e3 2011 Archives - PSX Extreme

Bioshock Infinite Scores Big In The E3 Game Critics Awards

Ben-Dutka June 28, 2011 Archive 15 Comments

A whole lot of fantastic games enjoyed great showings at E3 2011, and the results are in for the annual E3 Game Critics Awards.

When we saw the nominations , we weren't exactly surprised. Uncharted 3: Drake's Deception , Bioshock Infinite , Batman: Arkham City , The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim , Battlefield 3 , and the surprising Tomb Raider raked in most of the nods. And as it turns out, Irrational's hugely promising new entry in the Bioshock franchise has earned top honors:

If you check the official website , you'll see that Bioshock Infinite won Best of Show, Best Original Game, Best PC Game, and Best Action/Adventure Game. That sweeps away the competition; Uncharted 3 didn't win anything, which we have to disagree with, but Naughty Dog will have the last laugh come November. Also, the PlayStation Vita earned the Best Hardware award, which should excite the portable aficionados.

One thing to note, though- Bioshock Infinite doesn't come out until next year, so it has no chance of taking home any end-of-2011 honors. We still want it, though…really badly.

Related Game(s): Bioshock Infinite

EEDAR: Mass Effect 3 “Most Promising Retail Title”

Ben-Dutka June 21, 2011 Archive 47 Comments

E3 2011 is over but the analysts continue to examine the results.

The latest comes from analyst firm EEDAR, as they've compiled a list of the top 20 "Most Promising Retail Titles of E3 2011." The list was compiled based on page views and purchase intent at IGN, and overall media views. And the bottom line is that BioWare's Mass Effect 3 is in the top spot. In response, BioWare Vice President of Marketing Patrick Buechner said:

"We are excited to see that there was such a high level of interest in Mass Effect 3 during E3, especially when you consider how many amazing games were on display at this year's show. The team is making an incredible game that will attract both our loyal fans and players who are new to the franchise, making for a huge event launch at retail in March."

As for the list, games like Uncharted 3: Drake's Deception and Batman: Arkham City just missed the top 5, which is right here:

By the way, Uncharted 3 was the highest ranking exclusive, which ought to say something, and inFamous 2 came in at #10. Multiplats will always rule the sales charts – it's just mathematics, really – but great exclusives get attention, too.

Related Game(s): Mass Effect 3

Uncharted 3 And Batman Lead Game Critics E3 Awards

John-Shepard June 21, 2011 Archive 28 Comments

There were a ton of great games on display at E3, and the Game Critics Awards nominations for the event have been released .

Uncharted 3: Drake's Deception and Bioshock Infinite led the charge with four nominations each, while many other titles (including Batman: Arkham City , The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim , Battlefield 3 , and Tomb Raider ) picked up three apiece. As for publishers, EA and Sony each got 14 total nominations, Microsoft netted 11, Ubisoft had 7, and Nintendo and Warner Bros. each landed 6. If you're wondering, the Game Critics Awards Best of E3 2011 nominations are determined by a group of judges from 35 different publications.

Uncharted 3 was nominated for Best of Show, Best Console Game, Best Action/Adventure Game, and Best Online Multiplayer Game. For the record, here are the nominations for Best of Show:

There may not have been a lot of huge surprises at E3, but the software lineup for this year is pretty damn impressive. Sure, we already knew about all of them before E3 but in this day and age, it's almost impossible to keep big projects secret for the express purpose of revealing them at E3.

E3 2011 Booths In Home Attract Over 500,000 Gamers

Ben-Dutka June 17, 2011 Archive 10 Comments

E3 2011 is over and this year's event drew 46,800 visitors. But not everyone could be in Los Angeles.

On the other hand, a whole lot of people have PlayStation 3 systems and access to PlayStation Home. Over 500,000 gamers flocked to the virtual E3 booths over the past week, which marks a record one-week total for the rapidly expanding social service. There are over 20 million registered Home users worldwide and after the PlayStation Network got hacked and Home finally returned, Sony offered over 100 free virtual items as an incentive to bring users back. But it was the E3 booths, which also featured live streaming from the event, that really hit hard. Last year, 5 times as many people visited the E3 booth in Home when compared to the actual show in LA…this year, there were 10 times as many virtual attendees. It's free and easy to check things out from anywhere in the country, right?

With over 230 games in Home and a ton of various spaces – not to mention the new PSXE Show in the Community Theater – there are a great many reasons to come visit.

Pachter: Vita Was “Solid” At E3, Wii U “2 Years Too Late”

Ben-Dutka June 13, 2011 Archive 72 Comments

E3 is over and done with; it's time for the analysts to weigh in.

Wedbush Morgan analyst Michael Pachter touched on various highlights for Sony, Microsoft and Nintendo; as for Sony, while he believes the PlayStation Vita has the "second-dumbest name for a device after the Wii U," he says the company still had a "solid presentation." He also expressed surprise at the agreeable price ($249 for the non-3G model and $299 for the 3G-enabled model). Pachter added:

"We expect the 3DS to sell well at holiday, due to a phenomenal lineup of content, but think that the PS Vita will capture some share early next year. Solid sales of each device should bode well for GameStop, which will likely receive preferential allocations. Sony also continued to try to integrate its other consumer electronics products into its E3 presentation by announcing a 3DTV PlayStation-branded bundle priced at $499, which we expect to sell exceedingly well."

Regarding the Wii U, Pachter said it was "the most impactful' announcement at the show, but it's coming "two years too late."

"The most impactful 'reveal' at the show was the Wii U, which, in our opinion, is arriving two years too late. Depending on pricing, the system will be either a phenomenal success or a phenomenal failure, as competitive bundles for Xbox 360 with Kinect and PS3 with Move are likely to be priced below $300 by the time the Wii U launches."

For Microsoft, Pachter said the company seems to be "making several sound business decisions that will position its console with Kinect as the media center of the living room." He finished by saying the game lineup wasn't "particularly surprising," but the "integration of Bing search into Kinect was perhaps the most impactful announcement of the show."

…we have to assume he's talking specifically about Microsoft's conference.

“Boring” Skyrim E3 Presence: Accurate Or Subjective?

Ben-Dutka June 11, 2011 Archive 63 Comments

The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim is one of the most anticipated titles of 2011 and yet, it has received a whole lot of backlash from a seemingly "sleep-inducing" E3 presentation .

Apparently, it doesn't seem like much of an upgrade over the last iteration ( Oblivion ) as only the ability to cast magic with one hand and use a weapon in the other was featured. In fact, they spent 35 minutes showing off that feature, along with a big ol' dragon, which would qualify as another addition. But it just didn't go over well, at least with that one source – and a few others – but the hardcore role-players are all saying the same thing: "the only people who should be evaluating Skyrim are hardcore role-players ."

Now, there is some validity to that. Skyrim really only appeals to a certain crowd and if you're not a member of that crowd, you will almost undoubtedly peg the game as "boring." Perhaps those who just adore the open-world freedom in every Elder Scrolls watched that presentation with great anticipation, knowing, beyond any shadow of a doubt, that they'll dump another few hundred hours into Skyrim when it arrives. It's one of those games that either hooks you immediately and holds you for a long time or turns you off almost instantly. Therefore, "boring" may be a case of subjectivity over quality.

We have a lot of role-playing fans around here, so what do you think? Maybe only the demo at E3 was boring and not well presented; that can happen, even with great games. But does that affect your interest in the game? If not, why?

Related Game(s): The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim