After being charged by what I saw on TV from the press conferences, I was got up and headed to the LA Convention to experience first hand the future of gaming. For a while now all I heard was heated debate whether E3 was going to return to the glory days, and reclaim its title as the most anticipated game expo in the world. This being my first E3 I have nothing to compare it to, however I will testify that this was the greatest three days in video gaming I will probably have this year.
Disclaimer: Two weeks after playing and seeing these games… their absence is hurting me.
God Of War 3 (BEST IN SHOW)
I know that a lot of fanboys will be alienated by this claim, and I enjoyed a lot of the games Microsoft had brought out for us, BUT, there is nothing else at E3 that was playable and on par with God Of War 3. In terms of Best In Show, I hold that the game must have been playable, appropriate presentation, gave an adequate tutorial but focused moreso on presenting the gameplay, and was available to press or public. In all of these fields, God Of War 3 dwarfed everyone else. But let’s talk about the game.
The new game picks up shortly after the 2nd installment and, big surprise, Kratos is pissed off with the Gods and is on a brutal rampage to make them pay. The demo starts off in the beast infested mountain-village with our favorite God Of War looking to clean out the house with his trademark chained blades. He is also apparently in an argument with Helios, who feels its in his best interest to taunt the pale psychotic, as well as toy with a lumbering Titan making his way up the side of the mountain. Fans of the basic gameplay mechanics will feel a sense of familiarity from God Of War 3. X to Jump, Box for horizontal slashes, Triangle for vertical slashes, and O to do dreadful things to your foes. My favorite button, O, is used in a variety of happy awful things to enemies. On weaker enemies, pressing O a number of times will pound an enemies face into the ground, while pressing O then Triangle will rip the guy in half. New addition is the enemy can now be used as a battering ram by coupling O with the Box button that can charge a horde of foes before smashing him into a wall or straight off a cliff. Of course, the O button also makes its obligation to initiate the quick-time Simon-says button pressing sequences, the favorite of which is still jamming your blade into a Cyclops’ eye, blinding the miserable beast before pulling the eyeball from it’s socket.
Upon writing the previous description of gameplay fans are probably rejoicing at the game’s brutality. People unfamiliar with the franchise are probably wondering what type of sick entertainment are we all signing up for?
I have seen Kratos do horrible, unspeakable things to bloodthirsty douche-bags who deserve it… and I want more. Aside from the normal slew of drones, he guts Centaurs, brutalizes Chimairas, blinds Cyclops, and decapitates Sun Gods, all while setting his aim on the Titans themselves. After guiding Kratos through it all a hand came down on my shoulder, and a designer on the game reminds me, I still haven’t scratched the surface of this. God Of War is not for the faint of heart, and the fans have waited for so long and its time that, but dammit if their patience has paid up ten-fold.
God Of War 3 is my game of the show. The second you got within range of it, you knew that this was the event to behold. No other game had the draw, the hype, or THE LINE like God Of War 3.
HALO ODST (Halo or Horns…. You decide)
The darker Halo has finally landed. ODST, the long-awaited expansion to Halo 3 is months away and promises to spark life into Halo’s rabid fanbase. This new story puts players in the role of one of the Shock Troopers of the series, operating in low-light situations and often caught behind enemy lines doing the dirty work of the Earth’s Marine Forces.
I wish I could talk more about this game, but 10 minutes multiplayer will only get me so far…… EVEN WHEN I RANK 1ST IN MY MATCH, BITCHES! However, with everything I got to see, here’s what I saw. First of all, the playable multiplayer demo showed off the new game mode, Firefight, in which up to four players fight cooperatively against increasingly difficult waves of enemies. The mode is a quasi-survival mode, where all four combatants share a set number of shared lives, and are not limited by time-limit or a frag count ( 
). Next, Health meters are making a come-back… kinda. The ODST Shock Troopers are of a different breed from the Spartan Soldiers we are all familiar with and don’t have the trademark shield capabilities. Health bars are now back in fashion, but with a grace zone called “Stamina.” If a player sustains damage past the Stamina point, the player can regenerate a small amount of health to a certain point. This is simply a nice touch from the franchise that effectively killed the health bar and ushered in the MOST overused game mechanic since bullet time.
The New Super Mario Bros Wii (This is gonna start a fight)
I loved playing this game, but trust me, this will pit friends and family against each other. For the first time in a Mario game, A REAL MARIO GAME, up to four players will be able to occupy the same screen at one time. Using classic Mario controls against the refined gameplay of the New Super Mario Bros of the Nintendo DS, this is going to be an incredible multiplayer experience for Wii owners.
The four players will assume the positions of Mario, Luigi, Blue Toad, and Yellow Toad and enjoy a traditional 2D romp across the spectrum of colorful levels that the DS version featured. The game is loaded with all the great power-ups and smooth controls and moves we have come to expect from the Mario up until now…… then we all found the grab button. Yes, the idea is to be able to pick up random items with this move, but we soon learn it also picks up your teammates. The we found out you can throw your teammates and believe me when I say that the more “assholic” of us had no problem finding enemies, piranha plants or fire pits to chuck the other players at. I thought I was picking at straws until we found Yoshi.
