Today is the final day of e3 2011. What a year it was, we had an information blowout on the PS Vita, a ton of new Kinect games, and even a new Nintendo console. But which of the big three, Sony, Microsoft and Nintendo had the best e3 showing? Not just their press conference, but developer round tables and booths included. Click "read more" to become pleasantly surprised, or possibly upset if you are a fanboy.
All three companies had great showings, if you have been following my e3 conference report cards you would know that the lowest grade I gave was to Microsoft, a B-. Despite being dragged down by needless Kinect implementation in core titles, Microsoft still had a lot of good games to show, particularly two Halo games and Gears of War 3. Sony fared a bit better, focusing on a solid lineup of sequels, Move controller implementation in core games and continuing to push 3D glasses. But it ended up being a bit boring because it felt so "safe". HD collections of PS2 games are nice, but I want to see fresh ideas. Uncharted 3: Drakes Deception and Resistance 3 will surely be great, but I feel as though three entries in the same franchise on a single console is pushing it. The PS VIta looked nice, but the most amazing thing about it seemed to be its price, $250 is really cheap for the amount of power packed into the handheld. I am honestly not too impressed though. It is a very nice piece of tech, I'll give it that, but what I care about are the games. Despite Sony announcing a lot of developer support at their conference, we didn't actually see much of it. I expect the development costs to be extreme, and the returns to be small due to a small user base at the launch of the system. I predict there will be a couple of nice launch titles from Sony's internal studios (more sequels like yet another Uncharted and Little Big Planet), a lot of console ports and then a sharp drop off.
What about Nintendo? They had a new console to show, the Wii U. The console looks like it will truly be something special when it launches this year, and the numerous show floor demos and developer round tables did a great job of showing the enormous potential of its new controller. This system has enough power under the hood to please hardcore gamers, and enough innovation to attract new users as well. They held a third party developer roundtable Wednesday night, in which Ubisoft showed off some fantastic ideas for the new controller. Developers seem genuinely excited to work on the console, and that makes me excited too. Nintendo also showed strong support for the 3DS, announcing that Super Mario 3DS and Mario Kart 3DS would both be making it out this year. Not only that, they announced a sequel to one of my favorite Gamecube games, Luigi's Mansion. Yes, I did just get done complaining about Sony's sequelitis, but you generally only see one or two entries in any Nintendo franchise within 5 years and they usually feature unique quirks that make them feel fresh. Nintendo also didn't forget about their current console, Wii, showing beautiful trailers for The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword, and great gameplay demos of previously unannounced titles like Rhythm Heaven and Kirby.
Overall, I felt like Nintendo delivered the best showing, fulfilling their mission of offering something for everyone. Plus it's hard to top the unveiling of a new system. It was a tough decision, and that says a lot about the quality of this year's e3. Gamers have a lot to look forward to in 2011 and beyond.
What about Nintendo? They had a new console to show, the Wii U. The console looks like it will truly be something special when it launches this year, and the numerous show floor demos and developer round tables did a great job of showing the enormous potential of its new controller. This system has enough power under the hood to please hardcore gamers, and enough innovation to attract new users as well. They held a third party developer roundtable Wednesday night, in which Ubisoft showed off some fantastic ideas for the new controller. Developers seem genuinely excited to work on the console, and that makes me excited too. Nintendo also showed strong support for the 3DS, announcing that Super Mario 3DS and Mario Kart 3DS would both be making it out this year. Not only that, they announced a sequel to one of my favorite Gamecube games, Luigi's Mansion. Yes, I did just get done complaining about Sony's sequelitis, but you generally only see one or two entries in any Nintendo franchise within 5 years and they usually feature unique quirks that make them feel fresh. Nintendo also didn't forget about their current console, Wii, showing beautiful trailers for The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword, and great gameplay demos of previously unannounced titles like Rhythm Heaven and Kirby.
Overall, I felt like Nintendo delivered the best showing, fulfilling their mission of offering something for everyone. Plus it's hard to top the unveiling of a new system. It was a tough decision, and that says a lot about the quality of this year's e3. Gamers have a lot to look forward to in 2011 and beyond.