I'm (as always) a little late to the game here, but still, there are a few things I'd like to say about the happenings of E3 2009. I'll say those things in the form of a list of awards and non-awards. Recognition, given be me, which makes it worth -- absolutely nothing. No matter... I'm still giving it.
Best Downloadable Experience - Shadow Complex
Shadow Complex might have been a little glitchy in demo, but something tells me that won't be happening after release. The concept behind the game is enough to sell me, as a game crafted in Unreal Engine 3 that is a side-scrolling Metroidvania is practically erection inducing. The 3D gameplay moments don't look as captivating, but I'm sure they'll ultimately play well enough to not be distracting.
Game to be Most Worried About - Castlevania: Lord of Shadow
On first glance this was without a doubt going to be Metroid: Other M, however after the developers spent some time explaining Team Ninja's role and the atmosphere of the title, I'm a little more cautious about the new Kojima-branded Castlevania. Kojima brings a desire to reinvent the franchise in 3D, perhaps successfully for the first time, and yet, I wonder if he'll remember the parts of Castlevania that actually need to be remembered. I'm afraid for this one.
Most Exciting - Scribblenauts
God fights the Kraken while riding a skateboard blasting away with his shotgun -- Time travel to ride on a dinosaur and return to chomp zombies. Imagination. This is a step in the right direction.
I'm wondering who will win in a fight between Cthulhu and Abraham Lincoln.
Surprisingly I Care About - DJ Hero
I never really jumped on the Guitar Hero/Rock Band-wagon, and still, I found that I devoured E3 media surrounding DJ Hero because of how different the gameplay mechanics actually were. It's not as much the Guitar Hero clone as I thought it was, and it definitely has a control style inspired by actual DJ experiences. Who knows if I'll buy it, but I can say I'm more intrigued by this than I ever was about Guitar Hero -- even if I don't exactly like the music.
Worst Idea Ever - Wii Vitality Sensor
'Nuff said.
Chance I'll Care About One of the New Racing Games - 100%
I haven't bought a racing game since Gran Turismo 4, and now, with the onslaught of Gran Turismo 5, Gran Turismo PSP, and Forza 3, I can honestly say I'll probably buy a racing game. Who'd have guessed? Surely not me.
Greatest Potential - New Super Mario Bros. Wii
I could award this game Best of the Show, or Best Wii game, or anything else that it probably rightfully deserves, but instead I'll take note that of all the games at E3 2009, New Super Mario Bros. Wii carries with it the greatest potential to be an incredible game. I can't guarantee that it will be incredible though, however I can guarantee that if Nintendo fucks this up I'm walking out on them... and I'm taking my dollars with me. No online play? That was a good start.
Franchise that Suddenly Seems Good - Splinter Cell
It wasn't a particularly shameful thing for me to admit that I never played a Splinter Cell game. I didn't care much about them, Sam Fisher seemed like an uninteresting hero, and I could get similar enough gameplay from Metal Gear Solid. Then I saw the walkthrough of Splinter Cell: Conviction, and I realized that maybe I had given this series an unfair judgment. I can't say I'll go back and play previous entries, but Splinter Cell: Conviction will be high on the list of my Fall 2009 purchases.
Words, on buildings. Why has no one else thought of this?
Biggest Waste of Time - Motion Control Prototypes
I'm actually a fan of Project Natal, and Sony's Motion Control Phallus was... ok. However, the way in which these tools are shown to the public in their prepubescent stages of infancy and glitches is... pathetic. If it's not ready, leave it in the bag. And even more so, if you're promising some of the outlandish things seen in the Project Natal sizzler reel, you'd better prove they actually work. The day Project Natal can scan a skateboard like it did for that kid, I'll eat my shorts. My. Shorts.
Thing I Missed the Most - Trailer Montages
They used to be so fun. Now everyone is stuffy and trying to show these epic walkthroughs of epic games for epic applause. I miss the two minute montage that showed 30 games with a surprise or two thrown in for good measure.
Where was It? - Xbox Live - Bringing it Home
Maybe even more than Half-Life: Episode 3 or Zelda Wii, what I thought was missing from E3 2009 was Bringing It Home. Where were the demos? There were a few trailers and stage videos present on Xbox Live, but not a single demo or surprise Arcade release makes me wonder if Xbox is forgetting the power and usefulness of their service. I guess they thought knowing that I'll soon be able to tweet from my dashboard was enough.
I think that's enough for today. I've waded through my post E3 depression of no good news and started mild anticipation for events like Blizzcon and PAX. Hell, even Comic-con is just around the corner and I can feel my interest bubbling up for that. I've made my list of must-buy Fall releases, and I've decided that I can't, of course, afford anything close to what I need.
And then the Crystal (Ball) Cracked - E3 Predictions Reviewed
0 comments Posted by Cody Musser at 6:27 PMWell, with the big three conferences here and gone, E3 this year may not be quite over yet, but in terms of announcements that tremble the hearts of nerds and leave jaws agape, I think it's safe to say Goodnight. The announcements that did come? Some amazing -- some not quite -- some veer towards the thin line that separates plain stupid from mental retardation. Regardless, predictions were made, so let's discover how well I can estimate the future of the games industry.
