Shit's still outta-control insane busy, but I feel like talking at someone about games, so here's some quick hits.
Looks like Bethesda's starting up the hype train by teasing some E3 announcements. PC Gamer has a good take on it. Obviously, there are two unknown properties that will be discussed, but I also think that the bigger surprises might come from games that are already shown there. I also think it's maybe time to retire Skyrim. The Morrowind expac will have just dropped, so another big-ass ESO announcement would be nice. I'm tired of them milking Skyrim. As for Fallout ... go big or go home. Gimme New Vegas 2 from Obsidian. A single-player expac for Doom would be awesome. Dishonored is on there, so something substantial in that area would be cool. No more trials, please. Gimme a proper expansion. And it looks like there be Prey post-release content? Wow.
As for the new stuff ... I'd love to see a new IP, obviously. I'd love to see another Rage game. Yeah, I'm that guy.
Dirt 4 has a trailer. Unfortunately, it looks like they're going arcade-style again, after the excellent Dirt Rally. This seems an odd choice.
On the plus side, FFXIV has dropped a pretty new trailer for Stormblood.
I also think I'm gonna ramp up my presence here. I'm getting pretty frustrated with existing so-called 'gamers' and gaming communities, so I'm giving thought to starting my own. I'm just tired of the hate, hyperbole, and discrimination. I try to learn from those that are different, but I know a lotta people that react in the opposite way.
I'm not really sure what I'm gonna do. I just wanna start a community that's more inclusive. I firmly believe that most gaming enthusiasts aren't what 'gamers' portray themselves as. I think most are normal, well-adjusted adults. Not the alt-right GamerGate Nazi fucks that are most commonly out in front.
Regardless, I'm also really fucking tired and I've had people all up in my face nonstop for weeks. I'm a private person that values his alone time greatly, and I rarely get it, especially lately. That's just how this time of year is for me. Holy cow, though, dude ... I am exhausted, both in terms of lack of sleep, but also in terms of face time with other humans.
Whatcha Playin'?
I'm still double-fisting Mass Effect: Andromeda and Torment: Tides of Numenera, with a side of The Elder Scrolls Online. I finished the ESO main campaign this weekend, and that was pretty rad. I haven't had much gaming time lately, but after I do some travel next week, I should be able to finally have some personal time again, around mid-May.
My goal is to finish MEA and TToN before E3. I think that's feasible.
I'm also trying to do a Dawn of War 3 mission whenever I can. I love that series. I'm not totally sold on the new one yet, mainly because I LOVED the cover system in DoW2, which has been replaced with something ... else, and I don't love it ... yet.
We've also got Prey coming next week, though I'll be traveling at the time. I'm still going to try and get it going then, but I'll likely have to wait until mid-May before I can really dig in.
Zzz
Anyway, I'm tired as fuck and tired of people as fuck. I'm tired of humans. I'm tired of being tired. I used to love spring time. I think next year, I'm going to just force everyone to fuck off in April. I dunno.
Good night.
-Blaine
Showing posts with label e3. Show all posts
Showing posts with label e3. Show all posts
20170430
20170425
Betas and Busy
Howdy.
I played a shitload of Mass Effect: Andromeda over the weekend. The game has really sunk its hooks into me. For me, the planet of Kadara was a real turning point. Everything prior to that was cool, and I was really digging the 'explorer' vibe, but Kadara is where I really got into the story, and where I really started to like my companions. I'm now about 60 hours into the game, and a little less than halfway to completion.
I don't remember if I mentioned it or not, but reading Nexus Uprising has added a lot of cool background information to my experience. If you've played MEA at all, you can gather from the title what it's about.
Really, I'm having a harder time than ever with the critical abuse that this game has taken. I'm not gonna expound on why people act like hateful lemmings, but let me explain how you should approach this game.
One, it's a new games that takes place in the Mass Effect universe. A lot of mechanics, weapons, species, and more will seem familiar. However, it is NOT ME4, in any sense. It has a 'feel' that is vastly different from the other three games, and story-wise, it's a clean break that references back to ME1 and ME2 a little bit.
Just go into it loving the universe, but not expecting more of what you know, and you'll fall in love. I really feel, strongly, that this was a great move for the franchise, and I really wanna see more in Andromeda.
As always, Torment is what I'm hitting a bit each week, and it'll shift back to being my 'main' game once MEA wraps up. Torment is a hell of a game.
