E3 Day One is over - What's your verdict? #E32013

[Aulayna]

What were your highlights? What were your let downs? What took you by surprise? Are you more interested in the next-gen now?

Discuss Day One of E3, right here!

http://home.eyesonff.com/general-gaming-discussion/150499-sony-press-conference-e32013.html
http://home.eyesonff.com/general-gaming-discussion/150491-microsoft-press-conference-e32013.html
http://home.eyesonff.com/general-gaming-discussion/150496-ubisoft-press-conference-e32013.html
http://home.eyesonff.com/general-gaming-discussion/150491-microsoft-press-conference-e32013.html

[Goldenboko]

Sony destroyed Microsoft. 'nuff said really!

[krissy]

sony won

yes i am

i wasn't yesterday

[Agent Proto]

Xbox One only has Killer Instinct going for it, at least.

[Denmark]

xboxdone.com (http://xboxdone.com)

i am looking forward to the nintendo direct tomorrow as i've been planning to get a 3ds for a few months now. and like i probably won't even buy a ps4 because buying consoles isn't really my thing but DAMN was that a good showing by sony

[Bolivar]

There weren't as many shockers as I would have liked when it comes to games... But the Sony conference sure packed in a lot of system-related jaw-droppers at the end. And overall, A LOT of nice gameplay was shown across the four press conferences today. I'm excited to dig deeper as the expo begins.

[Pheesh]

Kingdom Hearts 3. I am now a happy man.

[NeoCracker]

Were I a man who could make GF's, I'd take the scene from the beginning of Bayonnetta where the dudes pissing on a grave, and put PS4 on his face, XBone on the grave.

[Aulayna]

You know today has been a bit of a rollercoaster for me. I've been awake for nearly 24 hours now preparing this coverage and it's been a heck of a ride. I hope you guys enjoyed it. :)


XBOX ONE
I still wasn't 100% on XBONE but I was willing to give them the benefit of the doubt. I thought Ryse looked cool, as did the new Dead Rising and Titan Fall looked very slick. But then came the price point and whilst at first I was like... okay that isn't that much different to the price of a top-end tablet... it soon left me thinking - ehhh, this isn't striking me as an at launch "must have." I was a bit disappointed by the lack of love for Indie developers and whilst it was good that they focused on games, games and games - it wasn't a bad presentation by any means but not great either.

XBOX Highlight: Ryse


EA
Then came EA. EA took the role I was expecting Ubisoft to fill - with the cheesey celebrity and sports personality testimonials and general talking bulltrout to the rapping... the rapping... oh god why the rapping... Also did they really need Drake to come talk about football... really? But aside from that the new Plants vs Zombies game looks AMAZING and I would buy it RIGHT NOW. We got the big announcement that DICE are making Battlefront (music to some fans ears) and I'm not a huge CoD/BF fan but the Battlefield 4 multiplayer footage was absolutely stunning! Oh and Dragon Age 3 and of course MIRROR'S EDGE 2. Overall a surprisingly good conference from EA, marred by the the cheese and sales pitches of SPORTS, SPORTS, SPORTS.

EA Highlight: Plants vs Zombies Garden Warfare.
Runner-Up: The way they announced Peggle 2 xD


UBISOFT
Then Ubisoft were up next. This is possible my favourite conference of the day. I loved Aisha's blunt, dirty talking and her no-holds barred pop shots. Stand-up material right there. Lots of fun looking stuff coming for the current gen. Sadly not much in the way of Watch Dogs or AC4 footage but this was made up by the reveal of The Crew and The Division. The Crew looks like a really fresh take on the racing genre using online functionality in fantastic ways - sort of doing what both Forza 5 and NFS were trying to do, but better. Then - The Division - the complete surprise of the show! It looked so slick and I love the setting, I just hope it's decent. I really want a multiplayer game in this setting and all the recent offerings have been terrible. Please don't smurf this up Ubisoft!

Ubi Highlight: The Division.
Honorary Mention: 23:12 - "I changed my mic because the other one kept dropping out. If this one doesn't work I'll just start screaming at you. Nothing better than a giant black woman screaming at you. Especially in bed" - Highlight of E3 right there!


