[Aptorian]

Watching the Ubisoft conference. It's off to a silly start.

Mario + Rabbits: Kingdom Battle is interesting. I never really paid attention to the Rabbids when they were popular but it's hard not to see the similarity to Minions.

I love the Rabbids dressed as Mario characters. They're delightfully ugly.

Holy shit this is an X-com battle system! Alright I am now 50% happier that I bought a Switch.

More AC: Origins. I still think Origins is a far too generic title for the game, but it looks amazing. Nice cinematic trailer. I wonder how much more “adventurey” it’s going to be compared to older titles. Supposedly they were heavily inspired by Witcher 3.

That The Crew 2 cinematic trailer looks phenomenal but does it mean we’re going to be able to fly, sail and ride bikes as well as drive cars? I wonder what the plot will be beyond “Have fun”?

That developers french accent was hella thick.

It’s hard to believe that the gameplay they are showing is in game footage. The sharpness, reflections, detail seems way overboard for what you’d expect of a game meant to run on consoles. Getting ready for the inevitable graphical downgrade.

More South Park: Fractured But Whole gameplay. Still excited for it but at this point they need to put up or shut up.

Transference. Seems to be a VR psychological horror? No thanks. No thanks times a million.

Skull and Bones? Could it be? Are we finally getting that Black Flag spin-off? FUCK YES. I think they should have kept the Black Flag name, it’s a better series title. Maybe it’s too close to HBO’s Black Sails?

It seems like they’re divorcing it from Assassin’s Creed which is a smart idea.

Oh no, the dreaded words team based PVP?! Ubisoft has really been leaning into multiplayer these past years but I want singleplayer adventure and exploration. Well, at least you’re not crewing a ship as a team like Sea of Thieves.

Seamonsters? Oh my.

Won’t be out before Fall 2018? So, Watch Dogs 3 and Skull and Bones for Fall 2018 then?

Just Dance 2018 looks… well, they didn’t really show much did they? Am I supposed to know who Bebe Rexha is? Have I finally reached that age where I stop recognizing who the current pop stars are?

I kind of want to play that South Park: Phone Destroyer game.

What is this weird toys to life space game they are showing? Is this the game that Ubisoft teased through Watch Dogs 2? Does this mean that Ubisoft is trying to get into the Toys for Life genre? I thought it was beginning to die? Disney bowed out. Activision is on a downslope. And Ubisoft wants in?

Called Starlink: Battle for Atlas… Hmm, seems like an interesting title. Generic in setting but I trust Ubisoft to make fun games.

New Steep content. I thought that game bombed? Good for Ubisoft that they are keeping with it. I guess?

Farcry 5 gameplay. Oh, we have a dog and companions now? Might that mean that that they story could be players multiplayer?

Okay that is some crazy footage. Guns, dogs and friends for hire systems? I feel like this might make you too powerful?

Certainly looks amazing. Shame it’s a 2018 release.

And they close off the conference with Beyond Good and Evil 2? Hell of an ending.

I thought they were doing some kind of fake out with the bad guy pig but damn if it wasn’t the actual game. I don’t remember Beyond Good and Evil having any kind of scope like this. I was expecting a much smaller game. This looks like they just went all out and said “fuck it, let’s make something ridiculous expensive”.

This was a great conference. Ubisoft is probably my favorite publisher and they didn't disappoint. I love their games.

This post has been edited by Seduce Goose: 12 June 2017 - 09:48 PM

[Malankazooie]

Ubisoft:

So they've capitalized on the popularity of the pirate action in Black Flag and have made a game centered solely around that called Skull & Bones. Looks pretty sweet. And was that a Kraken at the end?

[Serenity]

[Malankazooie]

Ubisoft:

Beyond Good and Evil 2 announced. I never played the original, but this got a huge reaction from the crowd, so must be significant (or something)

[Mentalist]

Ubisoft running thoughts:

Pickmin (okay, rabbids, same difference) meets Mario. Okay. Not a platformer- an icon-searchings Mario?

No, ok it's Mario meets X-COM. Holy shit. This alone is enough to win E3. I will not be playing it, but I applaud the creativity.

AssCreed... well, we saw a lot in Microsoft's conference, but I like that they are referring to Black Flag as the series' high point. Oh, 30 min gameplay after? Meh, I'll be commuting, I'll watch that later.

