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E3 Preview: Rocksmith

By
Gregory Hutto
– June 9, 2011Posted in: E3 2010 Blog, Event Blogs, PlayStation 3, Previews, Xbox 360

Think music games are dead? Well, the guys at Ubisoft just won’t let it die, but that doesn’t have to be a bad thing. Maybe the problem isn’t that music games are flooding the market, but that innovation-less music games are flooding the market. For better or worse, Ubisoft is taking a stab at the genre with Rocksmith.

What sets Rocksmith apart from other music games is that any real guitar can be the instrument. Others have tried this, but latency has been an issue. Ubisoft feels as though they’ve overcome this obstacle, but it may just be that they fine-tuned the process. During my playthrough, I found that the more stacatto my notes were (short), the more latency was noticable. However, notes that were mere fluid and legato registered much better with the game.

Rocksmith has notes coming at you like Rock Band, but with multiple strings, they’ve decided to identify each string with a color. Playing at first with multiple strings can be extremely overwhelming — even for veteran guitar players like myself — but with practice comes association.

Rocksmith takes the load off a bit by making the game scale to the player’s skill as the song progesses. The more the player does correctly, the more notes they as presented with to play. Conversely, doing poorly forces the game to ask less of the player by displaying less notes. When I started doing well, I felt like the game was going to scale-up the difficulty, but it took a bit of time.

I didn’t know the songs I played too well, but the ones I saw on the tracklist looked really good. Unfortunately, the songs I wanted to play most weren’t ready yet, but expect to see some fantastic music — possibly even better than the tracklisting for Rockband 3 (or at least in my opinion).

What also sets the game apart from others is the post-processing effects. As stated by the team, “pedals are expensive”. In Rocksmith, there are tons of modeling pedals, amps and more. Really, the limit to the sounds the player could create in Rocksmith is likely far more boundless than what most guitar players can reasonably afford. Though, the game also does its best to recreate tons from songs as they are in studio recordings as well.

Again, it’s really hard to say how it’s going to play at this point, as it’s quite clear that it’s still in the development cycle. Not too many songs are finished, and many things really need some tweaking. If anything, this demo was far more a tech demo than something that is supposed to represent the final build. With that in mind, though, the game does show a lot of promise for both musicians that want to learn songs interactively and have tangible scores, and players who want to learn guitar from zero to hero.

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Diaries Of A First Time E3-Goer: Day 2

By
Gregory Hutto
– June 9, 2011Posted in: Blogs, E3 2010 Blog, Event Blogs, Staff Blogs, Vagary.TV

Day 2 of E3 was very intense. I felt extremely successful the day before, and I wanted to one-up myself. I tried to see as much as I possible could, and that meant tons of walking and standing around with a backpack that was much too heavy.

For the second day, I went to grab my free breakfast (haven’t paid for a single meal, drink or booze!) and took off on foot to E3. While the rest of the Vagary.TV team went to see Sega, I took to getting some previews done. It may seem like the site doesn’t have a whole ton of content for the time we’ve been here, but our luck on the Internet has been sporadic.

However, the biggest factor for getting out comprehensive content is time. Getting from point A to B and taking it all in is massively over-whelming. Don’t get me wrong, I love every minute of it, but it is work. Only three of us are here, but I have full faith that we’ll have content that is fresh, well-developed and plentiful for as busy and taxed as we are.

Anyhow, after throwing up some content, I hit up some appointments. Here is an example of a few of them:

Square Enix — Some of the guys checked out some Square products, but I was solely concerned with Final Fantasy XIII-2. I was impressed that they actually let me play it, as a lot of the AAA titles are merely demonstrations. In all honesty, I didn’t really think it was all that different from XIII. Though, unlike most of the people I talk to, I loved XIII. I certainly see its faults, but as I’ve said before, I can respect their innovations. The demo was about 10 minutes long, and I didn’t really get an opportunity to understand just how Square was going to make this game better in “every aspect”. With that in mind, I scheduled an interview to follow-up my already posted preview.

