E3 was jam packed of awesome this year! In a year with not a lot of news on the console side, games seemed to take precedent. Nintendo showed that it could still bring the fun, while Microsoft introduced new chapters in epic story-lines and a new ecosystem that plans to merge every aspect of your life. Sony showed it's ability to adapt to meet new challenges and mobile gaming showed an impressive presence to showcase the apparent successor in the handheld market. Here are the stand outs at this years show:
E3 Epic Wins!
-Lollipop Chainsaw is as fun as advertised with losts of twinkle effects, blood and the company of your boyfriend's severed head for a bit of comic relief, Suda51 does it again with his unique brand of humor. And with the expo halls packed with booth babes, Juliet (left) takes the crown as an absolute stunner with a chainsaw.
-Star Trek showed some awesome gameplay with asymmetric co-op between Kirk and Spock. Throw in some clever writing and the usual sparring between the two, and this title promises to be a fun two-player experience
-Capcom brought some amazing gameplay with Resident Evil 6 and Devil May Cry demos. For the vigilant, they offered speed passes which allowed you to demo for half an hour in themed rooms. Resident Evil was set in Beijing rooftops and DMC was set in a demon strip club complete with super distracting stripper and pole.
-HALO 4 was epic with some amazing multiplayer hands on, a campaign demo and a full size, working Warthog! They even threw in a visit from comics and toy maker king Todd McFarlane for a bit of autograph signing.
-Nintendo had tons of WiiU consoles on hand and the Nintendo area was rife with the shouts and exclamations of gamers having a genuinely fun time. Nintendo Land games made a big splash and gamers were seen coming back for more without accepting the collectible pins and just for the sheer fun they were experiencing.
-Tekken, Forza Horizon, HALO 4, Sonic. What do these titles share in common? Some awesome rides! From a Sonic stock car, the Warthog, Tekken themed Lambourghinis and super cars offering free rides from the Forza team, this show had as many hot rides as the booths had hot girls.
-Disney Interactive hit it big with Epic Mickey 2 and some free Oswald the Lucky Rabbit embroidered hats. With hour-long waits all day for all three days, fans were foaming at the mouth to get their hands on some awesome memorabilia. The best part, getting your name embroidered on the hat to make a super cool keepsake to add to everyone's collection.
E3 EPIC SURPRISES!
-EA garnered lots of attention with a hefty surprise at the show. Hidden among the assorted FIFA, NCAA and Need For Speeds lurked the awesomeness of Dead Space 3 in all it's gory glory.
-Sony has somehow managed to bottle and recreate the fun that Nintendo has held a strangle hold on for so many years. With hands-on play of the titles Little Big Planet Karting and Playstation All-Stars, Sony has faithfully recreated all the fun of Mario Kart and Super Smash Bros. with their own characters. If you ever wanted to know who would win in a battle between a Hellghast, Kratos, Sweet Tooth and Parappa the Rapper, your wait is soon over.
-Squareenix came on strong with the sleeper Sleeping Dogs. Not only was the demo absolutely awesome, but the hands on was smooth and promised tons of amazing action in this open world gangster drama. Tomb Raider, Hitman: Absolution, and Kingdom Hearts 3D: Dream Drop Distance also made a strong showing for the company.
-Microsoft's Smart Glass technology impressed with a demo showcasing the silky smooth ecosystem between the Xbox 360, Windows 8 Tablet and Windows 8 Phone. The melding of the technologies into one super machine shows great promise later this year. They also had great offerings for the kids with two-way televison utilizing the Kinect technology to bring the audience into episodes of Sesame Street and National Geographic Wild.
-Famous people being super nice and humble is always a pleasant and welcome surprise. From watching Todd Macfarlane continue signing autographs after he was told to stop, then walk back to signing autographs after an interview while making whooshing sounds and playing with a portotype Hornet, to Charles Martinet posing for a picture putting his arm around you like an old friend and saying "Okey-dokey" in his golden Mario voice, it's amazing how some people don't let fame go to their head.
-Ubisoft has the potential of a future classic with ZombiU. While no gameplay was available, it showcased one of the most amazing trailers since Dead Island's reverse trailer.
E3 Epic Fails
-Pokemon was shown no love in the US once again. Tucked behind massive Ninja Gaiden and Dead or Alive 5 playable displays were a few DS XL consoles showcasing Pokemon Conquest. They were no where near the Nintendo booth and no mention was made of Pokemon Black and White 2.
-Everyone trying to act all hard after playing Nintendo Land and obviously having a good time. Sure the Wii-U is gimmicky, but you can't deny the shouts and exclamations coming from the even the most jaded of media at the show.
-It would be nice to have an easier format showcasing when certain people will make appearances. There are many people who missed a lot because they had no idea it was going on in that labyrinth of televisions, monitors, statues and babes.
-$30 and up parking...absolutely nuts! I'm glad I took the subway.
-Sony continues to antagonize me...as I walk up to play Street Fighter X Tekken on the PSVita, the entire row of systems went on the fritz. the next day as I sat down to play Little Big Planet Karting, the system overheated. Smooth!
-People who get multiples of giveaways to sell on eBay, leaving none for people who actually want them...people like me and items like the Skylanders Platinum Spyro E3 figure.
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