Nintendo -
1. Colored Wiis - Maybe not "colored" but a black Wii was announced for Japan. Whatever, I'm counting it.
2. New Super Mario Bros. 2 - I said that this could happen on the Wii. It might not be called a direct sequel, but even still, this is close enough to what I imagined. Actually, it's even better -- props Nintendo, props.
3. Downloadable Virtual Console for DSi - I don't understand why this is so hard for Nintendo to commit to. Not a mention at all of this, what could be a killer service.
4. Pikmin - It exists. Did Nintendo remind everyone of that? No.
5. No New Accessories - If I believed in God, I'd curse him at this point. Damn Vitality Sensor. I'll let my treadmill measure my pulse (If I had one), thank you very much.
Predicted Grade: C-
Actual Grade: C+ - Don't worry, I'm still not in love with the backwards direction Nintendo is heading in terms of many things I love, but a new Galaxy, New Super Mario Bros. Wii, and even Team Ninja's Metroid: Other M deserve some praise. The more I look into this Metroid they're making, the more I think it might not be bad.
Microsoft -
1. The Motion Camera - Project Natal, eh? It has potential to be unique and interesting. I don't ever see it lending itself to hardcore games, but I won't write it off before it is fully realized.
2. New Halo - Halo: Reach. I hit the nail on the head (the rumors helped). Still, I'd rather it be a third-person shooter in the Halo-verse. That needs to be done.
3. Metal Gear Solid - Victory!
4. XBLA Gets Serious & 5. "New Game" from... hmm, I'll say Epic Games - I got them both right, I just didn't know they'd be the same game. Shadow Complex looks great, and I'm always for another Metroidvania.
6. Special Extra Prediction - New game from Rare - Wrong.
7. Special Extra Prediction 2 - Project Offset - So wrong.
Predicted Grade: A-
Actual Grade: B - That was unexpected. Perhaps the mystery hype behind Microsoft's announcements actually hurt them here and resulted in a backlash. What they actually did reveal was in many places awesome, however in others it was actually tame and expected. Who didn't know Crackdown 2 was coming? Great conference, but not earth shattering.
Sony -
1. PSP Go! - It didn't really count that I knew this one -- but whatever, I'm a cheater. What I couldn't have guessed was the price-point. $250.00? Come on Sony, what the hell are you thinking?
2. Metal Gear Solid - I should have guessed two Metal Gear's for Sony. That would have been a little more impressive.
3. Price-Cut then PS3 Slim - I'm not sure how Sony plans to sell systems this fall without making either of these announcements. Rest assured, I'd bet a lot that they're both coming, although, who knows when?
4. Gran Turismo 5 - Maybe Gran Turismo PSP was the GT darling with a serious focus, but we did see Gran Turismo 5 on stage... and guess what? The cars? YOU CAN DAMAGE THEM! Way to go Polyphony! That only took you 10 years or so to deliver.
5. New Syphon Filter - This was an absolute guess on my part. Shows what I get for making absolute guesses.
Predicted Grade - B
Actual Grade - B - I think Sony's conference was actually right around the B range. With some serious announcements lacking -- particularly the ones that would help them get console sales, they otherwise performed well in terms of surprises and interesting game announcements. I, for one, will admit to being hyped by ModNation Racers. Then there's always that Final Fantasy XIV...
Third Party -
1. Valve - Half-Life Episode 3 - Wrong.
2. Capcom - Viewtiful Joe on Wii - Wrong-er.
3. Konami - WiiWare Castlevania - Wrong-est.
4. Square Enix - Kingdom Hearts Wii - Super Wrong.
5. Ubisoft - Prince of Persia - I'm not very good at this.
I think I'll leave third party guesses for someone else next year.
THE GRAND TALLY: 10 correct predictions out of 22
GRADE: F
Nintendo Percentage Correct: 40%
Microsoft Percentage Correct: 71%
Sony Percentage Correct: 60%
Third Party Percentage Correct: 0%
That's that for the E3 crystal ball this year. Next post will be best of show awards.
I know it's been a while since I've posted, and were it not for the fact I'm running out of time I probably wouldn't be making a new post. However, it's pretty much the beginning of the last day before E3, and as is the tradition around here -- predictions need be made. There is of course a system to my madness. I'll allow myself five official predictions for each of the big presenters at E3, and then five third party predictions, and lastly a grade for each showing at the conference. Then, post convention, I'll consider how well I did. So, without blathering on... let's get to it.
Nintendo -
Oh, Nintendo. No one really expects much from you. You're sad, and you hurt me with your inability to create compelling software for your hardcore fan-base. I could complain all day, but it's not like it would change anything, and it's definitely not like I actually expect it to happen. Anyways, what do I think Nintendo could actually deliver for E3 this year? This:
1. Colored Wiis - Long rumored and even seen, I think this E3 is when Nintendo will announce the release of colored Wiis. It's part of their ridiculous strategy of boosting sales when they start to get sluggish by infusing their hardware line with the power of the rainbow.
