E3: Review and Roundup

Now that E3 is finally in its days of settling, it seems now is a good time to "grade" each major publishers performance. Take in mind that this will not be based on their conference alone -- it will also account for things they announced at other conferences, and during the showcase days of E3.

BETHESDA
FINAL GRADE: B-
I liked Bethesda's showing mostly because it was very straight forward. Besides the dumb Elder Scrolls card game, they pretty much showed off exactly what everyone wanted. Todd "The Bomb" Howard got even me excited for Fallout 4, the DOOM trailer that none of us thought we would care about was actually pretty lengthy and interesting, Fallout Shelter is actually a fun little unique game, and we finally got confirmation of Dishonored 2.

MICROSOFT
FINAL GRADE: B
I've never, to this day, owned a Xbox, but I'm always willing to be persuaded to get one. Though I wasn't really interested this time either, it's now clear that Phil Spencer is doing an excellent job in terms of turning the company around after their abysmal performances in the last few years. Rare is finally free from its shackles to do whatever it wants, as well as a new IP from the creators of Megaman and Metroid Prime coming exclusively to the Xbox One. Also -- though the lineup for it as of now is very sparse -- backwards compatibility is an incredibly interesting feature, as well as one that Sony cannot compete in due to hardware constraints. This conference was quite enough to keep me, as a PS4 owner, worried (Though as it turns out, I would end up being very surprised).

UBISOFT
FINAL GRADE: D+
The Ubisoft conference left me incredibly impressed with the lineup they had, though that feeling of impressiveness slowly melted away when I realized that I still really didn't care for any of the games that Ubisoft was releasing. I'll admit that the live Siege demo they had actually got me a little interested, but beyond that everything they showed consisted of the same boring games they release every year, as well as a new title that just looked like those games that they release every year.

EA
FINAL GRADE: F
I expected nothing, and I was still let down. From the fact that 80% of the show was just sports, it was clear that the only thing they really had to show was Star Wars Battlefront -- and when they finally did show the gameplay trailer, there was nothing that was really holding me in. It just seemed like another dull FPS that you could occasionally switch to a third person mode -- disappointing, seeing as how hyped the original Free Radical trailer got me. Like with Ubisoft, I think I'm going to skip out on EA games yet again.

SONY
FINAL GRADE: A-
As I said before, coming into the Sony conference I was pretty worried. How could Sony possibly beat out Microsoft? I probably thought something vaguely resembling that. Oh boy, was I wrong.

First of all, some expected leaks were confirmed: FF7 Remake, Shemue III, and The Last Guardian. In addition, some exclusives we thought only vaguely of turned out to be looking incredible -- Horizon: Zero Dawn and Dreams to name two. And on top of all that, a series of smaller bonuses and timed exclusives for the more popular games being released this year and next. Microsoft did good, but who was expecting such a series of megatons to drop from Sony?

NINTENDO
FINAL GRADE: F
Now, after the Microsoft and Sony press conferences, it was obvious that Nintendo needed to step up their game. They not only failed to do that, but failed to really show anything at all. Their three biggest announcements -- Metroid Freedom Force, AC: Amiibo Festival, and Legend of Zelda: Triforce Heroes, seemed to just be budget substitutes of games people actually wanted (Metroid Prime 4, AC: Wii-U, and, well, The Legend of Zelda). The fire continued to burn after the conference, as numerous Nintendo execs tried hard to claim that nothing was wrong with the conference, as well as rumors that Nintendo was planning on abandoning the Wii-U in favor of the NX. If right now is a great time to be a PS4 owner, it must really suck to be a Wii-U owner.

SQUARE ENIX
FINAL GRADE: A
What a stellar performance from a company many thought was in a pretty dark place. A series of brand new announcements, such as the FF7 remake, Nier 2, and a brand new mainline JRPG IP, were placed along very impressive looking gameplay demos for games that had already been announced, primarily for Kingdom Hearts 3. Oh, and let's not forget Eidos Interactive, Square Enix's western wing -- Just Cause 3 and Deus Ex: Mankind Divided were looking very impressive, and a brand new Hitman was announced, which seemed to hearken back to Blood Money rather than the not as well received Absolution. Definitely signs of a turn around for Square Enix, which will hopefully continue well into the future.