Rocksmith – In-between things, I saw that Rocksmith was doing some previewing inside a tour bus. I stood in line, and the line seemed to be moving very slowly. In the line with me was a programmer from InfinitiWard. It was strange standing next to someone of that caliber on pretty much an even keel, and I did get the opportunity to talk to him about his job. While I’m not all that much of  Call of Duty fan, it was still interesting to hear him talk about his job, the industry and even his thoughts on the game that we were about to see together. I also saw some guys from Disney Interactive who created animation software that was used to render animations for Disney Movies — that latest being Tangled. When I got in, I found that the game was pretty decent, but I didn’t have a lot of time to really make certain that it functioned as well as it claimed. It didn’t have too many tracks available, but I did get a sneak peak at the tracklisting that is currently embargoed. Again, stay tuned for that preview as well.

Bethesda — I took some time to learn a bit about some hardware and check into getting press kits from various companies. The team had an appointment with Bethesda to see a private showing of Skyrim, but I was late. Though, it still worked out. I got to see Prey 2 instead, a game that I hadn’t really put any thought into, and it really caught my attention. It’s like Star Wars Bounty Hunter meets Mass Effect’s Omega. I will be having a preview up soon enough, so it’s really something worth checking out.

505 Games — To take a load off the Vagary.TV crew, I took on taking a look at 505′s line-up to finish the day. To be honest, their games were a bit underwhelming as a whole, but that’s not to say there weren’t some gems. I started with a look at Backbreaker, previously released on the iPhone, and it can be best descibed as a series of tackling football mini-games that are reminscent of practice drills. I am sure it works well on iPhone, but as an XBL/PSN title, it may be a bit under-whelming. Perhaps if it was in an EA Madden game, it’d not feel so narrow. However, the guy demoing the game was quite kind, and it gets to the point where faking interest to an undectable degree feels necessary. After all, just because the product may not fully be realized, it doesn’t mean that they didn’t put their best efforts into the product. I did a preview on 505′s Top Gun: Hardlock, and it’s looking quite promising. Finding that many games don’t stand on their own for an entire preview, I’ve decided that at the end of E3, I’ll be posting a conglomerate of mini-previews here on Vagary.TV.

All in all, this day proved to be the most difficult. I really wanted to see as much as I possibly could, but it was absolutely exhausting. I was more than ready for bed. It was only on day two that it finally occurred to me that I was indeed working. As I’ve asserted time and time again, it’s a great opportunity that I fully appreciate, but more than that, it’s a learning opportunity that I know will mean a lot for my professional growth.

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E3 Preview: Top Gun: Hardlock

By
Gregory Hutto
– June 9, 2011Posted in: Blogs, E3 2010 Blog, Event Blogs, News, PS3, Xbox 360

For the first time in quite a while, there may be an arcade flight dogfighting game that I may enjoy. Courtesy of 505 Games comes Top Gun, based after the movie staring Tom Cruise of 1986. This game takes place 25 years later and features an entire voiced story campaign along the way.

While I didn’t hear too much about the story itself — save that it would feature similar “bromance” themes — I did get an opportunity to play the game. It’s quite thrilling to fly around in the original F14 Tomcat from the movie, but the final feature will have more crafts available. The game functions largely like most dogfighters, though, it’s upper-hand comes in its easy and intuitive controllability.

Unlike many similar games, tracking down enemy crafts feels natural, and there isn’t a lot of time trying to weave around enemies as they seem to always be behind you, no matter how hard you try to get them in your sights. This is achieved by having an intuitive two-stick design — on the right stick; forward to boost, back to stall, and all the in-betweens to juke. In line with being able to track enemies better comes the hardlock function. When the player tracks an enemy long enough, taking pot shots along the way, a prompt for the ‘x’ button appears that puts the gunplay first as the craft pilots itself.

When the player is in hardlock, the camera becomes focused on the enemy, and the players reticule becomes paramount in targeting. By positioning the aim correctly, the player may lock on to the enemy and get a missile kill. To do this successfully, the player must appropriately react to analog-stick QTEs that appear on-screen.

If the player fails at this, the hardlock may be turned around onto the player. If this happens, players must dodge potshots themselves and hop not to be missile locked. This feature proves to be quite satisfying, and is said to get more difficult and sensitive as the game progresses.

The simple, yet satisfying gameplay is set to an absolutely beautiful enviornment. Headstrong’s in-house engine provides dynamic lighting and scenery, as well as a breathtakingly beautiful sunsets that change the sky as the battle goes on. Even though the build I saw was impressively presented, I was told that it was still being improved and had some improvements already finished that weren’t seen on the E3 build.

