E3 2015 Conference Wrap Up
Microsoft
Microsoft didn't waste any time with their press conference as they started right out of the gates with Halo 5: Guardians. I am a fan of the Halo series but more so for the campaign and co-op multiplayer aspects. Seeing the campaign in action definitely got me even more hyped to play this game. The graphics look crisp and there seems to be no shortage of action. I do think the new multiplayer mode called Warzone looks interesting and almost Titanfall like since it mixes both PvP and PvE combat.
I thought the game Recore had an interesting concept, but of course only a trailer was shown. I look forward to seeing the game in action but my overall hype meter wasn't going off for this game. A big announcement was that there would be Xbox One backwards compatible with Xbox 360. I honestly did not see that coming but I think it's awesome Microsoft is doing this. Some people are saying it's dumb they are doing this, that it's not a big deal, and nobody is going to go back and play older games. A lot of those people are probably Sony fanboys who are just angry that Sony isn't doing that with the PS4 and of course will still be buying remastered editions of the older PS3 games anyway. I think it's great that Microsoft stated both digital and retail Xbox 360 games will work and you don't have to buy them again. Even cooler, Xbox One features like taking pictures, video clips, etc. will work with Xbox 360 games. It'll be interesting to see what games make the backwards compatibility cut and how frequently the list of games will be updated.
A few other notable games that were shown during the conference was Fallout 4 and the announcement that PC mods will be available on Xbox One (before the PS4 edition). Of course Forza Motorsport 6 was shown with all those flashy cars, and Rise of the Tomb Raider looks tense, action packed, and a whole lot of fun. I'm glad that Microsoft didn't spend a ton of time on the Oculus front, and while the Hololens demonstration was cool, I'm not a fan of Minecraft and I really don't know how the Hololens will actually shape up. I hope it's not another Kinect where there are a few cool features, but ultimately it's not really needed and is seen as a waste.
Towards the end of the show Microsoft finally revealed two Gears of War announcements. Of course the rumored and leaked Gears of War Ultimate Edition was revealed and shown to play at full 1080p and a buttery smooth 60 frames-per-second. But the bigger announcement was the official reveal of Gears of War 4. That game looks gorgeous with great lighting and weather effects. The new characters shown seem interesting and the look of the new enemy is pretty cool. While I knew it wouldn't be coming out this year, it was still a little bit of a downer to see "Holiday 2016" flash up at the end of the demo.
Overall I thought Microsoft had a good conference and that they have a solid lineup of exclusive games coming out this year. Most of the games shown were either already known or expected to be seen, but that still didn't take away from the excitement I had watching the conference.
Final Grade: A-
Sony
During the first day of E3 while I was watching the conferences I kept thinking, "Sony has to show something big because a lot of their exclusive games have been pushed until next year. What could they show? The Last Guardian? Nah!" Well Sony definitely brought out the big guns as they did indeed bring much needed excitement and life back to The Last Guardian. It was great seeing the game in action and it seems to have the same atmospheric charm as ICO and Shadow of The Colossus. I cannot wait to play this game. Unfortunately it's still not coming out until sometime next year.
One of the surprising games during the Sony conference was Horizon: Zero Dawn. First off the game looks beautiful and that's not surprising since it's being developed by Guerilla Games and Killzone: Shadow Fall looked really good. Horizon: Zero Dawn looks like a solid third person action game with a unique setting and characters. This game is definitely on my radar. While the new Hitman and exclusive Street Fighter V look good, neither of those games really did anything for me. No Man's Sky has always been a game I've kept my eye on. It's massive open world and endless gameplay is something that is really cool. Seeing the game in action and actually seeing some gun play while on one of the planets has me more interested in this game, but also wanting to see more before I completely jump on board.
The game Dreams looks absolutely imaginary and interesting. While a trailer was only shown, the game seems to offer a lot in creativity and originality. It'll be interesting to see how it shapes up. Of course Bungie was on stage to talk more about the Taken King Expansion and the PS4 exclusivity. While I love Destiny, it was a no brainer they would be talking about it at the conference so it wasn't a surprise. A nice surprise however came from the announcement of a Final Fantasy VII remake. Final Fantasy VII was actually the first game in the series I played and I enjoyed it. It will be cool to see the game in full high definition. Something that had kind of been rumored was Microsoft no longer having their time exclusive deal with the Call of Duty franchise. Sony of course took the opportunity to showcase some of Black Ops 3 and announce that they now have the timed exclusive rights to DLC. If you're a huge Call of Duty fan and only playing on the PS4, this is good news for you. I'm sure some Call of Duty fans on Xbox aren't too thrilled about this.
Now I'm going to probably get flamed for this, but I wasn't exactly jumping out of my seat when the Shenmue 3 Kickstarter was announced. Mainly because while I'm aware of the Shenmue games and have seen them being played, I've never played them myself. So I'm an "outsider looking in" when it comes to those games. It was definitely obvious how many people love this series and the Kickstarter campaign has already surpassed its goal. Sony still had a segment for the indie developers and games, and then took time to talk about their PlayStation Vue TV service coming out that allows people to watch shows, movies, sports, etc. without a cable or satellite subscription. The service can run anywhere from $50-$70. Something that always cracks me up is how people will comment online how this is cool, yet they freaked out and condemned Microsoft if they even mentioned the word TV. Oh fanboys, gotta love them!
Sony wrapped up their conference with the game probably everyone was expecting; Uncharted 4: A Thief's End. What can be more said about this game. Naughty Dog has always been a developer who knows how to create amazing games and knows the console they are working on. Uncharted 4 looks absolutely incredible with all of the witty banter, non-stop action, gripping story, and great characters we have come to love from the Uncharted series. I cannot wait to get this game next year. Overall I thought Sony had a really good conference. Especially since most of their big games aren't coming out until next year. That had me a little worried, but I feel at ease seeing what's on the horizon for the PS4.
Final Grade: A
Written by: Alter Ego 83
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