REVIEW: E3

Last year E3 bored me. It was all about 3D and motion control which, while an interesting concept, just seemed to be a new interesting way to play games and nothing more than a gimmick. A year on and I see no evidence this has changed. Not that this is a bad thing or rubbish in any way, it's just not what I'm after from my gaming experience and left me with little to look forawrd to. Jump to this year, and while it hasn't gone away, it's not quite so prominent now so we can focus on the games a bit more. So here are some of my thought's on some of the show's highlights:-

Tomb Raider

As a concept it didn't really grab me, but seeing it in action, the opening segment had plenty of atmosphere and tension with some good puzzles. Really looking forward to this now. Maybe my highlight of the show in terms of impact from expectaions.

Assasins Creed Revelations

II was awesome. Brotherhood improved massively on that. This looks like a similar improvement. The combat looks even better, the environments beautiful. I think I'm anticipating this game even more than Uncharted 3.

FFXIII-2

I don't care what anyone else says, I enjoyed the first one a lot. And this one appears to have improved on some of its former's faults and added some intriguing new features.

Batman: Arkham City

I knew this was going to be amazing, the playthrough confirmed it. Really excited for this and the new features look better than anticipated.

Uncharted 3

It's going to be fantastic, there's no doubt. We get to see a bit more action here and more of the improved character animation. It might not have the facial animation of Noire, but he moves great. I was excited, I still am.

Uncharted: Golden Abyss

Looking every bit as good as its big brother, with added sensor controls of the Vita. Most of them essentially a gimmick but the touch screen climbing is an actual genuine improvement of the controls. If anything's going to make me buy a Vita, this is definitely it.


SSX

The first game I got on playstation and a firm favourite for a long time. How to handle an update for the next generation consoles was a concern especially when the recent entries were less than thrilling. The new features and sheer scale shown here are impressive and I once again look forward to playing the SSX series.

Mass Effect 3

More of the same but with better graphics. Nothing much new shown here apart from the use of voice control, which to me, apart from use during battles (which would also effectively slow your relative battle reactions in comparison against using the wheel), takes you out of the game rather than putting you in it. Seperating you from your character and creating a distinct difference. Another gimmick, fun, but adds nothing other than a distraction to the game. Stop with it already, stick to buttons. It's clean, clinical, effective, and efficient.

Asura's Wrath

A fantastic looking action game as epic looking as God Of War, possible more so. The action is looking great and appears to give you even more control over the QTE sections. Definitely interested in this one.

Playstaion Vita

Looks very nice. Also expensive. Please do more with this than Uncharted.



There are other games that looked good, From Dust for example but they weren't really part of the highlights of the show so I'll skip over them.

Yes, most of the games are sequels, yes most of them I already knew were going to be good, but I got to see just how good they were shaping up and it got my mouth watering. I am excited for the year ahead. I have some fantastic gaming to look forward to.