SONY
I haven't actually watched Sony's E3 press conferences in a couple of years as they usually end up sending me to sleep by focusing too much on sales numbers and business slides than the stuff gamers really want to see. This year though the ball was in their court and by jove did they deliver! All the staple PS titles are there and we finally got the announcement of FFXV and KH3 - I was literaly squealing with joy. I had a feeling it was going to happen and I was getting laughed at at work for hoping that those two titles would be there - but ha! The Order 1886 also looks like an interesting idea and the Indie support is amazing. Plus Oddworld returning, hell to the yes! We also finally got a better look at Watch Dogs, AC4 and Destiny. Couple all of this with a reasonable price point and no online requirement or used game DRM and Sony just delivered a TKO in this bout.

SONY Highlight: Final Fantasy XV and Kingdom Hearts 3
Brilliant Moment: Jack's smug grin as the crowd goes wild at the news of PS4 having no used game restrictions

[Nicolas]

After watching a, honestly, disappointing E3 for most of the day, Sony took the cake. While only a smattering of exciting software revealed at each press conference, it was ended rather gloriously. Sony has an amazing game platform being built up for this coming generation. Major heavy hitters with Kingdom Hearts 3, Final Fantasy XV (Versus XIII), and the others were fantastic showcases in and of themselves. Even more exciting was their open appreciation and current commitment to independently developed games. As mentioned in chat at the time (a virtual Sony fanboy lovemaking session of epic proportions), Steam has the market cornered on Indies and here's to hoping Sony is able to give them a run for their money.

The only things left to get excited about for now are Nintendo's and SE's announcements tomorrow.

[Freya]

I asked for Battlefront and KH3. I got Battlefront, KH3, FFXV, DA3, and a new plants vs zombies game to boot!

Sony has won my heart. I laughed when the crowded was chanting "Sony! SONY!" after the used game announcement and the no online" The smug grin was great.

Sony has won those conferences. Now it's just up to the rest of E3 to see all the buzz!

[NeoCracker]

Yeah, the Sony chant was E3 having a WWF moment. It was great.

[KH-Cloudy]

After watching the Sony conference and seeing this video: Official PlayStation Used Game Instructional Video - YouTube (http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=kWSIFh8ICaA) I have concluded that Sony has officially won day one. I didn't have time earlier in the day to watch the other conferences, but I'll probably take a look at EA's later to check up on Battlefront. Regardless, Sony's conference was one of the best I could have imagined it to be.

[Del Murder]

Sony by far won. FFXV and KH3 were enough for me, but the exclusive gameplay of Watch Dogs sounds interesting as well.

[Skyblade]

After watching the Sony conference and seeing this video: Official PlayStation Used Game Instructional Video - YouTube (http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=kWSIFh8ICaA) I have concluded that Sony has officially won day one. I didn't have time earlier in the day to watch the other conferences, but I'll probably take a look at EA's later to check up on Battlefront. Regardless, Sony's conference was one of the best I could have imagined it to be.

That video, right there, was perfect. I just bust out laughing. It reminded me of the FFVII (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vvvg26RpqqU) TV (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KXHVb1wn8vo) commercials (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ru9zzFEdGWk).

Just the huge buildup and big timing to a perfect payoff.

Props to you, Sony. Well done. It's nice to know you guys still have some humor left.

[Freya]

*leaves here*

http://25.media.tumblr.com/22b5b38b58bb4b06f51cc7dabae17eb8/tumblr_mo7vj2zwrH1qfxbbeo1_500.gif

[Shauna]

freakin hype KH3 don't even care about anything else.

[Formalhaut]

SONY
I haven't actually watched Sony's E3 press conferences in a couple of years as they usually end up sending me to sleep by focusing too much on sales numbers and business slides than the stuff gamers really want to see. This year though the ball was in their court and by jove did they deliver! All the staple PS titles are there and we finally got the announcement of FFXV and KH3 - I was literaly squealing with joy. I had a feeling it was going to happen and I was getting laughed at at work for hoping that those two titles would be there - but ha! The Order 1886 also looks like an interesting idea and the Indie support is amazing. Plus Oddworld returning, hell to the yes! We also finally got a better look at Watch Dogs, AC4 and Destiny. Couple all of this with a reasonable price point and no online requirement or used game DRM and Sony just delivered a TKO in this bout.

SONY Highlight: Final Fantasy XV and Kingdom Hearts 3

I don't really follow the E3 to be honest but....

wait. Hang on. No. It can't be.


KINGDOM HEARTS III!!!!!!!!! FINAL FANTASY XV!!!!!!

[Elite Lord Sigma]

Microsoft: 5/10. Yeah, they showed a lot of games and all, but the presenters just seemed to be unenthusiastic about what they were showing. Titanfall was the only exception to that, but that, combined with their avoidance of questions about their console's restrictions, hurt them.