2. New Super Mario Bros. 2 - What? I'm willing to go out on a limb for something I actually want. It's long past time, and it's been rumored that Nintendo is announcing a Mario game this year. I think this is the one that we'll see -- or at least I hope it is, instead of Mario Math or Mario and Luigi Teach Shit.
3. Downloadable Virtual Console for DSi - I'm just saying ... Gameboy, GB Color, GB Advance games. It'd be cool. I think they can do it. I'm saying they'll do it. I'm probably wrong.
4. Pikmin - It will be there. I don't think anyone is doubting that? Will I care? Not really, no.
5. No New Accessories - Not technically a game, but I'll call this an important prediction. I'm going to say that with Wii Motion Plus not quite out yet and the balance board not even realized for much more than Wii Fit and gimmicks...excuse me, I meant to say just gimmicks, I believe this will be the first Nintendo conference in a while where they don't introduce some new piece of unique, but mostly uninteresting technology. Yippee! Wii Fit Plus, on the other hand? Totally expect that.
Overall Prediction - I apologize for not holding back my general disdain and lack of willingness to believe Nintendo can provide more than their, albeit awesome, key franchise games and other, not so awesome and generally terrible, reaches toward the casual market.
Predicted Grade: C- (If only for New Super Mario Bros. 2)
Microsoft -
Do I liken Microsoft to Jesus Christ these days? Yes, I'll admit it openly from the start. Microsoft is succeeding so admirably at their goals that I can't honestly say many negative things. I turn my Xbox 360 on every single day. I don't even play games that often, and still, between Netflix and other stuff, it's on. Damn I have high regard for this company right now. So, what makes this interesting is that Microsoft, according to the majority of game journalists, has an E3 lineup of absolute mystery. Well then, lots of crazy guesses to follow:
1. The Motion Camera - A bummer I know. This is the thing everyone expects Microsoft to be revealing and I agree. The sad thing? I don't care that much. I can't see how it will work effectively with the majority of good games on the console, so it can only pander to new, casual games -- oh. how. fun.
2. New Halo - Is Halo: ODST enough? I don't think it is. I'm pretty sure Microsoft will be announcing a new Halo to rile up the fans. Will it be Halo: Reach? Probably. It could be something else, but expect two Halo titles this year. I guess that's cool -- I personally hope one is a bad-ass third-person shooter.
3. Metal Gear Solid - Pie in the sky?! I think you'll see Kojima on stage. New game, or MGS4 ported? No idea... but Kojima on stage. 'Nuff said.
4. XBLA Gets Serious - What is the exact game that will make people say, "Oh my... XBLA is going to be awesome." I couldn't even say for sure. However vague it might be, I'm saying there will be more than a simple XBLA montage this year. This year Microsoft will feature an XBLA game in their conference, and it will be sexy.
5. "New Game" from... hmm, I'll say Epic Games - I think it's time for Epic to give a little shout along the lines of, "Yo guys... we do more than Gears." I haven't heard anything that said it could be true, and Gears is keeping them on top of the world right now, but eh, It's a guess. I feel it. So, let's see. I'm thinking they'll go back to a first-person game too. Let's see if I get that one right.
6. Special Extra Prediction - New game from Rare. I say so.
7. Special Extra Prediction 2 - Project Offset - Montage or no -- we'll see it.
Overall Prediction - Well, I'm stoked for this whole affair. Particularly stoked since it's only a little more than 12 hours away. Even my guesses don't seem to cover what would be the "mystery" that Microsoft is touting they have in store and how it's going to change the game forever. Unless of course, they're banking it all on that damn camera. We'll all know soon. On the other hand, Zune HD on stage though? Sounds good to me.
Predicted Grade: A- (Sad, sad camera brings down the hype.)
Sony -
It's so strange to me that everyone is saying that Sony seems like they could have the best E3 of all the consoles. I mean, maybe. They have a somewhat strong lineup of games coming this fall, so it's a possibility. However, in my mind, the winning of E3 is about the new announcements, not what we already know. So, in terms of that - what could Sony bring to the table?
1. PSP Go! - Alright, I'm cheating. This has been announced. It is coming. Well, I don't care. I was going to predict it anyways, so if it hadn't leaked I'd have just been right. It's about time for a new PSP. did Sony change it enough to dent Nintendo's market-share? I'm not even sure. I hope it goes over well though. A killer new PSP would be pretty cool.
2. Metal Gear Solid - Yeah, so Kojima on stage at the Microsoft conference? I said yes. Kojima on stage at the Sony conference? I said yes. If Microsoft gets a ported MGS, Sony will get a new one... and Lords of Shadow. The MGS? I think it'll be on PSP.
3. Price-Cut then PS3 Slim - I'll even go as far as to throw them into a single prediction. I think Sony will announce a price-cut on their current hardware, to push the stock for the new PS3 Slim that also gets announced. It's pretty weighty to expect both, but eh.. I'm that kind of guy.
4. Gran Turismo 5 - I'm not even sure racing games like GT are that big of an announcement anymore, but perhaps I'm biased. I do think however that Gran Turismo 5 will be announced, and in it, the cars will be very shiny. They might even be damageable... or they could take that feature out at a later date.
