Saturday, May 15, 2004
Best...E3...Ever.
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.
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.
Friday, May 14, 2004
Odama
I apologize for not updating much in the past few days - school has somehow taken over my free time - but I am back with the vengeance of 350 radioactive donkeys. Don't worry, I'm not going to go into detail about every game shown at E3 like Nick did in a wonderful post a few days ago. I don't have the time or patience for that; just know that I love the games that are going to kick ass, and hope the lame games get cancelled and the developers are forced to work for 989 Studios until they shape up.
In response to Nick: Conker looks too tongue in cheek? Is that possible? Don’t like humor in your games, eh? And if anyone else out there shares Dan's boredom of WWII, here is a scenario from the original Conker that shows you what a cliche war can be like in the hands of a good developer - you play as the evil Tediz who reside in a tower of evil fantasies. You have a sniper rifle, gattling gun and bazooka at your disposal. Your enemy? A bunch of unarmed French refugees. Your goal is to mow them down with your weapons of death while they jump and run wildly trying to escape to freedom. Pure gold.
It is time now to move away from Rare and the other big name titles. Everyone does that, and it's much more fun to write about the smaller ones. What I will single out is a quirky Gamecube title known as Odama. Obviously, as the title clearly illustrates, the game is a cross between old school pinball goodness and a Real Time Strategy game. Before I go into detail about how the game actually plays, I’m going to tell you how I imagined it would work when I first heard the idea.
I imagined a perfect blending of the pinball and RTS genres. In the beginning, you would play like it was a normal pinball game. There would be various bumpers and ramps strewn about the board, and you would be given a minute or two to score as many points as possible. Then, using those points, you would build an army. So, instead of forging for gold or harvesting spice like in other RTS games, you would play pinball. Controlling your troops you be a different matter entirely. You would select a group of troops by shooting a ball in their direction. Then, using the buttons on the pad, you would either make them attack, defend, or do some other military action. While your troops are engaged in battle you play more pinball, trying to score more points to build even more troops. It would be a tricky game to successfully pull off, but sounded amazingly fun in my mind.
Unfortunately, what actually happens is much, much different. There are two troops on the battlefield: good guys and bad guys. Your ball is the world’s most powerful weapon. Anything it touches dies. So you have to kill the bad guys, while not killing the good guys. It could still be pretty fun, but certainly isn’t as involved as the scenario I envisioned.
I’m disappointed the game isn’t going to play like I imagined, but it could still be fun. I’m going to go out on a limb here and say the title will launch at a $30 price that should make it worthwhile. If they add a multiplayer mode of some kind I’m there for sure, but for now it’s just another great idea that may not make for a great game.
In response to Nick: Conker looks too tongue in cheek? Is that possible? Don’t like humor in your games, eh? And if anyone else out there shares Dan's boredom of WWII, here is a scenario from the original Conker that shows you what a cliche war can be like in the hands of a good developer - you play as the evil Tediz who reside in a tower of evil fantasies. You have a sniper rifle, gattling gun and bazooka at your disposal. Your enemy? A bunch of unarmed French refugees. Your goal is to mow them down with your weapons of death while they jump and run wildly trying to escape to freedom. Pure gold.
It is time now to move away from Rare and the other big name titles. Everyone does that, and it's much more fun to write about the smaller ones. What I will single out is a quirky Gamecube title known as Odama. Obviously, as the title clearly illustrates, the game is a cross between old school pinball goodness and a Real Time Strategy game. Before I go into detail about how the game actually plays, I’m going to tell you how I imagined it would work when I first heard the idea.
I imagined a perfect blending of the pinball and RTS genres. In the beginning, you would play like it was a normal pinball game. There would be various bumpers and ramps strewn about the board, and you would be given a minute or two to score as many points as possible. Then, using those points, you would build an army. So, instead of forging for gold or harvesting spice like in other RTS games, you would play pinball. Controlling your troops you be a different matter entirely. You would select a group of troops by shooting a ball in their direction. Then, using the buttons on the pad, you would either make them attack, defend, or do some other military action. While your troops are engaged in battle you play more pinball, trying to score more points to build even more troops. It would be a tricky game to successfully pull off, but sounded amazingly fun in my mind.
Unfortunately, what actually happens is much, much different. There are two troops on the battlefield: good guys and bad guys. Your ball is the world’s most powerful weapon. Anything it touches dies. So you have to kill the bad guys, while not killing the good guys. It could still be pretty fun, but certainly isn’t as involved as the scenario I envisioned.
I’m disappointed the game isn’t going to play like I imagined, but it could still be fun. I’m going to go out on a limb here and say the title will launch at a $30 price that should make it worthwhile. If they add a multiplayer mode of some kind I’m there for sure, but for now it’s just another great idea that may not make for a great game.
Wednesday, May 12, 2004
E3 Update
After a solid night's sleep, I feel much more comfortable writing about all the E3 happenings so far. So here goes.
Microsoft's Press Conference - Pretty much what I expected, with a couple of small surprises. They chose to focus on the idea that software would be the thing to push them farther in the market (smart move), and saying that "software is where we've innovated" (mmm not really, Microsoft, hardware is where you've innovated). They showed off plenty of videos from upcoming games (about half of them exclusive), including a ten-minute Halo 2 multiplayer demo showing off all the new bits and pieces. They also brought out several speakers from different companies and from within to show off various major upcoming games.
Doom 3 looks pretty and scary, but as I said in an earlier post, it just doesn't look that innovative or original. Dead of Alive Ultimate looked gorgeous, and the fact that you'll be able to play it online at that level of graphical prowess is fantastic. Conker: Live and Reloaded looked like a lot of violent, goofy fun, if not a bit too tongue-in-cheek for it's own good. Kameo: Elements of Power looks nice, and of typical Rare quality, but the gameplay looked a little boring to me. Fable looked as cool as it's ever been, which is pretty damn cool; the combat looks flat-out awesome. Jade Empire was shown, but not much new material was in the video, and nothing new was revealed. Star Wars: Republic Commando was looking damn good. It's a squad-based FPS, with a very dark look atypical of the Star Wars universe. The graphics looked on par with (and reminiscent of) Metroid Prime, and the squad mechanics seemed to be put to good use. Some other anticipated games were shown, like Mechassault 2 and KOTOR2, but neither seemed especially impressive, at least at this point.
