E3 2017 Post-Mortem Part 2: Ranking the Press Conferences (Second Half)

PC Gaming Show

The good

• Plenty of focus on both games and tech

For all the developer talks and walkthroughs present at the PC Gaming Show, there’s plenty of attention directed to the tech behind the latest rigs and PC powerhouses. Intel showed up again this year, offering morsels of upcoming tournaments, Virtual Reality ventures and the announcement of Destiny 2 for the PC. It was very much connected to the audience watching the show and worked to include them in a way not really seen at the other press conferences.

• XCOM 2: War of the Chosen Announcement

While there were relatively few new announcements at the PC Gaming Show, the one that did steal the show for me was the XCOM 2: War of the Chosen expansion which boldly promises an amount of content that would rival XCOM 3. New enemies, three separate mercenary factions that can be recruited to XCOM and a deeper focus on mental psionic powers. It all points to a creative team that continues to provide a phenomenal vision for the XCOM franchise. I’ll be checking this out when it releases in August; how it will factor into mods and Long War 2 will be another intriguing proposition.

The bad

• A slightly cringeworthy host and presentation

With Ubisoft having removed their cringy performances this year, the PC Gaming Show ended up on the wrong side of presentation styles this year. Returning from last year, Sean "Day9" Plott attempted to convey a laidback charisma but the commentary he had to make on several games stood out as very awkward. For a community of gamers and developers made up of a mostly hardcore crowd, he served a large distraction from many of the more interesting titles on offer.

• More re-releases and games from other conferences

As the Xbox and PC platforms converge, both companies behind their respective hardware have come up with this issue. Multiple appearances by games in both conferences to the point they begin to blend together, their impacts narrowing in the process. Some of the games that appeared at both conferences this year included Players Unknown Battlefields, FORZA 7 and Sea of Thieves. Other titles such as Age of Empires: Definitive Edition didn’t cause much buzz due to their re-release status. The PC Gaming Show needs to do more to set itself apart and keep the case for building the latest rigs over owning a console.

In Conclusion

The PC Gaming Show was mostly OK this year, its announcements and showcases diminished by the fact that many games had been at other E3 pressers already. It’s greatest strengths were a few select moments and a focus on tech that PC enthusiasts like to focus on. It’s just a shame there wasn’t much in the way of games coming exclusively to PC, nor was there much discussion about how the platform is catering to the slow integration of console into the mix.

Conference Grading: 6/10 (Fair)

Ubisoft

The good

• Mario and Rabbids Kingdom Battle: A wacky yet intriguing crossover

Kicking off the Ubisoft press conference this year was a surprise appearance from the legendary Shigeru Miyamoto as he got up on stage alongside Yves Gu to announce a new and unique Mario cross-over. Mario and Rabbids Kingdom Battle is a strategy game where opposing sides go from level to level, moving across a grid to attack the enemy and hopefully come out on top with good placement and tactics. It’s a more accessible version of XCOM, but it’s an incredibly novel and interesting concept for a Mario game. Combine the fantastic looking art styles of both games and you have a real looker as well. For all the wacky misadventures the Rabbids have had over the years, Kingdom Battle could end up being their finest hour. One heck of a way to start your conference off.

• Beyond Good and Evil 2: Biggest announcement of the entire show

After years of absence and fan anticipation, Ubisoft finally delivered the first official trailer for Beyond Good and Evil 2 at E3 2017. While not a sequel as originally planned, the announcement stood out as the biggest new title of the show. A pre-rendered trailer oozed personality with talking animals and a massive, vibrant cityscape, followed up by a journey through space with a rag-tag company that appears to take some inspiration from Marvel’s Guardians of the Galaxy. The game is still a long way off but Beyond Good and Evil 2 was a sure sign that Ubisoft is taking fan feedback onboard (If only they did the same for their business practices), while also stamping themselves as the most exciting announcement of all the press conferences.

