Rate-a-Conference E3 2016: Ubisoft
Sometimes, you watch something so long that it makes you want to run away and curl up in a ball, gently sobbing to yourself. Ubisoft’s conference was one of those things. Running for two long hours, Ubisoft’s offering was poorly laid out this year. Although what they were showing was by no means bad, it went on for far too long. Each game they brought out seemed to stay on stage for an eternity, sucking away much of the excitement from the titles.
Ubisoft’s offering was poorly laid out this year
Many of the games that they had to show did look to be something different from what we are used to from Ubisoft. Ghost Recon Wildlands looked interesting, but in reality is probably just another generic Ubisoft open-world game; South Park looked amazing, crude and hilarious as usual; Watch Dogs 2 looks set to massively improve upon the disappointment of the first game, and For Honor appears an interesting take on historical melee combat (but worryingly looks a lot like Ryse). None of these games looked poor, and most will surely be successful or at the very least be competent, but the way in which they were presented did not help any of the titles in terms of building hype.
what Ubisoft showed this year was not at all enjoyable
There was also an increased focus upon VR. Viewers were shown two long VR demos; one for Eagle Flight, which had previously been announced, and another for a Star Trek game, showcased by former Star Trek cast members. However, neither of these games seemed appealing. Eagle Flight looked like a one-trick pony that would get boring very quickly, and the Star Trek game looked like it was straight out of the PS2 era. Plus, both seem to require multiple VR headsets, something that will not be a reality for most people. This poor VR showing, along with the terribly-paced showings of their bigger titles, meant that what Ubisoft showed this year was not at all enjoyable, and at times hard to get through. (Plus, I have no clue what kind of drug trip the person who scheduled the opening dance number was on, because, damn, that was trippy.)
Game of the Conference: South Park: The Fractured But Whole
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