Meanwhile, I've been on two betas. One was Dawn of War III, which I sniffed at briefly, but just never made time for because of MEA. The other, I can't talk about at all because of an NDA, but I'm enjoying the hell out of it.
PRE3
We're in the last seven weeks before E3. It's getting so close, I can start to feel the hum of excitement coursing throughout the gaming world.
Typically, leading up to E3, I set some gaming goals for myself. Nothing really hardcore or crazy, just for fun, and to nudge me a bit to clear my pile of shame somewhat.
This year, we're targeting Mass Effect: Andromeda, Torment: Tides of Numenera, and the Elder Scrolls Online campaign, which I've been sitting on the end of for over a month now.
What's tough is that between now and E3, we're seeing Dawn of War III drop this week, Prey next week, and Elder Scrolls Online: Morrowind on 6/6.
And I haven't even mentioned the PS4 games I still haven't finished.
The pile of shame is going to swell, and then hopefully, the summer sees a drought of releases. 2017 has been nuts in terms of releases.
Oh shit, I also accidentally bought Ghost Recon: Wildlands! Don't ask! But it's really fun!
Beyond that, I'm going through the joyful exercise of slowly building my E3 week. Every day, I scour the internet for more dates and times and anything that might add to the week. I build quite an experience for myself every year, and this year shall be no different.
So far, we know about EA, Microsoft, and Bethesda's pressers. We're still waiting to hear from Ubisoft, Sony, and maybe PC Gamer. I hope they do another PC Gamer Show at E3. I've really enjoyed those.
It'd be interesting to see someone else push their way onto the scene. Squenix has done PRE3 pressers on occasion. Acitivision or Blizzard would be interesting.
What's been getting harder each E3 is the fact that EA owns BioWare, and EA's presser is worse and worse every year, and they just haven't leveraged BioWare well in a long time. This year will be interesting, since we're going to see a new IP from BioWare.
What I'm expecting, though, is that Andrew Wilson will come out, lead off with two minutes of a shooter that everyone but me wants, then talk about BioWare for maybe 90 seconds, and then we go into 90min of fucking soccer.
I hope not.
I'll do a full EA preview when we get closer to the actual event.
What about you? You hyped for E3? What do you wanna see?
-Blaine
I played a shitload of Mass Effect: Andromeda over the weekend. The game has really sunk its hooks into me. For me, the planet of Kadara was a real turning point. Everything prior to that was cool, and I was really digging the 'explorer' vibe, but Kadara is where I really got into the story, and where I really started to like my companions. I'm now about 60 hours into the game, and a little less than halfway to completion.
I don't remember if I mentioned it or not, but reading Nexus Uprising has added a lot of cool background information to my experience. If you've played MEA at all, you can gather from the title what it's about.
Really, I'm having a harder time than ever with the critical abuse that this game has taken. I'm not gonna expound on why people act like hateful lemmings, but let me explain how you should approach this game.
One, it's a new games that takes place in the Mass Effect universe. A lot of mechanics, weapons, species, and more will seem familiar. However, it is NOT ME4, in any sense. It has a 'feel' that is vastly different from the other three games, and story-wise, it's a clean break that references back to ME1 and ME2 a little bit.
Just go into it loving the universe, but not expecting more of what you know, and you'll fall in love. I really feel, strongly, that this was a great move for the franchise, and I really wanna see more in Andromeda.
As always, Torment is what I'm hitting a bit each week, and it'll shift back to being my 'main' game once MEA wraps up. Torment is a hell of a game.
Meanwhile, I've been on two betas. One was Dawn of War III, which I sniffed at briefly, but just never made time for because of MEA. The other, I can't talk about at all because of an NDA, but I'm enjoying the hell out of it.
PRE3
We're in the last seven weeks before E3. It's getting so close, I can start to feel the hum of excitement coursing throughout the gaming world.
Typically, leading up to E3, I set some gaming goals for myself. Nothing really hardcore or crazy, just for fun, and to nudge me a bit to clear my pile of shame somewhat.
This year, we're targeting Mass Effect: Andromeda, Torment: Tides of Numenera, and the Elder Scrolls Online campaign, which I've been sitting on the end of for over a month now.
What's tough is that between now and E3, we're seeing Dawn of War III drop this week, Prey next week, and Elder Scrolls Online: Morrowind on 6/6.