PC GAMING SHOW
FINAL GRADE: F
Oh, yeah! Almost forgot this happened. To be honest, this was just as bad as I was expecting it to be. Don't get me wrong, I don't hate PC gaming -- but just like every other system, I'd like to see some exclusives coming out for it. In the total two hours of the show, we got about 3 of those (2 of which I can't even remember the names of). The majority of the rest of the show primarily dealt with ports of console games, long boring talks with AMD execs, and DLC or expansion content for games that had already been released. Throughout the entirety of E3 however, games were being announced for the system -- except they would be released months, maybe even years after they had already come out on consoles, which seems to have been the case already for the PC.

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E3: Predictions Review

So before I start, I want to point out I did a round-up for Bethesda and no one else. I was going to do this for all the conferences until I realized there's a bunch and it would take me a super long time to do something that all the other bigger guys have done already. So instead I'm going to make this (reviewing my predictions) and then when the PC Gaming Show is done, I'll start working on an overview of "grading" each of the conferences and giving my review of each. Anyway, let's get to it.

ORIGINAL LINK TO PREDICTIONS

I'll be going ahead and giving myself a point for each thing I get right, and 1/2 a point for everything I kind of got right but not really. Hey, it's my show!

I guess this can be a start of a game where I can compare my points in predictions each year and try to get better everytime as well.

BETHESDA CONFERENCE -
- Doom Gameplay (+1)
- Fallout 4 Gameplay (+1)
- Likely an announcement from one of the other studios. I'm looking mostly at Arkane, seeing that Tango and Machine released games just last year. Perhaps it will be a new Dishonored? Or a new IP altogether? (It was Dishonored 2! +1)
- Apparently there's also a Bethesda studio called "Battlecry Studios" which is making a game called Battlecry. I have no idea what that is, but perhaps that question will be answered in their press conference? (It was indeed answered: a kind of bad looking medieval TF2. +1)

MICROSOFT CONFERENCE-
Okay, I genuinely have no idea, speaking that most of their big title reveals have been pushed back to Gamescom. I have no idea whether this is because they want a strong Gamescom showing or they have a bomb to drop at E3, but I'm just going to go ahead and assume the bomb since E3 is a massive deal compared to Gamescom. I also don't know specifically the games they moved back, so forgive me if I mention a game that was already confirmed to not show up.
- Halo 5 Gameplay and Release Date (has a date been confirmed yet?) (As it turns out, the release date was confirmed a few months ago, so I'm going to go ahead and give me full points on this. +1)
- Quantum Break Gameplay and Release Date (WRONG! Quantum Break was one of the games moved back to Gamescom)
- Banjo Threeie (WRONG! Though Rare was at the conference, showcasing their new IP Sea of Thieves as well as the Rare Replay collection)
- Crackdown Gameplay (WRONG! Once again, Crackdown was one of the games moved to Gamescom)
- Forza Gameplay and Release Date (once again, date?) (Correct on both, but I'll just give myself +1 since I combined the two)
- Fable 4 (remember, a man can dream) (WRONG! Just Fable Journeys. God dammit.)
- New IP (From whom I'm not quite sure, but it's apparent that, unlike previous Xbox CEOs, Phil Spencer knows there needs to be more exclusives on the Xbone.) (This game was Recore, from Inafune (Megaman) as well as the creators of Metroid Prime. +1)
-Rise of the Tomb Raider gameplay and Release Date (hopefully a name change too) (Gameplay, but unfortunately no release date nor name change. +1/2)

EA CONFERENCE-
Not really expecting anything special here. Same shit as always -- emphasis on the word "shit".
- Star Wars Battlefront Gameplay and Release Date (date?) (Date was confirmed earlier, but gameplay was there. +1)
- Mirror's Edge Catalyst Gameplay (+1)
- New Battlefield Gameplay and Release Date (WRONG! Looks like Battlefront will be the Battlefield for this year.)
- SPORTS (+1, though I honestly don't think a single "SPORTS" was enough for just how much they had.)
- Mass Effect 4 Gameplay (WRONG! No gameplay, just a cinematic trailer.)
- Burnout: Not Burnout Edition Gameplay (WRONG! Though they did show Need for Speed, it wasn't the Criterion game.)

