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E3 2017

Posted: Sun Apr 23, 2017 7:51 pm
by M.Steiner
Here's the schedule for #E32017! :thumb:

SATURDAY 10TH JUNE
STREAMS: TWITCH · YOUTUBE
Electronic Arts
12:00 PDT | 15:00 EDT | 20:00 BST | 21:00 CEST
DATE & TIME CONFIRMED

SUNDAY 11TH JUNE
STREAMS: TWITCH · YOUTUBE · MS · BETH
Microsoft
14:00 PDT | 17:00 EDT | 22:00 BST | 23:00 CEST
DATE & TIME CONFIRMED

Bethesda
21:00 PDT | 00:00 EDT (12TH) | 05:00 BST (12TH) | 06:00 CEST (12TH)
DATE & TIME CONFIRMED

Devolver Digital
22:00 PDT | 01:00 EDT (12TH) | 06:00 BST (12TH) | 07:00 CEST (12TH)
DATE & TIME CONFIRMED

MONDAY 12TH JUNE
STREAMS: TWITCH · YOUTUBE · PC · UBI · SONY
PC Gaming Show
10:00 PDT | 13:00 EDT | 18:00 BST | 19:00 CEST
DATE & TIME CONFIRMED

Ubisoft
13:00 PDT | 16:00 EDT | 21:00 BST | 22:00 CEST
DATE & TIME CONFIRMED

Sony
18:00 PDT | 21:00 EDT | 02:00 BST (13TH) | 03:00 CEST (13TH)
DATE & TIME CONFIRMED

TUESDAY 13TH JUNE
STREAMS: TWITCH · YOUTUBE · NINTENDO · COLISEUM
Nintendo
09:00 PDT | 12:00 EDT | 17:00 BST | 18:00 CEST
DATE & TIME CONFIRMED

E3 Coliseum: Day One
11:00 PDT | 14:00 EDT | 19:00 BST | 20:00 CEST
DATE & TIME CONFIRMED

WEDNESDAY 14TH JUNE
STREAMS: TWITCH · YOUTUBE · COLISEUM
E3 Coliseum: Day Two
10:00 PDT | 13:00 EDT | 18:00 BST | 19:00 CEST
DATE & TIME CONFIRMED

OTHER COVERAGE: 13TH - 15TH | LIVE STAGE DEMOS ETC
LINKS: TWITCH[/size] · YOUTUBE · PLAYSTATION[/size] ·EASY ALLIES · GIANT BOMB[/size] · GAMESPOT[/size] · IGN


Once a conference has ended I will update to to indicate that there's a video available of it. Where's the fun in that though, eh? It'd be lovely if you'd come hang out with us on Discord instead. Afterall, watching together live as a group is part of the fun, right? ;)

Re: E3 2017

Posted: Sun Apr 23, 2017 8:09 pm
by M.Steiner
What is everyone looking to see this year? Anything in particular?

Me:
  • Red Dead Redemption 2 - Gameplay demo, release date & PC announcement
  • Bloodborne 2 - Announcement trailer OR new IP from them
  • Cyberpunk 2077 - Gameplay demo & release window
  • The Last of Us Part II - Anything
  • Death Stranding - Anything
  • Shenmue 1 & 2 HD - Announcement trailer & release date
  • Shenmue 3 - Gameplay trailer
  • Final Fantasy VII Remake - Anything
  • Ni No Kuni 2 - Gameplay demo & release date
  • Detroit: Become Human - Gameplay demo & release date
  • God of War - Gameplay demo & release date
  • Days Gone - Gameplay demo & release date
  • Cuphead - Release date
  • Hitman Season 2 - Gameplay trailer & episode 1 release date
  • Code Vein - Gameplay demo
  • The Evil Within 2 - Announcement trailer & release date
  • Sucker Punch's new IP - Reveal trailer
  • Battlefront 2 - SP & MP Gameplay demos
  • Vampyr - Gameplay demo & release date
  • South Park The Fractured But Whole - Release date & gameplay demo
  • Assassin's Creed Origins - Full reveal & release date
  • Far Cry 5 - Full reveal & release date
A few of these are a little on the wishful thinking side, like I'd love nothing more than a Bloodborne 2 announcement but I won't be going in expecting to see one. Also, it may be a bit early to start seeing more from games like Death Stranding & TLOU2 as well but I'm gonna put em on my list anyway. Hopefully some surprises too!

