E3 2011: The Hits and Misses

(NOTE: As this post turned out to be a lot longer then what I had originally intended, I’ve decided to separate this feature into two articles. This one will talk about the best of E3 this year, while the second will talk about the worst).

Another year, another E3. All of the games, the gizmos and the gals (booth babes) were again on full display, giving us a clear view into the future of the interactive entertainment industry for the year to come (well, the booth babes were giving us a clear view of their cleavage but you get the point). As always, E3 treated us to a number of great upcoming titles and platforms which will no doubt have us saving up our shiny red pennies in order to purchase each and everyone of them while simultaneously ensuring that we remain dirt poor for the rest of our lives. But E3 also gives us a clue as to what we should NOT be looking forward to; to what we should cast aside and spit on as we snub our noses at the poor shmucks unlucky enough to have fallen for the game developer’s promises of glory. So here they are: the best and the worst of E3 2011. Mind you this is just my opinion of what was great and what was not so great but as we are all well aware of my opinion is always right and those that disagree with me are just plain wrong. Thus, after reading this article today, I hope to bestow upon you just a small semblance of my wisdom which will no doubt make you a much more enlightened (and far more attractive) individual.

The Hits

The Role Playing Genre

Of all the many genres on display at this year’s show, it was the RPG genre that I found to have the greatest breadth and depth of quality. The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim made an impressive showing, showcasing its beautiful vistas, improved combat mechanics as well as its fantastically realised fantasy world and amazing looking creatures (dragons in particular come to mind).  Mass Effect 3’s presentation, complete with holographic omni-tool blades and the promise of a large scale intergalactic war, was also very impressive and should prove to be an excellent conclusion to the great Mass Effect series. Also of note was the cybernetically enhanced Deus Ex: Human Revolution, the Monster Hunter-esque Dragon’s Dogma and the spiritual successor to the criminally overlooked Demon’s Souls, the uber-punishing Dark Souls.

Bioshock Infinite

With so many sequels looking like clones of their predecessors, it’s refreshing to see a game series take such a bold new step in a different direction. Set in the flying city of ‘Columbia’, Infinite looks to take all of the core concepts that made the first two entries great while carving out a brand new story that breathes new life into the beloved franchise. The E3 demonstrations looked fantastic and I cannot wait to use those rollercoaster skyhooks to zip around the city at blistering speeds.

SSX

Originally subtitled ‘Deadly Descents’, this newest entry in the SSX series looks like a ton of fun. It features all of the over-the-top snowboarding mayhem from the original titles but throws in even more insanity with courses that have you jumping off of cliffs and into incoming helicopters, flinging yourself across chasms using ice picks and outrunning oncoming avalanches. Sounds good to me!

Prey 2

I never thought that out of all the games on display at this year’s show it would be Prey 2 that perhaps got me the most excited. I remember playing through and enjoying the original Prey but I never really felt like the game was quite good enough to warrant a sequel. So when the game was announced earlier this year (5 years after the release of the original) I could only think about what an odd decision it was to make a sequel to such a long forgotten game. Prey 2? Really? People weren’t exactly screaming for a sequel back in 2006 and they certainly didn’t care much for one now. Of course, it didn’t help matters that the game looked like a Deus Ex/Mass Effect rip-off starring yet another generic main protagonist in yet another sci-fi, interplanetary first-person shooter (because, you know, we just don’t have enough of those). However, after seeing the game at the show and hearing from the developers about what it has to offer, I can happily say that Prey 2 is now firmly on my radar.

