E3 2006
[](http://e3expo.com/)[](http://e3expo.com/)[](http://e3expo.com/)
I
didn't go to [E3](http://e3expo.com/) this year, but thanks to sites like
[Google Video](http://video.google.com/), I don't have to settle for news bites
and first impressions. I can watch the [full-length press
conferences](http://video.google.com/videosearch?q=e3+2006+conference) from
Microsoft, Sony, and Nintendo, as well as [in-depth
tours](http://video.google.com/videosearch?q=e3+2006+booth) of almost every
booth at the show. (OK, except maybe [Kentia
Hall](http://www.penny-arcade.com/2006/05/15).) What more could an armchair
pundit want?
So, without further ado, here are my thoughts on E3 2006. (Also check out
[Mike](http://mmandel.com/)'s
[pictures](http://web.mac.com/mmandel1/iWeb/3F8D6806-20FB-444A-B61A-A9F109726977/2248C63C-28B8-451E-9A05-6515AFE5FF35.html).)
-[ Live Anywhere...](/space/E3 2006#live_anywhere)
-[ ...and the rest of Microsoft's conference](/space/E3 2006#ms)
-[ Nintendo Wii](/space/E3 2006#wii)
-[ Satoru Iwata and the future of games](/space/E3 2006#future)
-[ Sony, Playstation 3, yawn](/space/E3 2006#sony)
-[ Network partitioning](/space/E3 2006#partitioning)
-[ My picks](/space/E3 2006#picks)
-[ Interview rant: bad producer, no milestone!](/space/E3 2006#interviews)
[](/space/E3+2006#live_anywhere)
Without a doubt, the news of the show in my mind was Microsoft's [Live
Anywhere](http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/businesstechnology/2002983720_ethree10.html).
In a nutshell, it extends [Xbox Live](http://www.xbox.com/en-us/live/) across
PCs, the web, cell phones, PDAs, and other devices. Sure, [Halo
3](http://bungie.com/Games/Halo3/) won't be the same on a cell phone as it is on
your surround sound HDTV...but you'll still be able to interact meaningfully
with the game, and with other people, on lots of different devices. The details
haven't been nailed down yet, but still, I can't wait to see what developers do
with this.
[](/space/E3+2006#ms)
Microsoft's [press
conference](http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-5464840438758882529&q=e3+2006+conference)
also had a couple surprises and a glaring absence. They managed to steal [Grand
Theft Auto](http://rockstargames.com/grandtheftauto4/) and
[Lumines](http://www.gamespot.com/xbox360/puzzle/lumineslive/), Sony exclusives,
in a pretty impressive Xbox 360 coup. [Bungie](http://bungie.com/) also
announced [Halo 3](http://bungie.com/Games/Halo3/), natch. However, the rumored
Microsoft handheld, [Origami](http://www.gamespot.com/news/6145278.html), was
nowhere to be found. Maybe it's farther out than we all
thought.
[](/space/E3+2006#wii)
Apart from Live Anywhere, the other major news of the show was Nintendo's
[Wii](http://wii.nintendo.com/). They'd already released trailers and [announced
the name](http://wii.nintendo.com/philosophy.html), but this was the first time
they'd given the unwashed masses quality time with it in any meaningful way.
According to most first impressions, the controller is already a success. More
interestingly, I didn't hear the standard complaints that the Wii is the runt of
the litter graphics-wise. Maybe people were too busy groping the controller to
complain, but the games look more than pretty enough to me.
More importantly, they announced a number of [third-party launch
partners](http://www.gamespot.com/news/6149746.html), including
[Activision](http://activision.com/) ([Tony
Hawk](http://www.gamespot.com/wii/sports/tonyhawksdownhilljam/), [Call of
Duty](http://www.gamespot.com/wii/action/callofduty3/)),
[Square](http://www.square-enix.com/) ([Final
Fantasy](http://www.gamespot.com/wii/rpg/finalfantasycrystalchronicles/)), and
[Sega](http://sega.com/)
([Sonic](http://www.gamespot.com/wii/action/sonicrevolution/index.html)).
However, the one that blew me away was none other than [EA](http://ea.com/)'s
[Madden Football](http://www.gamespot.com/news/6148455.html). EA is famously
conservative, especially with their EA Sports brand, and _especially_ with
Madden. They didn't publish any of their flagship titles for Xbox until years
after launch. Announcing their support for Wii this early in the game is a big
deal.
[](/space/E3+2006#future)
During the Nintendo press conference, president Satoru Iwata described his
company-wide "expand the market" strategy, giving the
[DS](http://www.nintendo.com/channel/ds),
[Nintendogs](http://www.nintendogs.com/), [Brain
Age](http://www.nintendo.com/gamemini?gameid=tYVqJgro-KG6QL_mMbXFoQTkQIzgi9nU),
and Wii as examples. Wii does look set to overcome the awkwardness and
intimidation of interacting with games, which will go a long way.
However, none of the _games themselves_ reached beyond the standard platform,
shooting, racing, sports, and fantasy tropes. This wasn't specific to Nintendo.
The entire show was saturated with them.
There were a few rays of light, in the form of [Spore](http://www.spore.com/),
[Viva Piñata](http://www.vivapinata.com/announce/), and
[Contact](http://www.gamespot.com/ds/rpg/contact/), but they just showed how far
we have to go. (I'm not even sure Spore is a game at all!) I've been looking
forward to truly new kinds of games for a long time...and I'm still
looking.
