E3 2015 Report

The biggest gaming event of the year, has been and gone once again so let's see how everyone did. The amount of press conferences is bigger, as is the amount of news that came out, so let's get to it:



Bethesda

So this year, Bethesda decided to do their first ever press conference at E3 and I'll just say, they came out strong and did a great job of it. Obviously prior to the conference, we had a trailer for Fallout 4 and plenty of news in this conference was for that very game and I have to say even though I've never played a game in the series, I'm hyped and its certainly made me curious about the series so I may give it a try. For the most part, its stuff you can do in Fallout 4 as well as what to expect in the collector's edition and there is even some kind of companion app for it as well as a spin off title coming for Android and iOS which I believe is out right now as I write this. The guys who made Elder Scrolls Online were not present, but did give us a glimpse into what to expect for the future of the game and it looks pretty promising. Doom is back and better than ever with a multiplayer experience like no other with customizable features and players can explore the home of the demons, hell. Dishonoured 2 was also announced along with a definitive edition of the first game with enhanced visuals and all the DLC. And that is just a taste of the conference so watch the video above to see the whole thing. Personally, I think they came out strong and also spend a bit of time providing some fan service and talking about what the company is as a whole and what their aims are and honestly, they sound like the kind of developers that really do care about their work and want to give gamers experiences like no others. Good work guys.

Microsoft

So Microsoft, why do you have to sound like you're reading a script? Seriously, the entire conference sounded like they were somewhat emotionless and reading from a script. Come on. This is E3. A heaven for gamers. Just show some excitement. Anyway, despite that, the conference was actually pretty good. A lot of stuff was mentioned and it sounds like they definitely have gaming at heart. We have news on several Xbox One and Windows 10 exclusives like Halo 5, Gears 4, Rise of the Tomb Raider, Fable Legends among many otehrs. We also find out what they have planned with the Oculus Rift and this hologram thing as well as some reassurance that they are working with Valve to make Windows 10 a good experience for gamers. Rare make a most welcome return, having been in the dark for quite some time and plan to release a compilation of their best games from the past onto Xbox One in celebration of the 30 year anniversary and also plan to release a new IP which may give Black Flag a run for its money. But the absolute best news for me, was the announcement of backwards compatibility. That alone makes me happy. So a good conference, but all I can say is look excited and don't sound like you're reading from a script because that's the impression I got here.

EA

So EA. They may be seen as one of the worst companies in the world to work for, but after years of me just thinking that they aren't that good, they surprised me at this E3. They really did. So we finally have gameplay for Star Wars Battlefront and it looks awesome. Mirror's Edge Catalyst looks awesome too. Mass Effect 4 finally has a name (watch the video above to find out what that name is) and a trailer. Plants VS Zombies gets its warfare on in the second Garden Warfare with a more zombified world than ever before. But the best thing about this conference, was that a legend was present in the venue. But its a legend in football and while football isn't really my cup of tea, its a pretty big deal. It doesn't get any better than that and I'm glad that EA finally have a conference that's more spread out than having half games that people want to see and half sports games. Maybe they are starting to turn over a new leaf. Oh and I also feel quite touched by this guy who has made this game and you have to give him credit because he worked so hard on this one game, he has always wanted to be at E3 (and I don't blame him) and he was just so nervous and emotional. The game by the way, looks really good and I personally will be checking it out when it releases.

Ubisoft

Now this is how you have fun at E3 like it should be. So Ubisoft had a few surprises with it starting of with a sequel to South Park: Stick of Truth which no one saw coming so I was pleasantly surprised with that. We also got news on new entries in Tom Clancy's IPs including The Divison and Rainbow Six Seige. As well as some news on the next Just Dance and of course, the next Assassin's Creed which looks great. On top of that, several new IPs were announced and it sounds like Ubisoft still want to show some love to the 7th gen as well as the 8th gen so that's nice to hear from them. But I think the only downside is why the hell do we need to spend time listening to Jason Derulo on stage? There is really no point to it. Its a gaming event, not a music one. But alas, he wasn't on for too long so its fine. This in my opinion is when a press conference can be entertaining and fun because in all honesty, that's really how E3 should be. Fun, entertaining, but also giving out important and maybe not so important news on the latest things in gaming.

