E3 2014 Created 10 years ago2014-06-08 12:47:02 UTC by Penguinboy

You thought I'd forgotten about posting here? Well I did! Thanks to Urby for reminding me...E3 starts tomorrow! I always take this week off work as a tradition to watch the live streams of the keynote conferences.

What is E3?
The Electronic Entertainment Expo, known as E3, is an event that happens every year in Los Angeles. It's usually where the big companies announce new stuff (i.e. Microsoft, Sony, and to a lesser extent, Nintendo) like games, hardware, consoles, and really pretty much everything to do with games. Ubisoft and EA also make appearances, but interestingly enough, Activision do not (though they usually manage to get a Call of Duty trailer in there anyway).

Why is it cool?
If you're interested in gaming at all, E3 is the biggest dump of new information that happens every year. The keynotes almost always feature brand new trailers, gameplay, hardware, services, and of course, new games! It's always fun to hear new stuff to look forward to. E3 is focused on western gaming (Microsoft, Ubisoft, EA), but Nintendo and Sony usually inject some Japanese gaming influence in there as well, so there's always something interesting no matter what your gaming tastes are!

I'll post updates after each keynote with all the interesting stuff, but if you want to watch the conferences live, just visit any big gaming website (GameSpot, IGN, GameTrailers, etc) and find their E3 coverage.

Is anyone else excited about E3? Any predictions you would like to share? I'll be posting my own predictions before each keynote starts. Microsoft is first up, starting about 26 hours from now.

PS: Before anyone suggests it: Half-Life 3 will NOT be announced this year. In fact, it will NEVER be announced at any E3, ever! (Though I would not mind if I was wrong about this)

HL3 confir-
I'm sorry, I can't do this.

I haven't really paid much attention to E3 in the past five years or so, most of the gaming I've been doing has been with just a few games on Steam. There's always this year to check it out though.

My prediction is that HL3 will be confirmed as being cancelled, as Gabe Newell is sick of all the jokes about his weight.
Also, Microsoft will accidentally let slip that they are actually run by vampires who live beneath the earth.

The new call of duty looks sick.

It makes me laugh how people still believe HL3 will ever be released.

Anyway, two words: "Phantom" and "Pain".

I'm looking forward to seeing FarCry4 and The Wither Hunt Wild Hunt.
Also hoping for Mirror's Edge 2 and Dishonored 2

It will come when the time is right.

Destiny has not been released yet and its the next E3 already, im going to wait for the the short version of what happened.
Is Valve even going to E3 ?

I don't know if you're a console gamer rufee but you may be disappointed to hear that Destiny will not be released on PC. I know when I heard that news, I lost interest in it. Maybe they'll port it later, but probably not...

As far as I know, Valve won't be at E3. They usually just announce their stuff whenever they want to, rather than waiting for E3. They might be there to promote the DOTA2 tournament though.

Prediction:

Next Gen & PC release date announcement for GTA V

I was sort-of sure it was going to be console only, might buy a ps4 somewhere down the road.
I really like soviet time spin-off's the architecture and textures and most stuff looks awesome, can't get enough of these types of games.

I'm glad that the next gen consoles are out now. Last years E3 was way too focused on the upcoming systems so it will be nice to actually hear about some games this time...

My predictions: Loads of stuff nobody asked for - more social media buggery in games, or something like Mafia III, The Sims 4 or a new bloody Call of Duty game. Hell, even Battlefield has gone down the path of shit nobody wanted. Battlefield Hardline for example...

I am looking forward to more information about The Division, Far Cry 4 and hopefully a Fallout 4 reveal (unlikely)

this will be the best RPG of the e3 2014 -> http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WxrnGjUNDoc#t=112

Yeah, the Witcher looks ok. You can pre-order it on Steam already

Valve could show up on E3. But that's not 100%. They usually release when the want. I would love to see new games. Don't have any major predictions.

Ignore me. Read a news post about E3 2013 because I'm a giant penis with arms and legs.

Goes without saying.

I was about to ask what the hell E3 even is.. I know it's for gaming, but welp, seems that got answered. ^^

Man, Penguinboy really knows how to post articles damn well... Thanks for the post! I owe chu a beer.

The Microsoft keynote is only 10 minutes away, time for some hastily-made-up predictions:

Obvious predictions:

• Halo 5 gameplay footage. They'll probably try and use some elements from Halo 1-3 to try and convince people that they don't need Bungie to make the same type of Halo. (There were a number of vocal fans who didn't like Halo 4 because it lacked something or other)
• They'll try to convince people that Kinect is a thing that everyone wants and how it makes everything better
• They'll spend a lot of time talking about TV stuff: Netflix, ESPN, etc.

