E3 has come and gone. We were treated with a ton of content including a new 3D handheld and 2 new motion control devices, Move and Kinect. Each year the 3 large companies (Nintendo, Sony and Microsoft) try to out due each other by introducing new games and hardware. Each company introduced new games and hardware in attempt to win over gamers and in turn, get the money from those consumers. This formula hasn’t changed much, build hype and have a huge unveiling. Each company did their best to impress, but who did the best overall? We’ll grade each company on a scale from A+ to F.

Microsoft

Microsoft’s press conference was very underwhelming. What we saw for most of the presser was Kinect, which was fine at first. When we realized that Kinect was going to be taking up the majority of the press conference, we were really disappointed. We saw all the functionality of the Kinect which included a handful of games that looked like a Microsoft version of Wii Sports. With a demonstration of watching movies with your friends using Kinect and a slightly annoying demo of Kinectimal we were introduced to the ESPN anchors. It was then revealed that ESPN would be partnering with Microsoft and bringing us over 3500 sporting events. The best part of the Microsoft event was the Metal Gear Rising trailer, and Metal Gear Rising being on the 360 had already been announced. The only real surprise that is worth mentioning is the Slim Xbox 360 being announced. For 300 dollars you get a smaller and much more efficient system that also comes installed with a 250 GB hard drive and a wireless N card.

The New Slim 360 and Kinect

Unfortunately the entire event was Kinect being shown off. It really seemed like Microsoft just wasn’t ready for E3 as it just seemed that Kinect was just filling time towards the end. It shouldn’t take 50 minutes to explain and show off the functions of Kinect, especially when your expecting a big event from Nintendo. Instead of trying to make an impact this year, Microsoft decided to sort of coast through this years E3.

Microsoft’s Grade: D+

Sony

Sony opened with a statement that 3D was the future for the PS3. This was fine and all, and the soon to follow Killzone 3 trailer was a lot of fun to watch (of course would have been better to see in 3D.) Then Move made an appearance and we were treated to a good 40 minutes of Move. This of course became old very fast, as its a concept we’ve seen before with the Wii. Move did appear to be much more correct than the Wii, but not to the point where its a whole new piece of hardware. Sorcery and Tiger Woods 11 were shown to work with the Move controller along with the pricing for move. We really enjoyed the wave of game announcements such as Twisted Metal, Little Big Planet 2 and God of War. What was really annoying is that we had to sit through some really weak announcements in order to get to the good stuff. Do I really care that Coca Cola is partnering with Move or that The Tester Season 2 will be happening soon? Nope, not really. I also want to point out that about 15 minutes or so of Sony’s presser was taken up with commercials, yes that’s right commercials. They introduced the new ad campaign with Kevin Butler and we watched commercials for a good 10 minutes. To me this just extended the presser longer than it needed to be. Kevin Butler made an appearance, which was really funny. I really enjoyed his epic speech that claimed “Long Live Gaming!” at the end. To me Kevin Butler’s appearance was great and what was really awesome about the segment was that it was really there just for the fans.

The New Wiimo..Move Controller!

Although Sony did their best to impress, it fell short simply because gamers came straight from Nintendo’s even (which really wowed a lot of gamers.) I think that if this was the first press conference, it would have looked a lot better. Unfortunately it was last and having Move on stage showing off features we’ve had for 5 years just didn’t do it for me. I know Sony is trying to get into the casual market, but copying the Wiimote is not the way to go. The 3D aspect is a good path for the PS3, and when the technology gets better could make for some awesome games.

Sony’s Grade: C+

Kevin Butler’s Grade: A

Nintendo

To me, Nintendo’s presser was the best. It was straight to the point and showed off new game after new game. We were treated to new games such as: Kirby Epic Yarn, Donkey Kong Country Returns, Goldeneye, and Epic Mickey. Epic Mickey was kind of underwhelming, but it will probably appease the fans who enjoy Mickey. Kirby Epic Yarn looks like an awesome side scroller and Donkey Kong Country Returns really appears to capture the charm that made Donkey Kong Country so fun. The show took a turn for the worse when the biggest title was shown off. As soon as Miyamoto picked up the wiimote to show off Zelda: Skyward Sword, you could tell that it was going to be a long day for Miyamoto. There was a ton of interference during the demo that really made the game look almost unplayable. After getting a chance to play the game on the floor, those worries were quickly dismissed as the game played really well, but it was hard to watch as Miyamoto flailed helplessly on stage during the demo. What really captured everyone’s attention was of course the 3DS. This to me is what serperated the 3 big companies, Nintendo brought a new system to this years E3. The 3DS really impressed all the skeptics as it boasted a 3.5 inch 3D display that was beautiful to look at. The system also has 3 cameras and the ability to take 3D pictures. What makes this so amazing is that you don’t need glasses to see the 3D effects. While watching the unveiling of the 3Ds a large picture was shown that displayed all the 3rd party companies currently making games for the 3Ds. The list was massive and really made everyone in the audience cheer. Finally a game was unveiled displaying the graphics of the 3DS which at first glance, appeared to be graphically comparable to the Wii. The game unveiled was a huge thumbs up to the fans as Kid Icarus flew onto the screen.

Nintendo really conquered this E3. While other companies were busy trying to catch up to Nintendo by attacking the casual market, Nintendo decided to once again innovate and stand out from the crowd. With a stellar line up of new titles, Nintendo appeased both the casual market and the hardcore gaming market. To me this conference shows that right now Nintendo understands their audience much better than Microsoft and Sony.

Nintendo’s Score: B+

The Winner: Nintendo

Nintendo really showed me something that morning, they didn’t forget about their hardcore audience. Nintendo forgetting about the hardcore gaming community and aiming strictly for the casual market has been a concern for many gamers and this year they showed that if anything, the hardcore community is now their priority. If that audience wasn’t their priority, Nintendo wouldn’t be putting so much trust into a fan favorite title, Kid Icarus, for the launch of their 3DS. Nintendo floored the competition and showed they still know how to throw together one kick-ass press conference for E3.