Top Gun: Hardlock was a lot of fun for the few minutes that I played it. The game was simple enough to pick up and play, while remaining be a satisfying challenge. It’s clear that the game itself is well-executed, but what will make or break the game is it’s longevity as a fun experience. With a campaign said to be 20 hours, the game must prove to be dynamic and challenging.

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E3 Preview: Hydra [Hardware]

By
Gregory Hutto
– June 9, 2011Posted in: Blogs, E3 2010 Blog, Event Blogs, News, News

Definitely one of the coolest things I’ve seen at E3 is Razer’s Hydra. The Hydra is a brand new peripheral for PC that is much akin to the Wiimote and nunchuck, crossed with PlayStation Move. The concept in and of itself is quite self-explanatory, but it’s possibilities are intriguing.

The Hydra includes a reception station that doesn’t require line of sight to function. There are two controllers with buttons and a thumb stick each. The Hyrdra system has been created to function while sitting in one’s gaming chair, and has a play radius of about 3-4 feet.

The Razer isn’t even available yet, but it supports 125 games out of the box. As awesome as that sounds, it’s functionality is uncertain. However, there is ton of function for the Hydra in Portal 2. Best yet, the Hydra actually changes the gameplay.

For the release of the Hydra, Valve has created DLC content to work with the peripheral. In Portal 2, the Hydra can be used to hold objects at specific distances, stretch out boxes and more. This adds to the dynamic nature of the game, allowing players to create bridges, position lasers in a much more controlled manner and much, much more.

Razer’s Hydra will be available this month and packaged with Portal 2 for 139.99. 

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E3 Preview: Final Fantasy XIII-2

By
Gregory Hutto
– June 9, 2011Posted in: Blogs, E3 2010 Blog, Event Blogs, News

It hasn’t been too long since Final Fantasy XIII, but a sequel is well in the works for a release next year. It’ll be released in December in Japan and Q1 in North America and Europe. For many, this news is unsettling, as XIII wasn’t the critical success that most gamers felt could be expected from this pivotal JRPG series. Even so, Square-Enix claims that this title will “exceed [XIII] in every aspect.”

Final Fantasy XIII-2 seems to play largely like the last title, but boasts a few tweaks. Players will find themselves playing as other characters this time around, such as Lightning’s sister, Serah, and her friend Noel. Though the main protaganist is still Lightning, allowing for more development of a well-received character. Other characters are said to return, but they’ll return in ways that are “unexpected” and with different personalities.

The story of Final Fantasy XIII-2 is said to be darker this time around, as Cocoon has fallen, and Lightning is still trying to find her place in life. She is also posed against a mysterious man who is an equal to her strength in a yin-yang kind of implication. Not too much else is known about the story, but it’s said to continue the mythology of the last title, focusing on the goddess Etro.

The E3 demo reintroduces Serah, along with Noel and their moogle companion. Noel has never been to Cocoon before and makes note that monsters are much stronger there. Before they are able to take in their surroundings, they are attacked by a giant, mechanical-like creature called Atlas. Atlas is mostly ethereal, except for his giant hand.

Serah and Noel take to attacking the hand, as it’s the only thing that they can actually make contact with. Yet, it is very powerful and knocks them around quite a bit. It’s then that the battle starts for the player.

The battle play is largely the same from the previous; however, there is a new mechanic called Cinematic Actions. These are essentially quick-time events that happen during orchestrated battles. Succeeding at these cinematics means an opportunity for increased damage, while failing results in a devastating attack to the player’s party members.

After the battle ends, Atlas retreats for the time being. The Gaurdian Corp allows Serah and Noel to try and stop Atlas. It’s here that “random battles” start appearing.

Yet another new mechanic is introduced. Monsters can now pop out of nowhere into the hub world, but if the player is able to real-time attack them quickly enough, they’ll start the battle with bonuses; such as faster attacks, first-strike and monsters to fight by the player’s side.

In XIII-2, the player may tame monsters and have them perform special attacks that are reminiscent of gestalt attacks from the previous title. Also, tamed monsters can be swapped based on their paradigm — whether one monster is better suited as a caster and another a brute, etc.

After some battling, the E3 demo took a turn into the puzzle category when Serah and her companions found themselves in another dimension. In this dimension, the player must get from one end of the room to the other, collecting every single crystal along the way. The puzzle aspect takes the form of not being able to stand on the same tile twice.