And I haven't even mentioned the PS4 games I still haven't finished.
The pile of shame is going to swell, and then hopefully, the summer sees a drought of releases. 2017 has been nuts in terms of releases.
Oh shit, I also accidentally bought Ghost Recon: Wildlands! Don't ask! But it's really fun!
Beyond that, I'm going through the joyful exercise of slowly building my E3 week. Every day, I scour the internet for more dates and times and anything that might add to the week. I build quite an experience for myself every year, and this year shall be no different.
So far, we know about EA, Microsoft, and Bethesda's pressers. We're still waiting to hear from Ubisoft, Sony, and maybe PC Gamer. I hope they do another PC Gamer Show at E3. I've really enjoyed those.
It'd be interesting to see someone else push their way onto the scene. Squenix has done PRE3 pressers on occasion. Acitivision or Blizzard would be interesting.
What's been getting harder each E3 is the fact that EA owns BioWare, and EA's presser is worse and worse every year, and they just haven't leveraged BioWare well in a long time. This year will be interesting, since we're going to see a new IP from BioWare.
What I'm expecting, though, is that Andrew Wilson will come out, lead off with two minutes of a shooter that everyone but me wants, then talk about BioWare for maybe 90 seconds, and then we go into 90min of fucking soccer.
I hope not.
I'll do a full EA preview when we get closer to the actual event.
What about you? You hyped for E3? What do you wanna see?
-Blaine
20170417
Let the countdown to E3 begin in earnest
Yeah, so I more or less start the countdown to E3 as soon as the previous one ends. Yeah, I love it that much.
I don't REALLY start thinking about it much until I start seeing how publishers are positioning products marketing-wise in December at the Game Awards. That often tells me a lot about what we're gonna see in the spring, versus what will still need to show at E3 the following year.
I start really zeroing in on it a bit more when spring training hits, as that's the last HUGE thing for me, in terms of time off from work, before E3.
Star Wars Celebration is now inserted in there, as well, though they're skipping it next year. Sigh ...
... so yeah, I'm now fully locked in on E3, which is now only two months away. A little less, actually.
As has been happening the last couple years, the major press conferences are spreading out more and more, as publishers jockey to dominate the news cycle for at least a day each before the show starts on the Tuesday of E3 week. We now have EA going on Saturday, MS and Bethesda on Sunday, and I'm assuming, Ubi and Sony on Monday. I'd love to see PC Gamer Show return, as well. With Monday wide open now, maybe they could slot in early? I dunno. That's usually Microsoft's spot, but they've jumped to the day before, so who knows what the hell is gonna happen now?
And E3 is changing. They're now open to the public, publishers are setting up their own nearby events, some publishers have returned, and the online viewership is higher than ever. I love it.
Where once it was an event that a lot of read about a month or more later in a printed magazine, everything from the nature of the vertical slice demos (more and more, they're just recorded videos) to the cost and bombast of the pressers (they're bigger and louder than ever) is totally different, and that's not even bringing up the 'live at E3' streams that have cropped up in the last decade.
I remember first 'watching' E3 on G4TV. I actually went a couple years, before ever watching it at home, and I gotta tell ya, watching it at home is better, though I am ever-thankful for the context that actually having gone has provided me. If you've never gone, and you love games, just go at least once. It's fucking rad, and if you're working, be prepared to lose about 10 pounds. For real.
I'm really curious to see how the show and its attached pressers/events 'feel' when there's more breathing room.
And for the uninitiated, E3 is really two distinct parts. First, there's the 'PRE3 Pressers,' as I call them, where each of the major publishers (Microsoft, EA, Ubisoft, Bethesda, and Sony) takes the stage and announces the announcements that leaked the week before.
The second part, the actual 'E3' floor show, runs Tuesday through Thursday that week. That's where you see all the live demos and shit.
So, I'm really curious to see how this year feels. It'll be fun.
I'm also curious to see how the show evolves in other ways. I think one thing that they can do is chase after more of the PC indies. The console 'indies' get plenty of love by being propped up by the console holder, so it'd be nice to see games like Wasteland 3 and Pillars of Eternity 2 get some love. This is as much on the press outlets as it is the show organizers.
I think it may also be time to check against the original purpose of the show, which was to hype games and gaming-related products to press outlets and retailers. While I'm not opposed to allowing the general public into the show, I think maybe they should restrict the hours or days in which the general public can attend. I promise you, the general public being in attendance is going to be a problem this year.
