Day three at E3 2010 and with so many games still left to see and so little time left to see them all, I went in nice and early to catch the some what smaller queues and try and cram in as many upcoming titles as possible. Sadly I had to get to the airport by midday so I only had a few hours to fit in, so the first stop was to head to Nintendo.
NintendoRevisited
Now we don’t cover Nintendo anymore on Console Monster, but I had to see the 3DS in the flesh and to catch how ‘3D’ their new portable device really is, and without the use of glasses too. After a fair few minutes queuing, ushered along by some real Nazi-like security, I was finally hands-on with the their new 3DS.
Videos and images of the device make it look bigger than it actually is in the flesh. I was surprised how slimmer it is, where as in the media it looks pretty chunky. Weight wise it felt lighter too and the main screen is a little bigger than a DS Lite though big enough to carry over the glorious 3D for your eyes to feast upon.
With the clock ticking on I only had a small time to see a few examples, and most of these were just rolling demos rather than being actually playable. Mario Kart was at least on show and looked great, as did Paper Mario. The 3D is just like as it is in the movies but somehow they really have achieved the same effect without the Ronnie Corbett goggles. With that said there is a tight sweet spot that you need to be in when looking at the 3D screen, it has to be at least less than 90 degrees (so 45 Degrees each way). There is a slide switch on the side of the screen that allows you to switch the 3D on and off as well as tweak the depth/effect of the 3D depending on your viewpoint, I think that might be the distance you are away from the screen. To me, this switch really didn’t change much of the depth effect; the more obvious changes were turning the 3D on or off.
Overall I think Nintendo have done a good job with achieving 3D without the specs, but personally I think for the DS and gaming the 3D is less important to me (maybe dare I say it, even a too much of an unnecessary gimmick) and that the newly built in iPhone-like motion sensor will create more interesting titles for the platform than its ability to display in 3D o’vision.
Twisted Metal
It’s been my third day into E3 and I still haven’t managed to get my hands on Sony’s Move. It would have been good to compare it with my hands-on with Microsoft’s Kinect the previous day, but after looking at the queue already lining up for Sony’s upcoming motion controller, I looked elsewhere, and where better than the recently unveiled Twisted Metal for PS3.
The booth was pretty rammed, with plenty of fans of the franchise (including myself) queuing up to have a go. Regardless of time until take-off, I held strong and waited in line. I am a big fan of the original PS1 Twisted Metal, I must have spent so many days playing the Paris level where you levelled the Eifel Tower to ride the Parisian rooftops. Finally, now in its next generation guise, the game maintains that same feeling I had in previous titles, that feeling of unlimited carnage and destruction. With the usual outrageous projectile attacks and characters on offer, Twisted Metal for PS3 takes the core of what made up the original franchise and dresses it all in fancy next-gen graphic suit. To newcomers the graphics may appear a little too sparse and simple, but to old folk who remember the originals, this is the norm, with plenty here to get excited about.
Wipeout HD & Motorstorm Apocalypse (in 3D)
Sony had a few dedicated pods setup showcasing some of their PSN and upcoming retail titles in 3D, using active shutter glasses. The best of the 3D games showcased were Wipeout HD and the new Motorstorm Apocalypse.
Wipeout HD is a perfect match for 3D. Donning some 3D specs I entered a virtual world that has to be seen than read about. Small details in the world that just pass by in 2D really stick out and become quite dominant in 3D. The boost and power up track pads are no longer flat, they have this raised up effect that can only be experienced in 3D, making them stand out a lot more and really give a sense of depth throughout the track. With Wipeout HD being as intense as it is in 2D, I can’t imagine how much my eyes could cope in 3D, but if you are one of those early adopters who have a 3D setup then Wipeout HD definitely one title on PS3 worthy of your virtual coin.
The same can be said for a game that has yet to be released – Motorstorm Apocalypse. This was the first time I had laid my eyes on the latest Motorstorm title, so I had that and the fact that it was in 3D to contend with. The game looked stunning, with its urban environments, which is a breath of fresh air away from the jungle leafy environments. Being set in crumbling cityscapes, Motorstorm has some heavy competition from recently released titles like Blur and Split/Second, but Motorstorm does a grand job with plenty of details and what looks like some great track designs. The 3D was also fantastic, making Motorstorm another title worthy of your 3D setup. It is just a shame there is such a high premium tied to experiencing what these 3D titles can offer.