5. New Syphon Filter - Has it been announced? I'm not even sure. I think we'll see this one though. It's one of the few series that Sony has that isn't currently being employed and if I remember correctly does actually have a good fan base.
Overall Prediction - Sony is undoubtedly going to focus on some great games. God of War 3, Uncharted 2, Heavy Rain, and then of course there is the new PSP Go!. These things are in the bag and they'll make it a good conference. But the juicy stuff? The unknown factor? I just don't know if it's quite as exciting as what Microsoft could possibly have in store.
Predicted Grade - B
Third Party -
No super long explanations here -- just five third party predictions off the top of my head.
1. Valve - Half-Life Episode 3 - I heard they weren't showing it. I don't care. It's time.
2. Capcom - Viewtiful Joe on Wii - The mystery game? I think that'd be it.
3. Konami - WiiWare Castlevania - Another DS Castlevania? Sure, I love 'em. WiiWare? Now that'd be interesting.
4. Square Enix - Kingdom Hearts Wii - Was this announced? Well, it will be.
5. Ubisoft - Prince of Persia - The movie tie-in game? It has to exist.
That's about everything from me. Happy E3! I could talk on and on about the things I know, 100% will be at the conferences, but that'd be no fun at all.
PS: Wow, I noticed in making this post that my HTML is so rusty. I'm getting terrible.
I thought I was safe. I thought that I had found the needle in the haystack. At least this time, anyways. I was totally wrong. This is why I need to learn to never, ever have faith in the manufacturers of video game consoles. They will all break. I imagine it's some corporate conspiracy involving repair fees or instigating early adopters to go back and re-buy the new SKU's that come out every couple months these days. Regardless, Microsoft being the greedy monster corporation they were, they probably went too far with the flood of "breaking damn near every other week" 360's out there. That's why they're fixing mine and everyone else's for free. At least when it comes to the Red Ring of Death. If your 360 is ailing from any other of the popular issues (broken DVD drive, scratching discs, freezing, transforming into a Decepticon and raping your pets whilst maiming close family members) then you're paying the damn repair bill if you're out of the 1 year warrany. Yeah, I didn't know that part until just now either. Fuck the fine print. Here's the hooker in all her glory:
I'll spare you all the horrific story of foreign customer service representatives and swear words and arguments, but I'll clearly state that it wasn't fun, or even what I'd call acceptable. Thanks to this little Snafu I won't be playing Rez HD, or Devil May Cry 4, or anything else scheduled within the next 3-4 weeks. This hurts deeply because I've gotta be honest, I was frothing at the mouth over Chessmaster Live. No joke at all.
Marvel Ultimate Alliance wasn't easy to come by. I had to wait until just a few weeks ago to pick the game up; this is partly due to my strict law of judging certain games as being worth a certain amount of my dollars (in this case, no more than precisely $23.00), but also because for some reason people seem to have viewed it as popular enough for that price to not come to pass within something like a year of its release. I can't say I'm suprised as that's becoming basically the habit with games this generation, considering Dead Rising is still bringing in a regular $30 a solid year after its release, which is a game that I've decided I won't pay more than precisely $20.00 for. Don't ask me where I get these numbers from; they come to me like alien transmissions.
Regardless, I finally did get Marvel Ultimate Alliance, and I've since played through the games story, ultimately realizing why it is probably just that the price hasn't dropped. Marvel Ultimate Alliance is a pretty rich, and rewarding experience; it's also Diablo 2. Those two things are slightly related. Some quick, obvious examples of the similarities between both games:
- Both games are centered upon a 5 Act structure
- Both games play fundamentally the same (hack n' slash)
- Both games feature enemy mobs that carry the same benefit as their leader
- Both games are driven by story cutscenes outside gameplay (mostly anyways)
- Both games feature upgradeable skills
These are pretty generic things, but above and beyond all of them is the truth that the two games just feel undeniably similar. Remove from Diablo the Blizzard feel, and replace it with a Marvel feel, not to mention remove the Thundering Longsword of the Whale and replace it with Spider-Woman's Nano-Fiber Suit, and there isn't much else separating the two. Excluding of course the fact that Marvel Ultimate Alliance is buggy as all hell.
It wasn't buggy to the point of being distracting, but it was noticeable that the developer maybe reached a few steps beyond their ability in striving for a Diablo-like structure. This is most obvious when you come to realize that you're playing with 30 (or so) Marvel characters, and the game isn't set to recognize the character with whom you're controlling outside battle. Walking around the starting area (there's a separate one in each Act; Stark Tower, Dr. Strange's Mansion, Valhalla, the Moon home of the Inhumans, and Doomstark) and speaking with the NPCs can leave you groaning. In Asgard I'd speak to Valkyrie with Thor, and she would proceed to greet me as, "Human, welcome to Valhalla." I'm pretty sure that shit would offend the God of Thunder. Add to this the fact that with the additional downloadable characters players can literally speak to Bruce Banner as the Hulk, or speak to Dr. Doom, as... Dr. Doom. It's a little jarring, and it makes the game seem sloppy.
