Speaking frankly
It was the best of times, it was the worst of times, it was the age of used game permissiveness, it was the age of always-online DRM, it was the E3 of our dreams, it was the E3 of our nightmares. There may never be another generation-spanning conference quite like this one, but at least we'll always have a choice selection of speakers and their words to remind us of the roaring good (and bad) times.
Read on for the 20 pithy, pathetic, and portentous quotes that defined E3 2013. Rather have just the derpy highlights from Monday's press conference extravaganza? Check out the video below! And if notable quotables isn't enough, check out GamesRadar's complete E3 coverage from this year's show.
"Fortunately, we have a product for people who can't get some form of connectivity, and it's called Xbox 360 ... If you have zero access to the internet, that is an offline device."
- Xbox chief Don Mattrick makes a modest proposal for folks whose internet can't support Xbox One.
"Concepts like true consumer ownership and consumer trust are central in everything we do."
- Sony Computer Entertainment CEO Andrew House rubs the used game controversy in Xbox One's face.
"I'm very proud to announce that PlayStation 4 will be available at $399."
- Sony Computer Entertainment CEO Andrew House reveals PS4 costs $100 less than Xbox One.
"Where hard physics meets art exhibit meets advanced analytics like, 'Look, ma! Both hands," no coding tricks or motion scandals, the game of basketball can finally handle my handles,"
- Spoken-word poet Sekou Andrews talks about NBA Live 14's "bounceTek."
"My passion for soccer runs deep, and my respect for the team behind FIFA is deep."
- That other Drake expresses his deep passion for football video game developers.
"It's full-body deformation, and no other fighting game has ever done this before."
- Head of EA Sports Andrew Wilson deforms some bodies for the company's new UFC game.
"Just let it happen, it'll be over soon."
- A Killer Instinct producer makes a really inadvisable joke during a demo match against a woman colleague.
"Peggle 2!"
- PopCap co-founder John Vechey leaps with joy after announcing the puzzle sequel.
"It's all about stealing from your neighbor, and protecting your pile of loot."
"It was amazing--slightly sad that that is what everyone got so excited about, but it just shows how everyone has such an emotional attachment to the way they believe gaming should be. We heard it loud and clear."
- Scott Rohde, PlayStation software product development head for Sony Worldwide, talks about the reaction to PS4's used games policy.
"..."
- The guy demoing Assassin's Creed IV: Black Flag after a stuttering crash halted the presentation.
"This is a big change, consumers don't always love change, and there's a lot of education we have to provide to make sure that people understand."
- Xbox Chief Marketing and Strategy Officer Yusuf Mehdi acknowledges an uphill PR battle for Xbox One.
"I can confirm that we will have TV's (or similar) on stage to show the games.That should be the [extent] of TV talk in your E3."
- Xbox Live's Larry "Major Nelson" Hryb assures a fan on Twitter that Microsoft's E3 is not about TV and sports.
"We are excited to announce that as part of the fall 2013 update, we are moving away from Microsoft Points. All transactions will now take place using local currency, also known as money!"
"The cool thing about our worldwide development studio is we have so many projects from so many teams. Projects never ultimately go away. So The Last Guardian is certainly not going away, but it is on hiatus right now."
- Sony Computer Entertainment America CEO Jack Tretton explains the fate of the lost Team Ico project.
"The digital side of the industry is not being adequately reported, understood or covered. I think we've seen the consequences of that over the last two years."
- Entertainment Software Association President Michael Gallagher blasts retail-only sales reporting.
"Hello everyone, this is Satoru Iwata from Nintendo. I'm coming to you from a large conference room on the seventh floor of the Nintendo headquarters in Kyoto."
- Nintendo CEO Satoru Iwata forgoes the LA conference scene.
"Certainly, that impacts games that are annualized and candidly also impacts games that are maybe undifferentiated much more than [it] impacts Nintendo content. Why is that? Because the replayability of our content is super strong."
- Nintendo of America President Reggie Fils-Aime talks about Nintendo's stance on used games.
"I don't really think this time we're in a situation where we're trying to accommodate that many new players."
- Smash Bros. designer Masahiro Sakurai talks about balancing the new game for Wii U and 3DS, and by extension its audience.
"As the graphics get more and more complex and they build up the production around the gameplay, then they tend to try to sell the game based more on the production rather than what the actual experience is. As a result of that you end up with the meaning of game design being weakened."
- Shigeru Miyamoto laments a next-gen mindset for video game creation.
The Electronic Entertainment Expo is always a hell of a time, but even more so when two companies are vying for mindshare and another is rethinking the whole thing entirely. Think we missed any of the biggest words from the minds behind the industry? Let us know in the comments!
Want a better look into the industry's biggest show of the year? Check out our E3 2013 photo gallery and the GamesRadar E3 2013 Awards.