E3 Round Table: Microsoft’s Big Play

Anybody think to get last year's roundtable and see how their predictions panned out? I mean, as we've seen with Michael Pachter, most of these self-proclaimed experts have a success rate slightly below a blind chimp throwing darts at a board. Still waiting for that $100 PS3 price drop Pachter said was happening "any day now" in May of 2007.

OutsideTheBox

@Jandlecack: MS needs to announce some games. It's been very quiet this year. Like Brian said in the video, Sony may have some megaton announcements lined up, not to mention the other AAA games like GOW3 and Heavy Rain they've already announced. The thing about Sony is they are relentless when it comes to their games. They don't let up, and seem to always be moving forward, while MS isn't particularly known for their innovation. Sony is still the 800lb gorilla in the room, and MS knows that. Why do you think they constantly go after Sony's exlusives? That's the great thing about Nintendo and Sony, is they do their own thing, constantly pushing forward, regardless of what their competition is doing. Of course they pay attention to their competition, but they've been in the industry long enough to realize you can't take everything from your competitors.

Look at Nintendo. Their first party games are second to none on the Wii, and some of the biggest named games in the industry. Look at Sony, who own a ton of studios, they constantly nurture their relationships with 3rd parties who stay exclusive even though they technically could go multiplat. In my opinion, MS seems to focus too much on trying to get the "other guys" games, like FFXIII, and well..shit the list goes on, instead of creating new first party IP's, or sustaining the relationships with people like Bungie. Look how many companies have bailed on MS in the past year. Many of them with ill words against MS's business practices.

In business the relationships you create need to be nurtured, regardless of how much money you throw at these companies. Think of how many games have been exclusive, only in the end to be nothing more than timed exclusives. Take that money and get some studios going, and maybe we can start seeing MS go in a positive direction.

To make a long post longer, I look at MS and go, "So where are the games?" I can't think of any major announcements from MS that actually matter. While Sony and Nintendo have been dominating Kotaku's headlines for 2009. Show me something. And no, I don't mean another Halo game.

@Chances: *led, goddamnit!

@FP_slomo788: It would be good for Microsoft to come out swinging with big, meaty, hardcore-loving announcements like Halo 3 ODST will be a major disc release, Gears 3, Fable 3, and while we're at it Halo 4 also made by Bungie.

But I'm not so sure. I kinda suspect they'll reveal ODST to be bigger than we were lead to believe, talk about their Avatar usage in more games, and show a new use for the 360 streaming entertainment to the home.

The panel's right that MS hasn't made any major announcements all year, but I'm not convinced that it's some cagey strategy to hoard all their big reveals for E3 so they can win the show. I wouldn't be surprised to discover that, given their huge lead over Sony in the biggest market in the world - North America - they've grown complacent about the core gamer's loyalty, and are much more interested in tapping into Nintendo's casual market.

Keighley had an xbox fanboy aura of "over 9000". I really want to see the playstation and nintendo round tables aas soon as possible, to see if he'll be this enthused by those 2 brands.

@Jandlecack: I think Microsoft knows it, and I honestly expect them to have the biggest E3 out of the 3 in terms of announcements, with Sony being a close second, just because they already have such a kickass lineup.

@orenn:
Seriously dude, I got seconds. Like, just enough time to figure out the controls, and then I was done. It was not very conducive to the journalistic process. I agree that most people would get a better feeling by just playing it, rather than reading an article, but that's what demos are for. Seriously, 95% of all demos are the exact same thing journalists get early previews of.

@jagowar: It certainly does fit the whole Microsoft pre-E3 PR speak of "revolutionizing home entertainment", but I don't know; between the PSP, DS, and the iPhone/iTouch combo, the handheld market is somewhat crowded as it is. Live Anywhere sounds interesting (achievements on the go?), but again, a lot of what the sources have touted has already been done before with Apple.

