G-pinions

So the big show is over. My back is killing me from sitting in my chair reading updates from E3 for a good four days now, but it was worth it (though my spine and would probably disagree). I'll do a wrap-up in a later post, I just wanted to touch on a couple other things for now.

One of the reasons it seemed like such a great year to me was the amount of pure, simple, fun games. I think the industry sometimes gets too rapped up in the concept of making a game play like a movie, and making it deep and involving just because they can, and the technology allows for it. I'm all for story and character development in games, but the balance has been skewed a bit too much for the past couple of years. This always seems to happen when a technology peaks - focus changes. In the case of first and third person shooters, once graphics got to a high enough level where most of the games look damn pretty good, developers started working on physics, and now it's all about the physics. Sure, Half Life 2 looks amazing, but when we saw that mattress fall down the stairs, or that shack fall off of the roof and crush that guy, only then did our jaws really drop. My point is, the focus is once again changing. There were so many simple, inventive games at E3 this year, but a lot of the third person action/adventure games really stood out to me. It seems like a lot of games companies are realizing that the advent of new technology doesn't just have to make their games deeper - it can also make what's there ten times more fun. Examples:

Destroy All Humans! - This game just looks like ridiculous fun. The idea is simple, but the gameplay looks so rewarding. Basically, it switches up the usual take on alien invasions, and has you playing as the aliens tearing shit up (in the 50's, no less). You can fly overhead and zap stuff on the ground, or hop out and go at it on foot. There are missions, such as impersonating the president to convince the nation everything is okay and chasing down someone who saw you, but in the spirit of GTA, it's also very free-roaming, about killing whom you like when you like, tossing cars around at a drive-thru movie, flamethrowering people, and frying buildings. And the entire environment is destructible. Meaning, you can level buildings. Of course, if you do, the military will show up. Man, this game is gonna rule.

Mercenaries - Wow, I didn't even realize it until doing some research just now, but this game is developed by Pandemic Studios, the same developer as Destroy All Humans! (and the upcoming military game-turned-cocktease Full Spectrum Warrior). I guess these guys just kick a lot of ass or something. Anyhow. IGN describes Mercenaries as Freedom Fighters (most underrated game ever, no joke) meets GTA3. The plot centers around taking out a 52-card deck of terrorists and evildoers around the world as a mercenary, not unlike reality. It's primarily a third-person action game, with a bunch of sweet weapons and 36 vehicles to commandeer; you can blow up entire buildings, but you also have to keep an eye on the economic side of things sometimes, such as not letting your $20,000 helicopter be blown up. The simple idea of "here's an environment, find this guy at all costs" + firepower = fun. Hella fun. The game looks great too, and uses the Havok physics engine (Psi-Ops), so you know those bodies will fly straight and true.

Mashed - Don't let the images I linked to fool you, they're just to show off this pretty game. It's actually an overhead "Gladiatorial Racing Battle Extravaganza", and supposedly it's been rocking Europe pretty hard for a while now. You've got weapons like flamethrowers and tools like oil slicks, you fight in various cities and locations, and it's four-player. I know it sounds a bit like Twisted Metal, but the top-down view and apparent emphasis on racing as well as combat seem like they're gonna make this one stand out. Again - pure, simple fun.

I could name a handful of other E3 games to support my thesis (25 to Life, Spiderman 2, etc.), but I don't want to spoil it all right now. You get the idea though. I'm just glad that after hours of slowly growing my character in Fable, I'll be able to kick back and destroy some lousy humans to relax. Now, some randomness:

Watch this video for Silent Hill 4: The Room. Resident Evil is scary, but this trailer alone makes me want to tear out my brain with fear. With each progressive game in the series I've played a little farther, though never all the way through. Maybe if this one doesn't drive me insane first I'll be able to get up the balls to play it to the end. Seems very, very doubtful though.

Yesterday in separate conversations, I told Tom two things: The new Punisher game looks sweet, and Volition hasn't made a game since Red Faction 2. Turns out those two things are related. Yes, the makers of the Descent series and the famed "Fall Factor" level from RF2, amongst others, are making The Punisher. Awesome. Now if only I could geo-mod some guy's face with some brass knuckles...

And, in a sneak preview of my first annual E3 awards, Capcom gets my "Best Non- Sony, Microsoft or Nintendo Company of The Show." BetweenCapcom Fighting Jam, Shadow of Rome, The Nightmare Before Christmas: Oogie's Revenge, Monster Hunter, Devil May Cry 3, Resident Evil 4, Killer 7, Way of The Samurai 2, and Crimson Tears, their line-up KICKED FUCKING ASS. Every one of those games looks fucking money.

Here is footage from Prince of Persia 2, which Dan is already better than me at.

And finally, once and for all proving that even mediocre games are fun when played with more than one person, Tom, Scott and I played a good couple hours of Grabbed by the Ghoulies, XIII, and Toejam & Earl 3: Mission to Earth tonight. All we need now is to watch Rounders and Poolhall Junkies and a fun weekend of mediocrity will be complete.