But we'll see.
I think, over the next several weeks, I'm going to do a column or two on what I wanna see at the show this year, as well as some previews of products that I know are going to be there, about which I'm excited. Good times.
What about you? What's got you stoked for E3 this year?
-Blaine
I don't REALLY start thinking about it much until I start seeing how publishers are positioning products marketing-wise in December at the Game Awards. That often tells me a lot about what we're gonna see in the spring, versus what will still need to show at E3 the following year.
I start really zeroing in on it a bit more when spring training hits, as that's the last HUGE thing for me, in terms of time off from work, before E3.
Star Wars Celebration is now inserted in there, as well, though they're skipping it next year. Sigh ...
... so yeah, I'm now fully locked in on E3, which is now only two months away. A little less, actually.
As has been happening the last couple years, the major press conferences are spreading out more and more, as publishers jockey to dominate the news cycle for at least a day each before the show starts on the Tuesday of E3 week. We now have EA going on Saturday, MS and Bethesda on Sunday, and I'm assuming, Ubi and Sony on Monday. I'd love to see PC Gamer Show return, as well. With Monday wide open now, maybe they could slot in early? I dunno. That's usually Microsoft's spot, but they've jumped to the day before, so who knows what the hell is gonna happen now?
And E3 is changing. They're now open to the public, publishers are setting up their own nearby events, some publishers have returned, and the online viewership is higher than ever. I love it.
Where once it was an event that a lot of read about a month or more later in a printed magazine, everything from the nature of the vertical slice demos (more and more, they're just recorded videos) to the cost and bombast of the pressers (they're bigger and louder than ever) is totally different, and that's not even bringing up the 'live at E3' streams that have cropped up in the last decade.
I remember first 'watching' E3 on G4TV. I actually went a couple years, before ever watching it at home, and I gotta tell ya, watching it at home is better, though I am ever-thankful for the context that actually having gone has provided me. If you've never gone, and you love games, just go at least once. It's fucking rad, and if you're working, be prepared to lose about 10 pounds. For real.
I'm really curious to see how the show and its attached pressers/events 'feel' when there's more breathing room.
And for the uninitiated, E3 is really two distinct parts. First, there's the 'PRE3 Pressers,' as I call them, where each of the major publishers (Microsoft, EA, Ubisoft, Bethesda, and Sony) takes the stage and announces the announcements that leaked the week before.
The second part, the actual 'E3' floor show, runs Tuesday through Thursday that week. That's where you see all the live demos and shit.
So, I'm really curious to see how this year feels. It'll be fun.
I'm also curious to see how the show evolves in other ways. I think one thing that they can do is chase after more of the PC indies. The console 'indies' get plenty of love by being propped up by the console holder, so it'd be nice to see games like Wasteland 3 and Pillars of Eternity 2 get some love. This is as much on the press outlets as it is the show organizers.
I think it may also be time to check against the original purpose of the show, which was to hype games and gaming-related products to press outlets and retailers. While I'm not opposed to allowing the general public into the show, I think maybe they should restrict the hours or days in which the general public can attend. I promise you, the general public being in attendance is going to be a problem this year.
But we'll see.
I think, over the next several weeks, I'm going to do a column or two on what I wanna see at the show this year, as well as some previews of products that I know are going to be there, about which I'm excited. Good times.
What about you? What's got you stoked for E3 this year?
-Blaine
20170307
Vacation Dev Thoughts
As I've mentioned, I'm on the verge of my annual Spring Training pilgrimage, and I like to fantasize about the things that are going to happen. I'm going to fake baseball games, which I love, I'm going to enjoy fresh fish and shrimp, I'm going to get away from the daily grind (though I do love my job), I'm going to get to spend time with family, I'm going to get to hang out in Key West after Spring Training, I'm going to get some gaming time, and on and on ...
... something else I like to do when I'm on vacation is ponder my next creative project. I'm eager to write something new, and I have a pretty solid idea for my next novel. That'll probably start to happen on the plane.
Otherwise, I'm considering finally building a web application that'll let me organize online attendance to conventions, and even handle the streams for me.
I used to go to a lot of cons, but I got tired of the hassle, and really like the online coverage, anyway. I've dabbled with a few ideas over the years, but I actually have a cool idea for an application that'll let me enter some basic info about dates, times, and streams, and it'll handle the rest. This won't be something that I'll make available to the public, but it'll save me a lotta hassle, especially with E3, where there's a bunch of disparate streams.
