Microsoft's 2008 E3 briefing kicks off on Monday. Today we’re looking back at their E3 event from last year to see what they promised and what came true.
It was all about Christmas for Microsoft at E3 2007.
There was nary a reference to what life as an Xbox 360 owner would be like in 2008. Capcom's "Resident Evil 5" was the only game that managed to sneak in with a trailer, along with brief logo shots of "Too Human" and "Fable II."
It was a stark contrast to how Sony approached their press conference that week. Sony bent over backwards to show PlayStation 3 owners why the future was so bright.
Let's remember the major announcements made at the show:
* "Mass Effect" dated for November
* "Scene It!" one button controller and game unveiled
* "Call of Duty 4" exclusive multiplayer beta announced
* "Halo" short film shown as consolation for "Halo" movie
So, what's happened in the year since then?
Because Microsoft stuck mostly to Christmas 2007, reflecting on their E3 conference doesn't provide any particular revelations. "Mass Effect" arrived in November and "Scene It!" came and went, albeit without much impact. The blockbuster success of the "Call of Duty 4" multiplayer beta, however, was seen as a big help in turning the latest "CoD" into the monster shooter it became (and still is).
Successful or not, the implications of "Scene It!" are still being felt. "Scene It!" was declared by Microsoft to be one of their first big steps in embracing the casual market that find traditional games too daunting. I broke the first word about Microsoft's in-development motion controller earlier this year, and if rumors about the next dashboard update are believed, my initial report held plenty of truth.
Microsoft showed the first of a series of Neil Blomkamp-directed "Halo" shorts at E3 (he was also to direct the moviee), the closest we may ever get to a "Halo" movie in the near future. The highly anticipated, Peter Jackson-collaborated "Halo" movie fell off the Hollywood rails months before E3 2007, however, and was declared "dead" by Blomkamp later in the year. No progress has been made since, but it's possible we'll see Jackson's "Halo" spin-off game make an appearance at this year's press conference.
With Sony running on all cylinders in 2008 and Nintendo experiencing continued runaway success with Wii, it doesn't seem likely Microsoft will take the same approach at next week's conference. We know that "Gears of War 2," "Banjo & Kazooie" and "Fable 2" are their big titles, but with once-crucial first and second-party developers like Bungie Studios and Bizarre Creations having left the fold, the faithful may need reassurance.
Will Microsoft give it to them next week? Readers, what do you want to hear and see?
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