G-pinions

A Top Five list anyone can relate to. We'll do this in descending order as if it is actually building to something.

6. A rhythm game with dinosaurs - This would be a real revolution in gaming. We've been playing rhythm games for years and, though there is certainly not an abundance of dinosaur titles, we've seen a few of those as well. But they've never been combined. Until now. I picture a game with dancing dinosaurs wearing hats and singing lyrics to dirty 80s songs. "No one puts baby in a corner!" Maybe they can even wear shoes of the tap dance variety. I mean, sure, you'll know a dinosaur is dancing just by listening to the boom of his every step, but a boom followed by a pleasant tap would just make my ears do a dance of joy. Oh, and I want the dinosaur to teach me how to love too.

5. A Wii title that perfectly recreates a water park - My only worry about this is where the water would come from. I think we can all agree that's a rather small worry.

4. War of the Monsters Online - Also known as Massively Multiplayer War of the Monsters Online Staring Julia Dreyfus as King Kong, but I needed to shorten the title for the attention impaired. We all know Sony is readying this for launch. We all know it's going to have levels the size of ancient Persia. We all know the monsters will be stackable, mimicking the ultimate game of chicken that inhabits our dreams each night. What we don't know is how they will replicate the feeling of getting stepped on by a Rodan-looking bastard with just the lame ass rumble we've been used to. I think this will be the first game that can actually hospitalize people, but it will be well worth it.

3. Moving Walkways - No, this isn't a video game. The convention center is huge and I am quite lazy. As long as I'm wishing, maybe I should just go for a Delorean. What better way to show up to my appointment with EA than through Gull Wing doors? Realistically, I'm either driving a stainless steel car around this building or Nick is letting me sit on his shoulders.

2. Madden - You know those people who only buy Madden every year and maybe the occasional copy of Grand Theft Auto? Yeah, I don't either, but I think they exist. I tend to look down on them because, if you're only going to buy one franchise, there are better games out there. But what if EA took the initiative to make a version of Madden that really is good enough to be the entirety of a person's video game purchases for a year? How amazing would that be? Madden Wii is actually one of my most anticipated games of the show. I know EA has the talent to make great games. If they ever get the drive to do it, the industry could be even better than it is now.

1. Booth Babes - I'm only human. I enjoy the finer things in life, you know? There's word that Booth Babes will be banned from the proceedings, but I highly doubt that. Why would they take away the most consistently entertaining portion of the show? You have no idea how hilarious it is seeing hundreds of guys crowd around these nearly naked women. And when you are given the opportunity to play a game with them... well, let's just say that was my favorite moment from E3 2002. The damn controller wasn't even plugged in!

I'm quite psyched. It's a big year, and as fun as last year was, this E3 should be utterly legendary. Tom and I are both attending the Microsoft conference, I will be at Sony's, and Tom will be at Nintendo's. We have appointments with EA, Konami, Namco/Bandai, Activision/id, Red Octane, Bioware, Midway, Bethesda, Atlus, 2K and Sega. As well as some private showings of Microsoft's entire first-party lineup. I've been busting my ass for the last month making sure we get to see anything remotely cool, and I'm looking forward to the payoff. That said, what I am expecting, and what am I anticipating? Something like this...

Sony

I think Sony is going to have a great show. As many ups and downs as the PS3 has had in the media, I think it's unveiling is going to be grand. I'm sure we'll get dozens more Killzone 2 type tech demos and teasers, but I believe the in-game stuff is going to be almost as stunning. It's also important for them to get two other things right - the controller and online functionality. The 360 does both of those things perfectly, and I would much rather pay for a great online service than struggle through an awkward free one. I can't really see how they can improve on Live, so I'm hoping they just ape it in every way and make it free. I can't possibly imagine that they would botch the controller, but after a promised redesign I'm hoping it at least received some deeper functionality than they've led on. Dual Shock 3 would be dandy, but throw some triggers and maybe an LCD or something on there and I'm all yours.

