E3 2010 – ‘Epic’ Conference!

So, ironically, whenever a word becomes the new “it” word for companies to use (Xtreme, New, etc…) it usually is attached to things that are viewed very highly in the public eye.  Two games were demoed this week at E3 that had the word “Epic” in the title and while that’s not a lot, I just don’t want every game to be labeled as “Epic” from here on…  The funny thing is, these are two titles that I am actually really excited about.  But I’ll get to that in a minute.  E3 2010 was full of surprises and more game announcements than I can write about so, I’m going to have to do this in more than one post I think.  I’m warning you now, this one could get lengthy…

Everyone wants to talk about who won the battle of E3 conferences between Microsoft, Nintendo, and Sony.  I can’t be completely unbiased because unfortunately, I didn’t get to watch the Microsoft conference and watched the other two (and Sony’s twice).  I didn’t pay as close attention to the MS keynote because I don’t own a 360, so I’m going to talk about the big things and the things that made me a little jealous.  I think if I were to tell Karen that I wanted a 360 to go along with my PS3 and Wii, I’m pretty sure I’d be in trouble.  The common theme was motion gaming, and with it so much the forefront of these conferences, I will say that I am not all that interested in purchasing multiple add-ons just to play games.  MotionPlus is a little annoying because that is how the Wii Remotes should have worked in the first place.  But the cost is minimal comparitively.  Sony’s Move still hasn’t shown me anything to convince me that it’s not just Wii HD with better tracking.  I think that’s great, but will I spend $100 for a controller, camera, and game?  Not likely…unless that lottery ticket comes in.  Kinect, which is a clever name, hasn’t been officially priced, but several retailers have it listed as $150.  That price point is crazy.  And could be a big problem with MS.  To me, Motion control and 3D are only tools, and it really becomes a question of how do you use those tools to create a new experience that people want to play?  Which brings us to the conferences themselves:

Microsoft:  Call of Duty – Black Ops (which is multiplatform) looks very good for a shooter, but my interest in shooters has waned quite a bit.  It will take something bigger than that to bring me back.  I’ll check back on this one later. 
MGS: Rising (Also Multiplatform) – I didn’t like any of the MGS games that I’ve played.  I know that puts me in a minority, but I just never got into them.  Truth be told, I probably didn’t give them a fair amount of time, but still.  The game looks phenominal.
Gears of War 3 – Having never played the other two, I’m still interested in this one, but since it’s an MS exclusive, I’ll probably never play it.  Again, it looks amazing.
Halo: Reach – You had me at Halo.  OK, that was a bad joke, but I’ve always had a soft spot for the Halo franchise.  Halo was the game that brought me back to gaming with my original Xbox.  Prior to that, my previous console was an NES and my roommate’s Genesis.  Oh how I wish I could play this.  Even though it’s a shooter.
Kinect – I’m just not that into it.  Without the physical controller in your hand, there’s no weight resistance.  Maybe I’d feel different if I’d experienced it. 
ESPN – OK, I’m officially jealous, but this is possible on the PS3, right?  Well, not when they put the word “Exclusive” next to it.  Crap… I miss Cable.
More Kinect games – I’m not that into them.
New Xbox – well.. that would look really good next to the PS3…  Karen? 
And that was it.  Kinda underwhelming unless you were really into the Kinect.

Nintendo:  The Legend of Zelda – Skyward Sword – I haven’t played a Zelda game since the original, but am intrigued.. if only the demo had been a bit more…  um… good?  The controller issues aside (which as I’ve seen in numerous reports was better on the floor), the game looks interesting and I’ll probably try it, but not the big thing I’m looking forward to.
Mario Sports Mix – So, I’ve seen some pretty tepid response to this game, but in my opinion, I think it looks like a ton of fun.  Like Wii Sports meets Mario Kart.  I’m cautiously optimisic. 
Goldeneye 007 – OK, this does bring me back.  I remember it on the N64 and this looks like it could be fun, but again, it’s a shooter so I’m going to need something extra to really get me excited about it.
Epic Mickey – OK, so despite the title, I think this game is going to be awesome.  I can’t explain why exactly, but the paint mechanic, platforming (which is always a favorite of mine), and characters sound like something that is right up my alley.  I can’t wait to check this out.
Kirby’s Epic Yarn – Again, the title would normally have made me go the other way with this game, but seeing the game itself, the art style is so unique and the gameplay mechanics that it uses are as well.  The only thing holding me back is maybe it is a little too “cute”.  Who am I kidding, I’m still gonna play it.
Metroid Other M – Again, I didn’t play the other Metroid Prime games, but I’m very interested in this one.  I’ve seen how they want to integrate motion control and “old school” controls and I think that is a really cool idea.  Definitely will check out.
Donkey Kong Country Returns – So, another platformer for the Wii.  I almost feel like it’s too many, but again, who am I kidding, I’ll totally check this one out too.
Nintendo 3DS – Wow.  I sold my PSP a little while ago because I thought I was over the portable gaming thing.  I think I may have to get one of these… for my kids.. yea… they should be old enough soon… 🙂  3D without glasses and the titles they are going to launch sound like a good lineup.  I’d like to get one, but don’t know if it will actually happen.
(Mentioned only briefly in the conference) – NBA Jam – That’s right NBA Jam is coming back and coming to the Wii.  I totally want this game.  I still can’t figure out if it’s a WiiWare title, or a Retail Title.  How much will it be?  I still want it, but I wouldn’t pay $50 for it.
In my opinion, a much better show than MS.  Lots of surprises and some great games in store.

Sony:  Killzone 3 in 3D.  So, since I watched at home, I didn’t see it in 3D.  The game looks awesome.  Even though it’s a shooter, I’m still interested.I’d love to see it in 3D, but there’s no way that I’m getting a 3D TV anytime soon. 
3D Gaming – I’m a little interested in 3D gaming, but the entry price is so high (Except for Nintendo) that I don’t think I’ll be able to appreciate it for a LONG time.  I do like that BluRay allows them to put both versions on a disc.  That’s awesome.
Sorcery – Looks like a really cool game, not earth-shattering, but cool.  I don’t know if it’s $80 for the Move plus the cost of the game good, but I did like it.  Kinda Harry Potter-esque.
Tiger Woods for the Move – Well, I’ve got the Wii Motionplus version coming today, so I think I’ll stick with that.
Heroes on the Move – So, I like the cast of characters, but I’m not sure what the game is really about.  Looks like a platformer, but it’s for the Move.  I think it’s a good idea to get beloved characters using the Move.  Helps to sell.
LittleBigPlanet2 – Looks awesome, and a Day 1 buy for me.  I loved the first one, and like that everything can be carried over.  Can’t wait to see what the community will do with this amount of creation tools.
Playstation Plus – So, for $50, I get games (They called them free, but really you are renting them for the subscription fee), Qore (which used to cost $25), demos, betas, and other stuff?  I’ll probably get it if I can.
Holy Cow!  Portal 2 Direct from Valve?  That was out of no where and I’m definitely interested. 
inFamous2 – I really liked the first one, so I’ll probably get this one too.  Ice?  How does that have to do with Electricity? 
Twisted Metal PS3 – So, I never played the other Twisted Metal games, and I’m not that excited about this one, but maybe once I see some more video, I’ll change my tune.
The Move looks good, but I want to try it out before I invest a lot of money into it.  I think the Nintendo Conference was better, but this was a close second.

So that’s it for the conferences.  I’m really excited about the games that are upcoming.  So excited that I’m going to do another post in the upcoming few days that talks about the specific games I’m excited about in more detail.  So, until then…

Keep Gaming,

PJ