E3 2012 Day 1

E3 2012 kicked off with the Microsoft Press conference at 9:00 on the morning of June 4 with the Microsoft press conference. Holding nothing back, Microsoft began the show with gameplay from Halo 4 where we saw Master Cheif sporting new weapons, and fighting unknown enemies on a mysterious planet. Afterwards came Splinter Cell: Blacklist which puts Sam Fisher in the middle of a crazy terrorist plot. Microsoft followed this gameplay by announcing new partnerships with Nickelodeon, Paramount, Machinima, NBA, and NHL who will provide service on XBOX Live later this year.
A new service called XBOX smartglass was also announced which will allow players to integrate their smart phone or tablet with their XBOX to create a new entertainment experience with two screens similar to what Nintendo has done with the Wii-u.
Other highlights from the press conference included trailers for Tomb Raider, Resident Evil 6, South Park and the Stick of Truth, Gears of War: Judgement, and Call of Duty: Black Ops 2.
Later, Electronic Arts sported new games like Dead Space 3, Need For Speed: Most Wanted, Madden 2013, and Sim City while Ubisoft showed off a beautiful new trailer for Assassin’s Creed 3 which showcased incredible new environments and weapons. Ubisoft also showcased several new games for Wii-u like ZombiU, Rayman Legends, and Rabbids Land.
The most interesting announcement of the day came with the unveiling of a new game called Watch Dogs in which players play as a hacker named Aidan Pierce who has complete access to every computer system in a city.
As the night descended upon the LA Convention Center, so did Sony. The Sony show started with a blast as Quantic Dream lifted the curtain on a game called Beyond:Two Souls, a paranormal thriller starring Ellen Paige. After this exciting announcement, however, the conference dragged until the very end where Gameplay from Naughty Dog’s new game, The Last of Us.
Overall, a very exciting day at E3 with many more announcements yet to come until later this week. Check back soon for Day 2 and Day 3 coverage.