Being a gamer like myself there is probably no bigger event than the annual Electronic Entertainment Expo, dubbed E3. Every June the biggest players in the industry gather in the city of Angels and show off the latest gaming hardware and software. A lot of secretes that have been kept for years are usually unveiled here along with new and exciting footages of the games that we already know about. E3 is not just a show it is a extravaganza, for a week in June Nerds and the media gather together for press conferences like its a matter of national importance. The show is usually very flashy as well with things like thirty large displays used at the Sony Press Conference last year and all the craziness that surrounds the booths for each game, oh and the booth babes.
This year is no different, every gamer like myself out there gets excited for E3 for all the cool gaming related news. As my anticipation gets higher and higher with the days getting closer I sudden realized something that could completely ruin my hype level for this year's E3. The theme around this E3 is the word "casual". Corporations are always going with what makes the most money and not what the consumers want, in this case what the gamers want. Ever since Nintendo opened the flood gate with Wii, Microsoft and Sony has been trying to play catch up in this who will get the most casual crowd game. Its a game that hurts us core gamers but it does bring them a lot of money. After all core gamers are still a minority and the casual crowd out weights us by a ton. Its not just gaming industry either, you see it everywhere. Movies started to do this a long time ago when more and more movies dropped the R rating and when PG 13 to gain more casual watching crowd.
So that being said lets see how the big three did in this years E3.
-Microsoft
MS started the show with a trailer of the next Call of Duty, yeah I know you heard it right, another Call of Duty. But at least my fear has been put away by this seeing as Call of Duty is not a gimmick causal game, so maybe the rest of the show won't be too bad. MS followed by showing more core games such as Halo Reach, Gears of War 3, Fable 3, etc. All looked good but nothing surprising. About half way through they introduced their long waited motion senor code named Project Natal, which at this point has been renamed to Kinect. Don't know why because Project Natal sounds so much better. This also marks the turning point of the show, with the bullshit motion sensing sports games that are essentially Wii sports repackaged, and some 5 year old girl petting a virtual tiger to a crazy white guy dancing to nothing at all...the worst part of the show is not even how big of a slap in the face Kinect is to all the gamers out there, its the integration of ESPN on Xbox. For what seems to be an eternity the Sports Center anchors talked about how you can watch ESPN on xbox...holy fuck this is a goddamn game conference so why the fuck half of the show is not about anything game related. My rage is at close to 9000 at this point, I definitely thought MS approached the fail level of Nintendo from 2009.
-Sony
Like Microsoft Sony introduced their own motion sensor device called "Move". Unlike the MS Kinect which is like a camera, the Move is like a controller oddly similar to the Wiimote. Except for the big gay ass purple head...yes big round purple head. And in typical Sony fashion Sony executives comes out with bunch of sales number to impress the media, and long speeches on how great Sony is. So yeah the usual cocky Sony attitude, but in case they forgot this cocky attitude is what landed them in this mess with the PS3. PS3 is in the last place because Sony though they could do no wrong even if it means to charge 600 dollars for a video game console that had ridge racer as the biggest launch title. And for the love of God no one cares about how much PS2 sold anymore this is 2010 not fucking 2000 when PS2 was still relevant, and the success of PS2 doesn't automatically make you the winner of this generation, so stop talking about the PS2 in every fucking Sony conference. Now also like the MS show Sony showed some core games such as Killzone 3, Twisted Metal, Gran Turismo 5(which is never coming out) and...well not much more after that. Everyone said that biggest surprise was when the fat guy (Gabe Newell) from Valve showed up and said Portal 2 is going to be on PS3, well not me. Valve is a corporation so sooner or later they will make a game for the PS3 if they love money, to me all Valve game should be played on PC anyways, there is not much to look forward to consider how GREAT orange box did on the PS3.
