A Miyamoto introduction. Fuck yeah, great start, Miyamoto is the child-like spirit and imagination of Nintendo.
I love the integration of the Pikmin in the audience members, so fun, so playful. :)
So even though we've known about the WiiU for quite a while, I suppose this is the year of the physical appearance. Much like the Wii, we had a year of hardware announcement, and a subsequent year of a reveal of the physical product and the software for launch.
Pikmin 3...good to see the return of the game after a long time. It feels like another more of the same game, but yet again, still good.
Reggie Fils-Amie...again. I don't know why, but I just can't ever feel comfortable with Reggie, he makes me want to take a bathroom break every time he talks. All he ever does, like he does here, is just simply drones on and on about the philosophy of the system he's talking about. It's like he's trying to be a Steve Jobs of gaming, but he just achieves monotony. I don't know him besides this constant appearance, but I just can't help but feel like he's just a suit that doesn't care about the gaming industry, which I really don't like saying, but he just feels like someone you should see at a business meeting among board members, not a gaming convention populated with members clad in t-shirts and informal dress.
/end rant
...two separate gamepads is an improvment for sure. I respect the use of just one gamepad in the sense of a gamemaster role but I think this two gamepad decision greatly pleases any amount of the gaming populace.
Having volume control on your controller, that's fantastic! I know it sounds weird, but that's a great new feature that has never been done with gaming devices and something that just is incredible for gaming in a populated house or densely spaced apartments. Your neighbor or your girlfriend is becoming annoyed by the noise of the tv, you just adjust the sound, which, is the sound settings of the game itself, of course, and reduce the volume, without having to interrupt gameplay.
This social nonsense, I couldn't care less about this whole thing of having crowds of little Miis I don't care about standing around on my screen. I think this is a mistake. Social stuff is best kept in it's own section, not where your first interaction is with the system.
New Super Mario Brothers...U. Okay, it looks fun, despite I really REALLY hope this idea of putting U at the end of every title isn't going to be the norm with the Wii U.
Active transfer from the television to the gamepad, I like that. That's a great great use of the gamepad technology and I truly hope this isn't the only great innovation Nintendo makes with their tech.
Batman Arkham City: Armored Edition? Harley Quinn intro...UGHH, I love Harley Quinn, but why WHY is it a still of her from the Harley's Revenge promo art? You could get a custom track from her VA but you couldn't get Warner's team to do a custom cg sequence? And in the words of Jake from hit TV show, Adventure Time, YEAHH, FORCE THAT ENTHUSIASM! Please...you suits aren't fooling anyone.
Reid Schneider, I don't know him, but at least he looks like more of a gamer than this square before him.
New boost mode...yep.
Basically, use bat-gadgets with the gamepad, good use of the technology, but nothing mind-blowing.
The problem with this is that when this Arkham City U comes out, Arkham City is going to be over a year old. Why does that game deserve a feature? There has to be much better candidates for this privelage than a YEAR OLD GAME!
Scribblenauts Unlimited, that's cool. It's a great use of the built in stylus, and maybe, we'll see a bigger version of the flipnote ds app, which maybe can be transferred to and fro from the wii u to the 3ds?
A montage of coming titles for the wii u... I love Darksiders 2 and Mass Effect 3, it'll be much like the inclusion of Resident Evil 4 on the Wii, and the best part is that they're not getting a 7-minute feature! Tank! Tank! Tank! looks like a fun little game for players to enjoy together with simple little graphic and arcade-style gameplay. Tekken Tag Tournament 2, another high-ticket item that can only help to increase the Wii U's appeal to hardcore gamers, Trine 2 a great inclusion for RPG and adventure fans and something to support a lower tier developer!
Ninja Gaiden 3: Razor's Edge, I'm proud to see such emphasis in getting more adult titles into the hands of Wii U players, this is a trend that has been sorely missing in the Nintendo's marketing strategy. Aliens: Colonial Marines. Yep, keep this up and keep a nice selection of casual games, but not too much. Achieve balance to really push Nintendo somewhere even better than before!
Wii Fit talk, and what appears to be a new Wii U Wii Fit game, great use of the gamepad. Though noone grunts like that during WiiFit gameplay. And what a bitch, she just has to emasculate her bf at every turn. That's an abusive relationship, ladies and gentlemen, wtf is wrong with you, Nintendo?!(joking) Seems like there is a pedometer involved, cool, but how much do you want to bet people are going to lose theirs? Or just not wear them?
SiNG...ehh, not something I'd be really interested in, though it'll add to the party usage of wiiU though I like the lyrical display with the gamepad, again, any creative use of the gamepad is fantastic.
Where's the love? ....maybe you should intonate better if you want to find out. XD
3DS News
New Super Mario Bros. 2...I don't like the idea of coin generation, except for the power-up that allows you to affect the scenery. And August 19th, good release schedule to sate gamers' Mario lust.
Paper Mario: Sticker Star...Paper Mario has always been a great evolution to the Mario franchise and I'm always happy to see it represented. The use of stickers as battle commands, I like that, except I worry that they're only single-use commands, which could cripple gameplay where having MP consuming abilities did not.
Luigi's Mansion: Dark Moon...AWWW YEAH, they make Luigi seem like such a coward but uhhh, Luigi's kindof a badass to be fighting friggin GHOSTS! I'm so excited for another installment of the Luigi's Mansion series, way overdue after what was a fun as heck game.
Castlevania Lords of Shadow - Mirror of Fate, looks like a return to the classic Castlevania style, wow, I know quite a few lovers of the series that will appreciate that, and it looks like the combat will be diverse with boss battles involving QTEs and various sub-weapons. Great to see the classic style represented once-again.
Disney Epic Mickey: Power of Illusion reminds me of the old Sega Genesis Mickey games, with healthy platforming and such, which could mean that this will be a solid title just like those platformers of old were. Let's hope so.
Scribblenauts Unlimited, a concurrent release with the WiiU title...next...
Kingdom Hearts 3D: Dream Drop Distance, a healthy real-time RPG, good to see.
