In Crysis 3 I assume the bow will have options for grappling wire, EMP, nanobot tips etc. in the customization interface that pops up. This seems potentially the most fun of the group because it will be useful to change the weapon according to specific situations while maintaining a "future weapons" twist. In the cases of the other modern or near future games, guns are just faster and more satisfying than bows, and I imagine that I will feel that I am just suffering through the initial bow phase of the game until I can get a better weapon.

http://www.amazon.com/gp/feature.html?ie=UTF8&plgroup=1&docId=1000807831 Yearofthebow!

Would not call this the year of the bow just because a few games are using them. So many games before have used them

I find it funny there wasn't a Zelda title on view during the year of the Bow. How unexpected and odd that is to me makes it seem ironic.

@TEHMAXXORZ said:

As long as they have no cross hair on the HUD or laser pointer or anything, they're awesome.

I would like this as well.

Also, I'm sure it's just a huge coincidence. Sure many games before have had bows but it seems they weren't as actively shown on trailers/demos in the press conferences like they were this year.

I love it. Big fan of the bow.

I like Bows so I'm fine with it, something cool about sticking a guy with and arrow and killing them silently. All I'm waiting for is from Robin Hood: Prince of Theives where he kills two guys with two arrows at the same time, fuckin awesome.

Can't find the video clip on youtube. Sucks. Very underrated movie, a lot of fun.

Don't forget, guys. Madden 13 is going to have the Tebow.

@Reddy1124 said:

@Brodehouse: Or a Robow....I'm sorry.

Brabow, Robow needs to be a name for something.

Fire Emblem: Awakening is full of bows, and it's pegasus-hunting season.

Should we call every other year the year of the fire guns? ^^
Anyway, the more bows the better-- they're a lot cooler to shoot with than fire arms, especially if they work with proper physics (ie arrows dropping over distance, etc).

@Alphazero said:

@AhmadMetallic said:

@hoossy said:

all have bows.... Could Crysis 3, Tomb Raider, Skyrim, and AC3 all be in the same BoVerse?

My mind is so blown.

You've been bowned.

This is poetry right here

Amazon's Bow and Helicopter games page

Working in isolation, people have stumbled upon identical ideas throughout the history of invention. Look at DNA, or the refinement of steel, or Ice Ice Baby. We often see games announced at the same time with similar environments, themes or mechanics. There's nothing controversial or suspicious about it. Its just that everyone is working in the same community, brush up against similar influences but don't share what they're working on. So they create similar things occasionally. No mysteries here. I'd say beyond bows, we're also seeing a trend toward more intimate combat (engaging small groups over armies), and seeing the resulting brutality in so many projects created a bit of a stir.

With rpg games there are bows at every corner so I havent noticed decline of it like ever. Still good bow is always cool. I liked the one in Turok so another FPP with it may be nice.

Games seem to have running themes in them from year to year. It's a lot like that in movies too, Volcano and Dante's Peak, Armageddon and Deep Impact. It's all just hit at once. The question is, which game will use the bow best.

Is Ms.Pacman like the OG of bows in video games?

Bows are cool. Much cooler than guns. I'm glad they're catching up.

I disapprove.

I would just like to say Big Bo is the best bow!

Here is a GT's Year of the Bow E3 montage:

It's probably because of Turok and how he says "I AM TUROK!" No? Yeah, probably not.

What sparked this Bow trend in game design? Zelda games have been using bows for years, for example, and nobody cared. I would say The Avengers but it hasn't been released long enough.

@Sweep said:

What sparked this Bow trend in game design? Zelda games have been using bows for years, for example, and nobody cared. I would say The Avengers but it hasn't been released long enough.

I think it's pretty hard to assign any specific reason for it, since all of these games have been in development for different amounts of time and it's pretty easy to just say that it's a coincident that they are being shown off at the same time. Tomb Raider and AC 3 have been in development much longer than Crysis 3 and I'd bet it's not a late addition in any of those games. I think there has just been a lot of guns in games and when you try to think alternatives it's now hard to come up with a bow.

Also it's not something actually new in games and the fact that few games are being shown (they will ship on a much larger time period) isn't really that interesting. If you look at games released last year you could say that was the Year of the Bow: (I included crossbows): Skyrim, Skyward Sword, Trine 2, Rage, AC: Revelations, Bastion, Dark Souls, Alice: Madness Returns, Hunted: The Demon's Forge, Total War: Shogun 2... That was actually more than I thought. That kind of makes the whole Year of the Bow thing seem a bit stupid.

@Zaccheus said:

@Sweep said:

What sparked this Bow trend in game design? Zelda games have been using bows for years, for example, and nobody cared. I would say The Avengers but it hasn't been released long enough.

