Post-E3 2011

[IG-64]

E3 came and went without a swamp thread? I can't just let this year go by without long-winded commentary.

Wii U
Terrible name, but I'm really excited to see what Nintendo can do with an HD console - especially one that surpasses the level of games PS3 and 360 can put out. Will Sony and MS come out with even more powerful systems somewhere down the line? Probably, but I don't think Nintendo should be written off just yet. Remember the 360 was released at least a year before the other two and it did just fine; and it doesn't look like Nintendo's chinching on the hardware this time.

Not many people were that blown away by the bird demo, but as a 3D modeler myself, I was extremely impressed with what they were able to achieve... I think people were put off by the visual style and didn't realize how advanced it really was. That and the lighting in the Zelda demo looks incredible, with a sort of rendered quality to it. To me it doesn't look like Nintendo will be very much behind in the competition.

Don't get me wrong, I want MS and Sony to blow me away with ever more advanced games... but it doesn't look like they'll be ready any time soon, so until then my attention is going to be on what Nintendo can pull out. That and I'm a Nintendo fanboy. :V

Dem HD Miyamoto games mang.

As for the controller, it looks interesting, but we shall see. It essentially turns the console into a giant DS, and since I never got a DS it's sort of unfamiliar territory for me. I do like the ability to go from the TV to the controller at will. I also like the prospect of moving most of the HUD to the controller to free up screen space. Other than that I'll just have to wait and see what the developers do with it. I've heard they're probably not going to support more than one or two tablet controllers, so that cuts into a lot of local multiplayer possibilities.

3DS
I've been waiting for the next iteration of the 3Ds before buying one, but after E3 the wait is that much harder. Luigi's Mansion 2, Super Mario 3DS, Star Fox 64, Paper Mario 3DS. Dem 3D Miyamoto games mang. Hopefully another 3DS will be out by the time Smash Bros 4 comes out.

Battlefield 3
I've played some of the earlier Battlefield games. I have a lot of respect for the first one, but I'm really not into war shooters very much. The thing is, everything I've seen of Battlefield 3 has blown me away. Not just the graphics in itself, but the scale, the visual style, the environments, the animations, the realism, and just the overall feel of the game. Even just the way the gameplay is paced is amazing. Consider me hyped.

Tomb Raider
Nice "gritty origin story." I like the survival angle. I just hope they don't go overboard on the vulnerabilty like they did with Other M.

Far Cry 3
Really good voice acting and animation. Some of the scenes were pretty intense. As for the gameplay, still reminds me a lot of Crysis.

Rayman Origins
Brings back the style of classic mid-90s 16-bit platformers like Earthworm Jim and Donkey Kong Country. That alone makes me intrigued.

Need for Speed, The Run
Looks pretty fancy but I have a feeling the on-foot parts won't be as good as the vehicle parts unless they do something really good with it besides just QTEs.

As for everything else, I was fairly underwhelmed by the MS and Sony conferences. Vita is pretty cool but I have no interest in getting one myself. I guess we'll have to wait till next year's E3 to see what Sony and MS have in store for new consoles.

[Lynk Former]

About Wii U... I can't say the name out loud because grammatically I can't do it lol... and it sounds stupid. I'll type it out, but I won't say it. I'll say Wii 2 aloud, but not Wii U.

I love the concept, really excited to see what kind of games come out for it, but I also realise that there's going to be A LOT of ports for the system that aren't going to convince the folks who have already invested in a PS3/360 to jump over. Furthermore, by the time the PS4 and 720 come out, it's going to end up being outclassed by MUCH more powerful machines that have their own forms of tablet controllers. Hell, Sony can even do it right now with the PS3 and Vita if they wanted to.

As I said, there's gonna be a lot of ports, but 99% of the games aren't going to make any real compelling use out of the controller itself aside from Nintendo themselves. Proof comes with all the Wii games that have been released where most of the third party offerings end up having horrible controls and lackluster visuals... Nintendo games on the other hand end up looking gorgeous and play extremely well using the controls provided.

As for Vita VS 3DS. $249 for Vita which equals the 3DS price point. Sony checkmated Nintendo on the price considering what a powerhouse Vita actually is. Sony has learned from past mistakes of overpricing their consoles... that's one hurdle... so now if they overcome the hurdle of games, it's possible that Vita could give the 3DS a run for its money based on the traditional gaming audience alone without having to tap into the expanded audience base of the DS/3DS.