I'm also really excited about their potential games - Naughty Dog has yet to reveal their current project, and that's something that could easily be a killer app for launch. Warhawk will undoubtedly look better than ever, and I have complete faith that Resistance will be pure fun as well. Then there's this Ice Engine that everyone badass at Sony has been collaborating on, so if they should anything that uses it I'm sure it will be a pants-wetting frenzy. I'd say there's a good chance we'll see a teaser of a proper FF7 PS3 remake, and a next-gen God of War (as excited as I am about the second one). I fully expect a PSP redesign, and the PS1 emulator to be top notch. Speaking of which, Jaffe's PSP entry will most certainly be mind-blowing, whatever it is. As you can see, I'm pretty positive about Sony at the moment. It's their race to lose, and with their backs against the wall I think we'll see their best lineup yet. I'm sure there will be plenty of promises and 4D videos that never come to pass, but that doesn't bother me as long as their games continue to be damn fantastic.

Nintendo

A couple of weeks ago I would have said that the Wii will make or break Nintendo, putting them firmly back in the race or relegating them to eventual third party status. After seeing all of the great third party support emerge recently, I'm completely confident that they're back in it. While still the biggest X factor obviously, they have all the momentum and media attention they need to blow the show out of the water. There are certain inevitables, like Shiggs swinging his wiimote on stage to make Link swing his sword, but once they actual happen it will be all the more memorable. While Nintendo seems to have quite a few games lined up for launch themselves, I have a feeling a new Mario will be nowhere to be found. Smash Bros? Check. Warioware? Check. Pikmin? Hopefully check. And as good as Twilight Princess will be, I think the real stars of the show will be their new IPs, fully utilizing the Wii's talents and cementing their game design philosophies in the heads of the mainstream media.

It's interesting to see companies like EA deciding not to do a straight Madden port and instead make an exclusive version for the Wii; if they're thinking creatively, it bodes well for the riskier developers (i.e. everyone else). The DS also seems to have a ton of support going for it around the board, thanks to it's insane worldwide success. Ultimately I don't think it will be a huge show for the system outside of Phantom Hourglass and a new Metroid, but I could be wrong. Though it's not the type of thing I'd get too excited about beforehand, I'm sure I'll find some gems at the show (as last time I basically passed up Phoenix Wright assuming there was no way it could be good).

Microsoft

No surprises here. Amazing Halo 3 teaser, really solid first-party line-up. It's really all they need to keep things going. Actually, I think Bungie will have a new game out this fall, and then Halo 3 for fall 2007. That way Microsoft can spread out their five first party titles in between and take as long as they need. I also think that while Sony and Nintendo will have more 'exciting' titles by and large, 360 will provide the most fun gaming experiences at the show, and probably the most rounded lineup. They don't really need to be doing much at the moment - just make the Live support during E3 fantastic, put a great Halo 3 teaser out there, and maybe hint at a price drop right around when the PS3 hits. And considering so many damn Live Arcade games are in the works, give us a firm calendar or at least a couple of release dates. The camera peripheral could be cool, but more of a social Live tool than any sort of properly supported peripheral I would imagine. I guess Microsoft only gets one paragraph of preview for now since they're utterly predictable and about as mysterious as a doorknob, but again, I think that they will be providing many of the more solid gaming experiences of the show.

Other random things I'm excited about

Army of Two - Tom and I agree that EA are going to make a comeback of sorts this generation, at least in terms of being a respectable company who makes good games. Army of Two is their first new internally developed IP in....well, a damn long time. Putting gamers in "scenarios taken from current day headlines" doesn't exactly rev my engine, but the game is built entirely around the co-op play, with a real buddy or an apparently brilliant AI partner. They haven't said a whole lot else, but it's been in development for a year, and it's co-op. That's all I really need to get excited.

Assassin's Creed - It's the Sands of Time team, making a great-looking apparently stealth game from the ground up. Everything I've read about the project over the past year has been completely tantalizing, and the physical interaction of your character with the world sounds like it will be something truly new and dynamic. Great setting too. Though they should have kept the "Project Assassin" codename - much cooler.

