Thursday, June 9, 2011

Quick E3 thoughts

- PS Vita.  Won't comment on the name because I do not think there has been a single videogame device released where I have liked the name initially.  They all become second nature by the time they are released.  Anyway, its $249.99 price point is pretty amazing.  I am sure Sony is taking a loss at this price, but it is all win for the consumer.  $299.99 for the 3G version is also not a bad deal.
 
- While we're on the subject of names, I give you the "Wii U".  Just like with the Wii, the console itself is not the star, the controller is.  The Wii U controller is big.  Like, very big.  Looks like a tablet with analog sticks.  It promises to do many things, I just don't know if I want to do those things when I play my games.  I'll reserve final judgement until I try it myself.  I recall everyone thinking Nintendo was crazy when they showed off the Wiimote for the first time, but 5 years later they clearly got the last laugh.  Nintendo IS crazy.  But sometimes they are crazy smart.  We'll see.
 
- The new Tomb Raider reboot looks promising.  They may want to consider cutting back on Lara's grunts and groans during gameplay though.
 
- Halo: Anniversary.  I was actually hoping for a full-blown remake of Halo: Combat Evolved using the Reach engine and including many of the gameplay improvements the series has seen over the years.  Looks like this remake is running off the exact gameplay engine of the original, but is using two of the original's graphics engines simultaneously for the upgraded visuals.  One cool thing is that you can switch between the original and enhanced visuals on the fly with the press of a button, like with the Moneky Island remakes.  I'll probably pick this one up as long as it is not full-price.
 
- Halo 4 was announced.  I knew this series would continue, but since Halo 3 ended that "trilogy" and storyline, I assumed any new games would sport a new title.  I guess that was silly of me, considering the clout and recognition the name "Halo" has.  I wonder if Halo 4 will even have halos in it!
 
- The Resistance 3 demo they showed at the Sony press conference looked pretty weak to me.  The game seemed totally uninspired and uninteresting to me.  I've never been a fan of this series though, so your results may vary.
 
- Uncharted 3, on the other hand, looked phenominal.  Granted, gameplay-wise I am not expecting anything different, but I'll be damned if Naughty Dog does not know its way around the PS3 hardware.  Looks like they are trying to take back the "best graphics on a console" crown from Killzone 3.  The visuals were amazing and the processing power at play to generate the movement of the ship (which from what I understand is all real-time with actual physics at play, not some canned animation) is extremely impressive.
 
- Rayman Origins looks absolutely gorgeous.  One of the most vibrant games I have seen in recent memory.  I really hope this game is sucessful and brings forth a slew of 2D games using these powerful consoles to display truly breathtaking 2D visuals.  And good God can someone PLEASE release a remake of Out of this World and Flashback with enhanced visuals like this?  PLEASE!!!!
 
That's all for now.  I still have plenty of more media to see.
 

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