I just want to say something about all these motion sensor bullshit. Nintendo frankly figured out something by watching Apple do business. When you can not compete in your own market anymore, you got to differentiate. Just look at how much Gamecube failed again Xbox and Ps2 like how much Apple has been sucking in the personal computer market, exactly the same thing. Now what did Apple do? Instead of spending billions trying to improve the Mac to compete with PC they decided to do something else like Ipod and Iphone. Using what is essentially an already existing tech, the touch screen and make it mainstream. One attribute of the casual mainstream consumers is that they lack of real knowledge on products and is easily swayed by the newest, most flashing tech out there, even though things like touch screen tech has been out for ages. Apple capitalized on this notion and made millions on touch screen Iphone and Ipods. Nintendo is doing the exact same thing, they realized that they can no longer compete in a industry where they helped buiding so they differentiated with the motion controller, even though the motion control tech has been out for ages. But main steam consumers never knew this and because we are easily swayed by the newest, most flashy tech Nintendo was able to capitalize with the simplest and most gimmicky console that I have seen in years. Its not Nintendo's fault but the consumers'. Lack of real knowledge combined with ADD have doomed us all.
-Nintendo
Speaking of Nintendo they were once again the winners of this console war with their shows at 2010 E3, not because they topped both Sony and MS in the gimmicky shovelware but because they actually had the best game related show. Nintendo pulled a 180 on both MS and Sony and showed nothing but core games such as a new Donkey Kong game for the Wii, the new Metroid Wii game, new Zelda Wii game, new Kirby game, along with new IPs...you get the idea. I know Nintendo had a awful showing last year with all the motion sensor shovelware, and they were shamed by all the media. This year they made a concerned effort to show all the core games in a game show and did a good job, I just wonder if they are laughing now at MS and Sony for following what they did last year by pumping out nothing but bullshit. Nothing Nintendo showed was particularly interesting to me but I have to applaud them for learning from their mistake and correcting it in this years E3. Therefore I will have to give the best E3 showing award to Nintendo.
If this year's E3 is suppose to give me a glimpse of the industry's future then I can not say I am pleased with the direction that is going. I am just glad that PC gaming is still somewhat staying the course and not following in this causal mayhem. But with all the big time PC developers jumping ship onto the console wagon its hard to say how long will true hardcore PC gaming last, oh well at least we still got Blizzard and Valve...wait scratch that, seeing the fat guy on Sony's stage almost made me vomit as much as seeing just how fat he really is.
Thursday, June 17, 2010
Monday, June 7, 2010
My top 5 most hyped upcoming games, as of 6/7/2010
2010 sees some of the biggest titles being released in the video game industry, games such as Mass Effect 2, Bayonetta, God of War 3, Bioshock 2, Heavy Rain, Red Dead Redemption, etc all were released in the first half of year. I however have only gotten Mass Effect 2 out of the bunch, it was in fact the first new game I have gotten in awhile. If it was couple years ago I probably would have gotten at least 75% out of all the titles I have mentioned but time have changed, games are just not what they used to be. There are very few quality games out there that still gives me an epic feeling when I played through it and I'm not just talking about it graphically either.
That being said there are a few games that are coming out later half of this year and first half of next year(hopefully) that have got me hyped. This by no means that I will get all these games, like I said number of quality games are diminishing and these are just ones that got me interested or intrigued to learn more about them.
1. Diablo 3 (soon)
Long before World of Warcraft had earned the reputation as a soul sucking and money printing mega phenomenon, another Blizzard game quietly has set this path for the company's future. Diablo 2 was one of the most addicting and probably most played online game outside of Counter Strike at one point, it was so simple yet so difficult to unlock all the secrets, so mindless yet so addicting, so apparent yet so fun. I have spent countless hours play this game online doing essentially the same thing over and over again, the infamous Baal runs. I don't know why but there is just a certain charm about the game that makes me want to play online with a friend even though the game is some what short and simple and supports a somewhat backward online system compare to today's online games. It has been 10 years in the making and finally we can say yes Diablo 3 is coming...soon. If any game can rekindle my interest in a 4 player online co-op session then this is the perfect game. It has been so long since I have had a good game that I can actually play with a few friends and have fun, FPS not included.
Hype Meter: 9/10
2. Star Wars: The Old Republic (April, 2011)
Personally I hate Bioware for not doing a proper sequel to the original Knights of the Old Republic. It was one of the most underrated single player RPG when it first came out, it single handedly made Star Wars games relevant again and it was one of the my favorite RPGs of all time. I hate Bioware even more after they teased me for coming back with by doing a third game in the series...only telling us that this is going to be an MMORPG so its not a direct sequel. In a way it seems like Bioware is trying to cashing in on the MMORPG frenzy that is caused by WoW but now thinking about it Star Wars universe is big enough to do a game like this but I am anxious to see more. So far very little information or game play video has been shown considering how close we are to the release date, but I have no doubt this game will be at least decent with the Bioware pedigree on the line. However it scares me that all the people that attempted to copy WoW's success by going head to head with WoW has pretty much been annihilated, but at the same time those people are not Bioware. WoW needs to die already I need to see something refreshing and this game might just be it.
