E3 2010 was certainly one of the more hectic and exciting shows in recent memory. The show really did feel like "Big E3," and although the ESA stated that only a little over 45,000 were in attendance, walking around the convention center, it almost felt like 70,000. With Kinect, Move, the 3DS and 3D gaming making a huge buzz, the excitement was palpable in the air. Looking back at the mania of the past week, IndustryGamers has graded the big 3 console makers for their respective offerings and show performances. Here's how it breaks down.
Nintendo
James:
As I already stated after getting a fair amount of hands-on time with the 3DS at the show, this E3 was Nintendo's time to shine. The company has shown once again that it really has no equal in the portable space. Sure, Nintendo is likely feeling pressure from Apple's iPhone, iPad and iPod Touch devices, but Nintendo has something Apple does not: Nintendo games. Nintendo's franchises are its greatest asset, and people will keep on buying Nintendo's portable to play Mario, Zelda, Nintendogs, etc.
After a disappointing E3 last year, Nintendo did a better job of catering to both the casual crowd and hardcore gaming audience. A new Kid Icarus, Donkey Kong Country, Goldeneye, and Zelda: Skyward Sword will give Nintendo fans and hardcore gamers plenty to look forward to. I wanted to finally hear a little more about the quirky Vitality Sensor and I was really hoping Nintendo would showcase a “Wii HD” of some sort, but overall the company put on a good show, including some humorous videos with its execs.
Grade: A-
David:
Who knew that Nintendo would have so many tricks up their sleeve? In new games alone for the Wii, there was a new Goldeneye, Kirby's Epic Yarn, Donkey Kong Country Returns. There was also Wii Party, Mario Sports Mix and Just Dance 2, which I'm sure will all be big hits with the casual Wii fanbase.
That alone would have been good, but it was the 3DS that really stole the show. The portable system, presenting 3D without glasses, having an accelerometer and gyro sensor for motion control, two outside cameras for 3D pictures, improved hardware and online support, all impressed. Besides that, support was announced from every major publisher on the planet for the device, and Kid Icarus Uprising was a great first title to show.
There were a couple disappointments: The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword was the headlining Nintendo game that most people were looking forward to, but Miyamoto's demonstration of the game was marred by technical issues. Besides that, the game simply didn't look that interesting to me – despite the Wii MotionPlus integration, it didn't seem that different or new. Also, Disney's Epic Mickey didn't grab me, and the on stage explanation during the demo was far too wordy. Still, Nintendo easily had the best showing, and the 3DS was the most talked about singular item at the show.
Grade: B+
Mike:
Nintendo came out with the same old show from the past two years: Casual titles, sales numbers and charts, etc. But then they switched it up and delivered a title from pretty much every one of their major franchises across their entire product line. For Wii, they had the disappointing Zelda: Skyward Sword demo, but the showfloor hands-ons remain favorable. Metroid Other M, Kirby, and Donkey Kong Country Returns all received some nice applause and are proven sellers. Epic Mickey looked good and actually surprised some people I think. Personally, I'm not sure the Goldeneye remake will work any better than the Perfect Dark one, but it got some people excited.
With that alone, it was a good presser. But with the 3DS announcement? Gangbusters. That's a market niche no one has. Sony, Microsoft, even Apple. Portable system, no glasses 3D, backwards-compatible. If they price it right, it will fly off the shelves. No one else can touch it if Nintendo gets a demo unit in every major chain store. And the planned titles (note: planned) span so many companies and so many marquee franchises, that we could be looking at the strongest launch title lineup ever. So after two weak E3 events, Nintendo got their head back in the game and knocked it out of the park.
Grade: A+
Ben:
Nintendo was most assuredly the winner of the show. The Nintendo 3DS was probably the biggest news of the show for gamers. A 3D capable handheld with massive developer support and a whole list of cool features, this new 3DS (finally got that name confirmed) will be a big hit for the company. There's no doubt that gamers are going to eat it up; Nintendo is right back on the way to "printing money."
While there was no news on a new “Wii,” the newly announced games will be a big help for the console. A new Kirby, party specific titles featuring Mario and the gang, a new Zelda, new Donkey Kong, Metal Gear Solid 3, Star Fox and Ocarina of Time to 3DS…there are just way too many cool things coming from Nintendo. Sure, it’s all rehashed from the same franchises…but I don’t see anyone really complaining that much. Heck, we even got a new Goldeneye.
Besides, the new commercial from Nintendo was pretty awesome. Everything that has ever been big from Nintendo is coming sometime in the next year or so. There are hardly any topics that weren’t covered.
