E306 in Review

Reflecting on the entire week of E3 led me to the conclusion that the only way to survive in the gaming world is to unify. It seems as if all three companies: Microsoft, Nintendo and Sony have figured out that concept. There’s really no loser that emerged from E3. All three companies had their own ideas on how to bring gamers together. Microsoft showed that Xbox live will be going strong and tons of original first-party titles will keep the games going. Nintendo emphasized its quest to unify gamers of all backgrounds and skill levels. Sony, well there really wasn’t a lot of room for more inventive features for its system. While it is clear that Sony took ideas from Xbox and Nintendo, there really was no other choice. I will explain later, but first let me break down, in detail, what all three companies brought to the table.

I will begin with Nintendo since they were a bit under the gun pre-E3 06. Last year Nintendo revealed a “revolution” in gaming, bringing a whole new way to play video games. When they first revealed the motion sensitive remote, the public was a little dumbfounded by the whole concept. Our interests were piqued but we just didn’t know what to make of it. We had an idea of the concept that Nintendo was trying to pitch at us, but with the lack of specific game titles, we just didn’t know what to expect. About two weeks before E3 Nintendo finally revealed the name of their new system, the Wii. As small and innocent as the name is, it sent a shock wave across the world of gamers that might have been on par with the resurrection of Jesus Christ. Ok, maybe not quite on par but we could in fact be talking bogey with it. (A little golf terminology if you haven’t caught on yet.) While most of the close minded crowd shunned Nintendo for using such a name that would get it made fun of by pre-schoolers; the other half looked at it as a concept that made sense, and truly embodied the idea of Next-Gen gaming. Wii is a name that will bring gamers together and I truly think it will. I could definitely see this as a system that could bring an entire family together. The controls are fun and simple and there are plenty of family friendly games planned with the release of the system. While most gamers would scoff at this, I see it as an opportunity to make games acceptable in the public eye. Too many people see video games as mindless, bloody entertainment and Nintendo wants to change that. Gaming at its very core is competitive fun for every one. No matter what, boy or girl, young or old; the Wii is for every one.

Gamers have reached a diva-like status and it is a fact. A majority of gamers believe that the only good game is one that comes with a big, fat “M” on the cover explaining that this game is for mature audiences only; they horde over these games like they are the only things that matter and that they are somehow entitled to sole ownership of gaming. It is sad to say, but too many gamers are not open to the idea of fun without violence, profanity and all other evils that can pollute the mind. There are many legendary and classic games that have been developed without the inclusion of violence. The average gamer doesn’t have to look too hard to find them. Go to any gaming store and peruse the aisles and you can see great games such as: Super Monkey Ball, Lumines, Tetris, Super Mario Sunshine, and various sports titles from EA and 2K games, just to name a few.

If I had to describe Nintendo’s showing at E3 06 in one word, that word would be, diversity. Plenty of different games are being developed for the Wii and none will disappoint. Tony Hawk will bring his classic franchise back, but this time with a down-hill racing twist. Link will look better than ever with “Twilight Princess,” and as always, Mario will be back with his solo effort. To entertain those hard core gamers, Red Steel, from Ubisoft will take full advantage of the Wii Remote with an intuitive approach to the First-Person Shooter genre. With the unveiling of the Wii, the future of Nintendo looks very bright.

Microsoft came out looking strong after a seemingly disappointing launch for their new system. If it weren’t for such strong titles, Microsoft would seriously be re-thinking the release of the Xbox 360. Current games such as Call of Duty 2, Ghost Recon: Advanced Warfighter, Burnout Revenge, and Oblivion have given the 360 a legitimate chance at establishing itself at the top of the heap. The corner stone of the Xbox 360 is Xbox LIVE. There is not a better online gaming service anywhere, period. With the addition of Xbox LIVE Arcade, the experience has become even better. The big story for Microsoft was Gears of War, which is promising to be a killer app for the 360. Along with that will come the long awaited “Too Human” trilogy from Silicon Knights. This game will truly break the boundaries between fun game play and brilliant story telling. This will push the envelop for gaming. It is something special when you can take a seemingly “mindless” hack and slash and fuse it with an intriguing take on Norse mythology and giving it a sci-fi twist.

Now, we move on to Sony, the misunderstood company that everyone had mistaken for a cat burglar. It is true that they never really revolutionized anything with their presentation. The Cell technology seems very gimmicky to tell you the truth, but I wasn’t at the show so I couldn’t really claim whether or not it is truly something powerful. All I can go by is what I saw from videos I saw from the internet; and quite frankly, it is nothing that the Xbox 360 can’t handle. The 500 – 600 dollar price tag is very iffy, and this is a system that will have to prove itself come the holiday season. I think everyone was a little too rough on Sony, and I will be the first to admit that. When I heard of their online capabilities and the 6 degree motion sensitive controller, I called foul quicker than an NFL referee on a pass interference. Now that I’ve thought about it a little longer, Sony had to do it to stay alive in this market. Sony has not been performing extraordinarily well as a company and they are really banking on this system to do well. It is quite the gamble for this company but this Cell Technology and Blue Ray is the difference between greatness and mediocrity for this company. Sony in no way wants to taste the bitterness of obscurity.