I also wanna add a feature that lets the user add games, and have it spit out news about those games during the con.
Side note - if you're never been to E3, and love video games, go at least once.
I started sketching out some SQL tables, and have a pretty good idea of what the code should look like. Maybe I could even have it up and running before I leave, and use it for PAX East. We'll see.
I'm also going to ponder my next stream series. I'm honestly really not sure what I want to do next. I think it'll be something smaller. Maybe something that will lead up to E3, and then depending on what's announced there, I'll launch a longer series, more like the Mass Effect series I just finished.
It needs to be something about which I'm very passionate, since I'll want to research it, and present a more professional experience. I'll probably script some sequences, too. We'll see. I'm also open to suggestions.
I've also been talking about another musical project with some old collaborators, but we'll see. I think that's a ways off, if it happens at all. To get all the right people, and give the right level of commitment, we'd need a few of us to become far less busy for an extended period. Ha.
I also think I'm not going to do much more with this blog than what I'm doing now. Just kinda thinking out loud. I occasionally consider doing more with it than what I'm doing, but I've got enough on my plate. This needs to be kept light and easy.
I need to pick one or two things, and then focus on that.
The 'Virtual Con Attendance' application should be straightforward, and fun. I make even make a mobile solution for myself, as well. Like I said, I have no interest in publishing it for public consumption ... probably. So, I think that one is definitely gonna happen.
The next novel ... I have a pretty solid start to it in my head that I want to start writing on the plane. I'd like to have that done this year. A page a day should get me to a complete first draft easily before the year's over.
I think this will be another part of what happens on my vacation. The 'creation meditation,' as well as some light execution on those projects.
01) design work on the virtual con app
02) a first chapter in the new novel (I don't write using outlines)
03) thinking about my next stream series
And that's plenty.
-Blaine
... something else I like to do when I'm on vacation is ponder my next creative project. I'm eager to write something new, and I have a pretty solid idea for my next novel. That'll probably start to happen on the plane.
Otherwise, I'm considering finally building a web application that'll let me organize online attendance to conventions, and even handle the streams for me.
I used to go to a lot of cons, but I got tired of the hassle, and really like the online coverage, anyway. I've dabbled with a few ideas over the years, but I actually have a cool idea for an application that'll let me enter some basic info about dates, times, and streams, and it'll handle the rest. This won't be something that I'll make available to the public, but it'll save me a lotta hassle, especially with E3, where there's a bunch of disparate streams.
I also wanna add a feature that lets the user add games, and have it spit out news about those games during the con.
Side note - if you're never been to E3, and love video games, go at least once.
I started sketching out some SQL tables, and have a pretty good idea of what the code should look like. Maybe I could even have it up and running before I leave, and use it for PAX East. We'll see.
I'm also going to ponder my next stream series. I'm honestly really not sure what I want to do next. I think it'll be something smaller. Maybe something that will lead up to E3, and then depending on what's announced there, I'll launch a longer series, more like the Mass Effect series I just finished.
It needs to be something about which I'm very passionate, since I'll want to research it, and present a more professional experience. I'll probably script some sequences, too. We'll see. I'm also open to suggestions.
I've also been talking about another musical project with some old collaborators, but we'll see. I think that's a ways off, if it happens at all. To get all the right people, and give the right level of commitment, we'd need a few of us to become far less busy for an extended period. Ha.
I also think I'm not going to do much more with this blog than what I'm doing now. Just kinda thinking out loud. I occasionally consider doing more with it than what I'm doing, but I've got enough on my plate. This needs to be kept light and easy.
I need to pick one or two things, and then focus on that.
The 'Virtual Con Attendance' application should be straightforward, and fun. I make even make a mobile solution for myself, as well. Like I said, I have no interest in publishing it for public consumption ... probably. So, I think that one is definitely gonna happen.
The next novel ... I have a pretty solid start to it in my head that I want to start writing on the plane. I'd like to have that done this year. A page a day should get me to a complete first draft easily before the year's over.
I think this will be another part of what happens on my vacation. The 'creation meditation,' as well as some light execution on those projects.
01) design work on the virtual con app
02) a first chapter in the new novel (I don't write using outlines)
03) thinking about my next stream series
And that's plenty.
-Blaine
20170201
Prepping for E3 in ... February?!