So, games-wise, nothing new, but what's there was plenty impressive. They showed off a couple new Live features, the best of which was their new Live Arcade service. It allows you to download old gems such as Dig-Dug and Galaxian, as well as some newer classics, all simple, fun arcade games designed to play in small sessions. I read elsewhere that the price would be around $10 a game, which seems a bit steep, but the idea is brilliant. Some crappier new Live features include a video chat service (J. Allard, douchebag extreme and the host for the majority of the conference, had an awkwardly forced conversation with Jenny McCarthy as the crowd shifty nervously in their seats) and voice messages. I guess the ideas aren't bad, but the presentation was horrid.
Microsoft also touched on their XNA dealie again, showing off a new video of two great-looking cars slamming into each other, with hundreds of pieces flying everywhere. The whole idea of standardizing development and such so that developers can spend more time on content is noble, but I still have my concerns, including the adverse effect of even less innovation through reliance on it, and the snubbing of smaller developers. Also, I can't stand the mention of Windows integration. People shouldn't be able to use an X-Box controller on their PC, there's just something fundamentally wrong with it. Sit on your couch and take a load off, you stupid nerd.
One highlight of their presentation was Peter Moore (ex-higher up at Sega), who was the only charismatic guy of the conference. His jokes and passion didn't sound forced, and the crazy bastard even revealed a fresh tatoo with the Halo 2 logo and release date (November 9th), proving his commitment to not delaying it any further. The show also closed with the "Gran Turismo killer" Forza Motorsport. All I have to say about that game is "meh." Oh, and the president of EA coming out to announce that all of EA's sports games would be online on X-Box this season (with an athlete there to represent each sport), as would their other games (Goldeneye: Rogue Agent, Timsplitters: Future Perfect, and Battlefield: Modern Combat).
Overall, their entire presentation was high quality through and through (well, mostly), there was just nothing new or surprising. On the other hand, if all they released this year was Halo 2 and Fable, I'd be more than happy, as I suspect many of their fans would be.
Nintendo's Press Conference - Wow, nice job Nintendo. Outside of showing nothing of interest from any third-parties, Nintendo rocked the house. The crowd went nuts after anything was said or shown, the the DS isn't nearly as goofy as I had imagined.
They started by showing off Metroid Prime 2: Echoes, which is looking cool thanks to the whole "evil Samus from the dark world hunting you" thing they've got going on, and the now-expected sweet graphics. The multiplayer was also shown very briefly, leading me to believe someone at Nintendo is as speculative about it as I am at this stage. Star Fox 2 on the other hand, barely looked any different than it did last year. I guess I've just never been a fan of the art design in that series. It's just...ugly. Resident Evil 4 was shown after those two, looking amazing and scary as balls, sickle-wielding undead monks and all. After that they got off to kind of a weird start, seemingly defending themselves and their numbers when no one was attacking them. They showed weird stats like how well the GC has outsold itself in the last quarter versus last year, and seemed to be striving to get across the message that "we sucked about a year ago, but, uh, look out, because we're second again". Thankfully, it was all uphill from there. Their speaker, some dude named Robbie, wasn't a douche (unlike most of the guys at Microsoft) or boring to watch (like the Japanese businessmen at Sony), and that went a long way towards making their presentation compelling. More facts and figures were discussed, including plenty about Nintendo's games-before-everything attitude, and how important value is as well.
Then, out of nowhere, Robbie busts a DS out of his coat pocket, holding it in an outstretched hand like a tiny supermodel as hundreds of bulbs flashed away. He talked a bit about how the specifics of the two screens would work, and how the systems caters to developers more than anything else. He said they were shooting to have it out this year, compretively priced. He then showed off a bit of game footage, including Metroid Prime: Hunters and Super Mario 64x4, two beautiful tech demos that mimic their big brothers and will both probably turn into games someday. He mentioned that you fire in the Metroid game by tapping the screen where your opponent was, which was met by a very torn, confused crowd-reaction not typical of the rest of the presentation. I'm also a bit uncomfortable with the idea to be honest. Anyhow, the proceeded to show a hadnful of video clips from interviews with heads of various big developers, saying how they found the DS an interesting idea and how they can't wait to explore the possibilities and such. I just hope we'll actually see some games that aren't made by Nintendo on the thing. My man Robbie also gave a great analogy for the DS, and Nintendo's approach to gaming in general. He asked when you're driving a car, do you want to go down the same road you've been before, only faster, or do you want to explore a whole new road? Nice work, Rob.
They also touched on some other random bullshit, like wireless GBA connectivity and Video Packs for the GBA, but no one seemed to give a damn in light of everything else going on. A nice reel of games was shown as well, spanning all of their systems. Paper Mario 2 looked great, Geist looked somewhat intreguing, Donkey Kong: Jungle Beat looked odd (you use the Donkey Konga drum controller to navigate a side-scroller), Legend of Zelda: Four Swords looked as pretty as ever, Viewtiful Joe 2 looks how you'd expect it to, Fire Emblem and Pikmin 2 looked like they always have (good), and that's about it for the exclusive ones I can remember (outside of GBA games, which they had plenty of, including a new Zelda). Oh, and Advance Wars: Under Fire looks fantastic, though I forget whether they showed it during the conference or not. There were actually some odd omissions from the stuff that they showed which ended up being revealed later, including a new side-scrolling Mario game, a new Animal Crossing (a game that would work much better with two screens, and a Mario Kart port, all for the DS. Odd, no?
Nintendo's president also spoke a bit about the concept for their next system, codenamed Revolution. He talked about how power won't matter anymore, as it will be about new game ideas and system design. Read Tom's last post for a bit more on that.
As if the introduction of the DS wasn't big enough, Nintendo decided to end their show with a massive surprise - a new Zelda game for GC, featuring an adult Link. The crowd went crazy, and a shield and sword-adorned Shigeru Miyamoto walked on stage, wrapping up the show in some charming broken english. It wrapped up a damn good day for Nintendo. My only complaint is that as good as more Mario, Metroid and Zelda games are, I would have liked to see some new franchises from the Big N. I think people are going to demand more than just those charcaters for the next generation, even if they are all great. Still, a wonderful showing.