The Crew 2: now with planes? And boats!

I really need to play that 1st South Park game...

Just like Beth, Ubi is putting resources into VR. Leaving EA way behind the curve.

Pirate game looks cool... please, not multi-player...fuck, it's Division with pirates, sigh. Maaaaybe there'll be offline SP? Maaaaaybe?

And now it's time for the mandatory DDR (or just dance... whatever) update. Oh Ubi, u so silly.

The space game (star-something my auto-correct ate the title): I'm not sure if Ubi is making toys now, but this had a bit of a Freelancer vibe. Please be good, and playable offline... oh you POSs, it's not coming to PC? HATE!

I won't pretend to understand Steep, but I gotta give Ubi points for not just churning out non-stop manshoots and manstabs.

Speaking of which: welcome to Montana! Fangs for hire!

Holy. Fucking. Shit. BGE2. They did it. They actually fucking did it.

Ubisoft. Winner. No question

This post has been edited by Mentalist: 12 June 2017 - 09:49 PM

[Malankazooie]

Yep, indeed. Ubisoft has had the best E3 hands down (with Sony and Nintendo still to come).

[Mentalist]

EA really needs to get their shit together and make Dragon Age Great Again ™. Or, y'know, come up with a new SP-focused IP. Maybe remember how they used to make RTSs back in the day before they spawned the abominable C&C4?

I dunno. Bethesda has a stable of franchises and studios they haven't beat to death yet. Ubisoft is brimming with originality, oddly enough, literally trying to offer "something for everyone" . Microsoft was a bit lacklustre, but there's cool bits in there. EA feels like it's basically hoping Dice will bring it all the moneys.

Edit: I just remembered recent rumours that Vivendi was trying a hostile takeover of Ubi. Given that, makes sense they went all out- they need to convince their non-industry savvy shareholders that they really are the best and it's best to stick with Ubi and collect huge dividends then accept a buyout from Vivendi who would then probably gut Ubi for quick profit.

This post has been edited by Mentalist: 12 June 2017 - 09:29 PM

[Aptorian]

Malankazooie, on 12 June 2017 - 09:10 PM, said:

Ubisoft:

Beyond Good and Evil 2 announced. I never played the original, but this got a huge reaction from the crowd, so must be significant (or something)

BGE 2 is one of those unicorn games that are up there with Half-life 3, Duke Nukem and The Last Guardian in terms of games people have been waiting for for a long time.

It's perhaps become more coveted than the original game truly merits, but it certainly will be interesting to see where it goes.

Mentalist, on 12 June 2017 - 09:12 PM, said:

I really need to play that 1st South Park game...

You really do. Even if you're not a South Park fan.

The Stick of Truth is probably the funniest and most shockingly absurd game I have played. It's incredibly lewd and disgusting in the best kind of way.

[Malankazooie]

Ubisoft:

The game play they showed of Farcry 5 was brutal and nutzo. I wonder if they are going to incorporate the dynamic of GTA V, where you can switch between characters? How neat would it be to accomplish one objective with your guy on the ground and then switch to the guy in the airplane to complete the next. A lot of fun, yes?

[Aptorian]

Malankazooie, on 12 June 2017 - 10:05 PM, said:

Ubisoft:

The game play they showed of Farcry 5 was brutal and nutzo. I wonder if they are going to incorporate the dynamic of GTA V, where you can switch between characters? How neat would it be to accomplish one objective with your guy on the ground and then switch to the guy in the airplane to complete the next. A lot of fun, yes?

I wouldn't like that. The Farcry games are personal stories.

If you look at the trailer again, you'll notice they label the various support types. It's continuing the guns for hire system from Farcry 4 and maybe 3? You buy or earn tokens that you use to summon assistance.

[Mentalist]

Got home, and just about enough time to watch the PC Gaming show before Sony starts.

[Malankazooie]

Some more take aways from Ubisoft conference:

- Assassin Creed Origins: The presenter said they've been working on this since Black Flag. Take from that what you will.

- South Park The Fractured But Whole: quote: "Tool Shed is a butt fucking asshole"

- Transference: Not much revealed about this other then it's going to be VR? and it has something to do with your conscience being uploaded. It has Elijah Wood attached to it, which for me is a plus because he has associated himself with some interesting projects (movies and tv) since his LOTR heyday. I'm interested to see what this is about.