Only 4 titles in the montage...well, hopefully they'll show a ton more at the 3DS conference...but srsly, WHY SPLIT THE TWO? Again, it's showing a fundamental misunderstanding of the enormity E3 releases can be, in my opinion, dividing your showcases up like this isn't a recipe for success!
Lego City... an open-world Lego experience, this could be sweet, just as long as the clunky movement is made smoother. I always found that the game's movement style always felt sticky.
Imagine if with the Lego support, if Lego made a construction game that used a special buildmat that fit over the touchpad, allowing, somehow, the touchpad to register what pieces you put on it, which would then translate into the game in a 3D sense. Tall order I know, but perhaps there's a way!
A 3DS Lego City, welp, that's a given..
Ubisoft setpiece...yeep, I'm sure this man is of average height, but in front of Reggie's behemoth status, he's downright tiny XD
This whole thing is just a puff-piece, please, hush up.
Just Dance 4....puppetmaster..ohhh wow, a real game master experience, allowing the gamepad user to directly control the moves given to the players. I could see some really fun parties, and it basically reestablishes the gamepad as a game master device.
ZombiU...again, bad name, but here we see the features you can use with the gamepad, inventory control, keypad control(NOT Door Hacking), and the idea of one-bite and you're dead is awesome, a new thing that hasn't been done in zombie games, though I can see it being a really tough game that might enrage players at first.
Great montage with Assassin's Creed 3, Rabbits Land, Yourshape, Rayman Legends, Sports Connection, Avengers Battle for Earth, good to see such support, though I hope Ubisoft doesn't just relegate themselves to lame party game nonsense like they did with the Wii.
NintendoLand...basically WiiSports for the WiiU, though I really like the integration of the different franchises rather than just general sports. Could be a really fun experience but I hope players can play gamepad or wiimote by themselves for the single player experience. A virtual tour of the theme park in Nintendo land makes me interested to go through and see what all little knick-knacks are featured in the game. ....Aaand...that's it? A fireworks display? Oh, well, far it be it for me to criticize but ..what the hell?
Geomagnetic sensor? Wow, I've never heard of that being used, but surely, it would make motion tracking alot more accurate I'd assume.
These prerecorded videos are painful..
Animal Crossing: Sweet Day, basically that hide and seek game we saw last year.
Donkey Kong: Crash Course, looks fun, like a interesting puzzle experience.
Iwata...staring at bananas...because why not?
WiiFit U...Core Luge, I could see that being fun, something a gamer would push themselves to become better at. Trampoline Jump or whatever seems like a game really for the casual gamers. Dessert Course, looks like it's really a test of balance. Something intermediate I think.
I love love love, the idea of making this CONSOLE able to work independent of the tv screen.
Pedometer, again, something easily lost I fear.
A replay of...the ZombiU trailer. Dick move, Iwata.
Arkham City: Armored Edition...he wears a tablet computer on his arm...called the Bat-Computer...YOU DON'T SAY?
Yeeahh, in summation....uhh wtf. NintendoLand could be fun, ZombiU as well, but really, I am not impressed. I think they really could have done so much better putting forth a great selection of games to build hype for the gamers, but they didn't, they bored viewers with their prattle of asymmetric gameplay, and very VERY awkward talk between presenters, we needed more live demos, more substantial gameplay trailers, LESS talk talk talk. I love Nintendo, I'm a Nintendo fanboy, but this is one of the first times I've ever felt like I'm disappointed in them.
Jun 10, 2012
Jun 6, 2012
E3 2012 - Sony Conference -
And for the last time, I am TheNoodle, here to bring you the news of E3 for your eyes, and only YOUR eyes, to read..as well as the other people who might be reading this.
Pre-show, got some opinions with David Jaffe, and coverage of a new Sly Cooper game, Sly Cooper could really be a great new addition to the video game library for the PS3, a series that never got it's due for what it was.
Sadly, no other demos at the preshow, just hype-building.
Great intro to the con. Really feels like Sony's pulling out all the stops to make up for rather dismal entries of past years.
Jack Tretton, looking as box-like as ever. :) Great awareness of the scrutiny of the conference, hosting is a terribly stressful duty I have to imagine. Jack Tretton has always been a fantastic host though, and I'm happy he's still there, even though he's so box-like. :)
Beyond - Judy Holmes played by Ellen Page? If you're anything like me, I'll take Ellen Page over a bucket of nails anyday! It looks chilling right now. Wow. Some sort of invisible friend that empowers your character and with the cinematic power of the team behind Heavy Rain, I think Heavy Rain has a successor. ;)
Playstation All-Stars Battle Royale...Parappa the Rappa! AWWW YEAHH! An obvious clone of Super Smash Bros Melee but with a little changes here and there. Maybe it is a copy but it's something for sony fans just as nintendo has it's brawler, so it'll be fun to see how the game works out. Plus the active use of the ps3/Vita crossplay was really fantastic, something that can really revolutionize the multiplayer experience.
Crossplay being used to enhance Little Big Planet 2, this reminds me totally of the GBA/Gamecube cross functionality albeit that was wired. Actually, to think of it, nintendo has been doing this for years... XD But I'm happy to see Crossplay happen rather tahn the nonsense that was Transfarring last year.
Playstation Plus being a free on-demand gaming service offering selections of premium big name games on a rotating basis for it's members, congratulations to Sony for being the first to take this option that has been on the table for so many years. Big time innovation.
Sony is really taking an active role in the media consolidation marketplace, offering Music Unlimited, various video streaming services across platforms is interesting to say the least, but what does this cost for the total experience? Is it feasible for the common gamer?
Assassin's Creed 3 Liberation, the first female protagonist in the main Assassin's Creed series, and it looks like a really good port, to really coincide with the main game. And that's a really cool way of porting across devices, by giving people their own story on their own device.
Assassin's Creed 3 had yet another trailer that offered a new aspect of naval combat, could it be frustrating? I think it could be against diffcult cpu opponents. But I love the idea of boarding enemy vessels with the unparalleled agility of an Assassin.
Farcry 3... 4 player co op in this game?? Wow, with a story that seems just so singular in it's story, how can this progress? Does it act in the same way as a mode like horde? Or wait, it would put you in the shoes of the indigenious peoples, fighting against the pirates! Accomplishing a series of objectives in each level. But does this affect the single player experience? Perhaps making it easier?
