Threat Detection – Episode 21 – E3 Megashow

Threat Detection - The Irish Videogame Podcast

What’s Threat Detection?

Threat Detection is a lively, smart, frequently funny and always irreverent videogame chat show on Radiomade.ie. Each week, hosts Gareth Stack & James Van De Waal take an hour or two to tear apart a videogame topic, like character, horror, or sex.

This week – E3, the worlds largest videogame conference

Started in 1995. The first E3 was conceived by IDG’s Infotainment World and co-founded by the Interactive Digital Software Association (now the Entertainment Software Association). It coincided with the start of a new generation of consoles, with the release of the Sega Saturn, and the announcements of upcoming releases of the PlayStation, Virtual Boy and Neo-Geo CD.

Nothing short of fabulous opera being performed by seriously amateur public representatives and corporate heads of the great movers and shakers of the video game industry. Over the last ten years the press conference has grown and moved with the growing profits of the video game business, jumping from Los Angeles convention center, Tokyo in 1996.

What does E3 say about the state of the industry industry?

With the prevalence of bullshots, ‘target renders’ and broken releases – e.g.: WatchDogs, Battlefied 4 – can we trust anything we see?

What are our hopes for the near future of gaming?

https://garethstack.files.wordpress.com/2014/06/threat-detection-episode-21.mp3

Download: Threat Detection – Episode 21

The Best of E3

New Ass Creed – co-op looks incredible, but who will play like this. Will the game’s already low bar difficulty be even more simplified.

HD Zelda on Wii U

Tried to play down any of the new footage – what little there was. Instead focusing on a new focus to freedom of gameplay and an open world to support it.

Alien isolation
Human and android enemies too.

Far cry 4
Yawn, more UBI open world. UBI are the hollywood studio of videogames.

Create a ‘mythic’ template, OTT villain, with story ‘beats’, test in the market, wax rinse repeat. Although, to be fair, co-op looks fun – footage shows a lot of gameplay potential. Multiple ways to approach mission objective, aspects of the environment to play against your enemy. Nice and steady frame rate to keep up to your fast paced shooting and interactive movements.

Mirrors Edge 2 – looks identical to ME2 – seems very early in development.

Star Wars Battlefront

The Last Guardian – MIA but apparently not cancelled

A lot of pre-alpha footage and barely explored concepts but besides some HDified classics there are few big ips coming out this year. Destiny is excused, all hail Destiny.

Tomb Raider Reboot Sequel

The Division – promises incredible co-op, what chance it will deliver.

Rainbow Six – Siege

– co-op, destructible scenery, blockades etc – learning from rust,Battlefield
– could have done more with planning stage (second device etc), but core gameplay looks fantastic (first PC multiplayer I ever played)
– can they fix janky shooting too?

H1Z1 – looks rubbish thus far.

Grim Fandango remake for PS4 / Vita
– from Doublefine!!!!

No Man’s Sky Gameplay (please dont’ make it PS4 exclusive)
– space Dinosaurs, planet to planet traversal

– this is what happens when the demo scene make a game
– dodgy interview, glosses over details such as instancing, interaction, gameplay
– another interview

Uncharted 4 ‘Thief’s End’ – 2015 / PS4

(Pretty Teaser tells us nothing, grimdark tone)

GTA 5 – nextgen and PC – improved lighting
If they did this for Skyrim with the lighting mods, now that would shift consoles

Splatoon
First interesting new Nintendo first party IP in a decade Splatoon –
=> back in the 16 bit era, each platform holder would constantly float ‘lesser’ potential series (e.g.: Nights) these days Nintendo seems content to pump out sequels and casual games, what was the last real new IP pikmin?
=> interesting press coverage – Time Magazine, Forbes. Nintendo has name brand recognition far outweighing their sales or contemporary influence

Interesting “indies”

Inside – very limbo like 2d sidescrolling stealth puzzler

Valiant Hearts – WW1 Dog based? heartbreaking trailer //maudlin trailer// – not really an indie, coming from Ubisoft Montpellier (Rayman / Zombie U / Beyond Good and evil team)

Cuphead – perfect recreation of 30s animation in a platformer

Hotline Miami 2 level editor

Indie3 – independent indie games at E3.