Hype Meter: 6/10
3. World of Warcraft Cataclysm (Fall 2010)
Speaking of WoW, the latest expansion Cataclysm is sure to bring back a lot of former players that have quit the game. I will not be one of them. It has been a long time since I have played WoW, every time I quit the game I sometimes will encounter whats called withdrawn symptoms that is common among crack addicts. That is the main reason I have quit and started playing again for 3 times, because every time I see a WoW video, hear a WoW story and even hear that epic music again I feel the itch and the fire being rekindled. Not this time, I have quit WoW for more than a year now and simply do not feel any urge to play it again. I do not like the direction the game is going since the last expansion as the game is going toward more and more casual oriented in order to maintain its player base. Blizzard must feel the effects of player leaving due to the staleness of the game, and like I said you can feel the end coming. It was a good 6 year run for WoW but now it just needs to die but however I am interested in seeing what Blizzard has in store for the latest expansion pack, whether they will continue in the route of making the game more accessible to attract new players or they will actually do something new.
Hype Meter: 3/10
4. The Witcher 2 (Spring 2011)
The first Witcher game was a real hidden gem. I have heard of many good things about the game but never had the chance to play it until recently. It turned out to be the right decision as the original version is hampered with bugs and various graphically glitches. The enhanced edition director's cut that I have played was a much smoother experience, but it still had rough edges in both technical and game play aspect. That being said it is definitely one of my favorite games in recent memories. Rookie Polish developer CD Projekt followed a true and proven Bioware formula in the game in terms of engine and story telling, and it paid off see as Bioware makes some of the best story based RPGs out there. In term of game play they switched it up using somewhat time based hack and slash system that is not so common in modern day RPGs. All in all it gave players a memorable experience through out. The sequel is coming out next year with all new graphic engine that looks absolutely stunning, and the developer promises improved game play as well.
Hype Meter 8/10
5. Mass Effect 3 (TBA 2011)
To be honest Mass Effect 2 has killed a lot of steam I had for this series but don't get me wrong it is still one of my favorite new series this generation. Mass Effect was a great new and bold game by Bioware, it had so much ambition and promises that it was certain it would disappoint. But in the end Bioware pulled together and made it an epic although somewhat rough RPG experience. And in turn Mass Effect 2 became one of the most hyped games in recent memories that does not have Halo in its titles. I know personally Mass Effect 2 was a disappointment on many levels, mainly because of all the hypes surrounding the game before it was even out you know there was no way the game would live up to it. On the other hand the game never lived up to the promises Bioware made, things like improvement over the first game and some the good things that they did with the first game were scrapped. Its a good thing that Bioware takes all the community suggestions to heart, because after all the second game is still great but no where near the bar Bioware had set for itself. But this does not mean I am not pumped for the conclusion of this series, this would be the first time in a long time since Bioware started and finished a series properly.
Hype Meter: 9/10
Honorable Mentions:
Deus Ex 3
Guild Wars 2
Mafia 2
Gran Turismo 5
Unannounced Blizzard MMO
That being said there are a few games that are coming out later half of this year and first half of next year(hopefully) that have got me hyped. This by no means that I will get all these games, like I said number of quality games are diminishing and these are just ones that got me interested or intrigued to learn more about them.
1. Diablo 3 (soon)
Long before World of Warcraft had earned the reputation as a soul sucking and money printing mega phenomenon, another Blizzard game quietly has set this path for the company's future. Diablo 2 was one of the most addicting and probably most played online game outside of Counter Strike at one point, it was so simple yet so difficult to unlock all the secrets, so mindless yet so addicting, so apparent yet so fun. I have spent countless hours play this game online doing essentially the same thing over and over again, the infamous Baal runs. I don't know why but there is just a certain charm about the game that makes me want to play online with a friend even though the game is some what short and simple and supports a somewhat backward online system compare to today's online games. It has been 10 years in the making and finally we can say yes Diablo 3 is coming...soon. If any game can rekindle my interest in a 4 player online co-op session then this is the perfect game. It has been so long since I have had a good game that I can actually play with a few friends and have fun, FPS not included.
