So my feet are still killing me!! However, I knew you guys wanted this- so here you go. If you have any questions, don't be afraid to ask.
The Biggest Disappointments-
Gears of War 2- Xbox 360- Epic- Now your probably asking me- huh!??? Yes, Gears of War 2. The only thing playable there was the multiplayer and it looked and played almost like the first Gears. There were new elements like Smoke Grenades, and a few other little nifty features, however, for people to wait two years for this, I felt sorely disappointed. For those poor souls who think this game looks miles better than the first will be upset. Imagine Gears 1 with a sunset and more grass.
Animal Crossing- Wii- Nintendo -I'm sorry Nintendo. Your not making me buy the same damn game for the third time in a row. This game plays and feels exactly like the Nintendo 64 / Gamecube version. There is relatively no change, and the Wii Speak gimmick is a borefest.
Wii Music- Wii- Nintendo- If you ever want to stab your ears while listening to classic Nintendo themes- this is the title to get. I left halfway through one song because as I stood there hoping this title would hold some sort of relevance, I began to value my sanity.
Tales of Symphonia Dawn of the New World- Wii- Namco Bandai- I was excited to play this game, but I became deflated the moment I entered my first battle. The fighting system feels wonky, the graphics were subpar compared to Naruto which I had just played, and the title seemed thrown together for a quick buck. If your a Tales of Symphonia fan and must have a sequel, than its for you. For everyone else, steer clear.
Infinite Undiscovery- Xbox 360- Square Enix / Tri Ace- This game has the absolute worst live action battle engine I have ever played in a RPG. The first problem is, there are so many characters on screen that you have no idea whats going on. The second problem is, the controls. You have to hold Right Bumper, than press X, while holding Y to do certain things. It was an absolute mess. The worst part of all- you have to put your sword in your sheath before picking an item up. Even than, the hit detection must be dead on, or else you won't pick the item up. Do Not Buy This Game.
The Surprise Hits of the Show-
Mirror's Edge- PS3, 360, PC - EA- The first thing that struck me odd was the game was being demoed on a Playstation 3. For those of you who don't know, this game leads on PS3. Sony and EA are working hard to make the PS3 version definitive, even so far as to have exclusive DLC content. My fears of this game being run on the Unreal Engine and on a PS3 were put to rest once I saw it in motion. The ironic thing was, this game only had one station dedicated to it. This was unfortunate, because I had to burn alot of time waiting in line, and the majority of people in line just ended up leaving.
Infamous- PS3- Sucker Punch - At the Sony booth, there is one large extravagant set. At this set, they would showcase key titles every few hours. When Infamous came out, there was a huge timer and a countdown. Before the game was previewed the audience was mostly ho-hum, and than the preview began. As the Devs played the title, you could see, this game combined the best elements of games like Assasin's Creed, GTA, Crackdown- and themes from the pulp noir comics. The graphics, story, sound design, atmosphere, and most importantly, gameplay, looked more than satisfying. Coming from Sucker Punch Studios known for Platformers aimed at the under 13 market (Sly Cooper series) - this was a mature and welcome look. As the preview ended the audience jeered in applause. Yes, its that good.
Left 4 Dead- 360, PC- Valve- The game had a line that was over an hour long. The PC version of the game, however, looked miles better than the 360 version. However, 360 fans- don't worry! The controller on the 360, with the way it was mapped, was absolutely perfect for the title.
The Conduit- Wii- High Voltage Studios- I know the screenshots of the title don't look as good. I wouldn't say the title looks next gen, but it looks DAMN good for a Wii game. However, the graphics aren't what sold me, it was the shooting. The game really used the Wii mote well. I would have prefered using dual analogs, but the Wii remote here didn't feel as foreign as say in- Red Steel. For a relatively unknown developer (High Voltage), this game could be a launch pad to a succesful business.
Valkyria Chronicles- PS3- Sega- Read any preview, watch any video, and it will do this game no justice. Imagine Battalion Wars, only fun. This SRPG takes the boredom one experiences while playing a SRPG and relegates it with live action, input commands that are commonly found in shooters. All done with beautiful canvas graphics. THIS WAS MY FAVORITE RPG OF THE SHOW.
Games with an oustanding showing-
Resistance 2 - PS3- Insomniac Games- Everyone wanted hands on this title. Here's a comparison I've never heard before here, but you people will hear it more often, imagine Diablo gameplay meets FPS. The show floor was not perfect for playing this game, since there was no sound, however, the dynamic objective system, the classes, and the MMORPG elements of working together with different strenghs and weaknesses lended itself to what could be a GOTY.
