News from E3

E3 2017 was very exciting with a lot of surprises for everyone in the industry. One of the most important electronics and gaming expos in all of the world, this is one of the must visit conventions. Here are some of the key highlights to keep you informed.

Nintendo's Back

Unlike Microsoft and Sony, Nintendo focused their E3 news entirely around one device - the Nintendo Switch. This is welcome news for gaming fans - Nintendo is focused solely on delivering great games for its recently released console. 2017 has been the best Nintendo showing at E3 since 2010 with the launch of the Wii U.

Mario + Rabbids Kingdom Battle will be the first new 3D sandbox Mario game in more than a decade, actually more than 15 years! Super Mario Odyssey stole the show with his new partner, Cappy, in which he can throw his hat and possess any object in his environment as he collects Power Moons to power the eponymous ship - Odyssey. Are Bowser and Peach to be married? We have to wait til October to roam the massive open Kingdoms in this new take on the Super Mario formula.

Continuing with the theme of winning, Switch fans can look forward to the exciting release of Pokkén Tournament DX as players will be able to directly control and battle Pokémon in arena battles!

Kirby and Yoshi will each be featured in their own featured games by 2018. Bethesda's The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim will be released on the Switch this winter with select items from the Zelda franchise appearing.  

And 4 - yes, Metroid Prime 4. In development but from the second note of the "trailer" which was nothing more than a black screen with the number four emerging from the darkness. Yes, it has been a decade since Metroid Prime 3. Here's hoping the fourth installment does as much to reinvent the genre as the third one.

Gamer's rejoice, we are the true winners here!

Xbox One X

Microsoft won the social media war with the most buzz about its killer new console: the Xbox One X. Billed as the most powerful console ever, it certainly is more powerful than the PS4 Pro. It is also much more expensive at $499. The Microsoft conference was all about reassuring hard-core gamers, letting them know that they had not been abandoned. And while, spec-for-spec, the Xbox One X is a superior machine that is a discount for the hardware it will be difficult to convince consumers to shell out an extra $100 over a comparable PS4. 

The new console is the smallest Microsoft has ever made and it is impressive that it offers native support for 4K streaming and gaming, supersampling non 4K material to enhance the clarity and the color of older games and media.

For the budget conscious look at the reduced price of the Xbox One S at $249 that can also show games in 4K. Microsoft has shown its full support for both consoles but the Achilles' heel of Microsoft is their lack of a deep games library. Yes, Microsoft is promising backwards compatibility with older games but no one knows how many this will apply to. Microsoft announced 22 games to launch with the Xbox One X this holiday season but this is a far cry from the third party support for the PlayStation ecosystem of games. 

The Xbox One X is not the console for everyone but it is the best console which will give you most titillating experience for your sense.

Games Games Games

Sony had a tepid showing, if not a complete misstep. No new console, nothing significant apart from yearly iterations of popular franchises Call of Duty, Assassin's Creed, etc.

What stands out are releases of other IP's such as Beyond Good and Evil 2 from Ubisoft, Kingdom Hearts 3 from Square Enix, Uncharted: Lost Legacy, by Naughty Dog, Destiny 2, by Activision; what is wrong with Bungie for them to not be taking credit for  publishing their iconic IP? The new remake of Shadow of the Colossus is going to be on of the most anticipated game releases in living memory as the critically acclaimed original is brought into modern age. All these games are fueled by massive fan bases and expectations are high!

The new God of War adventure looks epic as Kratos and progeny look to battle the pantheon of Norse gods in 2018. Wolfenstein II: The New Colossus by Bethesda picks up immediately where the previous game left off. Sony also announced a new Spider-Man game that looks to be a fresh take on our friendly nerd, Peter Parker. Fans hope this will be to the Spider-Man universe like what Arkham games were to Batman.

Even indie games got in on the action with the highly acclaimed Life is Strange getting a surprising prequel with the teenage shenanigans of Chloe Price and her budding friendship with Rachel Amber being the focus of this game with the first episode to be released in late August 2017.

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