Shenmue 1 & 2 HD has been rumoured a couple of times already this year, first with 2 domain name registrations (for HD & Remastered) and then again when 'a source close to Atlus USA' claimed that remasters of 1 & 2 would be released this year. Nothing has been officially confirmed by Sega themselves yet (other than expressing interest in the past) but I'm thinking an E3 reveal is highly likely at this point. Fingers crossed! :)

Re: E3 2017

Posted: Mon Apr 24, 2017 9:41 pm
by Anubis
Already got the week booked off, and the Friday before too for the election, so going to be a hell of a ride as usual haha. Looking forward to our usual Discord shenanigans! :D

As for my hopes:
  • Cyberpunk 2077 - Any content, release date, and an orderable CE from Amazon
  • Detroit: Become Human - Release date, preferably this year
  • God of War - More gameplay, and possibly a vague release window
  • Vampyr - More up to date gameplay and a release window
  • South Park The Fractured But Whole - A real release date this time
  • Middle Earth: Shadow of War - Gameplay, story info
  • Psychonauts 2 - Anything would be nice
Not that much else I can think of atm...more interested to see what surprises are in store! On my dream list that are all very unlikely:
  • KOTOR 3
  • Horizon: Zero Dawn 2 info (but no spoilers!)
  • New Vampire The Masquerade game

Re: E3 2017

Posted: Tue Apr 25, 2017 2:47 pm
by M.Steiner
Awesome! Looking forward to it too :D
Anubis wrote:On my dream list that are all very unlikely:
  • Horizon: Zero Dawn 2 info (but no spoilers!)
Think this is probably unlikely as well (too soon), BUT, maybe we'll see some story DLC/expansion teased instead? Would like to see that :)

Re: E3 2017

Posted: Wed May 03, 2017 8:27 pm
by M.Steiner
Sony announced & added to the schedule (same slot as last year) :)
Ubisoft, PC Gaming Show & Nintendo Direct/Treehouse still to come.

Re: E3 2017

Posted: Thu May 04, 2017 2:18 pm
by M.Steiner
https://medium.com/@geoffkeighley/e3coliseum2017-7c01ed2dd0e wrote:Introducing E3 Coliseum

22 years ago, I walked into the first E3 as a wide-eyed 15-year-old kid who didn’t quite know his place in the world. E3 Expo brought my hobby out of my computer and into mainstream culture.

To be honest, the spectacle of E3 convinced me that I should devote my career to this incredible medium. I also marveled I was even allowed to walk the show floor. You see I wasn’t a legal attendee. I was only 15, so I had to carry a little permission letter in my pocket from the head of E3, which I proudly brandished to the security guards tasked with enforcing the 18-and-older age limit.
E3 Coliseum, June 13–14, The Novo at L.A. Live

Today, after attending all 22 E3s, I’m excited to announce the E3 COLISEUM. I’m teaming up with E3 to bring the culture of games to life through two days of panels, conversations, talks and other surprises.

For the past six months, we’ve quietly been working with all the major game teams to curate special presentations that will take place at The Novo at L.A. Live on Tuesday, June 13 and Wednesday, June 14. Thousands of fans will get to attend in person. If you aren’t at E3, the sessions will stream live around the world. You’ll also be able to ask questions to the panelists on Facebook.

Alongside presentations from game developers, we will also welcome some very special guests from the broader entertainment world. They’ll join us to speak about the cultural significance of gaming and how this incredible medium has influenced their work. Lots of surprises in store here. We will be sharing more details in the coming weeks about the speaker lineup for E3 COLISEUM.

Sometimes I get jaded and forgot how cool it is that E3 will be open to the public for the first time this year. Just last week, for instance, I met a young Russian couple in New York who told me how excited they are to finally attend E3. The E3 Coliseum will only make E3 more exciting to fans, as it create an opportunity to see the world’s top game creators and special guests live on stage.

Stay tuned for more news soon on the games that will be there, but today we can tease that you will see major panels hosted by some of the world’s top game publishers including Activision, Bethesda Softworks, Gearbox Publishing, Sony Interactive Entertainment, Square Enix, Ubisoft, Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment, and Xbox, with more to be announced in the coming weeks. All these publishers understand that our industry is stronger when we unite at E3 to showcase the most powerful form of entertainment in the world.

Hope to see you on June 13 at E3 COLISEUM!

Geoff Keighley
https://www.e3expo.com/show-info/3203/e3-coliseum/ wrote:At E3 Coliseum you will experience:
  • Insightful Conversations and Panels
    · The most influential names in gaming take the stage for once-in-a-lifetime conversations with special guests from the world of entertainment.
  • First Looks at Upcoming Games
    · The world’s top developers enter the Coliseum to show fans exclusive new peeks at the biggest games of E3 and answer questions.
  • Influencers Live On Stage
    · The biggest digital influencers join us to interact with their fans and the games industry.
  • Video Game Culture Brought To Life
    · Expect the unexpected with one-time-only demonstrations, performances and special guests that highlight gaming’s preeminent role in entertainment.
Additional information on specific panels, guests, and instructions on how to access the E3 COLISEUM will be released in the coming weeks.