Yoshi can now use his tongue to make the other player’s lives a living hell by eating them and spitting them out at something unpleasant…… presumably more unpleasant than the inside of a dinosaur’s mouth. Yoshi was also a point of contention because of the Yoshi deficit throughout the level. There were four of them, but they only appeared one at a time at 4 points throughout the level. Trying to steal another player’s Yoshi soon took precedence over getting to the end of the level in one piece.
Fat Princess (Editor’s choice – Downloadable)
Fat Princess is an exclusive Playstation Network game of Capture the Flag. The pits you on a team of miniature warriors and spell-casters as you attempt to siege the other castle to retrieve your princess. Impeding your process, and the name of the game, your enemy has generously been feeding your princess cake in order to fatten her up and make it harder for you and your teammates to carry her back to your base. Fret not, you have their princess and the ability to plump her up and level the playing field on this 32 multiplayer romp.
As simple as this sounds, the level of player progression is incredibly intricate and the level of customization that goes into defending one’s base makes Fat Princess a unique experience that cannot be matched. You can suit your character as a Warrior, Mage, Priest, Archer, or Worker, each of which comes with differing attack options, health allowances, and ability to carry the princess. Collecting wood and mineral supplies allows one to upgrade the classes and even radically altering them in the evolution. For example, the Worker becomes a Bomber when upgraded, allowing your player the luxury of unleashing their inner Anarchist upon the opposing team’s fortress.
King Of Fighters 12 (“It’s Good To Be The King”)
Stay tuned, I have an interview on this one. On the conversation of this game, a friend speculated that the novelty of the SNK clash was beginning to wear off by the 12th installment. Of course, he grew up in Asia where the arcade lifestyle still means something and to him this is the equivalent of Nintendo’s Smash Brothers. To myself and most every other American exposed to this game, we hardly notice the game as anything other than the prime noteworthy beat-down of the 90’s fighting genre. In recent years though, the games, the arcade, and the fighting genre have all retreated to small, crowded and noisy corners of society, leaving only Mortal Kombat to clumsily pick up the slack on the home-front. GOD BLESS 2009! THE RETURN OF FIGHTING GAMES HAS FINALLY ARRIVED!
In discussing King Of Fighters 12 one needs to be brought to speed on what is radically different about this entry. First and foremost, this is the first HD entry into the franchise. I love these games, you love these games, we all love these games. But let’s face it, set against our new technology and the game’s other competition, there is no denying that the games are starting to look pixilated and unclear. KOF 12 is complete HD, beautiful animations, and the greatest spectacle to behold in the fighting game genre. Now time for a trade-off. There are significantly less characters than any other game in the franchise (and no Yuri), however they are all more rounded and balanced out characters than ever before. A fair compromise (*editor’s note: so long as Yuri comes back in KOF 13), the game will take some adjusting to if you are a long-time die hard of the franchise, but I assure you this will be the solid test of skill it always has been.
Forza 3 (Best Racer)
I am probably the wrong guy to ask about racing games, but what I saw was dressed to impress. The game is jam-packed with hundreds of the top names and models in the automotive industry and customizable options will be abound in this game. For the display I was treated to the arcade mode, which gave me the option of jumping behind the wheel of something pretty and taking off. I tried it with the XBOX 360’s steering wheel, in the first person view, seeing the action wrap around me on three different screens projecting three different angles from inside the car. The display was meant reinforce the immersive draw of this game. This soon left me when the game all but told me I have no business being behind the wheel of a car and am a danger to myself and others on the road (buckle up). I take this time to emphasize that this is probably not my game, but please don’t let my opinions keep this from being yours. I am the only eyes from the floor, and in fairness I probably would have jumped more at the chance for a Mario Kart than a realistic car I am too much of a chimp to be able to control (which is why I like Mario Kart, I can play as chimps). Realistically, it will be the logical rival to Sony’s Gran Turismo, and safe to say, I have never truly enjoyed that franchise either.
Tekken 6 (Best in the Ring)
All my cards on the table, I skipped over the action/adventure mode and stuck with the traditional cage brawler where I wrecked the faces of my would-be challengers. I never have felt the need to brag about my Tekken skills until I used Asuka Kasuma to lay the hurt down on anyone brave enough to step up and challenge me…… but, I digress. LOOKS GREAT! RENDERS AT 60 FPS! EXTENSIVE LIST OF FIGHTERS! Ok, that’s my big laundry list of newspaper headlines, but putting my points on paper, that’s where it starts. It is quite possibly the greatest looking 3D fighter I have ever played (one that didn’t rely only on the sex-appeal of the Dead Or Alive girls). Beautiful backgrounds will only compliment the incredibly detailed characters. Most 3D arena fighters seem to gravitate to polar extremes: Incredibly Technical or Fucking Stupid. The problem with the former is that it tends offer no support or learning curve for beginning players (See Virtua Fighter, Bloody Roar, or Dead Or Alive). The problem with the latter is that it is Mortal Kombat. Tekken conversely has found the appropriate formula to be the most well-rounded arena fighter to date. With dozens of combatants to chose from, it is amazingly to find how fleshed out and balanced they are. The game handles as it did from its previous titles, and returning veterans of the franchise will feel right at home with this new installment. However, newcomers, especially the Xbox 360 community will find it to be an all-encompassing and easy-to-pick-up experience. Tekken 6 will be easy to play, hard to master, but most of all never forsaking the casual-to-intermediate fighter. I fully take back any scoffing I might have done towards this game when screenshots popped up a year ago.
- Michael Mullenix
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