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E3 2012: Microsoft Press Conference Impressions
2012-06-04 7:00 PM
First out of the gate at E3 was Microsoft and the new Halo 4 trailer. While it was a good start, it quickly lost momentum as they focused on new Xbox Live features and a plethora of games for Kinect.
 The games that were announced for the Xbox 360 really showed the systems age. While still better than the Wii, which is now on the way out, the games showcased during this presentation looked weak compared to what I have been used. As Nintendo was forced to do with their weaker system, Microsoft had to resort to the casual gamers and new peripherals. For the core gamer, this meant a lot of time almost dozing off in boredom.
Kinect voice commands were in almost every game that was showcased, as well as the dreaded timed exclusive DLC.
Voice commands are great, when they work, but if you aren't used to speaking loudly and clearly, it becomes a very frustrating experience. It is also very annoying to be in the same house as someone playing these games, especially when you are trying to concentrate on something else. I know many people that have purposely damaged a 360 due to people not respecting others in the home.
 Timed DLC is the new huge annoyance for gamers lately, and it is becoming more and more common on the Xbox 360. Due to many people considering the 360 ports of games inferior due to the graphics and horsepower, Microsoft has been buying off so many developers to release the DLC on their system first, that many gamers are starting to boycott these add-ons thanks to the constant barrage of spoilers. Eventually game developers will wise up and realize that they are loosing more money by doing it this way, but sadly, their learning curve is really poor.
Then came the horrifying casual Kinect titles. Nintendo was the first to disappoint the crowds at E3, but lately it has been Microsoft that has become the king of disappointments. It was obvious that most of the spectators hated all of these types of games last year, but they still made the largest part of the event again this year anyway. Also, how much room do they think people have in their living room? Most of the games require almost an entire dance hall to move around in!
 I also have no idea on how Usher singing and dancing on stage is going to sell Dance Central 3. It would have been one thing for him to be actually taking part in the game while giving us his show, but this was only a musical show to wake everyone up, likely thinking they were in some horror game like Resident Evil 6. I could easily see Usher jumping into the crowd and attacking people during that presentation.
The conference also focused a lot on the new Smartglass application that will allow tablets and phones to interact with the Xbox 360. This just seemed like a cheap copycat of what Apple has been doing for years, and what Nintendo is offering with the Wii U. I don't understand how you could use a separate tablet device, while holding onto the controller, to use those touch features that they demonstrated. Likely it will be only used for some very simple games or games that primarily use Kinect for controls. Microsoft also must believe that everyone can afford a lot of toys.
The integration with the Xbox TV and Music options were well done, but once again, it is just a copy & paste of what others have already shown.
 A for the core games, there wasn't much to really be excited about. Halo 4 looked like your average shooter, the sports games don't look very innovative from last year, and Resident Evil 6 looked more like an interactive movie with far too many quick-time events. Only three games actually impressed me; Splinter Cell, Tomb Raider, and Call of Duty: Black Ops II. All of these games are shooters, either 1st or 3rd person, but still offered the widest range of game play. Of these three, Call of Duty: Black Ops II looked the most enjoyable as everything from the game play to the graphics looked the most polished and innovative.
Overall, like most other gamers, I was very disappointed in Microsoft's E3 conference again this year. Hopefully the others will step things up, or this may be one very boring week.
Key Points:
- Halo 4 fully announced. Release Date is November 6, 2012. Still doesn't look very innovative, but it is the best looking Halo so far.
- Xbox 360 was the best selling console world-wide. A sign that the other systems are dying as the sales numbers were still nothing to brag about.
- Splinter Cell Blacklist announced. Ships Spring 2013.
- Both Fifa 13 and NFL 13 will be using a lot of Kinect voice commands. Swearing will get you penalized.
- Madden NFL 13 is dropping on August 28th.
- Fable: The Journey still looks like an on-rails game with very poor graphics. Holiday 2012 release.
- Gears of War Judgement announced. 2013 release.
- Forza Horizon will show you how not to drive on the open roads. Nice cars, but still just a linear racing game. October 23, 2012
- Xbox live entertainment will play videos from multiple providers now, and will air many more sporting events.
- Xbox Music will have 30 million tracks available at launch, will also be available on Windows 8 devices.
- Nike releasing Kinect Training. Promises to be the most advanced fitness program. No release window announced.
- Smartglass will allow other devices to connect to the Xbox 360, giving a touch screen and alternative control method for many Xbox features. Launches this fall.
- Tomb Raider shows that Lara Croft doesn't pick up every weapon she comes across and instead favours a bow. Also it is a lot more action intensive than previous titles.
- Resident Evil 6 has moved even further from the survival horror game. Looks almost like an interactive movie with a lot of quick-time events.
- First DLC for Tomb Raider and Resident Evil 6 will be timed 360 exclusives.
- Ascend: New Gods, LocoCycle and Matter announced, but with very little information.
- The Kinect game Wreckateer shows off a 3D angry birds type of game with low level graphics for a console. Coming This summer.
- Dance Central 3 arriving this year. Still doesn't look like fun.
- People are still watch South Park, and the new game looks like a real episode. South Park: The Stick of Truth coming 2013
- Call of Duty: Black Ops II arriving November 13, 2012. Best game of the entire presentation?
Also, check out here for even more images features from the presentation.
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