E3 2006 Wrapped Up
Now that I’ve reached the latter stages of post-E3 recovery and collected my thoughts, I think I’m ready to sum up the experience.
First, the previous coverage: all of my game-related commentary can be found sprinkled throughout the unwieldy, comprehensive tome that is GWJ’s E3 2006 Compiled Coverage. And GWJ also has my thoughts what really impressed me about the event—the warmth and enthusiasm of so many of the people I met.
This year, the crowds were lighter, there were less booth models, and overall there was a notable shift in focus towards actual hardware and software instead of nebulous concepts and empty hype. I’m hesitant to repeat what’s been covered ad nauseum elsewhere in terms of overall impressions, except to note that, like most attendees, I came away with the feeling that Microsoft made a very strong showing, Nintendo generated the most interest, and Sony appears to be poised to wage a bit of an uphill battle (at least in the initial years of the new console generation).
There was a very brief time period, near the release date of the 360, when I imagined that the offerings of the new console generation would largely negate any interest I might have in ever upgrading my PC again. The undeniable allure of the PC’s upcoming gaming possibilities has completely ruined that little fantasy. So I’m committed to a major PC upgrade, probably to coincide with the release of Vista next year. And the rest of my major gaming purchases are probably decided as well. In all likelihood, I will be buying a Wii at launch. I can’t imagine that I will be purchasing a PS3 until years after its release. And while a DS Lite is definitely in my future, I’ll probably never buy a PSP. So it looks like my money’s headed for Microsoft and Nintendo.
There were a lot of great looking games this year, far more than I was able to see myself. And a lot of new IPs as well. I won’t bother discussing the AAA titles that are getting the lion’s share of the attention, like Crysis, The Twilight Princess, Gears of War, Spore, Bioshock, etc. I do want to mention a few games, though, that seem more likely to be overlooked: The Witcher, a dark, mature, carefully envisioned, and lovingly crafted RPG for the PC; Okami, the Zelda-esqe and visually stunning PS2 title by Clover Studios; Contact, SUDA-51’s quirky, conceptually deep RPG/adventure for the DS; and Paraworld, a beautiful, unusual, and extremely elegant strategy PC title from Sunflowers. I’ve got every reason to believe that if any of these deliver on their potential, they’ll be fantastic.