My team throughout the game consisted of Wolverine, Iron Man, Thor, and Deadpool pretty much exclusively. Originally, I planned to play through the game with my new Marvel favorite Moon Knight, but honestly, he sucked. Iron Man only maintained a position as temporary teammate until I'm able to unlock the Silver Surfer. There's no substitution for the Power Cosmic in the guise of man. Most of the characters have four costumes, which makes for a hell of a lot of customization in your team. Iron Man's Ultimates costume was a large factor in keeping him around; it's just plain awesome.
The game is very story driven, and the story is pretty much tantamount to anything you'd see coming from Marvel these days anyways. Expect all the super villains to gather, someone important to actually die (not Captain America!), and the world to get totally ravaged by the end of the game. Honestly, I never would have thought that the story would have been as good as it was. It takes you on a journey to Mephisto's Realm, Asgard, the homeworld of the Shi'Ar, the Skrull Planet, Latveria, and other places as well.
I can't say anything better or worse about it really; Marvel Ultimate Alliance was worth my dollars, and I'd dare say it would have been worth even more than $23.00. I've got a lot of unlocking and Achievement-whoring to do, and I'm looking forward to the majority of it. Diablo fans should love it...
Let's take a look at the news dropping this week:
1. Peter Moore is leaving Microsoft to head up EA Sports. Not that it fucking matters, but I did like the guy. - Down 5 Points
2. Square Enix announces Final Fantasy 13 is 13% finished, and Final Fantasy 13 Versus is 1.3% finished. What?! - Down 10 Points
3. Microsoft announces that there will not be an X07 event. - Down 15 Points
4. A new Guilty Gear is announced. It's not a 2D fighter. - Down 20 Points
5. Capcom's mystery 2D fighter is not Street Fighter 4, but a Sengoku Basara game that will likely never be released in the US. - Down 25 Points
6. Capcom says Resident Evil 5 might not be released until 2009. - Down 30 Points
7. Bungie announces Halo 3 will likely ship WITHOUT online co-op. - Down 35 Points
8. The creator of Katamari Damacy, one of my favorite games, is making a game based on the whimsical nature of a double-headed dildo. + Up 35 Points
Tally Score = Breaking Even
That's a lot of bad, terrible, horrible, dirty, heart-crushing news; but that just goes to show that there are few things a double-headed dildo can't fix. Good looking out, Keita Takahashi!
Here's something I wasn't really expecting. EA's Army of Two has some of the nicest cover art I've seen this side of all the Steelbook and Collector's Edition fare that loads the shelves these days. I'm all for the extra content, and I love a sexy Steelbook, but when a company puts their asses in gear and makes a standard case look like something stellar, that deserves a little praise. Here's hoping they don't go tweaking or fiddling around with this cover; it's beautiful just the way it is.
The game itself is another issue, but I'll be honest and say that I'm more excited for this than I was for Black, EA's last fledgling shooter franchise. The humor and deep co-op gameplay look really interesting, and the aggro system seems wonderfully orchestrated. Something tells me I'll end up buying this, just unfortunately long down the road from its release.
This is my 100th post in the Zenspace catalog. That's chump change to some guys, but I just thought I'd share what is, to me, a small milestone. This is also the reason I hadn't posted in a while, as I was trying to decide on how to best commemorate the event. I wanted to take a historical cruise through the Zenspace, highlighting a post from every ten posts or so, and remember what led me to now. Unfortunately, that seemed like a lot of work and it just wasn't getting done. Add to that my actual desire to post on a bunch of other things but then I was unable to, thanks to not wanting to ruin the 100th Post thing ... and, well, it obviously gets a little silly.
So, I decided that E3 take center stage instead, and this is undoubtedly the proper choice to make. It is E3 after all. We're only a couple days out from the Microsoft conference with less than 48 hours to go, but I've still got just enough time to lay down some predictions to see if I have my finger on the industry. Chances are, I don't. My GDC '07 predictions turned out to be pretty much a bust so far (actually, they could still be OK), so we'll see how I do this time. By company seems the best way to go about it:
Microsoft
The Wii's coming in to this E3 riding high on popular opinion, but Microsoft's the crew actually in first place. This is interesting in particular, because Microsoft's never been here before and I'm not sure they understand the delicacies of maintaining hype. They'll always have a pull thanks to Halo and Grand Theft Auto 4, but the biggest problem I foresee for Microsoft so far is the utter lack of any surprise. We know no less than 100 games headed to the 360 in the next year, and many of them are all striving for blockbuster status. The question has to be, what else could they possibly have left to announce? Not much, I think. Microsoft's biggest problem will be showing people awesome stuff from awesome games, but nothing will be a surprise. They'll rely on Banjo Threeie, Mass Effect, Too Human, maybe even Halo Wars, and all the other games that we've known about since this went down last year. In short, Microsoft blew their load early to get in first place, and now they've either got to be warming up for another go, or they're dead in the water.
If the surprises do come, it might be another of Rare's titles finally getting a trailer, or some of the Japanese games we've known were in development. Although, I wouldn't hold my breath for any of those games; we may have felt it was necessary to cut back E3 to make it a more serious affair, but that doesn't mean Japanese companies are going to be comfortable announcing their titles in rooms that aren't filled with screaming fans. In case you're wondering, I'm talking specifically about Itagaki; I don't think the rock star will be happy with Ninja Gaiden 2 in a stuffy hotel conference room.
