So what's this E3 thing you ask? Well what better way to explain in that through the eyes of an E3 Newbie!
Day One was press conference day. Eyes on Final Fantasy had you covered with live blogs (well, as live as editting a forum post allows!) of each conference. If you want to see thoughts and reactions as they happened then look no further:
- http://home.eyesonff.com/general-gam...ce-e32013.html
- http://home.eyesonff.com/general-gam...ce-e32013.html
- http://home.eyesonff.com/general-gam...ce-e32013.html
- http://home.eyesonff.com/general-gam...ce-e32013.html
- http://home.eyesonff.com/general-gam...ct-e32013.html
Microsoft kicked us off with what they promised they'd show us. ALL THE GAMES. With the video game community relatively split, mostly for the worse, following the XBOX ONE announcement this was Microsoft's chance to alleviate those concerns. They hit us hard and fast with the likes of Metal Gear Solid V, Dead Rising 3, Forza 5 and new IPs such as Quantum Break and TitanFall. Our forum goers certainly seemed happy with the gaming offerings but the whole conference felt a bit clinical and whilst everything they showed certainly looked great the conference as a whole fell short of the mark. The XBOX ONE price tag - $499/€499/Ł429 didn't land very well either.
Originally Posted by NeoCracker
He wanted to take me down so I took him down first!
Awkwaaaard!
Awkwaaaard!
This conference filled the yearly E3 quota for awkward celebrity endorsement. Whilst everything we saw was pretty much "by the numbers" they did surprise us with the amazing looking Plants vs Zombies: Garden Warfare and:
Originally Posted by Pike
Originally Posted by Mister Adequate
Originally Posted by Vivi22
He's happy! Are you happy?
Ubisoft were the 3rd stop for Aisha's straight talking, no holds barred, style of presenting where she should win the award for best line of the show. If there isn't such an award one should be made purely for this gem:
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. *pause* Especially in bed!
The Division - One of the big surprises
So with much anticipation this brought us to Sony's conference. Whilst Microsoft hadn't put on a particularly bad show by any means, the amount of anti-XBOX ONE feelings around and the high price point meant the ball was well and truly in Sony's court.
It started off rather slowly with attempts to save the fledging Vita and then a round-up of sweet stuff coming to the Playstation 3 but lets be honest, at this point no-one really cared. We wanted the goods. Then they came in the form of The Order 1886 which looks like an interesting steampunk style shooter/horror game.
Originally Posted by NeoCracker
And the forums went wild! Like, really wild!
Originally Posted by Vivi22
Originally Posted by Bolivar
This seems to have been the decision maker for a few people here when asked which console they are likely to pick-up first:
Originally Posted by Mister Adequate
Originally Posted by NeoCracker
Originally Posted by Bolivar
Originally Posted by Vivi22
Originally Posted by Shauna
Originally Posted by Locky
Originally Posted by Del Murder
Now this is all well and good - but we are, after all, a Final Fantasy (and by extension: Square Enix) fansite. So where's the real meat and potatoes? Don't worry, the rest of the expo had you covered. Check out our full list of coverage below:
GENERAL NEWS
- Eyes on Final Fantasy - Final Fantasy XV and Kingdom Hearts III are not PS4 exclusives #E32013
- Eyes on Final Fantasy - The Future of Final Fantasy - Press Conference - #E32013
- Eyes on Final Fantasy - An Interview with Tetsuya Nomura about KH1.5/KH3/FFXV - #E32013
FINAL FANTASY XV
- Eyes on Final Fantasy - Final Fantasy Versus XIII becomes Final Fantasy XV #E32013
- Eyes on Final Fantasy - Gameplay Trailer For Final Fantasy XV - #E32013
- Eyes on Final Fantasy - Nomura: Final Fantasy XV Could Have Its Own Mini-Series
- Eyes on Final Fantasy - First Japanese Voice Actors for Final Fantasy XV Announced - #E32013
KINGDOM HEARTS III
- Eyes on Final Fantasy - Kingdom Hearts III revealed for PS4! #E32013
- Eyes on Final Fantasy - Kingdom Hearts 3 Stills #E32013
- Eyes on Final Fantasy - More Kingdom Hearts 3 Info #E32013
- Eyes on Final Fantasy - Kingdom Hearts III - Nomura reveals a few more details - #E32013
FINAL FANTASY XIV: A REALM REBORN
- Eyes on Final Fantasy - Final Fantsy XIV - New Trailer - Crystal's Call - #E32013
- Eyes on Final Fantasy - Final Fantasy XIV Gameplay Video on Playstation 3’s UI - #E32013
- Eyes on Final Fantasy - Final Fantasy XIV: A Realm Reborn Coming to the PS4 – #E32013
- Eyes on Final Fantasy - New Arcanist and Jobs Video for Final Fantasy XIV - #E32013
- Eyes on Final Fantasy - Final Fantasy XIV Developer’s Commentary: the FATE System is Actually Really Cool
LIGHTNING RETURNS: FINAL FANTASY XIII
- Eyes on Final Fantasy - Lightning Returns, and She's Dressing Up For You!