Re: E3 2017

Posted: Thu May 04, 2017 9:52 pm
by Anubis
Oooo! I hope that will be streamed! Sounds interesting! :)

Re: E3 2017

Posted: Thu May 04, 2017 10:59 pm
by M.Steiner
Anubis wrote:Oooo! I hope that will be streamed! Sounds interesting! :)
Yep they will! :)
If you aren’t at E3, the sessions will stream live around the world.
[Edit]The PC Gaming Show has been announced now too. Will add to the schedule in a mo!

Re: E3 2017

Posted: Thu May 11, 2017 3:08 pm
by M.Steiner
Nintendo confirmed & added :thumb:

Re: E3 2017

Posted: Tue May 16, 2017 6:41 pm
by M.Steiner
Ubi announced and added to the schedule! Just waiting for the E3 Coliseum times now and we're done I think :)

Edit: Devolver Digital (publisher) will be having a conf too it seems. Interesting...

Re: E3 2017

Posted: Wed May 17, 2017 6:47 pm
by Anubis
Who are Devolver Digital?!

Re: E3 2017

Posted: Wed May 17, 2017 7:39 pm
by M.Steiner
I wasn't sure either, but (after a look) they've published games such as Hotline Miami, The Talos Principle & Stories Untold. They must have a fair amount to show to warrant having a conference of their own so it could be a good watch for indie titles methinks!

I'd expect them to fill a Mon slot but I shall ofc update as soon as they announce more details. This years schedule is looking pretty interesting! :)

Re: E3 2017

Posted: Sun Jun 04, 2017 3:56 pm
by M.Steiner
6 days until the first conference! :D ;D
Still waiting for confirmed times for Devolver Digital's Conference (if they're still having one) & E3 Coliseum but news on the latter is definitely coming very soon and will be "live all day Tues and Wed during E3"

Looking forward to it! One of my fav times of the year :)

Re: E3 2017

Posted: Mon Jun 05, 2017 5:25 pm
by M.Steiner
Devolver Digital's conference has been announced and will be part of Twitch's E3 2017 'Pre Pre Show'
https://www.twitch.tv/events/52471 wrote:The First Ever Second Pre Pre Show" is an all-night, high-energy E3 celebration of gaming culture, indie devs, comedy and film. We're kicking off with the "Devolver Digital: Mega Press Conference!" world premiere and staying up late with gameplay exclusives from Raw Fury Games, SEGA, Adult Swim, and more!
This takes place after Bethesda on the Sunday, so the early hours of Monday morning for those of us in the UK/EU (see schedule above for time conversions). Not sure whether I'll watch this live as I'll already be staying up to see Sony's conference but if I stay awake/get up for Bethesda's conference, I may stay up a bit longer to see DD's as well. Will see.

Re: E3 2017

Posted: Wed Jun 07, 2017 3:12 pm
by M.Steiner
E3 Coliseum details have now been confirmed!

Tuesday's event will begin at 11am Pacific and Wednesday at 10am (that's 7 and 6pm UK time - see schedule for other time conversions). Both will run until 7pm PDT (3am BST).

Tuesday kicks off with a 1 hour presentation from Cory Barlog and the God of War team and across both days we've got appearances from Kojima, Jack Black & Tim Schafer, bigger looks at the new Assassin's Creed, Insomniac's Spider-Man game, CoD: WWII & lots more cool stuff. You can see the full schedule here :)
Image
(+8hrs for UK)

Re: E3 2017

Posted: Sat Jun 10, 2017 2:29 pm
by Anubis
Going to be very interesting to see what type of content ends up in those slots at Coliseum! Hopefully twill be a good follow :)

The time is finally upon us anyway! EA tonight! HYPE!

Just hope they bring more content than they did last year haha!

Re: E3 2017

Posted: Tue Jun 13, 2017 8:47 pm
by M.Steiner
Ranking Notes: When watching an E3 show I always make a list as I go along, that being; Games which I like the look of but want to see more of and games I'm already sold on & fully intend to buy. This basically becomes my watchlist for the rest of the year & beyond. The more games on my list I come away with at the end of a show, the better, but I'll also take into account a shows length, the amount of gameplay show, surprises, filler/chatter, general presentation & my overall enjoyment when deciding how I'd rank them against one another. Gabe could walk on stage with Sony or MS & announce Half-Life 3 but if the rest of their show had nothing of great interest to speak of, that wouldn't automatically win it for me. So, my rankings:

DEVOLVER DIGITAL
What the hell did I just watch? lol. Seriously though, I'm putting this at the top here but not in last place. I'm not ranking it as it wasn't a conference in the traditional sense, but a 15min spoof of one. As such it's hard to compare it to the others on this list as this 'conference' was good for reasons that the others would not have been, as such it would be unfair to rate it 8th on my list for that reason I think. For entertainment value? Genious (as was some of the pre-show I watched). For games (which I went in expecting)? Nope.