In the game, you play as an American sheriff who, after being abducted by the same alien race from the first game, is forced to live on an alien world filled with various alien societies. Why exactly is he being forced to live there? I’m not quite sure. But the premise is certainly intriguing. And while the idea of playing as the only human being on a multi-racial alien world definitely has my attention what’s even more interesting is that your character has decided to make a career on this planet as a bounty hunter. A bounty hunter with gadgets. According to the developers they’ll be around 40 gadgets in all by the time the game ships but the ones on display here, like the electric bolas, jetpacks and anti-grav grenades all looked really, really cool. But what made the combat mechanics really stand out for me though were the parkour-style chase sequences. You see, once you find your target you’ll have to chase them down which means a lot of ducking, sliding and hoping around various obstacles all the while taking out various bad guys on your way to the bounty. It sounded and looked just like that of the Assassin’s Creed’s on-foot chase sequences, only good. And did I mention that you play as a bounty hunter on an alien planet? I did? Well, did I mention that there are gadgets?

Tomb Raider

I was already sold on this one back when Game Informer presented its in-depth preview of the game earlier this year but the gameplay demonstration of the title at the Microsoft conference further proved to me that this game should a great purchase come 2012. I love the Tomb Raider franchise and this reboot seems like a step in the right direction by giving the series a much more serious and modern identity. I especially love the portrayal of Lara Croft; no longer is she a character defined by her ever increasing bust size; instead, she’s someone who looks and acts like a real and quite vulnerable young woman. This more realistic take on the character is further highlighted by the games focus on survival. Every scrape, bruise and cut she’ll sustain is emphasised in both the gameplay and the visuals, giving you a real sense of being alone and unguarded in a hostile environment. The game won’t be released until spring of next year but in my mind that’s a good thing. The game looks so good that it would be a shame to rush it. Good on Eidos I say, for taking the proper time and care to make sure that this entry puts the Tomb Raider series back amongst the video gaming elite.

Hitman: Absolution

After a nice long break, the Hitman series is finally coming back to current gen consoles. And while we were only treated to a couple of pre-rendered teaser trailers and a brief 90 second gameplay demonstration, what was shown looks to be very promising indeed. Agent 47 is on the run from the authorities and he’ll need to rely on his numerous ass-kicking skills to get him out of trouble. On a slightly worrying note, the game seems to progress in a more cinematic, stream-lined fashion as opposed to the series’ traditional, optional approach style gameplay. I can only hope IO Interactive doesn’t make the game too linear as that would really take away from the strength of the series; that being, the ability to tackle a mission in a variety of different ways. Still, no matter how the game turns out it should be a heck of a lot better then that bloody awful Hitman movie…..

Battlefield 3

I thought I was done with modern warfare shooters. I really did. While I’ve played and greatly enjoyed the Call of Duty series, I thought I’d finally had my fair share of gritty, urban shooting and was planning to call it a day. Then Battlefield 3 was announced. It promised fully destructible environments. It’s being made with an updated Frostbite engine. And it claims to have the best Battlefield experience to date. Suddenly my resolve to not play this genre again seemed to weaken. Then E3 comes along with a slew of new gameplay footage. Tanks, explosions, drama, incredible visuals and the most realistic military combat I’ve ever seen in any game to date and………….that does it………………I GOTTA PLAY THIS GAME!!

Good golly, Miss Molly this game looks incredible! I’m not usually the sought to sing the praises of a “dude, bro” game but this title is tickling me in all of the right places. I think for the first time I can safely say that the Call of Duty: Modern Warfare series has some series competition come Christmas time this year.

Star Wars: The Old Republic trailer

I have to admit that I have next to no interest in this game. It is after all an MMO and I just don’t play those. However, I am a Star Wars fan and the trailer that was shown this year for Bioware’s upcoming ‘The Old Republic’ title looked bloody fantastic. This is the third E3 in a row that we’ve been treated to a trailer for the game and just like the ones that have come before it, this new teaser completely blew my socks off. And while the trailer was pre-rendered and is in no way, shape or form representative of actual gameplay, it was still an absolutely amazing display and was without doubt the best thing to come from Star Wars since the end of the prequel trilogy.