Sony

Well what can I say? Sony know how to please people and have fun while doing it. We got a gamplay demo of Uncharted 4: A Theif's End (which looks great). Trailers for Batman: Arkham Knight and several new IPs. News on PlayStation's own virtual reality stuff. And after years of being in development hell, confirmation of a possible release date and a move onto PS4 after years of being in development for PS3 for a certain game that we haven't heard from in quite some time. That and if you love Assassin's Creed, Batman and/or Star Wars, PlayStation is the place to be with exclusive content coming to the PS4 versions of the next set of games from those franchises. Yeah, it was a great conference with a lot of stuff, but whether it beats Microsoft or not, is up for debate, but it definitely beats them in the entertainment side of things with the conference itself.

Nintendo

Nintendo once again, decided to do a livestream digital event than a press conference with the Muppets being the entertainment this time around. Skylanders gets its amiibo on. Animal Crossing goes all board game and home customization. Star Fox is back in full force. More and more amiibo are on the way. And after years of being apart, the worlds of Mario & Luigi and Paper Mario collide in what could be the most bizzare, but also exciting Mario RPG in the history of him and the genre. And speaking of Mario, there's plenty of Mario stuff here to celebrate 30 years of Super Mario Bros. That and we also get the confirmation of the existence of a new gaming platform, Nintendo on mobile devices and a Nintendo theme park at Universal Orlando. And that is just the tip of the iceberg. While it may not be as big or action packed as the others, Nintendo are definitely up there with innovation of their streams and the entertainment value is always great when they do it.

Square Enix

Look I get it, you have to read a script to get things right, but just show some emotion as you do it. Don't just say you're excited, actually show that you're excited. For crying out loud, this is E3. A gamer's heaven where excitement is everywhere. Anyway, so Square Enix are no strangers to press conferences and this is their first one at E3 in a long while and while some of the things they showed, we already know about, there are some things that we didn't know. Deus Ex: Mankind Divided is looking great as is the next Hitman and Tomb Raider. Final Fantasy is still going with more games on the way and some remakes as well. But biggest news of all, is Kingdom Hearts III finally has a confirmed world which is the world of Tangled which makes me question if they are going the same way as how Smash Bros. for Wii U and 3DS played out with character trailers released in the build up to the release of the game, only in this case its Kingdom Hearts III and its worlds. Still, a pretty soild press conference with some robot like acting from some of the presenters and one point where the Japanese translator forgets to translate and many of us are left wondering what they guy said. But you know, things like these happen and it just can't be helped.

PC Gaming Show

The very last conference which is one that gives PC gaming the recognition that it deserves after so long of not being in the spotlight at E3. So unlike the other press conferences, this one plays out in a similar fashion to a chat show. Only difference here is that its entertaining (and I do genuinely mean entertaining) and there is a lot of guests. Most of the stuff you'll see here is to do with games that for the most part, are coming to PC as well as new hardware coming in the near future and honestly, its all good fun, but keep in mind that if you want a gaming rig, its going to cost a lot of money so invest in it if you intend to play any of the games you see here (especially the likes of Hitman and a few others). It was a pretty good show with a few minor hiccups and I like these sort of press conferences where its relaxed, acts a bit like a chat show that's done right and isn't scripted or rather not sound likes it being scripted (unlike a certain few conferences shown above).

Everyone Else

Yes everyone. This is the same image I used last year. It is a bit dated, but I really was too lazy to make a new one so what you see is really what you get. So LEGO Dimensions officially confirms the existance of Portal in the game via a trailer. Dark Souls III gets announced, but sounds like not many people are impressed (and having played the last 2 games, I can understand why). The long awaited Street Fighter V is on the way while Smash Bros has united that game series with Tekken and Virtua Fighter in the form of Mii costumes and Ryu appearing as a playable character. All that, plus lots of other great news and we won't have to wait long to play Batman: Arkham Knight.

Its not a perfect E3, but it is well busy and packed one with the vast amount of conferences and it managed to surprisingly be very strong with most things that were announced, no one saw coming, but have wanted to hear news about for a long time. VR sounds like something worth investing in so I will be keeping tabs on that. And it looks like the 8th gen of gaming is in good hands. We just need less ported games (not that there is anything wrong with them) and more new titles.