Game Highlights: Ruiner
Trailers wrote:
#7 ELECTRONIC ARTS - 5/10
An improvement over last year as we actually got to see a decent amount of gameplay this time, but still pretty meh for the most part imo. Too much time spent on sports (as is usually the case with EA) and too few other new game announcements. Didn't come away too disappointed though as I'm never usually blown away by EA anyway so knew not to set my expectations too high going in. Always good for the STR commentary though!
A Way Out was a nice surprise for me. Whilst I am I little bummed out that it doesn't offer a SP playthrough, I understand that the game is being built around being a split-screen co-op experience. I do like the concept though & if there's anyone to play it with, I'd likely get it. Battlefront 2 also looks as sick as ever and they appear to have addressed the complaints I had with the first game, so I'll definitely get this for my MP fix. I would have preferred them to cut the MP footage in half though & show a SP demo as well.


Game Highlights: A Way Out & Battlefront 2
Trailers wrote:
#6 BETHESDA - 7/10
Went in hoping to see 3 particular games & that's what I got, nothing more. All 3 did look great though, especially The Evil Within 2. No other big surprises to speak of though and nothing else that caught my eye. Fallout 4 VR? Please, once was enough! A better conference than EA overall (due to its shorter length & less filler), but not quite as good as the ones below for the amount of games shown. I also hated the Bethesdaland format and the 5am airing (in the UK) was ridiculous.

Game Highlights: The Evil Within 2, Dishonored: Death of the Outsider & Wolfenstein II: The New Colossus
Trailers wrote:
#5 NINTENDO - 7.8/10
I'll be honest and admit that based on previous years, I was going in expecting this to be garbage but it was actually surprisingly good! Nintendo's library of games have never really felt to be aimed at me (grew up with Sega) but there were some games which I could see myself playing if I had a Switch, and even the titles which weren't for me, didn't look bad at all (and I could see other people being really happy about).
Technically, I could fully understand some people giving this top marks but for me personally I think I'd put it here.


Game Highlights: Xenoblade Chronicles 2, Fire Emblem Warriors, Metroid Prime 4 & Super Mario Odyssey
Trailers wrote:
#4 PC GAMING SHOW - 7.9/10
Good conference! Lots of games to show, a few surprises and they've improved their format once again this year which was great. More focus on trailers & interviews, less chatter inbetween and they cut the time down too. Good stuff on the whole!

Game Highlights: BattleTech, Age of Empires Definitive Edition, Griftlands & TUNIC
Trailers wrote:
#3 UBISOFT - 8/10
Not a bad conference but by Ubisoft's standards I did come away a little disappointed. Started off really hyped for both Skull & Bones & Starlink, only for my interest to drop almost completely by the end of their showings. The former, as we're still not sure if it has a campaign to it. Fantastic trailer & the naval combat looks sick, but without a point to it I don't see myself getting it as I'd grow tired of it quick [Edit: It does have a campaign but to what extent we'll have to wait and see]. Starlink? Immediately ruined when they brought out the toys. Still, they did have some other good stuff & they ended on BG&E2, which ofc is a plus (now we know you can experience it solo)

Game Highlights: Beyond Good & Evil 2, South Park: The Fractured But Whole (and Phone Destroyer), Far Cry 5, Assassin's Creed Origins, Skull & Bones & Transference
Trailers wrote:
#2 MICROSOFT - 8.4/10
A very good conference if you ask me, and a big improvement on last years. That being said, (as a PC gamer) there's still no reason what so ever for me to buy an Xbox One, let alone an Xbox X. They had a good amount of games to show though and whilst I was already aware of several titles, they did throw in a few surprises as well. Anthem didn't do much for me, sadly. Looks great visually but I wasn't a fan of Destiny either to be fair. On the other hand, the new Metro & Ori sequel are two of my main highlights from E3 this year - Stunning!