- Eyes on Final Fantasy - E3 2013: Lightning Returns Gameplay Footage
FINAL FANTASY X|X-2 HD Remaster
- Eyes on Final Fantasy - Final Fantasy X|X-2 Remaster E3 Trailer #E32013
- Eyes on Final Fantasy - Final Fantasy X and X-2 HD Remastered Interview with Kitase and Toriyama #E32013
THIEF: WHAT'S YOURS IS MINE
- Eyes on Final Fantasy - First Gameplay Footage of THIEF #E32013
- Eyes on Final Fantasy - Thief Level Preview at E3 - E32013
MURDERED: SOUL SUSPECT
Our Kingdom Hearts and Final Fantasy XV forums have been buzzing with activity since the big announcement. Obviously this news was what we've all been waiting, often rather impatiently, for years for. However it hasn't been all trumpets and parades. Some people are concerned about the level of realism in XV whereas others feel short changed that they purchased a PlayStation 3 for a game that's now coming out on the PlayStation 4. Others are just more interested in what's with the red shoes?
Nomura also told fans that they can expect a very special message from him in Kingdom Hearts 1.5 HD ReMIX. We've also been informed that the original voice cast of Final Fantasy X have reunited to re-record a certain scene. Square Enix are remaining quiet on this front but the popular money seems to be on that notorious laughing scene being reworked.
Murdered: Soul Suspect got it's first proper time in the limelight and looks to be a very interesting take on the thriller genre. Rather than focus on guns and action you are instead a ghost trying to solve the mystery of your own murder. Sounds simple right? But you're a ghost! So you can't physically interact with objects or people and you also have the prospect of other ghosts, not all of whome are friendly, to deal with. It's shaping up to be a rather interesting and unique title so it's definitely one to look out for.
There was some great new A Realm Reborn details as we gear up for the official launch on August 27th and with Phase 3 of the Beta now ongoing and under a lighter NDA you can expect more coverage from us regarding it.
So, no matter your gaming tastes it seems that Square Enix have something for you. You can expect tonnes more coverage in the coming weeks and months on all of these games along with other titles Square Enix announced such as Deus Ex: The Fall and Bloodmasque.
Final Fantasy XV really was the talk of the Square Enix booth though and just incase you've forgotten about those 3 minutes and 42 seconds where Final Fantasy fans around the internet collectively wet their pants... then prepare to wet your pants all over again:
This fantasy is finally a reality for us
All in all, not a bad 4 days! The popular consensus right now is that Sony won E3 but the question now is: will they win the war? Microsoft have a hard road ahead and Sony have said that third-party publishers are able to enforce DRM options on PlayStation 4 if they want too. So the topic of DRM and connectivity is likely to be a continually raging debate throughout the next generation. But we also have fantastic titles such as The Division, Watch_Dogs, Murdered and of course Final Fantasy XV and Kingdom Hearts III to look forward to o.
I'd like to take this opportunity to thank the editorial team for all their hard work during the past week. This E3 was far bigger than we were expecting and sadly even though none of us were able to attend in person we made every effort to get the news to you as it happened. It was a huge undertaking and this author was functioning on only 3 hours sleep for most of the event! But hey, it was worth it - and I fully confess to nearly spilling coffee all over my keyboard in excitement when Nomura appeared in the Sony press conference to make that announcement. This was a huge team effort and it wouldn't have been possible without them.
Well, that's it. Done and dusted for another year. Thanks for sticking with us and be sure to keep your eyes glued to Eyes on Final Fantasy for all the Square Enix news as it happens - word is we can expect major details regarding both Final Fantasy XV and Kingdom Hearts III at the Tokyo Game Show later this year.
What did you think of our coverage overall - and more importantly what did you think of E3 as whole? Let us know in the comments below!
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