Sunday, May 15, 2005
19 Games I'm looking forward to playing at E3
Obviously I'm looking forward to seeing the proper unveiling of the 360, the subsequent one-upping by Sony, and a new concept introduced by Nintendo that we won't be able to quite wrap our heads around (the Revolution requires...eleven GBAs?). But as usual, it's all about the GAMES. So in no particular order, here are nineteen games that I'm really looking forward to playing, with the assumption that they'll be playable (and I apologize if I'm less than eloquent, I've been working all weekend and my plane leaves tomorrow):
Shadow of the Colossus - It's fairly trendy to be drooling over this game, but hey, there's good reason to: it's made by the Ico team, and every screenshot and second of video shown so far has been stunning. It seems to have a real sense of scale, and when was the last time you saw that done well in a game? The giant levels/beasts that wander around look amazingly challenging and fun, and you get to ride a horse - you give me better ingredients for a great game.
New 2D Super Mario Bros. - The DS has become more and more appealing recently, and I'm thinking this may just convince me to pick one up. What was the last new traditional 2D Mario game anyhow? Super Mario World? I'm sold on the idea no matter what they end up showing, and I'm thinking it will be a much bigger deal than everyone thinks. I mean, c'mon - a possible 96 more levels of perfected gaming bliss?
Gauntlet: Seven Sorrows/Mortal Kombat: Shaolin Monks - I'm listing these together for several reasons - Both have had awful games in their respective series, new games in these series usually wouldn't interest me much, and both are from Midway. But they do look great, and they're both co-op online. Gauntlet seems to have the most interesting moves and environments in years, and Shaolin Monks just looks like pure arcade-style fun with some sweet tandem attacks. There's a very good chance that both games could end up being less than spectacular, but as it stands now they look like damn good fun.
Okami - From the people behind Steel Battalion and Viewtiful Joe (beat THAT resume) comes the game I'm probably MOST looking forward to playing at E3. Art design is the second most important aspect in any game to me (just behind control), and Okami has the most striking visuals I've ever seen in a video game. You play as Amaterasu the wolf god, trying to restore color to a world robbed of it by an evil monster. I have no idea how it will play (it seems no one does at this point), but if it plays anywhere near as gorgeous as it looks, I'm buying three copies.
Advent Rising - Yes, I know that the game comes out a month or so after E3, I'm just dying to play it now. I'm a sucker for good presentation, and the trailer makes it look like they've been working on this thing for the last twenty years (when in actuality it comes from the minds of a couple of guys and a very small development team). Apparently the controls take some getting used to, which I'm a bit weary of, but everything else looks top-notch. The Xbox isn't dead quite yet.
The Movies - Hell, I don't even know what systems this game is slated for these days, but as long as it's not PC-only there's still hope. I could always be shooting films in real life, but, you know...I don't (for the most part). Therefore, I require the ability to do so from the comfort of my couch, and I'm hoping The Movies will provide such a ridiculous substitute. Or at least some silly features I can make some hilarious shit with.
Perfect Dark Zero - I just need confirmation that the game isn't going to be seriously lame, as every screenshot and video clip has suggested thus far. I'm really hoping for a different build than the one shown at the MTV holocaust, but I'm not too sure about my chances. I have no doubt that the single-player game will be great, but fifty player x-ray Tribes isn't my type of multiplayer.
The Incredible Hulk/Ultimate Spider-Man - The first Hulk game was lots of fun, and parts of the second Spider-Man game were borderline genius. These new ones both show great potential - Hulk is like GTA with the ability to hurl a car across a city block, and Ultimate Spider-Man is like a more refined Spider-Man 2, with the sweetest comic book visuals I've seen in a game. Again, no urgent reason to be looking forward to either of these, but I'm a big geek and I'll be thrilled if they're good.
Socom 3 - As great as the single-player game is, let's ignore it for the time being; I played the hell out of Socom and Socom II multiplayer back in the day (the day being when they came out, and subsequent months afterwards), and they're right up there with anything else I've played online. This new installment doubles the amount of players (to 32), and throws in vehicles and much larger levels. Those seem like they'll fit the game perfectly, and I can even see myself being drawn away from Halo (god forbid) when it comes out. Anyhow, if they have a playable LAN set up, I'm so there.
We Love Katamari - Did you really expect a G-Pinions post without some sort of Katamari reference/appreciation? I suppose I'm not particularly looking forward to the new single-player mode, as it looks fairly similar as the first, but the co-op and proper multiplayer modes should be nuts. Between those and a new soundtrack (hell, I wouldn't even mind a Wanda, Wand remix) there's no reason not to go nuts for this game all over again. Now when the hell is it coming out here...