[worry]

That Beyond Good & Evil 2 trailer was beyond stupid & vulgar. So disappointed. I'd prefer no sequel to that.

[Mentalist]

oh, God....



So, M$oft heard the hundreds of fans, who were craving a re-master of the Original Age of Empires following the HD-fication of AoEII and its Steam release.

So they are making AoE remastered a Windows Store exclusive.

This is a disaster waiting to happen.

This post has been edited by Mentalist: 13 June 2017 - 02:48 AM

[Mentalist]

IGN's Sony stream sucks. The sound is all distorted.

Exclusives: Uncharted, Horizon, that zombie game, lots of VR titles, God of War (where I'm guessing Kratos will be freeing Fenris and starting Ragnarok)

Monster Hunter World looks cool. And it's Capcom, so it may not be an exclusive EDIT: PC version confirmed!

Shadow of the Colossus re-master? hrm

Oh hey, now we get CoD. Sony grabbed it for their presser.

And exclusive Destiny 2 stuff. Looks like Activision is really jumping ship from Microsoft and picking Sony as the console front-runner

Arkham Spidey actually looks entertaining. Hopefully it's a timed exclusive only, but given how posessive Sony is, I'm not get my hopes up

This post has been edited by Mentalist: 13 June 2017 - 02:35 AM

[Malankazooie]

Sony conference:

Damn, obviously Spider-Man is their showstopper. Looked pretty awesome to me. Maybe heavy on the QTE though?

- Days Gone. Was that a zombie bear?

- God of War. Uh, gets help from Jörmungandr (world serpent)? Which mythology says heralds in Ragnarök?

- A lot of VR titles. Skyrim, Star Child, The Inpatient, Monster of the Deep (FF DLC), Bravo Team, Moss,

- COD WII makes an appearance.

- Shadow of the Colossus for PS 4?

- Monster Hunter World. I like how he walked off like a boss when he led that T-Rex into that flying dragon thing.

- Horizon Zero Dawn DLC (The Frozen Wilds)

- Uncharted The Lost Legacy. Just a fancy trailer is all that is shown.

- Destiny 2. It was meh, boring. Nothing of note to say about it other then nonsense exclusive content for PlayStation (strike, pvp map, ship, legendary weapon) <<<<< poopy

Overall, the conference was a step up from "meh". They had a lot of glitzy/flashy/polished game trailers, but didn't drill down that much into game play or more detail. So, yeah, a notch above "meh". And yeah, really pushing VR titles.

[Mentalist]

Malankazooie, on 12 June 2017 - 05:14 AM, said:

Wow, this Devolver Digital presentation is really terrible. I think it may be intentional and they are trolling E3 or something. I guess I don't really care to watch any more.

I feel that ever since the Serious Sam 3 marketing campaign Devolver's been cultivating this "we're anti-establishment rebels for teh lulz!"-publisher image. And they continue playing on this gimmick for some odd reason (I guess their fans dig it? Or maybe it's he only way they can see themselves staying relevant?)

I mean, it's really kinda funny and sad that they (and to a lesser extent EA with that Battlefront space-lady) tried to imitate Aisha Tyler the year Ubisoft dropped her. Bonus points go to Ubi, and they didn't have to do anything for them.

Devolver would've done a good job trolling E3 a few years back. But this year everyone mostly toned down the talks, letting the trailers do the talking.

[Aptorian]

Just finished the Playstation conference.

Spoiler

Strange they seem to be revealing tons of games or at least new footage in the pre-show

GT Sport looks pretty. Interesting that they are aiming at moving away from the car collection aspect, to focus on driving.

Knack 2 looks good. I never understood people’s dislike of the first game. I played it at a demo kiosk and thought it was really solid.

Hidden Agenda looks great. I like that they’re taking the concept of Until Dawn and applying it to a different genre of games. Or should one say TV? It still feels like the studio does David Cage games better than David Cage does.

Matter fall looks okay graphically (it’s a House Marque game after all) but the gameplay isn’t exactly refreshing.


Tropico 6! I’ve only played the 4th one, but I really like these games. The idea of running a Banana republic is fun.

Ni No Kuni 2 still looks great. Question will be how it plays. I was enamoured with the first one but the handholding and the combat soured me on the game.