EA: 6/10. It's EA. You know exactly what to expect from them. Battlefront is nice and all, but the lack of gameplay didn't impress me.

Ubisoft: 7/10. Solid enough, but nothing really unexpected. The Division was a pleasant surprise, and Watch_Dogs looks as amazing as ever. However, the obligatory Rabbids stuff slowed everything down.

Sony: 9.5/10. The only reason I don't give a 10 is because of how little attention they gave to the Vita, which is struggling.

[Yeargdribble]

http://www.pictureshack.us/images/59928_f29.gif

My general thoughts above.

Microsoft - I was just underwhelmed. To be fair, I wasn't super optimistic going in, but I figured after the debacle a few weeks ago, they'd really bring their A-game, but was just bored.

EA - These guys already have the deck stacked against them. They are the worst of what a game company can be it seems, but overall, I was at least enough interested to not be overwhelmed by my loathing for them as a publisher.

Ubisoft - A little better than EA. Overall, it really wasn't terrible, but Aisha Tyler made it hard to enjoy. She's the type of "gamer gurl!" that tries too hard to be one of the boys... you know, with lots of crass sex jokes or something. Except, if a guy was leading a presser and talking about banging chicks to Alice in Chains and how fun it would be to have sex with a guy like himself... he'd be a creep. And that exactly how she came across. Creepy AND trying too hard.

Sony - They blew it out of the park. I mean, looking back at it, it was a thing of beauty. It was amazingly paced. First off, Jack grovels at the fans and makes us feel like we're important (which would be their message the whole night). I know it was shameless pandering to the base, but done well. They opened with old hardware so as to make sure it got covered but didn't bring things down mid-presser. They show the box, then hit some high notes soon after, then they hit the media stuff, which seemed a little agitating, but they moved on quickly.

When the SE stuff came out, I just lost my mind. Seeing VersusXIII re-christened as XV was exciting... then to see the Disney logo and know what was coming. I haven't even played a KH game and it got me excited because I know how important this is for those fans and what that means for that being behind Sony.

Later on, Jack, keeping classy but with a moderately smug smirk, brings up the used games issue to thunderous adulation. When it finally dies down, he starts addressing online stuff which again brings the din of the crowd up. Then he just takes a full on swipe at Microsoft mentioning the 24 hour thing. A master-stroke followed later by the guide to sharing games on PS4 which just rubs MSs face in their mistake.

When they finally announced the price coming in at $100 under the XB1 even though it a more beastly machine with a lot of perks that only exist because they are viewed in contrast to XB1... man. I sort of lost it. I couldn't believe it.

I think they hit every note that players wanted to hear. I was masterful. They were even sneaky about the PS+ requirement for online play, which at worst puts them on par with XBL and in the afterglow of their amazing event, I can't fault them for. Besides, PS+, which got some laughs early on, is apparently an amazing service now with so many free games.

And luckily, because of the way PSN works, I feel more safe buying digitally from Sony than from MS. They are much more like Steam and I feel I will own them and have access to them under an account, not bound to a piece of hardware like the Wii, 360, and DS.


TL;DR - I went into today super excited (WWDC and E3). I was underwhelmed by almost everything all day and then Sony blew my freakin' mind. The Sony presser seemed like it was a major historic event or something... so momentous. Afterward, as I look at my unchecked news feed and podcasts, I feel like there was a world before and after that press conference.

[Loony BoB]

I feel pretty much ecstatic that we might actually have 'one console' for all our friends and all our games. What, there are still other consoles out there? I don't remember them anymore. :aimsun:

But seriously, it's starting to look like if I get a second console after buying the PS4, it'll be the Wii U. I'm basically losing any real consideration for the Xbone.

[maybee]

I'm only caring about KH 3 and FF XV at the moment to be honest ! I'll maybe gives the others a look when I've managed to calm down and have a drink of water or something.

Maybe just go outside and yell " FINALLY " !!!

[NinjaCoachZ]

I was really skeptical of Sony's conference at first. "Yawn, stop talking about film services... we want some games!"

"Okay, The Order looks pretty great... inFamous and Knack don't look bad either... But do you know what'd REALLY make me get a PS4? A new Final Fantasy!"

Then Tetsuya Nomura showed up, showed his two little trailers, and there are no words in the galaxy to describe my excitement.

Then Sony revealed their used games policy.

Then they revealed the price.

Microsoft is dead on arrival.

[Rocket Edge]

Do you think Microsoft will change some specs in a desperate plea to get some people back on their side? I'm iffy about there being just the one console. I see danger signs with no competition.