Maybe if I wasn't so entrenched with syncing my music/movies/shows from iTunes to iPhone, then I'd be more interested... hence why my I barely use the multimedia features of my 360 in the first place.

@JGab: I know. Am I missing something? The video is last weeks, talking about 3rd party developers. Where is the MS video. It appears some people have seen it--except us.

Did something go screwy?

@Jandlecack: some fresh magic mushrooms you got there

ithyphallus

@logikil:

I'm going to go with option #2. I mean just like Crecente and the others said, MS is harping about changing the way people play and if they had any really huge games to announce they wouldn't be putting so much emphasis on their idea of revolutionizing the industry, they'd be teasing the software. I think Keighley is grasping at straws on that front.

I dig that N'Gai is his own man.

Bakeroo

Actually i think what was most shocking about the video is that no one on the show seemed to know any more than the rest of us. That could mean one of two things.

1. Microsoft actually learned to keep secrets. Honestly, besides the FF13 announcement for 360, MS has never been very good about keep things under wraps so I find this a bit hard to swallow.

2. MS really has very little to show.

That second one really does suck to a certain extent. Though I own all three consoles I do find that my gaming is usually on the 360. However Sony just has some amazing games coming that I really want to play. I honestly can not wait for infamous, UC2, GoW3, Ratchet, and any other number of games they have coming down the line. For MS to lose focus and essentially hand Sony this year and potentially a lot of next year is pretty disconcerting considering how much they have done to push the Xbox brand forward. If there are no big games to announce, that 8 million console lead could evaporate pretty quickly. Oh, and if Sony does price cut, MS has no choice but to follow suit. I just don't think dollar for dollar the 360 Premium can beat the PS3 at the same price point.

logikil

@Dude From Dubai: Agreed, those dreads are pretty awesome.

@FlagshipFighter:

I'm also hoping they show off some Alan Wake. Honestly, that's all i really want for E3....and maybe some Crackdown 2 info.

@[news.teamxbox.com]

And I think gamers would care if it really is something close to that (where it syncs your xbox originals, xbla, movies, tv shows, etc for free).

But if its basically a ipod touch knockoff where its separate from the xbox then I will agree it will be a flop because they wont compete very well against the touch. I just think there is opportunity for ms to do something special with their portable.

jagowar

@Gyaruson:

Still though, I did not see any "better" coverage of games last year even with the lower attendance rate. Most consumers would rather experiance the fun that is E3 rather than hear some journalist explain a few extra minutes of a game... IMO a few minutes with each title is enough to do a little reporting.

orenn

Great piece. I dunno about MS. I have a hard time believing they have these awesome games they have just been sitting on for the better part of a year. I guess we'll see. I'm ready for the press conference on the 1st to be a lot of already announced 3rd party stuff and some motion sensing garbage that I'm not going to care about.

Gray665

@jagowar: WILDCARD! / End Always Sunny reference

Gray665

@jagowar: I agree, it is all up in the air still.

I hope we hear surprises from all 3 companies.

I know I'm looking at some big news from the PS3, because I want to get one, but have been holding out for those MUST buy games - and Heavy Rain is one of them. I'm not big on Metal Gear, or God of War, so those games don't do it for me.

I know I'm looking forward to Mass Effect 2, maybe some GTA news, Dead Rising. . . .

But, I want a GIG SURPRISE.

Uh. Is is just me or did the video revert back to episode one? I see the one I watched previously, yet it's titled part 2. I'm so confused!

I must be living in a time paradox or something...where 1 = 2 and 2 is non-existent...my mind can't comprehend these things...

Good show.

I think if Microsoft doesn't announce a couple new killer apps, and Sony announces a $100 price cut and the stuff I've been hearing about, then this is the year that the PS3 could even touch Wii's monthly sales numbers.

@jagowar: If agree with 2/3 of your comment. None of 'em had a clue of what MS could be announcing. Everything that was mentioned was quite obvious and I don't think any of the things mentioned would be close to enough to win the war. I really doubt MS will do great this year...especially not with all the other big announcements.

