Anyone else going through Stimulus Overload Withdrawl? Now that that dust has settled from E3 last week, some of the new staff members here at the site wanted to weigh in on their thoughts about the conference as a whole, and some of the specific games that they are looking forward to or disappointed in. So let's get started!
Shane Rowbotham - TXB News Managing Editor
As the buzz of E3 2012 comes to a halt, I will be using the time to give my impressions on Microsoft's Press Conference. They were the first to show what they are bringing to the table at this year's E3, and they weren't afraid to show the world that Xbox means business on the massive stage, showing off the iconic green colour as it lit up the entire room, with huge screens on show, ready for the coming storm.
The core game line-up was a big improvement over the previous year, which I will give my opinion on below. There was less of a focus on Kinect, which I, personally, was really happy about. Also unveiled were new apps, Live features, and other things, but I'll be keeping this strictly about the Games. That's all i'm here for.
So let's begin.
Halo 4
Microsoft's crown jewel was the first to be shown at their Press Conference, and I can happily say it did not disappoint. The opening live action trailer was an excellent, high quality piece, which set the mood and atmosphere. Following that was the first ever gameplay reveal of the Campaign.
First thing that caught my eye was how stunningly beautiful the game looked. 343 Industries have did a brilliant job at bumping the Graphical Detail up another level from Bungie's last effort, Reach.
We also had a first look at the new Forerunner enemy, which was a pleasant surprise, showcasing their technoligically advanced weaponry. We can all agree that both the UNSC, and even the Covenant have got a much bigger threat to deal with. And who knows, maybe the Humans and Aliens will put aside their rivalry and begin a Fragile Alliance. The enemy of my enemy is my friend, right? .. Or maybe not.
Either way, coming from someone who has played every Halo going back to Combat Evolved on the PC, this looks to be shaping up to be biggest, most ambitious Halo title yet. Keep your eyes marked on this one.
Splinter Cell: Blacklist
The next big game to be shown was Blacklist, Ubisoft's next title in one of my favourite game franchises of all time, Splinter Cell. Once again, i wasn't disappointed. Simply said, from the opening moments I knew I was in for a nice surprise.
The middle-eastern level which was shown looked visually amazing, and also shown off was a host of new features, like the 'Kill in Motion' mechanic, which will defintely bring some new strategy to the franchise, as it will require planning before pulling off a fast, rewarding action. The only gripe I had was the loss off Michael Ironside, who, unfortunately, won't be returning as the voice behind one of the world's deadliest agents.
Kinect will be making its way to Blacklist as well. One of the integrated features being voice recognition. An example shown in the stage demo was Sam Fisher climbing up a wall and hanging, followed by distracting a patrolling guard and pulling him over the edge. This was done by speaking the words "Psst! Hey!". It's a nice touch for that added immersion, but I personally won't be using it. Oh, and possibly one of the biggest surprises was the announcement of the return of Spies Vs. Mercs, which has pleased a lot of people.
Overall, this is one of my most anticipated titles. It's just a shame that we'll have to wait until 2013.
Forza Horizon
Ah, Forza. The next title in the hit racing franchise. This time being created by playground games, and moving away from the racing circuits across the globe, to the open-road of Colarado. It's an interesting twist on the series, one of which is likely to please a lot of fans. But for those not too happy, they shouldn't worry, as it's not all about free roaming the massive landscape.
Also included will be festival racing, which will bring out the core style of Forza Motorsport, which is circruit races at the core. It will have something for everyone, without a doubt.
Personally, I believe this route is a great change of pace, and I'm looking forward to seeing more, as the previous titles didn't grab my attention all that much.
Gears of War: Judgment
Microsoft's other big gun, is of course, Gears of War: Judgment. A short teaser trailer was revealed at the Conference, which visually looked impressive, but had a terrible soundtrack to boot. Luckily there is a different version out there with a voiceover, rather than the use of awful music. The differences this time around are, Epic won't be the main driving force, as Bulletstorm devs, People can fly will be at the helm, with Epic Games collaborating.