I think the Microsoft handheld thing is a joke, and if that's announced I'll be so blown away that I might just never try to predict anything ever again. I don't care if Dean Takahashi claims they're working on it or not, it just doesn't seem realistic. At all.
- Five Predictions and Un-Predictions -
1. 60% - We'll see a demo of Devil May Cry 4 on Xbox Live.
2. 10% - There will be a 360 pricedrop announced (Just don't see it happening).
3. 60% - Capcom will announce Dead Rising 2 (This could be multi-platform).
4. .1% - Microsoft announces a handheld gaming device.
5. 10% - They do the unthinkable; Peter Moore's tattoo is Metal Gear Solid 4.
Overall Place Prediction (in hype) after the show: Second
Nintendo
Please don't think I'm a hater after all this, but it's going to sound bad. See, I'm a hardcore gamer, and for that reason, I have some real problems with the Wii. I understood all the things they were saying when they announced what the purpose of this silly little machine was, and who it was directed towards, but I didn't think they'd actually go as far as they have. Or, maybe I did, but I thought they'd do it without forsaking me. That's the big problem I think Nintendo might have at this E3. Forsaking the hardcore gamer. They've already done it at their last media summit, and all these rumors keep swirling about this game or that game being canned in favor or more casual software. I'll say it right here, if Nintendo leads off E3 with announcements of casual games for the Wii, they've lost. They might fucking win the hearts and minds of the world, but they've lost me, and I think they're going to do it.
They might have one good year left in them, obviously with Smash, Metroid, and Mario coming (and we'll get dates for at least one of the second two at E3), but Wii Health, Wii Music, My Word Coach, and whatever the hell else there is, that can not be the focus of E3! Cassamasina claimed there is going to be a franchise renewal this year, and I'll make it very clear, if it's not Kid Icarus or Punch Out, I'm well beyond pissed. Actually, Punch Out worries me in itself, because I don't think the Wiimote is, at this point, sensitive enough to make a boxing game any better than Wii Sports Boxing, which is nothing more than a clusterfuck of flailing arms.
I think we might see Mario Kart, but I was never vastly into the series anyways. I think they'll show some WiiWare titles as well, just a couple in a montage or something, but they're so far off that it won't matter much anyways. Why are they so far off though? That's the question. It has, has, has to be for Nintendo to have enough time to figure out what to do with a HDD situation. Announcing it now, I'm not so sure, but it's, at this point, a necessity. Virtual Console and WiiWare titles are going to destory the 512MB available on the Wii, and carrying 20 SD Cards isn't a realistic alternative. The Neo Geo titles coming down the pipeline are only going to exacerbate this as well.
DS redesign? No.
- Five Predictions and Un-Predictions -
1. 85% - Nintendo announces Kid Icarus for the Wii.
2. 45% - Nintendo announces Metroid DS.
3. 30% - Nintendo announces New Super Mario Bros. 2 (Really feeling TGS on this one).
4. 65% - A Wii HDD is announced ...and it isn't big enough.
5. 05% - A DS redesign is announced.
Overall Place Prediction (in hype) after the show: Third
Sony
Sony. The monster. The behemoth. The $600 leviathan. Oh, excuse me, I meant $500. Sony's coming in to E3 with the world looking at them in a collective WTF? No one is exceptionally happy with their pricepoint, their handheld, their online structure (till Home anyways, and even then who knows), their non-stance on exclusives ... am I missing anything? They've got the most to prove, and here's an interesting thing from the guy without the Playstation 3; I see them pulling it off. The $100 price drop was the beginning of what I think is going to be a good week for Sony, that is if they don't rely too much on Metal Gear Solid 4. I'm not saying I don't want to see the game, but I'll say it one more time, winning E3 is about building new hype. We need to see MGS4, of course, but we need something else too. Something that is so new and unannounced it will blow our sneakers off. I think they might have something, what it is though, I have no idea. Also, if they go ahead and announce the PSP redesign as well as the PS3 price drop, they win by default. Cheaper hardware and new hardware is like, unbridled victory.
I think the PSP redesign is all but confirmed too. I could talk about their software but I don't have any idea what they've got planned. Some Final Fantasy tidbits would be nice, but like I said above, I think J-developers are going to be moving pretty heavily towards TGS these days, and in an off-the-wall prediction, I think that's where Square will announce the Final Fantasy VII remake. This year? Not so sure.
- Five Predictions and Un-Predictions -
1. 90% - A PSP redesign is announced.
2. 90% - A demo for Heavenly Sword is available on PSN. I weep at how cool it looks.
3. 60% - Little Big Planet steals another show.
4. 10% - There is no new Sony exclusives other than first party titles.
5. 01% - The Final Fantasy VII remake is announced.
