VGA World Premieres: A Showcase of EA Changing Face?

jakob187

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Edited By jakob187

Alright, so now that the VGAs have come and gone (and stirred up their GOTY controversy on the internet forums), let's take a look at the better part of the show: the sweet snippets we saw for upcoming titles. The list of games featured in these "world premieres" (click on link for all the trailers) are as follows:

God of War III
Brutal Legend
Fight Night Round 4
Dante's Inferno
Uncharted 2
Mafia II
Watchmen: The End is Nigh
Terminator Salvation
Gears of War 2 DLC
Grand Theft Auto IV: The Lost and Damned DLC

Now, personally...this wasn't a half-bad lineup of stuff to show for me to get ridiculously psyched!!! While I laughed at the Watchmen trailer and couldn't help think how BAD that game looks...and the fact that Terminator Salvation might as well be renamed to "Gears of War: John Connor Edition", the rest really excited the hell out of me. Yes, that even included Mafia II for some reason, even though I HATED the first game...and I wasn't a big fan of the first Uncharted, but the trailer was exciting nonetheless.

So, here's the question of this blog is to raise a question:

Which 2 of the list really caught your eye and made you go "FUCK YES, I'M READY FOR IT NOW!"?

For me, it was easy to pick - Fight Night Round 4 and Dante's Inferno. I know, they seem like very opposite picks.

See, I'm a HUGE fan of the Fight Night series, stemming all the way back to when it was Knockout Kings on the PS1. That franchise has NEVER disappointed me, and I don't think Round 4 is going to be anything less than awesome. I watched a handful of videos before seeing this trailer, and the technology and changes they are adding to Round 4 just make it sound like a better package. The addition of the R.E.A.L. AI system sounds like it won't just be a pure walk in the park anymore, but instead offer a bit of challenge. The fact that they are factoring in someone's reach and body build as a statistic to each character means that some strategy will come into play. I thoroughly hope they do some changes to the Total Punch Control system, as it was okay...but sometimes rather difficult to get the punches you wanted at the times you needed them. I'm hoping for a better career mode as well. While Round 3 offered a decent one, it was extremely one-sided and had no depth. They could easily add some drama and spectacle to this franchise and make it TRULY spectacular beyond what it has already offered for so long.

Conceptual cover art for Irrational Games' The Lost

As for Dante's Inferno, it's a concept that I've been behind for a while. I've posted a few times in other threads about how it pisses me off that Irrational Games (which is now known as 2K Boston, the guys who made Bioshock) was never given the right opportunity to release The Lost. This was a game they had been working on for Crave Entertainment, later ended up knocking the game down to a budget title, and then outright cancelled it and sold the rights off to an Indian developer. What remained of the game was changed around (such as leaving behind the idea that these rings of Hell were very much like a Nazi concentration camp) and released in India as Agni, Queen of Darkness. However, when you are talking about a developer that made amazing games like Freedom Force, System Shock, and SWAT 4, it just seems RIDICULOUS that you wouldn't get behind them making a truly unique kind of game. Now, here we are some years later...and EA has Redwood Studios following up their amazing surprise hit Dead Space with a game based on a premise that has always either failed or sunken deep into development Hell and cancellation. With the recent talk from EA CEO Ritticello about how he won't greenlight games unless they have a strong multiplayer component, it seems odd that he is greenlighting yet ANOTHER game that seems like it will feature NO multiplayer at all. Could this simply be because the Redwood guys are onto something? I mean, just looking at Dead Space catches the eye...but once you put it in motion, you realize that there is potential for that formula to work in MANY different story concepts.

Now, when most people think of EA, sequelization and franchise-builder comes to mind. However, looking at their recent lineup of games, it would seem a bit...mixed up right now.

Brutal Legend
Dante's Inferno
Dead Space
Mirror's Edge

I remember the last time that this happened: it was in the Genesis days...and they were making amazing games. You couldn't say a bad thing about EA. Everything they touched turned to gold. While many will complain about the different mishaps and random patches of bullshit that EA has pulled over the last decade, it seems as though Ritticello is doing EXACTLY what he said he would do: turn the image of this company around. He's highlighted original IPs, given them HUGE marketing boosts, and even went so far as to take Double Fine's latest into their home. If this were three years ago, or even two years ago...nothing of the sort would've happened. Not only am I proud to say that I like EA, but it makes me excited to think of what they have in store for E3.