Nintendo pretty much focused on what gamers want: games. We got a new system, and though no new consoles were announced, Nintendo addressed that and focused on what gamers want right now. The only thing that could have made the show better was a Mario that rivals the original or Mario 64, or perhaps a console with the technical power of the PS3 or Xbox 360.
Grade: A
Overall IndustryGamers Grade for Nintendo: A
7 Comments
June 21, 2010
uh oh
david didn't like nintendo's conference. do i smell a fanboy?
June 22, 2010
These grades are similar to what I would have given them, so no disagreement here. I probably would have gone:
Nintendo: B+
Sony: C
Microsoft: D
Although Kevin Butler makes a strong case for C+.
June 22, 2010
I said Nintendo had the best conference and gave them the best grade, How in any way does that make me a "fanboy"?
June 22, 2010
You guys missed a big limitation of the ESPN3 stuff. You have to already be a subscriber to an internet provider who is paying for the ESPN3 service. Then you get it for "Free" with a paid XBox Live Gold membership.
"...as long as they also subscribe to Internet service through a cable company that provides ESPN3. Those include Verizon, AT&T, Comcast and Cox."
http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/entertainmentnewsbuzz/2010/06/espn-xbox-360.html
June 22, 2010
That's interesting Randy. I don't recall MS ever mentioning that, so that was pretty misleading by them. I don't have any of the cable providers on that list, so I and many others will be out of luck even though I'm an XBL gold member.
June 23, 2010
I'm really surprised the media has not noticed on the Electronic Arts/Third Party segment of Sony's press conference, in fact, this feature does not bring it up once. From Dead Space 2 to Mafia II, a good chunk if not majority of the big mulitplatform million+ sellers for the next year are going to have extra content on the PS3 version, in some case being full games (Dead Space & Medal of Honor limited editions).
As a traditional gamer, Sony really killed it with epic Killzone 3 footage (platforming on icebergs in a massive ocean????), not a single casual on-stage demo for Move, all of the EA/third party exclusive content.
I've been using Steam since it launched, so when Gabe Newell came out and announced Steam on PS3 (which overshadows Portal 2 for someone like me), their press conference was overkill at that point.
Frankly, I'm not sure how long you all have been playing video games. I know many of you claim to go back to the 2600 and NES, but I have to question what you've actually played in between then and now. As far as business goes, Nintendo's obviously going to continue to rake it in, Sony's future is in the air, and Microsoft may have shot itself by having such an uncertain lineup for a $150 peripheral.
The 3DS is risky because this seems to be the first time since the Gamecube that Nintendo is investing in expensive technology. It's uncharacteristic, and may change their outlook.
No one bought a PS3 at $399, why would casuals want to do so when there's a better known version at half the price ($199 Wii's)? I think they're going to pull a Trojan horse with Move, like they did with Blu Ray - they'll get a dependable install base from hardcore gamers who want to sample what Killzone 3, SOCOM 4, etc. will be like. When the price comes down, there may be more people flocking to it.
With Microsoft, I just don't know. Their lineup has gotten worse every year, so they depend on multiplatform titles to make them the most money. With the changing milieu of third parties, they could be losing that as well. I'm not sure anyone wants to play Kinect - especially considering you can't do so sitting down. In that one video that circulated, it looked circular - the parents were doing it to get their kids involved, but the kids really didn't want to play it. So you just had two grown adults flailing their arms and legs around like lunatics while their children look for stuff to do.
It's going to be interesting, that's all I know.
June 23, 2010
Sony had a good press conference, with a couple good surprises. If you're criticizing us for giving Sony a lower overall grade than Nintendo, well, between their game announcements and the 3DS, we all independently came to the conclusion that they had the most exciting new, exclusive stuff there. That's not the same as rating what we're mostly likely to be spending the most time with over the next 12 months; we just felt Nintendo made the biggest splash.
Though to your points, Portal 2 on PS3 will be using Steamworks as a means of giving the game updates and DLC; that's not the same thing as the Steam service coming to PS3. That would be much more significant, and they certainly would have devoted a larger part of the presser if it was true.
Also, if Move was to be a “Trojan Horse” as you say like Blu-ray, it would have to come pre-packaged in all PS3s. As it is, it doesn't seem like it will be bundled with all PS3s after it releases – it's a neat technology with cross over appeal between between casual and hardcore that I don't think Kinect has, but it'll be a challenge getting a huge base.
Ultimately, I don't think the biggest hurdle for the 3DS won't be anything like publisher support (since it already has quite a bit) or really the price... it's the fact that it doesn't make phone calls.