Nintendo’s choice to stick with booths and smaller presentations in place of their normal grand display proved to be a better idea than most may have thought. As intended, Nintendo focused not only on introducing games to their new system, but new games, at that. Titles such as Mario Kart 8, Wii Party U and Wii Fit U (both to come out in October), Legend of Zelda, and Pokemon X and Pokemon Y (set to come out in October) received their time in the Nintendo Direct spotlight. Those excited for Super Mario 3D World (to be released in December) were met with the debut of its trailer, in which the addition of a cat suit was eagerly announced. (Oh joy, now the cats have migrated from the internet to video games.) Later in the release, it was mentioned that certain games would be playable at select Best Buy locations; this is certainly a plus for those who were unable to attend E3, or simply didn’t get enough at the Nintendo booth (Yoshi’s New Island, Legend of Zelda, and Mario & Luigi were all playable at the Nintendo booth). Finally, the new edition to the classic Super Smash Bros. was announced to be available for both 3DS and Wii U, marking a definite change of times since the game was released for Nintendo 64 in 1999.
Microsoft focused on its new releases as well, beginning with a trailer for MGS 5. Then, the announcement of a reboot of Killer Instinct — what better way to win hearts than to bring back a SNES classic? Halo, Kingdom Hearts 3, Titanfall, and Battlefield also made appearances. Surprising to most attendees and listeners, Microsoft saved a special, console-related announcement for last, confident they could make that move after Monday’s press conference — there is a new model of the Xbox 360. Games for the 360 include titles such as World of Tanks.
What could easily be one of the greatest mash-ups of the day’s endeavors (and of all time) includes the best of Sony and Telltale games — a new installment of The Walking Dead coming out for the PS4. The Walking Dead: 400 Days is a prequel to the second episode of The Walking Dead. Sony is working to allow saves from the PS3 to carry over to the PS4 so that choices and game progress remain, and therefore can carry over into the next installment of The Walking Dead.
To add to Sony’s tally, Outlast made a grand appearance. Horror games have come to consoles before, but Outlast seems to be the indie horror game of its time, coming to par with PC games like Amnesia. Great graphics, seemingly fluid game play, eerie atmosphere, and content rumored to be based off of actual psychiatric treatment for mental disorders — this is definitely the good stuff. Equipped to allow gamers to experience game play, Sony’s booth also included interactive demonstrations or presentations for games like Call of Duty and Dead Rising 3.
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