After its poor performance in handling the Xbox’s grand reveal Microsoft headed into E3 with an obvious disadvantage compared to its competitors. The choice of content that was displayed at the conference was the direct result of the negative feedback Microsoft received from its core fan base. The majority of gamers aren't interested in social connectivity gimmicks and inaccurate voice recognition software, we just want GAMES. And games are what the Xbox conference provided. In fact over 20 games were showcased throughout the entirety of the presentation.
The cavalcade of titles was lead onto the show floor by Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain, the most recent addition to the convoluted MGS timeline. Despite the many tropes and illogical plot points that are sure to ensue, I’m honestly interested in the game. The Metal Gear series is something I’ve been a fan of for quite some time now, but brand recognition isn’t what has me interested in this particular title.
No, the setting was enough to do that. The Phantom Pain takes place in 1985 Afghanistan during the Soviet invasion of that country. But the fact that that setting is combined with mainly stealth
based mechanics is something that really intrigues me.
Real time weather, multiple modes of transportation, and various other mechanics all encapsulated in an open world environment (a first for the series) sounds like an amazing combination, if they can execute it properly. On the opposite end of the quality spectrum is the zombie smash-‘em-up Dead Rising 3. While the two previous titles in the series have always stood on an island atop the massive sea of zombie games by being vibrant and creative with a slap-stick sense of humor, this installment seems to have gone in an entirely new and unfortunate direction.
The entirety of the gameplay footage consisted of grey and brown monotony. The developers seem to be going for the standard hard-core and gritty survival game, what they believe a western audience will accept. No! That’s not what the Dead Rising series has been about at all! In Dead Rising 2 you could run around wearing a child’s sized superhero costume (as a full grown man I must add) smacking zombies across the face with an acoustic guitar, the game never took itself too seriously.