Turok 3 - Turok. Dinosaurs. Unreal Engine 3. Cerebral Bore. I really wish Buena Vista would have gotten back to me about an appointment - looks like we'll be roughing up their booth personnel.

Elebits - Great name, very cool artwork from what's been circulating so far. It's an exclusive Wii game from Konami that sounds a bit like Pikmin where you actually 'touch' the creatures - plenty to get excited about.

MERCENARIES 2: WORLD IN FLAMES - Pandemic has been hinting at this strongly for the last couple of weeks, and confirmed it today. And this is IMMEDIATELY my most-looked forward to game that I know exists. The original was brilliant, concept to execution done to perfection; also probably the most gratifying, weighty engine next to Halo's. And it was a gorgeous game, I can't even imagine how the new one will look.

Phew, this is exhausting and I'm getting myself way too excited. More tomorrow.

I'm not sure if I should direct my anger towards America or just the terrifying trends of the world at large, but I do know that, at least for once, my hatred for hypocritical conservative values is completely justified. As anyone who reads this site is well aware, Nick and I have been playing Oblivion every chance we get since it came out a month ago. It's simply a huge game and the need to see every second of it is a draw that most games cannot even begin to exert. It's obviously not perfect, though, and there are many occasions where Nick and I make fun of the game directly or something related to it. The most frequent point of ridicule is the rating this game received. In this neo-conservative environment where criminals are using video games as a defense for violent crimes it is all too common to see reports on TV stating how these games are desensitizing our children to violence. A justifiable complaint. I firmly endorse keeping violent games out of the hands of minors.

Which is why Nick and I are continually shocked at how violent Oblivion is. Even with all the adult themes and excessive gore, it received a T rating. I have no idea how it is rated T. For comparison, even though Halo has guns and Oblivion doesn't, Elder Scrolls is much more violent than Halo. There are excessive amounts of blood and ruthless murders. For some reason, Halo got an M rating, though. If the appearance of guns is that upsetting, maybe the people who have power should start looking at ways to tweak the second amendment as well. But I digress. The point is, Oblivion is a very violent game, more violent than some M rated games, yet is only rated T. Every time Nick and I see dead bodies hanging from the wall we quote the "Rated T for Teen" campaigns on TV.

But now, after all the blood and adult situations in Oblivion, only now is it being pulled from shelves so it can be re-rated. What's this? People finally realized how violent the game truly is? Ha! I wouldn't be outraged at that. The violence is still acceptable for some reason, but the nude patch is not. The developers, upon creating the character models, started with the birthday suit and added layers of clothes. It is possible to remove the clothes and see some naked breasts if you know how to download mods. There comes a time when people have to realize that not all nudity is meant to titillate. The breasts in Oblivion are not meant to set loins a-thumping. Not even a 13 year old, hormone ranging youth would be turned on by these. They are simply parts of the body, crafted in the simplest way possible, so the character models would look natural.

What's ridiculous is that this has been in every Elder Scrolls game, but only Oblivion is getting flack for it now. Elder Scrolls II actually had full frontal nudity of the male and female variety. But now, because there is a nude patch for Oblivion, it is being restricted to only adult players. What kind of country do we live in when violence is ok but nudity is not?

Just to clarify some points. You can identify Nick's words from mine via the quotation marks which surround his and mine, which are naked in their truth.

"Tom was attempting to write a column about how he likes his RPGs linear and his characters tangibly developed for him via black and white decision-making."

I never said I wanted a linear RPG. I will most likely bring up KOTOR for my examples in how an RPG should play since it's still the best I've come across. KOTOR is not linear at all. You can go to planets in whatever order you want. You can delay the main quest to do side missions. It sounds similar to what Oblivion is like, no? I love this style. What is different between KOTOR's side missions and Oblivion's are how much weight is given to them. There is no reason to do Oblivion's side quests other than fun. And they are pretty damn fun, which is why we keep doing them, but they don't exactly tie into a cohesive RPG universe. They do not affect your character at all. In KOTOR, if you killed certain characters or betrayed others, you would be unable to complete certain quests later in the game. There is no such punishment in Oblivion.

