Usually we go "OMG THERE WASN'T A WINNER AT E3, THE WINNER WAS US GAMERS." Anyone else feel like the opposite is true this year? This year, the big loser was gamers?
Microsoft was probably most underwhelming. Kinect is following the path of Wii, with lame on-rails versions of it's core games, except minus the mega-titles like Mario Kart and Wii Fit that made Wii great.
Nintendo announced literally no new games. Smash Bros. for two platforms which hasn't started development yet. So we're looking at about 2015. And Luigi's Mansion? Really? Wii U has a lot of interesting gameplay possibilities, but more than anything, that really pisses me off, since Nintendo never bothered to develop the gameplay possibilities of the Wii remote, Motion + or the balance board. Why would anyone think Wii U will have more than a couple interesting games before they pump out another under-utilized peripheral in 2013?
Sony has morphed into the most admirable of the console makers, because they are so predictable. They are walking a middle ground of sensibility that Microsoft and Nintendo have abandoned. That's great for existing Sony fans, but for people who were never interested in the PSP, the fact that Vita didn't dive off the deep end like PS3 isn't exactly exciting. It feels like we're mistaking relief that Vita isn't $400 for actual interesting content beyond what PSP already had.
"[Our former customers] are unable to find software which they WANT to play."
"The way to solve this problem lies in how to communicate what kind of games [they CAN play]."
Satoru Iwata, Nintendo President. Only slightly paraphrased.
