PC Gaming
Show
The good
- · A varied focus swapping from guest developers, games, hardware and the state of the platform as a whole
Most companies at E3 follow a fairly traditional structure;
the host announces a game, we watch it in either a demo or trailer, the
developer says a few words and so on. But the PC Gaming Show once again stuck
to its own patented style along the lines of a talk show, featuring a great mix
of games, developer discussions, and hardware talk alongside other insights.
The talk show style of presentation gave way to far fewer moments of
awkwardness and kept the focus on where we all expected it to be.
- · The sheer number of games on display
Coming at a rapid pace, we saw games of just about every type
at the PC Gaming Show in 2016 from first person shooters, simulation games,
real time strategy, and role playing titles alongside updates and advancements
to games such as Killing Floor 2 and ARMA 3. It was a very strong promotion for
the diverse PC library as a whole, which is sure to bode well for creativity on
the platform. With most companies inserting their usual franchises into their
conferences each year, the PC show wasn’t afraid to spread out, while also
homing in on more niche titles for specific audiences.
The bad
- · No Star Citizen, Civilization VI or other big franchises
While we got a ton of games at this year’s PC Gaming Show,
there were a fair few big companies that were absent. The biggest of these were
Star Citizen and the recently announced Civilization VI, which were both
nowhere to found. Both games are prime examples of how PC is often leaps and
bounds over consoles in terms of technical prowess and catering to the hardcore crowd. The only major title that received a fair bit
of attention was Deus Ex: Mankind Divided and that demo also felt rather brief.
For a conference that focuses entirely on PC, it needs to have more games which
use it as a main platform and dedicate more time to them.
In conclusion
Once again the PC Gaming Show struck a good chord with the
gaming audience as a whole with a down to earth tone and plenty of interactions
between the host and the developers. It was also arguably the most varied
conference of the bunch too with some talk from AMD on the latest PC components
alongside countless game genres; strategy, simulation, role-playing, it was all
there. But again, much like with the other conferences I’ve talked about thus
far, it was lacking any major surprises or those big games that would really
show off the PC as a platform. We may have had that talk from Warren Spector at
the end but that’s a case of telling, rather than showing. It seems that the PC
Gaming Show is now a regular presence at E3, but they need to add that extra
oomph to become as well known as the other big companies.
Rating: 7/10 (Good)
Ubisoft
The good
- · Deeper demos and gameplay for the bigger titles
Following last year’s disappointing focus on trailers rather
than demos, Ubisoft saw fit to make up for it by putting a fair few games on
display, rather than leaving them to those who attended the event or putting
them back to the show floor. Ghost Recon: Wildlands, For Honour, South Park, Watch Dogs 2
and Steep were all present and accounted for which worked a lot better towards
creating genuine excitement.
- · South Park: The Fractured But Whole and Steep gameplay debuts
Last year I had a really hard time getting excited for many
Ubisoft titles, but this year the company also turned things around in that
regard; it was all thanks to the new South Park game and winter sport game
Steep, which was saved for the end of the conference. Based on what I saw,
South Park: The Fractured But Whole looks to push forward with both the turn-based
combat and the crazy humour that made 2014's Stick of Truth so memorable. Steep is
looking to be almost a compilation of all the best winter sports games such as
SSX rolled into one, with a sprinkling of those social multiplayer components
that have grown in popularity such as friend challenges. Steep is being
produced by a relatively new team who are based close to the Alps; there’s a
lot of potential for authenticity and the environments on display looked
fantastic. Provided they don’t suffer from the dreaded Ubisoft downgrade
syndrome, Steep could be another great game under the French company’s belt.
The bad
The start of Ubisoft’s conference was strange to say the
least; a group of dancers dressed up in wacky outfits pulled out their best
choreography to show a quick view of the latest Just Dance. I don’t fault the
dancers, just their inclusion, but on the bright side, the awkward moment was
quickly shifted aside with Ubisoft taking the time to emphasise their
solidarity with the victims of the Orlando shooting last Sunday. It’s a bit
silly that the company is continuing to milk Just Dance even after the motion
gaming scene has been and gone; it seemed to be thrown in there just to say:
“Look everyone! Just Dance is still a thing! Go out and buy this year’s
iteration which offers little other than new songs!.” They really do need move
on from franchises like this.