[](/space/E3+2006#sony)
I couldn't do an E3 writeup without mentioning [Sony](http://sony.com/) and the
[Playstation 3](http://www.ps3land.com). So, I've mentioned them. :P
OK, wiseass remarks aside, there's just nothing really interesting to me about
Sony's E3 presence this year. Sure, they're pushing the PS3 and the PSP. Sure,
there are lots of trailers and in-game footage. Sure, they have gimmicks like
the PSP's [PSOne
emulator](http://www.engadget.com/2006/04/06/leaked-shots-of-sonys-psone-emulator-for-the-psp/)
and ["wing
mirror"](http://www.gamespot.com/ps3/driving/f1/news.html?sid=6149566&mode=previews)
demo of PS3 connectivity.
Still, even with their AAA properties, CPU horsepower, and huge fan base, it's
all just more of the same. Moreover, the PS3's [motion sensor
controller](http://www.gamespot.com/ps3/action/warhawk/news.html?sid=6150807)
and [online service](http://ps3.ign.com/articles/706/706090p1.html) ([My
SingStar
Online](http://www.gamespot.com/ps3/puzzle/singstar/preview_6149496.html?part=rss&tag=gs_&subj=6149496)
notwithstanding) seem like pale also-rans compared to Nintendo's and
Microsoft's. Sony will have a lot to prove [come
November](http://www.gamespot.com/news/6145972.html).
There was one ray of light, though. The animation in EA's footage of [Madden
'07](http://www.easports.com/madden07/) and [NBA Live
'07](http://www.gamespot.com/ps3/sports/nbalive07/) on PS3 was stunning. The
money they've put toward PhDs and university relations in this generation was
very well spent.
[](/space/E3+2006#partitioning)
The PS3 online service does raise an interesting question, though. Xbox Live was
arguably the first unified online platform for core, AAA games. (I'm not
counting matchmaking services like
[MPlayer](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/MPlayer.com),
[TEN](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Total_Entertainment_Network), and
[GameSpy](http://www.gamespy.net/).) When the PS3 launches, there will be two,
both demanding a subscription fee. Will that fragment gamers even more than the
consoles themselves do? Or will they just join the networks for each console
they own?
I'm going to go out on a limb and predict that it won't matter. Online services
gain and lose subscribers based on their content. With instant messaging, for
example, it's the people. You use the IM network that your friends are on. With
Xbox Live and PS3 Online, it will be the games and the people. You'll use the
network that has the games you want to play and the people you want to play
with. The subscription fee will be a
non-issue.
[](/space/E3+2006#picks)
OK, now for the fun stuff. Here are the games from this E3 that wowed me:
* [BioShock](http://www.sshock2.com/bioshock/), the spiritual successor to
[Looking Glass](http://www.mobygames.com/company/looking-glass-studios-inc)'s
[System Shock](http://www.sshock2.com/) franchise. It swept many of the [Game of
the Show](http://www.gamespot.com/features/6151435/p-28.html)
[awards](http://www.gamecriticsawards.com/win.html), mostly due to its stunning
art direction.
* [Gears of War](http://gearsofwar.com/), also considered one of the best
games of the show.
* [Viva Piñata](http://www.vivapinata.com/announce/), for my money, was one
of the prettiest games of the show. Soooo cute!
* [Crysis](http://www.crytek.com/news/story.php?id=9&p=0&n=pr&t=1) is
gorgeous. Depth of field, motion blur, ambient maps, amazing facial rendering
and animation. Crytek ranks with Epic and Valve in next-generation tech.
* [World in Conflict](http://www.worldinconflict.com/), Sierra's alternate
future RTS, looks amazing. I'm sold, and I don't even like RTSes.
* [Haze](http://hazegame.uk.ubi.com/) is intriguing. I just wish I knew more.
* [Contact](http://www.gamespot.com/ds/rpg/contact/), a adventure RPG for the
DS, demolishes the fourth wall. My kind of game!
* [Desperate
Housewives](http://www.joystiq.com/2006/05/13/buena-vista-getting-desperate/)...ok,
the game didn't wow me, but the fact that this show and its demographic gets a
game at all? Wow. Thank The Sims for paving the way!
See my [games page](/space/games) for others I'm looking forward
to.
[](/space/E3+2006#interviews)
I have one parting shot. Publishers, developers, take note: most producers
_suck_ at giving interviews. I heard _way_ too many meaningless laundry lists of
weapons, graphics buzzwords, and gimmicky gameplay features. I forgot almost all
of them moments after I heard them.
This is not complicated! Differentiate your product. Demonstrate value. Above
all, tell us what makes it fun. Marketing makes or breaks games, and there's no
excuse for getting it so wrong!
...on that note, see you next year!
See also:
* [GDC 2006 notes](/space/GDC 2006)
* [GDC 2005 notes](/space/GDC 2005)
* [Games](/space/Games)
* [Shadow of the Colossus review](/space/2005-11-23)
* [The Longest Journey review](/space/2005-08-04)
* [Beyond Good and Evil review](/space/2004-11-11)
* [Game roundup - Amplitude, Rez, SSX, Medal of Honor, Jak, and Prince of
Persia](/space/2003-12-31)