I'm a junkie for E3. I fucking love it. Every year, I take the week off, set up like 5-6 screens, have a schedule off which I work to know what to watch when, and just totally immerse myself in the spectacle.
I actually went to a couple back in the early 2000s, and it was exhausting, but pretty cool. Frankly, I'm too old for that shit, and I have a better time a) not working at the event, and b) enjoying other people doing all the work and presenting to me my favorite games.
I have two events around which I plan my entire year: St. Louis Cardinals Spring Training in Jupiter, FL (March) and E3 (June). I'm a planner, and I plan the living shit out of things, especially these two.
I actually enjoy the planning part of E3 more, though. I'm more in control, and I don't have to pacify anyone or take anyone else's needs or feelings into consideration. It's MY week, just for ME. And it's great (Spring Training is also amazing, but in a whole different way. It's the most relaxing thing I do every year.)
Before we dive into it, check out this video that Anthony Parisi posted about his trip to the first-ever E3 in 1995. It's pretty amazing stuff.
So, E3 used to just be a couple days of a floor show, and maybe a press conference or two, but it's now ballooned into a spectacle that spans about a week.
The actual show, for a few years now, has been three days in June, on a Tues-Thurs. For a while, several companies, like Microsoft and Sony, have held their pressers the day before, on Monday. Now, companies have been pushing into the day before that, Sunday, and EA holds an event the weekend before.
You'll also see some trickles the week before now, where studios and/or publishers will host online events around one game, to ensure that it doesn't get totally buried in the madness of the following week. I remember examples from last year included Deus Ex: Mankind Divided and Destiny: Whatever That Expansion Was.
EA
So, EA already put their stake in the ground for this year. Again, they're not going to have a booth, but they will have their own event in the weekend before the show (like last year), and their games will be at other publishers' booths (namely platform holders, like Microsoft and Sony). No word on when their presser will be, but they led off last year, and went mid-day Sunday. And it was a fucking disaster. They just didn't show any compelling footage. It was a few seconds of Mass Effect Andromeda, a spoiled teaser for Titanfall 2 single player, several minutes of people looking very serious in front of monitors while presumably 'developing' while some voice assured us that they were hard at work on Star Wars, and what seemed like 45 minutes of dudes talking about soccer. It was awful, and such a bad way to start my E3.
EA needs to learn from last year. Presumably, they'll be showing Battlefront 2, BioWare's new IP, something else cool, and then about 80 minutes of fucking FIFA and more than two minutes on the Sims, which is two minutes too much, and five minutes on their American sports games.
Everyone Else
The other big guys (Bethesda, Microsoft, Ubisoft, Sony, and Nintendo [and occasionally Squenix]) usually trickle out their presser times and rough plans in the two months leading up.
PC Gamer, the last couple years, has put on a not-presser, as well. I hope they do it again. It's been a little rough, but has been great for gamers like me to see the really niche PC shit that I care about.
Outlets like IGN, GameSpot, Twitch, and others will start releasing their coverage schedules anywhere from a couple weeks out, to a couple days out.
My Planning
I start a OneNote late in the year before. I would start it right away, but I'm usually so sad that E3 is over that I just need to get away.
Games
I start with the games that I think might be there, and I make a second list of games that aren't out, won't be out before E3, but I think won't be at E3 (super indie stuff or stuff that's WAAAY down the line). Publishers, of late, have been loathe to even hint at games that aren't close to release at E3. What we've had recently is stuff that's going to be out by Christmas that year, with a few exceptions.
This is also a good way to deduce where in the dev cycle a game is. I knew Mass Effect Andromeda was not going to release last year based on how little presence it had, despite reassurances from EA. I don't believe for a moment that BioWare and EA had any confidence that it was going to make 2016, based on the lack of stage presence and the lack of E3 demos.
I continue to every so often tweak my lists of the 'will be there and wanna see it' and 'probably won't be there but let's make sure.' As we get closer to the show, if I don't see the game on any coverage schedules, I'll shoot a note to someone at the developer or publisher and ask. They'll usually tell ya straight up if the game is NOT going to be there, unless it's a major MAJOR HUUUGE release and is planning on being a surprise at a presser.
Pressers
As each publisher announces their presser date/time (they're usually the same every year), I make note of those and start blocking out a schedule. I factor in pre and post shows from both the publisher, and the outlets (Easy Allies was the best for this last year). Last year was a little irritating because Ubi and the PC Gaming Show overlapped a little. I hope they avoid that this year.