UBISOFT CONFERENCE-
- Cringy Aisha Tyler (+1)
- Some dumb danceparty (Starring Jason Derulo! +1)
- Far Cry 5 Gameplay and release date (though it hasn't been leaked yet, so maybe there is none?) (There was indeed no new Far Cry, however I did predict it, so no points here.)
- Assassin's Creed Syndicate Gameplay and Release Date (+1)
- New UbiArt game (Don't think I saw anything on this.)
- Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six Siege Gameplay and Release Date (The Release Date was announced earlier, but the gameplay was there. +1)
- "Special Surprise" at the end (My Street Fighter V senses are tingling, and they're saying it's a new Splinter Cell) (Nope! It was Ghost Recon: Wildlands. Though the bulk of the prediction was the surprise, so I'll give myself full points. +1)

SONY CONFERENCE-
- The Last Guardian (I said it once, I'll say it again ... I don't even like this game ...) (Now I like how it looks, though! +1)
- Persona 5 Gameplay and maybe release date (date?) (WRONG! Looks like so far the only Persona-related thing Atlus came to show was the same trailer that was released a few months ago with a few words translated.)
- MGS5 6-minute trailer (unless those rumors about it being at Keighley's show are actually real) (WRONG! It was at Keighley's show.)
- Uncharted 4 Gameplay and Release Date (No specific release date, but there was gameplay. +1/2
- Dark Souls III Gameplay (WRONG! All we got was a cinematic trailer shown at the Microsoft conference.)
- Bloodborne DLC Gameplay and Release Date (WRONG!)
- Horizon (Guerrilla Game's new game) (Full name Horizon: Zero Dawn. +1)
- Street Fighter V Gameplay and Release Date (Once again, no specific release date, but gameplay was shown. +1/2)
- No Man's Sky Gameplay and Release Date (date?) (No release date, but gameplay. +1/2)

Suprisingly, I failed to predict both the Shenmue III and FF7 Remake announcements. My spider senses failed me on that one.

NINTENDO CONFERENCE- (this is where I go bold)
- Ryu and Roy for Smash Bros (leaked earlier today, guess it all depends if the leak is real?) (Leak is real, but the announcement was on the morning of the Nintendo World Championship.)
- New Metroid for the Wii-U by Retro Studios (WRONG!)
- New Metroid for New 3DS by Nintendo (...Correct? Kind of? The games were Metroid Federation Force + Blast Ball, but they do not look like they will be N3DS exclusives and I don't think they were developed by Nintendo.)
- Yookah-Laylee Gameplay (WRONG!)
- New IP (One from before with an official name) (Nope, no new IPs)
- Fire Emblem If Gameplay and Release Date (date?) (No release date, but I believe gameplay was shown? +1/2)
- SMT vs Fire Emblem Gameplay and Release Date (date?) (STILL no gameplay, just another trailer.)
- Persona 3 & 4 HD for Wii-U (FUCK IT I DON'T CARE) (Wrong, hopefully to no one's surprise.)

Should've put my bold predictions in Sony. Servers me right for thinking the Direct was going to be good two years in a row...