The story will be set prior to the first Gears of War game, with the smartass Baird taking the spotlight. Of course it wouldn't be a Gears game without a squad as back up. Say goodbye to Delta, and hello to Kilo. Also returning is the Cole Train, along with two new COG Soldiers, Sofia Hendricks and Garron Paduk.
Multiplayer will be set around class-based combat, with choices such as being a Medic or Engineer, which will be an interesting twist on the usual online offering we have come to love.
I have been a long-running fan of the Gears Saga, and I am super excited to see more of what is on offer in the coming months.
Fable: The Journey
Well, to start with, i've always found the Fable games incredibly dull and boring, despite enjoying other RPG's in the genre. The trailer shown in the conference didn't change my mind on that, switching between small gameplay segments and an actor playing the role of the 'hero' with the power of magic in his hands. It was all rather embarrassing.
To top it all off, it is a Kinect-Driven game, so on that note, i've got nothing more to say.
Resident Evil 6
I'll be completely honest here, i only started playing the Resident Evil franchise from the 4th game, which i'm sure you all know, you play as Leon Kennedy. This was the case with the live demo on stage as well, as we were in the boots of Leon, wandering.. or rather, running and jumping around a zombie filled city, full of destroyed vehicles and damaged buildings. The place looked like a bomb had hit. Despite starting my Resi career from number 4, i know that the earlier titles were more focused on the horror aspect, with incredible tension. We saw none of this here, which has a lot of fans both annoyed, and worried about the direction, which many didn't like in Chris Refield's story of Resident Evil 5. Personally, i thought the gameplay itself looked solid, boasting an improved cover system and actually being able to move while aiming.
There was also a serious placement of quick time events, which didn't look very 'Resi-like', and defintely wasn't neeeded. But being a fan of the last two titles, i'll hold my doubts for further information and media, as the title is still around four months off, and there are two other seperate campaigns to go along with Kennedy. That should be interesting.
Tomb Raider
Lara Croft truly is back, with the stage demo seriously impressing me. I was never a massive fan of the Tomb Raider franchise, but there has been just enough interest for me to keep an eye out on the latest adventure. We were shown Lara Croft taking out mercenaries left, right and center. One of the weapons at her disposal was a bow and arrow, in which she could improvise and set enemies on fire. (Speaking of Bow and Arrows, dont' you think there is a big trend of this, lately?) We also saw using the environment to her advantage, like shooting loose obects, and making them tumble onto the unsuspecting baddies below. Lara isn't afraid of getting in close and personal either, sneaking behind unaware soldiers and pushing them off the side of cliff edges, and things like that. It's all good stuff. I'll be looking out for this one.
Call of Duty: Black Ops 2
This one was a given. Microsoft have had a Call of Duty demo for the past few years, and this year it ended the conference with a bang.. or several dozen. What we saw was what have all come to expect from the most popular game of all time, which is huge setpieces, massive explosions, and a lot of gun fire.
The presentation began with the player - none other than the son of the original Black Ops protagonist, Alex Mason, sat in the back of a humvee with the President, and all hell breaking loose outside. It looked very samey, apart from the obvious future setting, with dozens upon dozens of rogue unmanned drones flying around, destroying everything in their path.
With the very similiar experience which comes year after year, i found myself rather bored midway through, and began to zone out every now and again. No doubt it will have pleased the fans, but for me, it didn't accomplish anything new.
Everything else
There was more on show, such as three XBLA exclusive titles, more kinect badness, EA Sports titles, and other gimmicks such as Xbox Smartglass which don't interest me in the slightest. As I stated in the little introduction, i am all about the games, and these kind of things put me to sleep, so I didn't pay much attention at all when watching the Conference.
I am going to end by saying it's best not to speak if you haven't got anything good to say, so i'll leave it here. See you later, for more in 2013!
Now let's turn the page and check out some additional thoughts from Joshua and Jeff.
