E3 Presentations Overview – Microsoft, EA, Ubisoft, SONY

Wow!

I can’t believe E3 is already here! Today kicked off the E3 Expo with a bang! Presentations were given by powerhouse game companies such as EA, Ubisoft, Sony and Microsoft. They were all recorded and can by watched by following the links below.

The following is an overview for each presentation and some specific details about a few of the big-name games.

Also, you can follow the links next to the company names to see the recordings of the press conferences on G4TV.com.

Microsoft live recording

• Overview

  Microsoft kicked off the E3 press conference bonanza with some incredible gameplay footage from new games such as Halo 4, Tomb Raider, Gears of War: Judgement, Resident Evil 6, and many others.

  One of the biggest highlights for their presentation revolved around technological upgrades for the Xbox 360 itself. They showed off improved Kinect functionally and announced their newest initiative, Smart Glass. Smart Glass will allow players to connect their mobile devices (tablets and phones) to their Xbox for increased functionality. This could mean anything from using the touch screen of your phone as a mouse pad to using your tablet as a secondary screen for gaming (think lower screen on a DS)

• Halo 4

  This was perhaps the biggest surprise for me out of the opening presentation by Microsoft. It started off with a live action cut-scene (presumably done just for the show and not to be included in the actual game) and continued with Master Chief and Cortana on an unknown world battling unknown enemies that seemed to be using Forerunner weapons! That was pretty awesome to see if you ask me.

  The graphics looked great. Some of the best I have seen on a Xbox. I was very hesitant to look forward to any future halo games with Bungie giving up the reigns to the title. However, 343, the team created by Microsoft to do nothing but make Halo games, seems to have taken the series and run with it. I look forward to seeing more from the game as we near its release, Holiday 2012.

EA live recording

• Overview

  EA was pretty solely focused on the games in their show on day one of E3 2012. They showcased new cinematics and gameplay from games including Dead Space 3, SimCity, Need For Speed: Most Wanted, and new editions of their sports titles.

  Dead Space 3 held the crows attention to open the press conference and showed off single player and co-op gameplay somewhat reminiscent of Gears of War (mostly due to the cover system). EA also had a big announcement centered around Battlefield 3. The showcased Battlefield 3 Premier which would be a version of the game that includes all current x-packs and the new one, End Game. It is currently available now for PS3 owners for a 2 week exclusive period.

• SWTOR

  Today it was announced by Bioware that they have some pretty big plans for the future of this game in the rest of the year. The biggest announcments promised..
       – New Warzone
       – New Operation
       – Increased Level Cap
       – New Planet
       – New skills and abilities for all classes
  This is huge! As far as I can tell, these will all be included in a patch rather than an expansion. I believe this is the first time in MMO history that a level cap increase has been patched in rather than included in an expansion

  

Ubisoft live recording

• Overview

  Ubisoft is always one of my favorite presentations due to their unique games. They showed new footage and live gameplay from upcoming games such as Splinter Cell: Blacklist, Assassins Creed III, Avengers: Battle for Earth, Far Cry 3, and others.

  A pretty big surprise from Ubisoft was its new games for the Wii U. We saw some of the first Wii U gameplay live featuring Rayman Legends, and ZombieU. The upgraded graphics of the Wii U and the tablet-like controller were great to see in action.

  I think the best looking game of the bunch from Ubisoft was Splinter Cell: Blacklist. With Kinect support and what promises to be another great story this game looks to be a must have in my collection.

• Assassins Creed III

  Ubisoft gave everyone a glimpse of some amazing looking gameplay from the newest installment in one of their most popular franchises. Players will once again play as Desmond, a modern day Assassin who is living out the lives of his ancestors to discover the truths about the war between the Assassins and the Templar.

  This time around (Fall 2012) you will be enjoying the life of Connor Kenway, a part English part Mohawk who struggles to chose a side during the revolutionary war.

  The gameplay looks phenomenal. The voice acting was extremely impressive. I highly suggest checking this title out and maybe even pre-ordering it as it wont be on the shelves for long.

Sony live recording

• Overview

  Sony ended the night yesterday showcasing  gameplay footage from new games such as Assassins Creed III, God of War: Ascension, Beyond: Two Souls and many others.

  Sony was very excited to talk about their plans for PlayStation Suite (announced last year at E3). In fact, they announced that they were expanding the scope of the project to include non Sony mobile phones and as of last night have renamed the project PlayStation Mobile. Sony is partnering first with HTC to bring PlayStation Mobile to android devices.

  They also announced some great news for PlayStation owners in that 12 new games will be free to download on the PlayStation network for PSN+ subscribers this month. Sony spoke in length about new Vita titles and ended the show with new gameplay footage from Call of Duty: Black Ops II (which everyone seemed extremely pumped about)!

• Far Cry 3

  One of my first introductions to how amazing computer graphics could be was the original Far Cry. The game not only looked amazing but was fast paced, excitement and a truly fun to play FPS.

  We witnessed some amazing cut-scene footage and live gameplay of the newest installment in the series, Far Cry 3. The player finds Jason back in a tropical setting but things are not the same.

  We can expect to see many new RPG elements added to this title. There will be a quest system, fast travel,  and character progression (unlocking new abilities). Far Cry 3 will be a open world game where the player can chose who, what, where, when and why.

  Perhaps the best part of this presentation was the announcement that Far Cry 3 will feature 4 player co-op! This just makes me happy.

– Andy “Rinato” Rudi –