You may or may not know that the massive gaming event of the year is happening right now at E3. The Los Angeles based conference which launched on Monday with Microsoft’s exhibition of the newest games for their upcoming console, the Xbox One. Video game publishers, developers, and nerds flocked from all over the country to catch the first glimpses of games that won’t be released until Q3 2014. If you have been following the events of E3, then read on for a quick summary of what’s transpired. If you haven’t, read this guide so you can act interested when some guy at work mistakenly assumes you care about the latest Halo.
-
We hate Xbox One. Microsoft unveiled Xbox One to initially excited but ultimately confused gamers few weeks ago. Since then, the internet has been exploding with outrage and questions about the privacy invading kinect camera system, mandatory daily internet check in with big brother, and most importantly, the DRM involved with the game. DRM stands for Digital Rights Management. Essentially this means that instead of buying an actual game, you’re buying a license to play it. This will enable Microsoft to do all sorts of weird stuff like make you pay to give a game you finished playing to a friend. Many gamers expected Microsoft to address the many questions as to how all this would actually work. Instead they acted like nothing even happened and continued to discuss the exciting new dog feature in Call of Duty: Ghosts. Thus, we hate Xbox One.
-
We Love PS4. This year, Sony achieved success by waiting to see what Microsoft would do, watching them fail, and then doing the exact opposite. They won World Console War III with this incredibly simple ad and accompanying presentation which explained that the new PS4 would not have a DRM system and buying a game would imply, shockingly, that you own a copy of the game. PS4 will also do consumers the service of not charging for online multiplayer. Unfortunately though you’ll have to pay a subscription fee if you want access to free games that will be released online each month, if that makes any sense.
-
There’s a new Super Smash Bros. Referencing that you love to play Kirby on N64 Smash Bros just got even more cool and retro. Nintendo Announced the latest addition to the ever-popular fighting game and unveiled an exciting new character: Megaman. You probably haven’t heard of this blue-suited, gun-for-armed hero from several classic Super Nintendo titles, but rest assured Nintendo fanboys are pissing their pants. Unfortunately, adding Megaman won’t include any of the bosses that made the game so great. CutMan, a boss aptly named for the pair of scissors atop his head, will not be making an appearance.
-
The Division looks freakin’ sweet. Everyone needs to have a favorite game that they watched a trailer of, and since you probably didn’t watch any or many, you can have mine. Tom Clancy’s The Division is a survival/war simulation that takes place in a New York that has recently undergone some sort of revolution. The concept behind the game is that you collaborate with with your real life friends via microphone to collect supplies and weapons while battling other crews of real life friends. There’s even a minigame for you console-less friends to play as a drone aircraft via tablet computer.
Not everyone cares about the latest developments in the world of gaming, and not everyone should. However, as video games have cemented themselves as an important part of our culture and economy (the console games market was worth over $34 Billion in 2012), it is important to at least give it a try. As the generation that grew up alongside them gets older, games are getting more and more respect as the artform they actually are. More titles are focused on storytelling, presentation, and innovative gameplay elements, and less on how much blood can pour out of the stump of a blown off limb. Hopefully next year my E3 summary can be titled: E3 for People that Maybe Kinda Care.
