The 5 E3 2014 Conferences From Worst to Best
The dust has settled on E3 2014 and the opinions are quite divided, as they’ve always been when it comes to the biggest games carnival of the year. Some couldn’t get enough of it, others didn’t see anything new and yet others had contextual gripes with how the event presents itself and video games in general. There’s a little truth in all of it, but one thing is certain: It wasn’t bad; not even close.
In fact, many of the conferences have been paying close attention to community feedback of recent years and that manifested itself in a wildly different setup for pretty much all five stages. Empty name-dropping parades were kept to a minimum, focus was tight overall and that resulted in more of what gamers want to see.
Still, it wouldn’t be E3 without companies falling into their old ways, trying to trap consumers in their investments. It can’t always be golden and sometimes it was even fully rotten. Therefore, allow us to separate the wheat from the chaff, so the next year isn’t spent on waiting for something that is ultimately pointless.
Here are the worst and best conferences with a handy list of what they had to offer.5. Ubisoft
There’s a curse that follows Ubisoft when it comes to their press conference. The publisher just doesn’t seem to figure out how to make its franchises work for them. No, meme references aren’t the way to do so, nor is using Goat Simulator in the Rabbid intro. At least they’re visibly trying, even if it means rehashing a lot of content. It’s getting there.
After a cutscene intro for Far Cry 4 that reveals nothing, the motto is “above and beyond” and that’s done with Just Dance. This is the indicative issue of how Ubisoft thinks. We’re then thrown into the infanticide ways of The Division, brought side-by-side with The Crew once more, but revealing less than before.
Luckily, this year’s assassins save the show with a “systemic open world” that goes mostly unexplained, a blip exposing dynamic missions, the ability to unlock doors and chests and the biggest scope in the series yet. Even the fitness party game Shape Up manages to pick up from that energy, before Valliant Hearts pulls at heartstrings and the event is ended with yet another shooter in Rainbow Six Siege. Its scripted nature almost manages to ruin the great destructibility seen in the multiplayer demo.
The Good:
• Ubisoft’s conference curse gets less horrible every year.
• Assassin’s Creed Unity and its downright impressive crowds.
• Shape Up has tremendous party potential.
The Bad:
• Shows gameplay of its games in other conferences, while it sticks to cutscenes.
• So scripted it hurts.
• Aisha Tyler’s pandering joke attempts.
• Just Dance fans don’t watch E3 conferences.
• Pretty much identical to last year’s conference, just smoother.
Antonio is kinda original, at least they can go to COMPLETELY different games. And no, giants, swap force, and trap team aren't different games.
Actually Skylanders copied off of U.B. Funkies. (It drives me crazy when people say Skylanders was original. And if you don't know what U.B. Funkeys is just google it.)
agreed