Once the puzzle are completed, Serah, her moogle friend and Noel find themselves at a machine that makes Atlas vulnerable to attack. Staggering makes a return, and once Serah and gang stagger Atlas, he is easily defeated.

At this point, the gameplay looks largely the same, and it’s clearly impossible to say whether or not the pacing will be any better. The tweaks as of yet are more subtle, but perhaps they can change things up enough to allow players to give Final Fantasy XIII-2 a shot. The development team said even before the release of the previous title that they had more story to tell and more gameplay features to integrate, so this may be their golden opportunity to get it right. In the meantime, keep your ears to the ground, and your eyes on Vagary.TV.

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Tune in tomorrow for a posting of an interview with the Final Fantasty XIII-2 dev team!

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Diaries Of A First Time E3-Goer: Day 1

By
Gregory Hutto
– June 8, 2011Posted in: Blogs, E3 2010 Blog, Event Blogs, Staff Blogs

It’s very strange to actually be at E3, but I feel like I’m making a pivotal step toward my ultimate goal of being a renown gaming journalist. I feel quite lucky to be a part of the Vagary.TV team. Not only have I been invited to cover E3 as someone who the industry deems as important to them, but it’s come with many perks.

I’ve had the pleasure of bumping elbows with some very amazing people. I’ve seen Casey Hudson, sat within waving distance to Shigeru Miyamoto and had a drink with IGN’s Daemon Hatfield. To me, that’s really the best part. Seeing all these new games is really interesting, but I would have seen them eventually. Privileged information only lasts so long as news is pouring out, but a good first impression with someone important can define one’s future.

I don’t know what this means for my future, but I do know that I’m having a good time. Anyhow, these are some of the things I’ve done thus far:

Nintendo Conference — I started Day 1 of E3 by seeing the Nintendo conference, and it really was a great time. I stood in line with IGN’s Scott Lowe and eventually took my seat in one of the first 20 some rows. Then, the orchestra started playing classic Zelda music, and I knew I finally “made it”. The conference had me on the edge of my seat, as this was supposed to be the reveal for the new Nintendo console. While the controller was revealed, the console really wasn’t. It blew me away how much they said without really saying anything. I found myself appreciative of the opportunity, but ultimately let down by the conference itself.

Appointments — After the conference, we headed in to E3, and the floor was officially open. I grabbed my media badge, but not until after being accosted by media for being a grown-ass man and not having my credentials with me in print form. I shook it off and headed out to the first appointment. The first game I saw was Awesomenauts, an ode to League of Legends for the XBL and PSN platform. I was ultimately unimpressed, but I definitely appreciate their efforts as a Dutch, independent developer. I also recognize the premise of the game didn’t really speak to me in the first place, but it impressed  my colleague, Kyle Baron. It may be worth checking out. After that, the rest of the team took off for more appointments, but I stayed on the floor to check things out, as I was overwhelmed by my first E3.

2K — After lunch, the Vagary.TV gang got back to E3, and I took some more time on the floor. I checked out some amazing things, including a PS Move/Wii like peripheral for Portal that changed the game’s mechanics drastically. I’ll be doing a write-up of that quite soon. Eventually, we got back together for a VIP appointment with 2K. Here, I previewed nearly their entire line-up, including two games that have previews on Vagary — The Darkness II and XCOM. They both were impressive, and I was really happy to be able to do the previews myself. Unfortunately, we had to split again for the team to make more appointments, but it meant that I get to solely cover one of the biggest studios on the floor.

Mass Effect 3 — From there, I took the time to check out even more booths, and better yet, booth babes. However, I saw that EA had some exclusive VIP showings of Mass Effect. I had been working on getting a VIP appointment already, but I’ve been very busy and it was proving to be difficult. However, BioWare was taking a few people in who were willing to wait for VIP screenings. Being a huge fan of BioWare and Mass Effect, I was willing to wait an hour in a line of less than 20 people to MAYBE get an opportunity to preview it. I was one of the few who actually did, and boy, was it worth it. The game is MASSIVE, as implied by the title, in a way that can hardly be described in words. Though, you’re certainly welcome to try out the words for their worth on Vagary, as I did get the pleasure of writing the preview.

