Hey assholes! Mesa back!
As I was away from a computer for the weekend, I checked up on live blogs via the iPod and saw a lot of mini videos from all the press shows. My thoughts:
Before I even mention the big three press shows, HOLY SHIT
Sonic Generations City Escape looks beyond awesome! It was actually the most surprising and joyful moments to come out of E3 for me. Love the "wanted" and "missing" signs for the MIA secondary characters.
I enjoyed
Microsoft's press show. No real "holy shit" moments, but being a Kinect owner I was happy to see that a lot of the promises were coming true. More hardcore games, more menu integration, better search. Ryse, Rise of Nightmares and Fable all look very cool. The Star Wars fanboy in me geeked out over the prequel era Cloud City. The podracer segment reminded me of the SEGA Podracing arcade game. Halo HD looks great. Not a huge fan of the series, but I did love the first game. Overall, I can see why Kinect haters would dislike it, as even non-Kinect titles got a Kinect nod via Kinect capabilities. Still, aside from those damn kids playing the Disney game, it wasn't offensive to me. Perhaps MS just played it too safe. Would have loved to hear a price drop or a hint at the next console.
Sony's NGP/Vita looks awesome! Seems to have the best features a portable could have. Backwards compatible, great graphics, touch screen, good size, great lineup of games. I also was pleased to see that they "rebooted" their handheld line. As much as I don't care for the Vita name (makes me think of a vitamin water), I'm glad they didn't just label it as another PSP. The price is great, makes the 3DS look like kiddy crap (which I was considering up til now). The PS3 stuff didn't really blow me away, basically more of the same stuff like last year. Not that that's a bad thing. Really wish The Last Guardian was shown off.
This show really was more of a Sony VS. Nintendo show, rather than the Sony VS. Microsoft show as seen last year. In my opinion, Sony totally beat Nintendo on the handheld front. Overall, PS3 stuff didn't wow me, but I liked the Vita stuff.
God dammit
Nintendo! I was actually positive about the new system. I was thinking it would be just as it has been in the past. New console, new concept, NEW NAME. You know, like N64 -> Gamecube -> Wii. Instead, they go the Wii 2 route and replace the "2" with a letter that sounds like "U". Wii U? Really? Sounds like a University that Nintendo sends their developers to. Really awful name. So essentially, in Nintendoland: DS = handheld, Wii = console. I don't think I'll ever warm up to the name.
As for the concept, I'm not too impressed. The controller screen is far too big. If the TV was in use, I'd rather just not play a game than have to boot up a mini screen. The appeal of an HD home console is the big screen and great graphics, so why would I relegate myself to a small screen? Might as well read a book, play an iPad, go on the computer or just wait for whoever is using the TV to be done. None of the games have impressed me. Mostly ports thus far, and the big guns surly won't all be available at launch. By the time the Wii U has a strong first party library (main series Mario, HD Zelda) the next gen Sony/MS consoles will be incoming.
3DS was okay, but nothing blew me away. Mostly sequels or semi-sequels to titles that I don't care for (Mario Kart, Luigi's Mansion) and lots of ports. Sonic Generations 3DS and Metal Gear are the only real titles catching my attention.
Out of all the Nintendo stuff, I'm actually most excited for the Wii titles. Kirby Wii and Skyward Sword look like fun. Probably won;t get them on release, but they'll be fun titles to pick up after the prices go down on them.
Overall, Vita and the Kinect stuff were my favorite bits. Vita as it looks like a proper handheld with very few (if any) issues. Just want to hear the battery life. Kinect because I already own one and am excited about the upcoming games and features.
