E3 2011

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Duran
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E3 2011

Post by Duran »

Yeah, I went to E3 this year. Shenanigans aside, here's the gist of my overall impressions.

(Day 1)

Sega of America - Sonic Generations looks promising to say the least, with it's new-school meets old-school style of gameplay. Their preview of Gearbox's upcoming Aliens: Colonial Marines was highly impressive, showcasing some of their gameplay mechanics and multiplayer. I got to demo an overhead dual-analog shooter, Renegade Ops, which will be released on PSN, Steam, and XBLA and I had a blast trying it out. I was a little bummed when I heard there was nothing on the new Phantasy Star games, but aside from that, they're a personal favorite.

Square-Enix - They seem to be getting their act together this year. While they announced Final Fantasy XIII-2, it wasn't the main focus of their booth, as I saw demos of Deus-Ex 3, Dead Island, along with a tactical RPG called Wakfu. Looking forward to Deus-Ex 3 and Dead Island.

Konami - Konami had a pretty huge booth. They were showcasing the new Silent Hill: Downpour, which doesn't look too bad. Metal Gear Solid 3D, which is their port of MGS3, to the 3DS, but with some added features like taking your own pictures and using the pattern as custom camo. They also showcased 2 Dance Dance Revolutions games for the wii and while I haven't played a DDR game in years, I might check it out. A couple games that caught my attention were a spinoff of Gradius called Otomedius (replace ships with cute anime girls) and another called Never Dead. Both of which look like something I'd like to check out.

Warner Brothers Interactive - I didn't see much of them, but I did get a chance to preview Arkham City. I have yet to play the original, but this one had me sold with both the mechanics and the environments. The downside is that its not multiplayer, as was speculated in the past. Regardless, its definitely something to check out. On the downside, their new FPS, Gotham Imposters looks like a cheesy batman version of Team Fortress.

(Day 2)

Nintendo - While I wasn't able to check it out, the Wii-U was apparently not worth the 8-hour wait. From what I saw in the preview videos, it shows some potential. However, the launch titles will either make or break the console and with Nintendo's track record, I fear the latter. Fortunately, the new 3DS titles look pretty amazing. If you haven't played Metal Gear Solid 3, Star Fox 64, or Zelda: Ocarina of Time, I highly recommend you grab them on the 3DS as the updated look and gameplay mechanics add a lot more to the experience. If you have played them, I still recommend them for the nostalgia value at the very least. The new Mario Kart Game for the 3DS looks like a lot of fun, implementing a Kart-customization feature, as well as driving through different areas, including bring underwater (I'm curious to see how those features will affect races). The Wii's upcoming titles are average at best, however, the one game that really stood out was Zelda: The Skyward Sword, which looks to be an awesome title. Lastly, they announced Fortune Street (aka Itadeki Street) for the DS, which features characters from both the Mario and Dragon Quest franchises in a tricked-out version of monopoly,

Sony of America - Honestly, they didn't have much to offer, as none of the games piqued any interest to me. Their new portable, the Sony Vita, looked interesting. Unfortunately, I was unable to learn anything else about it.

Capcom - Their new Resident Evil games show promise. I was unable to take a look at their 3DS game, but Operation Raccoon City looks like it's going to kick ass. Capcom also announced Street Fighter IV: Arcade Edition, which features improved game mechanics, as well as some new characters, including Yun, Yang, and Evil Ryu. Honestly, though, I think they're giving SFIV the same treatment as SFII with the multiple versions. Lastly, TekkenxStreet Fighter is looks promising.