Game Highlights: Ori and the Will of the Wisps, Metro Exodus, Life is Strange: Before the Storm, The Last Night, Assassin's Creed Origins, Middle-earth: Shadow of War, Code Vein, Cuphead, Sea of Thieves & Ashen
Trailers wrote:
#1 SONY - 8.8/10
Another great show from Sony again this year. Not quite as good as last year perhaps, but still very solid. Like with the MS conference, I was already aware of most titles that ended up on my watch/buy list but I liked almost everything they had to show, they cut the chatter down to an absolute minimum by going straight from game to game and they did have one big surprise hidden away in there too, a remake of Shadow of the Colossus, which for many, remains one of the greatest games of all time. It looks <censored> amazing too!

Game Highlights: Shadow of the Colossus, God of War, Detroit: Become Human, Uncharted: The Lost Legacy, Spider-man, Call of Duty: WWII, Horizon Zero Dawn: The Frozen Wilds, Days Gone & The Inpatient
Trailers wrote:

Re: E3 2017

Posted: Thu Jun 15, 2017 5:20 pm
by Anubis
Time for my press conference review too! Keeping with the format from last year as I thought that worked well, but I'm also introducing a new element - a sum up of our collective feelings from Discord! I've not read yours yet MS to avoid bias, but will reply to it separately as soon as I've had the chance :D
#1 UBISOFT - 9/10
I can't stress enough how impressive a show Ubi put on this year, even though it was ultimately marred by poor messaging (we'll get to that in a minute). They had an extremely solid and exciting lineup, and I felt the replacement of Aisha this year helped the conference a lot. Aisha had her positives, but just back to back games with occasional insight from developers worked much better for me and just let the conference focus on what it's there for.

I'm not going to single out games here as to a tee almost everything they showed (with the exception of Just Dance) looked fantastic. Not all of it was for me (like Mario + Rabbids for example), but the presentation and quality can't be denied, and they worked hard to make me consider things I wouldn't normally play. A very successful conference in that regard.

It wasn't a perfect show though, because for almost every game that impressed me they gave me a reason to not play it! Beyond Good & Evil 2 sounded like it was MP only, and Skull & Bones sounded like it was a PvP combat sim only. They had to later clarify things in separate interviews. That needs to improve next year.


HIGHLIGHTS:
  • Beyond Good & Evil 2. Confusion over it being SP or not aside, the trailer was out of this world and it was totally unexpected.
  • Skull & Bones. The presentation was super slick and phenomenal looking for this. If it has a story it's pretty much my perfect game.
  • The franchise isn't usually my thing but Far Cry 5 looked impressive, and I consider its plot very controversial and intriguing.
  • I thought Transference looked extremely interesting and was a very unique & effective game presentation.

TO BUY LIST:
  • Beyond Good & Evil 2 since they effectively confirmed in later interviews that it will feature an SP story.
  • Skull & Bones provided there is a story. I'm sold on the gameplay already.
  • South Park: The Fractured But Whole (if they ever release it!)
  • Maybe Far Cry 5
Discord wrote:[10:10 PM] BlackDove: He said online
[10:11 PM] Kon: If that happens, Ubi is dead forever
[10:12 PM] Anubis: there's so much there that I love the look of but it feels like they've ruined everything
[10:12 PM] M.Steiner: They lost me on 2 games there, potentially 3
#2 SONY - 8/10
Another year, another incredibly solid conference from Sony. They really have got these down to a tee by now, both in terms of format and content. As with last year, no talking, just an hour of games (I still think this is too short though). And if you put the somewhat gimmicky VR stuff aside, everything as usual looked amazing. My to buy list is below, but there's easily another 3 titles on top of that from this conference that I'm pondering too, the presentations were that good.

Particularly impressive too was the fact that everything they showed was the most graphically impressive stuff at E3. That's nothing new, but when you think that Microsoft demoed Scorpio which is a significantly more powerful machine...it's extremely impressive to still be holding such a significant graphical advantage.

Having said that though, Sony have lost top spot this year for one reason - so much of what they showed wasn't new. We saw God of War, Detroit and Spider Man last year, and none are due out till 2018. They look great, but showing the same games every year does not make for winning E3 show. They need a new lineup for next year - if I see the same again, they're going to keep dropping down this list.


HIGHLIGHTS:
  • VR stuff aside, pretty much Everything. It's definitely not all for me, but it all looked exceptionally high quality.
  • The Shadow of the Colossus Remaster reveal was a big surprise and looked stunning. Great job here.
  • Spider Man hugely impressed me. For most other games shown I got what I expected, but this looked much, much better than I'd hoped.