Catherine

If there is an award for the most original and creative game of the show then it would no doubt go to this game. Published by Atlus and being developed by one of its internal teams, Catherine tells the story of a guy named Vincent who, while contemplating whether or not to marry his long-time girlfriend, is approached by a young beautiful girl who turns his world upside down. After meeting her, Vincent begins to have nightmares that feature various horrors that relate to his fear of commitment and his feelings of infidelity. This is where the player comes in. Gameplay involves navigating Vincent through his nightmare which involves climbing up a tower made of blocks. You have to move the blocks around in order to ascend the tower and break free of the nightmare. And while it all sounds incredibly simplistic, the narrative, the characters and the atmosphere all help to make the gameplay far more fascinating then a just a mere puzzle-platformer. It’s probably not a game that I would buy (or at least not at full price) but you have to give it to Atlus for creating what looks to be another ingenious game that truly pushes the boundaries of story-telling in this medium.

NEXT POST: THE MISSES OF E3 2011!!!! 

E3 2011: What to Expect When Your Expecting

The Electronic Entertainment Expo (E3) is the biggest gaming exposition in the world and happens only once a year. In only two months time, the gaming community will get their first glimpses on brand new games, hardware, software, online services and all manners of gaming goodness. The speculation of what will be shown has already begun and it seems like they’ll be some pretty big announcements coming our way this June. So what should we expect from this year’s effort? What announcements will we hear? What surprises are in store? What will be the focus of the ‘Big 3’ (Sony, Microsoft and Nintendo)? And most importantly of all, will this show live up to the seemingly insurmountable hype?

Let us see….

Sony

Priding itself in having the most technologically powerful gaming system on the market (the Playstation 3), Sony tends to focus its E3 press conferences on how it will outdo its competition from a power standpoint and this year looks to be no different. A new handheld console (the NGP), 3D games and the most accurate motion controller on the market (Playstation Move) will no doubt be the centre-points of this year’s monstrous effort. The NGP in particular will most likely be the main attraction and Sony are going to give everything they have to make sure that the successor to the ill-fated PSP ends up stealing the show. With Nintendo about to unveil its next home console, the chances of the NGP being the most talked about thing on the show floor is slim to none. But at the very least, Sony are going to give everything short of selling their left nut to make sure that by the time the show is over, people will be saving their shiny little pennies for a chance to play that sweet, sweet hunk of Sony hand-tech.

Son'y NGP will get an official name, release date and price point at this year's show.

As for 3D and Move, expect almost every Playstation 3 game to be “3D enabled” and with Move compatibility of some sought or another. Also expect to hear a lot of Sony execs proclaim that the best way to play the upcoming third party titles (such as the inevitable next entry in the Call of Duty franchise) is with the Move controller and that all other platforms can go and suck it…..(ok maybe they won’t say that last bit).

But what of first-party exclusives? We already know of the absolutely amazing looking ‘The Last Guardian’ by the legends at Team Ico, but what else can we expect? Along with a boat load of first-party NGP titles, expect to announcements of the next God of War, Warhawk (remember that game?) and quite possibly the unveiling of the much rumoured Metal Gear Solid 5.

Microsoft

Microsoft is probably going to have the toughest challenge this year as, unlike it’s competition, it has no new consoles to announce (that we know of at least). Instead, Microsoft will undoubtingly focus its conference (yet again) on its gangbuster selling motion controller, the Kinect. We’ll no doubt hear about how great it is and how it’s sold a bazillion units since its launch late last year (5 bazillion units to be exact) but we can also expect to hear much about the coveted “second wave” of games for the system. You see, launch titles of new consoles or peripherals tend to be pretty sucky (as was plainly obvious by the Kinect’s line-up of silly body-jiggling “sports” ventures) and so it’s the second wave that tends to showcase just what kind of mettle a new system is made of.

Less of this, please.