Sony's Press Conference - They don't quite have a Halo 2 in their line-up, or the name recognition of Nintendo going for them, but Sony put on a surprisingly good presentation, thanks in big part to the unveiling of the do-it-all wonder handheld, the PSP. Kaz Harai (one of the big guys at Sony) did most of the hosting duties, but unfortunately didn't have as big a hold on the english language as to be able to joke around and charm the crowd. It was actually very business-heavy outside out of the showing of games and hardware, which was boring to watch in-between, but made for some impressive stat-relaying - Sony has sold 170 Million PS1/PS2s, 1.5 Billion pieces of software, and 90% of the business on PS1 was done after the $149 price point, which it reached about the same time in it's lifecycle as the PS2. The future looks good. Oh, yes, and they announced the price drop, but I assume you realized that.
They then brought out Ted Price to show off the online mode in Ratchet & Clank: Up Your Arsenal, coming out this fall. It looked amazing, and as fun and chaotic as any game out there. It also runs at 60fps, which is an amazing feat on any system for an online game that looks as good as R&C does. There's vehicles, lots of crazy weapons and modes and levels, constant voice support, the works. As basically the first platformer to go online, it's looking top-notch (as is the single-player game, but that's a given).
Sony also showed video of several exclusive games (including some new franchises) that are all looking great, a good thing for Sony to have right now - Monster Hunter (grr, no voice chat...), God of War, Killzone, Gran Turismo 4, Metal Gear Solid 3, Ratchet & Clank: UYA, Jak 3, Sly 2: Band of Thieves, Hot Shots Golf Fore!, and Getaway: Black Monday (get yer own screenshots). There have also been plenty of sweet games shown since then, that weren't included in their video because they're not published by Sony, such as Devil May Cry 3, Suikoden VI, Blood Will Tell, The Nightmare Before Christmas, Ace Combat 5: The Unsung War, Shadow of Rome, Kindom Hearts 2, and, of course, Final Fantasy XII.
Their online plans were also discussed, and were fairly different from Microsoft's, and no worse. Sony believes more on extending online play to the casual consumer, which is partially where R&C:UYA comes in to help, and also making sure their online play is free and "not controlled or mandated by [Sony]." Pretty different than the "let's give our current users more stuff to do and run the whole service" approach of Microsoft. I'm glad both companies have a solid but distinguished online plan at this stage.
I'm sure I'm skipping some stuff, but anyhow...they unveiled the PSP! It looks a lot like early renders, with a gorgeous 4.3" screen taking up most of the space on the system. It's got all sorts of technical doodads, including Wi-Fi support, and a cockload of RAM, by request. They didn't mention price, and I'm thinking they won't until Nintendo does. They also showed off a ton of games, including Metal Gear: Acid, a cool-looking as-yet-untitled new FPS, a marble puzzle game, a great-looking new action-looking game of some sort, more of Death Jr. and versions of Tony Hawk, Gran Turismo, Dynasty Warriors (which looked much better than the PS2 version), Hot Shots Golf, Twisted Metal, Frogger, Ape Escape, Wipeout, Armored Core, ATV Offroad Fury, F1 Racing, Hockey, Syphon Filter, Spider-Man, Medieval, Soccer, Ridge Racer, NBA Street, NFL Street, Tiger Woods, and a Darkstalkers game in stunning 2D (and later shown, Devil May Cry and Viewtiful Joe). All of the games looking phenomenal, trumping their PS2 counterparts in many cases. It is unfortunate that the majority were sequels to or versions of existing games, but with 99 developers worldwide and 44 already-announced Japanese games, I think we'll have more than enough original content, if not too much, by the time the launch rolls around.
They also showed the new Spiderman 2 trailer and an Incubus video playing on the PSP, both of which looked and sounded perfect (though it was boring as hell to watch them show off the whole trailer).
I forget how they wrapped up the show, seeing as it was the last one I watched and it ended at around five in the morning, but their overall conference left me with a lot of faith in the PS2's future, and the future of the PSP, which is very important for Sony. It would have been nice to see more original PSP games, but I liked the bit that they did show, and I'm optimistic for the near future.
This has been another one of those all-day posts, so I'll save discussion of multiplatform games and such until later. Keep checking IGN or Gamespot if you want constant updates, or leave a comment if you me to talk more about a particular game or find a video link. Word.
Microsoft's Press Conference - Pretty much what I expected, with a couple of small surprises. They chose to focus on the idea that software would be the thing to push them farther in the market (smart move), and saying that "software is where we've innovated" (mmm not really, Microsoft, hardware is where you've innovated). They showed off plenty of videos from upcoming games (about half of them exclusive), including a ten-minute Halo 2 multiplayer demo showing off all the new bits and pieces. They also brought out several speakers from different companies and from within to show off various major upcoming games.
Doom 3 looks pretty and scary, but as I said in an earlier post, it just doesn't look that innovative or original. Dead of Alive Ultimate looked gorgeous, and the fact that you'll be able to play it online at that level of graphical prowess is fantastic. Conker: Live and Reloaded looked like a lot of violent, goofy fun, if not a bit too tongue-in-cheek for it's own good. Kameo: Elements of Power looks nice, and of typical Rare quality, but the gameplay looked a little boring to me. Fable looked as cool as it's ever been, which is pretty damn cool; the combat looks flat-out awesome. Jade Empire was shown, but not much new material was in the video, and nothing new was revealed. Star Wars: Republic Commando was looking damn good. It's a squad-based FPS, with a very dark look atypical of the Star Wars universe. The graphics looked on par with (and reminiscent of) Metroid Prime, and the squad mechanics seemed to be put to good use. Some other anticipated games were shown, like Mechassault 2 and KOTOR2, but neither seemed especially impressive, at least at this point.
So, games-wise, nothing new, but what's there was plenty impressive. They showed off a couple new Live features, the best of which was their new Live Arcade service. It allows you to download old gems such as Dig-Dug and Galaxian, as well as some newer classics, all simple, fun arcade games designed to play in small sessions. I read elsewhere that the price would be around $10 a game, which seems a bit steep, but the idea is brilliant. Some crappier new Live features include a video chat service (J. Allard, douchebag extreme and the host for the majority of the conference, had an awkwardly forced conversation with Jenny McCarthy as the crowd shifty nervously in their seats) and voice messages. I guess the ideas aren't bad, but the presentation was horrid.
Microsoft also touched on their XNA dealie again, showing off a new video of two great-looking cars slamming into each other, with hundreds of pieces flying everywhere. The whole idea of standardizing development and such so that developers can spend more time on content is noble, but I still have my concerns, including the adverse effect of even less innovation through reliance on it, and the snubbing of smaller developers. Also, I can't stand the mention of Windows integration. People shouldn't be able to use an X-Box controller on their PC, there's just something fundamentally wrong with it. Sit on your couch and take a load off, you stupid nerd.