Likely predictions:

• Call of Duty. Activision don't attend E3, so I think that Microsoft will get the trailer this time. Possible gameplay too. (It will look the same as every other COD game)
• Remedy's project (Quantum Break) might get some airtime. It was announced last E3
• Something with mobile Windows devices and gaming. Possibly remote play or online streaming

Unlikely predictions:

• One of the old (and well-known) IPs that Microsoft is holding onto gets a sequel (that actually looks good)
• The fact that PC games actually exist is acknowledged

Very unlikely predictions:

• New Xbox hardware accessory (VR headset or something like that)

MS actually interests me the least, but I'm sat here, waiting for the stream to start.

Nice predictions Pb.

...Aaand they open with Call of Duty. Shocker.

Just finished the MS conference. They showed a bunch of games like: Call of Duty, Forza, Evolve, Assassin's Creed, Dragon Age, Sunset Overdrive, Fable Legends, Halo, The Witcher 3, Tomb Raider, The Division, and Crackdown.

The "biggest" news, I guess, was the re-release of Halo 1-4 on the Xbone. But that news is fairly boring. There wasn't really a lot of groundbreaking stuff.

There were a few new games with nice graphics but extremely uninventive and boring gameplay (Call of Duty, Assassin's Creed). There wasn't anything overly inventive there.

The only one of my predictions that came to pass was the Call of Duty one. Not a good start for me!

EA's conference starts in 50 minutes.

EDIT: okay, EA coming up in 3 minutes. EA isn't ever very inventive with their presentations.

Predictions:

• Mirror's Edge 2 (too much focus on combat)
• BattleCops
• Star Wars
• Sports players will be on stage

Edit 2: Well, that's over. There was a bit on Mirror's Edge, but no gameplay. BattleCops got some gameplay footage, looks the same as BF3/4. The beta starts today. Star Wars Battlefront 3 got a bit of a video, but again, no gameplay. The rest was sports. So much sports.

Never have I been less interested in a Battlefield game.

They're trying to sell it as something new with a "cops and robbers" appeal, but in reality it's just BF4 with different scenarios nicked from Payday.

Hardline looks cool, though I like the futuristic style of Advanced Warfare (will need to see how the multiplayer has changed since MW2 which I hated).

And since Pb missed it apparently, new Mass Effect game confirmed @ EA's event.

The Mass Effect and unnamed "new Bioware game" that were in EA's keynote were so brief that they didn't deserve a mention
They basically said "we're spending time on making games!" and that was it. In fact the Star Wars and Mirror's Edge videos were little more than that too. EA's main content involved The Sims 4, BattleCops, and loads of sports games.

To be fair, those are their most frequently updated/released games.

The others were in there like 'oh yeah, these are coming too :P'.

I'm hoping Devolver shows up at Sony's conference, I want more Hotline 2 footage(I just hope it's not timed exclusive. Last year Sony seemed to really focus on indies, and they and Devolver have been friendly as of late. But that's later, almost time for Ubi, wonder if they'll be ballsy enough to show off DLC for Watch Doges after everyone got all mad about the Day 7 DLC.

That Payday 3:Advanced Burglary though, I mean BF:Hardline, right, sorry. BF games aren't interesting or fun anymore. I miss the old ones and Bad Company.

Hopefully though, with another studio (Visceral) working on Hardline, the halfe of DICE that isn't working on BF4 is working on another BF game, hopefully 2143.

I can't wait to see the new Watch Dogs sequel.

That's my prediction for what's coming. Ubisoft themselves had said that they don't want to make a new IP unless they think they can build a franchise around it.

BF games aren't interesting or fun anymore. I miss the old ones and Bad Company.

As far as I know, Bad Company 2 is as active as ever.

Ubisoft's presentation just ended. Nothing too amazing - Far Cry 4 (long cutscene, no gameplay), dancing, racing, fitness (all for way too long), more videos for The Division and Assassin's Creed. The surprise ending is Rainbow Six: Siege, which is a 5v5 multiplayer counter-strike type game. Looks somewhat meh if you ask me.

Ubisoft was pretty disappointing, it's now up to Nintendo and Sony to save E3 from being yet again overall crap.

I heard that Valve has something to say during the Sony conference, so we've got that going for us!

Sony's next in 5 minutes.

Predictions:

• VR headset stuff (likely)
• Uncharted (obvious)
• Killzone (maybe)
• Lots of indie titles (obvious)
• Some more poorly-ported western AAA games on the vita (likely)
• Some actually good Japanese games on the vita (likely)
• Something from David Cage (unlikely)

Edit: and we're done.

They showed off a decent number of new and existing games:

• New: LittleBigPlanet 3, Bloodborne (Project Beast), Dead Island 2, Magicka 2, Let it Die, Abzu, Mortal Kombat X (super gory), Uncharted 4
• Existing:Destiny, Far Cry 4, BattleCops, No Man's Sky, Metal Gear Solid V, Batman: Arkham Knight
• Videos for some Digital Devolver games: Broforce, Titan Souls, Not a Hero, Hotline Miami 2, The Talos Principal
• Grim Fandango is getting remastered and re-released on PS4 and Vita.
• They discussed the VR stuff, but nothing concrete.
• PS Vita TV will release in the US this year for $99.
• GTA V will release on PS4.

