E3 has come and gone for yet another year. While the event may be over, the analysis of the show and all the games shown off has just begun. All over the net, you see all the podcasts, reviews and awards dedicated to every aspect of the show popping up in the next couple weeks. Here at Silver Bit, the month of June usually is solely focused on E3 from the previews to the conference impressions to the wrap-up articles. In fact, I am watching all the gameplay footage that I can get my hands on to put together the annual Top 10 Games of E3 article which will conclude the month of June. Before we move onto bigger and better things, let us look back on the show that was E3 2014 in this special edition of Bit by Bit.
Winner of E3 2014
As a whole, E3 2014 was an entertaining and ultimately safe show. Aside from a few unique experiences, not many gambles were taken to infuse some innovation into the industry. Although there were a plethora of familiar games showcased, all of them looked incredible. With the amount of detail and fidelity in the coming wave of next generation titles, I can understand the current lack of new properties as a trade-off to getting a handle on the new hardware. There were still new properties shown at the event in Evolve, The Order 1886, No Man's Sky and Sunset Overdrive, but they have not been put on the same pedestal that Assassin's Creed, Gears of War and Uncharted were early in the previous console generation. Apart from the focus on familiar franchises, E3 2014 did an excellent job in showcasing how great 2015 will be compared to the rest of 2014. All of the games people eagerly desire except Destiny or Super Smash Bros. comes out next year and that fact is just a little upsetting considering there is still no killer app for this generation yet. Guess it will come with everything else releasing in 2015.
Enough of my analysis of E3 2014, let us get down to which company won at this year's show. Winning E3 really comes down to personal opinion and how the showcased games appeal to each individual. This year, the three console manufacturers were neck-and-neck in their showings. Everybody did a good job in providing gamers with the games they wanted to see and the information they wanted to hear. As close as this arms race was, Sony impressed me the most at E3 2014. While I am in the minority, Sony's winning performance last year only came because they did the exact opposite of Microsoft and built their hype for the PS4 around that plan. On the software side, not much impressed last year. However this year Sony delivered with the games and content to compliment their highly successful system. I came out of the Sony Press Conference knowing that I need a PS4 to get the most out of this new generation. Even though the press conference had that excruciatingly boring thirty minutes, I would take this year's great three quarters over last year's excellent one fourth any day. Sony could have lost some ground at E3 2014 with a lacklustre showing, but they delivered and solidified their place as number one this console generation.
Surprise of E3 2014
In the last few years, E3 surprises have become few and far between. With the internet now, the few surprises actually planned for E3 might not make it to the show itself as they are leaked in the months, weeks and even days in advance. For a surprise to stay a surprise right up until the moment of its revealed makes the moment feel like an event especially on this stage. There were a slightly more surprises this year in Phantom Dust, Rainbow Six: Siege, Splatoon and Codename S.T.E.A.M., but one stood tall over the rest. That surprise came at the Sony Press Conference from Adam Boyes along with some help from a girl named Sally. It would turn out that Sally was not a girl, but renowned adventure game designer Tim Schafer. Sally's wish for a return to a classic Tim Schafer adventure game came true when Boyes announced the Grim Fandango HD remake exclusively for PS4 and PS Vita. As niche as adventure games may be, this news got me very excited because I have never played the original and heard so many great things about the game. Funny enough, I was actually wondering if Double Fine would re-release Grim Fandango on Steam or remake the game for this generation a few months back. After thinking about it, to actually see Grim Fandango HD become reality was like Sony found a way to read my mind. It was an incredible reveal that easily was the highlight of the Sony Press Conference and the entire show.
Trailer of E3 2014
The only thing more prevalent at E3 than the plethora of demos that line the show floor are the trailers. Each game at the event has a trailer to get gamers excited and to permeate the hundreds of screens covering the E3 booths. Ranging from multi-minute vignettes to short little teasers, the trailers at this year's event varied in quality. Some tried to be incredibly dramatic while others went lighter in tone and heavy with the humour. There were quite a few standouts such as The Witcher III's epic story trailer, Sunset Overdrive's hilarious parody of modern shooters and Super Smash Bros.'s Mii Fighter reveal which saw Reggie and Iwata duke it out in spectacular fashion. Out of those great trailers, The Legend of Zelda for Wii U reveal trailer was the best. While short in length, the trailer captured key details for this new adventure in the world of Hyrule. The beautiful cel-shaded anime-inspired graphics and the grand vistas will be the first things to catch the eye, but there are much more to dig into with this trailer. The confirmation of horse riding, more options to fight on horseback, the blend of modern technology and medieval fantasy and the dynamic open world were among the amazing features revealed through this trailer. While early in development, The Legend of Zelda for Wii U looks absolutely incredible and this trailer is just the beginning of all the great media we will receive in the near future.
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