E3 2017 Post-Mortem Part 3: Final Thoughts and Summary

E3 2017 felt quite underwhelming compared to previous years, delivering both ho-hum hardware screenings and far fewer announcements of new bigger titles. A few press conferences could stand above the others for their strong presentation and a few choice titles but for the most part there were hardly any big surprises. Many of the games that turned up at the show this year were expected after their initial announcements. There were also quite a few questionable business decisions in the show and after it had wound down including Bethesda’s Creation Club for paid mods and Ubisoft’s insane decision to make an $800 Collector’s Edition of Assassin’s Creed Origins. Just about every conference apart from Ubisoft and Nintendo took a step backwards from last year as well.

On the whole though, I think the most underwhelming presentations came from Microsoft and Sony; both corporations put a lot of time and effort into touting their supercharged mid-generation consoles. But both the PS4 Pro and the Xbox One X haven’t done anything to convince me that 4K gaming will be a big step forward for the industry as a whole; plus, when you consider that gaming PCs are constantly improving and pushing forward in terms of technical specs, all of this boasting about console power doesn’t make a lot of difference. Microsoft’s conference landed with a thud with every title coming to PC as well as Xbox and Sony didn’t bring the thunder with its PS4 exclusives the way it did before. Both console makers should have had games that require owning the systems and really making the case for buying them, but instead they’re hopelessly outclassed by their biggest competition in the hardware. The push for better graphical fidelity may have soured the expectation for games that push the industry forward, not to mention titles that show off the creative talent of their respective system.

It was also interesting how virtual reality headsets didn’t have nearly as big a presence as it did in previous years. I’d say the concepts afforded by VR were mentioned in a big way a grand total of three times at the Ubisoft conference, Sony presser and PC Gaming Show. It’s clear that the technology hasn’t caught on yet and that developers are still wrapping their heads around the peripherals to make more immersive gameplay experiences. When it comes to future E3 events, companies should follow Ubisoft and Nintendo’s example, focusing on games and creating excitement for them above all else.

So, there you have it; an E3 that fizzled, rather than flourished but I’ll still be taking note of the winners and losers…

My Personal Picks

Best Conference: Ubisoft

Most improved of the big companies: Ubisoft

Least progressive of the big companies: EA

Most Disappointing: Bethesda’s entire showing

Biggest Reveals and Cheers: Ubisoft

Biggest Surprise: Metroid Prime 4

Most Awkward Moment: Jesse Wellens talking Need for Speed: Payback at the EA Press Conference

Strongest Return: Beyond Good and Evil 2

Missing in Action: The Last of Us 2

Game of the Show: Super Mario Odyssey

Honourable Mentions: Mario and Rabbids: Kingdom Battle, Anthem, God of War, Star Wars Battlefront 2

(Images used for the purposes for review and criticism under fair use)