Chella Reflects On E3 2010

E3 has come and gone for another year, and apparently attendance was the highest since 2006, when things were scaled down. This year saw 45,600 attendees with 300 exhibitors from 90 countries, making 2010 a return to form. However, it’s a far cry from the mammoth 70,000 attendees in 2005, the biggest E3 year ever. With the booth babes, fanfare and spectacle all back in a big way this year, it’s been a mixed bag for the big three with some faring better than they did last year and others were left wondering where it all went wrong.

Now, it wouldn’t be a proper E3 without me casting my critical eye over the proceedings. The dust has well and truly settled and whilst this wasn’t a stellar year in terms of announcements, it could be a turning point for the big industry players and gamers alike.

Back in 2009, Microsoft’s unveiling of project Natal had us all foaming at the mouth. Whether it was with anticipation, disbelief or just abject cynicism, it was in the headlines across the internet. This year, it feels like the tables have turned on Microsoft. Natal becomes Kinect and Microsoft tried its best to enthuse the crowd, but to say the audience response was lacklustre is an understatement.

Microsoft pretty much underwhelmed at this year’s E3. Yes, we saw the fitness game, which is a Wii Fit clone, then we got a Wii Sports clone, just in case we thought things weren’t predictable enough. It’s clear from Microsoft’s press conference that they are chasing Nintendo’s market, but it’s also clear that they’re in danger of alienating their loyal fans – the hardcore gamer.

The only game that might have raised an iota of interest among ‘real’ gamers would be the Star Wars title from Lucas Arts. That interest would be short-lived. Living up to Star Wars titles before it, it looked less than engaging. An on-rails light sabre adventure. Hmmm, it’s going to take more than that to have me shell out.

This brings me neatly to the question of price. Microsoft announced a 4th of November release in the US. No word on the European launch and no mention of price. This only makes us think that it’s going to be expensive, whilst the PlayStation Move looks set to be competitive.

Microsoft could be playing a dangerous game here. We didn’t want to see yoga and a poor man’s Mario Kart. We wanted to see proper games. If Kinect doesn’t deliver for the FPS crowd (and it’s hard to see how it will), then it could be the biggest waste of money ever.

Let’s face it, Microsoft isn’t the family favourite, that’s Nintendo’s job. The family crowd don’t need Kinect because they’ve already bought a Wii and it’s cheaper. Meanwhile, PlayStation has the whole brand recognition thing sewn up, making it an easier step for casual gamers graduating from the Wii. The only thing Microsoft has going for it is its loyal band of hardcore gamers. We like proper games and we love spending money on cool new pieces of kit. Kinect is the perfect new toy, with its cool Minority Report style menus and voice recognition, but it doesn’t have the perfect new games and this could be its undoing.

That isn’t to say that Sony was the clear winner. PlayStation Move has come away from this E3 as the press favourite and that could be because it’s a safe bet. With Move you still have a controller, so it’s less of a leap, plus Sony seems to playing a better hand than Microsoft. Okay, so Move does have the predictable Wii clones in its software line-up, but crucially it also has real games – SOCOM, Resident Evil 5 and Heavy Rain to name but a few. This could be crucial to its initial success.

However, I’m still hoping Kinect will come into its own. You can never count Microsoft out, even when it does seem to be playing catch-up in every single sector.

I thought we might be able to get through E3 without discussing 3D gaming, but I guess I was living in cloud cuckoo land. Both Sony and Nintendo are chasing the 3D dream and I have to say, Nintendo’s got the edge on this one.

Sony made a big hooha about bringing 3D gaming to PlayStation 3 and wooed the crowd with an inexhaustible list of titles with 3D capabilities. It all sounds good on paper, but then you have to don the silly and expensive glasses and all excitement goes out the window. As much as the Sony hyperbole would like to convince me otherwise, no this isn’t going to do for games what Avatar did for movies, at least I hope not.

Meanwhile, Nintendo announced the 3DS, which is the next generation DS and will bring 3D gaming into the palm of your hand. And no glasses are required. Along with the 3DS comes Kid Icarus, which has been designed specifically for the new handheld. But most impressive of all is the outstanding software line-up from third parties, including Resi, Splinter Cell, FIFA, MGS 3D, Ghost Recon and Assassin’s Creed.

Last year, Nintendo loyalists were left feeling angry and taken for granted, thanks to the announcement of a string of lame party games (ring any bells 360 owners?), but this year all is forgiven. Nintendo is finally rewarding the hardcore. Zelda is coming to Wii in the form of the Skyward Sword and it can’t come too soon for fans. Add to this, GoldenEye with Daniel Craig doing the voice for this revamp of everyone’s favourite Bond game.

One of the big shocks of this year’s show was Portal 2 on PlayStation 3. Now that has got to be a bitter blow for Microsoft and Live gamers.

And my prize for least exciting announcement of the show goes to Gran Turismo 5. The release date is now set for November apparently. I mean is anyone still waiting for this, seriously? Remember the cautionary tale of games with long development times and countless delays. That’s all I’m saying.

In contrast, the highlight of the show has to be the Assassin’s Creed Brotherhood trailer. Ezio, our charismatic hero is back in the hood and this time we’re in 16th century Rome. As one of my favourite games of 2009, I’m looking forward to more rooftop runs, come this November.

At the time of writing, E3 has only just finished, so I’m still dissecting the press conferences, which usually leave more questions than answers. It looks like 2010 heralds the war of the peripheral and I think it’s too early for me to place my bets, so in the meantime, I’ll just be here jeering from the cheap seats.