e3 '11 (continued and finished)

       Typically in the past I've disliked Sony's press conferences. It would feel as if they'd come unto stage, dance around to the music and applause and then unveil their grand old narcissistic personality while showing numbers that destroy the other consoles and quickly up the ante with plans of world domination. Then the PS3 came out flat as a day old soda and they were knocked down a peg until a comedian pulled their asses out of the fire and all of a sudden everyone's happy. Of course then a fleet of hackers jacked their systems stealing millions upon millions of account information...

       So I guess after all that you too would be humbled enough for me to sit through an entire conference without throwing up.

     OK! Once past all those somewhat hyperbolic statements let us examine if Sony has won back my heart or is currently residing in the same doghouse as Microsoft is.


   pros:

     + Out of all the major shows I personally think Sony has the best EXCLUSIVE lineup. Where as most of Microsoft's was in between showing third party galore Sony took out the big guns.

     + The Vita is a sleek unit that may bend some knees come winter.

     + Not as much throat shoving this year (or as much as MS) as there was last year with their purple snow cones. A good thing me thinks.

cons:

     - I would be amiss if I didn't subtract Sony for rehashes and added numbers to their titles. Shit there are TWO Uncharted games coming out with much of the same engine/game play. And no I personally thought the touchscreen usage in Uncharted was a big fat fucking joke. Save for picking up weapons/reloading. The rest was just gratuitous. Granted this isn't what the tech was built for per say.

     - While the Vita is great at what it does I do now have to wonder especially in the face of two very important things if the system will warrant a purchase for someone who doesn't care a great deal about portable games.

      1. PSP to PS2 ports

      2. PSP to PS3 ports

     With so many games moving from the old system it could be a possibility that these newer major titles will be easily playable in the future on a PS3/PS4. Albeit without a touchscreen/competent gyroscope (unless the PS4 has them). Something to keep an eye on.

   - Still not sold on the Move product line. Granted it is better then the Kinect but then so is a cheeseburger.


              My biased opinions aside I thought Sony had a solid to stellar showing with minimal surprise. The Vita certainly will move product but should be interesting how well. Either way I enjoyed the conference for the most part and am looking forward to some of their games in the following months.

                               Grade: C+

AKA the new Sony of numbers. Just kidding.

The first fifteen minutes was a trip down nostalgia lane dedicated to the 25th anniversary of Zelda. All good interesting stuff except it does sorta resonate what Nintendo has been doing for years. And that is rererererereleasing the same game multiple times in multiple different outlets. Again not a bad thing but can be easily tiring after a while. And of course the trolls will eat it up...

Look, lets ignore the first forty minutes of press conference and jump right into the big thing.

For me, this is a make or break promise from Nintendo. Certainly financially things aren't that bleak but after the drought of GREAT Wii games I'm holding optimism here. It'll be a (possibly) great system that will finally douse the Wii graphics in flames where they belonged but I'm truly worried about longevity here. This thing won't be twice as powerful as a Xbox/PS3. How will that affect its grab for hardcore fans?

And most importantly what about its ludicrous controller? Is it a good idea or a bad idea for such fundamental changes for the home based console? And wasn't this the same question asked five years ago?

I don't really have any pros and cons for Nintendo's show because quite frankly it is based mostly on prospect. I don't know anything about the power/games other then they will supposedly be there. Granted I can finally comment on the 3DS quickly becoming a console worth owning overnight with a slew of good content coming. Otherwise what else is there to talk about but the prospect of what may or may not be a good thing? (Wii U) and with no release date we may as well wait till next E3 to talk about it. I mean at this point it is all speculation and rabid dreams.

              Grade: C+ (or possibly anything worse depending on the functionality of the Wii U)

So as I finish my E3 rap it is necessary for me to point over to UBISOFT for capping my thoughts perfectly with their Farcry 3 trailer.

"Insanity: doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results." -Albert Einstein

I've been in much of a funk these past days. E3 was brought to me at a depressing time and in return I tore it up like a petulant observer. There was more then my annoyed grunts and cynical expressions to found in LA. Actually in the right eyes there is much to be happy about.

But on the opposite spectrum where I currently sit, things certainly appear to be the same as they were five years ago. Can you believe that four years ago Assassin's Creed came out as a new IP and within the years we've received at least five new versions of it? Infamous 2 was just released and in two years it will be on its third. It is amazing how quick repetition can occur in the Video Game world. Soon we'll be playing Halo 6 (finish the pie) and Silent Hill 30 (arrest the oblong head).

I don't know. Now I'm just rambling like a moron; like those that I sought to separate myself from. Perhaps I am the moron.

Quite frankly all my grades are harsh. If you want pretty little things then just bump them up each two notches. I'm just sick of it right now and if you'll excuse me I need to go lie down and forgot the madness for another year.

-Rossini