Attempting to show that Kinect is something for both the ‘core’ gaming audience as well as the casual, expect to see motion controlled versions of franchise favourites such as Gears of War and perhaps even Halo. Speaking of which, the first attempt at the Halo series by newly established studio 343 Industries may very well be on display at Microsoft’s conference. In all honesty, I hope this doesn’t end up being the case. I love Halo but I think it’s time to give that series a rest for at least the next couple of years. Having said that, Halo is Microsoft’s cash-cow and the chances of them not putting out a new Halo anytime soon are about the same as hearing Nintendo announce  ‘Super Mario Bros.: Mushrooms and Hoes’ as the newest title in their coveted franchise

Nintendo

Speaking of Nintendo, the gold standard of E3 announcements will be made this year by none other then this age-old publisher; that being, the next gen home-console announcement. That’s right, Nintendo aren’t lying on their Wii-enriched laurels any longer and are moving on with their next home console effort which is currently going under the codename Project Café. Project Café has to be one of the worst kept secrets in gaming history as we already know quite a lot of the specifics of what is sure to be another huge sales hit for Nintendo. From a technological standpoint, the console is supposedly even more powerful then the PS3 and Xbox 360, will support 1080p high definition and will come complete with a more traditional hand-held controller (thank God). Most interesting of all is that this all-new controller will feature some kind of touch screen tablet harboured right in the middle of it which may include the ability to ‘stream’ games from the console right to the controller. How exactly that is all going to work I’m not sure but there’s no doubt that this new console is the most exciting thing going down at this year’s show.

Could this be what the controller for Project Cafe will look like?

While ‘Project  Café’ will be the focus of Nintendo’s press conference, we should also expect to hear more about what’s next for the 3DS. Just like Xbox’s Kinect, the 3DS will soon be receiving its “second wave” of gaming titles which will no doubt be showcased on stage as well as on the show floor. Games such as Super Mario 3DS (rumoured to be a hybrid of Super Mario 64’s 3D style with old school 2D Mario side scrolling) and The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time 3DS remake will be on full display along with new instalments of other Nintendo staples. But what about the little ol’ Wii? The console which firmly re-established Nintendo as the most successful game publisher in the world must surely warrant some kind of attention, right? All I can say is they bloody well better had because right now my Wii is little more then a rather expensive and technologically impressive paper weight. I’m sure we’ll see The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword presented on stage again (hopefully without the technical glitches this time around) but what about brand new IP’s? Is it to much to ask for something non Mario, Zelda, Donkey Kong or Metroid related? I hope not, because Nintendo is in desperate need of a refurbishment in the software department and this is their opportunity to show that they are more then just a four-franchise pony.

Other Thoughts

If there’s one thing that seems almost certain about this year’s show it’s that it should be a heck of a lot better then last years mediocre effort. Sony’s 2010 conference was a completely unfocused mess, Microsoft’s was a display in boring motion controlled casual titles and Nintendo’s featured new editions of stale franchises and the mere promise that their 3D enabled handheld would actually work. I know I’m sounding negative here but I really feel that the ‘Big 3’ can do so much better then the fairly lacklustre approach of last year’s show. I don’t expect a new console announcement every year or anything like that but what I do expect is for each publisher to deliver a focused, well-presented exhibition that feature original, good quality titles that actually make me want to spend the $90 in order to play. Gaming isn’t a cheap hobby and if Microsoft, Sony and Nintendo want me to continue to fork out mountain loads of cash for their products then all I ask in return is to for them to show me something worthy enough to warrant such an investment.

With all of that said, I am truly looking forward to this year’s show and believe it will live up to the enormous hype laid before it. If you’ve never followed an E3 before and are interested in seeing the many conferences, announcements and gaming media galore then I suggest going to IGN or Gamespot who usually feature a ton of videos and images from the show. Just don’t watch any of their E3 analysis because, well, it’s terrible. For that I suggest going to Gamecritics.com instead. They do a fantastic job of giving objective, non-fanboyish analysis on all things gaming and their E3 podcasts are always intricate and thoroughly entertaining.

Enough with the cheap plugs already!

Now go watch E3!