Overall Place Prediction (in hype) after the show: First
- 10 Things I'm Particularly Stoked For -
1. More Smash Bros. Characters. Sonic to be FINALLY shown.
2. Condemned 2: Bloodshot being shown, and looking even more fantastic.
3. Golden Axe. Does it still exist?
4. Mario vs. Sonic at the Olympic Games videos. Sorry, I LOVE the Olympics.
5. Capcom announcing their new 2D fighter. It being THE game that ends all things.
6. New PSP games. I'm digging the lineup, but more is always better.
7. A new Castlevania DS game. A man can dream, no?
8. Seeing larger-scale planets in Mario Galaxy.
9. A new Mistwalker game, or Lost Odyssey in-depth. I'll take either.
10. Worthwhile content on Xbox's Bringing It Home E3 campaign.
The advertisements littered on the many gaming sites I often frequent beckoned that I participate in a 10-day free trial for The World of Warcraft: Burning Crusade expansion. It didn't take much convincing for me to cave in and start the lengthy download, so after nearly a day and 2 Gigabytes later I was back in Azeroth, somewhere I never thought I'd explore again. It's not that I was ever an addict, or that I'm against WoW in general, it's just that after passing on Burning Crusade at launch, I imagined there wasn't going to be much else that would pull me back into the game. Sure, the next expansion might be exciting, but the entire idea of expansions bothers me enough that I thought I'd stay away.
That's one ridiculously cool level 5 character, at least more so than other WoW races.
The nature of the expansion is to provide additional content for gamers who have largely explored the entirety of what is currently available, and also to provide a new starting grounds, races, classes, etc. for those who haven't yet played the game. I was neither, resting comfortably in the middle grounds, with a level 35-ish character on a server that none of my friends played on. The real problem with expansions, I think, is that they're a constant pouring out of content that is largely improved over the initial game, streamlined and made to look more appealing, and in some way, that has to be offending to the player that has already expired the original game. A player that spent the necessary time to reach level 60 with a particular race now finds two new races, in this case the Blood Elves and the Draenei, that he honestly may find more appealing than what he was offered when he started the game. So, he's forced with asking whether he would like to maintain his current character in the face of more appealing choices, or sacrifice the (very literally) days of effort that it took to create that character. That's a poor choice to inflict upon people.
At around level 15 I had to take the Christmas colors to keep up with the best available gear.
Regardless of my stance on expansions in general, the new starting areas in the Burning Crusade were alluring. I haven't had the chance yet to explore that of the Draenei, but I have seen the screens, and it's hard to argue how much more visually appealing it is in comparison to Elwynn Forest and similar early level areas in the original content. I haven't faced anything along the lines of Westfall, and that's a very good thing. The Blood Elves area is insanely beautiful, and the forest area is lush and vibrant. I had originally wanted to spend my time exploring the Draenei, but this starting area, and the Blood Elf characters as well, looked so good that they swayed my opinion. That feeling never waned throughout the time I've been playing, and honestly, it's a little ridiculous. My Blood Elf character, Esperante, looks, in short, much cooler than my human character at nearly 35 levels higher. The starting equipment and weapons for the blood elves seem to have only one real goal, make the Horde look attractive. It wouldn't be brash to say, in my opinion, more attractive than that of the alliance.
No doubt about it, my first character is an ugly rainbow bastard.
Another thing about the Blood Elves is that Blizzard seems to have honed in more on the mythology of Warcraft within the starting area itself, and that is something I'm glad to see. Other races within the game seemed so far from participating in the history of Prince Arthas and the Burning Legion that it could have largely been left out, but the Blood Elves and the Dead Scar within their homeland, as well as the Ghostlands, are very much intertwined with that history. The Dead Scar is a very awesome tear, splitting the lands of the Blood Elves in half, that was the land on which Arthas made his advance. Now, the land spits forth wraiths, zombies, and skeletons and is a very stark contrast to the beatiful forest surrounding it. The second area for the Blood Elves, the Ghostlands, is very akin to the Duskwood, as it is the land held in alliance by the Blood Elves and Undead, and is a front line in the war against the Legion. It's also an interesting contrast itself, moving from lush forest to dark and foreboding very quickly.
The Dead Scar is an insanely cool representation of Warcraft history within the game.
This whole post might be covering some fairly introductory topics, and considering that I'm genuinely late to the party here, this might sound a little silly, but I did have other directions in which I wanted to speak on World of Warcraft and MMO's in general. Perhaps though, I'll save those for another post, as they're fairly academic and deserve a broader focus than just World of Warcraft.
What I'm curious about, just to give an introduction, is what price do we pay for prolonged entertainment? In the case of MMO's in particular, what are we sacrificing for a game world that is apparently never-ending and loaded with replay value? This was inspired by a recent article I read about the human desire to seek happiness, and how it has, through drugs and science, reached an almost realistic position that happiness, under some other name, could soon be bottled. The cost of that is going to be large, and most people should stop to consider whether they're ready to live in a world in which we are all happy. Unhappiness, while not a very comfortable idea, is a very important part of why humans are still alive and thriving today. Using that same concept as the springboard to my discussion on MMO's, I'd like to ask, what is the cost of prolonged entertainment? Is it similar to that of prolonged happiness, and could it be that gaming, in general (as well as ourselves), is threatened by the game which never ends? Where, in all this, does the 15-hour game lie, and will it continue to exist?
I can't focus on a damn thing tonight, so I'm going to wander fairly aimlessly in words and pictures. Let's see if it is entertaining at all.