Unfortunately with proper demos and gameplay comes Ubisoft’s
most lacklustre trend at E3; the idea of acting out gamers interactions on
stage. Once again the company just couldn’t resist as Ghost Recon: Wildlands
was chock full of cooperative jargon in a desperate bid to show off the game’s
options for teamwork. Let the gameplay speak for itself Ubisoft; you don’t need
to talk over it in a bid to make it seem cooler. In the end, they’re just
making themselves look foolish by attempting to imitate the gaming community.
It really sticks out amongst all the other conferences when Ubisoft is the only
company to do it.
In conclusion
Though Ubisoft is still falling back on the same tired tricks
that often pop up at their press conferences, 2016 was still a worthwhile
improvement. The demos and gameplay on display were more extended and detailed
than the other companies. They realised that to get people excited for their
upcoming AAA releases, you need more than simple trailers and followed up with
actual gameplay. Some of the games may have been more impactful than others,
but Ubisoft’s presser still went fairly well in the end.
Rating: 7/10 (Good)
Sony
The good
Set in the Shrine Auditorium, Sony’s conference was very
different to every other company this year, feeling almost like a performance
rather than a media briefing. A full orchestra composed by the likes of Bear McCreary
stood behind every game, delivering an empowering impact to the bigger games at
the event. The talk from executives and presenters was kept to a minimum,
allowing the games to make their own mark on the community. As a result, Sony’s
conference felt far more compelling to watch overall.
Following some heavy troubles with Konami and Metal Gear Solid 5 last year, Hideo Kojima made a thunderous return at E3 this year to an epic
stairway sequence; from here, the famous developer was given free rein to show
off his new game. He’ll be reuniting with Norman Reedus for Death Stranding
which portrays a very surreal theme and setting; with the developer and his
company having full creative control over the project, there’s nothing stopping
Kojima from making one of his biggest and best games yet.
- · Countless games with genuine excitement being built
Sony’s conference had the games and very rarely moved away
from them. It all started off with a bang as Kratos stepped out of the shadows
and into the new God of War, which looks to tell a more intimate and emotive
story in an all new setting in Norse Mythology. From there, the big games
continued to pour in; Horizon Zero Dawn got a fully-fledged gameplay demo for
its beautiful looking world, The Last Guardian got a release date for October
2016, Detroit: Become Human had all kinds of player choices woven into its
trailer and Resident Evil 7 is finally making a much needed return to horror by
picking up where the cancelled P.T left off. Even Call of Duty: Infinite Warfare, a game being torn to pieces by the gaming community since its debut
left me feeling rather surprised by the direction the developers were going.
Sony’s approach put the games front and centre all the way through and that was
the best decision to make for E3 this year.
The bad
Sony delivered in spades when it came to games and giving off
a massive sense of scale, but there were some baffling additions to the
line-up. A trailer for Lego Star Wars: The Force Awakens? Why have underwhelming
games like that at a press conference? Some of the VR demonstrations were also
very basic, being simple accompanying side projects attached to big games such
as Final Fantasy 15. While these didn’t take the impact away from the bigger games,
it did end up slowing the conference’s momentum a bit.
In spite of all the brilliant looking games at Sony’s conference this
year, Days Gone was a questionable way to finish things up. It’s an open world
zombie survival game that appears to be following up on what both Uncharted and
The Last of Us have already done. While the game apparently has much more to
show, according to developer Bend Studio but the demo didn’t have a lot of
show. It’s a fairly standard third person action game with the same zombie
hordes that defined World War Z and Dead Rising; but instead of striking out on
its own, I felt like it was thrown in to give the conference that set-piece moment.
Naughty Dog is no doubt taking a break from things after the release of
Uncharted 4 and Bend’s attempt to fill their absence was average at best. Let’s
hope they can improve the game for next year.
In conclusion
Sony’s event this year was more than just a conference this
year; it was an experience. With its cinematic flair, countless quality games and
solid pacing, the company set itself apart from its competitors while also providing
the biggest and best announcements of any of the conferences. 2016 is easily
their best year since they first announced the PlayStation 4 three years ago.
The only caveats were some weaker announcements in the middle and the somewhat
lacking demo for Days Gone at the end.
Rating: 8/10 (Great)
That wraps up my discussion on the E3 2016 press conferences. For the next part I'll be looking at some of the games that had their own developments on the show floor.
(All images used for the purposes of review and criticism under fair use)
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