E3 2014 Sony VS. Microsoft, Take Two

           Competition is good for the consumer. Competition is good for the industry. Competition breeds innovation and options galore. Competition...well, you get the idea. Last year, at E3 2013, Microsoft compounded its problems of TV and more TV with DRM and always online restrictiveness, and Sony answered the calls of many gamers to not follow suit; Planting a flag and declaring unrestricted freedom and traditional gaming for all. Sony threw haymakers, taking advantage of Microsoft's foolhardy, pompous maneuvers. Sony declared no 24 hour online check-ins and the ability to, as always, trade and play used games. The crowd at E3 2013, attending Sony's conference, erupted as they were galvanized to a pronounced and thunderous applause. This all lead to a sustained momentum, which has thus far carried over to impressive sales numbers for the PlayStation 4. Microsoft has yielded, terminating their unrelenting vision for the future of gaming that only they could foresee. 




          But now we approach the next showdown. And as I have gathered it: Microsoft won't lay-down so easily, reevaluating their stance and charting new paths, they seem poised to regain the hearts of those Xbox faithful and the gaming enthused alike. But you know what? This is a great thing. Not just for Xbox users, but for video game consumers in general. Why? Why not root for the giant to be toppled and ultimately defeated? Well, because the more competition there is, the more consumer friendly the market. The more we shall see the natural forces of competing entities push game makers on all levels to vie for their market share, and not rest on their laurels. Listening to the consumer--keeping an eye and ear to the forums and the darkest reaches of the gaming-sphere, theoretically this is the way to go--competition is the way to go. In its absence, we very well may be left with an industry lacking the proper incentives to care for the demands of their own customers, at least to an optimally efficient degree.

           So I definitely look forward to Microsoft, Sony, Nintendo and all other publishers and developers appearing on stage and from streams, all a buzz, to present their latest creations. The week of E3 entails a cavalcade of gaming factions presenting cascades of information. Let's hope this info leads to more cheers than jeers. I want to see the new Uncharted and God of War, maybe a word from Guerrilla Games on their under wraps open-world RPG, or even Project Beast the supposed From Software and Sony collaboration. But I am equally anticipating the latest Nintendo concoctions, including the new Zelda, and Microsoft's/Insomniac's Sunset Overdrive, and whatever else Microsoft throws out. 

Ubisoft is a favorite of mine as well. The latest Assassin's Creed and Far Cry are games to watch. This is all not to mention CD Projekt Red and their hype-worthy Witcher 3.  E3 remains relevant and makes a major mark on the gaming schedule each year, revealing new directions and changes in the industry for better or for worse, but let's hope, again, that the games and the gamers come first and foremost.

--Will a Rockstar representative take the stage? who gets hold of Kojima this year? What to make of The Last Guardian?