In lieu of a fancy-shmancy comprehensive E3 awards feature, we're opting to each name our personal picks from the show last week. First, I'll say briefly the new hybrid format was a big success in my eyes, with its moderate crowds, exciting-but-not-frustrating show floor, and downtown LA-centric events. I'm sure we'll get a clearer picture from publishers over the coming weeks of how valuable the format was to them, but as an attendee, I loved it.
OK, games.
Favorite Games--Sequels Galore
I hope it's not too rote or predictable for me to say that most of the games that really got me excited at E3 this year were sequels to previous games I already liked. This really seemed like a year for developers to iterate and improve on the work they've done before--and why shouldn't it be? We're deep into this console cycle, with most developers now creating their second (or third) games for current hardware. So it's only natural that most of them would be figuring out ways to top their own past work, and in some cases, bring it closer to the vision they had and maybe didn't quite fulfill the first time around.
Mass Effect 2: Massive improvements (no pun intended) on the technical end here, including no more of the ugly texture pop-in that plagued the first game, and a frame rate that appears--and purportedly is--locked at 30. The story looks way more savage (you have a new violence option that lets you solve some interpersonal conflicts with force), and BioWare has made some significant improvements to the combat that should alleviate complaints from the first game. Looks like everything a great sequel should be to one of my favorite games this generation.
Assassin's Creed II: The first Assassin's had some brilliant, original ideas that were diluted by tedium and a lack of variety on the periphery of the game's design. This one aims to fix that with a greater number of side mission types, more varied combat, and a less-constrained approach to hunting down your targets. Its rendition of Renaissance Venice also looks stunning.
Just Cause 2: Ryan and I love to talk about how awesome the first Just Cause was, mainly because it was so ridiculous (and, consequently, fun). But it also had a lot of issues. This sequel amps up the absurdity by an order of magnitude--the sample mission shows you standing on the roof of a speeding car in a shootout with guys in other speeding cars--but looks way more solid on the technical end.
Zelda: Spirit Tracks: I'm an unapologetic and huge fan of the first DS Zelda game Phantom Hourglass so I will make no apologies that this sequel looks distinctly like more of the same, with a train instead of a boat. If you liked the last one, you're going to like this. Next!
Star Wars: The Old Republic: I guess this is only a sequel in the sense that BioWare's peddling it as "KOTOR 3, 4, and 5!!" I fear it's also the sequel to my MMO-related lack of self-control. I don't need another World of Warcraft in my life, but I will have to at least try this. Maybe it's because I never got burned by Galaxies.
Stuff I Wish I Hadn't Missed
Borderlands: Because Jeff won't stop raving about it, because I thought it already looked pretty good at last year's E3, and because it's got that snazzy new art style. Gearbox's Diablo-esque first-person shooter with hundreds of thousands of guns and other pieces of loot looks and sounds like it could be really special
Brutal Legend: I've seen a hands-off version of the demo that people were getting to play at E3, but I still would've liked to find out how Tim Schafer's rock monstrosity will actually play. Then again, I know the game's going to be hilarious, so I'm kind of content to wait till October before plunging into it. And on the upside, hey, Ozzy!
Scribblenauts: I barely know what this DS puzzle game is about--apparently you can write in the names of objects that would help you complete the task at hand to actually conjure and use them--but it got so much buzz toward the end of the show that I really wish I'd had time to track it down and mess around with it. I see Jeff is just as bummed he missed this game--but we're in luck: the guys at Area 5 did get some time with the game, so take a look.
Mickey Rourke: Apparently he signed autographs for an hour at the Bethesda booth, since he's in Rogue Warrior. Mickey Rourke is a badass.
Least Favorite Trend(s)
Crazy Long Press Conferences: Note to Sony and Ubisoft: Two hours is way too long for a press conference. We know the PS2 and your tween product lines are successful, we're happy for you, but we don't need to hear about it in a packed auditorium. Reserve your press conferences for big announcements and eye-popping demos of important games. Nintendo and EA, thank you for keeping it concise. Microsoft was somewhere in the middle: long as heck, but also action-packed.
God of War-inspired action games: Aside from the third in Sony's own character-driven combo-fest, games in this style were legion at E3. Darksiders, Bayonetta, Dante's Inferno, even the new Castlevania game--all of them fall into this category. I'm sure there are more I didn't even see (I hear WET and Nier may also qualify). It's great news for people who love God of War, I suppose, but that genre is not my cup of tea. More open-world games like InFamous would be appreciated, though. Actually, come to think of it...
Bonus Least Favorite Trend: No InFamous Sequel Announced: So what if it came out the week before E3 and hasn't even proven its commercial viability yet? I'm halfway through my second playthrough of Sucker Punch's excellent superhero game and I'm ready for a new one right about... now.
Log in to comment