What I Want From E3 2013

It is that time of year once again.  E3 is nearly upon us and the anticipation is hitting an all time high.  The excitement this year is surrounding the next generation of gaming consoles, the Xbox One and PlayStation 4.  With new possibilities just around the corner, many are hoping for a knock out performance from the Big Three console manufacturers this year.  After last year’s abysmal show, there are quite a few, this writer included, which are not excited for what looks like more of the same generic sequel-driven crap that has plagued the last generation of consoles for years taking over E3 once again.  While my hopes for E3 are at an all time low, there is a slight possibility that opinions can change in a weeks’ time.  This change of opinion will be the result of the fulfillment of the list below.  Welcome to what I personally want from this year’s E3.

Games

Funny enough, the latest trend sweeping the biggest video game trade show in the world is not to show any video games at all.  Sounds ridiculous, but it is a sad reality.  Bigger companies such as Microsoft seem to be more interested in shoving their entertainment ventures down our collective throats rather than showing what the gamers actually want.  Yes, shareholders take a huge interest in E3, but the largest audience for this show is gamers.  As gamers, we do not want to see how the 360 can substitute as a television.  This concept might be bewildering to some, but gamers watch E3 to see the latest and greatest upcoming games nothing more, nothing less.  It would be nice for these game publishers to spend time on actual video games rather than bore us with features that do not concern gamers in the least.

Surprises

In this day and age, genuine surprises are hard to come by.  They are usually leaked somewhere on the World Wide Web well before the reveal actually happens.  These leaks do stir up speculation and provide excellent stories for websites.  The adverse effect is that gamers do not get surprised anymore since everything is spoiled for them on the Internet.  That feeling of astonishment when a game reveal catches you completely by surprise is unlike no other feeling.  Last year, the only real surprise was Watch Dogs and it blew our collective socks off.  Not every surprise is good one, but it is nice to get something unexpected over something we are already familiar with.  

Retro’s New Game

Speaking of surprises, there has been one secret that Nintendo has been holding close to their chest for a year now.  That secret being Retro Studios' unannounced game project for the Wii U.  In the past decade, Retro Studios has quickly earned a high position in Nintendo's stable of developers.  Retro easily filled the void that Rare left when Microsoft bought them.  Consistently creating excellent games for Nintendo systems such as the Metroid Prime series and Donkey Kong Country Returns, it is easy to see the extraordinary amount of anticipation there is for this unannounced project.  It could be anything from the return of an established Nintendo franchise like Metroid, Star Fox or F-Zero or even a whole new IP.  The possibilities are endless.  No matter what this game is, Nintendo has this surprise in their back pocket ready just to blow us all away.  Nintendo fans, myself included, have been impatiently waiting for a year so hopefully Nintendo reveals their trump card this E3 when they definitely need it.

Reasons to Care About Next Gen

The next generation of gaming consoles has been laid out before us gamers in the months leading up to E3.  As much anticipation people have for these new systems, there is just as much or even more skepticism.  Personally, Sony and Microsoft have shown nothing to make gamers care about the next generation consoles.  All the games that have been shown so far have just been sequels with shinier graphics.  There has been nothing shown that could not run on the current generation Xbox 360 or PS3 with proper optimization.  There is no purpose in spending about 600 to 700 dollars on a new game system that can play the same games already coming out on the Xbox 360 and PS3.  The industry has reached the peak of gaming technology as we currently know it.  The strides made in this current console generation were so vast that the jump between this current gen and next gen is barely even noticable.  Game companies can put as many particles and polygons on a screeen as they want, nothing will ever compare to the incredible jump between blocky standard definition graphics and smooth high definition graphics.  Due to that huge graphical jump, the industry could get away with touting visuals over gameplay this past generation.  This time around it will not be so easy as most gamers want to see actual gameplay over a superficial CG trailers that have nothing to do with the actual game.  E3 is the last big chance for Sony and Microsoft to sway consumers to buy their consoles at launch.  Shiny graphics alone will not be able to get the job done.  Sony and Microsoft need to provide consumers with tangible evidence on why we should care about these new machines if they want success this coming holiday season.