An E3 of Surprises! The Good and the Bad

Well guys E3 was this week and what an event it was. I'm sure a lot of you out there sat glued to either your monitors or your television screens just waiting to see all of the great stuff that's coming our way. I'm here this week to talk about what my highlights for E3 were this year. I'll simply divide this list into two sections: the good and the bad.

The Good!

Nintendo's Conference!

Nintendo absolutely stole the show for me this year. Where I once thought the Wii U was simply going to be the mistake of the Wii repeated I now see a console definitely worth purchasing with just the library shown at E3. An open world Zelda? That's a definite buy. Xenoblade Chronicles? Perfect. This'll give me an excuse to pick up the first game and finally give it a go as well as give me annother awesome title to play. Mario Party 8 stealth reveal? Awesome. Bayonetta 2 with the first game included? Yes. Splatoon? Looks like not only a ton of fun but an interesting twist on a genre we see entirely too often! Project Guard? I really hope that hits the eShop. And of course we can't forget Smash Bros. with the new character reveals easily being not only some of the best ones mechanically but some of the most surprising ones as well. Nintendo's not letting their system go down without a fight and if this E3 is any indication it's clear that old Ninty is gonna definitely be going places.

Final Fantasy Type-0 HD Edition

This game came out only in Japan to rave reviews. Japanese gamers and importers alike were heralding it as the best Final Fantasy title since FF7. So it's understandable that when Square Enix announced that there were no plans to bring it over to America on the then dying PSP system fans were obviously a little disappointed. But this year Square surprised everyone by announcing that the game would not only be coming to America but that it would be on the PS4 and Xbox One in full HD. Square Enix has really started listening to its fans in the past few years and that's amazing compared to their past attitude. Now the West gets another great RPG to play.

(Most of) Sony's Press Conference

Some solid stuff came out of Sony's press conference. There were quite a few multiplats shown but the exclusives came out in force. The Order is looking phenomenal. It really seems like lighting is going to play a huge role in the game. That'll set up for not only some good ambient scares but some interesting encounters. And the shooting looks solid as well. Some neat DLC for inFamous got teased. We got LittleBigPlanet 3 which cannot come soon enough. Abzu looked really cool and we got the predictable announcement from Uncharted. There were hiccups (which I'll get to in The Bad) but overall Sony had a really solid showing. What looks especially good is a certain other PS4 exclusive......

Bloodborne

The new game from Dark Souls mastermind Hidetaka Miyazaki looks mighty fine. We only got a CGI trailer at the Sony press conference but there's been tons of hubbub about the playable demo on the show floor. What we know so far is that the solid mechanics of Dark Souls are indeed returning. It's unknown as to how "hardcore" Bloodborne will be but what we've seen of the gameplay is pretty polished. The world seems dark and eerie with most of the unease coming from the way the world is designed itself rather than silly things like jump scares. We've also been told that lightning plays a very important role. The undead infested streets are very dimply lit but it's also been revealed that most explorable houses in the game are entirely devoid of light. Players will have to light their own path which not only helps them but also makes them a target for the mindless undead. It seems like players will have to be prepared for any sort of encounter. As for the rumors that this might actually be a Solomon Kane video game....well we'll just have to wait and see.

Sunset Overdrive

The show stealer at Microsoft's press conference was obvious. Sunset overdrive looks quirky, fun and like a truly unique take on the third person shooter. The punk rock influences in the game are obvious and everything from the rockin' soundtrack to the unique art style to the gameplay that has players wall running, grinding on rails and bouncing off trampolines to destroy monsters created by an infected energy drink it's clear that Sunset Overdrive is gonna be a wild ride.

Assassin's Creed Unity Really Looks Good.....and Really Looks Next-Gen

Black Flag was an awesome game and a great way to kick off the next-gen of Assassin's Creed but it was still held back by the fact that it was also on last-gen consoles. Unity doesn't have that constraint and man does it show. Large crowds, fully rendered indoor environments, tight animations for the wall running.... This title looks absolutely visually stunning.  The four player gameplay and the fact that it's set in the time period I've wanted AC to be in since the beginning helps but I'll definitely be picking up Unity after Ubisoft's reveal.

The Witcher 3: The Wild Hunt

Microsoft's demo of this game was absolutely awesome. Not only did it reaffirm fans that this is the Witcher that they know and love but they also showed newcomers to the series that the title has been streamlined and is all around more user friendly. Geralt's chase of the gryphon really showed the vast world that CD Projekt Red has intended rather well not only mechanically but visually as well. It's clear that fans will not be disappointed when it finally drops next year.

The Bad

EA Sure Showed A Lot of Sports

There are many EA games that people are excited about. They got some screen time early in the show but a huge chunk of it was a bore. Why was that? Sports. Now I understand that sports games have a market but it's always been the weakest part of the EA conference and in past years they have kept it there rather well. But this segment was noticeably longer than any other year. I wondered why that could be and a cursory TV Guide search revealed it: EA's presentation was aired on Spike TV (Television for Manly Men.) Now I get what you're trying to do here EA but I can guarantee that the audience of Spike TV is probably going to think that things like Mass Effect and Dragon Age are at least a little cool. You could've shown us more than you did. Which brings me to another thing.

We Saw Dragon Age Inquisition.....But Only Sort Of

DA: I did have presence at the EA conference but it was nothing to call home about. It was mainly a bunch of trailers with no actual demo. Now we have seen footage of the game and it looked pretty good for an alpha. But the EA press event was very sparse for a game that should be dropping in only a few months. If you want people to be hyped for a game you not only should show them pretty cutscenes but show them gameplay as well. Here's hoping DA: I is still as good as I want it to be.

The Part of Sony's Conference That Wasn't About Games

I expected a lot of games at Sony's conference. I got quite a few I was interested in but then there was that weird part of the conference. You know, that part where they started talking about YouTube and movies and TV. Now some of the TV stuff like the announcement about Powers was cool but c'mon Sony. This is a gaming convention. You made fun of Microsoft for pulling this stunt with the Xbox One reveal a while back and yet you fell into the same trap. How silly. Quite a few people fell asleep at this point, which only hurt them in the long run.

Nothing About The Last Guardian

I'M SO MAD

So guys what did you think of E3? What were some of your favorite moments? Do those of you that have a next gen system feel confident about your purchase. And for those of you that don't have you been swayed one way or the other? Let me know in the comments and I'll see you next time.