Best & Worst of E3 2010

Some have considered it the 'Super Bowl' of video gaming. Others described it as the 'ultimate expo' within the gaming community. Whatever word or statement you would use to describe it, the Electronic Entertainment Expo is considered the biggest gaming event of all time. It is a time when gamers come together to witness hotly-anticipated unveilings, gawk at unexpected surprises, and marvel at the presentations of some of the biggest names in the gaming industry.

Surprised? This was just the beginning.

Of course, with every E3, great ideas are warmly received, while terrible ones are frowned upon. Here is just a run-down of what was good and what was bad about E3 2010.

But let’s save the best for last, and start with…the bad.

The Bad

Too Many Sequels

SOCOM 4, Mafia II, Red Faction: Armageddon, Final Fantasy XIV Rock Band 3, Killzone 3, F.E.A.R. 3, Batman: Arkham Asylum 2, Portal 2, Fallout: New Vegas, inFamous 2, LittleBigPlanet 2, Gears of War 3 – need I say more?

I’m not saying the game sequels are generally bad – and that doesn’t mean I’m not excited for them either. Sometimes a great franchise can fade in existence because the reception is not always positive. It hurts the publishers/developers profit-wise, and worse; they end up hurting its dedicated fanbase. It’s kind of a risky gamble; you hope a new direction to a highly-regarded series is the solution, but it ends up backfiring. Make a single mistake and you lose the gravitas of what makes a franchise great.

Sequels are nice, but sometimes too much is too much. Where have all the new intellectual properties gone?

3D

Sony referred it as a huge step towards the future of interactive video games. But for me, I’m not going to bother putting on ‘special’ glasses just because I want to see a Big Daddy drill ‘going beyond the TV screen--’ so to speak, that probably happens only five percent at a time. Also, urging people to purchase a 3DTV is a bit of a far-fetched move by Sony, since I imagine several families have only recently upgraded to HDTVs. It’s not an entirely terrible move by Sony; thinking of 3D as an everyday thing is a tad too early this time around. Like many individuals such as myself, I’m not ready to accept 3D just yet.

It's E3...in 3D!

The Good

The Games

Of course, what would E3 be without the games? From montages to gameplay demonstrations, we were seeing the best the gaming industry has to offer.

Microsoft had a pretty good showing (Gears of War 3, Call of Duty: Black Ops, Fable III, and Halo: Reach), with Sony having a strong lineup up their sleeve (inFamous 2, Twisted Metal, and Killzone 3), and Nintendo presenting an all-star team of their own (Metroid: Other M, The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword, Dragon Quest IX).

Crysis 2!? On consoles!? Oh, you so crazy.

And who could forget EA’s (Crysis 2, Need for Speed: Hot Pursuit, and Dead Space 2) and Ubisoft’s (Assassin’s Creed: Brotherhood, Ghost Recon: Future Soldier, Child of Eden) games? With countless games to choose from, lots of wallets will be empty this year.

New IP, Returning Franchises

Though their presence at E3 was scarce, at least we will get to see the birth of captivating new franchises. Disney’s adventure platformer, Epic Mickey; Kaos’s sci-fi first-person shooter, Homefront; People Can Fly’s Bulletstorm; and Bethesda’s Killzone 3/Mirror’s Edge/Team Fortress 2 hybrid shooter, Brink are games you definitely shouldn’t miss.

It has also been a while since we’ve seen Rayman, Kirby, and Donkey Kong in action, and it’s awesome to know they are back. Additionally, with the announcements of reboots of Medal of Honor and Mortal Kombat, we’re seeing some of our most beloved franchises returning to form.

Nintendo 3DS

Perhaps this is a little contradictory of my earlier statement regarding 3D in video gaming, but 3D without those needless glasses is an exception – and intriguing to say the least. With all the buzz it’s been creating, the 3DS is already showing promise. Many gamers still don’t know how the 3DS works yet, but they’ll have to take everyone’s word as a grain of salt – for now.

Battle for Motion Control Supremacy

With Nintendo being sort of the pioneer for this motion control arms race, Sony and Microsoft thought they should join in on the fun. The result? The Playstation Move and Kinect. Microsoft’s Kinect has got a lot of potential, provided the facial/voice recognition and movement tracking is sharp and super precise.

Kevin Butler promotes the Playstation Move.

Both peripherals have a lot going for them. Judging by their presentations, Sony and Microsoft are trying to tap to a much wider audience than before – to an audience they feel they previously haven’t paid much attention to. It’s a good move for both, since they can attract more consumers to buy their systems. The overall reception for the motion control battle may prove divisive for some, but profit-wise, it is an absolute win for both companies.

If case you missed E3 2010 this year, don’t worry. Here are links to summaries of what went down on the show floor:

Microsoft Press Conference Summary
EA Press Conference Summary
Ubisoft Press Conference Summary
Nintendo Press Conference Summary
Sony Press Conference Summary

David Gabriel, NoobFeed