I’ll be the first to admit that my expectations for this year’s E3 were probably too high. I felt my excitement was justified, though, with new consoles being unveiled by Sony, Microsoft, and Nintendo. Not just me but gamers around the world were anxious to see what the future of gaming holds.
Would this be the generation where gaming and reality close the gaps on each other? Would we witness new technical innovations such as 3D projection and gyroscopic controllers (as rumored for Nintendo’s Revolution console)? Unfortunately, the answer to those questions was a resounding, “No”. E3 2005 mostly (there are some exceptions) highlighted the “more of the same” mentality that has become quite prevalent in the video game industry, rather than bringing to light any kind of gaming revolution (Nintendo-based or otherwise).
Only Microsoft had their new console playable on the show floor, but, as has been widely reported, the games were all running on G5 Macs and not Xbox 360 hardware. After I got past the irony of it all, I was able to play most of, if not all, the playable 360 games on display and I am sorry to say, they were disappointing. Yes, as expected, the games have better visuals than the first generation Xbox, so no surprise there. Every year at E3, even when new consoles aren’t being unveiled, we expect to see better graphics than the previous year and so far, Xbox 360 games do not look that much better than “plain old” Xbox. Hopefully this will change as development ramps up, but with a launch date just 5 or 6 months away, it doesn’t seem likely that my money will be jumping out of my wallet and into Microsoft’s bank account.
Neither Nintendo nor Sony had their new consoles (Revolution and PS3, respectively) on the show floor, unless you count cosmetic hardware mockups and game teaser videos, which obviously, I do not. In my opinion, anything short of playable games is just marketing hype. We don’t know much about the Nintendo Revolution, but surely its most exciting aspect is the promise of downloading older Nintendo games (from the NES to N64 eras) and playing them on your console. Nintendo also has promised what seems to be a free online matchmaking and community, similar to Xbox Live. After online was a no-show on the GameCube, we shall see if Nintendo can turn things around next year.
I sure hope Sony’s ass can cover that check its Killzone trailer cashed. They might be in need of some some serious overdraft protection. I’d like to believe that was gameplay footage, but I’ll believe it when I’m holding the controller in my hands. Speaking of controllers, do you think there is a chance in hell that boomerang monstrosity is going to be the actual controller? I don’t. I think Sony was just tired of having their controller design ripped off (I’m looking at you Controller S) and wanted to mix things up a bit. If that controller ever does see the light of day, in a pinch it can always be used as bicycle handlebars.
So what about the games at E3 2005? Well, in a shocking development, 90% of them are sequels, First Person Shooters, or movie licenses, all with slightly better graphics than last year’s games! So, if the above mentioned excite you, no problem. If that doesn’t satisfy you, you need to get a hold of the buyers for Wal-Mart and Target because I’m pretty sure they are calling the shots these days. I can only dream of the ass kissing these guys must receive when they walk the floor at E3. I bet they don’t even have to walk; the publishers must carry them on their shoulders. I’ve read that 25% of the video games purchased in the USA are purchased at Wal-Mart. Can you imagine the power their video game buyer wields? You know that Daddy was staying at a Rain Main Suite, which was so big, it came with a Segway. (FYI, I stayed at the Vagabond Inn and dined at Fatburger. I have a feeling that his E3 experience was a bit different from mine.)
Perhaps if the EB and GameStop merger goes through, they will be better able to champion the interests of core gamers to publishers. With a market share close to Wal-mart’s, they should be able to get them to understand that not everyone is drooling over the prospect of playing the same game as last year even if it does have slightly better graphics. Maybe then publishers will appreciate the market that exists beyond the shoppers who buy the next Tony Hawk game along with a 24 pack of toilet paper.
As the gaming industry continues to grow, I hope there is a place for all of us gamers; those of us who automatically buy EA’s Madden every year; those of us who are waiting for the next under the radar hit, like Katamari Damacy; and those of us who aren’t interested in either.
