With the dust settling after another intriguing E3 show, it is time to have a look back at the events and happenings from a interesting couple of days in sunny Los Angeles.
The fun started pre- E3 on the Sunday, with Nintendo having an online only stream to showcase their new console, the Wii U. With many expecting more information to be shared by the big N, we were given a sneak peek of what the new console would offer. First off the bat, was Miiverse. Miiverse is Nintendo's big social network where players are able to communicate with fellow gamers using the Wii U gamepad. Miis will gather around icons of the most popular games and enable players to find others and/or friends who have similar game tastes. You will be able to send text messages as well as images, screenshots and even in game tips to friends all across the world.
As with tradition now, Microsoft kicked off the week with their press conference. With many rumours swirling around, would Microsoft show off their next generation console? The answer was No, instead of looking to the future, they looked to the present, but more specifically Kinect. Much of the conference was revolving around Kinect and the many new uses it would have. Gaming wise, EA Sports showed Kinect usage for Madden 13 and surprisingly Fifa 13 while there was some useage in the "Need for Speed"esque Forza Horizon.
But Microsoft's big highlight for Kinect was its partnership with the biggest sports brand in the world; Nike. Nike Plus Kinect Training allows people to find other people online to work out with as well as compare fitness stats with. Not the most interesting thing to announce at a games convention right?
Making this even more like CES than E3, Microsoft showed off SmartGlass. Smartglass is the new technology which enables the use of a tablet as a companion to the TV. The example given was setting up plays in Madden 13. The tablet contained a playbook which the players could use to select plays while the TV showed the action. Sound very similar to another console mentioned previously?
The non gaming presentations continued with the announcement of IE9 coming to the Xbox 360. A browser is finally coming to the Xbox 360 but is it really what gamers want to hear?
Finally moving back to the gaming part of the presentation were demos of Tomb Raider,Resident Evil 6 and kicking off with Halo 4, with the latter two having timed exclusive content for the Xbox 360. Major coups for Microsoft as the two mentioned games are two of the biggest gaming franchises. With teasers for new indie games on the XBLA in the form of Lococycle and Matter showed that Microsoft did have some games up their sleeves.
A highlight of the conference was the introduction of the creators of South Park, Trey Parker and Matt Stone to show off a new South Park titled: South Park: The Stick of Truth which puts you into the shoes of a new kid who has just moved to small town. Not much else was shown but seemed to be a sort of MMO.
Ending the conference was a demo of Black Ops 2, showing off some new guns and showing diversity in the single player mode where players are able to choose between two decisions which could lead to different consequences. Cool highlights included a remote controlled hovering drone and a sort of x-ray sniper rifle.
With so much emphasis on Kinect and not so much on games Microsoft put up a pretty weak showing, but were able to boast timed exclusives for two major titles and showed off the new entry in the Halo franchise. Was it enough to "win" E3? Find out my views on the two other major conferences later on to find out my verdict.
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