TOTAL POINTS: 19 1/2

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E3: Bethesda Conference Round-Up

Here's a quick round up of whats been announced at the Bethesda E3 conference:

• Doom Gameplay
• Ah, yes. The lava factory.
• Double jump, just like the original. Wait, I don't think-
• New finishers, in the style of MK, that leave messes of blood.
• Game has health/armor/ammo that can be picked up easily like the other games, though their design is more akin to Quake.
• New multiplayer mode. You can play as one of the jetpack demons!
• Comes with Doom Snapmap, a map editor that is available on all platforms.
• Battlecry
• Looks like an action steampunk medieval game with Team Fortress 2 graphics
• No, seriously. This game looks a LOT like TF2.
• Dishonored 2
• Not much to talk about here. Looks like the game, but newer. Also, you can now play as an adult Emily, one of the main characters from the first game, in addition to the old hero Corvo (spelling?)
• Dishonored: Definitive Edition
• I think you know exactly what this is.
• The Elder Scrolls Online: Tamriel Unlimited
• Oh no.
• Also the Imperial City is under attack. Why? I don't even think the writers for this game know.
• I mean, they don't seem to know a lot.
• The Elder Scrolls: Dumb Mobile Card Game Edition
• ...I don't even want to talk about this...
• Fallout 4
• Prologue that starts before the war
• Sims 4 face sculpting!
• Fully voiced protagonist confirmed, as well as Bioware dialogue choices
• They spent the money to record 1,000 names, only for you to probably think of something ridiculous instead.
• Turns out things go sour, but you emerge from Vault 111 fine. That is, 200 years in the future.
• Now I'm not too sure of that, but I'm pretty sure that there was a popular fan-made Vault 111 that involved cryochambers. If that's true, that means Bethesda canonized it, which is pretty cool of them. 
• VATs is back, just in case you used it. Hopefully you didn't.
• Layered armor and game tapes (minigames you can play on the Pipboy)
• The Collector's Edition of Fallout 4 comes with a Pipboy, that you can put your phone into, and they have an app to make it a real Pipboy. Or a second-screen experience. Your pick.
• This will allow you to just use the Pipboy that's in game in real life. Of course, it will still work if you just download the app and don't get the Pipboy.
• There's also an iOS game that you can play right now! It's called Fallout Shelter, and it's based on games like Tiny Towers and Sim Tower. However, it doesn't have any paywalls -- just a hearthstone-style "pack" system in which you can buy some packs if you feel like it (but are still available to you via challenges)
• We've finally gone full Minecraft -- you can create houses and settlements (the settlements can run independent on each other, as well as have trade routes to one another)
• Traders can work as traders, farmers as farmers. There's also an in-game wiring system similar to redstoning in Minecraft.
• You can also create custom guns and power armor using the same system.
• What I'm personally most excited for is that now every item in the game has a purpose! (salvaging, crafting, settling)
• However, it does look like (though has not been confirmed) that skills have been removed and replaced by a more detailed perk system.
• And, thank god, iron sights are back.

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E3: Leaks & Leaks & Weeks & Leaks...

As with all major announcement events, it's customary for some of the announcements to be released a bit... early. Though no one likes spoilers, you can't deny that some of these leaks are pretty exciting. To the leaker himself/herself, we pray for your life. And your job position.

DISHONORED 2

Looks like I'm one for one! Just recently, the rehearsal for the Bethesda conference was accidentally streamed. Though it was not up for very long, it looks as if some talk about the new Dishonored was happening. Looks like dreams really do come true.

DARK SOULS III

Leaked by the folks at Rooster Teeth a few days back, to hopefully no one's surprise, there looks to be another Dark Souls game on the horizon. Now that quite a few Dark Souls-esque games have been released in such a short time I feel like the games will begin to start getting pretty boring after this, If they're going to keep up the hype for this series, they'll have to do it exceptionally well, and even then it might get old regardless.

ROY & RYU FOR SMASH

Though this has been rumored for quite some time, it was only last night that leaked footage of the newest Smash Bros characters, Ryu from Street Fighter and Roy from Fire Emblem. Honestly I'm not the biggest Smash fan, so I can't say too much about this.


TRANSFORMERS DEVASTATION

Even though some people state that the Legend of Korra game was a "devastation" for Platinum Games, it looks as if Activision has once again called for the help of the legendary Japanese studio, and this time they're on a complete budget. Though we'll certainly get more news about this title come E3, as of now all we know is that it's a brawler and it's multiplatform, with no Wii-U release in sight.

