E3 2010 Quick Thoughts
Amazing E3 so far. Some quick thoughts while they’re still fresh in my head!
Underwhelmed – Kinect - With games like Kinectimals and Dance Central, Microsoft Kinect was very clearly targeted toward the casual market despite having games like Forza and a Star Wars title (which honestly looked a bit janky). What Microsoft really needed in their press conference was Tetsuya Mizuguchi demoing Child of Eden – that is the Kinect killer app, a perfect example of what is possible with the hardware.
Hyped – Nintendo 3DS - At about 1:30 pm, we were introduced to the sizeable third party support for the new handheld. At about 1:45pm, the gaming press on Twitter was all abuzz echoing a single thought. Oh my God, it really works. And then came the software lineup. Metal Gear Solid 3DS? Ocarina of Time? Resident Evil? Street Fighter IV? Pilotwings? KID ICARUS as a launch title? At about 2:00pm, I was a believer.
Whoa – Kid Icarus on the 3DS – After years of Nintendo fanboys clamoring for a new Kid Icarus game and years of not getting one, we finally do get one. Is this proof of Nintendo listening to its fanbase? Hey Nintendo: we want Earthbound!
Oh Sh*t – Gabe Newell and Valve supporting the PS3 – For the longest time, Gabe Newell hated the PS3. In fact, he called it a disaster and a waste of time. That time has come to an end with the announcement of a Steamworks enabled Portal 2. Aside from steam community support, this also means that any updates to the pc software will get pushed out to the console version as well. This is an absolute coup for Sony since substantial updates to software on the 360 are mandated by Microsoft to cost money – a philosophy that Valve traditionally does not support. This is possibly the most important announcement amongst all of the press conferences.
Jumped the Shark – The Microsoft Oprah Moment – Really? Don’t get me wrong, I wish I was there to pick one of the new shiny 360 slims up. But yeah, I think this was a little bit too much in an attempt to get that mindshare.
Resurgence – Nintendo - The 2010 Nintendo E3 Press Conference was more than just a reversal of fortunes of the past two years of disappointing software reveals. It was a sign of life for all of the world’s Nintendo fans, and a return to what Nintendo was known for in the NES and SNES era. The sheer amount of software easily had more impact than the past two press conferences, starting first with a demo of the new Zelda game followed by the unveiling of an interesting looking Mario sports game. But it didn’t stop there: alongside was a modernized remake of the N64 classic Goldeneye, Metroid Other M, a return to the world of Donkey Kong Country, an exciting walkthrough of the Disney world of Epic Mickey, and a mind-blowing new Kirby game. The cherry on top was the unveiling of the Nintendo 3DS to be launched with a new Kid Icarus game. Sony did a good job, but there was no way anyone could have beaten this lineup.
Game of the Show (Thus Far) – Child of Eden – I have never played Rez. Watching the delightfully synaesthesic trailer and Mizuguchi-san demoing this game at the Ubisoft presser showed me that I really missed out on a hallmark experience and that I would can’t miss out on the spiritual successor to Rez. Not requiring Kinect or Move is a plus for me, though I can easily see this being the killer app for the Microsoft motion control system.
