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Xbox 360 walks away the clear winner from E3
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After four days of press conferences, huge announcements, and new demos, E3 has drawn to a triumphant close. Only now can we look back and truly analyze the full goings on of the conference and draw the conclusion that Xbox 360 was the clear winner amongst The Big Three.
Now this isn’t to say that Nintendo or Sony did not put up gallant fights. Nintendo did everything that was expected of them and stayed the course with sequels to their major franchises and Sony did surprise everyone with their 1:1 motion controller, but considering Nintendo’s Wiimote and Nunchuck have been out since the system’s launch and will be 1:1 compatible in a couple of weeks, long before Sony’s Spring 2010 release of their 1:1 motion controller, they seem to be putting themselves behind the 8-ball again.
This leaves Xbox 360, the only one to come out with true blockbuster announcements and reveal an actual step forward in motion sensor technology with Project NATAL, which if when released is anywhere near as good as the demo at E3 was, will fly off shelves like the Wii did with its release over two years ago. Of course, there are a lot of additions and changes that need to be made I’m sure before an optimistic release in the Fall of 2010, (and to get the image of SkyNet out of people’s minds when they see it ) but Project NATAL’s announcement was the left hook that Sony and Nintendo didn’t see coming. Nintendo is strong enough to withstand it, I’m not so sure about Sony.
Project NATAL aside though, Xbox 360 also dropped major game and system announcements that will have repercussions throughout the ongoing console wars. The announcement of exclusive relationships with Twitter and Facebook that can be accessed via your Xbox Live account and all Netflix movies coming in at 1080p HD brings Xbox Live to a new level in terms of providing quality entertainment and interactivity to home consoles and this comes at no extra charge to your Xbox Live subscriptions. Then Xbox dropped the bomb that Final Fantasy XIII and a new Metal Gear, Metal Gear Solid: Rising, will be coming to Xbox 360 as well as PS3 is a huge blow to Sony’s dwindling exclusives list. This just shows how little the market Sony is actually appealing to right now and that Xbox 360 is still going strong, even though the Wii is far and away the number one seller as of this moment in time. Plus, the fact that MGS: Rising was revealed at Xbox’s press conference and not Sony’s took some of the wind out of their sails when they announced other MGS titles for their platform.
Aside from snuffing out some of Sony’s exclusivity for certain franchises, Xbox 360 also made strong showings from their own exclusive titles as well as a few new ones. The first one, which did not surprise many people, was Forza Motorsport 3. With the promise of over 400 available cars, new tracks, and better controls, this was an expected announcement that had racing fans nodding with approval.
Then the big guns came out. Halo 3: ODST was revealed as expected along with a new Firefight mode that resembles Gears of War 2’s Horde mode. As everyone knows by now, ODST is a side-story that follows a new character during the events of the third Halo, expanding on the already rich lore of Xbox’s premier franchise. What no one expected though was the announcement of Halo: Reach, another new game in the franchise due out in 2010 that takes you through the fall of humanity’s main colony. Although only a teaser was revealed along with the details that it will be a first-person shooter, this announcement shows that the Halo franchise is alive and well and should have Nintendo and Sony a little worried considering how well Halo always does.
Xbox also revealed an Xbox Live exclusive download called Shadow Complex. It reminded me of a Metroid game in that you start off with all your upgraded devices and weapons in the first level, only to lose them all and have to search through a giant complex that you can go forward and back in as much as you want as you find new weapons to open new doors. Considering it is an Xbox Live game, the promise of a 10+ hour campaign, it is made by the guys who brought us Gears of War over at Epic, and that it reminds me of a great classic franchise like Metroid, will have this at the top of my Xbox Live list when it comes out later this year.
The last exclusive that really knocked my socks off was Alan Wake. Set-up almost like a murder mystery TV show, this survival horror game redefines the idea of lighting effects, especially since it is your main weapon in the game. Alan is a novelist who has lost his inspiration and hasn’t written anything worthwhile in over two years. His wife suggests a nice relaxing vacation in a backwater town up in the state of Washington. Everything seems picture perfect until Alan’s wife disappears and his only clues are pages he keeps finding to a book he hasn’t begun to write yet. With a feel like Stephen King meets Silent Hill, this looks like it will be a worthy addition to Xbox’s exclusive library in the Spring of 2010.
Along with these exclusive titles and announcements though, Xbox also revealed that along with PS3 it will have Tekken 6 and a new re-launch of the Castlevania series that is being developed by Hideo Kojima of the Metal Gear series that people are already comparing to God of War in terms of its style. On top of those announcements, looks at Bioshock 2, Assassin’s Creed 2, Batman: Arkham Asylum, Fight Night Round 4, Madden 10, Marvel Ultimate Alliance 2, The Saboteur, Brutal Legend, and Alpha Protocol which will all be out this year for multiple systems along with the exclusive Left 4 Dead 2 (now you can wield an axe!) and Xbox 360 looks very strong in the coming months in terms of their library and the direction they are headed in. It is for these reasons, that after a long week of gaming greatness being on display, as the dust has now settled, Xbox 360 walks away the winner after quite possibly their best showing ever.
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