Partying — Finally, I hit a few more booths to check out some things I was merely sort of impressed by. It’s truly hard to take everything in, so it sometimes feels overwhelming when trying to decide what is worth your attention. The Vagary team got back together, but we had to blow off our invite to the VIP Konami party. Instead, we went to the “war room” — the room that media can do their writing — and started up on some previews. We didn’t get as much time as we’d like, but we were still able to throw some content together. From there, we took back to our hotel and left for the Bethesda Private Party. There, they had an open bar and free food, as well as some important people in which to bump elbows with. We talked shop and had a conversation with Daemon Hatfield, and then we went back to the hotel to be ripped off by a cab driver, get some writing done and sleep.

– So there it is! That’s Day 1 in a nutshell. It may not seem like a lot, but time really flies in transit to appointments, and we’ve been doing our best to plan some amazing content for you folks who read Vagary.TV, and I’ve been gearing up for some awesome podcasting on GameON Radio, The BlankShowCast and more! In fact, we’ll be doing an E3 team podcast coming soon. Tune in!

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E3 Preview: XCOM

By
Gregory Hutto
– June 8, 2011Posted in: Blogs, E3 2010 Blog, Event Blogs, News

With 2K having quite the line-up at E3, it may a bit too easy to over-look what may be their strongest title. While I haven’t actually played XCOM, the E3 demo was far more intriguing than The Darkness 2,  Duke Nukem, or even BioShock: Infinite.

For those who’ve not heard of the game, XCOM is a sci-fi shooter with 1950′s throwback themes. Presenting itself much like you’d expect BioShock to look above ground as Rapture was being built, the player finds him or herself in a culture of hoop skirts, bowler hats and smoking indoors.

XCOM is actually a reboot of games made by Mythos Games. 2K has since taken on to rebooting the game, and rebranding it as XCOM, as opposed to X-COM. You know, because there is a big difference? Anyhow, the game sets itself to take concepts from the original series and take it to the Nth degree.

The concept is pretty simple. Earth is being attacked by an unknown alien objective with unknown intentions — a force comprised of humanoid like soldiers, aliens posing as humans, turrets, and much more yet to be seen.  It’s up to the player to effectively manage teams to combat alien forces. This is done through research, effective ground tactics and maintaining base operations. Players learn from alien technology by capturing alien resources.

The research strategy is easily one of the most intriguing parts of the game. As the player commands a team of three, including himself and two ghost busters like characters, the player must tread the fine line of using alien technology in the field and knowing when it’s best to save alien technology for research and power upgrades.

Gamers who defeat alien forces capture the aliens using a tactical pausing screen, much like the one found in the Mass Effect series. It’s from this screen that the player may choose to capture a fallen enemy — such as humanoids, turrets, and warships — or reposition the other members and plan strategies; use powers like shielding, energy blasts and whatever else the player has earned through research; and more.

The game presents itself in an eerie way, but still somehow manages to have style and extremely impressive. Most impressively, at the tech demo, the producer captured a spherical warship and used it later to take out an all-sides opposition in a shooting gallery. The massive ship, about the size of a floating dump truck. Just as the ship shot its lazer cannons, rubble started flying everywhere, and the environment reflected the chaos ensued.

Rubble and fallen structures may seem reasonable in and of itself, but seeing as the player can deploy captured technology when they feel fit, this scene is implied to not be scripted during the final product. If the game really does reflect real time destruction throughout the game in a dynamic way, this is truly impressive and something noteworthy.

XCOM may really be 2K’s best product at E3, but it’s a shame that many may be distracted by larger 2K titles and title by other developers as well. In it’s current form, it seems straight forward enough to tickle our familiar nerd fancies of The Twilight Zone and Ghostbusters, but it’s what isn’t known that is just as tempting. Hopefully the end product meets the potential of this ambitious reboot, because I’ll definitely be keeping an eye out.

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E3 Preview: Mass Effect 3

By
Gregory Hutto
– June 8, 2011Posted in: E3 2010 Blog, Event Blogs, PC, Xbox 360

It comes as no surprise that Mass Effect 3 looks amazing, but it is still mind-blowlingly fresh to actually see in person. If any word can describe Mass Effect 3, the word is ‘grandiose’. It truly caught me off guard how large this game is. It’s easy to feel like a tough guy when you’re shooting down a few geth, skull bashing some husks, and sniping mechs like they were cheap toys. Now that the Reapers have invaded Earth, Shepard is a spec standing “tall” to the opposition.