Sony started so strong, it was amazing, but they ended pretty weakly. That ending was a borefest. Really sucked. C+ from me. They tried.

Prediction:

Next Gen & PC release date announcement for GTA V

Ding ding ding ding!

E3 = A mine full of underdeveloped titles from big studios.
Thats what it looks like to me.

I wouldn't mind if most of the games discussed at things like this didn't have a number after the title.
But they do.
So I do.

Destiny looks less interesting than it did last year... not sure how they managed that.

Nintendo's stream just aired, they had a few interesting games that looked neat. They showed a bit of Smash Bros, then had features on a new Yoshi Game, a new Zelda (unnamed, but looks to have a more open world), Pokemon Ruby/Sapphire re-releases, Bayonetta 2, Hyrule Warriors, Kirby, a sequel to Xenoblade, Mario Maker (mario level designer), and a paint-spraying multiplayer game called Splatoon.

The most interesting thing was probably the tiny bit of Zelda they revealed, but there was no gameplay and only a short cutscene that didn't have much content. They discussed that they wanted to make it much more open-world than previous games. The small bit they did show looked pretty neat.

I'm fairly sure that the link they showed was female, so that's a nice change.
Also that grass was nice.

I'm fairly sure that the link they showed was female

Welcome to anime boys

I liked both the new Zelda games. Hyrule Warriors looks like a good take on the series, crossing it w/ Dynasty Warriors.

As for the new main game, the open world concept looks amazing, I love the visual style, and the 'tech' (the 'mecha octorok' and that seemingly 'technomagic' arrow) looks to be an impressive and interesting direction for the series.

Nintendo seems less relevent than PC at the moment... They just cannot keep up in terms of next gen games. The new Xenoblade looks 10 years old.

Their plan wasn't to try to keep up in terms of visuals, starting w/ the Wii. It was to innovate. They did it then (which Sony copied w/ the Move), and they're trying to do it now (which Microsoft copied w/ SmartGlass). The only problem is that developers haven't really bought into the Gamepad idea yet, but with Amiibo coming (along w/ the success of Skylanders and Infinity), things might start to change.

To be fair Urby, everything looks irrelevant next to the PC.

Steam Machines would be in a grey area there, I suppose.

Speaking of which (not necessarily in relation to E3), is there any news about those? I've not heard much since they were first announced.

They've been delayed. And are pointless.

Well it could drive PC gaming up if parents buy their kids a steam machine instead of a console. Other than that its a pre-built pc.

Nintendo seems less relevent than PC at the moment...

Since the overall opinion these days seems to be that PC isn't relevant, I'm gonna have to disagree with you there. My friends and I were watching E3, and aside from some hype from the big Assassin's Creed fans, the Nintendo conference was the only thing we really got excited watching. New call of Duty or Battlefield? Meh. Sims 4 and GTAV on PC? That's cool.
But a new Zelda game with gorgeous sylized graphics, brand new gameplay features for Smash Bros and a variety of games with unique and colourful visual styles, and even new a IP?

That's something to get excited about.

They just cannot keep up in terms of next gen games.

In terms of raw power, you're right. The WiiU is a bit underpowered compared to the PS4 and XBone.
But I'm sure I don't have to tell you that a game doesn't have to have photorealistic graphics or be demanding on the system to be good.
You're developing a mod for Goldsource, and it's one of the things I'm most excited for. I'm currently playing Final Fantasy 6, which was released for the SNES, and it's a better adventure than any AAA title I've played that was released in the past 3 years.

Next-Gen has become a term that applies almost exclusively to photorealistic graphics. And it's true Nintendo doesn't do that very often. They prefer to use stylization and colour. They prefer to go with an art style that will age gracefully, instead of looking dated as soon as the next year's titles show up. (I personally don't find any problems with that 'dating', but I know others do)

Nintendo does gameplay and whimsy. That's always been their thing, and that's what they'll always do unless something terrible happens to them.

And I'll take that occasional installment of gameplay and whimsy any day over the annual dose of gritty and high-resolution brown. Even if the price is a few third-party titles that have their polies showing.

My flatmate has a WiiU, it's brilliant. Far, far superior to the PS4 and Xbone from the perspective of a PC Gamer because it's the only one doing anything my PC can't.

The sofa games don't come better than Nintendo. MarioKart 8 is so charming I almost proposed to my TV.

Aside from a smattering of vaguely interesting exclusives, there's really no reason for a PC Gamer to get one of the other two. It'll just gather dust like my 360 did.

I just wish some more third-parties would bother being the slightest bit creative and make some damn games for the WiiU to bring Nincando some more popularity these days.

I mean, the Zelda/Mario/etc. series can only be surfed on for so long.

EDIT: Probably.