TO BUY LIST:
  • Uncharted: The Lost Legacy
  • Call of Duty WW2 (for PC though, not PS4)
  • God of War
  • Detroit
  • Spider Man
Discord wrote:[3:06 AM] Kon: Ubi, MS, Sony, EA, Beth for me
[3:06 AM] M.Steiner: I was expecting one or two other surprises but all in all, I came away seeing more games that interested me personally than any other conference, so for me, I'd place Sony first.
[3:07 AM] Anubis: regardless of placement though it was a solid conference
#3 MICROSOFT - 7/10
A strong conference for MS on content I felt? They had a lot to show - more than anyone else - and a lot of it looked pretty good. I'm not sure a lot of it will have served their core audience that well (Sea of Thieves instead of Halo?), but the quality of titles like Middle Earth: Shadow of War, Anthem, Metro: Exodus and AC: Origins can't be denied. The very strong lineup they had is pretty much why they've got a 7/10 from me.

Spec wise Scorpio is a big win too, but it didn't serve them well here. The impressive specs raised the question of why everything they showed looked MUCH less graphically impressive than Sony's lineup, and why 4K support was necessary to play what they're offering. No offence to Minecraft, but do you REALLY need 4K to play it? And big titles look better on PS4 anyway! I don't think this conference will have helped them convince people to buy Scorpio.

I also think that their Crossplay policy is still very damaging for MS' conferences and will be as long as it continues. There's just no getting around the fact that Xbox exclusives don't exist anymore, and thus there's just no reason to buy the console (and that's surely the entire point of having the conference).


HIGHLIGHTS:
  • The Life Is Strange: Before The Storm reveal. I marked out like crazy.
  • Metro: Exodus and Ori and the Will of the Wisps both looked outstanding, even if I may never play them.
  • The 4K Minecraft reveal, just for the sheer absurdity of why this is necessary.
  • The car they had made for Forza. I expect one per game from now on.

TO BUY LIST:
  • Life Is Strange: Before The Storm
  • Middle Earth: Shadow of War
  • Possibly The Last Night
Discord wrote:[11:05 PM] BlackDove: this is the power of x bawks x two bawks
[11:07 PM] BlackDove: yep
[11:07 PM] BlackDove: i needed 4k
[11:07 PM] BlackDove: for this
#4 NINTENDO - 6/10
After years of effectively not turning up, this was a great show from Nintendo! The games they make aren't really for me, but with their target audience in mind the lineup felt strong. Pokemon for Switch went over especially well, as did Metroid Prime 4. Most of the stuff they showed looked pretty good too!

My only real complaint, and the reason Microsoft beat them, is the length. It was a great conference and a HUGE improvement on the usual, but 25 mins is way too short for me. If you're under an hour, I think there's a question about whether you've brought enough content to justify the conference. So yeah, Nintendo take fourth, but I can't stress enough how big an improvement that is for them. Good job!


HIGHLIGHTS:
  • The constant green screens Reggie and co used. It was amusingly obvious. Why couldn't they film on location?!
  • The focus on JRPGs. The genre has been in heavy decline in recent years, and some of the stuff they showed here looked bright for its future!
  • Xenoblade Chronicles 2. Aside from the dub I thought this looked pretty good!
  • Super Mario Odyssey. Mario has been done to death but this looked decent, especially the takeover gimmick.

TO BUY LIST:
  • Nothing - I don't plan to buy a Switch, and most Nintendo stuff isn't quite for me.
Discord wrote:[5:20 PM] M.Steiner: Surprisingly good show from Nintendo, actually. Wouldn't play all of this myself but there are a few here which I probably would, and the ones I wouldn't I can see others loving.
[5:20 PM] Anubis: yeah this is decent
[5:20 PM] Anubis: HUGE improvement on their usual
#5 PC GAMING SHOW - 5/10
As I said last year, not bad. Yet again the people running this show have worked hard to adjust and improve the format to make it a much easier and interesting watch. Good to see the hardware homage segments gone this year, the next victim needs to be the speech by Intel - I don't mind it being there, but it's just too dry and dull in this format. The big conferences stopped doing those long speeches years ago for good reason.

The new timeslot helped them too, as they weren't rushing or running into other conferences this year. And the stuff they brought continued to improve in profile too (Warhammer Total War 2, XCOM 2: War of the Chosen and most specifically Age of Empires: Definitive Edition). I hope they keep improving like this.


HIGHLIGHTS:
  • The format. Again, it continues to improve and build a solid show.
  • The Age of Empires: Definitive Edition reveal. An awesome moment as both a platform and franchise fan.

TO BUY LIST:
  • Age of Empires: Definitive Edition
  • Potentially The Last Night. I want to see more first, but I'm very interested.
Discord wrote:[7:45 PM] Anubis: that was not a bad show at all. Improved on last year again
[7:45 PM] M.Steiner: Decent show, I enjoyed that.
[7:45 PM] Anubis: they're putting together a good format
#6 BETHESDA - 3/10
Yikes, this was a poor conference. For DOOM, Fallout, and Skyrim they basically just announced completely unnecessary ports. Who is going to play Skyrim on the Switch?! The Evil Within 2, Dishonored 2: Death of the Outsider and Wolfenstein 2, looked incredible, but Wolfenstein 2 was the only one game we saw gameplay of. That's a very poor show for a publisher the size of Bethesda.