One highlight of their presentation was Peter Moore (ex-higher up at Sega), who was the only charismatic guy of the conference. His jokes and passion didn't sound forced, and the crazy bastard even revealed a fresh tatoo with the Halo 2 logo and release date (November 9th), proving his commitment to not delaying it any further. The show also closed with the "Gran Turismo killer" Forza Motorsport. All I have to say about that game is "meh." Oh, and the president of EA coming out to announce that all of EA's sports games would be online on X-Box this season (with an athlete there to represent each sport), as would their other games (Goldeneye: Rogue Agent, Timsplitters: Future Perfect, and Battlefield: Modern Combat).
Overall, their entire presentation was high quality through and through (well, mostly), there was just nothing new or surprising. On the other hand, if all they released this year was Halo 2 and Fable, I'd be more than happy, as I suspect many of their fans would be.
Nintendo's Press Conference - Wow, nice job Nintendo. Outside of showing nothing of interest from any third-parties, Nintendo rocked the house. The crowd went nuts after anything was said or shown, the the DS isn't nearly as goofy as I had imagined.
They started by showing off Metroid Prime 2: Echoes, which is looking cool thanks to the whole "evil Samus from the dark world hunting you" thing they've got going on, and the now-expected sweet graphics. The multiplayer was also shown very briefly, leading me to believe someone at Nintendo is as speculative about it as I am at this stage. Star Fox 2 on the other hand, barely looked any different than it did last year. I guess I've just never been a fan of the art design in that series. It's just...ugly. Resident Evil 4 was shown after those two, looking amazing and scary as balls, sickle-wielding undead monks and all. After that they got off to kind of a weird start, seemingly defending themselves and their numbers when no one was attacking them. They showed weird stats like how well the GC has outsold itself in the last quarter versus last year, and seemed to be striving to get across the message that "we sucked about a year ago, but, uh, look out, because we're second again". Thankfully, it was all uphill from there. Their speaker, some dude named Robbie, wasn't a douche (unlike most of the guys at Microsoft) or boring to watch (like the Japanese businessmen at Sony), and that went a long way towards making their presentation compelling. More facts and figures were discussed, including plenty about Nintendo's games-before-everything attitude, and how important value is as well.
Then, out of nowhere, Robbie busts a DS out of his coat pocket, holding it in an outstretched hand like a tiny supermodel as hundreds of bulbs flashed away. He talked a bit about how the specifics of the two screens would work, and how the systems caters to developers more than anything else. He said they were shooting to have it out this year, compretively priced. He then showed off a bit of game footage, including Metroid Prime: Hunters and Super Mario 64x4, two beautiful tech demos that mimic their big brothers and will both probably turn into games someday. He mentioned that you fire in the Metroid game by tapping the screen where your opponent was, which was met by a very torn, confused crowd-reaction not typical of the rest of the presentation. I'm also a bit uncomfortable with the idea to be honest. Anyhow, the proceeded to show a hadnful of video clips from interviews with heads of various big developers, saying how they found the DS an interesting idea and how they can't wait to explore the possibilities and such. I just hope we'll actually see some games that aren't made by Nintendo on the thing. My man Robbie also gave a great analogy for the DS, and Nintendo's approach to gaming in general. He asked when you're driving a car, do you want to go down the same road you've been before, only faster, or do you want to explore a whole new road? Nice work, Rob.
They also touched on some other random bullshit, like wireless GBA connectivity and Video Packs for the GBA, but no one seemed to give a damn in light of everything else going on. A nice reel of games was shown as well, spanning all of their systems. Paper Mario 2 looked great, Geist looked somewhat intreguing, Donkey Kong: Jungle Beat looked odd (you use the Donkey Konga drum controller to navigate a side-scroller), Legend of Zelda: Four Swords looked as pretty as ever, Viewtiful Joe 2 looks how you'd expect it to, Fire Emblem and Pikmin 2 looked like they always have (good), and that's about it for the exclusive ones I can remember (outside of GBA games, which they had plenty of, including a new Zelda). Oh, and Advance Wars: Under Fire looks fantastic, though I forget whether they showed it during the conference or not. There were actually some odd omissions from the stuff that they showed which ended up being revealed later, including a new side-scrolling Mario game, a new Animal Crossing (a game that would work much better with two screens, and a Mario Kart port, all for the DS. Odd, no?
Nintendo's president also spoke a bit about the concept for their next system, codenamed Revolution. He talked about how power won't matter anymore, as it will be about new game ideas and system design. Read Tom's last post for a bit more on that.
As if the introduction of the DS wasn't big enough, Nintendo decided to end their show with a massive surprise - a new Zelda game for GC, featuring an adult Link. The crowd went crazy, and a shield and sword-adorned Shigeru Miyamoto walked on stage, wrapping up the show in some charming broken english. It wrapped up a damn good day for Nintendo. My only complaint is that as good as more Mario, Metroid and Zelda games are, I would have liked to see some new franchises from the Big N. I think people are going to demand more than just those charcaters for the next generation, even if they are all great. Still, a wonderful showing.
Sony's Press Conference - They don't quite have a Halo 2 in their line-up, or the name recognition of Nintendo going for them, but Sony put on a surprisingly good presentation, thanks in big part to the unveiling of the do-it-all wonder handheld, the PSP. Kaz Harai (one of the big guys at Sony) did most of the hosting duties, but unfortunately didn't have as big a hold on the english language as to be able to joke around and charm the crowd. It was actually very business-heavy outside out of the showing of games and hardware, which was boring to watch in-between, but made for some impressive stat-relaying - Sony has sold 170 Million PS1/PS2s, 1.5 Billion pieces of software, and 90% of the business on PS1 was done after the $149 price point, which it reached about the same time in it's lifecycle as the PS2. The future looks good. Oh, yes, and they announced the price drop, but I assume you realized that.
They then brought out Ted Price to show off the online mode in Ratchet & Clank: Up Your Arsenal, coming out this fall. It looked amazing, and as fun and chaotic as any game out there. It also runs at 60fps, which is an amazing feat on any system for an online game that looks as good as R&C does. There's vehicles, lots of crazy weapons and modes and levels, constant voice support, the works. As basically the first platformer to go online, it's looking top-notch (as is the single-player game, but that's a given).