I also wonder how far the map editor goes in the depth of tools gamers can fiddle with? Could we potentally see user-made game modes like in the famous Starcraft custom modes?
Move is featured in a series of games, some with some big names attached to them. Though I still think the Move is the tertiary choice of movement controls and games. I wish Sony really pushed the SixAxis control to have made a unique gaming experience that only the PS3 had, instead of this cheap wiimote ripoff.
Wonderbook.... I ...just don't see ANY point in doing this. This is so terribly gimmicky. This will last for a quarter, MAYBE, but I do not see a future for this. At least not as a pairing to the PS3, something like this should be a standalone project, marketed by it's lonesome.
Book of Spells... what the hell. This ....is awful. I feel raped watching this... The narrator is terrible, the motions are too exact, it is bound to be an infuriating experience! Low-point in the show for sure.
I am happy to hear the support of developers with the PS Suite, that's so important to harvesting fresh new ideas by giving the gamers who play the systems, but don't have access to high-end devtools the opportunity to share their ideas.
HTC partners with Sony? What great news, HTC is certainly a rising star in the smart phone market, and truly gives Sony a great chance to operate this direction with a greater amount of freedom than with a manufacturer like Apple.
God of War: Ascension... looks like more of the same, though that's not necessarily a bad thing, though I only argue that this is something that probably didn't really need to be made, especially after perhaps, 4 or 5 titles, all including a wide range of creatures from mythology, one has to wonder when it will end, though I suppose if need be, they can just dream up some fearsome creatures of their own. I don't know if a GOW fan can enlighten me, but this gameplay demo features what appears to be a rage attack, has that always been in the games? If not, it's a welcome addition, I say. And A KRAKEN, BECAUSE FUCK SHIPS!
The Last of Us... Another one of my most anticipated titles. Such a heavy, heavy atmosphere. Great voice acting. I wonder then with the pairing of the characters, will there be a possibility of co-op? Perhaps with your combat ready male protagonist, and your strategically useful female partner? Teaming up to set up opponents and putting them down, and gathering resources, as well as having and additional layer of inventory? This game is so visceral, I love it. The sound of the gagging enemies, the shaking.....oh my...*ahem* camera, and just everything you do in this game just seems so deliciously BRUTAL. There exists alot of specific situations, but it doesn't seem apparent that you have control over them. That might be a thing to watch is the level of control you have in those tense situations, which I think would feel weird if gamers didn't have the ability to influence them.
Well, all in all, I definitely think Sony's conference was a strong showing this year, offering a display of alot of great titles that have been displayed earlier, but others that haven't been shown as well. And with the HTC partnership, I'm interested to see how Sony's attempt to immerse themselves in the mobile gaming market will shake things up, after all, I can't think of an actual video game company that has released a game for the smartphone market that has really blown faces off, but I look forward to when it happens. :) For sure, I think Sony is gonna make it hard to find it's place on the heirarchy of the top presenters of E3 this year, and you know what? That's just fine, baby, that's just fine..
Pre-show, got some opinions with David Jaffe, and coverage of a new Sly Cooper game, Sly Cooper could really be a great new addition to the video game library for the PS3, a series that never got it's due for what it was.
Sadly, no other demos at the preshow, just hype-building.
Great intro to the con. Really feels like Sony's pulling out all the stops to make up for rather dismal entries of past years.
Jack Tretton, looking as box-like as ever. :) Great awareness of the scrutiny of the conference, hosting is a terribly stressful duty I have to imagine. Jack Tretton has always been a fantastic host though, and I'm happy he's still there, even though he's so box-like. :)
Beyond - Judy Holmes played by Ellen Page? If you're anything like me, I'll take Ellen Page over a bucket of nails anyday! It looks chilling right now. Wow. Some sort of invisible friend that empowers your character and with the cinematic power of the team behind Heavy Rain, I think Heavy Rain has a successor. ;)
Playstation All-Stars Battle Royale...Parappa the Rappa! AWWW YEAHH! An obvious clone of Super Smash Bros Melee but with a little changes here and there. Maybe it is a copy but it's something for sony fans just as nintendo has it's brawler, so it'll be fun to see how the game works out. Plus the active use of the ps3/Vita crossplay was really fantastic, something that can really revolutionize the multiplayer experience.
Crossplay being used to enhance Little Big Planet 2, this reminds me totally of the GBA/Gamecube cross functionality albeit that was wired. Actually, to think of it, nintendo has been doing this for years... XD But I'm happy to see Crossplay happen rather tahn the nonsense that was Transfarring last year.
Playstation Plus being a free on-demand gaming service offering selections of premium big name games on a rotating basis for it's members, congratulations to Sony for being the first to take this option that has been on the table for so many years. Big time innovation.
Sony is really taking an active role in the media consolidation marketplace, offering Music Unlimited, various video streaming services across platforms is interesting to say the least, but what does this cost for the total experience? Is it feasible for the common gamer?
Assassin's Creed 3 Liberation, the first female protagonist in the main Assassin's Creed series, and it looks like a really good port, to really coincide with the main game. And that's a really cool way of porting across devices, by giving people their own story on their own device.
Assassin's Creed 3 had yet another trailer that offered a new aspect of naval combat, could it be frustrating? I think it could be against diffcult cpu opponents. But I love the idea of boarding enemy vessels with the unparalleled agility of an Assassin.
Farcry 3... 4 player co op in this game?? Wow, with a story that seems just so singular in it's story, how can this progress? Does it act in the same way as a mode like horde? Or wait, it would put you in the shoes of the indigenious peoples, fighting against the pirates! Accomplishing a series of objectives in each level. But does this affect the single player experience? Perhaps making it easier?
I also wonder how far the map editor goes in the depth of tools gamers can fiddle with? Could we potentally see user-made game modes like in the famous Starcraft custom modes?
Move is featured in a series of games, some with some big names attached to them. Though I still think the Move is the tertiary choice of movement controls and games. I wish Sony really pushed the SixAxis control to have made a unique gaming experience that only the PS3 had, instead of this cheap wiimote ripoff.
