Microsoft
I don’t think Microsoft came into E3 needing to “prove” anything, per se, and instead needed to focus on presenting a follow-up to last year’s stellar line-up. Beginning with a bang, they showed playable demos of Fallout 3, Resident Evil 5, Gears of War 2, and Fable 2. Each of the games were shown by their lead designer and each announced something new about their games, Fallout 3 getting exclusive content for the 360. Overall, they were solid performances but they felt short and rushed which sort of muted their impact.
Gears of War 2 Dated
From there, Microsoft moved into the incredibly boring numbers section and proved that XBLM has been a resounding success and is producing lots of money. Very dry portion of the presentation.
New Xbox Live Experience
The “New Xbox Live Experience” was revealed with a complete Dashboard overhaul that introduced Avatars, Xbox Live Primetime, etc. This information was already known due to leaks so it wasn’t necessarily a surprise that it happened but what was changing. They ended the show with Square Enix coming up and talking about their games, then, dropping probably the biggest bombshell of E3 with the announcement of Final Fantasy XIII appearing on the 360.
Final Fantasy XIII
With real-time demos, a new Xbox Live, release dates, and Final Fantasy XIII for the 360, Microsoft had a solid showing. But a lack of Halo, boring numbers section, and most of the info being leaked beforehand blunted it’s impact. Rating: A-