Sony also showed video of several exclusive games (including some new franchises) that are all looking great, a good thing for Sony to have right now - Monster Hunter (grr, no voice chat...), God of War, Killzone, Gran Turismo 4, Metal Gear Solid 3, Ratchet & Clank: UYA, Jak 3, Sly 2: Band of Thieves, Hot Shots Golf Fore!, and Getaway: Black Monday (get yer own screenshots). There have also been plenty of sweet games shown since then, that weren't included in their video because they're not published by Sony, such as Devil May Cry 3, Suikoden VI, Blood Will Tell, The Nightmare Before Christmas, Ace Combat 5: The Unsung War, Shadow of Rome, Kindom Hearts 2, and, of course, Final Fantasy XII.
Their online plans were also discussed, and were fairly different from Microsoft's, and no worse. Sony believes more on extending online play to the casual consumer, which is partially where R&C:UYA comes in to help, and also making sure their online play is free and "not controlled or mandated by [Sony]." Pretty different than the "let's give our current users more stuff to do and run the whole service" approach of Microsoft. I'm glad both companies have a solid but distinguished online plan at this stage.
I'm sure I'm skipping some stuff, but anyhow...they unveiled the PSP! It looks a lot like early renders, with a gorgeous 4.3" screen taking up most of the space on the system. It's got all sorts of technical doodads, including Wi-Fi support, and a cockload of RAM, by request. They didn't mention price, and I'm thinking they won't until Nintendo does. They also showed off a ton of games, including Metal Gear: Acid, a cool-looking as-yet-untitled new FPS, a marble puzzle game, a great-looking new action-looking game of some sort, more of Death Jr. and versions of Tony Hawk, Gran Turismo, Dynasty Warriors (which looked much better than the PS2 version), Hot Shots Golf, Twisted Metal, Frogger, Ape Escape, Wipeout, Armored Core, ATV Offroad Fury, F1 Racing, Hockey, Syphon Filter, Spider-Man, Medieval, Soccer, Ridge Racer, NBA Street, NFL Street, Tiger Woods, and a Darkstalkers game in stunning 2D (and later shown, Devil May Cry and Viewtiful Joe). All of the games looking phenomenal, trumping their PS2 counterparts in many cases. It is unfortunate that the majority were sequels to or versions of existing games, but with 99 developers worldwide and 44 already-announced Japanese games, I think we'll have more than enough original content, if not too much, by the time the launch rolls around.
They also showed the new Spiderman 2 trailer and an Incubus video playing on the PSP, both of which looked and sounded perfect (though it was boring as hell to watch them show off the whole trailer).
I forget how they wrapped up the show, seeing as it was the last one I watched and it ended at around five in the morning, but their overall conference left me with a lot of faith in the PS2's future, and the future of the PSP, which is very important for Sony. It would have been nice to see more original PSP games, but I liked the bit that they did show, and I'm optimistic for the near future.
This has been another one of those all-day posts, so I'll save discussion of multiplatform games and such until later. Keep checking IGN or Gamespot if you want constant updates, or leave a comment if you me to talk more about a particular game or find a video link. Word.
So much info (for me)
So, after watching Microsoft, Nintendo, and Sony's press conferences in full throughout the day (about 4 hours worth), my ass hurts and my brain is a little numb. I'm really interested in the business side of it all as well, which is partially why I submit myself to such things. So, no big update tonight after all, just a couple of notes, and extended thoughts on all the conferences tomorrow.
Biggest Surprise So Far: The Legend of Zelda, a new GC Zelda game where he doesn't look like a easter-egg colored little kid.
Most Pleasant Surprise: Tie - A new side-scrolling Mario game for the DS/Wi-Fi connectivity for the DS.
Still The Most Excited About: Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas, which they released some screens for.
Most Obvious Announcement: Tie - PS2 price cut (now $149, includes network adaptor and ATV Offroad Fury 2)/EA supporting X-Box Live.
Weirdest thing so far: A very discombobulated Muhammad Ali on stage during EA's Live support announcement.
Isn't He Cute: "I'm not Link, but I know Him." - Shigs
Video Tom Wishes He Could Watch Most But Can't Because His Computer Eats Babies: This one.
I'm Really Happy That: None of the three companies said much about their next-gen systems.
Good Pictures Of The PSP And The DS Are Located: Here, here, here, and here.
Hey Dan, Watch This: And then tell UbiSoft that games aren't movies, yet.
It Is: 4:40a.m. and time for me to sleep.
Sleep well, see you tomorrow E3.
<3 Nick
Biggest Surprise So Far: The Legend of Zelda, a new GC Zelda game where he doesn't look like a easter-egg colored little kid.
Most Pleasant Surprise: Tie - A new side-scrolling Mario game for the DS/Wi-Fi connectivity for the DS.
Still The Most Excited About: Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas, which they released some screens for.
Most Obvious Announcement: Tie - PS2 price cut (now $149, includes network adaptor and ATV Offroad Fury 2)/EA supporting X-Box Live.
Weirdest thing so far: A very discombobulated Muhammad Ali on stage during EA's Live support announcement.
Isn't He Cute: "I'm not Link, but I know Him." - Shigs
Video Tom Wishes He Could Watch Most But Can't Because His Computer Eats Babies: This one.
I'm Really Happy That: None of the three companies said much about their next-gen systems.
Good Pictures Of The PSP And The DS Are Located: Here, here, here, and here.
Hey Dan, Watch This: And then tell UbiSoft that games aren't movies, yet.
It Is: 4:40a.m. and time for me to sleep.
Sleep well, see you tomorrow E3.
<3 Nick
Tuesday, May 11, 2004
Quote of the day
"Nintendo's President, Satoru Iwata finally made his appearance, and began talking about how the DS was "different" than anything else on the market today. He explained that with how consoles are now, what systems can do with graphics now have pretty much reached their limit. Unless someone does something different, there won't be any hope for growth in the industry. This is when he touched upon Nintendo's next console. It's in development as we speak, claims Iwata. Much like the Nintendo DS, he promises that the new home console will also be "different;" so much so, that Nintendo is promising a "gaming revolution" whenever the system is finally launched. Iwata then asked if the audience wanted to know the technical specifications of the thing, but he stopped himself, stating that, since all hardware is insanely powerful as it is, the specs don't matter. "The time for horsepower is over," the president said."
