E3 2012: Round-up
After three days of dubstep, shotgun facelifts and overconfident
suits talking about video games, E3 2012 has drawn to a close. For the most
part it was a disappointment, as we saw Microsoft and Sony struggle to bridge
the gap between this generation and the next. Unwilling to even allude to future
hardware, Microsoft were unsure of what to do with themselves and Sony were
content to send out conflicted messages. Nintendo played their next gen hand,
and it looked like a slightly prettier re-run of the current.
But there is more to E3 than the headline conferences
from Microsoft, Sony and Nintendo, as the week saw countless show-floor trailers,
demos and announcements. Of all the third parties, it was Ubisoft who made the
biggest splash, providing highlights for both the Sony and Nintendo
conferences, while proving to be the most dependable of developers.
Far Cry 3 is fast becoming one of my most anticipated
games of the year. I have fond, albeit selective memories of the violence,
freedom and sunsets of Far Cry 2 and am expecting the sequel to go a step further.
I like the premise and with a separate co-op campaign, it’s looking like a
hefty beast. A selection of Assassin’s Creed 3 trailers and demos assuaged many
of my initial concerns and it already displays the polish that was missing from
Revelations. Splinter Cell: Stab List and Rayman Legends both look promising.
Despite all these well-established franchises, it was a surprise
new IP that stole the show: Watch Dogs. While a sandbox of guns is nothing new,
the hacking and use of digital intelligence was intriguing. It didn't hurt that
it looked stunning and rumours persist that Watch Dogs was in fact running on
next gen hardware. All in all, this was an excellent showing for Ubisoft, even
if their own stage show was hosted by hyper-active clowns, communicating in a
language that was as confusing as it was embarrassing. Girl wood indeed.
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"Girl Wood" |
Congratulations to Dead Space 3 for joining God of War as
the series that I no longer give a rat’s arse about. Battlefield 3 Premium was exactly what we
thought it would be as was Medal of Honour: (insert joke tagline). EA's
conference wasn't a complete waste of time however, as I was treated to 2009 flashbacks
of stunt ramps, drifting and custom soundtracks. Burnout: But Not Burnout,
otherwise known as Need for Speed: Most Wanted will be coming from Criterion in
October of this year.
There were two notable announcements from Nintendo
outside of their multiple press conferences – one good, one bad. The positive
was that Fire Emblem: Awakening will be getting a US release on the 3DS, though
there was no mention of Europe. The bad news was that online messaging, an
important part of MiiVerse, will be moderated and censored, which will delay receipt
of what could be time sensitive messages. Despite their protests to the
contrary, it seems Nintendo are still afraid to fully embrace the realities of
online connectivity. Fortunately, Nintendo's online censorship does not stretch
as far as this blog, so I’m free to say that MiiVerse looks like an uninspired,
half-ars Mario Tennis Open: Hit the court for intense fast-paced action this
summer. Out now.
Tomb Raider had its moment in the spotlight earlier this
week and the more I see of Sleeping Dogs the more I like it, but otherwise Square-Enix
was pretty quiet on the game front. However, they didn't leave LA without
making an impression, thanks to the real-time tech demo for their brand new
engine, Luminous. It makes sense that a company as famous for its pretty pixels
as SE should choose to branch out in this direction.
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Sine Mora |
Capcom had new, explosive trailers for Resident Evil 6
and Lost Planet 3 and Bethesda's Dishonoured continued to draw plaudits, though
I’m far from convinced that this dystopian adventure will be any more exciting
than its pallet of greys. Sony confirmed that Tokyo Jungle will be getting a
European release, which is great news for anyone who has ever dreamt of making
a Pomeranian fight a dinosaur. Last Guardian was once again a no-show, supporting
my theory that it will never see the light of day. I can appreciate a developer
wanting to take the time to get everything perfect, but surely that wouldn't preclude
Sony from releasing a new trailer, the first in nearly two years, if only to
reassure the fan base that it has not been cancelled.
Sony spent the week attempting to dodge Vita shaped
bullets. They apologised for the lack of portable games during their presser, claiming
they were trying to keep within a self-imposed time limit, which precluded them
from doing anything of note with Vita. The excuse was worse than the crime and
their words and actions at E3 will further the perception that Sony are
increasingly out of touch. It's interesting to compare Nintendo's 2011 E3 press
conference, following the early struggles of the 3DS, and Sony's showing earlier
this week. Nintendo addressed the problem and were pro-active in reversing
their fortunes, whereas Sony seems content to bury their head in the sand and
continue with business as usual.
To be fair to Sony, there were some intriguing Vita
titles on show this week, even if they were low-key and missing from the main
event. PS All Stars Battle Royal, Sly Cooper and Jet Set Radio HD all attracted
attention and I was pleased to hear that Sine Mora will be coming across from
XBLA. PSone classics will be a popular addition to the Vita and Sony have clearly
put some thought into the transfer; left analogue stick control will be
available while the back panel will stand in for the L2 and R2 triggers.
What caught your eye at E3 2012?
Those aren't bananas Miyamoto is holding. Those are Bananas 3, the second sequel to bananas. They just look like bananas you've already eaten a thousand times because you haven't seen them duct taped to a Wuu controller.
ReplyDeleteVita Sine Mora and Foosball were the two big surprises for me. Most of the stuff I found interesting - Dishonoured, Zen Pinball 2, Tomb Raider - was actually old news. There were definitely games I could be talked into in all that, but very little I'm going lay awake nights waiting to play.
I thought they were oranges.
DeleteI played the Sine Mora demo on 360 and really enjoyed it. I think it will look great on the Vita. I must admit, I skipped the Foosball trailer. I'll have to go back and give it a look.
I can't wait for Far Cry 3. It looks really good and I am really looking forward to exploring the islands which they haven't focused much on with the demos.
ReplyDeleteIt sounds like the setting is going to be huge, spread over a collection of islands. Hopefully they will provide plenty of reasons to explore
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