That said, fantastic conference from Sony. So excited for KH3.

[Loony BoB]

Do you think Microsoft will change some specs in a desperate plea to get some people back on their side? I'm iffy about there being just the one console. I see danger signs with no competition.

That said, fantastic conference from Sony. So excited for KH3.
Wii U will always provide competition, not to mention PC. The competition isn't in the console, it's in the games. The consoles have competition and once the results are in, there will be little to no change in the long run. I long for the days of one console being dominant, personally - it means everyone is on the same console, you don't have to worry about which friends are on which console and who to play with, you don't have to pay for two consoles, etc. The games, though, that's the key. So long as the developers are competing with each other, the games will still be good. This is why the PS2 was amazing. It dominated massively (which I hope the PS4 will do) despite having some competition and the games were great and varied.

[Rocket Edge]

The PS2 was my favourite console. I see your points, though now with it being online I'm sure Sony or whatever company was at the top would find it hard not to find new ways to squeeze money out of people, given the lack of competition. The idea of having all your mates on the same console, especially online is class.

Anyways, not that we have to worry about that now. :spin:

[Loony BoB]

The PS2 was my favourite console. I see your points, though now with it being online I'm sure Sony or whatever company was at the top would find it hard not to find new ways to squeeze money out of people, given the lack of competition.
They'd have a long way to go before they can squeeze money more than Microsoft intends to.

[Bolivar]

Can we give a public thanks to Aulayna for all her hard work?

[Aulayna]

I actually don't really mind the subscription for PS+

Considering the online service it provides and the fact you get free games (something Microsoft have evidently took note of) make it seem like a way more attractive deal than XBL Gold which you have to get to be able to do just about anything on XBL.

If it's only for the games and it doesn't lock out other on-PSN services like Netflix etc then I won't have an issue with it.

Sure in an ideal world it'd be free, but server upkeep isn't free either so provided it's decently priced and provides good benefits I'll pay for it.

[escobert]

lol next gen graphics. I love when console friends come over and see my best friends and I playing PC games and they all marvel at how they'll get to see graphics like that one day.

[Slothy]

Considering the online service it provides and the fact you get free games (something Microsoft have evidently took note of)

Took note of and decided to do worse (Halo 3? Seriously?). My thoughts on day one (having not seen any game trailers): Microsoft was screwed from the get go because no amount of good looking games were going to address the fundamental issues with the damn console. Unless every Xbone came with free booze and hookers no one was going to just overlook that stuff because they were shown some pretty looking trailers.

I also find it deeply disturbing that a company not being complete assholes and idiots is enough to garner applause and declare them the undisputed winners in the console race. I mean, it's better than applauding the assholes and idiots, but when you're being declared the winners because you aren't restricting people's ability to do things they should just fundamentally be able to do on every platform, there's something wrong with the industry.

[Loony BoB]

I liked Halo 3...

[Slothy]

I'm making no value judgement on the game itself, but Microsoft's opening salvo of free games includes an almost six year old FPS that anyone who cares probably bought years ago. Meanwhile Sony is giving away Uncharted 3, X Com, Saints Row the Third, etc. (http://www.escapistmagazine.com/news/view/124748-PS-Plus-Adding-Uncharted-3-XCOM-Enemy-Unknown)

Someone has the right idea, but it doesn't seem to be Microsoft.

[Pike]

Can we give a public thanks to Aulayna for all her hard work?

Yes please!

[Pumpkin]

Good job, Aulayna! We appreciate all of your hard work :jess:!

[Elite Lord Sigma]

Can we give a public thanks to Aulayna for all her hard work?

Yes please!

Are we all agreed on this motion? I say aye!

[Loony BoB]

I'm making no value judgement on the game itself, but Microsoft's opening salvo of free games includes an almost six year old FPS that anyone who cares probably bought years ago. Meanwhile Sony is giving away Uncharted 3, X Com, Saints Row the Third, etc. (http://www.escapistmagazine.com/news/view/124748-PS-Plus-Adding-Uncharted-3-XCOM-Enemy-Unknown)

Someone has the right idea, but it doesn't seem to be Microsoft.
Yeah okay that grouping is pretty damned awesome. xD Almost makes me seriously consider picking up PS+ now, actually. Of course, I already have Uncharted 3 and Enemy Unknown. Maybe a little later. =]

[Slothy]

I've got a lot of those games as well, but I'm honestly tempted to re-subscribe for Saints Row and LBP Karting (both combined are probably more expensive than the actual subscription). But Microsoft really needs to step up it's game fast on those free titles. These are all some fairly recent, and generally quite popular games. Offering stuff as old as Halo 3 just feels like Microsoft throwing their customers a bone they already sucked the marrow out of so they can say "see! We're offering free stuff too! Aren't we awesome? Have you forgotten about our XBone announcement yet?"

