I’m digging the SNK Neo Geo mini. I can see myself getting one of those when released. Also, I love the LEGO games, my wife and I play them together. Great articles too.
Cary's Re-Return to E3
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 On 06/21/2018 at 11:49 PM by Cary Woodham See More From This User » |
The Electronics Entertainment Expo, or E3 for short, is one of the biggest trade shows in the video game industry, and I’ve been going to it nearly every year since 1997. Sure I’ve skipped a few years here and there. Like when I didn’t have an outlet to write on for a short while between the newspaper and GamerDad. Or when I just started a new job and didn’t have enough money or vacation time. Or when E3 went through a bit of a downsizing phase and I didn’t feel like it was worth the trip then. But those absences were all my choice. I’ve been able to go nearly every year otherwise. But for the past five years, I was denied a press pass for whatever reason. Yet somehow, this year I was able to get a media pass even though nothing had changed. So last week I went to E3, and here’s some articles about it!
For the most part, E3 hadn’t changed much since I went back in 2012. The security was tighter and it was a pain in the butt to get in the first day, but was easier on subsequent visits. Since I’ve been blind in my left eye since birth, sometimes I need help getting around so I usually take a relative to these shows and this year I took my dad again and we had a lot of fun. I still like E3 a little better than PAX as E3 has more games I’m interested in covering, and some exhibitors treat the media better at E3. But PAX is still a fun show, too, for different reasons. But since I went to E3 this year, I’m sad to say I won’t be going to PAX West later as well. Mainly because I don’t have enough vacation time at work, but also because PAX usually shows the same stuff E3 had anyway. This was also the second year that E3 has let the public in, which I think was a mistake. The public has shows like PAX they can go to, and PAX West is almost as good as E3 now anyway. But it would be nice if the industry and media folks could get E3 back so we can do what we need to do without all the extra crowds. But that’s all I have to say about that. Let’s check out some of the games I played at the show!
Oh yeah, one disclaimer. I’m only one person, and couldn’t play EVERYTHING at the show. So if your favorite game isn’t in these articles, I just didn’t get a chance to play it. Plus since GamerDad is a family-focused site, I tried to play only games that would fit our audience. There will be some exceptions, though, but yeah, I couldn’t play everything!
E3 2018 Part 1: Cary’s Re-Return to E3
My first article was a hodgepodge of games. I played games like LEGO DC Super Villains and Sonic Team Racing, as well as checked out gaming accessories like chairs and headsets.
E3 2018 Part 2: Nintendo Made a Smash, but Didn’t “Win” E3
If you’ve seen Nintendo’s “E3 Direct” then you know that they mostly talked about Super Smash Bros. Ultimate. And I couldn’t be happier with what they did with it. Normally I’m not too thrilled about all the Wii U to Switch ports, as I was a staunch supporter of the Wii U and do not want to rebuy the same games again on the Switch. But with Smash Bros., I was willing to make an exception because I didn’t get a chance to play the Wii U version as much as I would’ve liked, or get any of the DLC. I was worried that the Switch version might be a new game and maybe not have some of my favorite new characters from the last entry, like Pac-Man and Mega Man. So I was really pleased to see how they handled the new game having every single character ever in the past, plus new ones like the Inklings from Splatoon and Metroid’s Ridley. And on a side note, the Pokémon: Let’s Go, Pikachu and Let’s Go, Eevee games looked like fun, too.
But other than that, I was pretty disappointed with Nintendo’s presentation. Technically the only ‘new’ thing they showed that we didn’t know about already was another Mario Party game, like we need another one of those. Smash Bros. Ultimate really isn’t new, just an enhanced port or at the very most, an all-stars version. And the Pokémon games are based on Pokémon Yellow, so those aren’t really new either. And their booth at E3 was even worse. It was HUGE, but you couldn’t set foot inside it because all the people wrapped around in line to play Smash. And from the looks of it, the only things you could play were Smash and the new Pokemon games. Supposedly they had an area where you could play indie games, but I didn’t see it.
So yeah, you really got more info if you DIDN’T go to E3 and just watched the Direct. Granted that makes sense, since more people could watch it than go to E3 and see their booth. But I think they could’ve done both. Nintendo’s booths at E3 used to be so inviting and I could go in and play a good two or three games in less than an hour. Not anymore, I guess. Anyway, check out this article for pictures from Nintendo’s booth, as well as other random pictures and game meetings. I bet not too many other people covered games at E3 like Crayola Scoot and a new Adventure Time game!
E3 2018 Part 3: Classics Both Mini and Mega
When people at E3 asked what my favorite game I played at the show was, and I replied with “Mega Man 11,” they would say (sometimes rather disappointingly), “Oh, you’re an old-school gamer.” Yeah, well, I may be old school, but I’ve still got it (I just don’t remember where I put it). But being old-school isn’t necessarily a bad thing, as classic games are coming back in big and small ways! I noticed it so much so at E3 that I’ve dedicated my final article of the show to all the classic gaming related stuff I saw!
Recently I read that E3 is just a dinosaur from the 90’s. And I guess they’re probably right. But I still say there’s nothing like actually physically playing the games and interacting with people at these shows. So maybe I’m the dinosaur? Hopefully at least I’m a cool dinosaur.
And that’s all for my E3 articles! In the comments section, let me know if you have any questions and tell me what your favorite games at E3 were and what you think of my picks. Later! --Cary
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