For instance, about two weeks ago Nick randomly killed off every pirate. He was later lamenting this fact. The pirates were dead! Now what? Yesterday, he was given a quest to kill the pirate leader. Nick was surprised because he had already killed every pirate. Who would be left? Lo and behold, when he boarded the ship once more, it was overflowing with pirate blood. Yay for continuity. Something like this would not be in KOTOR. If you had killed some Wookie Pirates, they would stay dead and the subsequent pirate killing mission would not exist.

Furthermore, there is no impending danger in Oblivion. It shouldn't be so easy to ignore the main quest for 60 straight hours like Nick and I have. There are gates opening up all over the land and demons running amuck in the countryside. Shouldn't there be some pressure to dispose of these in a timely manner? Why isn't anyone worried about the Oblivion gates? Without a compelling main quest there is nothing keeping this game together. It feels like a series of fetch quests. Damn fun fetch quests, but fetch quests nonetheless.

And who are you kidding; there isn't any real character development in Oblivion. If you belong to Guild that only means opposing guild members don't care for you. Since Nick belongs to every guild that means that most every citizen doesn't like him. Big whoop. It doesn't actually change anything. Sure, they might insult you behind your back, but they still give you any information you need. You can still buy goods from them and pay them for training. Other than leveling up, there is no difference between the character we started with and the one we are controlling 60 hours in. This is a problem.

Next point!

"It has brilliant visuals, writing, story, physics, AI, gameplay and game design"

I already conceding the graphics are the game's strong point. The writing is ok, though I don't actually care about the story at all. There was that funny bit yesterday about the Brotherhood guy killing a child, but most of the dialog is kind of dull. I mean, we do skip over it for a reason, right? Once you get the gist there really isn't a reason to have them even finish their thought. And don't get me started on the rumors. Are those even rumors? This is good writing to you?

The game has a fantastic world - complete with pretty graphics and amazing physics - and that's about it. The combat is generic and the story is forgettable. Your choices do not affect how people interact with you (unless you're a vampire). Every mission boils down to killing a person. There is no choice in this game. How many missions have you played in which the final goal was something other than killing a person? How many times have you been given an assassin mission and were able to avoid killing the target but still complete it? Is it even possible?

"True, I did join the Dark Brotherhood by killing an innocent to check out their quest line, but I've been feeling crushingly guilty ever since."

If you want guilt in an RPG you should try killing a party member in KOTOR. It's much more powerful than killing an NPC you've never seen before.

"In KOTOR, you were good or evil."

Not true. Every encounter you could choose what you wanted to do. You could be evil to non-English speaking males and nice to everyone else if you wanted. There was actual choice in KOTOR. What actual choices are there in Oblivion? Are there any choices beside "Should I kill this random guy or not?"

"What? What choices don't you have at your disposal? I'm truly lost with this one - sure, you have hundreds of missions with various complexities of framework, but you realize you don't have to do any missions right? And what kind of cohesion are you looking for, besides wanting to have your hand held again?"

The choices boil down to "should I do this mission or this other one?" That's not much of a choice. Cohesion means the mission are connected somehow. I don't think it's realistic that you can be a member of four different guilds at the same time. Does it seem realistic to you that the Mage's Guild would let you go around killing people for the Brotherhood? What if there was a real consequence to killing the pirates yesterday? What if you were kicked out of the Fighter's Guild if you slaughtered that ship full of pirates? Wouldn't that be cooler? I would prefer a game with actual consequences. A game where you have to decide if you want to be in the Fighter's Guild or the Brotherhood, but, because of a conflict of interest, you can't be in both.

Instead, we are given a mission where we have to kill one man but not his butler. When we end up killing the butler we still complete the mission, we just don't get as large of a reward. Does this make sense? And even after botching that mission, the head honcho still gives you a new mission right away? Shouldn't he lose his trust in your abilities? Shouldn't he try to assassinate you? Wouldn't it be cooler if you could tell the Count there is a secret headquarters for the Brotherhood located in his town? None of this happens. Every guild and mission is completely separate from the last. There is nothing tying them all together. This is why it's so easy for Bethesda to offer a new mission available for download on the Marketplace.

