Does Less Mean More?

With all the hullabaloo about the impending zombie apocalypse and drug use of bath salts and cannibalism going around its easy to get caught up in the moment and forget about what truly matters; Video Games. Yes yet again tis the season of Christmas for the video game industry as E3 (Electronic Entertainment Expo) is here again. This is the time of year when the giants of the video game industry gather the masses for press conference releases concerning new games and technology they have for the upcoming months and showcase the games in their respective booths for game journalists and tech specialists to critique. Looking back at last years E3 that we covered in comparison this years own was not as meaty content wise as one would have hoped but enjoyable nonetheless. With a lot of game companies opting to not go to E3 2012 for various reasons many people weren't expecting much form this year's E3 event. Companies like: Blizzard, Rockstar, Respawn, Bungie, Valve, and THQ.  If you remember post we did on E3 last year we named an overall winner and you all got the chance to vote and voice your opinion so we will be doing that again this year. So with that being said lets jump into the subject at hand...

Well lets break it down with the big boys and their press conferences; i'll try not to get into too much detail as most the information and videos will be listed below or on our Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/Zalgo.Cometh. Also if you were following us on twitter at https://twitter.com/#!/Mr_Gamehead you would have had the up-to-date tweet coverage of Day 1 and 2 of E3.

Microsoft (Xbox 360) - Microsoft's E3 presentation was pretty average as usual. As expected they had a strong showing for their FPS titles which appeals to the hardcore gamers; the casual gamers got their fill of  Kinect oriented games such as Madden 2013 and the entertainment center type people got added features to surf the net and access tv shows with the XBOX live dashboard which is supposedly even better with Kinect now. The big thing for them this time around which I will give them a fair amount of hype over was their SmartGlass demonstration and its pretty amazing as it seamlessly integrates your XBOX with your smart phone and your tablet. We all know that mobile technology is stepping up by leaps and bounds so this could prove to be a pretty big deal if done right so time will tell. 

EA (Electronic Arts) - EA's E3 presentation was par for average as well but a bit better I feel than Microsoft as they delivered a game that so many have been waiting years for in the making as well as an interesting new twist on a game many deem as cutting edge survival horror at its finest. EA finally have come forward and decided to make a sequel to one of its greatest racing games from the Need for Speed series; Need for Speed Most Wanted. As I am a huge fan of this game I can't even begin to tell you how much I felt a surge of joy watching as they played the game showcasing its awesomeness. They have returned to the core dynamics of open world racing and have intense police chases; I sincerely hope they present a good story-line as well to match the amazing graphics and game-play as well. Secondly noteworthy in EA's press conference was the reveal of Dead Space 3 as well as showing something never before attempted in Dead Space, Co-Operative gameplay. Even though i'm not sure how to react to this seeing as how it is by nature a survival horror game which would kind of lose its scariness factor i think from playing with a friend but lets see how it pans out.

Ubisoft - Ubisoft's E3 presentation was just non-stop awesomeness from start to finish, great new IP's (Intellectual Properties), epic game-play of the upcoming Assassins Creed 3 and Far Cry 3, future plans to make the most of the upcoming WiiU console, and so much more that i don't want to spoil for you so do yourself a favor and go watch the video and be blown away. Honorable mention goes to Watch Dogs as this one game seemingly impressed everyone way more than a lot of the stuff that everyone else brought forward at their press conference. Oh and on a side note they had a female host, who was hot, and who had a funny sense of awkward gamer/internet humor. So much winning...

Sony (PS3 & PSVITA) - Sony's E3 Presentation was definitely something everyone was looking forward to because Sony had won last years E3 and people wanted to see what they were planning on giving back to their fan-base this time around after last years hacking fiasco. Sony certainly brought forward a lot of strong sequels for classic franchise favorites, as well as new IP involving their Playstation Move. Let me not forget showing off a game that many consider has been long anticipated for and yet is just now being conceived. Wonderbook is an interesting new take on the application of the PlayStation Move peripheral device and as much as I am not a fan of motion sensitive gaming I must say this one piqued my interest especially since renown author J.K. Rowling is closely tied to the project. Another important game that was showcased was the next installment of the GOW (God Of War) series aptly titled God of War : Ascension. This one is more of a prequel than an actually sequel it seems but it is guaranteed to have just as much blood and violence as many Kratos fans have come to know and love. Finally after many years of waiting we have what seems to be a legitimate contender to a game that has basically monopolized and ruled its genre. I'm talking about PlayStation All Star Battle Royal; wow that's a mouthful to say; anyone who has ever played or heard about Smash Bro's knows that this game is more or less a copy but with PlayStation characters and some core game-play differences.

Nintendo (Nintendo 3DS & Wii U) - Nintendo's E3 Presentation was as always off a lot of stuff we either already saw or didn't really need. The high point of thier presentation I would say was showcasing the newly redesigned WiiU and some of the games it will have that make use of its hardware; most noteworthy was showcasing a game called ZombieU and Rayman Legends.  Honorable mention should probably be given to Just Dance 4 even though its a lame ass motion sensing game it damn sure looks hella fun whether you are a hardcore gamer or not. As per usual Nintendo gave us no new Smash Bro's, Zelda, Metroid, or Kirby; classic games that people actually want from the nostalgia of Nintendo's past but alas all we got was more Mario and fitness crap. Then again maybe i'm just overly biased so you can watch for yourself and make your own opinion...

Well that brings us to the end of our little recap of E3 in all its glory; really wish I could have been there first-hand but maybe one day I will make it there.  Microsoft said nothing about the future of gaming and where next they aim to go as far as a next gen console is concerned, Sony was the same making no mention of a PS4, EA had the yearly FIFA and Madden releases that honestly i'm surprised sell so well for their to be a new one every year and Nintendo just wont listen and give us Zelda. As far as everything goes I can clearly say that Ubisoft won this years E3 and well deservedly so. They certainly hit the ground running and never looked back; who do you think gave the best E3 press conference? Go ahead and vote for your choice then comment why in the comment section below...