What a year 2015 was for E3 this year. It was packed with huge names and big announcements from both Sony and Microsoft, but who really carried the day this year?

 

Microsoft had a lot of making up to do to the legions of loyal fans after the epic fail of E3 two years ago where their marketing strategy for the XBOX One failed to not only gather support but also keep it. Their idea to constantly have the console online and to limit the amount of freedom gamers had when it came to preowned games, it is no wonder Sony managed to gain so much support. So with that in my mind, I felt that Microsoft had to deliver.

 

First, let’s talk Microsoft.

 

When Gears of War 4 was announced, along with a new Mass Effect, I am pretty certain the gaming world saw this coming. Both of those franchises have been stalwart ambassadors for the brand, and the very first Gears of War was one of the main things that pushed me towards the XBOX 360 and not the PS3. Tie in the gameplay footage from the new Assassin’s Creed game; it proved that the rumours circulating the web were true. But boy did they give us some cracking surprises.

 

The biggest was the fact that XBOX One would now be backwards compatible with a massive range of XBOX 360 games soon to become available on the next gen consoles. Microsoft has promised 150 titles by Christmas with more promised in 2016. This is great news for most gamers who still look at some of the old titles with bleary eyes. Sony has also promised the same thing with the PS4, but it seems to be a way off, so Microsoft has seized the initiative.

 

With the new Tomb Raider and Forza 6 being XBOX only for a short time, this will also attract fans back to the XBOX One. The new and revamped version of the new Tomb Raider was extremely well received both by critics and the gaming community and with the heightened graphics engine and what promises to be a fantastic storyline; it would seem that Uncharted 4 has a rival on the market before it was even released. Also, the new XBOX One Elite controller has been revealed, promising to give the gamer a more enjoyable gaming experience, but with an extremely heavy price tag, you have to stop and wonder whether or not that is such a good thing.

 

Gears of War 4 looks phenomenal with new characters and new enemies to pound into the dirt, and with the release of the BETA now (I am about to have a crack at this) and a new Silent Hill it is promising to be a promising 2016.

 

Switching it up now, I think it is worth mentioning Ubisoft at this point. The company had an appalling year with Watchdogs falling at the first hurdle, The Crew being one of the worst racing games on the market (in my opinion) and a broken Assassin’s Creed Unity, they knew they had to step up here to try and maintain their reputation. Assassin’s Creed is one of their main franchises, so it was little surprise they plugged it at E3, promising gamers an immersive storyline and the ability to explore as much of Victorian London as possible. I must admit, from the gameplay footage and the trailers, it looks awesome, but then so did Unity…

 

However, their trailer for their new game ‘For Honor’ looks absolutely outstanding and if you haven’t seen it yet then I would highly recommends jumping on YouTube and watching it. It offers violence and gore in a medieval setting, throwing Vikings, Knights and Samurai warriors into the fray. It looks promising, but will it end up the same as Unity? We can all hope not.

 

Now we drag our attention over to Sony, and I must admit what an E3 they have had. A new Hitman is on the cards and their newest franchise ‘Horizon’, looks totally over the top and great fun (again check it out) but their biggest I don’t think anyone saw their wild cards coming.

 

Sony show cased in-game footage of the much anticipated ‘The Last Guardian’ and I have to admit it looks epic. Following a similar sort of format to Ico and Shadow of the Colossus (both good games in their own right) it was promised back in 2008 and then just randomly fell off the face of the planet. I was a huge fan of the other two games, and as I saw the game footage, I sat open mouthed at how huge this game could be. But this did nothing to prepare me for what was coming next.

 

A remake of Final Fantasy 7!

 

More or less every gamer can relate to one of the final fantasy games, and 7 was a firm fan favourite. I threw hundreds of hours into that and loved every minute. So a remake, with next gen graphics, is going to be awesome!

 

So in my opinion, these were the biggest announcements this year, but that is just one man’s opinion. But who dominated E3 this year: Microsoft or Sony?

 

That one is too close to call. Both companies made epic announcements and if you read anything written on the web, 90% of articles I have seen seem to point to Microsoft. But I am undecided. So the best thing to do would be to watch both press conferences and see which one you think were the Kings and Queens of E3!