E3 2013 thoughts

In a word: disappointed.

I went into this E3 rather interested. Please notice that I specifically did not say excited. I watched the conferences by Microsoft, Ubisoft and Sony as well as Nintendo's Direct and Destructoid's videos and read tons of coverage. As each day progressed, I grew less and less interested. To be fair, a large part of my feelings come from the fact that I don't play first-person shooters or MMOs. The biggest source of disappointment was the lack of new titles that interested me. Let's get into my breakdown.

Microsoft
In trying to bone their customers, MS screwed themselves. I watched this conference out of shadenfreude but it was even too brutal for that.�

Sony
After MS totally screwed the pooch, Sony did a brilliant job... of nothing. Sure, the system is powerful but none of the games they covered interested me. I am glad that I won't have to spend a large chunk of cash to get a new console. Driveclub looks cool but I'll get GT6 and be happy. The most interesting thing that came out of the Sony press conference is the gamer reaction. They've won the love of the entire gaming community by touting that they're doing what consoles have always done; what the Wii U is currently doing. I feel that this is the ultimate example of praising mediocrity.

Nintendo
I like their new approach to E3. I only care about the games and they showcased that nicely. The problem Nintendo has at the moment is the Wii U gamepad. When I heard about the new Mario Kart, I pictured an update to Double Dash with one player using the Gamepad to target other racers. Nope. When I heard about the Wind Waker remake, I thought the Gamepad would be the Tingle Tuner. Nope, they removed the Tingle Tuner. Nintendo is producing a lot of games I'm excited about in the next 6-12 months but none of them are showcasing the Gamepad in the way they need to.

Games
Here's the part that was most disappointing. There are tons of games coming out in 2013 that I'm extremely excited about. None of them were announced at E3. For reference, here's the list:

Dungeons and Dragons: Chronicles of Mystara
The Wonderful 101
Pikmin 3
Dragon's Crown
Killer is Dead
Tales of Xillia
Gran Turismo 6
Super Mario 3D World
LoZ: Wind Waker
Project X Zone
Rune Factory 4
Mario & Luigi: Dream Team
LoZ: A Link Between Worlds
Pokemon X/Y
Sonic: Lost Worlds (Wii U)

That is a serious line up for the next 6 months and that doesn't even take into consideration Virtual Console or digital releases, other than D&D.

I do wonder if E3 is even relevant anymore. For Nintendo fans, it isn't. The Directs are more exciting that any E3 in memory. Likewise, Atlus and XSEED do very good jobs of keeping their fans informed and engaged. Maybe it's time for the industry to move on.

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