Dead Rising 2
Next stop was Capcom’s Dead Rising 2, with living zombies roaming the booth as well as chained up and in cages for that perfect E3 photo opportunity. Successfully dodging those performances I got some hands-on with DR2. Instantly I found myself at home in-game, bashing zombies with enormous teddybears from the toy store, bar stools from the nearby poker tables and slot machines, through to the classic sledge hammer and boxes of nails that really didn’t appear to do much against the infected. With that said it was still great fun and pretty much similar to the original. With new modes, a new story and new things to do in this sequel, Dead Rising 2 will hopefully not feel too similar to the original and bring more innovation to warrant being a full retail sequel.
F1 2010
With the west hall done with I moved back into the main hall to sample a title I wanted to check out since day one of the event. Codemasters’s F1 2010 has had me interested since its announcement. After driving the karts in their earlier title – Race Driver: Grid – I had high hopes for a decent adaptation of one of the biggest motorsport events every year.
The demo was of one single lap of the Belgian racing circuit, Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps. Unlike many of the other F1 racers that I’ve played, the handling felt great. The McLaren I was in didn’t feel twitchy on the turn, and the graphics looked utter gorgeous. Looking behind the car had this heat wave effect behind you, which was also visible on the starting grid. There were quite a few viewpoints on offer with the T-Bar camera being my favourite. One lap wasn’t enough to get a full impression but in the little time I had I am excited to play more when it releases later this year.
Monkey Island 2 Special Edition
As soon as I laid my eyes on this I thought fans of the original Lucasarts classic are in for a real treat with MI2 SE. For the final day at E3 I managed to get some time with one of its developers who showed walked us through the game. Like with the previous special edition, MI2 SE has had the same loving care put into its visuals, music and voice acting. Players can still dip in and out of old and new versions, as well as old and new methods of play – be it cursor based point and click or the new way of controlling Guybrush around the world using the thumbstick. On top of the old and new ways of seeing and playing the game there is also a DVD-like directors commentary that you can have playing throughout scenes in the game. This will give players an insight into the creation of the game with behind the scenes info narrated by the original writers and developers of the game – fantastic.
Also new to MI2 SE is a new usability mode. No longer do you have to try every mode available to you, such as ‘talking to’ a ‘wig’, and failing on every select action type, in MI2 SE when you select an interactive item in the game a choice of available interactions for that object or person is given to you, with otherirrelevantinteractions not visible. Granted this might remove the length of time it took to explore the game as it did in the original, but for newcomers (and lazy people) this is a welcome new addition to the game, and it is something its developers have acted upon afterreceivingfeedback from the previous Monkey Island Special Edition.
All in all I am looking forward to playing though MI2 SE again, it was one of the first point and click adventure titles I had played, and the comedy throughout is hilarious. With rich new graphics, writer and developer commentary, scanned original artwork extras, updated soundtracks and character voice acting, Monkey Island fans will truly be spoilt with MI2 SE. Lets hope after MI2 SE is released Lucasarts continue digging up past classics like Manic Mansion, Day of the Tentacle and Indiana Jones Fate of Atlantis, or maybe a next-generation X-Wing – a title they are fully aware that gamers are craving for, here’s hoping.
Goodbye E3 2010
There are a number of games I wish I had more time for: Need for Speed Hot Pursuit, Deus Ex, Castlevania, Crysis 2, Bulletstorm, Sonic 4, many of the upcoming Xbox LIVE titles, Assassin’s Creed Brotherhood, Gran Turismo 5 and a few of the upcoming PSN titles. However there isn’t much time to wait before I see all of these on the shelves, with most of them appearing this year.
Time was up all too quickly at E3 2010, and it was time to ship on out of this year’s E3 halls and catch my flight. There was still so many games to get hands-on time with but sadly very little time to fit them all in. It just proves that this year, and the next, will be a great year for gaming. The level of stellar ‘must play’ titles is really high, and across all the big platforms too. So let me reassure you that 2010/11 will be a great time to be a gamer. You’d best start saving, as there will a number of titles, new platforms and accessories that you will want to spend your hard earned coin on over the next 18 months.
Let us know what has been your highlight or favourite announcement from E3 2010 in the comments.