In the newest installment, things start off harsh as Shepard stands trial for his “crimes” against the Batarian colonies. Before Shepard is given the verdict, Reapers invade Earth, and it’s to each their own survival. All efforts on Earth prove to be futile. Shepard is then given orders by Lt. Anderson to guild together a feasible opposition as he is reinstated as Commander. Hesitantly, Shepard agrees to embark on a journey, leaving Earth to its seemingly inevitable destruction, in order to gain resources, alliances and whatever else he can possibly attain to defend Earth from Reaper onslaught.

The most amazing part of the E3 demo was the scale. It’s clear to see that BioWare wants Shepard to seem powerless — an ant being stepped on by giants. Mass Effect 3 plays with a dynamic camera angles during gameplay, and it looks exceedingly smooth and really contributes to the cinematic nature of the game. Think the newest iteration of War of the Worlds, but actually good. All this is set to the very beautiful Mass Effect 3 engine, tailored from the Unreal 3 engine. The game is so beautifully cinematic, it may even confuse people for another Blur trailer.

Many characters make a return, and it can only be assumed that everyone that survives Mass Effect 2 will somehow effect the story. In the demo I was shown, Liara, Garrus, Legion, Joker and Mordin all made their return. There seem to be new characters in Shepard’s squadron as well, but they’ve yet to develop.

The gameplay seems to largely follow the structure of the previous title, but there are many more options for how tactics may be enacted. Cover mechanics seem to be much more intuitive, and the game displays where Shepard will rush to, so that the player can be certain they are making careful tactical advancements without taking away from the pace in over-calculation.

Even better yet, the cover mechanics and beefed up AI allow for a more in-depth playstyle. Flanking is much more tactically relevant and useful, and Shepard can even sneak up to his opponents. Why would the player want to sneak behind an enemy? Well, shooting them in the back is fun and all, but it’s much more satisfying to stab them with the new “Omni-blade.” The new arm lance initiates a sort of in-game cutscene, stabbing opponents viciously, replacing punching as the melee option. It’s very much akin to Halo: Reach’s assassinations. Also, Shepard is able to pull people from across ledges, much like something seen in Splinter Cell: Conviction.

The new gear doesn’t stop there. Mass Effect 3 sports an upgrade system in which the player can add parts — like gun barrels, sights, etc. — to enhance the effectiveness and tactical advantages to guns. This is something that was brought up in one of the latest GameInformers, but until now, it’s yet to be seen. It uses a bench mechanic like Dead Space, but is more visually appealing and “hands-on”. Frag Grenades also make a return, but function much more realistically and dynamically.

Finally, Mass Effect 3 touts a more in-depth character stats progression. For example, many people remember combat mastery as adding damage, persuasion, health and storm speed. However, this time around, players can designate what parts of Combat Mastery they’d like to benefit from specifically. This is some exciting news, as it will mean that players will have a more unique character with different playstyles.

Mass Effect 3 has been largley a close-to-the-chest project, but it’s clear to see it’s not for any reason other than saving the best for when it’s available. BioWare staff said they’d not even show the gameplay demo that was previewed at E3 again untill the game is officially released. It’s bittersweet, really. On one hand, many gamers are craving the instant gratification of seeing more and more of Mass Effect 3, but it is sure to be a reward in and of itself when the disc is actually in their hands as they discover just how amazing this game is looking to be.

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E3 2010 – Gallery

By
Ryan Kenward
– June 18, 2010Posted in: E3 2010 Blog

[flickr-gallery]

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E3 Days 1 & 2

By
Ryan Kenward
– June 17, 2010Posted in: E3 2010 Blog, Ryan's Blog

Hello Everyone!

   Sorry for the delay!  We’ve had one hell of a time getting our tech to work here in our low end hotels.  I am sorry we’re so far behind but I thought while I can I would post my blog on almost everything so far.  Please keep in mind that I will mostly just be sharing my notes and I will go into further detail later.  Overall, E3 has been a dream come true for all of us.  The first night we were all amazed by the Activision “Party” (Concert) – while the titles they showed were predictable and not very new or exciting, it was still a good time. It was nice to meet several IGN writers as well as Diggnation’s Alex Albrecht, several people at 5th Cell and Wayforward, the people at Game Focus (GameFocus.Ca), and so many others!  Aside from losing my car keys which was a night killer, the days have been a lot of fun so far.  I have a lot of video to upload soon and tons of pictures!  This also isn’t all of my notes!

