e3 '11 (part 1)

Looking back a year ago... E3 was a major disappointment through and through. Granted I don't even remember everything but what I do remember blogging about was held at years end as a collective "meh". I think the only good things that came out of E3 last year was Donkey Kong and Deadspace 2. Or so I recall anyways.

So unlike many years previous I entered the 2011 trade-show with much negativity. As you may well know I am a cynical man trapped inside a optimistic body. That is to say that my actions and speech may say one thing but my mind says another thing.

But let us stop beating around the bush and enter each press conference one by and one and examine them with few words or less.

The show starts and to no ones surprise we start with the money maker. Call of fricken duty 7(254894609insert random sequel number here). Nice enough looking game. Sure I can ignore the whole destruction of infinity ward and watch this and be without comment. Yep. Two thumbs way up for you Activision. Way up there.

But I'm not really the target audience for this game now am I? I've played and enjoyed four of them thus far and they're all spectactular linear first person shooters with immense amount of glossing and followers. Make no mistake I do enjoy the series but it isn't my go to game. And while the destruction of the world I know is rather topical I do often wonder where they will go from here. How exactly do you top Call of duty 7's insane story?

I don't know but I bet next E3 we will.

And the rest barring Mass Effect 3 (AKA my new favorite video game series ever) was seemingly a Kinect info-commercial. I might be too harsh on Microsoft for lording their six year old (and even older technology) console over us for another year, two, three, possibly four more years but at the very least I expect something more from you then:

- Avatars (Wow! so lifelike! And yes I know this is more from the last few years or last year more specifically but the magnitude of anger still resonates the same)
- New XMB (OMG! Another update for the menus!)
- Kinect commercials (I can has cheezeburger?)
- Whoring big name titles like COD/Halo/Gears of War. Congratulations. You make solid games. You Export solid games. You play solid games. Trolls of internet should begin to collapse upon MS for this. It really is no different then Nintendo at this point with their nostalgia line up. But that's the power of hypocrisy and internet warfare for you. Not that online multiplayer isn't fun but sometimes things are one iota short from ridiculous.


                Grade: D+



Not finished and didn't want to cut this short but am amidst a storm and don't really wish to lose power and my train of thought at the moment. I'll have comments up for Sony/Nintendo tomorrow. Till then thanks for reading my rants.

-Rossini