Wonderbook.... I ...just don't see ANY point in doing this. This is so terribly gimmicky. This will last for a quarter, MAYBE, but I do not see a future for this. At least not as a pairing to the PS3, something like this should be a standalone project, marketed by it's lonesome.
Book of Spells... what the hell. This ....is awful. I feel raped watching this... The narrator is terrible, the motions are too exact, it is bound to be an infuriating experience! Low-point in the show for sure.
I am happy to hear the support of developers with the PS Suite, that's so important to harvesting fresh new ideas by giving the gamers who play the systems, but don't have access to high-end devtools the opportunity to share their ideas.
HTC partners with Sony? What great news, HTC is certainly a rising star in the smart phone market, and truly gives Sony a great chance to operate this direction with a greater amount of freedom than with a manufacturer like Apple.
God of War: Ascension... looks like more of the same, though that's not necessarily a bad thing, though I only argue that this is something that probably didn't really need to be made, especially after perhaps, 4 or 5 titles, all including a wide range of creatures from mythology, one has to wonder when it will end, though I suppose if need be, they can just dream up some fearsome creatures of their own. I don't know if a GOW fan can enlighten me, but this gameplay demo features what appears to be a rage attack, has that always been in the games? If not, it's a welcome addition, I say. And A KRAKEN, BECAUSE FUCK SHIPS!
The Last of Us... Another one of my most anticipated titles. Such a heavy, heavy atmosphere. Great voice acting. I wonder then with the pairing of the characters, will there be a possibility of co-op? Perhaps with your combat ready male protagonist, and your strategically useful female partner? Teaming up to set up opponents and putting them down, and gathering resources, as well as having and additional layer of inventory? This game is so visceral, I love it. The sound of the gagging enemies, the shaking.....oh my...*ahem* camera, and just everything you do in this game just seems so deliciously BRUTAL. There exists alot of specific situations, but it doesn't seem apparent that you have control over them. That might be a thing to watch is the level of control you have in those tense situations, which I think would feel weird if gamers didn't have the ability to influence them.
Well, all in all, I definitely think Sony's conference was a strong showing this year, offering a display of alot of great titles that have been displayed earlier, but others that haven't been shown as well. And with the HTC partnership, I'm interested to see how Sony's attempt to immerse themselves in the mobile gaming market will shake things up, after all, I can't think of an actual video game company that has released a game for the smartphone market that has really blown faces off, but I look forward to when it happens. :) For sure, I think Sony is gonna make it hard to find it's place on the heirarchy of the top presenters of E3 this year, and you know what? That's just fine, baby, that's just fine..
Jun 4, 2012
E3 2012 - Ubisoft conference - The E3 Cult of Personality
Back again at 4pm MST, it is I, TheNoodle, liveblogging on the Ubisoft conference. Can they top their phenomenal conference of last year? Will they beat out EA in their showing? We'll find out!
Some live ... no, wait, Just Dance, but what is it called? Just Dance 4, looking like a great new entrance in the series, but maybe...not too different. More of the same? I love dance games, so either way, I'm jazzed.
Farcry 3, oh yeah, this is the star player of Ubisoft's line-up for sure, sexy sexy setup to the trailer, and you're leading an army?! Sick! Intense as hell, I'm so excited for farcry 3, it appears that knifeplay is a key part of the game, and the game has a theme of hallucinogenics, I don't think it'll be a gameplay element, but more like a little thing you can do during your exploration of the island.
Splinter Cell featured a great cinematic trailer, displaying great story elements, and putting forth the secrecy of the fourth echelon.
Avengers Battle for Earth, a great great use of the Avengers hype without trying to duplicate the movie, but rather following in it's footsteps, giving gamers the unified cast that isn't hindered by movie rights. And the cinematics look tight, but will the gameplay be open exploration? I hope so, I'd love to pick an avenger and go around fighting a diverse cast of villians at my leisure.
New Rayman game looks just as fun as ever, Ubisoft, you've won my heart again! I just love the way the 2 player works, where we really experience the game together, not just running on our own tangent.
A new zombie survival game... Zombi U...stupid name, but the game looks pretty amazing, hopefully the gameplay is like that of Dead Island and gives us more of a tense, scary experience and not so much just pop pop pop watchin mutha zombies drop!
A rabbid based city developing game it appears, idk, Rabbids are losing their flair imo.
Assassin's Creed 3 cinematic trailer, looks to be a real tale of mystery and intrigue as we see the two sides, in utter awe of this white cloaked figure, who wears not the colors of either side, but appears to be killing one side over the other, but the looks in the eyes of the general as he wonders to himself if this man is friend or foe tells volumes.
A gameplay demo follows and the ability to scale trees is interesting, as well as wildlife interaction, shows a wider variety of tasks you can undertake in service of people you meet, outside of your mission. Trudging through the snow actively affects your speed, as well as rock climbing to make new paths to the objective. Combat really looks to accomodate for the use of guns, by use of bullet shields and makes an interesting use of hatchets as a main weapon in combat in place of the sword.
Shootmania, the same way as Trackmania, a community-created shooter game, what kind of innovations can you make with this game? Just map creation OR weapon creation? The competitive focus is very interesting to say the least, making this an attempt of Ubisoft to bring gaming greater attention as a competitive sport.
A montage followed really showing Ubisoft's commitment to providing accessible content, in a free or cheap way, thanks to Trials Evolution and Ghost Recon Online, among others. Ubisoft keeps a standard of advancing the game industry.
Watch_Dogs looks like a really interesting Hitman competitor, actively using technology to complete hits. The trailer before the gameplay was very fun to watch, set up the weight of the situation immediately. I don't know if it will be worth a buy atm, but it'll be worth the time to experience in one way or another.
Wrapping this post up, again, Ubisoft has captured my heart and imagination. With Rayman, Avengers Battle for Earth, Watch_Dogs, Assassin's Creed 3, and the first WiiU exclusive announced at a conference, Zombi U, Just Dance 4, and my favorite, Far Cry 3, Ubisoft has made a monolithic showing here today, and I couldn't be more excited to see some of these games come out! Great job, Ubisoft!