"There are many ways in Oblivion to build and equip your character to face greater challenges. Thus does your character earn the greater glory. And, best of all, you've done it your way."

In other words, no decision you make, no matter how stupid, can permanently affect your character. That's real nice right there. That's not what I would consider a realistic environment.

There's really no other way for damage control here; what's done is done and I think it was a bit awkward for everyone. Let's discuss this though. I believe, best possible scenario, that Tom was attempting to write a column about how he likes his RPGs linear and his characters tangibly developed for him via black and white decision-making. And a very specific, personal definition of role-playing games, which I suppose I can't argue with. Let's make it easier.

"What does Oblivion have going for it other than a huge world and pretty graphics? Honestly, not that much."

What else do you want in a game? It has brilliant visuals, writing, story, physics, AI, gameplay and game design. I'm not a huge fan of some of the art direction since it can be a bit generic-fantasy, but that's about the only large complaint I could begin to level at it. This is what a role-playing game is, and yes, if you don't like role-playing games you won't like this. This is D&D on your TV. This is sculpting a character, and perpetuating their ideas and motives. If you want your hand held for you, with a very well-done illusion of choice and consequence, play KOTOR or Fable. Great writing is very good at making situations seem more dynamic than they are.

"And while Oblivion lets you customize your character in many ways, you don't actually have any choice over what kind of person you become."

Says you. Maybe it's because your hours with the game have been segmented, experiencing various junctures of my character's life, but I'm quite clear on who I am, my motivations and my morals. True, I did join the Dark Brotherhood by killing an innocent to check out their quest line, but I've been feeling crushingly guilty ever since. And that's because it was my decision, not something laid out in front of me with a multiple choice questionnaire. I took it upon myself to take a life, and now I'm dealing with the consequences in several ways. The more of the game you experience the more entertaining it is, because it's so well-crafted. I didn't join the Dark Brotherhood as part of the story, and probably wouldn't have if I was playing my character slightly more strictly. In KOTOR, you were good or evil. In Jade Empire you were good, evil or grey. And in Mass Effect you'll be able to be several different shades in between. In Oblivion, I'm me. With my own morals, my own values, and my own moods. It so happens I'm a good guy who doesn't bother people unless they bother me, for the most part. I have my goofy fun killing sheep and trashing the odd bookshelf, but I understand where the lines are for my character.

"I wish I could actually choose my own course through the game. Other than deciding what mission to do I have no choices at all...It's so unfocused that the missions themselves feel like a series of unconnected fetch quests. There is no cohesive element."

What? What choices don't you have at your disposal? I'm truly lost with this one - sure, you have hundreds of missions with various complexities of framework, but you realize you don't have to do any missions right? And what kind of cohesion are you looking for, besides wanting to have your hand held again?

I think the Official Strategy Guide puts it best actually: "Don't sweat the details of picking race, sex and birthsign for maximum power. We give you the information and analysis so you can make informed decisions. So what if your Redguard sorcerer it a little slower to level or has to work a little harder to defeat an enemy? So what if your High Elf warrior has to scurry and heal a little more than an Orc warrior? There are many ways in Oblivion to build and equip your character to face greater challenges. Thus does your character earn the greater glory. And, best of all, you've done it your way."

I guess I just don't need horns to tell me when I'm being evil.

I decided to finally come right out and say what everyone has been thinking in the back of their mind - Oblivion is one of the most overrated games around. Yes, that's right. Overrated by quite a large margin. We're talking Vice City levels of overratedness over here. It's a shame too because it has so much going for it. This is one of the most beautiful games I have ever played. One of those experiences that really feels "next generation." I never touched Morrorwind but I can't imagine it had the same sense of jaw-dropping scale. More important than that, it's a really fun game. But let's be honest here, I think most games are fun. What does Oblivion have going for it other than a huge world and pretty graphics? Honestly, not that much.

