Okay Geek Farm
Editorial - How was my E3 Experience?
Ricardo Trejo
Ah E3 2010, I will have fond memories of you for bringing back my love of video games. It’s true that games have become more complex, more visual stunning, and more mature, but for me these past couple of years have been kinda ehhh since there hasn’t been that much stuff out that’s seriously wow’d me in the way games from 10 years ago did. So this year I was just spellbound by all the nods to gaming legends of old; whether it was the new Rayman, NBA Jam, Twisted Metal, or Kid Icarus, it all was what the doctor had ordered. Because seriously, there’s only so much Halo, Killzone, and Gears you can stuff down our throat until it gets a bit old.
So here’s my story, my experience, my retelling of E3 2010.
It was and wasn’t the show we all had expected, and perhaps that’s the reason why it was so mysterious. Everyone knew what was going to be shown at the press conferences - Project Natal, Playstation Move, and Nintendo’s 3DS - but what we weren’t quite sure of was how they were going to present this new assortment of gaming hardware.
Press Conference War
;)
So the pressers came and went, the Big 3 showed off the fancy new toys and in the end there was only one true victor: the veteran, the old timer, the one who made us gamers in the first place, Nintendo. While Microsoft and Sony battled to gain a new audience aside from their usual hardcore demographic with the unveilments of Kinect and Move, Nintendo, who’s already done their fair share toward attracting the casual market, went ahead and gave us the only thing we’ve ever wanted and asked for at E3, a comprehensive list of games WE want to play.
A new Zelda, Kirby, Kid Icarus, Donkey Kong, Golden Sun, and finally a new Nintendo Handheld, the Big N really spoiled us this year. But then again we’ve been crying for these sorta announcements for years now so it’s dang time they pulled through for not just us, the loyal fanbase, but for everyone out there whose ever had a dream.
Sleeper Hit
While walking around the show floor there are literally thousands of people moving from place to place to find and play the best of the best. However, there are a few games out there that get dismissed, or simply overlooked because there’s not much hype or energy surrounding them. And it’s a sad thing to say that when I walked past demo’s of Castlevania: Lords of Shadows and Batman: The Brave and the Bold I came across to two humble kiosks that were seemingly ignored. What was I looked at? It was a Wii game called Lost in Shadow. It’s a third party title developed by Hudson which turned out to be one of my favorite games at the entire expo.
The basic premise of Lost in Shadow is that you play a boy who’s been cast out of his body, and is now alive only in his shadow. The game is a platformer but it puts a spin on this gameplay type by implementing the shadow concept, since you can only jump on the shadows of the platforms and obstacles presented in the foreground - You can watch the E3 Trailer for Lost in Shadow HERE
Not sure how well it will reach out to gamers in this generation of hulky men with guns, but it’s sure to find appeal somewhere since it recalls the sort of feeling we all got when we played Ico and Shadow of the Colossus for the first times.
My Show favorite
;)
Marvel vs. Capcom 3, what else is there to say about this gamer’s wet dream come true? Let’s just that that Capcom really put it all together for this one. I mean, it might have been just over a decade since the last MvC was made and released, but Capcom is really flaunting that they haven’t lost their touch in the least.
Everything from the character selection screen, to the font styles selected for the game screams out “Comic Books!” which is exactly what this title truly represents. It’s not as wacky as this year’s previously released Tatsunoko vs. Capcom, but rather it makes it up with chaos in terms of new abilities, colors flashing all over the place from attacks being launched every which way, and the non-stop hours of fun and enjoyment that fans of the fighting gaming genre will no doubt have. And the only thing really blows about it is having to wait nearly another year for it to get released!
Disappointments
All I can do is shake my head to both Sony and Microsoft. Last year’s Xbox conference was the cream of the crop, especially when it ended with that weirdo Peter Molyneux invented Natal video, Milo. There was a lot of originality, a lot of energy, and most of all, appreciation to the gamers who play these games on the 360. This year I felt like I was looking in on a Nintendo presser from years past. Where was the attention to me, the gamer? Though I can understand why they did this, but at the same time I felt betrayed. I know the Kinect isn’t even being taken seriously by hardcore users, but I’m afraid we’re all going to buy one just to review and check it out.
;)
In terms of the tech in Kinect overall, it isn’t anything what I had originally expected. It felt like much of the magic they had teased us with last year had been laid bare and flat, despite even after seeing all the cool stuff you could do with the camera, gesture and voice recognition. So now instead of feeling like Batman or Tom Cruise in Minority Report, I feel like a PC user trying to use Microsoft Sam seriously.
