Michael Costanzo

    • E3 2014: The Good, The Bad, and The WTF?

    It's all over, people. Let the ranting, er...I mean "discussion" begin.
    Let the ranting, er…I mean “discussion” begin.

    That’s a wrap, folks, E3 2014 is nearly over. The conversations, however, will continue on as this E3 brought some interesting news. Here to help you wade through all the reveals, details, and events is The Crispy Noodle’s The Good, The Bad, and The WTF. Make sure to click the links for trailers, demos, and more!

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    The Good:

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    The Bad:

    • Sony – Missed beats and misguided message
      • Audio issues popped up a few times
      • Awkward section featuring “fan letters to Sony”
      • Very little details about PS Now streaming service
      • Talk about TV, movies, numbers, and services bogged down the middle of the conference and felt lackluster
    • Microsoft — Xbox featured a lot of games, however, many were old franchises, and previously announced games. For a company that faces criticism for a lack of exclusives, they might have focused too much on Halo and other established franchises.
      • Maybe played it too safe
      • Didn’t feature enough new IPs
      • Ended on a slightly weak note (Crackdown)
    • Nintendo — Exposition, exposition, exposition
      • Nintendo began writing E3: The Novel with the amount of explanation and description they gave
      • No hard release dates given and most games won’t hit store shelves until 2015
      • Pacing was too slow and methodical
      • Too much sameness with revealing new entries for existing IPs but no 3rd party games
      • Too much focus on new content for previously announced games
      • No new hardware or services to bolster sales or bring back lost gamers
    • EA – Four words: Predictable, Sterile, Awkward, Boring.
      • Too much focus on existing franchises and previous reveals: Battlefield Hardline (Cops n Robbers the video game), every EA Sports game ever, and Sims 4
      • Lackluster demos with pre-recorded gameplay, awkward commentary, and generic sizzle reels
      • Sims 4 demo was painfully awkward, cheesy, and canned
      • The behind the scenes segments lacked actual content
      • No Mass Effect trailer or gameplay after all the rumors and hype
    • Ubisoft – Balancing issues and awkward banter.
      • Just Dance and Shape Up were featured as much as the other, more interesting, games
      • Aisha Tyler was good…as long as she wasn’t interacting with the developers and executives

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    The WTF:

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    Final E3 Press Conference Grades:

    • Microsoft: B+
      • Games, games, games — Microsoft finally figured that out! Reveals, first looks, and old standbys rule this conference focused on hardcore games.
    • Sony: B-
      • Strong showing of amazing looking games, surprises, and exclusive features had fans cheering, but Sony lacked 1st part exclusives and suffered from pacing issues by discussing TV and services.
    • Nintendo: B-
      • Like normal, Nintendo lacked major 3rd party support and instead focused on 1st party games. Games shown were mostly old franchises, but were creative and fun.
    • EA: D+
      • Same old stuff, not enough content, awkward canned demos, balance and pacing issues = ouch.
    • Ubisoft: B
      • Compelling, exciting, and stunning trailers and gameplay demos made up a very solid presentation.

    So there you have it, E3 in a nutshell. Overall, this E3 was decent. The big studios showed some promising new looks at previously announced games, revealed updates to existing franchises, and showed off some cool new features, services, and exclusive deals. Unfortunately, there weren’t many new IPs present, and no conference really had that “wow” moment that stole the show. There were still surprises, but no industry shaking or truly exciting ones (such as Sony’s conference last year). Mostly, this E3 served as a reminder to gamers about all the great games already announced for the new consoles coming to store shelves within the next year. So what’d you think about this year’s E3? What excited, disappointed, or shocked you? Let us know in the comments section.

    For more E3 coverage from The Crispy Noodle, check out Rich and Mike’s Extended Conversation from The Crispy Noodle Podcast about this year’s E3 by clicking the play button below. Enjoy!