Hype Meter: 9/10
2. Star Wars: The Old Republic (April, 2011)
Personally I hate Bioware for not doing a proper sequel to the original Knights of the Old Republic. It was one of the most underrated single player RPG when it first came out, it single handedly made Star Wars games relevant again and it was one of the my favorite RPGs of all time. I hate Bioware even more after they teased me for coming back with by doing a third game in the series...only telling us that this is going to be an MMORPG so its not a direct sequel. In a way it seems like Bioware is trying to cashing in on the MMORPG frenzy that is caused by WoW but now thinking about it Star Wars universe is big enough to do a game like this but I am anxious to see more. So far very little information or game play video has been shown considering how close we are to the release date, but I have no doubt this game will be at least decent with the Bioware pedigree on the line. However it scares me that all the people that attempted to copy WoW's success by going head to head with WoW has pretty much been annihilated, but at the same time those people are not Bioware. WoW needs to die already I need to see something refreshing and this game might just be it.
Hype Meter: 6/10
3. World of Warcraft Cataclysm (Fall 2010)
Speaking of WoW, the latest expansion Cataclysm is sure to bring back a lot of former players that have quit the game. I will not be one of them. It has been a long time since I have played WoW, every time I quit the game I sometimes will encounter whats called withdrawn symptoms that is common among crack addicts. That is the main reason I have quit and started playing again for 3 times, because every time I see a WoW video, hear a WoW story and even hear that epic music again I feel the itch and the fire being rekindled. Not this time, I have quit WoW for more than a year now and simply do not feel any urge to play it again. I do not like the direction the game is going since the last expansion as the game is going toward more and more casual oriented in order to maintain its player base. Blizzard must feel the effects of player leaving due to the staleness of the game, and like I said you can feel the end coming. It was a good 6 year run for WoW but now it just needs to die but however I am interested in seeing what Blizzard has in store for the latest expansion pack, whether they will continue in the route of making the game more accessible to attract new players or they will actually do something new.
Hype Meter: 3/10
4. The Witcher 2 (Spring 2011)
The first Witcher game was a real hidden gem. I have heard of many good things about the game but never had the chance to play it until recently. It turned out to be the right decision as the original version is hampered with bugs and various graphically glitches. The enhanced edition director's cut that I have played was a much smoother experience, but it still had rough edges in both technical and game play aspect. That being said it is definitely one of my favorite games in recent memories. Rookie Polish developer CD Projekt followed a true and proven Bioware formula in the game in terms of engine and story telling, and it paid off see as Bioware makes some of the best story based RPGs out there. In term of game play they switched it up using somewhat time based hack and slash system that is not so common in modern day RPGs. All in all it gave players a memorable experience through out. The sequel is coming out next year with all new graphic engine that looks absolutely stunning, and the developer promises improved game play as well.
Hype Meter 8/10
5. Mass Effect 3 (TBA 2011)
To be honest Mass Effect 2 has killed a lot of steam I had for this series but don't get me wrong it is still one of my favorite new series this generation. Mass Effect was a great new and bold game by Bioware, it had so much ambition and promises that it was certain it would disappoint. But in the end Bioware pulled together and made it an epic although somewhat rough RPG experience. And in turn Mass Effect 2 became one of the most hyped games in recent memories that does not have Halo in its titles. I know personally Mass Effect 2 was a disappointment on many levels, mainly because of all the hypes surrounding the game before it was even out you know there was no way the game would live up to it. On the other hand the game never lived up to the promises Bioware made, things like improvement over the first game and some the good things that they did with the first game were scrapped. Its a good thing that Bioware takes all the community suggestions to heart, because after all the second game is still great but no where near the bar Bioware had set for itself. But this does not mean I am not pumped for the conclusion of this series, this would be the first time in a long time since Bioware started and finished a series properly.
Hype Meter: 9/10
Honorable Mentions:
Deus Ex 3
Guild Wars 2
Mafia 2
Gran Turismo 5
Unannounced Blizzard MMO
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