I just now noticed that both of my choices from that batch of trailers are coming from EA, and three of the trailers that were featured are from them as well. I'm not trying to uncredit God of War III at all. I KNOW that will be amazing. However, it just doesn't excite me the way that Round 4 and Dante's Inferno do.

So how about you guys? What trailers just made you exclaim "HOLY SHIT, YES!!!".

15 years ago

jakob187

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#1 Edited By jakob187

Alright, so now that the VGAs have come and gone (and stirred up their GOTY controversy on the internet forums), let's take a look at the better part of the show: the sweet snippets we saw for upcoming titles. The list of games featured in these "world premieres" (click on link for all the trailers) are as follows:

God of War III
Brutal Legend
Fight Night Round 4
Dante's Inferno
Uncharted 2
Mafia II
Watchmen: The End is Nigh
Terminator Salvation
Gears of War 2 DLC
Grand Theft Auto IV: The Lost and Damned DLC

Now, personally...this wasn't a half-bad lineup of stuff to show for me to get ridiculously psyched!!! While I laughed at the Watchmen trailer and couldn't help think how BAD that game looks...and the fact that Terminator Salvation might as well be renamed to "Gears of War: John Connor Edition", the rest really excited the hell out of me. Yes, that even included Mafia II for some reason, even though I HATED the first game...and I wasn't a big fan of the first Uncharted, but the trailer was exciting nonetheless.

So, here's the question of this blog is to raise a question:

Which 2 of the list really caught your eye and made you go "FUCK YES, I'M READY FOR IT NOW!"?

For me, it was easy to pick - Fight Night Round 4 and Dante's Inferno. I know, they seem like very opposite picks.

See, I'm a HUGE fan of the Fight Night series, stemming all the way back to when it was Knockout Kings on the PS1. That franchise has NEVER disappointed me, and I don't think Round 4 is going to be anything less than awesome. I watched a handful of videos before seeing this trailer, and the technology and changes they are adding to Round 4 just make it sound like a better package. The addition of the R.E.A.L. AI system sounds like it won't just be a pure walk in the park anymore, but instead offer a bit of challenge. The fact that they are factoring in someone's reach and body build as a statistic to each character means that some strategy will come into play. I thoroughly hope they do some changes to the Total Punch Control system, as it was okay...but sometimes rather difficult to get the punches you wanted at the times you needed them. I'm hoping for a better career mode as well. While Round 3 offered a decent one, it was extremely one-sided and had no depth. They could easily add some drama and spectacle to this franchise and make it TRULY spectacular beyond what it has already offered for so long.

As for Dante's Inferno, it's a concept that I've been behind for a while. I've posted a few times in other threads about how it pisses me off that Irrational Games (which is now known as 2K Boston, the guys who made Bioshock) was never given the right opportunity to release The Lost. This was a game they had been working on for Crave Entertainment, later ended up knocking the game down to a budget title, and then outright cancelled it and sold the rights off to an Indian developer. What remained of the game was changed around (such as leaving behind the idea that these rings of Hell were very much like a Nazi concentration camp) and released in India as Agni, Queen of Darkness. However, when you are talking about a developer that made amazing games like Freedom Force, System Shock, and SWAT 4, it just seems RIDICULOUS that you wouldn't get behind them making a truly unique kind of game. Now, here we are some years later...and EA has Redwood Studios following up their amazing surprise hit Dead Space with a game based on a premise that has always either failed or sunken deep into development Hell and cancellation. With the recent talk from EA CEO Ritticello about how he won't greenlight games unless they have a strong multiplayer component, it seems odd that he is greenlighting yet ANOTHER game that seems like it will feature NO multiplayer at all. Could this simply be because the Redwood guys are onto something? I mean, just looking at Dead Space catches the eye...but once you put it in motion, you realize that there is potential for that formula to work in MANY different story concepts.