Fallout 3- PS3, 360, PC- Bethesda Software- What type of hype hasn't this game garnered? The first thing one will notice while playing is the eery atmosphere. This post-apocalyptic adventure game should not be thought of as just a "shooter" because it has some insanely deep RPG mechanics. However, the one thing that could get annoying is pulling up your hud everytime you want to do shoot something.
Motorstorm 2- PS3- Evolution Studios- I came in with relatively little to no expectations for this title. For those of you haven't played the first Motorstorm, I'll break it down for you really fast - your vehichles are paper thin, the game used brown way too much, and the gameplay felt broken. That all said, Mostorm 2 fixes all those problems and manages to look about 5X better.
Naruto Ultimate Ninja Storm- PS3- Namco Bandai- If you like anime, and you own a Playstation 3, there is no game more beautiful than this title. Imagine Smash Brothers, now put it in 3d, now give it Naruto, and give it high definition. Forget Vesperia, Sonata, Afro Samurai- this game will blow you away. There were huge lines to play this title. This will be one to look out for.
Project Origin- 360, PC, PS3- Monolith Software - Imagine F.E.A.R.- only better. Now add insane graphics, deeper A.I., and the hallmarks of the great shooters today (COD4, Halo 3, Bioshock) and wrap it one neat package. This game is impressive.
Best Downloadable Titles-
Wipouet HD- PSN - Sony Computer Entertainment Europe - I was a fan of Wipeout XL. Every other Wipeout in existence has been one "Yawn". This however, resets it all. The first thing you'll notice is how crisp the graphics are. Its like they used 8XAA to smooth out all the edges. The second thing you'll notice is the sense of speed in high definition. The game really makes you feel like your driving at asanine speeds.
Schizoid- XBLA- The XNA effort has been in quite a lul, however, this game truly managed to show off the hard work and sweat of those devs that slaved over making this game a hit. Its an arcadey and flashy title, but thats what downloadable titles are good for, and ADD injection to the head.
Socom Confrontation- PSN- Slant Six- Now I'm not much for shooters, but this game really shows how much Sony loves downloadable titles. The graphics are incredible and stand up to snuff with the best of the COD4 games. The game was running on a brand new build dedicated to PAX. I played this game three times and was smirking each time.
Crash Commando - PSN- Sony Computer Entertainment- Imagine Bionic commando meets Super Smash Brothers, and you have this title. The gameplay looks to be shallow on the surface, but could end up being extremely deep. You have my eyebrow raised.
Best Game of the Show:
Little Big Planet- Media Molecule / Sony Computer Entertainment Worldwide- Some people may call this game a "glorified level editor", others may call this game "boring", "mundane", "pointless", but until you get your hands on it, you have no idea what your missing out on. The entire show, there was a huge line for this game. The customization, the graphics, the cute presentation, it makes a wonderful package. There is no higher amount of praise I can give this title. If you own a Playstation 3, and had to buy one game this year that was not a shooter, this is it. I even read that Disney was making downloadable content for the game. Did I mention the graphics look INSANE.
Why is it awesome?
1. The Graphics look sick. I mean, in real life, on a 1080p set, this game looked visually striking. I normally don't say that, and I am a graphics whore.
2. The audio in this game was absolutely heart melting.
3. The gameplay encouraged team work while making it competitive.
Finally -
4. It was FUN. It was UNIQUE. It was the sprinkle of magic in an abyss of rehashes of sequels.
You guys have zero idea how much it captivated the audience. Wario Land Shake didn't get this much attention. Animal Crossing Wii didn't get this much attention. Wii Music, Fable 2, any game you can POSSIBLY think of, didn't get garner this type of hype. As people played it, they were smiling, laughing, and patting each other on the back.
To give you an idea how popular this title was, the official swag bag was a Little Big Planet tote. Wanna hear about advertising? Every person had a bag that said Little Big Planet on it. There was no escaping the hype. Every line you went to, someone was mentioning how cute or interesting it looked. Mothers, fathers, couples, older people, children- they all glared on. It was truly a sight to see that this title could garner this much appeal. Casual? Maybe. Hardcore? I don't know.
Fun? Hell fucking yes.
Console Agnostic since 2001.
