Microsoft's New Approach At E3
Comments (1)
E3 is the biggest gaming expo in North America, and as such, it attracts quite the crowd
For those not in the know, this week E3 has taken over L.A. with costumes, props, and a surplus of video game enthusiasts. The Electronic Entertainment Expo is taking place at the Los Angeles Convention Center so the biggest players in the gaming world can show off their up and coming attractions.
Microsoft was the first of the three major consoles to present what they had to offer. The company's 2013 announcement for the Xbox One failed to hit the mark with gamers; the focus of the conference and subsequent demonstrations aimed to show off what the console was capable of in terms of social media and hardware.
SEE ALSO: Video Game Exhibition E3 Kicks Off
Now that the Xbox One has had time to spread its wings a bit, and with the help of a new PR team, this year's conference was a decidedly different showcase, focusing on the games and gameplay videos with large announcements to keep the audience on their toes.
Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare was one of the bigger titles, continuing the line of franchised blockbuster first-person shooters, but the demo showed off many new features that will may provide the change so many gamers have been crying about for years. Spoilers: These changes include jetpacks and robots.
Evolve is another title that shone as a different style of game from the creators of Left 4 Dead with players controlling a monster in a new style of gameplay hoping to “evolve” how we play games.
Most of the lineup was everything else you would expect, not to say that any of it was dull. A new Forza racing game, a new Assassin’s Creed, and a new Dragon’s Age were kept in the mix, but not else too much in terms of originality.
And then there was Sunset Overdrive.
A game made by Insomniac, the people behind Ratchet and Clank, Spyro, and the Resistance series, Sunset Overdrive seems to be a culmination of all of their titles put together. You play in a post-apocalyptic world where people are simply having a good time killing zombified mutant creatures by shooting crazy guns, grinding on rails, and literally bouncing off of the walls like trampolines. The game has a look of a serious shooter, but the fun, colorful characters and gameplay of a fantasy action game. It was definitely a crowd pleaser and had the longest line to try out on the show floor.
When all was said and done, the Xbox One proved that Microsoft is still in the gaming business to make games, and there will be no shortage in the future if their plans go as expected. But was it enough to compete with rival Sony or the up and coming Wii U from Nintendo? Only time will tell as we go further into the remainder of E3.