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Astuka's Semi-Serious (but mostly not) E3 Predictions

Yes, that's right -- E3 is in about a day within posting this. I was never really into all the E3 hype and prediction stuff that most people do, but seeing as I did one for the Playstation Experience, I might as well.

Take in mind this is just going to be a short writeup, nothing more. I'll do much more detailed posts for each conference after they happened, as well as aligning what I got wrong and what I got right. Some of the stuff in this is obvious, while other parts are probably wild dreams. Hope you enjoy.

DATE CREATED: 3 AM PT, 6/13/15

BETHESDA CONFERENCE -
- Doom Gameplay
- Fallout 4 Gameplay
- Likely an announcement from one of the other studios. I'm looking mostly at Arkane, seeing that Tango and Machine released games just last year. Perhaps it will be a new Dishonored? Or a new IP altogether?
- Apparently there's also a Bethesda studio called "Battlecry Studios" which is making a game called Battlecry. I have no idea what that is, but perhaps that question will be answered in their press conference?

MICROSOFT CONFERENCE-
Okay, I genuinely have no idea, speaking that most of their big title reveals have been pushed back to Gamescom. I have no idea whether this is because they want a strong Gamescom showing or they have a bomb to drop at E3, but I'm just going to go ahead and assume the bomb since E3 is a massive deal compared to Gamescom. I also don't know specifically the games they moved back, so forgive me if I mention a game that was already confirmed to not show up.
- Halo 5 Gameplay and Release Date (has a date been confirmed yet?)
- Quantum Break Gameplay and Release Date
- Banjo Threeie
- Crackdown Gameplay
- Forza Gameplay and Release Date (once again, date?)
- Fable 4 (remember, a man can dream)
- New IP (From whom I'm not quite sure, but it's apparent that, unlike previous Xbox CEOs, Phil Spencer knows there needs to be more exclusives on the Xbone.)
-Rise of the Tomb Raider gameplay and Release Date (hopefully a name change too)

EA CONFERENCE-
Not really expecting anything special here. Same shit as always -- emphasis on the word "shit".
- Star Wars Battlefront Gameplay and Release Date (date?)
- Mirror's Edge Catalyst Gameplay
- New Battlefield Gameplay and Release Date
- SPORTS
- Mass Effect 4 Gameplay
- Burnout: Not Burnout Edition Gameplay

UBISOFT CONFERENCE-
- Cringy Aisha Tyler
- Some dumb danceparty
- Far Cry 5 Gameplay and release date (though it hasn't been leaked yet, so maybe there is none?)
- Assassin's Creed Syndicate Gameplay and Release Date
- New UbiArt game
- Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six Siege Gameplay and Release Date
- "Special Surprise" at the end (My Street Fighter V senses are tingling, and they're saying it's a new Splinter Cell)

SONY CONFERENCE-
- The Last Guardian (I said it once, I'll say it again ... I don't even like this game ...)
- Persona 5 Gameplay and maybe release date (date?)
- MGS5 6-minute trailer (unless those rumors about it being at Keighley's show are actually real)
- Uncharted 4 Gameplay and Release Date
- Dark Souls III Gameplay
- Bloodborne DLC Gameplay and Release Date
- Horizon (Guerrilla Game's new game)
- Street Fighter V Gameplay and Release Date
- No Man's Sky Gameplay and Release Date (date?)

NINTENDO CONFERENCE- (this is where I go bold)
- Ryu and Roy for Smash Bros (leaked earlier today, guess it all depends if the leak is real?)
- New Metroid for the Wii-U by Retro Studios
- New Metroid for New 3DS by Nintendo
- Yookah-Laylee Gameplay
- New IP (One from before with an official name)
- Fire Emblem If Gameplay and Release Date (date?)
- SMT vs Fire Emblem Gameplay and Release Date (date?)
- Persona 3 & 4 HD for Wii-U (FUCK IT I DON'T CARE)

EDIT (Later on June 13th)
Just realized I forgot Squenix and the PC Gaming conference. Whoops. Oh well.

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