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Questioning the New E3

Posted by Zonk on from the just-like-the-last-dalek dept.

This year's E3 is substantially different than events of the past, with an easily navigated show floor just one of the signs of the changing times. There are a number of questions up in the air as to what the new face of E3 means. Hideo Kojima (creator of the Metal Gear series) went on record at the Konami conference saying that he considers the new format a waste of time. Game|Life's Chris Kohler has a piece up on this subject, and he says that the new E3 is all about the status quo: "Yes, there were press conferences. But when Nintendo, Microsoft, and Sony all decide to only show their 2007 games (for the most part) and hold back on announcing huge news (entirely), you know something's up with the venue. At any rate, gamers hoping for some kind of shift in momentum, no matter which direction, didn't get their wish. This year's E3 is all about maintaining the status quo. Typically, it's been the 'battle of the press conferences' to see who 'wins E3.' This year, everybody surrendered."

3 of 86 comments (clear)

  1. What new shit? by Opportunist · · Score: 5, Insightful

    Have you seen anything new lately? What's new about the 2 millionth first person shooter or the n-th RTS game? Or the "08" sequel of a sports game?

    It's really braindead. Basically the most minuscle change in an interface is hyped as if it was the pinnacle of development (wow, in Supreme Commander you can now zoom in and out all the way, what innovation! This will change the world of RTS forever!), and a few new units that do essentially the same they did in earlier incarnations, just with different animations, are enough to make a game "totally new and improved".

    Or the "new" MMORPGs? Where is the big innovation?

    Wake me up when a game company comes up with something REALLY new. Basically I think that's why E3 and other "game conventions" are failing. Why bother going there to see the same old shit in new graphics? And now even without boobies...

    --
    We used to have a Bill of Rights. Now, with the rights gone, all we have left is the bill.
    1. Re:What new shit? by Kohath · · Score: 3, Insightful

      Games are not about innovation. Games are about FUN.

      If you have a fun game that people have already played, and you add a minor tweak to it that makes it fun to play all over again, that's a good thing. It's a success. The goal of having FUN was achieved.

      New concepts in games that are not fun are failures, even if they are the most innovative thing ever.

      If you don't like games or if you're bored with them and you want something different, maybe games aren't really for you. Maybe find a non-videogame hobby for a while.

  2. Re:E3 Is Perfect Now by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 3, Insightful

    Right, bad bad fans, disgusting fans who show their interest in an inappropriate way, rather than applauding the 10th reincarnation of the same old idea. No, they have a point. E3 was designed as an industry event meant for industry members and press. It was never meant for fans. The idea was to invite a bunch of people together from the industry, then whip out your proverbial cocks and have the press measure them to see whose was biggest. Honestly, the fans who did "crash the show" could be quite the annoyance, especially if they were making it hard to impossible for press people to cover the event and therefore report E3 to the people who either: a) had the decency not to show up or b) could not afford to fly to LA and weasel the way into E3.

    If you think that it is a good idea to exclude customers from an ENTERTAINING EXPO , you probably agree to Rock concerts only with music journalists, about as intelligent as excluding fans from E3. But I am glad that the "jouralists" can listen to the "press conference" without being disturbed by common people. First, E3 == Electronic Entertainment Expo. I would like you to find me an expo/conference not designed for industry insiders and press. As a person who attended RSA Conference, I can tell you the expo floor could be impossible to navigate at times when people who payed for the Expo-only access over ran the place. I think most full conference attendees completed most their time at the expo during the first night of the conference. There are car shows that are the same way. The fact is this happens in every industry (expos that are only supposed to be industry and press).

    I do not see how you can equate a rock concert to E3. A rock concert is available to the public through ticket sales by the venue or artist. E3 was supposed to be exclusively for press and insiders with strict control of admission. No matter how you spin it, the fans were "crashing" the show.