From Planet Gamecube
That paragraph right there perfectly sums up why I love Nintendo They are a video game company. Period. Their only goal is to make the best, most fun games possible. They are not worried about graphics or online gaming or DVD playback. They don't care if you want to download music or surf the web. They only want to make the best games. Great games are clearly on every console, but only one manufacturer is actually making a system that will push the industry forward in ways more powerful graphics will never be able to. Thank you Nintendo.
From Planet Gamecube
That paragraph right there perfectly sums up why I love Nintendo They are a video game company. Period. Their only goal is to make the best, most fun games possible. They are not worried about graphics or online gaming or DVD playback. They don't care if you want to download music or surf the web. They only want to make the best games. Great games are clearly on every console, but only one manufacturer is actually making a system that will push the industry forward in ways more powerful graphics will never be able to. Thank you Nintendo.
Sony!
Nintendo!
Quick update since I'm in class now.
A Mature Zelda!
Check out the Nintendo conference. The Nintendo DS will be amazing.
More later. Man I love video games.
A Mature Zelda!
Check out the Nintendo conference. The Nintendo DS will be amazing.
More later. Man I love video games.
Monday, May 10, 2004
Last-minute E3 preview
Goddamn, E3 snuck up on me out of nowhere. But it starts tomorrow (technically, today). Tom has been before, but I have never had the honor. The goal is to go next year, which should be a big one what with new consoles being shown (most likely) and such. This year is looking to be huge regardless though. So, I give you my random thoughts regarding said oh-so-holy event:
Oh, one more thing before I get into E3 shit. I just read last night that Monster Hunter will most likely not have voice support for online play. This is the single stupidest goddamn thing I've heard in months. How lame is it that you have to stop and type a message to your opponent in the midst on hunting goddamn monsters!? Argh. I was looking forward to this game so much for so long, and now I have little interest in it, just like that. Stupid Crapcom. Anyhow, on with the show.
First, a bit of X-Box. This one deserves an intro, for me. See, I don't own one, for various reasons, but I've been wanting to play Ninja Gaiden after all the hype, and a couple upcoming games look great. So I figure while I have the money I'll get one, which at this stage will probably happen when I beat or get sick of Disgaea, whichever comes first. As I said, there's never really been a reason for me to own an X-Box. When Microsoft bought out Oddworld Inhabitants I was torn, but ultimately decided it was best not to support their already evil company, even if was to play a game I had been looking forward to for many years. And even before that, I just didn't really give a damn about a computer company making video games. I suppose some would say they felt the same way when Sony got into the business, but at thirteen years old, I wanted the newest and hottest system my dad's money could buy, and I didn't care who was making it. So, with my evil sorcery theories about Microsoft, and my complete contentment with my PS2 (and later Gamecube), I never really wanted an X-Box. Well, times change. Microsoft is still evil, but they've managed to garner enough minions to make their system successful. And along with a successful system comes a deluge of quality content. I think Halo (arguably the only exclusive game of theirs anybody really gives a damn about) is way overrated, but Halo 2, Fable, and a handful of others are looking fabulous. And there are a couple games out now I've been wanting to play (the afore-mentioned Ninja Gaiden, Otogi, Oddworld, etc.), so I'm taking the plunge. So, here's what I'm interested in at E3, as far as the ol' green and black goes.
Halo 2 - This game will obviously be great, but reading IGN's impressions of the mutiplayer has gotten me pretty jazzed about playing it, despite it not coming out for six months (November 9th, officially). The writer keeps talking about how great the level design was in the one level he played, which relieves me since I thought it was a major weak spot in the first game outside of a couple levels. Destructible environments alone are a huge addition. Online play should also be awesome, especially with the possibility of more than sixteen people to be able to play together (the number hasn't been locked down yet). Oh, and the vehicle upgrades sound great; rocket launcher for the warthog, speed boost for the ghost, and the "boarding" of someone else's vehicle from out under their hands. Money. Microsoft can't afford for this game to suck, and for that reason alone I'm confident in it's greatness (seeing as there's nothing Microsoft can't afford). And check out these couple of screenshots. Gorgeously chaotic, no?
Doom 3 - I guess they just released this video (huge file warning), showing a bunch of X-Box gameplay footage. It is a beautiful-looking game, though not quite up to the standards of it's PC brother. Even the PC demo from last E3 looked better (hacked on my old roomate's computer, though running at five frames a second). Regardless, it is an amazing feat for a console. I guess the main reason I'm not too excited about the game is that it just doesn't look especially fun to play. The enemy designs designs seem hit-or-miss, and a lot of the footage, at least in this trailer, just looks like Silent Hill in space. I mean, the last game in the series came out ten years ago, you'd figure they'd be able to come up with something revolutionary between now and then, not just a freaky-looking FPS. At the least, online co-op should be fun. Meh.
I also hope that Kameo and Conker get some good words thrown their way (I did watch a cool video for Conker, but Kameo looks lame), for Tom and Rare's sake. I'm sure they'll both be playable at the show, and I'm interested to hear some reactions. Besides those, The Stranger (new Oddworld game - tell 'em Brendan), KOTOR2, Jade Empire, and Fable, I can't think of any other X-Box games I should be excited about, but hopefully the rest of the show will reveal plenty other pleasent surprises.
Now, for some Sony. Apparently they didn't show much earlier today like Microsoft did, but I'm sure we'll see plenty once the show starts. As far as what I'm looking forward to:
Rise of the Kasai (the sequel the Mark of Kri) looks awesome, as does it's online co-op. Sexy. As far as other games, Final Fantasy XII, Gradius V, Dark Cloud 3, Battefield: Modern Combat, Dragon Warrior VIII, Devil May Cry 3, God of War, Nano Breaker, Hot Shots Golf Fore!, Ghosthunter, Neo Contra,Star Wars Battlefront, Jak 3, Ratchet and Clank: Up Your Arsenal, Blood Will Tell, Full Metal Alchemist, Champions: Return to Arms, Killzone, Spy Fiction, Shin Megami Tensei: Nocturne, Shadow of Rome, and Kingdom Hearts 2 are all lookin' mighty fine, and I can't wait to hear more about them from the show. Oh, and Metal Gear Solid 3 and Gran Turismo 4, two of the most anticipated games of recent years. Phat. I'm sure I'll be talking more about these games in the next few days, I'm just trying to stick to new information for now (as in, nothing new has been revelaed about them, yet).
And let's not forget the PSP. All will be revealed, soon enough. I can't wait.
