E3 2012: Microsoft Xbox Presentation

E3 2012 this years kicked off with Microsoft. Halo 4 started the show off. I honestly don't expect much from Halo. As each title is released, it is in danger of becoming more and more formulaic like franchises like Call of Duty. My fears were echoed with the new Gear of War title: Gears of War Judgement. Prequels that are made after the main story arc is concluded are risky undertakings. Where I'm more interested in the continuing story of the Master Chief, I'm less interested in the origins story of Baird and Cole. I'm a big plot driven gamer. If the story is compelling enough, I'll play it. I'll reserve final judgement (no pun intended) til more information is released.

The two titles that stood out for me was Splinter Cell: Blacklist and Tomb Raider. I've never been a Tomb Raider fan, but after playing the Uncharted series, I feel like I'm ready to sink my teeth into the world of Tomb Raider. Now I know that this is another origins story, but what set this apart from the Gears or War prequel, this feels and was designed to be a reboot. I see this as the Batman Begins or Casino Royale of the Tomb Raider franchise. Lara wasn't running around show boating and kicking whole sale ass, she was fighting for survival. It's great to add a sense of realism to a character that seems to be beyond reproach.

As far as Halo 4 goes, Master Chief is always going to be the indestructible super soldier. My interest lies with Cortana. She has a finite life, just like a human. When an AI goes beyond 7 years of life they die. But Cortana's encounters with the Halo contsruct and the Gravemind have allowed her to go beyond her estimated life span. This causes potential risks for her as she may soon start to go insane. As far as Halo goes, nothing new that they can add to gameplay can interest me. Other shooters than come out more consistently have become far more ingenuitive. Plot and plot alone will drive me to pick this game up from the shelves.

Black Ops showed off the new world Call of Duty fans will visit. It is refreshing to see a new futuristic take on the franchise. In my opinion, Ghost Recon has always done a better job representing future warfare. FPS games tend to limit players as to what they can see or do, ergo why I feel the Tom Clancy series has a leg up on COD.

On a side note, was pretty disappointed that I didn't hear any word of a Dante's Inferno sequel. Sad day.

Microsoft Smartglass took center stage for most of the presentation. Each year, E3 gets me semi-geared up to by the next accessory for the Xbox, and each year I balk at the opportunity to buy it. This year I have to say that I was pleasantly surprised to know that I have all the hardware needed to run Smartglass. My tablet and smartphone will allow to interact with my Xbox in a brand new way. Along with the addition to new apps on the marketplace like NHL and MLB apps, I feel like my Xbox has become an entertainment hub. Filled with TV, movies, music and gaming, it makes me feel like my Xbox has allowed me to join a club which adds more interactive depth to those people who I will never see but share the same interests.

I know we were all waiting for word on 720, but it seems like the Xbox well hasn't run dry......yet.