E3 has officially came and went, its passing leaving we gamers stirred with a myriad of emotions bordering on the frenetic. The yearly trade show had some big surprises, some upsets, and perhaps more than a bit of controversy.
However, before we launch into the Byzantine machinations of the gaming industry, let’s look at what E3 is all about: the games.
For the PS3, Xbox 360 and PC
Let’s get the unpleasantness out of the way first: this is a game about running.
Yes, I know. How can this be fun? I would agree but the hype that has been surrounding this title borders on the surreal. Perhaps the game comes with kittens and a Jell-O Snack Pack.
Mirror’s Edge, in development by EA Digital Illusions CE, is a first-person adventure platform in which you play Faith, a courier that practices the art of parkour or free-running. The look of the environment is very clean, lending a familiar aspect to Portal. As Faith, you basically run, jump, leap, and slide through the environment using bullet-time slow motion mechanics and something called “Runner Vision” which highlights routes that Faith might take while traversing the landscape.
There is no denying the originality of the concept, my concern is if this is going to be entertaining. Here’s some game play footage straight from E3, you be the judge:
For the PS3, Xbox 360, and PC
Alright fight fans, get ready to rumble! Street Fighter is back in all its combo-juggling glory.
In many ways, Street Fighter IV is a re-envisioning of the beloved Street Fighter II in that it is a 2D fight game with 3D rendered characters and backgrounds that look extremely polished. There has been some grumbling from gamers regarding the graphics but in my opinion it has a rather appropriate retro look to it.
Watching the fights, my fingers are already twitching in anticipation:
With no screenshots, no pretty CGI trailers, nary more than a whisper, BioWare was able to shake up E3 just by announcing they are releasing KOTOR as an MMO.
Could this be the mythical World of Warcraft killer? We shall have to see but it’s safe to say that this title wont hit the proverbial street until a post Wrath of the Lich King expansion four years from now. And, it’s safe to say that WOW will probably still be as popular as sandwiches with the crusts cut off.
EA, BioWare’s parent company, made the announcement through Portfolio.com.
For the PS3
Say what you want about the generic name, I can’t help but get a little excited about this title. This is for all you PvP’ers out there who are looking for a little FPS action, and want it on a large scale.
How does 256 players sound?
Not too much has been released about the game, other than you are put into eight-man squads and have a variety of weapons and kit to take the fight to the opposing faction, complete with planes, parachutes, and APC’s.
I have to say I appreciate the more realistic look as compared to Huxley or Tabula Rasa, and I am looking forward to seeing more on this title.
For the PS3, Xbox 360, and PC
There was something about Far Cry that contained as much appeal as it did fail. It really didn’t take me long to develop a facial tick as the AI would readily identify me even though I would be more than 50 meters away. Behind a tree. Lying down. On the other side of a hill.
To say it was frustrating would be an understatement of cyclopean proportion, akin to saying that Hell is uncomfortably warm or that petrol might be getting a wee bit expensive.
So when Far Cry 2 was announced I was ready to curl into the fetal position and start sucking my thumb, that was until I saw some game play. I have to tell you, I’ll be picking this up on release.
Instead of the previously Hawaiian shirt clad protagonist, Ubisoft Montreal created a character creation system for player personalization. Add that to the fact that it is a large sandbox-style game – IE it’s basically 50 kilometers of African savannah in which you get to avail yourself of the usual mercenary shenanigans as you hunt down the infamous terrorist, “The Jackal”.
Slated for an October street date, you may want to clear a few days off your schedule. Check out the trailer salted with some game play here:
For the PS3 and Xbox 360
Forget everything you know about survival horror. This game looks so scary it should come with a free bottle of Just for Men Brown hair dye because the chances of this turning my hair white are pretty high. One could say it’s a mortal lock.
The games premise is simple: you are an engineer on a huge planet harvesting spaceship called the Ishimura, mining ore and other precious minerals. Unfortunately, something goes terribly wrong during a particular dig.
And that is where the survival horror cliché stops and being terrified begins.
The look of the alien “Necromorphs” is perhaps the most nightmare wrought vision I have gazed on ever, a coupling of the creature effects of John Carpenter’s The Thing and the feel of the original Alien. Adding to the sense of immersion is the complete lack of a HUD, or Heads Up Display. The game is, literally, just you and whatever’s coming at you on the screen. Holographic images let you know your ammo count and LED light’s on your spacesuit let you know how much life you have left.
Now let’s talk about the creatures. They come in a myriad of combinations that are not so easily felled by your atypical shooter. I believe the term the designers over at EA Redwood Shores is “strategic dismemberment”. Creatures will often keep coming at you despite a well-placed head-shot, so their mobility must be neutralized. On top of that, the weapons aren’t the typical Doom arsenal but tools for mining and exploration.
This game will be appropriately released on Halloween.
If you are a Dawn of War fan, then you’ll know how much DOW: Soulstorm was such a bitter disappointment. When the first DOW II screens started popping up an ember of hope began to burn in my heart, that perhaps this beloved intellectual property was going to get the love it deserved.
DOW II will be a recasting of the original from a large-scale build and rush game play to smaller, unit-based fights. THQ is using the Essence engine from Company of Heroes to drive this game. The units will feature a customization feature, able to kit out individual characters with any number of wargear. Players will also be able to pick and choose missions and with their own battle-barge, journey across space to make drops onto planets ala Mass Effect.
Featured armies will be the Space Marines: Blood Ravens chapter, Orks, Eldar and… Tyranids? The fourth race has yet to be revealed but there is a lot of talk regarding the prospect of the Nid’s showing up though these rumors haven’t been confirmed. Here’s the trailer that was shown off at E3 that was quite dutiful to once again leave us puzzled over its identity:
For the Xbox 360
I was a Johnny Come Lately to the GOW franchise. There had been a lot of hype surrounding it and I felt that I needed to maintain my indy-gamer street cred by not piling on with the rest of the voracious masses and playing it until my limbs had atrophied.
But then I played it, and I was pleasantly surprised that it had lived up to the hype.
GOW 2 is a continuation of the grueling, savage combat of the original but with some fantastic extras: Lancer rifle chainsaw duels, co-op mode, and an upgraded multiplayer that will allow 10 players at once.
This trailer is all game play and shows some of the impressive new abilities, including using fallen or wounded enemies as meat-shield. Warning, however: this video is fairly graphic:
For the PS3, Xbox 360, and PC
For those who have given it a try, it’s being compared as “Bioshock, but on land.” From what I’ve seen; the mutants, the creatures, the arid landscapes, the bullet-time combat, I would have to say, “Prove it.”
There is no doubt in my mind that the story is top notch. With a wealth of lore from the previous titles I’m sure they can really put together a gripping interactive experience. This trailer, which I featured on the blog earlier this week, is a good mix of tongue-and-cheek humor, game play, and… well… headshots.
Beware, this trailer is not for the faint of heart:
In what must have been the collective “ZOMG!” heard around the world, the Xbox 360 is being simultaneously being released to the Microsoft platform as well as the PS3.
What can I say that the trailer cannot? The game looks great with the same graphical polish and style we have come to expect from Square/Enix. There are some tidbits to be found in the trailer; a little bit of gameplay, some character reveals of Lightning and a few of her friends, and some of the summoned creatures making an appearance. If you watch close enough, you’ll see the traditionally icy Shiva show up, but with a twin that turns into a… motorcycle? I’m withholding judgment on this one, but thus far it looks very promising:
Talk to us
> Give us your news tips.
> Send us a letter to the editor.
> More Herald contact information.