Namco-Bandai - The first thing I did was check out their demo of Ace Combat: Assault Horizon. The overall controls seemed a bit loose, however the game is a lot more fast-paced than its predecessors. That aside, I also checked out some of their other titles. Inversion is going to be a hit-or-miss with most gamers, as it looks to be a Gears of War clone, but with the added feature of a gravity gun, enabling you to stop your enemies from moving as you riddle them with bullets. Another title that had me excited was Galaga DX, celebrating the game's 30th anniversary, which offers a classic mode of the game, as well as a modern rendition of the old classic that plays like a standard top-scrolling shooter, but with the ability to shoot in all directions.
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DeadWolf
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Re: E3 2011

Post by DeadWolf »

Duran wrote: Sony of America - Honestly, they didn't have much to offer, as none of the games piqued any interest to me. Their new portable, the Sony Vita, looked interesting. Unfortunately, I was unable to learn anything else about it.
Uncharted 3? Resistance 3? Last Guardian? Credit Card fraud? I like Sony a lot but that whole PSN thing has really given me a bad taste (to the point of wanting to sell my Sony stuff).

I left Microsoft years ago as I can't afford the fees they tack on to everything and Halo could only keep my interest for so long. I'm still waiting for a PC release of Halo 3, ODST, and Reach.

Nintendo I'm a little worried about. They rocked E3 last year with some over rated titles only to have them come out mediocre at best (Other M is a good example. Not bad but not great either). I also hope that they don't ruin the Wii U like they did the 3DS. I made the mistake of getting a 3DS at launch only for Nintendo to give me the middle finger with the worst launch titles in history.

The older I get the more of a PC gamer I become. I can't justify the cost of a console any more because I end up hating most games released on it or it requires some attachment that cost a fortune. With systems running $200 - $300, controllers running $50, and dumb movement add-ons running $150. ~$500 to play one game. If you want to play with a friend they have to have their own $500 setup too because multilayer has moved to online only. At least with a PC there is other functionality to justify spending the same amount of money for machine.

Maybe I'm just being pessimistic but the video game market just disgust with how much of a money racket it is. Long gone are the days where developers focus on making enjoyable games. Doesn't matter how it plays just slap a face in the game and they will buy it.
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Duran
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Re: E3 2011

Post by Duran »

DeadWolf wrote:
Duran wrote: Sony of America - Honestly, they didn't have much to offer, as none of the games piqued any interest to me. Their new portable, the Sony Vita, looked interesting. Unfortunately, I was unable to learn anything else about it.
Uncharted 3? Resistance 3? Last Guardian? Credit Card fraud? I like Sony a lot but that whole PSN thing has really given me a bad taste (to the point of wanting to sell my Sony stuff).
Well if Last Guardian was there, I would've checked it out. However, their area was so complex it was hard getting around, so I was only able to see so much of what they had. Most of the stuff I saw were also at 3rd party booths.

As for the hack, you're in luck. If my sources are correct, the guy(s) who hacked PSN were no being malicious, as much as they were trying proving a point. The story is that there were people who complained about how faulty PSN is and the only way for them to listen was to show them. Since the hack, I have yet to find anything on people reporting fraud, but we'll see.
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DeadWolf
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Re: E3 2011

Post by DeadWolf »

http://taptostart.com/2011/05/credit-ca ... -internet/

I also lost a sale on the awful market from a guy who got stung by it.
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Duran
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Re: E3 2011

Post by Duran »

DeadWolf wrote:http://taptostart.com/2011/05/credit-ca ... -internet/

I also lost a sale on the awful market from a guy who got stung by it.
...I take it all back.
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bastian
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Re: E3 2011

Post by bastian »

Maybe I'm just a Nintendo fan boy (maybe?!) but I think Nintendo rocked it this E3. Skyward Sword looks to be coming along magnificently and looks to be the best Zelda game yet. The 3DS line up with the awesome looking Super Mario 3DS and the remake of Ocarina of Time and Kid Icarus? Awesome stuff. The Wii U (stupid name asside) looks like... amazing. It's almost like virtual reality, with the Wii U controller acting like a second portal into the game world. When they showed how you could hold it up in front of you and move around/turn around, it looked magical... so much potential! And then just using it as a touch screen controller...

Or, Mana-related: imagine a Mana game on this thing. You could have the main action on the main tv screen but with each person on a a Wii U controller or 3DS (they say they're working to make the 3DS compatable as a secondary Wii U controller) you can wander off the main journey and go do your own thing, or bring up your spells or items rings without clutting up the main screen or pausing the action.

tl;dr: I want a Wii U, now!
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