It also has to be said that the cheesy "Bethesdaland" branding that they did the whole show in was AWFUL, and whoever thought of it needs firing. It kept me consistently annoyed throughout the whole show, and I REALLY hope it doesn't see the light of day again next year.


HIGHLIGHTS:
  • The Evil Within 2 - an amazing reveal trailer that was creepy as hell!
  • Dishonored 2: Death of the Outsider

TO BUY LIST:
  • Nothing
Discord wrote:[5:39 AM] Whizbang: That was pretty bad
[5:40 AM] Whizbang: I stayed up to watch that
[10:18 AM] BlackDove: I didn't stay up to watch that.
[10:18 AM] BlackDove: I feel good about myself.
#7 EA - 2/10
Well, it was better than last year. They brought some content this year at least, but it still felt pretty thin and of variable quality. FIFA, Madden, and NBA made their usual appearance, but other than announcing Story Mode (which FIFA already had) there was not much detailed.

They did bring two things that impressed though. Their new IP A Way Out looked incredibly good and got me really interested, and the Star Wars Battlefront 2, trailer looked great! Unfortunately the 30 minutes of MP gameplay from it looked far less great. They also shot themselves in the foot by saving most of the Anthem footage for the Microsoft conference, leaving them with little to show of it. They still have a long way to go to start competing with the rest again.


HIGHLIGHTS:
  • A Way Out. Whilst the fact that it's split screen co-op only means I'll likely never play this, it did look pretty great!
  • Star Wars Battlefront 2, despite the disappointing MP footage.

TO BUY LIST:
  • Possibly Star Wars Battlefront 2, if they continue to sell me on the Single Player campaign.
Discord wrote:[9:22 PM] BlackDove: This was the most terrible EA conference in recent memory.
[9:22 PM] BlackDove: Everyone involved in producing this should commit ritual suicide
#8 DEVOLVER DIGITAL - 0/10
Last year I gave Nintendo the dubious award of having hosted the worst press event in E3 history. Unfortunately, this gives it serious competition. It was a 15 minute conference parody that just wasn't funny...it tried way too hard. As for games, they only had two clips of games already announced, neither of which looked great. They DID put on an amazing wrestling segment though (Dr Cube vs American Beetle) which was all that stopped this getting a negative rating.

Honestly, I really hope they don't come back next year. I get what they were trying to do, but it's just not for me - especially if you don't even announce any games in the process!


HIGHLIGHTS:
  • It only being 15 minutes long (not counting the multi-hour Pre-Pre Show).
  • The wrestling. I really can't say how much I enjoyed that enough! I never thought I'd see a Koopa Shell used as a foreign object!

TO BUY LIST:
  • Nothing.
Discord wrote:[2:41 PM] Anubis: This is going to be the only conference I've ever rated negative
[2:41 PM] Anubis: I'm REALLY glad I didn't stay up for this
[2:57 PM] Anubis: I wish they'd just done the wrestling stuff
[2:57 PM] Anubis: really into this now lol
PICKS OF THE SHOW
My top five from E3 this year are as follows:
#1. Beyond Good & Evil 2 (Ubisoft)
#2. Skull & Bones (Ubisoft)
#3. Life Is Strange: Before The Storm (Square Enix)
#4. Spider Man (Sony)
#5. Uncharted: The Lost Legacy (Sony)

Re: E3 2017

Posted: Thu Jun 15, 2017 6:14 pm
by Anubis
Very interesting review from your end MS, especially seeing how you've been much kinder to the EA/Bethesdas of the world than I was!

Our differing approach in writing the reviews is quite interesting too, as I think I'd broadly agree more with your order if I approached it the same way. I try to detach myself and review impartially, without putting personal feeling for the games shown in there.

Sony would DEFINITELY have topped my list if it went on what impressed me most, and what I plan to buy. So I think it's pretty cool that we're broadly in line there!

