G-pinions

So, guess what the best game I've played in the last twenty-four hours is? You get fourteen THOUSAND guesses. Well, it's Tetris DX for my Gameboy Color. Not to rip on any of the games at E3, just figured I'd give the best game of all time some extra props. Anyhow, this is my first E3. Tom told me that it wouldn't be what I was expecting; not in a bad way, just different. And it is, in that it's exponentially larger than what my brain is capable of processing. Not really size-wise, per se, just sheer mental power-wise. If your senses aren't being constantly assaulted by pretty things on giant screens and loud things on giant speakers, they will be from people constantly brushing against you, the siren song of scantily clad booth babes filling your ears, and the little voice in your brain trying it's best to decide which lure to follow.

As Tom the Jerk said in his earlier post, he ditched me pretty much right off the bat; after waiting around near where I thought he'd be (Kameo) for about twenty minutes, I realized I was on my own until our designated meeting time an hour and a half from then, alone in a world gone insane and wonderful. So I played some 1943 on Capcom's Classics Collection. Once I had my bearings again, and realizing what the hell I was doing, I quickly headed for some games that aren't over a decade old.

Note from in-bed Tom he wants me to interject: He still has no idea whether there's jumping in PDZ, and is confounded as to why no one has mentioned it. Thank you.

Back to business - I spent the majority of the day in the South Hall, where Microsoft and most of the larger third parties are located. I spent the last sixth or so of the day at the vastly more chill and well-spaced West Hall with Tom, where Nintendo, Sony and a couple of others reside. So here's a bit of what I played, starting with impressions of the games I put on my most-wanted list earlier:

Shadow of the Colossus - Good times indeed. Riding the horse and exploring the massive landscapes is a lot more compelling than you'd think, and the game looks stunning if you can appreciate the art design (which I do, greatly). Fighting the titular Colossi is a bit tricky since the controls are pretty much that of Ico, which allowed for a bit of give when you were platforming. Not so much when you're hanging onto the ankle a creature as tall as the mountain next to you. Still, it's easily one of my most-anticipated games of the year, even if the demo was slightly disappointing.

New 2D Super Mario Bros. - I actually didn't think this would be playable after the 1.5 seconds they showed at the Nintendo coference, but lo and behold. My brain was taking it's sweet time to comes to terms with playing a new 2D Mario game, but I think I liked it. The competitive multiplayer mode is definitely cool, though I'd much rather have co-op (which I suppose hasn't been announced one way or the other). I'm not a big fan of the DS's D-Pad or buttons (and feel is a HUGE part of any Mario game), but I enjoyed it quite a bit regardless. I expect to fall in love with it when it comes out.

Gauntlet: Seven Sorrows/Mortal Kombat: Shaolin Monks - Gauntlet wasn't so hot; Tom and I hacked and slashed through a level or so, and whlile it looked good and the moves and enemies were cool, it was more or less as mindless as ever. Still, I would have no problem playing it four-player, online or not. MK:SM on the other hand, was pure fun. Again, Tom and I did it up co-op, while works incredibly well in a third-person action/fighting game. He'd kick someone over to me with Liu Kang, and I'd spin them in twain with Kung Lao; and we weren't even planning anything quite as extravegant. Besides somehow glitching ourselves into a never-ending stream of baddies in the third dungeon or so, we kicked a lot of ass, and so did the game. Co-op playthrough for sure.

Advent Rising - So the developers are right: the control scheme does take some getting used to. As that's not going to come together fully in the five or ten minutes I have to play the demo. Being instructed most every step of the way by a tester aside, the game was definitely as enjoyable as I'd been hoping for. It has a very distinct sci-fi design, and the moves and maneuvers at your disposal are suitably exotic. It's really tough to judge such a large, multi-faceted game in the time it takes to drop a cinderblock from an airplane, but I was definitely getting into what I played. Good show.

We Love Katamari - It's true. We do. Everyone does. I played the school level co-op, and man is it crazy. It actually works pretty simply, keeping in mind that you have to constantly communicate to get any momentum whatsoever. The phrases "Let's go for those sawhorses" and "Cat!" will become second nature very quickly, and will dominate your vocabulary for the during of your games. It was too damned loud to hear the soundtrack, but I assume it's every bit as magical as the first (which I'm actually listening to right now). Oh, and Namco has a REAL KATAMARI at their booth, about seven feet tall with crap plastered all over it. We'll post a pic eventually, don't you worry.

Half-Life 2 (Xbox) - Some of it looks great, and some of it looks like butt. Either way, it controls well and I'm thrilled that it made the jump intact.

Killer 7 - I didn't play it myself yet, but I think I have the idea after watching Tom go mad with confusion trying to understand what exactly we were watching. You explore, you talk to crazy things, and you do crazy things. And shoot. And it's all very, very bizarre. And awesome.

Stubbs the Zombie in Rebel Without a Pulse - Ha, so much fun. Just thinking about it now made me smile. It's every bit as crazy and fun as you'd expect, eating brains, possessing farmers, etc. etc. The game still feels pretty early, especially in regards to floaty jumping and brainless AI (before you get to them, that is), but the final product should be a laugh riot. Truly a fun game.

And man, I was planning to write about more, but I have to wake up in less than six hours, for another day of walking around for nine hours. Wish me luck, and stay tuned tomorrow night for more goodness, including hands-on Zelda (if we can brave the lines), meaty PS3 videos (if we can brave more lines), and if the gaming gods smile upon up like never before, some sort of Perfect Dark Zero update. Oh, and supposedly there's one more surprise coming from Nintendo. I'm guessing it will be closer to 128 small ones.