And last, but hopefully not least, Nintendo. This show will either be huge for them, or a big flop, and they really need it to be huge (what with their being third in sales and all). Metroid Prime 2: Echoes is lookin' fancy, I just hope the multiplayer works well. It's also still unclear whether a new Zelda game is going to show up, but I'm going to be pessimistic and guess not. Fortunately, Advance Wars, Donky Konga, Paper Mario 2, Pikmin 2, Geist, Starfox 2, Resident Evil 4 and the usual bunch of Mario games (Party, Tennis, Golf) are all looking and sounding good, and will no doubt get a big fuss made over them at the show. There also seems to be an off-chance that a new Mario game will be shown, which would be hella cool.
And, of course, there's the DS. This thing is what will really make or break the show for the Big N. The PSP seems like it's destined for success no matter what, but everyone has seemed a lot less sure about the DS. I personally think it will turn out great as well, and compete for showgoers attention ably with the PSP, it just seems like Nintendo has a lot more riding on it and is taking a big risk by having the two screens and all. I'm just cautious, but with high hopes.
And, let I not forgot, the multi-platform games. Some of the best upcoming games are multiplatform, a trend that will affect the industry more and more. Whether it's good or bad remains to be seen, but I'm highly looking forward to a lot of the following games (all the E3 games announced so far are listed here by developer): Second Sight, 100 Bullets, Combat Elite: WWII Paratroopers, Timesplitters: Future Perfect, Call of Duty: Finest Hour, Spider-Man 2, The Movies, THUG2, X-Men Legends, Starcraft: Ghost, Street Fighter Anniversary Collection (with online play), ShellShock: Nam '67, FarCry: Instincts, Burnout 3, Goldeneye: Rogue Agent, The Lord of the Rings: The Third Age, Silent Hill 4: The Room, Mercenaries, Area 51, Darkwatch: Curse of the West, Prince of Persia 2, The Bard's Tale, Cold Winter, and Half Life 2 (just for eye candy).
Oh, and there's some sort of big secret announcement by Sega, but I doubt it's new hardware.
Phew. It took me about three hours to write this post, what with the links and the reading and such, so I'm off to bed. More tomorrow though, I'm sure. Man, these next couple of days are gonna kick rediculous amounts of ass, and I'm not even there...
Oh, one more thing before I get into E3 shit. I just read last night that Monster Hunter will most likely not have voice support for online play. This is the single stupidest goddamn thing I've heard in months. How lame is it that you have to stop and type a message to your opponent in the midst on hunting goddamn monsters!? Argh. I was looking forward to this game so much for so long, and now I have little interest in it, just like that. Stupid Crapcom. Anyhow, on with the show.
First, a bit of X-Box. This one deserves an intro, for me. See, I don't own one, for various reasons, but I've been wanting to play Ninja Gaiden after all the hype, and a couple upcoming games look great. So I figure while I have the money I'll get one, which at this stage will probably happen when I beat or get sick of Disgaea, whichever comes first. As I said, there's never really been a reason for me to own an X-Box. When Microsoft bought out Oddworld Inhabitants I was torn, but ultimately decided it was best not to support their already evil company, even if was to play a game I had been looking forward to for many years. And even before that, I just didn't really give a damn about a computer company making video games. I suppose some would say they felt the same way when Sony got into the business, but at thirteen years old, I wanted the newest and hottest system my dad's money could buy, and I didn't care who was making it. So, with my evil sorcery theories about Microsoft, and my complete contentment with my PS2 (and later Gamecube), I never really wanted an X-Box. Well, times change. Microsoft is still evil, but they've managed to garner enough minions to make their system successful. And along with a successful system comes a deluge of quality content. I think Halo (arguably the only exclusive game of theirs anybody really gives a damn about) is way overrated, but Halo 2, Fable, and a handful of others are looking fabulous. And there are a couple games out now I've been wanting to play (the afore-mentioned Ninja Gaiden, Otogi, Oddworld, etc.), so I'm taking the plunge. So, here's what I'm interested in at E3, as far as the ol' green and black goes.
Halo 2 - This game will obviously be great, but reading IGN's impressions of the mutiplayer has gotten me pretty jazzed about playing it, despite it not coming out for six months (November 9th, officially). The writer keeps talking about how great the level design was in the one level he played, which relieves me since I thought it was a major weak spot in the first game outside of a couple levels. Destructible environments alone are a huge addition. Online play should also be awesome, especially with the possibility of more than sixteen people to be able to play together (the number hasn't been locked down yet). Oh, and the vehicle upgrades sound great; rocket launcher for the warthog, speed boost for the ghost, and the "boarding" of someone else's vehicle from out under their hands. Money. Microsoft can't afford for this game to suck, and for that reason alone I'm confident in it's greatness (seeing as there's nothing Microsoft can't afford). And check out these couple of screenshots. Gorgeously chaotic, no?
Doom 3 - I guess they just released this video (huge file warning), showing a bunch of X-Box gameplay footage. It is a beautiful-looking game, though not quite up to the standards of it's PC brother. Even the PC demo from last E3 looked better (hacked on my old roomate's computer, though running at five frames a second). Regardless, it is an amazing feat for a console. I guess the main reason I'm not too excited about the game is that it just doesn't look especially fun to play. The enemy designs designs seem hit-or-miss, and a lot of the footage, at least in this trailer, just looks like Silent Hill in space. I mean, the last game in the series came out ten years ago, you'd figure they'd be able to come up with something revolutionary between now and then, not just a freaky-looking FPS. At the least, online co-op should be fun. Meh.
I also hope that Kameo and Conker get some good words thrown their way (I did watch a cool video for Conker, but Kameo looks lame), for Tom and Rare's sake. I'm sure they'll both be playable at the show, and I'm interested to hear some reactions. Besides those, The Stranger (new Oddworld game - tell 'em Brendan), KOTOR2, Jade Empire, and Fable, I can't think of any other X-Box games I should be excited about, but hopefully the rest of the show will reveal plenty other pleasent surprises.