I think it's pretty hard to assign any specific reason for it, since all of these games have been in development for different amounts of time and it's pretty easy to just say that it's a coincident that they are being shown off at the same time. Tomb Raider and AC 3 have been in development much longer than Crysis 3 and I'd bet it's not a late addition in any of those games. I think there has just been a lot of guns in games and when you try to think alternatives it's now hard to come up with a bow.

Also it's not something actually new in games and the fact that few games are being shown (they will ship on a much larger time period) isn't really that interesting. If you look at games released last year you could say that was the Year of the Bow: (I included crossbows): Skyrim, Skyward Sword, Trine 2, Rage, AC: Revelations, Bastion, Dark Souls, Alice: Madness Returns, Hunted: The Demon's Forge, Total War: Shogun 2...

Along with Gears 3 and LOTR: War in The North.

@Yummylee said:

@Zaccheus said:

@Sweep said:

What sparked this Bow trend in game design? Zelda games have been using bows for years, for example, and nobody cared. I would say The Avengers but it hasn't been released long enough.

I think it's pretty hard to assign any specific reason for it, since all of these games have been in development for different amounts of time and it's pretty easy to just say that it's a coincident that they are being shown off at the same time. Tomb Raider and AC 3 have been in development much longer than Crysis 3 and I'd bet it's not a late addition in any of those games. I think there has just been a lot of guns in games and when you try to think alternatives it's now hard to come up with a bow.

Also it's not something actually new in games and the fact that few games are being shown (they will ship on a much larger time period) isn't really that interesting. If you look at games released last year you could say that was the Year of the Bow: (I included crossbows): Skyrim, Skyward Sword, Trine 2, Rage, AC: Revelations, Bastion, Dark Souls, Alice: Madness Returns, Hunted: The Demon's Forge, Total War: Shogun 2...

Along with Gears 3 and LOTR: War in The North.

Crossbows should never be included in the bow category, this is HERESY!!!!

Also I think there is quite a bit of difference between simply having bows in them, and actually prominently featuring a bow as one of the main go to tools, especially all over promo trailers.

With that in mind the above list gets cut down to maybe 1 or 2 games.

I mean, I'm fully aware there's a solid precedent for bows in videogames but it does seem strangely coincidental that so many upcoming titles, that will be released within a relatively narrow window of time, are all going to feature Bows as a weapon.

I blame Skyrim.

I'm lovin the bow!

I think a lot of the games I'm interested in doesn't have any bows in them.

@Sweep: Shooter fatigue being seen as gun fatigue?

http://www.gametrailers.com/video/e3-2012-e3-2012/732151

Looks like GameTrailers is getting into the YotB spirit.

Unless its Big Bo, then I don't care about at all.

I'd rather it be year of the Big Bo.

Unless its Big Bo, then I don't care about at all.

I'd rather it be year of the Big Bo.

@Tennmuerti said:

@Yummylee said:

@Zaccheus said:

@Sweep said:

What sparked this Bow trend in game design? Zelda games have been using bows for years, for example, and nobody cared. I would say The Avengers but it hasn't been released long enough.

I think it's pretty hard to assign any specific reason for it, since all of these games have been in development for different amounts of time and it's pretty easy to just say that it's a coincident that they are being shown off at the same time. Tomb Raider and AC 3 have been in development much longer than Crysis 3 and I'd bet it's not a late addition in any of those games. I think there has just been a lot of guns in games and when you try to think alternatives it's now hard to come up with a bow.

Also it's not something actually new in games and the fact that few games are being shown (they will ship on a much larger time period) isn't really that interesting. If you look at games released last year you could say that was the Year of the Bow: (I included crossbows): Skyrim, Skyward Sword, Trine 2, Rage, AC: Revelations, Bastion, Dark Souls, Alice: Madness Returns, Hunted: The Demon's Forge, Total War: Shogun 2...

Along with Gears 3 and LOTR: War in The North.

Also I think there is quite a bit of difference between simply having bows in them, and actually prominently featuring a bow as one of the main go to tools, especially all over promo trailers.

With that in mind the above list gets cut down to maybe 1 or 2 games.

Yeah, I thought that, too. But when you do the same to the list of 'bow games' that have been brought on to celebrate the unofficial moniker, they too would be cut down relatively severely. There are lists on here featuring I think 30 games, when it's only really around 4 or 5 that are actually featuring bows within the promotional stuff. To be fair, it's still a humorous coincidence just to see that many games with bows prominently littered within the trailers, but it's definitely been blown up a fair bit all the same.

@Yummylee: All in good fun :P