All was not lost however. There were some very good showings from individual game developers. While I would have liked to see more surprises - it felt like everyone's pre-E3 announcements took a lot of the punch out of the event itself - there is still some good stuff to talk about, so I thought I would briefly list some of the highlights for me coming out of this year's conference. I will break this up into a few parts to include video for anyone who hasn't gotten to see something that may be of interest to them, but too many embed videos in a single page can be rough for loading purposes. Plus there are some upcoming items I have not yet gotten to see, but will surely want to talk about (like Tekken Tag Tournament 2, Persona 4 Arena and Disney Epic Mickey 2) I have to start with...
Tomb Raider:
This game has been a curiosity for me for quite some time, but after seeing the video for it at E3, I came away really wanting to get my hands on this game and see if it plays anywhere near as good as it looks. Considering how much more time is being spent on this game before it releases, I am very optimistic that the game is going to be a fun, polished experience.
Final Fantasy Realtime Tech Demo - Agni's Philosophy
Sure, this wasn't a game at all, but it was an impressive video. Seriously, put this thing up to 1080P and take a look at it. I thought Final Fantasy XIII and XIII-2 were pretty, but this is impressive stuff in my opinion.
Assassin's Creed 3
This one is getting mentioned largely because of my son. I did enjoy the first Assassin's Creed game on the Xbox 360 when it came out, but the series has just never really grabbed my attention the way it has others - including my son. So while this one did not do much for me (though the change in scenery is certainly welcome), there will be interest in my household.
Splinter Cell: Blacklist
I am fairly new to the Splinter Cell series. In fact the only one I have played so far is Conviction on the Xbox 360 (I actually have a review for it coming up soon). That said? I really, really liked it. It was a brutal, visceral gaming experience that makes me look forward to Blacklist.
Dead Space 3
I really enjoyed the first Dead Space, giving it a solid score when I reviewed it. My son has played Dead Space 2 and also has had nothing but good things to say about it (I plan to - it just hasn't made it high enough in my backlog yet). I even enjoyed the on-rails shooter for the Wii, Dead Space: Extraction (which reminds me, I'm overdue to post a review on that). So I have been watching Dead Space 3 with some apprehension. I know I am the first to say: give new games/features a chance, but I'm just not sure about the co-op addition to this point. On the one hand, it will give my son and I something else to play together, but it feels like the addition of co-op to Resident Evil 5, which made for an entertaining game, but a lackluster horror/survival experience in my opinion.
Kingdom Hearts 3D: Dream Drop Distance
This is another I will mention because it will appeal to someone in my household - not necessarily because I am supremely excited about it. My oldest though, is quite the fan of the Kingdom Hearts games and will no doubt be excited when she sees this post and views the trailer below.
So, this is my first round of E3 game thoughts - any of these titles particularly interest you? I know Tomb Raider was one I touched on before and seemed to be a high point for a lot of gamers. Any of these games just really disinterest you, or as in my case with Dead Space 3, worry you?
Tomb Raider and Assassin's Creed 3 I'm so looking forward to.
ReplyDeleteI actually missed Splinter Cell: Blacklist, so thanks for posting that up. It looks good I must say. The only Splinter Cell game I played was Splinter Cell: Chaos Theory on the Xbox. I have been planning to get the HD trilogy for the PS3, but just haven't gone around to buying it yet. Splinter Cell: Blacklist will be my watch list.
I think it's cool they added co-op to Dead Space 3. Would be fun to play the game with a friend. Of course I'm going to hate it when I'm playing alone. Sheva was a pain in my ass when it came to Resident Evil 5, so I hope Dead Space 3 doesn't follow through the same way.
I want Kingdom Hearts 3 already! They are spending too much time on making Birth By Sleep & now Dream Drop Distance when they should be working with Kingdom Hearts 3 for the PS3 already. I've been waiting for Kingdom Hearts 3 since PS3 was released, but we got nothing. I hope we get Kingdom Hearts 3 very soon now.
- The Girl Gamer
The Agis thing "it was an impressive video" YOU WIN UNDERSTATEMENT OF THE CENTURY!
ReplyDeleteAs a massive Final Fantasy lover I almost hyperventilated and died when I saw that video, considering it was in REAL TIME.
Other than that I'm trying not to pay attention to stuff, as a broke student I can only afford to get excited about a small number of things, and I choose Tomb Raider and next-gen Final Fantasy :)
Oh boy does Square Enix know how to get people watching. Say what you want about them, they constantly produce the most impressive engines in the industry, bar none.
ReplyDeleteI was rather disappointed by the conference overall, too.
Nice job...and great new look
ReplyDeleteAgreed. My oldest, who doesn't even really like to game, always seems to just stop and watch when I have a newer FF game in. She loves the visuals and this demo did not disappoint.
ReplyDeleteHaha, I didn't quite go into hyperventilation mode, but I was very impressed and definitely would like to see more. It's almost enough to make me re-think my stance on the next-gen systems getting here too soon for my liking. ;)
ReplyDeleteGlad you liked that Blacklist video. I really have only played conviction, but I thought it was very cool. As for Dead Space 3, I know I'll have fun playing it with my son, but the creepy suspense is my favorite part of that series and I worry that it'll be somewhat sacrificed here.
ReplyDeleteAs for KH3 - you sound like my daughter. Had you heard about the possible collection people have been talking about for the PS3 lately? Haven't heard many details, but my daughter's been anxiously awaiting it.
I haven't played any of the Dead Space games yet. I have them, but they are in my backlogs lol. From the videos I've seen about them, for sure you will lose the creepy suspense when playing with someone and even an AI partner. I know Resident Evil 5 lost the scary part of the game completely. At least Resident Evil 4 had a bit of it.
ReplyDeleteLol, I heard about the collection for PS3, Vita, and Wii U, but it's only rumors. Nomura said he wouldn't mind making the collection, but it isn't confirm at all. There was a rumor that he was going to confirm it at E3, but all he confirm is Dream Drop Distance. I hope Nomura do make a collection. He's an ass already for making us Kingdom Hearts fans wait for so long lol.
ROFL - you and my daughter are of the same mind on the Kingdom Hearts there.
ReplyDeleteI really, really liked Dead Space because I am a fan of survival horror. What I'm afraid of is that this co-op will be like RE 5 and just as you pointed out, lose the tension