YouTube Gaming had some excellent programming on Presser Day last year. I hope they do the same this year.
Floor Show
In late May and early June, the press outlets will start releasing their coverage schedules, and it's usually not all at once. You'll need to keep checking back, all the way up to the first day of the floor show.
The floor show coverage is now at a point of total saturation. There's more coverage of more games than any of us can consume (or would want to), so I sift through their schedules, look at what's interesting, then pick that.
I used to watch every demo of each game in which I was interested, but what I usually found was that it was the same demo every time (more and more, what's brought to the stage by the developer is a recording of someone playing, and not a live demo), and the outlets tend to ask the same-ish questions. What I go for at that point is I'll watch whoever has it first, and usually one more time at another outlet, just to verify that I'm not seeing anything new. This can also be a good time to hop over to another game that you don't know anything about, and just give it a look.
In the past, I've watched GameSpot (usually my first choice and multiple stages), IGN (the earliest coverage), and Twitch (who, annoyingly, isn't on the same 20min blocks as the other two, but is instead on 15min blocks, which fucks up my Excel spreadsheets).
End of Day
Giant Bomb and Easy Allies both have had solid end-of-day coverage. Giant Bomb is fun because of the guests that flow in and out, and Easy Allies is fun because I just love their cast of characters and personalities.
What I usually do is put on a game and one of the two end-of-day streams, and just chill the fuck out. It's a great way to relax and process everything, especially after the Monday pressers and Tuesday floor show. Sony usually gets too much talk, but they're also the current flavor among the peasants, and almost every console game worth owning is also on PC, so it's all good.
I'll have more to say about this as the next four months tick by, but watching that 1995 video got me flashing back.
Also: E3 this year is 6/13-15, but that's just the floor show. Prepend a couple days to that, and that's more or less the whole experience.
What about you? What's your E3 procedure? What are you hyped about?
Lemme know in the comments!
UPDATE
I almost forgot. Here's some cool streams I'm watching today. GameSpot: The Lobby (1300 central) and The PC Gamer Show (1500 central).
Watch live video from GameSpot on www.twitch.tv
Watch live video from PCGamer on www.twitch.tv
-Blaine
I actually went to a couple back in the early 2000s, and it was exhausting, but pretty cool. Frankly, I'm too old for that shit, and I have a better time a) not working at the event, and b) enjoying other people doing all the work and presenting to me my favorite games.
I have two events around which I plan my entire year: St. Louis Cardinals Spring Training in Jupiter, FL (March) and E3 (June). I'm a planner, and I plan the living shit out of things, especially these two.
I actually enjoy the planning part of E3 more, though. I'm more in control, and I don't have to pacify anyone or take anyone else's needs or feelings into consideration. It's MY week, just for ME. And it's great (Spring Training is also amazing, but in a whole different way. It's the most relaxing thing I do every year.)
Before we dive into it, check out this video that Anthony Parisi posted about his trip to the first-ever E3 in 1995. It's pretty amazing stuff.
So, E3 used to just be a couple days of a floor show, and maybe a press conference or two, but it's now ballooned into a spectacle that spans about a week.
The actual show, for a few years now, has been three days in June, on a Tues-Thurs. For a while, several companies, like Microsoft and Sony, have held their pressers the day before, on Monday. Now, companies have been pushing into the day before that, Sunday, and EA holds an event the weekend before.
You'll also see some trickles the week before now, where studios and/or publishers will host online events around one game, to ensure that it doesn't get totally buried in the madness of the following week. I remember examples from last year included Deus Ex: Mankind Divided and Destiny: Whatever That Expansion Was.
EA
So, EA already put their stake in the ground for this year. Again, they're not going to have a booth, but they will have their own event in the weekend before the show (like last year), and their games will be at other publishers' booths (namely platform holders, like Microsoft and Sony). No word on when their presser will be, but they led off last year, and went mid-day Sunday. And it was a fucking disaster. They just didn't show any compelling footage. It was a few seconds of Mass Effect Andromeda, a spoiled teaser for Titanfall 2 single player, several minutes of people looking very serious in front of monitors while presumably 'developing' while some voice assured us that they were hard at work on Star Wars, and what seemed like 45 minutes of dudes talking about soccer. It was awful, and such a bad way to start my E3.
