Community round-up XVIII - E3 special

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E3 2016 has sadly concluded, so let's take a look at the moments that had us lovingly holding our consoles like Norman Reedus and his Norman Fetus, as well as those that just made us pull that face.

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​by Sam Sant

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@SlamShotSam

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​​EA started the show on Sunday evening with their first annual EA Play event - recap here if you missed it - but the E3 party didn't truly begin until Plas joined us in the live chat.

Entering with a pun so terrible only he could pull it off, we settled in for a night of gaming goodness.  

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​EA didn't really deliver on that front, let's be honest. It had the same problem as their previous showings, in that they only show glimpses of the things people really want to see whilst focusing on those they don't - sports mainly.

One nice surprise was the EA Originals programme in which EA help bring indie games to the market without taking a cut of the profits for themselves.

​The show of philanthropy didn't win the company any favour with Jaime Rodriguez, however.

Bethesda took the stage afterwards for a reasonable showing that didn't quite match last year's effort - again, catch up here if you missed it. Unfortunately, I neglected to screenshot any highlights from the chat thanks to being preoccupied with live tweeting. Then there was the fact it started at an exhausting 3am, as well. Thanks to everyone that stayed up late with us regardless.  

Monday opened with the big one for our community in Microsoft's Xbox conference. It was perhaps underwhelming on the software front, whilst showcasing some exciting new hardware and direction, all of which you can read up on here.

​The arrival of Dan brought some loving pedantry from Plas, while ImmaturityRules was meanwhile more concerned that the new club feature might lead to some unwanted solicitation - not that Johnbhoy69 would mind.

We seem to have a lot of crossover with Tinder, Dan expressing his joy at an Xbox equivalent above and John spending some time on there after swiping left on the Forza Horizon 3 reveal. 

​I guess we know how the 69 made its way into his name now.

Could've cut that one down, but why not include a totally random tangent from Plas? It is a little strange to have children's toys based on franchises rated 18+, though... 

They didn't win anyone's attention back with the Minecraft segment that wasn't only cringe-worthy, but belonged nowhere near an E3 stage. ​​

Final Fantasy XV wasn't exactly well met, either.

​It really did have a dire showing, and whilst that doesn't mean much coming from me as someone with no interest in FF or JRPGs, the esteemed colleagues and community members to the right are (or at least once were) big fans of the franchise. 

In fact, live chat found the hand Microsoft dealt to be pretty underwhelming on the whole. 

You know something's wrong when just a few parting sentiments are; "I'm annoyed I got excited for this", "Wow, that was shite" and "A TV spot for Ice Age 5 in the other room was probably the biggest reveal for me".

The forum folk that didn't catch it live with us were a little more favourable, Metalrodent, Timmeh and Confused Johnny holding positive sentiments in the E3 thread. 

The biggest talking point was undoubtedly Project Scorpio, which split the forum between those for and against the continued generational and proposed itterational console cycles. Many plan to pick it up day one, whilst others refuse to if only on principle. 

Ubisoft stepped up next - you know the deal, all the details here - providing what was probably the strongest third-party showing. That said, their opening didn't really set the tone.

James and Dan did go on to admit they were getting a smidge of guilty pleasure out of the Just Dance 2017 dance party, the fun-having heathens!

Aisha Tyler and her girl wood returned to host and liven up proceedings, which definitely succeeded in helping the conference stand out. Games like South Park: The Fractured But Whole (tee-hee) and For Honor also play a part, of course... You'd really think quality assurance would've spotted that typo by now, mind.  

Once again I didn't capture any of the positive comments, because those are far less entertaining as we all know. Skipping all the juicy middle, we'll hop to the other end of the presser and take a look at the reaction to the underwhelming reveal of Steep. 

The mauling wasn't done yet.

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The extreme sports simulator certainly fell short of mirroring previous closing, surprise unveilings like Watch_Dogs and Tom Clancy's Ghost Recon Wildlands.

Whilst I can see it having done well during the height of popularity for games like Tony Hawk, Skate, SSX and Amped, its time may have now passed.

Sony wrapped things up with a hideous 2am start - just like Bethesda I was tired and tasked with live tweeting the thing, so screen caps fell somewhat by the wayside. Sorry, I'm only human. Please accept this round-up of the event by my fair hand as compensation.

It was undoubtedly the best of the bunch if you ask me, and I just told you anyway if you don't.

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​The grand orchestral opening and God of War reveal went a long way towards securing that status, prompting John (I snapped one this time, that's progress at least) to declare Sony the 'winners' out of the gate.

Whilst Plas encouraged him not to get ahead of himself, continued stellar form had Plas take to the forum and declare that Sony had "stolen the show".

Chris was also impressed, whilst Rodent and Timmeh didn't really get the hype with the games on show not necessarily being their bag.

We'll just skip Nintendo's awful Treehouse coverage, which managed to make Zelda look boring and viewers tune out rather than deal with annoying presenters. The game's sure to be amazing, but they didn't do it any favours.

Overall, this year's E3 was hardly the most innovative - just when you thought zombies were on their way out, Dead Rising 4, State of Decay 2 and Days Gone rear their heads - but regardless of that there are a lot of fantastic games on the horizon. Some great hardware as well; I'll be indulging in VR come October, the most powerful console ever towards the end of next year, and perhaps a Nintendo NX if only for Zelda: Breath of the Wild.

It's a great time to be a gamer and exciting for us to share it with a growing audience, having gained hundreds of Twitter followers over the course of E3. As the audience grows, we aim to provide more ways to keep them entertained, which brings us to this week's jukebox entry.

It's a bit of a cheat, but it fits the premise in being something you should listen to, so shush. Presenting: the first PTC podcast, featuring myself, James and Chris dissecting E3. 

​We hope you enjoy it, if you do then let us know and we'll get to work on more!

​Why not get involved by liking us on Facebook, following us on Twitter and having your say in the forums. You might even feature in a future instalment as a result.