Some live ... no, wait, Just Dance, but what is it called? Just Dance 4, looking like a great new entrance in the series, but maybe...not too different. More of the same? I love dance games, so either way, I'm jazzed.
Farcry 3, oh yeah, this is the star player of Ubisoft's line-up for sure, sexy sexy setup to the trailer, and you're leading an army?! Sick! Intense as hell, I'm so excited for farcry 3, it appears that knifeplay is a key part of the game, and the game has a theme of hallucinogenics, I don't think it'll be a gameplay element, but more like a little thing you can do during your exploration of the island.
Splinter Cell featured a great cinematic trailer, displaying great story elements, and putting forth the secrecy of the fourth echelon.
Avengers Battle for Earth, a great great use of the Avengers hype without trying to duplicate the movie, but rather following in it's footsteps, giving gamers the unified cast that isn't hindered by movie rights. And the cinematics look tight, but will the gameplay be open exploration? I hope so, I'd love to pick an avenger and go around fighting a diverse cast of villians at my leisure.
New Rayman game looks just as fun as ever, Ubisoft, you've won my heart again! I just love the way the 2 player works, where we really experience the game together, not just running on our own tangent.
A new zombie survival game... Zombi U...stupid name, but the game looks pretty amazing, hopefully the gameplay is like that of Dead Island and gives us more of a tense, scary experience and not so much just pop pop pop watchin mutha zombies drop!
A rabbid based city developing game it appears, idk, Rabbids are losing their flair imo.
Assassin's Creed 3 cinematic trailer, looks to be a real tale of mystery and intrigue as we see the two sides, in utter awe of this white cloaked figure, who wears not the colors of either side, but appears to be killing one side over the other, but the looks in the eyes of the general as he wonders to himself if this man is friend or foe tells volumes.
A gameplay demo follows and the ability to scale trees is interesting, as well as wildlife interaction, shows a wider variety of tasks you can undertake in service of people you meet, outside of your mission. Trudging through the snow actively affects your speed, as well as rock climbing to make new paths to the objective. Combat really looks to accomodate for the use of guns, by use of bullet shields and makes an interesting use of hatchets as a main weapon in combat in place of the sword.
Shootmania, the same way as Trackmania, a community-created shooter game, what kind of innovations can you make with this game? Just map creation OR weapon creation? The competitive focus is very interesting to say the least, making this an attempt of Ubisoft to bring gaming greater attention as a competitive sport.
A montage followed really showing Ubisoft's commitment to providing accessible content, in a free or cheap way, thanks to Trials Evolution and Ghost Recon Online, among others. Ubisoft keeps a standard of advancing the game industry.
Watch_Dogs looks like a really interesting Hitman competitor, actively using technology to complete hits. The trailer before the gameplay was very fun to watch, set up the weight of the situation immediately. I don't know if it will be worth a buy atm, but it'll be worth the time to experience in one way or another.
Wrapping this post up, again, Ubisoft has captured my heart and imagination. With Rayman, Avengers Battle for Earth, Watch_Dogs, Assassin's Creed 3, and the first WiiU exclusive announced at a conference, Zombi U, Just Dance 4, and my favorite, Far Cry 3, Ubisoft has made a monolithic showing here today, and I couldn't be more excited to see some of these games come out! Great job, Ubisoft!
E3 2012 - EA - Not as alone forever as last time...
Hey! TheNoodle here, doing some liveblogging of the EA conference at E3 2012, what are we gonna see? Welp, it couldn't be hard to top the showing of last years showing, so let's get on with it!
Dead Space 3, looking heavy, I knew there was an ice planet, but do we actually get to see a standing force standing against the necromorphs? Drop-in drop-out co-op, could be fun, just so long as you get to turn it off if you want. It's gonna be action-packed, but I wonder if the gameplay is easier to accomodate a wide swath of gamers.
Madden 13...this looks like it's a really important innovation with the Infinity Engine, maybe you're not a sports fan, but pushing game physics further is really important and could affect games for years to come.
Michael Irving..charming fellow :) And good point about being on top of the mountain.
Interesting hall of fame mode, really puts the career touch into the focus of just one player. Makes me think of Fight Night careers. And fuck social connection, none of your friends on twitter, facebook, or whatever else care about your unimportant achievements in a fucking video game. Get over it.
I guess all I can hope for is this to be a game to make me excited to share my accomplishments.
Sim City Social..I could see myself playing this for sure, really, EA has had great performance with making social games thatmake you want to play them for a long time.
New Sim City is looking interesting, something that'll be fun for core fans, but multiplayer support might be fun, though the airport scene makes scared that it'll be a social requirement to build a friggin airport. Also the graphics are really nice and pleasing to the eye, simplistic in a way. ALmost makes think that the gameplay will be simpler as well, which I can't imagine will be that bad to atract new gamers to the sim city franchise.
Battlefield Premium...great idea, some really cool new expansions, but 49.99..no. No. On top of 60 dollars, that's way too much to make a gamer pay.
SWTOR updates, great to update users on the status of this game, as well as already going f2p much in response to WoW's f2p scheme. Looking forward to the new species and new planet for sure!
Medal of Honor Warfighter looks like it could be a great relaunch of the franchise. Future fighting is definitely a big point of shooters this year. Global combat in the multiplayer really sounds like it could be an interesting aspect. One nation would rise to the top one day and the next it could be the last one you'd expect. Reminds me of Soul Calibur 2 in the arcades.
EA Sports basically stroking it's ego....blah blah blah...and here comes the Fifa news. Let's see if this impresses me like the madden news.
Fifa social..basically. Sorry, I just don't care that this is something people need to innovate on, call me introverted, but I want technical innovations not just connections to facebook.
Once again, Fifa, to it's credit, has continued it's commitment to increased control, which I admire, I just hope it's not so hard for newcomers to get into. Easy to pick up, hard to master is the name of the game.
UFC news incoming! Haha wow, finally EA gains the UFC license, it was only a matter of time but it's good to see a committed sports developer like EA get ahold of it to push it forward.
