Friday, May 12, 2006
Wii for Guy Game!
First of all, if anyone has the chance to play The Guy Game with Al, I recommend you jump in post haste. Honestly, I had more fun playing The Guy Game for way too long last night (two hours? Three?) than any game I've played on the show floor. It just goes to show that, in matters of multiplayer, the experience you create with your friend is far more important than the actual game itself. Of course, The Guy Game, in addition to gratuitous nudity (after you unlock it), has some legitimately great mini games as well. This isn't about The Guy Game, though, so I'll segue seamlessly into Wii coverage. The games shown were flawed, early titles, but it they can make the experience enjoyable, they should have a market for anyone who just wants to have a little fun. For those who want more than just small doses of entertainment, look no farther than the Xbox 360 already on the market.
When all is said and done, the X360 had the best game of the show. This isn't really a surprise since it's been out for a year already. You can't really expect unfinished Wii/PS3 hardware to compete with a system already on the market, but the fact (yes, objective fact) that MS was able to crush the already established Nintendo DS and PSP is a testament to just how far MS has come.
Right now, the three best games I have seen so far are all coming out for the Xbox, and at least two of them are exclusive (in other words, going to PCs but not the PS3 or Wii). As Nick already mentioned, Mass Effect looked quite nice. It's the second best looking game I've seen so far, with great technology but even better art design, and looks to expand what BioWare already started with KoTOR. Nick already brought up the more robust conversation system so I won't bore you with that, but I will reaffirm that this is one to watch out for. And for those that think KotOR is nothing more than black and white, good vs evil choices, Mass Effect won't give you the same impression. The developer there told us they were going beyond simple "should I kick the dog or not situations," though I did ask if that specific choice could be included in the finished product.
The other two show stealers are Army of Two by EA which I mentioned yesterday and BioShock. Nick and I just saw some behind the scenes footage of this title and were both blown away. First of all, to avoid the suspense, this is the best looking title at the show. Like everything else it is using the Unreal 3.0 engine, but the art style pushes it far beyond anything else. Plus the water effects are the best I've seen in a game, though the scene on the ocean from Army of Two does come pretty close. BioShock is a first person action title with RPG elements (such as leveling up and character interaction you control) and a heavy horror cloud hanging overhead. You are some dude with a gun in this underwater habitation. Something went wrong - just like every crazy idea - and you have to figure out what went wrong and how to deal with it. Should be fantastic.
Other than those games, I am very tired. Very. I checked out most of the NDS lineup and, while it is fun, there isn't anything amazing. It's mostly just sequels to games we've already played. Chibi DS is really cute and Mario Basketball is surprisingly good, but nothing really jumps out. I'm sure the NDS lineup will be solid again this year, but I'd like to see a little more innovation for a system dubbed "Developers System." Of course, I am an immediate hypocrite when I talk about the new Kirby title. It isn't a sequel to Kirby Canvas Curse at all, but a new, traditional Kirby game. Hey, if you're going to make a sequel, at least make sure you build off the correct game.
And now I must stop. After two and a half days, Nick and I finally got an appointment with Pandemic. We're off to see a video (presumably) of the new Mercenaries title. Follow this space to see if the top three games of the show is expanded to four.
When all is said and done, the X360 had the best game of the show. This isn't really a surprise since it's been out for a year already. You can't really expect unfinished Wii/PS3 hardware to compete with a system already on the market, but the fact (yes, objective fact) that MS was able to crush the already established Nintendo DS and PSP is a testament to just how far MS has come.
Right now, the three best games I have seen so far are all coming out for the Xbox, and at least two of them are exclusive (in other words, going to PCs but not the PS3 or Wii). As Nick already mentioned, Mass Effect looked quite nice. It's the second best looking game I've seen so far, with great technology but even better art design, and looks to expand what BioWare already started with KoTOR. Nick already brought up the more robust conversation system so I won't bore you with that, but I will reaffirm that this is one to watch out for. And for those that think KotOR is nothing more than black and white, good vs evil choices, Mass Effect won't give you the same impression. The developer there told us they were going beyond simple "should I kick the dog or not situations," though I did ask if that specific choice could be included in the finished product.
The other two show stealers are Army of Two by EA which I mentioned yesterday and BioShock. Nick and I just saw some behind the scenes footage of this title and were both blown away. First of all, to avoid the suspense, this is the best looking title at the show. Like everything else it is using the Unreal 3.0 engine, but the art style pushes it far beyond anything else. Plus the water effects are the best I've seen in a game, though the scene on the ocean from Army of Two does come pretty close. BioShock is a first person action title with RPG elements (such as leveling up and character interaction you control) and a heavy horror cloud hanging overhead. You are some dude with a gun in this underwater habitation. Something went wrong - just like every crazy idea - and you have to figure out what went wrong and how to deal with it. Should be fantastic.
Other than those games, I am very tired. Very. I checked out most of the NDS lineup and, while it is fun, there isn't anything amazing. It's mostly just sequels to games we've already played. Chibi DS is really cute and Mario Basketball is surprisingly good, but nothing really jumps out. I'm sure the NDS lineup will be solid again this year, but I'd like to see a little more innovation for a system dubbed "Developers System." Of course, I am an immediate hypocrite when I talk about the new Kirby title. It isn't a sequel to Kirby Canvas Curse at all, but a new, traditional Kirby game. Hey, if you're going to make a sequel, at least make sure you build off the correct game.
And now I must stop. After two and a half days, Nick and I finally got an appointment with Pandemic. We're off to see a video (presumably) of the new Mercenaries title. Follow this space to see if the top three games of the show is expanded to four.
// posted by Tom @ 1:47 PM 
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