Now, when most people think of EA, sequelization and franchise-builder comes to mind. However, looking at their recent lineup of games, it would seem a bit...mixed up right now.

Brutal Legend
Dante's Inferno
Dead Space
Mirror's Edge

I remember the last time that this happened: it was in the Genesis days...and they were making amazing games. You couldn't say a bad thing about EA. Everything they touched turned to gold. While many will complain about the different mishaps and random patches of bullshit that EA has pulled over the last decade, it seems as though Ritticello is doing EXACTLY what he said he would do: turn the image of this company around. He's highlighted original IPs, given them HUGE marketing boosts, and even went so far as to take Double Fine's latest into their home. If this were three years ago, or even two years ago...nothing of the sort would've happened. Not only am I proud to say that I like EA, but it makes me excited to think of what they have in store for E3.

I just now noticed that both of my choices from that batch of trailers are coming from EA, and three of the trailers that were featured are from them as well. I'm not trying to uncredit God of War III at all. I KNOW that will be amazing. However, it just doesn't excite me the way that Round 4 and Dante's Inferno do.

So how about you guys? What trailers just made you exclaim "HOLY SHIT, YES!!!".

15 years ago

Gunner

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#2 Edited By Gunner

EA has its ups and downs but ive never really hated them. When i see all the advertisement and crazy things they put into a game box i just say "silly EA" and continue with my life.

I remember a few months back when everyone hated them because their developers made shitty games, And like everything on the internet it exploded into a "cool to hate" club. Now that they are publishing good games everyone will focus their hate on another company. Such is the cycle of the internets.

15 years ago

thebipsnbeeps

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#3 Edited By thebipsnbeeps

Gunner said:

"EA has its ups and downs but ive never really hated them. When i see all the advertisement and crazy things they put into a game box i just say "silly EA" and continue with my life.

I remember a few months back when everyone hated them because their developers made shitty games, And like everything on the internet it exploded into a "cool to hate" club. Now that they are publishing good games everyone will focus their hate on another company. Such is the cycle of the internets."

^I know, isn't it odd how people's opinions change almost that quickly?

And I do agree that Dante's Inferno and Fight Night Round 4 are going to be awesome games. However, my two favorite games that appeared were Brutal Legend and Mafia II. Brutal Legend because of my returning faith to the game, mainly to the mere fact that it's talked about again, and Mafia II because it looks like it will have a great narrative (I haven't played the first Mafia yet, however). Just seeing all of those trailers, however, was totally worth sitting through some of the crappy moments of the awards, almost making me wonder why I was even watching this.

15 years ago

BoG

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#4 Edited By BoG

You know, I think they are doing great with these new lineups. I didn't love Mirror's Edge, but enjoyed it, and I want to buy both Dante's Inferno and Brutal Legend when they are released. I really do hope that this gamble pays off for EA, because it would be better for the entire industry. If major companies are putting money into cool, original IP like Brutal Legend, then I can only imagine good things coming our way.

Hopefully Activision Blizzard sees the light, but that is contingent on us gamers buying IP that casual consumers won't.

15 years ago

Claude

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#5 Edited By Claude

I played the first Mafia game and had a great time with it, so the trailer just continued my interest in Mafia II. Brutal Legend looked really good and I hadn't really read anything about it. The fact that Tim Schafer is directing the game, made me smile. Dante's Inferno also looked pretty cool, looking forward to more press on that.

15 years ago

jakob187

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#6 Edited By jakob187

See, but I've never honestly hated EA. When everyone had that "cool to hate" campaign going, I was just sitting there...enjoying my games. People bitched constantly about how EA only puts out sequels, but I think Freedom Fighters kind of proves that isn't necessarily true at all. They didn't give that game any form of advertising to save its life, but regardless, the game was magnificent. EA has been putting out good games for a while, but people just don't pay attention to anything past the franchises. = /

Nonetheless, the trailers were all pretty excellent. I wish I could've been more excited for the Mafia II trailer, but the first game (imo, mind you) was extremely clunky and only had a decent narrative. I really hope that the game is more than just a pretty thing to look at. = /

15 years ago

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