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After an eventful five days, E3 2012 has finally closed its doors for another year. But what did we learn from it?
We’ve rounded up all the biggest announcements from E3 2012 here, along with links to each of the relevant stories for those of you eager to find out more info.
- Ubisoft announces new IP Watch Dogs for release in 2013 – but doesn’t make it clear whether or not it’s coming to next-gen consoles.
- Confirmation arrives that Wii U will support two simultaneously connected GamePads. The GamePad weighs less than an iPad and will last between 3-5 hours on a full charge.
- Xbox SmartGlass is revealed, bringing tablet controls to Xbox 360. Microsoft thought it was better than Wii U, too.
- Criterion is developing Need For Speed: Most Wanted – which looks a lot like Burnout Paradise. In addition to Xbox 360, PlayStation 3 and PC, it’s also coming to Vita.
- Nintendo reveals Miiverse, a new social network feature for Wii U.
- Ex-Microsoft man Peter Molyneux admits concerns over Kinect integration before criticizing Vita. Good show.
- Nintendo says the Wii U is “tremendously powerful” after releasing fairly ambiguous tech specs.
- David Cage reveals Beyond: Two Souls, an ‘interactive drama’ starring Juno star Ellen Page. Sony confuses us with a Q4 release date.
- Crytek announces that its transitioning to a purely free-to-play business model.
- PLAYSTATION 4 NEWS! Kinda. Sony America boss Jack Tretton suggests PS4 probably won’t be out before the next Xbox, or be as cheap.
- Wii U gets listed for £280. GamePads could cost £135.
- Square Enix reveals its next-gen Luminous Engine. Jaws hit floors.
- PlayStation Vita’s Call of Duty is, erm, declassified as ‘Call of Duty: Black Ops Declassified’. A logo is shown.
- The Last of Us wows us, but news of a 2013 release date makes us sad.
- Sony over-hyped its PlayStation Plus announcement, before revealing that subscribers will get to choose a few free games.
- The Wii U Pro Controller saw its debut, looking a lot like an Xbox 360 controller.
- Nintendo puts a date on its 3DS line-up, including an August 19 release for New Super Mario Bros. 2. Luigi’s Mansion and Paper Mario follow in the ‘holiday’.
- Ninty shows off Pikmin 3 and New Super Mario Bros. U for Wii U.
- Are you fat? Then you probably need Wii Fit U. Do you sing in the shower? Then SiNG is the game for you.
- Nintendo goes mini-game mental with Nintendo Land. But will it be bundled with Wii U? Reggie won’t say.
- Platinum’s Project P-100 makes everybody wonder whether Wii U really could be a machine for core gamers.
- Nintendo’s press conference fails to inspire anyone, including investors, whose stock price crashes following a disastrous show.
- Splinter Cell: Blacklist was announced for Xbox 360, PS3 and PC, and rumoured for Wii U, but not before some leaked screenshots hit the web hours before.
- EA acquires the UFC license from THQ, before THQ quietly closes the development studio behind Undisputed.
- Gears of War: Judgment gets a 2013 release date and confirmation that it’s headed up by Bulletstorm developer People Can Fly. Some ‘screenshots’ of the game also appear.
- EA details FIFA 13’s Kinect support. Apparently you can swear at the ref.
- A Dead Island sequel is coming soon. Deep Silver tells us to expect more over the summer.
- Oddworld: Abe’s Oddysee is getting a reboot.
- Third-parties jump on-board Wii U with Mass Effect 3, Batman: Arkham City – Armored Edition, Tekken Tag 2 and more.
- Uncharted star Nathan Drake and BioShock baddie Big Daddy are to feature in PS3’s Super Smash Bros.-alike PlayStation All-Stars: Battle Royale. It’s coming to PlayStation Vita, too.
- The DualShock 3 goes bling-tastic. It’s well reem, yeah?
- Tomb Raider, Final Fantasy VII and other PSOne Classics are coming to Vita. You’ll also be able to play Shadow of the Colossus on your Vita through Remote Play, and control LittleBigPlanet 2 via X-Play.
- Far Cry 3 has four-player co-op.
- Oh, and the PS3 version is getting exclusive DLC. As is Assassin’s Creed III.
- An interactive book looks like it could win Christmas 2012.
- God of War: Ascension is dated for March as the series notches up 21.5 million sales.
- 100 million people download Angry Birds Space as Activision announces its bringing the series to console.
- IO apologises for Hitman: Absolution’s sexy nuns trailer.
- Origin lists system requirements for SimCity, Dead Space 3 and Need For Speed: Most Wanted.
- Mad Catz announces its range of Wii U accessories, which includes a charging dock and a protective cover for your GamePad.
- Epic confirms that the stunning-looking Star Wars 1313 is being developed on Unreal Engine 3. Nobody knows whether it’s coming to this generation or not, though.
- The Last Guardian is a no show. Sony won’t say whether it’s moved to PS4.
- The first eShop title for Wii U gets announced.
- Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 versions of Diablo III turn up at some European retailers. Nothing comes of it.
- Ubisoft lifts the lid on ZombiU, a first-person survival horror for Wii U.
- Microsoft announces it has acquired Max & The Magic Marker devs Press Play.
- Forza Horizon races into store shelves on October 23, 2012, Microsoft reveals.
- Microsoft announces Xbox Music, a new Xbox 360/PC/tablet/smartphone music store featuring over 30 million tracks.
- A February release date is announced for Crysis 3. Nobody seems to care.
- A March release date is announced for South Park: The Stick of Truth. Kinect support lets you shout rude things at Cartman.
- Twisted Pixel’s next game ‘LocoCycle’ is revealed, looking a lot like Tron.
- Kinect-controlled Fable: The Journey slips to October.
- Microsoft makes a bet that Halo 4 will be the biggest release of 2012.
- An Internet Explorer app is finally announced for Xbox 360, but you’ll need an Xbox Live Gold subscription.
- Dead Space 3 is announced. Features co-op shooting, bromance and “action and horror on a scale that far exceeds anything [Visceral’s] ever done before”. Hmm.
- Battlefield 3 Premium is announced, along with release dates for all of Battlefield 3’s expansion packs.
- The Xbox 360 version of Call of Duty: Black Ops II will receive timed-exclusive DLC.
- XBLA/PSN/PC multiplayer shooter Counter-Strike Global Offensive gets an August release date.
- Assassin’s Creed III: Liberation hits Vita the same day as the home console versions.
- Madden NFL 13 will use EA’s new ‘Infinity Engine’ allowing for improved collision detection and dynamic animations.