As for the Zune HD; I doubt gamers will care about it. It might surpass the iPhone/iPod but do gamers really care about those gadgets as much as they do for, say, the next
Metal Gear game?

Oh well, we'll see....

Can't wait for next week's episode!

BarbeQueQ

My personal opinion about E3 going public:

I was at E3 2006, with the largest attendance ever recorded for the convention. I had appointments for V.I.P. booth tours with every major player at the show, but obviously Nintendo was the big draw that year. With my tour I could only get 30 seconds to a minute hands-on with each title before my Nintendo rep moved me on to the next one. The same can be said about some Ubisoft, and Microsoft but not nearly as bad as Nintendo.

This, to me, is unacceptable. When the people who have assignments to cover certain games can't even get any time with the games because of the throngs or people, then there is something wrong with the show. I loved what Crecente said about comparing E3 to Leipzig. Why couldn't it be like that? Just have kiosks set up on the gamers side with the minor foot soldiers whose job it is to answer questions about how awesome the game will be, and then have the developers, publishers, as well as the kiosks on the journalists side. Everybody wins.

Sony Bonus Round NAO.

@FlagshipFighter:
I would enjoy more announcements for the download services. I grabbed tmnt arcade off xbla the other day and I love that.

Great episode, I'm liking all of the idea's thrown around although I disagree that there are builds shown at E3 that "Wouldn't be ready for the consumer to digest." I'm not a fan of over-hype, but to be honest almost all game hype is based on leaked or pre-release footage, it's where the speculation begins for most of us.

I think what came across to me is ms is by far the biggest wildcard of the big 3..... nobody really knows what they are going to show (compared to sony/ms).

You can tell none of the people there really had a good idea what kind of surprise announcements are going to be made outside the obvious ones.

I still think the zunehd could be the big surprise for all of e3 (and not just ms) if the teamxbox article about it is even close to accurate.

jagowar

@Dude From Dubai: Also, is it me, or was this video on previously ?

@Dude From Dubai: I know! It just . . . flows. . . .

You know Crecente, you really look like this arab guy I know. Right down to the facial hair stylings and smile.

He doesn't have your hair though.

Yes, only you posses those curly locks...only you...

Esper mind tricks

@FlagshipFighter: No that I think of it, I would also like to see there XBLA lineup. Many may disagree with me, but I think download services like XBLA/PSN are fantastic! (considering most of them give a really quick fix for gaming!) So much incredible things have come out! Best concept this generation, I really can't wait what the service has more to offer!

Oh my, those hairy locks look dreamy ...

♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥

That was a fantastic watch (watched it when it came out) I agree with every point made. I did think the controller was a horrible idea, glad that never went through. So far the game I'm looking forward to see more of is Alan Wake, gives me that Shenmue vibe with a spot of Fahreheit/Indigo Prophecy. I aso looking forward to what mistwalker may announce (if they do). I would love to see another sequel/similar to Lost Odyssey.

E3 is going to be fun to watch, can't wait!

Hmm. Doesn't really seem like the journalist really like the fact that MS has been so secretive. I can understand to an extent, but I lean more to them having a LOT to show than a little just because they know better than anyone how competitive it is this time around.

MS will shock and awe. They have no choice.

But why are people so hyped about Sony's show? What am I missing? Is it because of their pre-E3 event?

Not a single mention of Rare how lame.

MDX

@MDX: What does Rare really have? Perfect dark arcade? That's all I can think of.

@bakagaijin: Keep watching . It's about halfway through. Threw me for a loop too.

Jeez, ya coulda' warned me that half of the video was from the video we saw last week. Severe Deja vu.

@Gyaruson:
Yeah, just a few seconds does kinda suck. Guess I'd have to be a journalist to really know! From my current stand point though, I am excited for E3 this year!

orenn

I WANT KI3

Foodstamp69