First there was Microsoft’s press conference, then there was Sony’s, and now Nintendo’s… sort of. For the first time ever, rather than host a press conference at E3, the company opted to instead deliver its big announcements through a Nintendo Direct broadcast– and a relatively short one, at that, weighing in at only 41 minutes and some change versus the 90-minute to 2-hours the other guys brought.

And to be quite frank, I hope they never do this again. Or at the very least, are better prepared for it– I and many others who tried to view it live (well, “live,” given it was pre-recorded) found great difficulty with the streaming, no matter where we went. I had to view most of it on Nintendo UK’s website, and missed their second announcement in the process, while only gathering glimpses of the first. If you must do this again, Nintendo, please go with Twitch or YouTube or– better still– both.

Of course, the funny part is that while they had the shortest showing, I’ll probably have the most I have to say about anything here, though that’s likely no surprise. If you’d like to compare this to my thoughts from last year, here you go. Now, without further ado…

Last year, I felt that while Sony had a pretty good E3 press conference, they didn’t really show much that compelled me to want a PlayStation 3 or PlayStation Vita. That isn’t to say that neither system has games I want, merely that most of what they were showing wasn’t.

This year, of course, is a whole new console and a whole new ballgame. And with Microsoft stinking up the joint before they even got there, will Sony pull off a double-header in my book and outdo their rivals at this year’s E3? Let’s fine out.

One thing before we get started: Unlike the MS conference earlier, I’m pulling all of my reference from this single video. And as it’s around two or so hours long and simply packed with stuff, I hope to be a little more brief here as well. So, without further ado…

Last year, after the big three gave their press conferences, I shared my thoughts on what they had to show. This year, I’m just taking them as they come, starting with Microsoft. They didn’t do much for me last year, and with their Xbox One reveal last month, they drove my interest in the new platform straight into the negative.

The simple fact of the matter is, I’ve already been anti-Xbox One. This isn’t about bias against Microsoft, as I still own, enjoy, and intend to continue playing my Xbox 360 for as long as it holds out. This is about the business practices they’re employing to basically invade and control every facet of the user’s experience, from how they enjoy the games to requiring a camera, online check-ins, and the whole used game rigamarole. I might be able to forgive one, or even two of these slights, but all together? It’s just too much.

So was there anything at their E3 2013 press conference today that would change my mind? Short of a retraction of some of these stupid policies, of course not. Some of these games may pain me to miss, but so it goes sometimes. That said, let’s see how they fared this year.

And by “PMO,” I mean “I need your help.” Same difference.

For a while, I’ve built up something of a backlog of different topics I’ve been wanting to write about here. Between trying to decide on which ones to do and all of my other responsibilities, they’ve largely just kind of built up into one big queue, and this is where I figured you come in. Simply put: Here’s a list of topics I’ve been intending to write about– you tell me which one you’d like me to take on, and I can focus on that!

I just hope there are enough votes to help make things definitive. On that note, I ask that you only name one for now– we’ll come back to the others later. If I’m having to decide between several, then it kind of renders the process moot. Then, once one is done, we start the process over again fresh. Sound good? I hope so!

Here’s what I’ve got:

I don’t get to go out shopping for fun stuff very often, and even when I do, the hauls aren’t always great. But I recently had the opportunity to hit several places in Toronto, and found that I had a pretty good haul, so I decided to share here. Starting from least to greatest…

I managed to procure a few toys while I was out. The bear Transformer-like “Beast King” figure came from Dollarama, and I decided to go for it because a) I’d heard good things about these, and b) bears rock, and there aren’t enough transforming bears. Quality-wise, it’s not great, but better than some knock-offs. Transformation was a bit stiff at first, and his arms are a bit loose. Not bad, not great, might look good on display.

Following his views on the E3 2012 press conferences of the “Big Three,” Lanceheart joins us again one year later to share his views on how things have moved along.

Here we are, on the verge of E3 2013. Gaming has changed quite a bit since this time in 2012 and promises to change even more in the year ahead. From Nintendo launching its “next generation” console to Sony and Microsoft announcing their own, 2013 will be the most intriguing year in gaming since 2006.

This is a bit overdue, even though I can’t tell whether anyone really reads these things (there are never any comments, at any rate), but better late than never. Here’s some of what I’ve been up to, and check back soon, as I’d like to be a little more active here, and I’ll be looking for your opinion moving forward.

Nintendo Land – What is “Nintendo Land?” Is it a theme park? A toy box? An arcade? Or perhaps it’s a masterful blend of all three, combining the strengths of their parts into one satisfying whole.

Sonic Generations has paved the way for a game long awaited by many fans.

Wow, another month has passed already? Here are the latest reviews I’ve written, and expect to see plenty more in the near future with a new gig I’ll reveal in due time (hint: It’s not iPhone/social games this time).

From Mario’s Hat:

LEGO City Undercover – An extremely fun game, and one of the best offerings on the Wii U thus far, it’s definitely a must-have part of any Wii U library.

If you visit m’boy Matt over at Press The Buttons, you might be familiar with a series of articles he has called “Secret Origins,” wherein he relates tales of how he came to possess certain games of note from his collection. I had hoped to borrow the tag for this, but he had other ideas, so I’m left wanting for a better title.

It’s probably just as well, I don’t imagine I have nearly as many interesting stories to warrant the title as he does (go check them out). Most of my tales these days tend to begin and end with “sign here, please.” Maybe I’ll come up with something later, if I can think of something worthy of spinning into a full yarn.

Anyway, with Luigi’s Mansion: Dark Moon mere days away from release, now seems like a good time to share an amusing little story (well, I find it amusing) of how I came to own the original Luigi’s Mansion for the GameCube, a title which is one of my favorites. The funny thing is, I wasn’t even looking for it at the time. Well, not exactly…