So... E3, hey? Yeah.... E3.
First, the good.
Showing posts with label Bethesda. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Bethesda. Show all posts
June 16, 2021
June 10, 2019
Keanu Reeves wins E3
Everyone else was just.. meh
I know that we weren't expecting much from this year's E3, what with Sony not being there at all, and with EA doing several single-game announcements rather than a press conference, but even I was expecting more than this.
Cinelinx looks to be first off the blocks with their list of winners and losers, but the consensus of opinion seems to be that the only real winner was Keanu Reeves... and even he was only OK, with a stilted, obviously unrehearsed presentation that Reeves basically overcame through sheer charm. The double reveal that a) Reeves had actually done mo-cap and voice work for am NPC in CD Projekt Red's Cyberpunk 2077, and b) that he was not only appearing in the game, but at E3 to announce when the game would be coming out, was probably the most scene-stealing moment of Microsoft's conference.
The second most scene-stealing moment of E3 was probably Ikumi Nakamura's instantly meme-worthy appearance as she announced her game, Ghostwire Tokyo, during Bethesda's presser. Nakamura was sincerely enthusiastic, and charmingly goofy, and has become something of an overnight sensation on social media as a result; her game looks pretty decent, too.
We got confirmation that George R. R. Martin really has teamed up with the makers of Dark Souls, Bloodborne, and Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice to make a video game; Elden Ring has a terribly generic name, and a meaningless, moody cinematic trailer that hints at an epic scope and dark tone (very much on-brand for both GRRM and From Software), but told us basically nothing about the game itself. Oh, and Forza is getting Lego content added to it, which actually looks surprisingly fun.
And that... was basically it for genuinely memorable E3 moments, this year. Oh, sure, some stuff happened at E3. It's just that most of it wasn't all that memorable or noteworthy.
Cinelinx looks to be first off the blocks with their list of winners and losers, but the consensus of opinion seems to be that the only real winner was Keanu Reeves... and even he was only OK, with a stilted, obviously unrehearsed presentation that Reeves basically overcame through sheer charm. The double reveal that a) Reeves had actually done mo-cap and voice work for am NPC in CD Projekt Red's Cyberpunk 2077, and b) that he was not only appearing in the game, but at E3 to announce when the game would be coming out, was probably the most scene-stealing moment of Microsoft's conference.
The second most scene-stealing moment of E3 was probably Ikumi Nakamura's instantly meme-worthy appearance as she announced her game, Ghostwire Tokyo, during Bethesda's presser. Nakamura was sincerely enthusiastic, and charmingly goofy, and has become something of an overnight sensation on social media as a result; her game looks pretty decent, too.
We got confirmation that George R. R. Martin really has teamed up with the makers of Dark Souls, Bloodborne, and Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice to make a video game; Elden Ring has a terribly generic name, and a meaningless, moody cinematic trailer that hints at an epic scope and dark tone (very much on-brand for both GRRM and From Software), but told us basically nothing about the game itself. Oh, and Forza is getting Lego content added to it, which actually looks surprisingly fun.
And that... was basically it for genuinely memorable E3 moments, this year. Oh, sure, some stuff happened at E3. It's just that most of it wasn't all that memorable or noteworthy.
June 13, 2018
E3's winners and losers
So, it's that time again... when everybody looks back, and tries to decide who "won" E3 2018. I thought Microsoft had the best press conference, but that Sony would probably be declared the winner by most commentators, but how do those predictions stack up to reality?
ScreenRant named XBox, Sony, Bethesda, and Ubisoft as their winners, while declaring Nintendo, Square Enix, and EA to be the letdowns of E3 2018. [Oh, shit, Ubisoft! I forgot all about Ubisoft!]
USGamer declared Microsoft to be the winner, and Square Enix to be the loser, with a few other "witty" additions:
Tom's Guide ranked their list:
It's early days yet, but so far, it looks like my take on things was pretty darn good. I do feel a bit bad for overlooking Ubisoft, though, so let's address that injustice.
ScreenRant named XBox, Sony, Bethesda, and Ubisoft as their winners, while declaring Nintendo, Square Enix, and EA to be the letdowns of E3 2018. [Oh, shit, Ubisoft! I forgot all about Ubisoft!]
USGamer declared Microsoft to be the winner, and Square Enix to be the loser, with a few other "witty" additions:
- Losers: The crowd during Bethesda's Rage 2 Andrew W.K. performance; Walmart Canada; People who aren't emotionally invested in Super Smash Bros.; [their] health.
- Winners: Todd Howard; The people who have been yelling for a Metal Wolf Chaos release in the west their entire lives; Masahiro Sakurai basically saying fuck it and making Smash Bros. game people can't complain about; being hella gay.
Tom's Guide ranked their list:
- XBox (grade: A)
- PlayStation (grade: A-)
- Bethesda (grade: B+)
- Nintendo (grade: B)
- Ubisoft (grade: B)
- EA (grade: C)
- Square Enix (grade: C-)
It's early days yet, but so far, it looks like my take on things was pretty darn good. I do feel a bit bad for overlooking Ubisoft, though, so let's address that injustice.
June 11, 2018
Hype and hypocricy: Reactions to Bethesda at E3
So, apparently I'm covering E3 this year. I'm as surprised as you are.
Bethesda's E3 conference followed Microsoft's on Sunday, and just as I predicted, Microsoft's blow-out of a show proved to be a tough act to follow. Apparently Bethesda's presentation this year was an improvement over last year's, but they are only one studio; Microsoft, by comparison, as the platform holder, owns multiple first-party studios of their own, and multiple third-party developers whose games they could also add to their hype event. Realistically, Microsoft should be able to put on a more impressive press conference; it wouldn't be reasonable to demand that Bethesda equal Microsoft's presentation.
That said, though, it's equally unreasonable to assert that Bethesda somehow surpassed Microsoft to put on the "best conference of E3 so far," just because they teased something that you were hoping they teased, on their way to talking about the ten or so projects that they felt like showing off this year. Of those, only Elder Scrolls Legends, Elder Scrolls Blades, Fallout 76, and Prey: Mooncrash will be releasing this year. Rage 2, Wolfenstein: Young Blood, and DOOM: Eternal are due sometime next year, while Starfield and Elder Scrolls IV are essentially nothing but logos at this point.
Oh, and VR. Bethesda are still all-in on VR, with Prey being added to their VR lineup, and a Wolfenstein VR hacking/puzzle game coming... sometime.
Bethesda's E3 conference followed Microsoft's on Sunday, and just as I predicted, Microsoft's blow-out of a show proved to be a tough act to follow. Apparently Bethesda's presentation this year was an improvement over last year's, but they are only one studio; Microsoft, by comparison, as the platform holder, owns multiple first-party studios of their own, and multiple third-party developers whose games they could also add to their hype event. Realistically, Microsoft should be able to put on a more impressive press conference; it wouldn't be reasonable to demand that Bethesda equal Microsoft's presentation.
That said, though, it's equally unreasonable to assert that Bethesda somehow surpassed Microsoft to put on the "best conference of E3 so far," just because they teased something that you were hoping they teased, on their way to talking about the ten or so projects that they felt like showing off this year. Of those, only Elder Scrolls Legends, Elder Scrolls Blades, Fallout 76, and Prey: Mooncrash will be releasing this year. Rage 2, Wolfenstein: Young Blood, and DOOM: Eternal are due sometime next year, while Starfield and Elder Scrolls IV are essentially nothing but logos at this point.
Oh, and VR. Bethesda are still all-in on VR, with Prey being added to their VR lineup, and a Wolfenstein VR hacking/puzzle game coming... sometime.
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