Need for Speed Most Wanted..looks beautiful, the gameplay looks...intense, I dont' even really like racing games, but I saw the level of speed you experience and it had my mouth agape. I'm happy to see that there's none of the arcade style gameplay of using little tools in the game. Just pure racing.
Crysis 3 looks amazing, the team behind it deliver some of the best physics as well as cool technology, I hope your in-game character appears to be as impulsive as he appears in the demo.
In summation, I think...actually, this was a really solid showing from EA, much better than last year! With Dead Space 3, incredible innovations in the new flagship titles of Madden and Fifa, and the return to form of Sim City, updates on SWTOR, Medal of Honor Warfighter, and Crysis 3, Electronic Arts is really looking to be a strong competitor for the best showing of E3, little early to say, but Ubisoft, Nintendo, and the others have alot to top for sure.
Dead Space 3, looking heavy, I knew there was an ice planet, but do we actually get to see a standing force standing against the necromorphs? Drop-in drop-out co-op, could be fun, just so long as you get to turn it off if you want. It's gonna be action-packed, but I wonder if the gameplay is easier to accomodate a wide swath of gamers.
Madden 13...this looks like it's a really important innovation with the Infinity Engine, maybe you're not a sports fan, but pushing game physics further is really important and could affect games for years to come.
Michael Irving..charming fellow :) And good point about being on top of the mountain.
Interesting hall of fame mode, really puts the career touch into the focus of just one player. Makes me think of Fight Night careers. And fuck social connection, none of your friends on twitter, facebook, or whatever else care about your unimportant achievements in a fucking video game. Get over it.
I guess all I can hope for is this to be a game to make me excited to share my accomplishments.
Sim City Social..I could see myself playing this for sure, really, EA has had great performance with making social games thatmake you want to play them for a long time.
New Sim City is looking interesting, something that'll be fun for core fans, but multiplayer support might be fun, though the airport scene makes scared that it'll be a social requirement to build a friggin airport. Also the graphics are really nice and pleasing to the eye, simplistic in a way. ALmost makes think that the gameplay will be simpler as well, which I can't imagine will be that bad to atract new gamers to the sim city franchise.
Battlefield Premium...great idea, some really cool new expansions, but 49.99..no. No. On top of 60 dollars, that's way too much to make a gamer pay.
SWTOR updates, great to update users on the status of this game, as well as already going f2p much in response to WoW's f2p scheme. Looking forward to the new species and new planet for sure!
Medal of Honor Warfighter looks like it could be a great relaunch of the franchise. Future fighting is definitely a big point of shooters this year. Global combat in the multiplayer really sounds like it could be an interesting aspect. One nation would rise to the top one day and the next it could be the last one you'd expect. Reminds me of Soul Calibur 2 in the arcades.
EA Sports basically stroking it's ego....blah blah blah...and here comes the Fifa news. Let's see if this impresses me like the madden news.
Fifa social..basically. Sorry, I just don't care that this is something people need to innovate on, call me introverted, but I want technical innovations not just connections to facebook.
Once again, Fifa, to it's credit, has continued it's commitment to increased control, which I admire, I just hope it's not so hard for newcomers to get into. Easy to pick up, hard to master is the name of the game.
UFC news incoming! Haha wow, finally EA gains the UFC license, it was only a matter of time but it's good to see a committed sports developer like EA get ahold of it to push it forward.
Need for Speed Most Wanted..looks beautiful, the gameplay looks...intense, I dont' even really like racing games, but I saw the level of speed you experience and it had my mouth agape. I'm happy to see that there's none of the arcade style gameplay of using little tools in the game. Just pure racing.
Crysis 3 looks amazing, the team behind it deliver some of the best physics as well as cool technology, I hope your in-game character appears to be as impulsive as he appears in the demo.
In summation, I think...actually, this was a really solid showing from EA, much better than last year! With Dead Space 3, incredible innovations in the new flagship titles of Madden and Fifa, and the return to form of Sim City, updates on SWTOR, Medal of Honor Warfighter, and Crysis 3, Electronic Arts is really looking to be a strong competitor for the best showing of E3, little early to say, but Ubisoft, Nintendo, and the others have alot to top for sure.
E3 2012 YEE YUUUUHH - Xbox Press Conference - The Year of TRANSFARRING >: D
It's a brand new year, a brand new week, and a BRAND NEW LIVEBLOGGED E3!!
As I'm sitting here, waiting for the Microsoft conference to start, I'm thinking we're gonna see more information about Microsoft's endeavors to integrate media experiences into the Xbox service, as they have been surprisingly aggressive since last year about expanding their library of apps. Even now, I'm watching the Xbox conference on their Live Event App, truly Microsoft hasn't slouched and let their media lust go out of focus, but have only provided users even more choices to consuming media.
As for a new system, I just don't know. With all the rumors of heavy drm nonsense, I'm nervous to see what that means for any new consoles on the horizon, but also, with the latest analytics, is it possible that it's not financially feasible to make a new console? Well, Idk, but I can say for sure that they do have competition with the Wii U and they have to answer in some way, but idk yet. My best guess is yes, the first official word will be released today. Though it won't be much I'd think.
As for the gaming end of it, I wonder if new refinements will be announced for the Kinect sensor, perhaps in the way of deeper immersion in the Kinect experience. Support for multiple sensors? Or maybe just a wiimotionplus sort of add-on that, if anything, widens the field of vision of the sensor, as, if I'm correct, the sensor can zoom in, but it's essentially a box-like field of vision, but is it capable of achieving a panoramic field of vision? This could help accomodate more social gaming in small spaces.
But really, 45 minutes away, and I just don't know besides new announcements of media partners. So let's get it going already!
I guess if there's anything I want to see for the media announcements is more actively streaming content, much like in the case of the youtube app that lets users press a button and enjoy a variety of content in a passive experience, just like what you'd get with your cable tv service. I would love to see TwiT or CNET be integrated this way, something that could deliver tech news, as I suspect users of the xbox appreciate tech news moreso than others. What about Marvel digital comics? Or Audible support? I believe maybe that could be a huge step if users could integrate literary experiences on their xbox, especially Audible. Can you imagine? Playing one of your favorite games, and using the music player in your xbox menu, listening to your favorite Tom Clancy story?
