time on Little Big Planet, but the consensus from most gaming forums/journalists appears to be Sony as the big winner this E3, yet this blog focuses almost exclusively on Wii and 360 coverage. Perhaps this is a result of the current install base of the systems, journalists directing their attentions where the market moves. Still, for a "core" gamer the exciting news out of E3 is Sony's resurgence, which should have been this blog's lead. For anyone seriously interested in objective news I suggest culling your information from a variety of internet sources. Of course, the task of a journalist covering E3 is a difficult one, and it is understandable if we miss the big picture in the bussle of everything E3 has to offer. Regardless, the big story this year is the Sony conference...
Wow. The above wasn't written by a Sony employee, was it? :-) Do ya' think? In two years, there may be a console war, but his holiday is all about the 360 and the Wii. Halo 3. Mass Effect. Nuff said.
Sony has been leaving their customers out in the cold as they get caught up in their own self-importance. I used to be Sony brand loyal, but find myself switching to Samsung electronics and falling back to good old reliable Nintendo for my handheld and platform experiences.

I wish there had been more discussion about the PC games, as well as screenshots of the Wii games.
Halo 3? Who cares about that garbage. Check out the game Crysis. there are tons videos showing how realistic the graphics are.
As for the Sony PS3 price drop, it is only until they sell out of the 60GB version. Not sure if price will go back up to original price when the 80GB version comes out. They drop the price, but it still is currently the most expensive console, so I'm not sure how it can called Sony's comeback. The big winner this holiday season is going to be Nintendo. Mario, Metroid, Smash Brothers can't be beat. It'll only be harder to find Wiis come October-December.
It's odd, then, that as I read over 10 articles covering E3 that 4 of them focus on the Nintendo Wii, 4 focus on X-Box 360, and only 2 focus on Playstion 3.

I think the Playstation 3 has stunning graphics, and I would like to play some of the games that are currently out and that are to be released. However when it comes down to it, I would always spend that $500 on upgrading my computer so that I can run the more current PC games. Heck, as much as I dislike Microsoft, I would buy a 360 before a PS3 - just because I think it's a rip-off to spend $500 on a gaming console.
E3 just won't be right anymore now that it isn't open to the public. I will say this about a few things. 1) Halo 3 looks awesome and the only people who say bad things about it are people who suck at Halo. 2) Sony has officially killed the Playstation. We now move on to Xbox vs Nintendo. Prepare for Sony to go the way of Sega and Atari before them.
I'm surprised no one mentioned Rock Band. I foresee it as the dark horse Game of the Year.
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