4cr Staff Reflections: E3 2007

A scaled back show and a scaled back media presence made for an incredibly light E3. It seems that big announcements are moving toward company specific shows and press events. Still, a few pleasant surprises and a deeper look at games that are coming out this year made E3 an event still worth paying attention to.

Nick:

Let me just say that I sure am glad we got to go to E3 last year. If E3 never reverts back to what it once was, I can at least feel good knowing that I saw it in all its glory.

Nothing really huge was announced and nothing really got me super excited this year. I had no desire to stay up late and skip work to see the news conferences, nor would it have been worth it. But, all was not lost. As the the rest of 4cr will agree, Mario Galaxy is looking like the best game since Super Mario 64. And the Bee Suit… absolutely charming. I doubt anything will ever replace my love for the Frog Suit in Super Mario Bros 3, but that Bee Suit looks mighty damn awesome.

Wii Fit also looks interesting. My gaming life leans ever further towards the casual gamer world, yet I still can’t say that I would use Wii Fit all that often. It looks fun and I think it has huge potential, but I feel like it’s aimed squarely at the super casual gamer and hardcore gamers and the in-betweens like me will need more software to be sold on it.

Overall, not the most exciting show. Still, it was great to take a break from work or get home after a long day and see amazing new movies of Metroid Prime 3 or Mario buzzing around. It may not have been the E3 we all know and love, but it is still the Nintendo we all know and love.

Oh, and Assassin’s Creed and Uncharted: Drake’s Fortune look amazing.

Greg:

Honestly, I thought E3 was a mess this year. The events were disorganized, all three companies had fairly boring presentations, and there were few surprises. I think the main problem was that it was too late in the year. Many of the biggest surprises came earlier this summer. That said, I am very excited about a bunch of upcoming games, and my wallet is going to be completely empty this holiday season.

Best of Show: Super Mario Galaxy, Mass Effect, Assassin’s Creed

Ugliest of Show: Halo-themed Xbox 360

Happiest Surprise: Professor Layton and Forever Blue being localized

Peripherals in a Nutshell: Wii Zapper (awkward and ugly), Wii Wheel (looks fine, better be cheap), Wii Balance Board (has some interesting gameplay applications), Xbox 360 Scene-It Controller (I like the “Win” button), Wii Party Station (best accessory ever confirmed)

Mitch:

Best in Show: Bee Suit Mario

‘Nuff said. Mini3 was justified for that reason.

Jody:

E3 this year, while not as big as years past, still made me feel like a kid again. It may not have been that exciting, there may not have been much news, but it’s hard not to feel like a kid when you see Mario in a bee suit. As for the Halo 360, I actually think it’s pretty nifty looking. I need to get a 360 one of these days. As for Nintendo’s big announcement of Wii Fit, I think it looks great. It’s definitely a day one purchase for me. Plus it seems like there will be a decent amount of yoga type stuff, which my soon-to-be wife loves. If I can get something that will have her playing Wii of her own accord (without me saying “baby, please play wii sports with me!” about 10 times until I annoy her enough to play, heh) then I will make sweet sweet love to Miyamoto.

Best in show: Wii Fit, Mario Galaxy, Mario Kart Wii, Rock Band, Assassins Creed
Honorable Mention: Wii Zapper

Vinnk:

This year’s E3 was very disappointing for me. Maybe my expectations were too high; after all, E3 2006 was amazing with the first hands-on Wii experiences, huge game announcements, etc. This year it was in tons of different hotels around town, hard to navigate, hard to love.

I know some people will want my neck after this statement, but the clear “winner” of this E3 was Sony. They showed a lot of big exciting games, announced a new (though possibly temporary) lower price-point on their system, and didn’t repeat the errors they made last year (Giant Enemy Crabs).

Nintendo’s presentation was hard to watch. It looked unrehearsed and awkward. Reggie, who is usually a great speaker, was not holding the crowd, not stirring up excitement and often not even putting the right inflection into his sentences. The Zapper is something everyone wanted since last year but the final model looks awkward the “Wii-l” is something we already got with GT Pro last year and looks just as cheap now.

As for Wii Fit, This might really be the most important game announced at this E3. But the presentation and its “calibration errors” made it look unfinished and hard to use. Also, E3 attracts a pretty hardcore crowd of gamers, and they wanted Smash Bros, not a “balance board”.

Overall, E3 might still exist in name but the heart and soul, if not dead, are on life support. I am really hoping Nintendo pulls out all the stops for this year’s Tokyo Game Show, and I’ll be there to tell you all about it.

Edgar:

Some say that E3 this year was a little lackluster on big hits. Was it due to the new E3 Format? Maybe. But what I liked the most about it was the amount of interviews we had and smaller press conferences from third parties. I think they should stick with this format, since more information comes out of the event this way.

Now for games. I have to say that Nintendo’s Wii Fit caught my eye, this is one game that could reach the mass appeal that Wii sports had. The thing i hate about exercising is that it’s boring. Merging exercise and a game is the best way to get me in shape (I need it).

With their fall lineup announced, it’s a great time to be a Nintendo fan. With games like Metroid Prime 3: Corruption, Mario Galaxy, and Smash Brothers Brawl, we won’t get bored this fall, that’s for sure.

Rumas:

Well, I guess this is it in a nutshell: I regret forfeiting precious sleep for Nintendo’s show. That’s a pretty terrible thing to have to say.

In the last few years, Nintendo’s press conferences (and not just E3, mind) have gone from fantastic to average, and then from dull to downright torturous. Seriously, I was bored out of my mind listening to Reggie blabber on and on (and on and on) about Nintendo’s success, and why he’s so ‘happy’. Sheesh.

He both sounded and looked like a pyramid scheme salesman (okay, maybe that’s a little harsh, but still…) who’d spent weeks memorizing his every line and gesture, and the video montages were the stuff of nightmares. It’s really too bad, because when he’s natural — demonstrating a Wii title with Miyamoto, for instance — he’s a very likeable and charismatic guy. The Regginator needs his edge back, and he needs it bad.

Iwata and Miyamoto were a bit better (side note: Iwata has built some mighty fine English skills), but still pretty boring. As far as the show itself goes…I dunno. For the tiny amount of new stuff revealed on all ends, it just feels like the whole event was unnecessary to begin with. Still, on a positive note, I’m digging the Mario Kart Wii media (little though there may be), and Wii Fit is gonna be huge. Also, the Wii release line-up for 2007/early 2008 is simply incredible.

Though 4cr was invited to this year’s E3, none of the staff was able to attend due to various reasons. That would have been a most tragic thing in the past, but the harsh reality is that it was more of an ‘Oh well’ thing this year.

We missed the chance to try out Bumble Bee Mario in person for five minutes in a hotel lobby, and while that may be a huge deal in and of itself (I already have an unhealthy obsession with that bee suit), E3 is supposed to be about more than just that, isn’t it?