Here are my notes on the Activision Party:

Activision Conference – More money spent on throwing parties than making new and original games.

Games Shown:
DJ Hero 2 – Meh
Rock Band: Heros of Metal – Very Meh
Other uneventfull Game
Call of Duty: Black Ops – Trailer was way cool because of the live orchestra and pyrotechnics

Performers:
Kayne West w/Usher
Jane’s Addiction
Bohemian Rhapsody Cover – (Which ruled)
NERD
Eminem w/ Rhiaana

My first real event was the Nintendo Conference – here are my notes.

Nintendo Conference – Winners of E3 2010

Reggie owes me a Big Foot Pizza :(
Miyamoto’s Entrance = Awesome
Zelda – Bow and arrow not controlling right… shield is a little funny too.  Sword feels good and its cool to have to defeat enemies by swinging different ways.  The art style is nice, its a good balance between OoT/TP Link with WW Link
Mario Sports – Eh.. could be fun.
Wii Party – Lame
Wii Dance – Lame
Golden Sun: Dark Dawn (DS) Holliday 2010 – Looked very good, likely to be a great DS title.
Golden Eye: Wii Holliday 2010 = Hoping to relive the glory days.
Disney: Epic Mickey – Nice art style, awesome for hardcore Disney fans or for families/young kids, story mode seems interesting and the graphics look pretty good for a wii title
Kirby’s Epic Yarn – Fall 2010 – Unsure about this, could potentially be a great Kirby title or it could be just another game that uses epic in the title/
Dragon Quest: Sentinels of the Starry Skies – July 11
Metroid: Other M – I liked the way it was presented in the trailer, did not get hands on with it though.
Donkey Kong – Holliday 2010 – Looked very polished and fun, certainly harkening back to the olden days of DK Country and perhaps even challenging them by doing it even better.
Nintendo 3DS – Wow, what a show stopper!  This system is going to change gaming as we know it.  For those who haven’t seen it in real life, you’re missing out.  Don’t judge it until you’ve seen it.  This has a LOT of potential.
Kid Icarus for the 3DS – Holy shiz!  Finally a Kid Icarus title, the trailer shown looked amazing.  Loved every minute of it.

Kept watching teleprompter to see “The only way we can really show it off so you can understand …. IS BY GIVING YOU ALL ONE” – sadly, this never happened.

Natsume –

Lufia – Looks like it could be a really great game for the DS, really liked the art style.
Harvest Moon – Always have been a fan of the new series, and this game looks like it will be good too – however, its nothing earth shattering as far of new things.  There’s a bazaar you can sell stuff at… Yeah.

Square/ENIX - Nothing but disappointment… What happened to these guys?  Where did the passion go for making great games?  I wasn’t impressed by anything I saw.  (I did not see a few titles to be fair, but I don’t have high hopes for them)

5th Cell
Super Scribblenauts – Looks awesome!  They have added in adverbs so now players can make very unique objects like – “red metal flaming dinosaur” as put by Nathan (the lead animator) – which is sounds cool to me. 

Bethesda
RAGE – Awesome so far, refreshing to see new IP with so much effort put into it.
Hunted – Like Gears of War meets gauntlet – was a lot of fun to play, the look and feel of the game was pretty good, camera was screwy a few times but the game isn’t scheduled for release yet so they have time to fix the minor issues.
Fall Out – New Vegas – Bound to be good.  Looks like Fallout 3 but in Vegas (Obviously)

Konami
Castlevania (XBox 360/PS3) – Game play looked sweet, awesome style.   Looking forward to it coming out.
Metal Gear (PSP) – Console seller?  Kojima strikes again with a very beautiful looking game.  The controls take some getting used to after being spoiled with dual analog but the buttons suffice.  Not a fan of the vertical sideways text menus… hopefully this changes (probably was because Japanese is written up and down, it was likely just quickly translated for E3 my best guess) – Multi-player is pretty cool too.

Sony
SOCOM4 (Played with the Move) – Liked the game a lot, looks like it will be awesome with dual analog control.  Sadly the move failed to impress me by being either over or under sensitive and not entirely accurate.  I have a lot of skepticism for this which I’ll discuss in the future – nothing I saw really sold me on it.

-Ryan

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