E3 is here, and, well, has been for a couple of days, and gamers have some new toys and games to be pretty excited about. But what about Microsoft’s plate of offerings? Well, here’s a quick recap of what I think were the hits and misses for Microsoft’s Press Conference this year.
The Good
Metal Gear Solid: Rising
Announced at E3 last year, this new MGS title set out to make a sword action game that will give players the ability to cut anything in their environment. Even harmless fruit. Looks extremely violent and extremely fun, but not your normal Metal Gear game, and that’s okay.
Xbox 360: Not-so-big-as-the-previous-version
Or, I guess, you could call it the Xbox 360 Slim, but either way, this is pretty big news, and it’s hitting shelves, this week! Boasting wireless connectivity via a wireless-n adapter, a 250GB hard drive, and being Kinect-ready, the new 360 will be priced at a nice, cool, $299, but this announcement is no surprise as it’s been heavily rumored about for a while now, but that doesn’t make it any less good. Now I just need to wait for Gamestop to do a trade-in special.
The Bad
While there wasn’t anything terribly bad this year, what I do hate is…
Connect with Kinect
Not the technology, mind you, just the name. Kinect. Every time I write or type it down I try spelling it properly first before remembering it starts with a “K” and has a “i” in it somewhere. That’s just silly.
Video Kinect
And then there was the whole “Video Kintect” thing which, I guess, rubbed me the wrong way as I don’t need my friends on Xbox Live starting a video chat with me trying to play Halo naked on my leather chair. It wouldn’t end well for anyone.
Okay, maybe the tech…
I’m not a big fan of Kinect’s name and the cool thing about Kinect looks to be the menu navigation and the games announced where all…eh…but what I don’t like, aside from the name? I need to touch something. Swatting flies with my hand to play games doesn’t sound at all fun if I don’t have any physical feedback. I know, you’re probably thinking, “What about just visual feedback from your actions?” Well, for some people that works, but for this guy, I need to squeeze a trigger AND see my vehicle gain speed slightly as I slightly press in the button.
…and the games…
To be honest, the games were all very uninspiring, except for Just Dance, which looks to use the technology really well. This goes back to me needing some sort of physical feedback from my controlling, but I’m sure there will be a Kinect-shaped gift under every Christmas tree this year for everyone with a little kid who saw Kinectimals. There was also footage of a Star Wars game as well as Forza, which looks interesting, but, again, the Kinect.
The “Meh”
Most of the press conference was filled with a lot of “meh” for me, well not really, but…
Sequels. Sequels. Sequels.
As previously mentioned, there were a lot of sequels talked about this year, but also said, that’s not so bad. Fable 3, Gears of War 3, and Halo: Reach were all shown off, and all looked pretty sweet, but at the same time, were expected. I was hoping for some fresh content, and while I certainly don’t hate the previously mentioned titles, I’ve already been up-to-date with them. But the trailers were at least cool!
SPORTS!
I’m not a big sports fan. I enjoy watching football every so often, but other than that, I don’t keep up with it. So when I heard they would be bringing live sports to Xbox Live in hi-def, I was, and still am, on the fence about it. It’ll be free to Gold members which is nice, but sadly I’m not a gold member, but this isn’t bad…if you’re a big sports fan.
The Verdict
Not bad, and not great, there were some great products shown, there were some silly-named products that made me sigh, but overall a good show from Microsoft for this year’s E3.