Great writeup as always :)

Re: E3 2017

Posted: Thu Jun 15, 2017 9:56 pm
by M.Steiner
Great writeup mate! Putting our approach and score numbers aside, we look to have ordered them very similarly when you remove Ubisoft & Nintendo from the list, which were actually the two I struggled most with placing! lol

Ubisoft were a struggle for me due to BG&E2 and talk of its 'online playground', the confusion we had over Skull & Bones and also not having Aisha Tyler hosting it. BG&E2 alone gets it major plus points as I adored the first game, but whilst I was over the moon to see its reappearance at first (and am again now, post-conference), I came away confused and with thoughts of "nobody asked for this", which wasn't helped by the fact that no gameplay was shown of it and it's probably several years away (by the looks of it).
Likewise with Skull & Bones, I went from being interested, to being sold on it and then confused as to whether I actually was interested or not. In both cases it wasn't until after the conference when further clarifications were made that I got back on board with both games, but I completely agree with you on their poor messaging. They really needed to be clearer during the conference. As such I decided to rate it strictly on the conference itself (putting aside what we later learened) and how I felt coming out of it. Had they been clearer during the show? This would have moved up my list I think, at least to second place.

Aisha was another downer for me, though to a lesser degree of course. Don't get me wrong, their presentation was still top-notch (aside from my complaints above), I just think she added an element of fun to the show which I kinda missed. I know she's not everyones cup of tea though heh.

Nintendo was a weird one too, mainly down to Metroid Prime 4, as I was trying to remain objective rather than try to view it as if I was a Switch owner and a fan of Metroid. It was a strong show (I also agree, it was too short for my liking too) but whilst Sony had the gorgeous looking remake for Shadow of the Colossus, Ubisoft had BG&E2 etc, One of Nintendo's showstoppers was probably the Metroid Prime 4 announcement (Super Mario Odyssey being another). Reading some peoples reactions to it on Twitter etc at the time I know this played a large part in Nintendo 'winning' E3 for them (despite it not showing any gameplay or even CGI) and I can understand that. If you're a Switch owner and are generally a fan of the type of games that get released on a Nintendo console, I can see people giving that conference a 9 or 10, but for me personally and viewing it as an outsider as it were, couldn't really justify putting it higher. Good show though! I felt a bit bad for prejudging it haha.

Games of show? Hmm!
#1. Shadow of the Colossus
#2. Metro Exodus
#3. Ori and the Will of the Wisps
#4. Beyond Good & Evil 2
#5. Ni no Kuni II: Revenant Kingdom
Probably these but I could easily go on & on lol. Lots to look forward to :D
I already had a few games pre-ordered (South Park, Yakuza & Uncharted) which I've just added CoD:WWII & Battlefront 2 to, though I need to spend some time looking over my 2017 releases list and see what else I need to add to that. Ni no Kuni 2 will be a definite, as will the Life is Strange prequel, Assassin's Creed Origins, The Evil Within 2 & Shadow of War. Need to have a proper look though.


On the subject of what Sony had to show btw:
http://www.pushsquare.com/news/2017/06/sony_we_held_ps4_exclusives_back_from_e3_2017 wrote:There are things we have held [back],” Yoshida laughed. “We chose not to show those at E3 2017, but there will be some more news coming out from our teams later this year. No question.
This excites me. Rather than blow their load at E3 it seems they've deliberately kept some things back, maybe for showing at Gamescom and/or PSX? I was expecting to see Sucker Punch's new IP at E3 as well as whatever's next for FromSoftware and was a little surprised to see that neither showed up, so maybe they were held back for one of their other shows? Guess we'll see! It says a lot about their lineup when they can afford to do this and still put on a bloody good show lol.

Re: E3 2017

Posted: Fri Jun 16, 2017 12:15 pm
by M.Steiner
Just wanted to say that it has been a pleasure watching E3 with you guys once again this year! E3 is one of my fav times of the year by far and while there's always the excitement of seeing all the new trailers, gameplay demos, big surprises etc, it simply wouldn't be the same without you guys & being able to watch all of the conferences and stage demos together live on Discord. That combined, is the E3 experience I love and always look forward to. So yeah, it has been a blast! <3
Hopefully some of you will be around for Gamescom too, should there be some conferences & stuff for us to watch! ;)

Re: E3 2017

Posted: Wed Jun 21, 2017 7:03 pm
by Anubis
M.Steiner wrote:Just wanted to say that it has been a pleasure watching E3 with you guys once again this year! E3 is one of my fav times of the year by far and while there's always the excitement of seeing all the new trailers, gameplay demos, big surprises etc, it simply wouldn't be the same without you guys & being able to watch all of the conferences and stage demos together live on Discord. That combined, is the E3 experience I love and always look forward to. So yeah, it has been a blast! <3
Hopefully some of you will be around for Gamescom too, should there be some conferences & stuff for us to watch! ;)
Likewise bud! Always my favourite time of year not just because of the content but because of all the fun we have in IRC/Discord :) A great time as always!

And I should be around for Gamescom with any luck...will need to check conference times etc nearer to the time though!