Ahh, E3 the highlight of the video games industry’s calendar. That handful of days where press and industry people get together to rub shoulders, shake hands, and lie until they’re blue in the face.
E3 – it’s a magical place.
In all honesty though, E3 this year was a significant departure from the past few years in one important way – it was actually pretty damned good. For the longest time now E3 has been staid, boring, and predictable. Even the announcements of new generations of consoles were a let-down. Microsoft managed that by turning what could/should have been the easiest product launch in the word into a complete shambles, while Sony proved they can lose a one-horse race by pricing their console out of the reach of even the keenest of early adopters.
It’s taken a couple of years, but it seems lessons have finally been learned. The presentations from the big 3 – that’s Microsoft, Sony, and Nintendo – were full to the brim with fan-pleasing announcements. The XBox One is getting backwards compatibility, The Last Guardian is coming to PS4, and somehow the internet recovered from the double-punch of a Final Fantasy 7 remake and Shenmue 3. Nintendo was also there, apparently.
Alongside the big three, the major publishers had conferences of their own. Given that it’s a lot of news to wade through, and not all of it interesting, Andrew and I have decided to break things down a bit. This episode, therefore, focuses purely on Microsoft, Sony, and Nintendo, and we’re going to hit you with another episode, very soon, that will deal with the publisher’s presentations on their own.
 
Follow Craig on Twitter, @d20shapedheart or email him at craig@gfbrobot.com