• Cutting out cringe-worthy hosts in favour of a cleaner format

The biggest improvement of all though came through Ubisoft’s presentation style. There have been some corny presenters over the years who have tried their hardest to sound hip and cool but only ended up damaging the conference. In 2017 Ubisoft changed this, placing company CEO Yves Guillemot in charge of proceedings. He kept things straightforward and simple, showing off the games without having any forced moments in-between. On top of all that he put a lot of focus on the developers, inviting them up to the stage for a final send-off. It’s far more understated and a step in the right direction for the company.

The bad

• Assassin’s Creed Origins: Cutting off-stage to a smaller screen

Ubisoft has fallen victim to diminished impact at its press conferences as some of its games end up being demoed at other conferences. It happened again in 2017 as Ubisoft had to default to a small monitor outside of its press conference to show off Assassin’s Creed Origins as the original demo had already been shown at Microsoft’s presser earlier. Considering how big of a title it is, it was quite the let-down to see it get snubbed like that; unable to show the game’s technical prowess on a larger scale.

• Skull and Bones: Essentially a multiplayer version of Assassin’s Creed IV: Black Flag

While many Ubisoft titles at the show this year made a big splash, Skull and Bones was perhaps the biggest exception. It’s as if Ubisoft went back to the big success of Assassin’s Creed IV: Black Flag and though: “Hey, do you remember how people wanted multiplayer ship battles in that game? Let’s just repackage that gaming system and call it a new IP”. While the demo showcased at Ubisoft’s conference was action-packed, we’ve mostly seen it all before; Skull and Bones just isn’t doing much to set itself apart as its own unique title right now. This is something Ubisoft Singapore needs to pick up on before releasing in 2018.

In Conclusion

Ubisoft has had some niggling issues with its press conference in the past and yet in 2017, the French corporation finally decided to cut the cringe and deliver their best conference in years and indeed the best of the entire show. Two brilliant announcements at both ends of the conference, plus a heap of exciting material in the middle showed that Ubisoft is really branching out when it comes to genres. While there may be some questionable business decisions to come, Ubisoft’s presser was the best-presented and overall the most exciting.

Conference Grading: 8/10 (Great)

Sony

The good

• God of War and Detroit: Become Human gameplay trailers

Two big PS4 exclusives that had further developments at Sony shows past were the new God of War and David Cage’s Detroit: Become Human. In the God of War demo, Kratos and his son traversed the Nordic environments, with the angry protagonist wielding an axe and extendable shield to deal gruesome damage to foes. It was capped off by the same gargantuan boss fights we’ve come to expect from the series. With a new over-the-shoulder perspective, things are looking up for the new God of War. It’s also a fantastic looking game, from the vast locales to the detailed character models.

As for Detroit: Become Human, we were treated to a detailed gameplay trailer revealing more of the world and characters alongside the central theme of androids revolting against the masses. It’s all looking very intriguing so far, the morals of technology, artificial intelligence being pushed to the forefront. Add to that the elements of choice that became central to Heavy Rain and Beyond: Two Souls and Sony has another uniquely cinematic adventure to use as an incentive to buy a PlayStation 4.

• Insomniac Games’ Spider-Man gameplay debut

Licensed games are typically bargain-bin trash but some game developers go the extra mile to make them great experiences. This year it was Insomniac Games’ turn to take up this mantle with the new Spider-Man game; set to release next year, the game looks proper action packed with all of Spidey’s trademark abilities making their way into the game. After years of Activision holding the license to Spider-Man games, the developers of Ratchet and Clank could be the ones to deliver the next licensed hit to stand alongside the likes of the N64’s GoldenEye.

The bad

• No The Last of Us 2

Just as Microsoft was missing Crackdown 3 last year, this year Sony had the biggest missed opportunity with The Last of Us 2. Announced at the PlayStation experience event in 2016, TLOU2 is a huge exclusive for Sony, considering how the original is widely considered one of the best games of all time. On the biggest stage in gaming, they should have capitalised on this and delivered the first gameplay feed just like they did for the original game back in 2012; if placed well it could have rounded off their press conference with a bang. Instead Naughty Dog featured Uncharted 4: The Lost Legacy expansion which while exciting just can’t compare.