Starcraft: Ghost - I actually thought the game was looking fantastic last they showed it, so I was fairly surprised when they pulled Nihilistic off the job. I have complete faith in Swingin' Ape though, as Metal Arms was lots of fun. The stealth elements looked sweet, and the art direction/character design was really nice. I have no idea if it's jumped to next-gen consoles or not, but I look forward to it either way.
Black - Even though I don't play every FPS, I get fairly excited about every new series that comes along. I really dig the genre, even if it hasn't changed fundamentally in years. Black seems to have the potential though, if Criterion's design philosophy of making the guns the characters is to be believed. They've had the physics and feel down since last year, so I'm looking forward to seeing what type of game they decided to wrap around it. I imagine it would go well with the 360, but who knows.
Burnout: Revenge - Burnout 3 was the best racing game ever in my mind, by a wide margin. I'm not particularly fond of the new look for the series (gritty, faux-realistic), but hey, more great gameplay is more great gameplay. They can't make it any faster, but they can certainly make it sexier.
Final Fantasy XII - It's been a damn long time since I played a proper Final Fantasy game, dating back a good three winters ago. I've also had a hankering for a good RPG recently, and I don't have the time to invest in anything that isn't top-notch. I have no idea what kind of progress has been made on this game since they've shown more or less the same bits for the last two years, but the idea of a new battle system and universe intrigue me. Rabbit chicks are foxy, and I look forward to wooing them with my girlie man Vaan. Also, I haven't truly cared about a character in a game for quite some time.
Half-Life 2 (Xbox) - Alright, the truth comes out - I'm incredibly jealous of those with high end PCs that have been able to play Half-Life 2. Ever since the gameplay videos dropped my jaw two years ago, I've been secretly salivating to explore City Seven's (right?) streets. The Xbox port promises 100% of the content, even if the graphics aren't quite as impressive; as with the original, the gameplay's where it's at though. Plus it just might be the last truly great Xbox game, as sad at that is. Anyhow, I look forward to throwing radiators from the comfort of my couch (after doing do from a booth in a convention center in L.A.).
Killer 7 - Playing multiple personalities of the same person should make for quite the game, at least from a story and design standpoint. How it plays is still somewhat of a mystery though, despite a plethora of media being released for it. Still, it's dripping with style and that trailer makes me quiver with nervous terror/joy.
Stubbs the Zombie in Rebel Without a Pulse - Play as a zombie? Command your disconnected hand? Throw your guts? Control other zombies? Soundtrack composed of covers of 70's pop songs by popular indie bands? Sign me the FUCK up. Oh, and it's made by Wideload Studios, founded by Alex Seropian (who also co-founded Bungie).
Shadow of the Colossus - It's fairly trendy to be drooling over this game, but hey, there's good reason to: it's made by the Ico team, and every screenshot and second of video shown so far has been stunning. It seems to have a real sense of scale, and when was the last time you saw that done well in a game? The giant levels/beasts that wander around look amazingly challenging and fun, and you get to ride a horse - you give me better ingredients for a great game.
New 2D Super Mario Bros. - The DS has become more and more appealing recently, and I'm thinking this may just convince me to pick one up. What was the last new traditional 2D Mario game anyhow? Super Mario World? I'm sold on the idea no matter what they end up showing, and I'm thinking it will be a much bigger deal than everyone thinks. I mean, c'mon - a possible 96 more levels of perfected gaming bliss?
Gauntlet: Seven Sorrows/Mortal Kombat: Shaolin Monks - I'm listing these together for several reasons - Both have had awful games in their respective series, new games in these series usually wouldn't interest me much, and both are from Midway. But they do look great, and they're both co-op online. Gauntlet seems to have the most interesting moves and environments in years, and Shaolin Monks just looks like pure arcade-style fun with some sweet tandem attacks. There's a very good chance that both games could end up being less than spectacular, but as it stands now they look like damn good fun.
Okami - From the people behind Steel Battalion and Viewtiful Joe (beat THAT resume) comes the game I'm probably MOST looking forward to playing at E3. Art design is the second most important aspect in any game to me (just behind control), and Okami has the most striking visuals I've ever seen in a video game. You play as Amaterasu the wolf god, trying to restore color to a world robbed of it by an evil monster. I have no idea how it will play (it seems no one does at this point), but if it plays anywhere near as gorgeous as it looks, I'm buying three copies.
Advent Rising - Yes, I know that the game comes out a month or so after E3, I'm just dying to play it now. I'm a sucker for good presentation, and the trailer makes it look like they've been working on this thing for the last twenty years (when in actuality it comes from the minds of a couple of guys and a very small development team). Apparently the controls take some getting used to, which I'm a bit weary of, but everything else looks top-notch. The Xbox isn't dead quite yet.