Halo 4 Halo 4 Halo 4, I know it's gonna be a big game, but personally, will it capture my imagination like Halo Reach did? Idk, I feel like low-gravity movement might be a mechanic in the game though, and perhaps bigger and badder space combat.
Star Wars 1313? Oh really? We'll get back to that...
Halo 4? The Covenant are still screwing around? JEEZ.
Halo 4: Attack of the Bionicles!
New weapons for sure, and despite being bionicles, they look sweet.
Whaaat, playing AS the terrorists? INTERESTING
New Splinter Cell, o rly? I see it's still the same gameplay as the last game. But it feels alot more smooth than last time.
Voice recognition in gaming, used in this capacity is always an awesome choice. One of the best aspects of the Kinect sensor.
Fifa..again, I don't think this'll be a good feature, I mean, playing sports games is a social game so how can you really play with friends and use the voice commands?
Madden 13, ... I can dig it, though the delay in voice recognition showed itself for sure.
Fable as a fps....I just can't get my head around that. I believe in Lionhead, but wow...what a departure.
New Gears, I smell the lubricant at Epic, as they work this franchise dry. And I heard the story I wanted to hear with the first 3 games, I'm not really interested in hearing the story before that. But I think it'll at least warrant a look.
I'm excited to see the new media applications, though uhh, why do I care about multilingual support for the kinect sensor, has that not been there since the first place?
Nickelodeon, machinima, and Paramount support? Interesting.
I see Machinima being just like the Roku channel, on-demand video content, though again, I wish it would be passive. So we'll see.
NBA and NHL coming? That's interesting, but I really want to see them make it more available for everyone to enjoy, instead of just making it premium access through espn3.
Interesting to see support of espn, if there can be at least one live broadcast in my region in the northwest, I'll be happy.
As an aspiring musician, I don't really care about these innovations on the xbox music, it's nothing new or exciting, it's just xbox saying we have this too!
Nike?
To quote my friend Kevin "...remember video games?"
I'm so happy that we can train in our home using the Kinect sensor! SO MANY PEOPLE WILL BE GETTING FIT THANKS TO THE KINECT! THANKS NIKE! YAAAY!
Let me sum up this whole media transferring nonsense. WHO THE FUCK CARES?
Internet Explorer on the xbox? About damn time...
Tomb Raider looks just so damned good! Lara stabbing the heck out of a guy's throat, this game looks so intense! I'm nothing short of proud of the team behind this, they've certainly made this fantastic new direction for the franchise!
Ascend looks like a game that can be interesting to say the least, maybe not a success in the making, but something to look forard to at least.
Matter? Cool looking, though looking a little too much like Portal for it's own good.
Resident Evil 6 is shaping up to be a completely awwwwesome game! Chaos, a zombie apocalypse on a wide scale? I'm super excited. Think about the things we'll see in this game!
Wrecketeer....how...annoying. Basically Angry Birds in a new perspective.
South Park game...just looks like Dragon's Lair. You get told what to do and press buttons to make it happen.
So Dance Central...where's the gameplay?
Oh Don Mattrick, my favorite guy in gaming atm. So cute. Yeah, I said it.
Black Ops 2, interacting directly with the President, and seeing hints of the plot. Interesting so far.
The gameplay looks sort of the same, but definitely is catching that feeling that mwf had with the huge amount of destruction in the urban environments, really interesting, but worth a buy? Idk.
In summation, I think the stars of the show for me was Splinter Cell, it looks like it's gonna be a game that's going to be really action packed and fun to play, the voice recognition was pretty sweet, I'm excited to see the use of it in the game. Tomb Raider is continuing to expand it's allure and keeps this sweet, delicious viscera that makes me excited to play it, slack-jawed, reacting more to what happens in game than to what happens in the real world. XD Resident Evil 6 looks like another game with very similar gameplay, though uhh running zombies, alls I have to say to that is oh shit. I notice as well the use of more command grabs, which could make the game a little more interesting, perhaps suggesting a greater use of melee in place of gunplay, giving it a more close quarters feeling, having to conserve ammo and what not. Black Ops looks interesting for the story it's presenting, I'd feel like it would warrant a playthrough, but at this point, maybe not a purchase I'm afraid. But as one who has cut the cable cord a long time ago, I greatly GREATLY appreciate the inclusion of Internet Explorer functionality, it'll be incredible to basically be able to access other video sites, do searches and other things from my tv, and I think really gives the xbox a new step toward their goal of one-stop media platforming.
All in all, a decent year, but not at all like last years show.
Nov 22, 2011
Episode 1
Episode 1 syllabus:
Intro question: Why did you start/keep gaming?
The
Re-Hash Pipe(tag):
Pokémon™ Black Version
and Pokémon White Version video games will launch in North America on March 6,
2011
You tuber DoubleOBond recreates link to the past in minecraft
You tuber DoubleOBond recreates link to the past in minecraft
Crit
Thought: year in review and predictions!
Homework: some required reading for next episode's Crit Thought:
Episode 93, of Three Moves Ahead : Theme, Mechanics and Meaning
Episode 93, of Three Moves Ahead : Theme, Mechanics and Meaning
Top
Ramen Gaming:
you have to burn the rope
robot unicorn attack heavy metal
you have to burn the rope
robot unicorn attack heavy metal
Jun 11, 2011
E3 Liveblog - Microsoft Conference - Year of the Kinect
Call of Duty 3: underwhelming in a word, at least the first couple minutes, it was hard to care, until only when the setting left the sub, then I got really jazzed about what the hell was going on.
Tomb Raider looked amazing, and I've not been excited for a Tomb Raider game in the entire length of the series. I have to think that the story must be centered on Lara's first adventure, and I also thought the model they made of her looked sooo much better.
Tom Clancy's Future Soldier looked great in the cinematic shown, but I had wished for more gameplay. The gunsmith really drove home the fact that this year was a Kinect year for sure, and the gestures used in the gunsmith mode really looked intuitive as well as having the first Kinect-based gun controls. What worries me is the possible rail system that might be required unless movement controls that are just as intuitive are introduced.