• Shadow of the Colossus: A disappointing remaster

Remastering games has become an unfortunate trend in the current generation of consoles; rather than taking risks, many companies see fit to re-release numerous older games to turn a profit. After The Last Guardian released last year after many delays, many believed that Team ICO would take a break or perhaps move on to a new project. Unfortunately, disappointment was abound as Shadow of the Colossus was set to be re-released again, this time on the PlayStation 4. Quite a shame that time was dedicated to such an incredibly unexciting announcement.

• A lack of big announcements or anything new on highly anticipated games

Sony has made a name for itself over the last few years for laying the smackdown on opponents while also delivering the biggest announcements. 2013 and 2015 featured their best conferences because they went out of their way to impress people. But in 2017, many of these facets were missing. There was still no word on Kingdom Hearts 3, Final Fantasy 7 Remake and Shenmue 3, titles which Sony has thrown its support behind, thrilling millions of fans in the process. To keep fans onboard, updates on these titles should be featured at a high priority for E3.

In conclusion

There’s no doubt that Sony’s 2017 presser was a big step down from previous years; with some unremarkable demos and many titles conspicuously absent despite making such a big buzz before. Sony should have capitalised on the big surprises that had fans going crazy in 2015, especially Final Fantasy 7 Remake and Kingdom Hearts 3 but they didn’t manage to show how any of these titles were progressing. There was also little on PS Vita and PlayStation VR, making their offerings quite limited. Overall, things felt pretty ho-hum for Sony at E3 2017.

Conference Rating: 6/10 (Fair)

Nintendo

The good

• The return of Metroid with Prime 4 and Samus Returns

After a huge backlash against Nintendo with the release of the spin-off title Metroid Prime: Federation Force, the Japanese company saw fit to put the anger to rest by going back to one of their biggest franchises. Two new Metroid games were announced at the event; one is a throwback to the older 2D titles on the Nintendo 3DS and the other marks the return of the best first-person adventure franchises after a decade of absence on the Switch. Little is known about either Metroid Prime 4 or Samus Returns but fans are sure to be pleased that Nintendo is going back to one of their most popular IPs.

• Super Mario Odyssey: Looking like the next great 3D Mario game

It’s been over half a decade since the last true 3D Mario game, Super Mario Galaxy 2, came out and pushed its Nintendo hardware to the limit. Super Mario 3D World for the Wii U was a footnote on the way to the moustachioed plumber’s next big game. Super Mario Odyssey is up to the task; following its reveal earlier this year, it made a smashing gameplay debut. This time the big gameplay hook is Mario’s hat which can be used as a weapon or to possess enemies and use them to traverse the environments which take place across time, space and even more realistic locations such as New Donk City (Clearly taking inspiration from New York). Even with just a few minutes of gameplay, there’s all kinds of possibilities for the latest Mario game, meaning Nintendo could have another system seller on their hands.

The bad

• Relatively few new Switch exclusives

Super Mario Odyssey was a great title to accompany the Direct Event with, but outside of that there weren’t many other exclusives around for the Switch. The motion-controlled fighting game Arms released just in time for E3 and The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild already released earlier this year to critical acclaim, instead choosing to show off its upcoming DLC at the show. Splatoon 2 and Xenoblade Chronicles 2, being sequels, didn’t manage to make the biggest impact Nintendo could have done with more new Switch exclusives to keep the momentum of their recently released console going.

In Conclusion

Nintendo wasn’t setting the world on fire with its Direct Event this year, but it did go a long way towards reassuring fans while making sure the exclusives it did have were on point. Heading back to the Metroid franchise after many years of absence was widely welcomed, as was the partnership with Ubisoft on Kingdom Battle. But it was Super Mario Odyssey’s gameplay reveal that placed them above Sony and Microsoft this time around.

Conference Grading: 7/10 (Good)

(All images used for the purposes of review and criticism under fair use)

That covers my thoughts on the E3 2017 Press Conferences. For the first half featuring EA, Microsoft and Bethesda click here.

For my final thoughts on E3 2017, click here