Also, f***ing love Skyward Sword. So damn hyped for that game. I want it! I WANT IT NOW!!

Anyway, I have more stuff to say but I'll save that for later...

[jon_hill987]

Originally Posted by IG-64

3DS
I've been waiting for the next iteration of the 3Ds before buying one, but after E3 the wait is that much harder. Luigi's Mansion 2, Super Mario 3DS, Star Fox 64, Paper Mario 3DS. Dem 3D Miyamoto games mang. Hopefully another 3DS will be out by the time Smash Bros 4 comes out.

I don't see why there needs to be a 3DS version 2 at the moment, I just can't think of anything you would change that can't be done with a firmware update. With access (as of last week) to the 3DS store which also includes all the DSiware titles in addition to it's own (very few 3DS exclusives or Virtual Console titles at the moment, but that will change) it is quite a console.

[IG-64]

Originally Posted by jon_hill987

I don't see why there needs to be a 3DS version 2 at the moment, I just can't think of anything you would change that can't be done with a firmware update. With access (as of last week) to the 3DS store which also includes all the DSiware titles in addition to it's own (very few 3DS exclusives or Virtual Console titles at the moment, but that will change) it is quite a console.

Well, I'm simply poor. It depends on how long it can take to secure enough funds to buy one. I just don't want to get one and then have a new 3DS come out in 2 seconds that's 20% cooler (and has longer battery life).

[Boba Rhett]

Nintendo: WiiU? How 'bout ****U. Skyward Sword looks super keen.

Sony: Vita looks pretty cool, diggind the price, and I like the touch sensitivity on both sides. Wasn't impressed with how I saw it used in demos though. Still not sure on the name too.

Microsoft: Kinect? In MY Mass Effect 3?

[Miltiades]

The usual suspects did it for me. Assassin's Creed Revelations, Uncharted 3, Batman Arkham City, Mass Effect 3. But I was pleasantly surprised by the new Tomb Raider and of course the return of Rayman. Rayman Origins just looks beautiful and fun.

On the hardware: Wii U sounds and to be honest looks dumb. Definitely not convinced this is going to work. Vita, on the other hand, surprised me. The PSP never attracted my attention, but Sony seems to have learned from the PSP's shortcomings. And if they manage to get Vita working with the PS3, they could screw up the Wii U's party.

[jon_hill987]

Originally Posted by IG-64

and has longer battery life.

OK. I'll give you that. Yeah, that is one area where there is room for improvement.

On other notes: One game that impressed me no end with it's E3 demo was Batman: Arkham City. Unfortunately they have since announced that it is Games for Windows Live so I will not be getting it, at least not a full price.

[swphreak]

Didn't care about 3D, motion controls, or new hardware.

My favorite demos: Mass Effect 3 and Saint's Row 3.

Skyrim looked very interesting, not to mention intimidating. In the gameplay demo I saw, dragons were popping up everywhere and attacking the player.


Other games that looked pretty amazing were Battlefield 3, Ghost Recon Future Soldier, Ace Combat, and a few others I can't remember.

[Rogue15]

Ghost Recon Future Soldier looks good.

[Alexrd]

Originally Posted by StarWarsPhreak

Didn't care about 3D, motion controls, or new hardware.

Me neither. 3D, motion (and voice) control, touchscreen, no gamepads, etc...

The problem is that they're selling it as the future of gaming. Might as well quit this hobby if that's the case...

[swphreak]

Originally Posted by Alexrd

Me neither. 3D, motion (and voice) control, touchscreen, no gamepads, etc...

The problem is that they're selling it as the future of gaming. Might as well quit this hobby if that's the case...

I don't believe gamepads will ever be replaced (at least not anytime soon). Who knows, maybe someday we'll all have holodecks in our homes or something.

[Lynk Former]

*facepalm* @ everyone who thinks traditional gaming is going to die.

Yup, next they're gonna take away our mice and keyboards, those darned kids!!

[Sabretooth]

Can't touch the PC Master Race

[Darth Avlectus]

Infamous 2 looked sweet.

While I knew about Street Fighter X Tekken, I had not seen much on it. Glad work on it is continuing. Looking forward to it.

[Lynk Former]

I'll just leave this here: http://www.twilightlynk.com/2011/06/19/e3-2011/