Okay the conference is actually beginning

What’s up with this Asien/Middle Eastern looking music intro?

Oh it’s an Uncharted: Lost Legacy trailer. How big is this game actually meant to be? I thought it was just an expansion but they’re treating it like a new game?

Horizon DLC. I really wish I owned a PS4.

Days Gone is looking great. Like a more action themed Last of Us. I like that it’s not just Zombie humans but zombie creatures as well. Although I might wonder at the threat of Zombie birds or even zombie insects if the virus is that prolific or aggressive.

Monster hunter gonna monster hunter. I just don’t see the appeal of these games. It’s grinding for the sake of grinding.

Wow, this re-mastered Shadow of the Colossus looks fantastic. Shame the actual game was overly long.

Marvel vs Capcom: Infinite is curious. There seems to be a lot more story there than I expected.

COD:WW2 looks great but It’s funny to see COD’s slow decline in term of prestige. There was a time that COD was everywhere at E3 and was featured prominently. Now it’s just one of many trailers at the Sony conference and Microsoft didn’t even mention them,

Skyrim VR. I wonder if it will be as open as Fallout 4?

Star Child looks curious, if nothing else because it’s third person camera VR game.

So Supermassive games are not just making Hidden Agenda but also two high quality VR games? That studio really seems to be doing well.

God of War still looks good. But not coming out this year? Wonder what their fall line up is then?

Detroit: Become Human is starting look different from what I expected. I was thinking it would a smaller story. More personal. Still no release date.

Destiny 2 looks sexy. Question is if the storytelling is going to approve.

Spiderman is looking extremely cool but it also seems highly scripted. It’s hard to tell how much is in the player's control and how much is just quick time events.

That last scene was dumb. Why didn’t spiderman’s spider sense warn him that the demon guy was faking?

I think this was a poor conference. Lots of new footage but few release dates and few new titles.

[Khellendros]

Finished watching all the conferences.

What a fallow, lacklustre year for E3. Almost everything shown was there last year, and still most of it is due a 2018 or later release. In that respect, I have to give props to Bethesda, as they only showed things to be released this year (although most of their showcase was essentially a celebration of Bethesda's past rather than what they were doing in the future).

Nothing stood out, nothing was head and shoulders game of the show for me. I would say Spider-Man was the most standout, but it was a low bar, and it felt (unsurprisingly) highly scripted. Somehow I doubt I'll be able to pull off those free-flowing moves quite as well

In terms of overall presentations, I'll give it to Bethesda just for the creative Bethesdaland theme, rather than the game themselves.

Ubisoft without Aisha Tyler just felt wrong.

Nice to see Beyond Good and Evil 2 confirmed confirmed, but I'll wait till I see actual gameplay rather than a video. Seems like it's a prequel rather than sequel, and the fucking tone has really fucking changed, motherfucker.

God of War gameplay to me looks different to last year. The camera is more zoomed out rather than over the shoulder, and it seems more like old God of War.

What else...

I am a bit more positive about Days Gone than I was last year. Still seems pretty derivative of other zombie games though.

Anthem I am completely meh about. I wonder if they thought, 'shiiit, Bungie are doing our thing!' while making it

Skull and Bones also not my thing. Interestingly, I am super excited about Sea of Thieves on the other hand, I like that sillier vibe.

I am annoyed at Assassin's Creed Origins. They are yet to say exactly what period of 'ancient Egypt' it's set in, and from the trailers I am getting the distinct feeling that they've just smashed together ten thousand years of history.

Shadow of the Colossus remake is Japan Studio desperately trying to make money after spending ten years developing The Last Guardian.


A relatively disappointing showing for smaller games as well this year. Of the previously unannounced ones, I guess the Ori sequel stood out to me.

[Cause]

Khellendros, on 13 June 2017 - 01:11 PM, said:

Finished watching all the conferences.


I am annoyed at Assassin's Creed Origins. They are yet to say exactly what period of 'ancient Egypt' it's set in, and from the trailers I am getting the distinct feeling that they've just smashed together ten thousand years of history.

I googled it after watching some game-play and I saw a ship filled with what looked roman style shield and the men onbaord had those greek like helmets. Apparently its around the era of cleopatra. So Late in the history of egypt.