Now, for some Sony. Apparently they didn't show much earlier today like Microsoft did, but I'm sure we'll see plenty once the show starts. As far as what I'm looking forward to:
Rise of the Kasai (the sequel the Mark of Kri) looks awesome, as does it's online co-op. Sexy. As far as other games, Final Fantasy XII, Gradius V, Dark Cloud 3, Battefield: Modern Combat, Dragon Warrior VIII, Devil May Cry 3, God of War, Nano Breaker, Hot Shots Golf Fore!, Ghosthunter, Neo Contra,Star Wars Battlefront, Jak 3, Ratchet and Clank: Up Your Arsenal, Blood Will Tell, Full Metal Alchemist, Champions: Return to Arms, Killzone, Spy Fiction, Shin Megami Tensei: Nocturne, Shadow of Rome, and Kingdom Hearts 2 are all lookin' mighty fine, and I can't wait to hear more about them from the show. Oh, and Metal Gear Solid 3 and Gran Turismo 4, two of the most anticipated games of recent years. Phat. I'm sure I'll be talking more about these games in the next few days, I'm just trying to stick to new information for now (as in, nothing new has been revelaed about them, yet).
And let's not forget the PSP. All will be revealed, soon enough. I can't wait.
And last, but hopefully not least, Nintendo. This show will either be huge for them, or a big flop, and they really need it to be huge (what with their being third in sales and all). Metroid Prime 2: Echoes is lookin' fancy, I just hope the multiplayer works well. It's also still unclear whether a new Zelda game is going to show up, but I'm going to be pessimistic and guess not. Fortunately, Advance Wars, Donky Konga, Paper Mario 2, Pikmin 2, Geist, Starfox 2, Resident Evil 4 and the usual bunch of Mario games (Party, Tennis, Golf) are all looking and sounding good, and will no doubt get a big fuss made over them at the show. There also seems to be an off-chance that a new Mario game will be shown, which would be hella cool.
And, of course, there's the DS. This thing is what will really make or break the show for the Big N. The PSP seems like it's destined for success no matter what, but everyone has seemed a lot less sure about the DS. I personally think it will turn out great as well, and compete for showgoers attention ably with the PSP, it just seems like Nintendo has a lot more riding on it and is taking a big risk by having the two screens and all. I'm just cautious, but with high hopes.
And, let I not forgot, the multi-platform games. Some of the best upcoming games are multiplatform, a trend that will affect the industry more and more. Whether it's good or bad remains to be seen, but I'm highly looking forward to a lot of the following games (all the E3 games announced so far are listed here by developer): Second Sight, 100 Bullets, Combat Elite: WWII Paratroopers, Timesplitters: Future Perfect, Call of Duty: Finest Hour, Spider-Man 2, The Movies, THUG2, X-Men Legends, Starcraft: Ghost, Street Fighter Anniversary Collection (with online play), ShellShock: Nam '67, FarCry: Instincts, Burnout 3, Goldeneye: Rogue Agent, The Lord of the Rings: The Third Age, Silent Hill 4: The Room, Mercenaries, Area 51, Darkwatch: Curse of the West, Prince of Persia 2, The Bard's Tale, Cold Winter, and Half Life 2 (just for eye candy).
Oh, and there's some sort of big secret announcement by Sega, but I doubt it's new hardware.
Phew. It took me about three hours to write this post, what with the links and the reading and such, so I'm off to bed. More tomorrow though, I'm sure. Man, these next couple of days are gonna kick rediculous amounts of ass, and I'm not even there...
Sunday, May 09, 2004
Tidbits
It's nice to see yet another positive article about gaming. I think people, as in the general populace, are finally starting to realize that it's here to stay, and that it will really affect the culture of entertainment more and more with each new generation. And that's good.
So, Capcom's Monster Hunter is looking way sweet, but I can't fucking believe it's got a crappy-looking ripoff already. But yeah, hunting monsters online together is like the most badass idea ever, and I'm sure MH will be great.
This game, Creature Conflict: Clan Wars, despite it's awful trailer and advertising, looks like it could be damn fun, especially multiplayer. Blowing each other up as crazy cel-shaded animals with big weapons on randomly-generated, deformable planets is certainly up my alley. And really, I think the gaming industry in Hungary could probably use our support.
Tom is right about Microsoft needing to have something big at E3 since they're not unveiling new hardware like their competitors. Halo 2 and Fable and Half Life 2 and Doom 3 are all well and good, but we've been hearing about them since last E3. They need something new, and I can't imagine they've been holding back some massive, industry-stirring secret. I guess we'll find out next week.
The new Area 51 game is looking pretty great. I'm always down for a good FPS, and it looks like Midway, with their recent apparent UbiSoft-like commitment to excellence, seems ready to deliver. They can't quite back up their efforts yet like Ubi can, but I think by the end of the year they'll be a whole new company.
IGN wrote a nice preview of the upcoming X-Men Legends game. Besides the odd lack of 4-player co-op, the game looks like a ton of fun. I haven't been able to play as Nightcrawler in a game for way too long. I think it will be a standout at E3.
Saw Van Helsing tonight, pure fun. "Non-stop creature action," indeed. Recommended.
Apparently I'm just Mr. Positive tonight. Don't worry, I'm sure I'll be ripping on Microsoft or someone equally as deserving soon enough.
So, Capcom's Monster Hunter is looking way sweet, but I can't fucking believe it's got a crappy-looking ripoff already. But yeah, hunting monsters online together is like the most badass idea ever, and I'm sure MH will be great.
This game, Creature Conflict: Clan Wars, despite it's awful trailer and advertising, looks like it could be damn fun, especially multiplayer. Blowing each other up as crazy cel-shaded animals with big weapons on randomly-generated, deformable planets is certainly up my alley. And really, I think the gaming industry in Hungary could probably use our support.
Tom is right about Microsoft needing to have something big at E3 since they're not unveiling new hardware like their competitors. Halo 2 and Fable and Half Life 2 and Doom 3 are all well and good, but we've been hearing about them since last E3. They need something new, and I can't imagine they've been holding back some massive, industry-stirring secret. I guess we'll find out next week.
The new Area 51 game is looking pretty great. I'm always down for a good FPS, and it looks like Midway, with their recent apparent UbiSoft-like commitment to excellence, seems ready to deliver. They can't quite back up their efforts yet like Ubi can, but I think by the end of the year they'll be a whole new company.
IGN wrote a nice preview of the upcoming X-Men Legends game. Besides the odd lack of 4-player co-op, the game looks like a ton of fun. I haven't been able to play as Nightcrawler in a game for way too long. I think it will be a standout at E3.
Saw Van Helsing tonight, pure fun. "Non-stop creature action," indeed. Recommended.
Apparently I'm just Mr. Positive tonight. Don't worry, I'm sure I'll be ripping on Microsoft or someone equally as deserving soon enough.
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