Now that I've finished my rant, later this week I reveal my Best in Show pick as well as some brief impressions of other titles I was able to get my hands on.
Would this be the generation where gaming and reality close the gaps on each other? Would we witness new technical innovations such as 3D projection and gyroscopic controllers (as rumored for Nintendo’s Revolution console)? Unfortunately, the answer to those questions was a resounding, “No”. E3 2005 mostly (there are some exceptions) highlighted the “more of the same” mentality that has become quite prevalent in the video game industry, rather than bringing to light any kind of gaming revolution (Nintendo-based or otherwise).
Only Microsoft had their new console playable on the show floor, but, as has been widely reported, the games were all running on G5 Macs and not Xbox 360 hardware. After I got past the irony of it all, I was able to play most of, if not all, the playable 360 games on display and I am sorry to say, they were disappointing. Yes, as expected, the games have better visuals than the first generation Xbox, so no surprise there. Every year at E3, even when new consoles aren’t being unveiled, we expect to see better graphics than the previous year and so far, Xbox 360 games do not look that much better than “plain old” Xbox. Hopefully this will change as development ramps up, but with a launch date just 5 or 6 months away, it doesn’t seem likely that my money will be jumping out of my wallet and into Microsoft’s bank account.
Neither Nintendo nor Sony had their new consoles (Revolution and PS3, respectively) on the show floor, unless you count cosmetic hardware mockups and game teaser videos, which obviously, I do not. In my opinion, anything short of playable games is just marketing hype. We don’t know much about the Nintendo Revolution, but surely its most exciting aspect is the promise of downloading older Nintendo games (from the NES to N64 eras) and playing them on your console. Nintendo also has promised what seems to be a free online matchmaking and community, similar to Xbox Live. After online was a no-show on the GameCube, we shall see if Nintendo can turn things around next year.
I sure hope Sony’s ass can cover that check its Killzone trailer cashed. They might be in need of some some serious overdraft protection. I’d like to believe that was gameplay footage, but I’ll believe it when I’m holding the controller in my hands. Speaking of controllers, do you think there is a chance in hell that boomerang monstrosity is going to be the actual controller? I don’t. I think Sony was just tired of having their controller design ripped off (I’m looking at you Controller S) and wanted to mix things up a bit. If that controller ever does see the light of day, in a pinch it can always be used as bicycle handlebars.
So what about the games at E3 2005? Well, in a shocking development, 90% of them are sequels, First Person Shooters, or movie licenses, all with slightly better graphics than last year’s games! So, if the above mentioned excite you, no problem. If that doesn’t satisfy you, you need to get a hold of the buyers for Wal-Mart and Target because I’m pretty sure they are calling the shots these days. I can only dream of the ass kissing these guys must receive when they walk the floor at E3. I bet they don’t even have to walk; the publishers must carry them on their shoulders. I’ve read that 25% of the video games purchased in the USA are purchased at Wal-Mart. Can you imagine the power their video game buyer wields? You know that Daddy was staying at a Rain Main Suite, which was so big, it came with a Segway. (FYI, I stayed at the Vagabond Inn and dined at Fatburger. I have a feeling that his E3 experience was a bit different from mine.)
Perhaps if the EB and GameStop merger goes through, they will be better able to champion the interests of core gamers to publishers. With a market share close to Wal-mart’s, they should be able to get them to understand that not everyone is drooling over the prospect of playing the same game as last year even if it does have slightly better graphics. Maybe then publishers will appreciate the market that exists beyond the shoppers who buy the next Tony Hawk game along with a 24 pack of toilet paper.
As the gaming industry continues to grow, I hope there is a place for all of us gamers; those of us who automatically buy EA’s Madden every year; those of us who are waiting for the next under the radar hit, like Katamari Damacy; and those of us who aren’t interested in either.
Now that I've finished my rant, later this week I reveal my Best in Show pick as well as some brief impressions of other titles I was able to get my hands on.