Xbox Interface Updates. The integration of Bing looks to be awesome so xbox players have a complete aggregation of all their content so gamers don't have to bounce between different marketplaces to check on something. Those updates ought to come very soon, but the Youtube channel, which will be a huge function for the Xbox experience, basically collecting the top 4 reasons for players to go online, it'll take probably longer to be released and we'll have to wait probably till July at the earliest to see it come out.
Ryse sure was confusing to watch, but the gameplay looks entirely awesome, visceral but intense as hell. I'm interested to see how it pans out for gamers.
Halo HD Remake. Continuing this trend of not only rereleasing games of the past, but the relatively new trend of remaking and remastering these games comes the first game in the Halo franchise. I thought it looked interesting, but I don't think it'll be a terribly huge release as gamers will not see alot of reason to play a game that's ten years old, but the remastering might be a reason to relive the experience.
Forza 4, funny to me how the Forza series has quite possibly overtaken the Gran Turismo franchise, and it looks just as amazing. Though I can't care too much about the racing genre, it does look really nice.
Fable the Journey presented the shortest Peter Molyneaux speech ever, without deep commentary on the human condition or such things. but moreso, it presented a wary concept of a fourth Fable, but made the experience look fun with the use of kinect to cast spells and power up the spells and engage enemies, though the concern is with the game being on rails just as the Future Soldier video instigated.
FIST BUMP
Disneyland looks to be basically Disney Kinect Adventures. Nothing special, though the ...*ahem* actors were something to be seen..but don't worry, we'll get the coins next time.
Kinect Star Wars. FINALLY we can actively pantomime slashing shit with lightsabers and using the force but actually having a game system to blame for looking like an idiot! Plus I wonder how much from the universe they're pulling, it almost seems like they are pulling from the expanded universe to an extent to me which is really cool.
Tim Schafer directs Sesame Street Once Upon a Monster. This game is such a distraction for kids, no doubt, or at least a game to play when you're on something.
Kinect Fun Labs. Kudos...Kudo. Sorry, had to do it. This looks to be Kinect arcade games. Face Scanning looks cool, if not completely killer for the avatar marketplace. Fingertracking is gonna really change gamerpics allowing for these custom pics and not just that but opens a new avenue for creative photography. Active object scanning to finally deliver on the promise of scanning skateboards. Took long enough.
Kinect Sports 2. Finally, I can play football and not have to buy a new game every year. Looking at you, Madden. Golf looks nice, though it's already been done. Christ, screaming plays in Football, great, brahs everywhere are getting noise complaints already. But that looks like a lot of fun for sure.
EA revealed Sports junk, namely new kinect controls for Madden and Tiger Woods, and Sims, but a huge reveal was Mass Effect 3. The conversation engine using the kinect voice sensor felt natural and well-understood, albeit limited to reading a single line at a time, but what really shone was the use of voice sensing in combat. The player shouted commands that were responded to seamlessly!
Tomb Raider looked amazing, and I've not been excited for a Tomb Raider game in the entire length of the series. I have to think that the story must be centered on Lara's first adventure, and I also thought the model they made of her looked sooo much better.
Tom Clancy's Future Soldier looked great in the cinematic shown, but I had wished for more gameplay. The gunsmith really drove home the fact that this year was a Kinect year for sure, and the gestures used in the gunsmith mode really looked intuitive as well as having the first Kinect-based gun controls. What worries me is the possible rail system that might be required unless movement controls that are just as intuitive are introduced.
Xbox Interface Updates. The integration of Bing looks to be awesome so xbox players have a complete aggregation of all their content so gamers don't have to bounce between different marketplaces to check on something. Those updates ought to come very soon, but the Youtube channel, which will be a huge function for the Xbox experience, basically collecting the top 4 reasons for players to go online, it'll take probably longer to be released and we'll have to wait probably till July at the earliest to see it come out.
Ryse sure was confusing to watch, but the gameplay looks entirely awesome, visceral but intense as hell. I'm interested to see how it pans out for gamers.
Halo HD Remake. Continuing this trend of not only rereleasing games of the past, but the relatively new trend of remaking and remastering these games comes the first game in the Halo franchise. I thought it looked interesting, but I don't think it'll be a terribly huge release as gamers will not see alot of reason to play a game that's ten years old, but the remastering might be a reason to relive the experience.
Forza 4, funny to me how the Forza series has quite possibly overtaken the Gran Turismo franchise, and it looks just as amazing. Though I can't care too much about the racing genre, it does look really nice.
Fable the Journey presented the shortest Peter Molyneaux speech ever, without deep commentary on the human condition or such things. but moreso, it presented a wary concept of a fourth Fable, but made the experience look fun with the use of kinect to cast spells and power up the spells and engage enemies, though the concern is with the game being on rails just as the Future Soldier video instigated.
FIST BUMP
Disneyland looks to be basically Disney Kinect Adventures. Nothing special, though the ...*ahem* actors were something to be seen..but don't worry, we'll get the coins next time.
Kinect Star Wars. FINALLY we can actively pantomime slashing shit with lightsabers and using the force but actually having a game system to blame for looking like an idiot! Plus I wonder how much from the universe they're pulling, it almost seems like they are pulling from the expanded universe to an extent to me which is really cool.
Tim Schafer directs Sesame Street Once Upon a Monster. This game is such a distraction for kids, no doubt, or at least a game to play when you're on something.
Kinect Fun Labs. Kudos...Kudo. Sorry, had to do it. This looks to be Kinect arcade games. Face Scanning looks cool, if not completely killer for the avatar marketplace. Fingertracking is gonna really change gamerpics allowing for these custom pics and not just that but opens a new avenue for creative photography. Active object scanning to finally deliver on the promise of scanning skateboards. Took long enough.
Kinect Sports 2. Finally, I can play football and not have to buy a new game every year. Looking at you, Madden. Golf looks nice, though it's already been done. Christ, screaming plays in Football, great, brahs everywhere are getting noise complaints already. But that looks like a lot of fun for sure.
Dance Central 2, I loved Dance Central, though I'm wondering why they didn't just make dlc for the original. Making new separate installments is what killed guitar hero and rockband.
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