Here's the thing: Oblivion was always been described as a Role Playing Game, at least in the circles I run around. An RPG means you assume the role of a fictional character. It means you can shape your avatar to look and act just like you. Or you can make them completely different. I usually go for something a little different since I can't use magic in real life. And while Oblivion lets you customize your character in many ways, you don't actually have any choice over what kind of person you become. Isn't that the whole point of a RPG? This feels like a less linear version of one of those ultra dated Japanese RPG's we've all grown to hate.

Remember when I used to praise Knights of the Old Republic? It was the first RPG I had ever played that really understood what it meant to assume the role of another person. The choices you made - and there were many choices to be made - actually affected your character. Though the depth was sorely lacking (you could be good, evil, or a mixture of the two) there were very different results depending on what you did. Most importantly, you were able to constantly make choices. Every conversation featured many different dialog trees. When given a quest to kill someone you didn't actually have to do it. You could speak to the poor bastard. You could choose from a number of dialog options how you wanted to handle this matter. Maybe you would lie to them, gain their trust, and then hit them in the lead with a light saber when they least expected it. Maybe you would hear their side of the story, decide their death warrant is unreasonable, and protect them instead. Or you could leverage their life against their enemy's. You want to live? How much are you willing to pay? These are actual choices that affect what kind of character you become. There are no choices like this in Oblivion.

In fact, as far as I have seen, you aren't given any dialog choices at all. How is this possible? Even worse, you aren't even allowed to talk to many characters. You are commanded to "Hit A" when entering a battle if you wish to talk to the enemy, but I have never actually had the option accepted. Remember, I have played about 40 hours so far and not one person has let me talk to them instead of fight.

Though Nick and I have joined the Dark Brotherhood and Thieves Guild, it doesn't actually feel like we're evil characters. We're killing people, sure, but we were doing that anyway in the Fighter's and Mage's guild. Now we're killing "good" people, but it all feels the same. It's hard to justify being a good guy when you're still killing indiscriminately. And there's the whole law system which is quite poor. If you commit a crime such as murder or theft you can pay a fine, go to jail or fight to the death. Going to jail usually lowers some important stat so it's hard to justify that choice. Choosing to fight mean's you'll be beaten down by a swarm of guards. So that means you either pay the fine or reload your last save. Quite lame. And if you do go to jail or pay the fine - essentially confessing to your crime - you don't receive any horrible punishment for being a deviant. People don't whisper when you walk by, "There goes the thief." They treat you like a hero still. What gives?

I still really like the game, but it is severely limited. I wish I could actually choose my own course through the game. Other than decided what mission to do I have no choices at all. It's not like you can excuse the problems by saying this is an adventure game either. The action is not good enough to stand up on its own. The combat is plagued by poor controls (switching weapons is a real pain in the ass) and repetitiveness. KOTOR had average combat as well, but as a pure RPG experience it didn't take away from the overall fun of the game. Oblivion doesn't have that to fall back on. It's so unfocused that the missions themselves feel like a series of unconnected fetch quests. There is no cohesive element. No one seems perturbed that you are off killing Goblins instead of closing the Oblivion gates. Heck, people live and sleep a mere stone's throw away from rampaging demons. But there is no pressure of time tying you down.

This is why I am much more excited for Mass Effect than the prospect of a PS3 version of Oblivion. Elder Scrolls IV is neither a great action title nor a great RPG, but a half assed version of both of them. Mass Effect, made by Bioware, should show how a next gen RPG should be made. Oblivion may be really fun, but it can hardly be considered great. I have higher hopes for EA's Lord of the Rings-themed Oblivion rip-off because it can't possibly offer a worse role playing experience than the title it is ripping off.

What it comes down to is this - if Oblivion had average graphics would people still be drooling over it? There comes a time when you have to separate the technology from the rest of the title, and Oblivion just fails when its (lack of) depth is exposed. Do not interpret this post as a plea to avoid Oblivion. If I owned an X360 I would only have this and Perfect Dark Zero right now. However, looking at it in an objective light, it just isn't a great title. It makes me really excited for a real next generation Western RPG, though, I'll tell you that much.