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Can you feel it? That buzz of energy in the air that permeates the global gaming landscape right around this time each and every year?!?! It’s FREAKIN’ E3!!! That’s right, the big show is right around the corner and of course we here at VideoGameHenchmen.com are, like you, getting more stoked than ever for all of the big reveals and industry-shaking headlines that make E3 the biggest spectacle in gaming!
Of course, with each year comes a new opportunity for the usual suspects, the big three console manufacturers, to rise above the competition and win over the hearts and minds (and wallets) of gamers with groundbreaking announcements or “OMG, WTF” reveals. In fact, before the E3 showroom floor even opens, the most major battles have already been fought with Microsoft, Sony, and Nintendo each staging major press events in the moments leading up to the actual convention. This year the stakes are higher than they’ve ever been before as all three have a distinct ability to gain (and lose) ground on their fiercest competitors.
so the question I ask you guys is?
WHICH COMPANY HAS THE MOST RIDING ON E3 2011
AND WHY?
Now, to be super clear, we’re not looking for you to discuss the company that you WANT to win out or the one that you want to LOSE out…Gather your thoughts and make your best judgement as to which one of the big three has the most opportunity to fail or succeed at this year’s show. We know Nintendo and Sony have new hardware to show off, but what about Microsoft? Which company will benefit the most from a major game announcement and do you have any clue which game it might be? If you could imagine one headline that would steal the show for one of these companies, what would that headline be and who would be making it?
Alright, thanks in advance for your contributions to this week’s conversation and have a great time discussing E3 2011′s big three right here on VGH!
In my mind, it’s Nintendo with the new console reveal. From what we’ve read, it’s not a generational leap ahead of the 360 or PS3 in terms of power, so they have to wow the gaming audience with its more creative gameplay capabilities.
P.S. I’m finally getting around to playing Super Mario Galaxy 2, so I am really hoping for some future gameplay memories from nintendo to match or beat that experience.
I think its a tie between all three.
Sony obviously is going to have the elephant in the room (and I don’t mean Brent after gorging himself on the buffet) of talking about their security and what they plan to do going forward.
Nintendo has the responsibility of unleashing a new console and showing off its capabilities.
Microsoft had better bring something new other than just software for the Kinect and a few game sequels otherwise they’ll just be dead in the water.
I’m of the opinion that Nintendo has to really shake up their game. The popularity of the Wii by the casual audience was obviously huge, but the fact is that after the initial ‘wow’ factor of playing Wii sports with the kids or doing Wii fit for a month or so, almost all Wii consoles have been left gathering dust.
If you could peak into the casual household and get a look at people’s Wii software line up, you’d probably find the two above mentioned games, New Super Mario Bros, some form of Wii party game (ala Mario Party) and maybe a Mario Galaxy game. And that is about it.
The point is that the casual revolution might well be over for Nintendo. Parents may well look at the Wii and think; “How much does that thing actually get played?”. Is it really worth buying another console that you’ll only play once in a blue moon? And lets face it, if a household owns a 360 or PS3, then the Wii will always be merely the afterthought.
Nintendo can’t rely on the casual audience anymore, because they will almost certainly be doing the math and end up voting with their wallets. I really don’t think lightning will strike twice.
So, yeah, I think the big N has a lot riding on this… So much so that it could be ‘do or die’ time!
At first I was going to say Sony because of the loss of customer trust this past month, but in actuality, I feel that Microsoft is the company that really has to try the hardest to capture my interest. I’m not delusional in thinking that they are targeting me, specifically, but as their customer, I feel as if they should be, just on principle from the individual consumer point of view that we all share.
I own all three current-gen consoles, Wii, PS3, and 360. For the purpose of this answer, I’m going to put Nintendo aside since I know they’ve got Project Espresso coming up and their first party content is consistently strong and of high-quality.
As far as PS3 and 360 are concerned, I see a HECK of a lot in store for PlayStation owners in terms of first, second, and third party titles, and to top it off, there’s the NGP. In less than a year’s time, we should all be past this whole PSN security breach, hopefully with a more down-to-earth and careful Sony, so we can once again focus on what makes them strong- their content.
Sadly, I do not share this foresight with Microsoft. As a core gamer I feel that the company is losing it’s foothold on the gaming industry with (let’s face it) crap like Kinect titles and a supermodel-thin exclusive lineup. I am straining my brain to think of some of these exclusives and all I can come up with is GoW3 and a remake of a decade-old game. Unless Microsoft shows me something stellar on the Kinect (not holding my breath), or an experience on the 360 that I can’t get somewhere else (read: Sony), then Microsoft will have “lost” E3 in my mind.