While E3 2016 is just now opening its doors, the biggest draw of the event is already over. I’m of course, referring to the press conferences. Now that we’ve managed to see all of them, who impressed us the most?
In this week’s Now Loading, the PlayStation LifeStyle crew shares their thoughts on just which video game company won E3 2016 in the battle of the press conferences. Did Microsoft win due to announcing two new console iterations of the Xbox One? Were we impressed enough by EA’s Titanfall 2 and Battlefield 1 multiplayer reveals? Check out the staff responses in the gallery below.
Who do you think won E3 2016? Who was the biggest losers? Let us know what your thoughts are in the comments.
Make sure to keep an eye out for our hands-on impressions of the upcoming games, interviews and more coverage straight from the show floor!
Now Loading is a recurring staff-driven feature where PlayStation LifeStyle discusses anything video game-related under the sun (yes, even non-Sony platforms)
Essential Reading:
- Now Loading…What Are Your E3 2016 Predictions?
- Top 5 Sony E3 2016 Moments
- Horizon Zero Dawn Delayed, But Should PS4 Users Expect More From Sony?
Now Loading...Who Won E3?
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Now Loading...Who Won E3?
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Chandler Wood
Some would say it's easy for me to pick Sony because of my obvious bias towards the brand, but let's be real here. E3 is about games, and Sony showed us the games. They showed software and titles that we care about, things that everyone is clamoring to get their hands on. The flow of their press conference was unprecedented, with not a lot of talk, just great game after great game after great game. God of War, Kojima's new game, an impressive VR lineup. Oh, and a live orchestra?
It's safe to say that while Microsoft did hint at the most powerful console ever coming in 2017, gamers need great content to play, and a console is really only as good as the games it can run, not necessarily how powerfully it can run them.
And forget Bethesda, EA, and Ubisoft. Bethesda was mostly already released games. EA has lost touch with their audience, and Ubisoft was alright but didn't strike the same kind of chord and pace that Sony did.
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Cameron Teague
It's so cute that people even think there were two people in this war. Microsoft had a good conference full of leaked material, and while it was nice they announced Scorpio, Sony just hit it hard on all cylinders. Sony, and it wasn't even really close.
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Jowi Meli
I'm sure I'll love what Nintendo has to show of the new Zelda game (my Twitter handle is @HylianJowi for a reason), but I think it's safe to say that Sony has locked this one up. With the bloated, overstuffed nature of E3 conferences mocked every year, it was so refreshing to see a company dial back all the hyperbole and bluster and just let the games do the talking.
Sure, there were moments that didn't impress — I wish they had saved their Crash reveal until they could actually show some gameplay — but overall, my criticisms feel like nitpicking when taking into account the size and scope of the creativity we saw on display. I can't wait to get my hands on Horizon: Zero Dawn or Insomniac's Spider-Man game, and I even found myself surprised with my interest level in franchises I've previously been unable to get into (Call of Duty and God of War, I'm looking at you).Overall, Sony made me more excited about games than I have been in a while, and I think that says quite a lot about their presentation. -
Zarmena Khan
I don't think anyone "won." It was a solid event overall. I was happy with Bethesda's showcase, Ubisoft surprised me and kept my interest with For Honor, Microsoft took my breath away with Forza and Dead Rising 4, and Sony's announcements of God of War and Days Gone just made me excited to play games all over again.
Only problem is that I now have to wait to play these beautiful games. -
Paulmichael Contreras
I think some people are still recovering from Sony's press conference, something that can't be said about the other conferences. Microsoft's Xbox One S looks nice and sleek, but they've almost guaranteed low sales by announcing Project Scorpio. Sony kept all the focus on what we are all here for, and that's the games. That was exactly what they delivered. Many of these games are coming relatively soon, as well. Sony also quietly killed the Vita, which should've surprised no one...But now we look forward to many great titles coming our way in the near future! -
Stephen Bitto
Sony. The only people not talking about their presentation this morning are people who haven't picked their jaws up off the ground yet.
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Michael Briers
In a word, Sony. Difficult to look past its barrage of gameplay demos and the entire showing really made other conferences feel bloated and sluggish by comparison. Microsoft did have some highlights and the Scorpio sounds pretty incredible, but the whole tie-in with PC -- "XBOX ONE AND WINDOWS 10 EXCLUSIVE" -- isn't all that appealing. Maybe that's just me, though. Nintendo, on the other hand, started strong by unveiling Zelda Wii U/NX to be Breath of the Wild before meandering into a Pokémon Moon/Sun demo that was ten times longer than it needed to be.
So yeah, bias though it may be PlayStation clinches it for me. In fact, Sony's presser put me in mind of last year's conference in that it wowed PlayStation users all the while keeping release timelines for its AAA releases -- God of War, Detroit and Days Gone in this case -- under wraps. And that's OK. Best to save face after so many delays.
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Alex Co
Did Sony just beat their last year's E3 press conference? Yeah, it looks that way. While Microsoft wowed everyone with the announcement of a new super powerful Xbox, the end point of these gaming consoles are just that: games.
And this is where Sony shone the brightest. Game after game was announced, and it was so damn plentiful that Shawn Layden almost didn't even have any stage time to talk. The only sore spot here is we don't know whether these games will be out next year, in 2018 or beyond.
Of course, the possibility of Sony holding back info on these games for gamescom (or Paris Games Week) and for this year's PlayStation Experience is quite high, so I'm giving them the benefit of the doubt.
You know you had one awesome press conference when you don't even need to announce or show off your new upcoming console (PS4 Neo). Heck, even PSVR's release date fell to the wayside since all we could think of were the games.
Now this is the way to deliver a press conference, Sony! I hope other game companies follow suit!
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Mack Ashworth
Sony nailed it. They let the gameplay do the talking, and boy did it work! God of War and Horizon: Zero Dawn are my personal gameplay demo highlights. I'm still not totally sold on PlayStation VR, but the Resident Evil 7 biohazard stage demo had me intrigued. Perhaps it will win me over, eventually.
