E3 2017 Conference Wrap Up

E3 2017 is all said and done. The convention hall has been cleared out, and gamers around the world are still viewing game footage to get another glimpse at their most anticipated games to come. As with the past several years, I've reflected on the E3 event, the two main conferences (Microsoft and Sony), and some of my favorite games that were shown to create my final thoughts and wrap up. So here we go!

Microsoft Conference

Everyone knew that Microsoft would be talking about the Xbox Scorpio at their press conference, and they did not let us down on that front. Microsoft revealed that the name of the new upgraded Xbox One was officially named the Xbox One X, and that it would release worldwide on November 7 for $499 (a price that was leaked hour before the show). I feel kind of indifferent with the name. While I don't think it's the worst name for a console ever, and I do understand they are keeping it within the Xbox One family line, I don't think the name is amazing either.

The price point is still something people are talking about. I feel that for the parts and power you are getting, $499 is a decent price. Yes, many people will say that you should just buy or build a gaming PC, and that is true. However, some people may not be PC gamers and only want a console. In that case, having a super powered console like the Xbox One X is a great option. Something else I found interesting was that the Xbox One X is the smallest Xbox ever! Even more smaller than the Xbox One S. Also, a positive point was the mentioning that all Xbox One games will be enhanced when played on the Xbox One X. That's including playing on non 4K televisions. It will be interesting to see how many Xbox One X consoles Microsoft sells this fall and throughout next year.

A big announcement was that original Xbox games will soon be backwards compatible on the Xbox One later this year, with Crimson Skies being one of the titles. I really liked how Microsoft only spent a little time discussing the Xbox One X and immediately went into the games. They showed some expected exclusive titles like Forza Motorsport 7, State of Decay 2, Sea of Thieves and Crackdown 3. Some of the surprised game reveals were Metro Exodus, Player Unknown's Battlergrounds, and Assassin's Creed Origins, and Ori and the Will of the Wisps.

Outside of the official Xbox One X reveal, Microsoft really needed to hit the games hard and I think that's something they did well. However, I was a little disappointed in small lineup of exclusive games, but that was something I was kind of expecting this year. Overall I thought Microsoft did a good job showing some solid games on stage, and once again I commend Phil Spencer for continuing to be a shining light for the Xbox brand and gaming industry in general.

Final Grade: A-


Sony Conference

It was a pretty sure bet that Sony wasn't going to be revealing any new upgraded PS4 model, or even a PS5. That would have been bad on their part in my opinion especially after launching the PS4 Pro just this past fall. Another sure bet was that Sony would be bringing a lot of exclusive games to their conference (as the usually do) and they definitely did that.

There were so many great looking games shown off during the Sony conference like the Shadow of the Colossus remake, Horizon Zero Dawn expansion, Days Gone, and God of War. To me the games that really got my hype meter up were Days Gone, Detroit: Become Human, and Spider-Man. All three of those games look fantastic, and despite some people complaining about the quick time events in Spider-Man, I really think the game is looking awesome and it's in good hands with Insomniac Games. A little disappointing was the fact that not only was The Last of Us Part 2 not shown, it wasn't even mentioned. Maybe Sony is holding off until Gamescom in August, but it's hard to tell. Also, what was the deal with no release window for Days Gone?

Of course with the timed exclusive content of Destiny 2, Sony took the chance to show a new game trailer and highlight what content people can expect to play early only on the PS4. While virtual reality isn't for everyone, I was glad to see Sony focus on a wide range of upcoming games for their PSVR headset. For a little while Sony seemed kind of quiet with the PSVR, but with games like Skyrim VR, The Inpatient, Bravo Team, and Star Child, it definitely seems like Sony is continuing to support the PSVR.

Even with a strong lineup of exclusive games, the entire Sony press conference just seemed to lack energy. Not to say that game trailers are bad, but the conference just went from one trailer to the next with little to no developers talking or demoing their games on stage. It just felt a little rushed. Even the audience seemed disinterested after some games were shown on stage. Also, many of the games shown weren't even coming out until sometime in 2018. I think I was just expecting something a little more from Sony since they have had such a strong E3 showing and conference the past couple years. However, overall I think Sony did a decent job and showed up some awesome looking games to look forward to.

Final Grade: B+ 


Top Games

While there were a ton of games shown off during E3 (as usual), there were a few titles that really caught my attention and had me thinking about them long after either the trailer or gameplay demo was shown.

 

Anthem was without a doubt the "Game of E3 2017" for me. While some people wanted to call it a Destiny clone and complain about it's similarities with Mass Effect 3 or Andromeda, I honestly think the game looks absolutely fantastic. To me, the comparison to the look and controls of Mass Effect is a good thing. I personally loved the camera angle, combat mechanics, and control scheme of the Mass Effect games and Anthem seems to be very similar. The game is gorgeous looking and the fact that it has that looter shooter game style only makes me even more hyped for it. I'm really looking forward to playing this game.

Days Gone has been a game I've been looking forward to since it was announced. Yes, it does look like Uncharted and The Last of Us had a baby and then a swarm of zombies decided to come crash the baby shower. However, despite the over saturated zombie market, I think Days Gone looks great and appears to have a solid story, good voice acting (shout out to Sam Witwer), and plenty of intense moments.

The Last Night was a newly announced game during the Microsoft conference that really made me stop and say, "Whoa, this game looks cool!" The Last Night appears to mix the pixel art style with a cyber punk, neon, Blade Runner vibe. To me all of that combined into one game definitely looks interesting. Plus, the music also seems to reflect the tech-noir, retro synth theme which I'm a fan of. The Last Night is a cool new platformer that hopefully releases next year and I can't wait to try it out.

So what did you think of this year's E3? Were you impressed with anything from the conferences? Were there any games you're really looking forward to? Personally I feel that E3 2017 had some highs, a few lows, but overall a lot of great looking games were shown off and I think we have a lot to look forward to this year and beyond.