I am back from the action-packed E3 2013 conference and am here to provide my detailed analysis of Microsoft’s E3 press conference and how they stacked up to my expectations, THIS IS NICK’S GAMING VIEW!
Hello everyone and welcome to Nick’s Gaming View, you are here with your host, Nick McCandless. Microsoft kicked off the E3 madness with their annual E3 press conference and did a solid job of focusing on games, games, and more games. While multiplatform, the Metal Gear Solid V trailer was breathtaking and a solid start to Microsoft’s show. It was also nice to see Microsoft spending just a little bit of time on their successful 360 platform, although I feel the new design wasn’t really needed. Moving onto Xbox One, Ryse looks and plays well and as one who played at E3, I must say, this is one of those games that truly uncovers what these next-generation consoles are capable of. The announcement of Killer Instinct had the audience roaring in excitement, but when it came time to hit the show floor, the line to play was significantly shorter than any other Xbox One release. Sunset Overdrive was an interesting announcement, but not because of the game per say, the fact that the once exclusive to PlayStation studio, Insomniac Games is now making an Xbox One exclusive turned many heads and we’ll see upon launch if the cartoony parkour release gains any traction. Forza 5 now looks better than ever and takes advantage of an impressive AI system thanks to the cloud. Minecraft will unsurprisingly be making its way towards the Xbox One along with the previously released Quantum Break, which has attracted some interest from me, and a new title shown titled D4. Project Spark then emerged on stage providing an experience similar to that of PlayStation’s LittleBigPlanet, but much more open and capable of imagination. Microsoft has enriched the Xbox Live experience by announcing two free games each month to subscribers with Halo 3 and Assassin’s Creed II being the first package and by showing off the rapid ability of jumping between online games with friends. Microsoft has partnered with TwitchTV similar to how PlayStation partnered with Ustream proving that next-generation will be all about sharing and watching captured gameplay as a community. Crimson Dragon Reborn reemerged similar to Ryse and Capcom confirmed Dead Rising 3 as an Xbox One exclusive with a more open world approach. While not exclusive, The Witcher 3 was shown off utilizing SmartGlass and Battlefield 4 left me stunned with incredibly realistic gameplay and the announcement of timed exclusivity on a planned DLC pack titled, Second Assault. With Microsoft receiving an overabundance of criticism regarding their support for indie developers, Microsoft made an attempt by showcasing a few indie titles, but it was clear indie development isn’t a strong focus for Microsoft. Dropping the ball on their promise to show the ongoing project at Black Tusk Studios, a brief teaser clip was shown, with no information or details provided. Unsurprisingly, a new Halo was announced for the Xbox One set to release in 2014 with no details other than the fact that it will run at 60 frames per second exciting the millions of Halo players. Then it came time for price and release and Microsoft dropped the ball by announcing a price of $499! Releasing in November, sure it will include the new Kinect, but with the PlayStation 4 releasing in the same month at a full $100 cheaper, I could see Microsoft losing the launch phase vs. Sony. To close out the show, Respawn Entertainment, started by the talent over at Infinity Ward, announced Titanfall exclusive to the Xbox One providing a first-person shooter blended with mechs that cries out to me as a gamer. Definitely one of the most impressive games to me to be shown during the entire E3 show, Microsoft landed a huge deal with Titanfall and I couldn’t have really asked for a better conclusion to their conference. Overall, I feel Microsoft had a great conference despite the high price point and ignoring the entire debacle regarding required internet and the lack of being able to share games. I would rate Microsoft’s conference a solid B as I feel they have established a strong lineup for the Xbox One around its launch and made it clear that they are investing more into building and expanding their in-house studios.
Well that concludes today’s episode of Nick’s Gaming View but be sure to follow me on Twitter @NickMcCandless and check back tomorrow for my analysis of Sony and Wednesday for Nintendo.