The Movies - Hell, I don't even know what systems this game is slated for these days, but as long as it's not PC-only there's still hope. I could always be shooting films in real life, but, you know...I don't (for the most part). Therefore, I require the ability to do so from the comfort of my couch, and I'm hoping The Movies will provide such a ridiculous substitute. Or at least some silly features I can make some hilarious shit with.
Perfect Dark Zero - I just need confirmation that the game isn't going to be seriously lame, as every screenshot and video clip has suggested thus far. I'm really hoping for a different build than the one shown at the MTV holocaust, but I'm not too sure about my chances. I have no doubt that the single-player game will be great, but fifty player x-ray Tribes isn't my type of multiplayer.
The Incredible Hulk/Ultimate Spider-Man - The first Hulk game was lots of fun, and parts of the second Spider-Man game were borderline genius. These new ones both show great potential - Hulk is like GTA with the ability to hurl a car across a city block, and Ultimate Spider-Man is like a more refined Spider-Man 2, with the sweetest comic book visuals I've seen in a game. Again, no urgent reason to be looking forward to either of these, but I'm a big geek and I'll be thrilled if they're good.
Socom 3 - As great as the single-player game is, let's ignore it for the time being; I played the hell out of Socom and Socom II multiplayer back in the day (the day being when they came out, and subsequent months afterwards), and they're right up there with anything else I've played online. This new installment doubles the amount of players (to 32), and throws in vehicles and much larger levels. Those seem like they'll fit the game perfectly, and I can even see myself being drawn away from Halo (god forbid) when it comes out. Anyhow, if they have a playable LAN set up, I'm so there.
We Love Katamari - Did you really expect a G-Pinions post without some sort of Katamari reference/appreciation? I suppose I'm not particularly looking forward to the new single-player mode, as it looks fairly similar as the first, but the co-op and proper multiplayer modes should be nuts. Between those and a new soundtrack (hell, I wouldn't even mind a Wanda, Wand remix) there's no reason not to go nuts for this game all over again. Now when the hell is it coming out here...
Starcraft: Ghost - I actually thought the game was looking fantastic last they showed it, so I was fairly surprised when they pulled Nihilistic off the job. I have complete faith in Swingin' Ape though, as Metal Arms was lots of fun. The stealth elements looked sweet, and the art direction/character design was really nice. I have no idea if it's jumped to next-gen consoles or not, but I look forward to it either way.
Black - Even though I don't play every FPS, I get fairly excited about every new series that comes along. I really dig the genre, even if it hasn't changed fundamentally in years. Black seems to have the potential though, if Criterion's design philosophy of making the guns the characters is to be believed. They've had the physics and feel down since last year, so I'm looking forward to seeing what type of game they decided to wrap around it. I imagine it would go well with the 360, but who knows.
Burnout: Revenge - Burnout 3 was the best racing game ever in my mind, by a wide margin. I'm not particularly fond of the new look for the series (gritty, faux-realistic), but hey, more great gameplay is more great gameplay. They can't make it any faster, but they can certainly make it sexier.
Final Fantasy XII - It's been a damn long time since I played a proper Final Fantasy game, dating back a good three winters ago. I've also had a hankering for a good RPG recently, and I don't have the time to invest in anything that isn't top-notch. I have no idea what kind of progress has been made on this game since they've shown more or less the same bits for the last two years, but the idea of a new battle system and universe intrigue me. Rabbit chicks are foxy, and I look forward to wooing them with my girlie man Vaan. Also, I haven't truly cared about a character in a game for quite some time.
Half-Life 2 (Xbox) - Alright, the truth comes out - I'm incredibly jealous of those with high end PCs that have been able to play Half-Life 2. Ever since the gameplay videos dropped my jaw two years ago, I've been secretly salivating to explore City Seven's (right?) streets. The Xbox port promises 100% of the content, even if the graphics aren't quite as impressive; as with the original, the gameplay's where it's at though. Plus it just might be the last truly great Xbox game, as sad at that is. Anyhow, I look forward to throwing radiators from the comfort of my couch (after doing do from a booth in a convention center in L.A.).
Killer 7 - Playing multiple personalities of the same person should make for quite the game, at least from a story and design standpoint. How it plays is still somewhat of a mystery though, despite a plethora of media being released for it. Still, it's dripping with style and that trailer makes me quiver with nervous terror/joy.
Stubbs the Zombie in Rebel Without a Pulse - Play as a zombie? Command your disconnected hand? Throw your guts? Control other zombies? Soundtrack composed of covers of 70's pop songs by popular indie bands? Sign me the FUCK up. Oh, and it's made by Wideload Studios, founded by Alex Seropian (who also co-founded Bungie).
// posted by Nick @ 4:01 PM 
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