And as for Playstation Move, I feel a little bit more optimistic about the controllers now than I did last year, but I still don’t think it’s going to change much for not only the core gamer but also the casual gamer. The pricing scheme for the controller, the navigation controller, the eyetoy camera, and then the games to me sound too much of an investment on the consumer to know what the heck they’ve even purchasing. I expect the casual fanbase of parents and party gamers to go with the Kinect because of its simple to understand set up and its ease of use.
Games, Games, and Games!!!
;)
Every direction I turned there was something worth waiting in line for. Metroid: Other M, Twisted Metal, Playstation Move and Xbox Kinect, Gran Turismo 5 in 3D, and many more games that I just didn’t have enough time to play them all. I did get in some real good quality time with NBA Jam on the Wii, which to my amazement really brought the basketball back to its earliest gaming roots. A couple of Slam-a-jamma’s, Boom-shaka-laka’s, and He’s on fire’s later I was having the sort of fun I remember experiencing back when I was a wee lad. And not only that, but the very next game over was Golden Eye - a remake of the original previously released on the 64.
Bionic Commando ReArmed was similar yet different with the new jump mechanic thrown in, Okamiden was just as charming and beautiful on the DS as its predecessor was on the PS2 and Wii, and Castlevania: Lords of Shadows really made me forget about all those crappy 3D Castlevania games back from a few generations ago. A few newcomers really made an impression on me, such as Enslaved on the 360 and PS3. It’s an action adventure title where two characters must work together to escape the clutches of a futuristic civilization in post-apocalyptic world, and surprisingly it doesn’t look at grey and brown like most other games that take place in like-locations. Enslaved is being developed by Ninja Theory, which you might remember as the people behind the PS3 exclusive, Heavenly Sword. From what I saw of Enslaved I loved, but here’s hoping it’s a longer than Heavenly Sword’s horrible 5 hour adventure.
Hardcorps: Uprising, a 2D sidescrolling retro throwback in the Contra universe that doesn’t even have the Contra name in its title was one of my surprise hits of the show. Developed by Konami in association with Arc System Works, the guys behind the popular Guilty Gear and Blazblue franchises, came together and made a beautiful hand drawn look to a game that really needed a make over. Sure, we got Contra 4 a few years back, which was an amazing title, but it’s refreshing to see the series back in all its glory, styling a new look.
;)
Sonic had not one, not two, but three games to show off (four if you count Sonic Riders). The first was Sonic the Hedgehog 4, the game that officially holds the final straw for Sonic and its fans, was to me a bit underwhelming. I’ve heard different from other people who’ve played it but during my time with it I didn’t really feel the nostalgia come back into my fingers. Sonic’s jump, his walk, and his overall speed just isn’t there the way that it was in the original series. Which is weird because the second game they had on the show floor was Sonic Colors for the DS which feels very much like Sonic Rush, which has been considered the only series to really bring the gameplay back to how we all remembered it when we were kids, as well as adding a couple of new interesting features along the way. And then finally there was Sonic Colors on the Wii, which surprisingly played exactly like Sonic Unleashed minus the werewolf stages. And in the end I enjoyed my time with the Colors games than Sonic 4, but that could change when the games came out. Who knows, maybe once I actually get to play the full game it’ll come rushing back to me, so I’m still optimistic.
Best Reveal
“Sorry to keep you waiting”, Pit said in the outset of what I thought was the biggest reveal of the show, Kid Icarus: Uprising - a launch title for the Nintendo 3DS. I never really invested much time in the NES Kid Icarus, but after seeing Uprising’s trailer, I feel the need to go back and relive me some Nintendo Entertainment System memories.
In the End
Now that I’ve seen what there’s to come for the rest of this year, as well as what’ll be hitting shelves later next year, I can only look back at the event and think of it as a major turning point in this generation’s lifespan. We’ve been told time and time again that these consoles we own now would last us near a decade, and this was the first E3 where we’ve gone over the hill and saw that no, there are no new systems in sight. This is both a good and strange time for both the industry and gamers alike since we aren’t sure of what to expect anymore. And that’s probably why a lot of writers I’ve talked to and seen have expressed that this E3 in particular, although revealing a lot of “NEW” stuff, felt a bit stale. However, I cannot wait to see what next year’s Expo brings after we’ve seen if the 3DS, Kinect, and Move have become retail success stories or not.
As of now, my money is on Nintendo. Put it all on red!