[Bolivar]

I've got a lot of those games as well, but I'm honestly tempted to re-subscribe for Saints Row and LBP Karting (both combined are probably more expensive than the actual subscription).

So if you end up getting a PS4 and Killzone does that mean you won't play Warzone with me out of principle, Mr. "The day I pay for a basic part of the game is the day I quit gaming." :roll2

[Slothy]

If I get a PS4 I'll probably get PS+ anyway because the cheap/free games make it worth it. I won't like having to pay to play multiplayer, but it'll be a Steam like situation where the good outweighs the bad.

I won't be getting one near launch though. I'll likely wait at least a year to see if there's a price drop and enough titles to be worth it.

[HasteInTime]

E3 Day Zero: The Big Press Con's.... (aka the Day One/Press Day)

Xbox One and PS4 are at 500 vs 400 USD respectively. I am actually all for Xbox first but I will be also getting a PS4 too (Hoping for a Day One Edition) :D

Microsoft:
RARE w/ Killer Instinct Go RARE! :D

Runners up:
Ryse from Crytek stole my breath away! just- (WOW!) :X
Dead Rising 3 from Capcom (YAY!)
Sunset Overdrive from Rachet & Clank creators Insomniac (This actually looked fun and reminded me of Monday Night Combat meets Sony's Pain trailer and game)
Project Spark - I am just a sucker for dynamic level editing games is all, looked pretty fun!

Ubisoft:
TC-The Divide stole the show for me and I am also getting Watch Dogs for X1, very excited.

EA:
Dragon Age 3: Inquisiton if only to see if it is actually worth my time... lol DA games dont seem mix well w/me. XD

Sony:
Well... SE actually did it! KINGDOM HEARTS III! (They announced it in a awkward way it seems though, LoL- oh well.)
Still no word on FF14RR, sigh. Oh and Knack seems fun but that was announced during the Hardware press and is a runner-up.

Runner up:
The Dark Sorcerer, looked cool. Don't know if its a game or series yet. Hmm. :/
Knack

To me I am the real winner here since I will be getting a lot of these games that have been announced, as a Gamer. :D

But to be honest I was blown away for once and I hadn't expected anything much outside of a B&K game from RARE, which is still possible but I didn't see it Day "one" (Zero). Which is fine, however we do have the rest of the week to go! :)

[Vyk]

Considering Microsoft stuck to their guns on the always-online DRM stuff. I'm now seriously wondering why they fired Adam Orth over that twitter fiasco when he was defending always-online. Saying "get over it". And now Microsoft is saying they're sticking to it and we should get over it. Nothing changed. He was right. He represented the company exactly in his comments. So why, again, did they fire him..? Oh well

I'm kinda with BoB on this one. This last generation there was so many multi-platform games, it made the whole competition idea pretty much irrelevant. And in the end the best exclusives mostly ended up being on PS3 anyway. Halo, Fable, and Gears of War didn't exactly outweigh Heavy Rain, Journey, the Uncharted franchise, inFamou, and the coming of Beyond Two Souls and The Last of Us. And considering all the innovation and competition that was going on between publishers on the PS2, there was still a plethora of fun and imaginative games. The competition is there. The consoles don't need to compete. The developers and publishers do. And they will. No matter how the console war pans out. And again, PS4 looks to have a better list of exclusives. Not to mention they've been treating indie developers more properly than Microsoft for years, so it'll be a better home for them and we'll get more things like Journey

I've always been a fan of the 360 and Microsoft. Not a huge fan. But I've enjoyed them and put up with their crap none-the-less. But this time, I'm failing to see any reason at all to even consider an XBOne. Its hard to even humor the idea. My 360 has enough trouble maintaining a connection to WiFi. I don't need further problems where I NEED it to connect so I can play the games I paid for..

Edit: Also, yes. Thank you very very much for all this coverage. This must have been a huge undertaking, and you definitely deserve recognition. I didn't watch any of the pressers. And even though I don't post much here anymore. I'm always lurking, and most of my coverage came from these threads. Very very handy and much appreciated

[Pike]

I still think my favorite part was MIRROR'S EDGE