E3 2018

[GoGo Yubari]

I didn't watch any of the Anthem stuff beyond the initial trailer because CHIKARA started but prior to that I thought it was a pretty whatever presser. Unravel 2 made me smile, Sea of Solitude looks interesting, but it felt very much like a press conference from a company that basically humiliated themselves over the course of 2017 and wants to keep expectations low for 2018.

[Dan]

Madden on PC for the first time in like 11 years is probably the best thing from that.

[Schlitzbrille]

30 minutes ago, Dan said:

Madden on PC for the first time in like 11 years is probably the best thing from that.

Wait what

[Bobfoc]

Madden on PC is good news, even though it shouldn't have left the platform in the first place. Sea of Solitude sounds like the sort of thing that could be interesting, but I'd have to see more of it before I got excited. Other than that, there's nothing for me, just as I expected.

[The Lusophone]

EA getting the UEFA licence back is fairly major news. The UEFA games from back in the day were a really mixes bag in terms of quality but the narrative stuff is the genesis of the current games Journey mode.

[Your Mom]

Does Microsoft even do exclusives anymore? Trying to figure out what to expect later

[Bobfoc]

Almost all Microsoft's recent "exclusives" have been on PC too. Most of them are part of the "Play Anywhere" programme, in which you get a PC and Xbox One copy if you buy the game once. You'd call them "console exclusives", then, but they'll have to talk about more than just Halo, Gears of War and Forza to interest me.

[Your Mom]

Yeah if my Xbox wasn't also the 4K player I would have little use for it. I mostly play the backward compatible stuff if anything

[GoGo Yubari]

18 minutes ago, The Chiksrara Special said:

Does Microsoft even do exclusives anymore? Trying to figure out what to expect later

Some recent Microsoft/PC exclusives: Cuphead, State of Decay 2, Sea of Thieves. I think they've been doing a bit better on that front in the last year than in the last couple years, though I'd still rank them a distant third behind Nintendo and Sony.

I feel like a lot of the most interesting things from Microsoft lately haven't been so much their games library but more their overall approach. Stuff like making that controller for people with disabilities, Game Pass as a service where you can play brand-new exclusives immediately instead of only getting them down the line, and making more of an effort on backwards compatibility. I'm expecting something similar to last year's, where it's one or two big exclusives, some aspects of multiplatform games that they're specifically revealing (EA already said that the story aspect of Battlefield V will premiere here, and I imagine the first look at Assassin's Creed: Odyssey will be here too), and a lot of quick looks at smaller projects.

[Your Mom]

I keep meaning to try Game Pass. I think I would be into it

[Bobfoc]

I hope Game Pass is a success because it ought to encourage Microsoft's competitors to do something similar. I hope the next consoles have some sort of backwards compatibility out of the box too, and Microsoft has shown that there's still demand for that sort of thing. In all likelihood, Microsoft will "lose" this generation in terms of commercial income and critical reception, but I'd like to think that it's at least pushed some good ideas into the conversation for next time.

[Liam]

For a PS4 user who doesn't follow games...what is Game Pass?

[Bobfoc]

Just now, Liam said:

For a PS4 user who doesn't follow games...what is Game Pass?

It's like EA Access in that there's a library of games you can download as long as you're a subscriber. Microsoft has also committed to releasing its new first-party games on there when they launch, so it's a pretty good deal.

[Your Mom]

I'll for sure subscribe when Crackdown 3 comes out but I'll probably try it sooner

[GoGo Yubari]

 

[Bobfoc]

10 minutes ago, The Chiksrara Special said:

I'll for sure subscribe when Crackdown 3 comes out but I'll probably try it sooner

You might be waiting a while. Crackdown's been delayed to 2019.

[GoGo Yubari]

It sounds like Microsoft might be running late and having issues getting people in the building.

[Your Mom]

Kinda glad they are running late. I'm still finishing Dominion 

[probablyoliver]

Who's stream are folks watching anyway? I'm digging Kinda Funny's coverage personally, but they're building my hopes up for a potential Rocksteady Superman game and I can't even.

[GoGo Yubari]

3 minutes ago, Ollie said:

Who's stream are folks watching anyway? I'm digging Kinda Funny's coverage personally, but they're building my hopes up for a potential Rocksteady Superman game and I can't even.

I'm alternating with IGN's for commentary-free and Giant Bomb's for when I want people talking over it.