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)
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