Naruto 360 looks beautiful, and when full size screens and footage do drop on IGN, 1UP, and the like (which should be soon), I imagine they will inspire a collective dropping of the jaws. The potential of cel shading on next generation consoles is looking to be a really interesting development. Here's hoping that Naruto 360 doesn't fall into the same traps of being a terrible anime game.
Yeah, so the opening city of Paprika has been announced, and I chose the wording of that sentence carefully. A single opening screen? And another in the following month? I wouldn't hold out much hope for seeing this one as it should be seen. In short: Fuck you Sony Pictures Classics. Fuck you all over the place. I'd rather companies not even bring good movies to the theaters if they're going to do it in a manner that even people willing to travel to the nearest city still can't see the movie.
I'd owned the first seven DVD's in the Tenjho Tenge series for a long time. I had never seen more than the first, instead waiting for the moment I could watch the series in full. Finally I bought the eighth and final disc, which is insane enough that a 26 episode series was on 8 discs, and sure enough, I crammed the entire series. Was it all worth it? No fucking way. Eight discs, tons of anticipation, and oodles of dollars later, I find out that the series comes to close in a non-ending? It's as if my balls were crushed under the mighty force of the oligarchy. One thing it does have going for it? The boobs.
I've just finished reading Kuhaku and it is one of the most delightful things I've ever read. Once again, I'm carefully choosing my words and not saying that this is great or epic; it's merely delightful. The novel is a collection of 16 stories/essays/accounts from those living in Japan. Some are from the view of foreigners, some from Japanese, and some from expatriates who will probably never leave their new home. Overall, the novel is a great insight to the varying worlds of the land I hope to migrate to in time. Not to mention, the cloth cover, color and b&w illustrations, and even an included bookmark make this one of the nicest looking books I own. Check out the website of the publisher, Chin Music Press, for more information on the book. Take the time to read the blurbs and I think you'll see that this is something everyone with an interest in Japan should own.
I could probably keep going, but I'd rather just finish with this ... it is the best game commercial I've ever seen. +1 Million experience points to anyone that knows which bit is from Conan the Fucking Barbarian (or Destroyer, I can't quite remember). Praise Cromm.
Yes ... the lamentations of their women.
I think when any gamer doesn't specialize in playing a certain genre, that is they don't abandon everything else for, say, their love of shooters, they tend to see that somewhere in the midst of all the types of games, one particular genre just appeals to them naturally. It's like they were born with a specific tendency to be good at fighting games or racing games. I'm not suggesting that practice doesn't make someone better at any type of game, but I think their is still that one genre that just appeals to the type of person we are. Because I play games for the most part universally, I have dabbled in everything despite my aversion to certain genres, and I think I've found the genre that, well, suits me.
My choice genre is the Tactical RPG. I carefully choose my wording here, because the Tactical RPG is in reality a subgenre of the Strategy RPG. The two are undeniably similar, and while I admit, I think I'm actually creating these definitions for myself, the difference lies in the minor details. Where my definition of a Strategy RPG places one in the setting of a grand battle with an army of units, a Tactical RPG on the other hand, still retains the party and unique characters of more traditional roleplaying games. I suppose a small list would be in order:
- A Strategy RPG has units, and a Tactical RPG has characters, or party members.
- A Strategy RPG often has one hero unit who is a character, but few more.
- A Strategy RPG often relies on the creation of bases and facilities.
I could probably go on, but I think examples are a better ... example:
Strategy RPG -
Warcraft/Starcraft
Command & Conquer
Lord of the Rings: Battle for Middle-Earth
Advance Wars
Super Robot Taisen
Tactical RPG -
Final Fantasy Tactics
Fire Emblem: Path of Radiance
Disgaea
I think that makes the genre distinction pretty obvious. Certainly there are some games that blur the lines between the genres (Makai Kingdom), and even between Tactical RPG's and Traditional RPG's (FF12: Revenant Wings). As I said, I'm mostly defining these as I go, but I think most people can agree with what I'm suggesting. Particularly, the separation between characters and units being the most significant. The real purpose of all this distinction is just to make the point that Tactical RPG's with their strategical gameplay and character driven storyline, appeal to me on some strange, biological level. For this reason ... I'm really, really excited about the near future. Let's take a look:
Hoshigami Remix - Updated PS1 tactical outings? I'll take that.
FF12:Revenant Wings is a unique mix of TRPG and gambit system.
Heroes of Mana is probably a little less than a TRPG, but it's interesting nonetheless.
Luminous Arc was announced long before these other games, but it's finally coming.
Final Fantasy Tactics Advance 2 is easily the cream of the TRPG crop.
I've been keeping an eye on all these games and it's exciting to know they'll all be released in the US, and all on a single platform: The DS. The PSP has its own share of TRPG's coming down the pipeline but I wouldn't want to be overly hopeful about games I may never play. If you enjoy the Tactical RPG as much as I, by all means relish in the bounty that is 2007.
Take that however you like. I'm not saying Ninjabread Man won't be awesome, just putting stuff into perspective a little bit. And I only used what had boxart, so you know, that's not even all of them.
