The nine surprises of E3 2012

MCV picks the games, platforms, people and services that made the Los Angeles show worthwhile…

1. WATCH OUT FOR UBI
A new action adventure, Watch Dogs, closed Ubisoft’s press conference to much praise

2. GREAT BEYOND
Nintendo kicked off its press conference with a franchise. Microsoft kicked off its showcase with owned IP. Sony decided the best way to grab people’s attentions was with a new story-driven game starring Academy Award nominee Ellen Page. It worked.

3. STAR WARS GROWS UP
A new game from LucasArts was brimming with ideas and is either a late in the cycle release or – potentially – a launch title for next generation PlayStation or Xbox.

4. WONDER-FUL
Want to launch a new interactive book to entice a mass market audience, but don’t know what to launch it with? How about a new Harry Potter spin-off developed with JK Rowling. If only, right?

5. MICROSOFT SMARTGLASS…
The Xbox announcements this year were few and far between. This had the most potential. Tablet owners can now use their devices with their home consoles.

6. …A SHATTERING SHOWFROM SOUTH PARK
We saw plenty of violence and swearing during Microsoft’s E3 press conference before South Park showed up. But the series’ creators took to the stage and – without teleprompter – proceeded to mock Xbox’s new multi-screen strategy. It was hilarious.

7. SQUARE SET FOR NEXT-GEN
The frankly jaw-dropping tech demo entitled ‘Agni’s Philosophy’ used the new Luminous Studio engine and gave the world a glimpse at what Final Fantasy for PS4 will look like.

8. LEGO UNDERCOVER UNWRAPPED
The most promising Wii U game was actually a new Traveller’s Tales LEGO game that looked a lot like a family-friendly GTA

9. NINTENDO FINALLY GOES ONLINE
Miiverse was unveiled in a webcast ahead of Nintendo’s E3 press conference and is a new social network-style system for Wii U. It underlined Nintendo’s ambitions in the online world, and will even be available over PC and smartphones. In essence: Nintendo’s first multi-platform release.