EA needs to learn from last year. Presumably, they'll be showing Battlefront 2, BioWare's new IP, something else cool, and then about 80 minutes of fucking FIFA and more than two minutes on the Sims, which is two minutes too much, and five minutes on their American sports games.
Everyone Else
The other big guys (Bethesda, Microsoft, Ubisoft, Sony, and Nintendo [and occasionally Squenix]) usually trickle out their presser times and rough plans in the two months leading up.
PC Gamer, the last couple years, has put on a not-presser, as well. I hope they do it again. It's been a little rough, but has been great for gamers like me to see the really niche PC shit that I care about.
Outlets like IGN, GameSpot, Twitch, and others will start releasing their coverage schedules anywhere from a couple weeks out, to a couple days out.
My Planning
I start a OneNote late in the year before. I would start it right away, but I'm usually so sad that E3 is over that I just need to get away.
Games
I start with the games that I think might be there, and I make a second list of games that aren't out, won't be out before E3, but I think won't be at E3 (super indie stuff or stuff that's WAAAY down the line). Publishers, of late, have been loathe to even hint at games that aren't close to release at E3. What we've had recently is stuff that's going to be out by Christmas that year, with a few exceptions.
This is also a good way to deduce where in the dev cycle a game is. I knew Mass Effect Andromeda was not going to release last year based on how little presence it had, despite reassurances from EA. I don't believe for a moment that BioWare and EA had any confidence that it was going to make 2016, based on the lack of stage presence and the lack of E3 demos.
I continue to every so often tweak my lists of the 'will be there and wanna see it' and 'probably won't be there but let's make sure.' As we get closer to the show, if I don't see the game on any coverage schedules, I'll shoot a note to someone at the developer or publisher and ask. They'll usually tell ya straight up if the game is NOT going to be there, unless it's a major MAJOR HUUUGE release and is planning on being a surprise at a presser.
Pressers
As each publisher announces their presser date/time (they're usually the same every year), I make note of those and start blocking out a schedule. I factor in pre and post shows from both the publisher, and the outlets (Easy Allies was the best for this last year). Last year was a little irritating because Ubi and the PC Gaming Show overlapped a little. I hope they avoid that this year.
YouTube Gaming had some excellent programming on Presser Day last year. I hope they do the same this year.
Floor Show
In late May and early June, the press outlets will start releasing their coverage schedules, and it's usually not all at once. You'll need to keep checking back, all the way up to the first day of the floor show.
The floor show coverage is now at a point of total saturation. There's more coverage of more games than any of us can consume (or would want to), so I sift through their schedules, look at what's interesting, then pick that.
I used to watch every demo of each game in which I was interested, but what I usually found was that it was the same demo every time (more and more, what's brought to the stage by the developer is a recording of someone playing, and not a live demo), and the outlets tend to ask the same-ish questions. What I go for at that point is I'll watch whoever has it first, and usually one more time at another outlet, just to verify that I'm not seeing anything new. This can also be a good time to hop over to another game that you don't know anything about, and just give it a look.
In the past, I've watched GameSpot (usually my first choice and multiple stages), IGN (the earliest coverage), and Twitch (who, annoyingly, isn't on the same 20min blocks as the other two, but is instead on 15min blocks, which fucks up my Excel spreadsheets).
End of Day
Giant Bomb and Easy Allies both have had solid end-of-day coverage. Giant Bomb is fun because of the guests that flow in and out, and Easy Allies is fun because I just love their cast of characters and personalities.
What I usually do is put on a game and one of the two end-of-day streams, and just chill the fuck out. It's a great way to relax and process everything, especially after the Monday pressers and Tuesday floor show. Sony usually gets too much talk, but they're also the current flavor among the peasants, and almost every console game worth owning is also on PC, so it's all good.
I'll have more to say about this as the next four months tick by, but watching that 1995 video got me flashing back.
Also: E3 this year is 6/13-15, but that's just the floor show. Prepend a couple days to that, and that's more or less the whole experience.
What about you? What's your E3 procedure? What are you hyped about?
Lemme know in the comments!
UPDATE
I almost forgot. Here's some cool streams I'm watching today. GameSpot: The Lobby (1300 central) and The PC Gamer Show (1500 central).
Watch live video from GameSpot on www.twitch.tv
Watch live video from PCGamer on www.twitch.tv
-Blaine
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