On the last day of the “new” Electronic Entertainment Expo (E3), I found myself riding the elevator with Reggie Fils-Aime, the energetic evangelist for Nintendo of America. It was just the two of us and while I’m not big on small talk, this was an opportunity I could not pass up. “You’ve got good reason to be happy,” I said.
Reggie simply smiled as he checked his PDA. Then he turned to me and asked whether I had seen anything interesting at the E3 Media Summit. I mentioned how we seemed to be returning to an earlier time. “Now that the new consoles are out, software has become important again,” I reasoned.
Reggie nodded in agreement and said, “Now it’s all about the games.”
I saw some great games being shown off in the various hangars and hotel rooms of Santa Monica. Some we had seen in nascent states last year. Hell, some have been talked about for longer than that, but of the games I witnessed, here are a few that popped my eyes for one reason or another.
Halo 3 (Microsoft Game Studios; Xbox 360) will be the final chapter in the saga of Master Chief and his efforts to save humanity from extinction. We were shown some game play from the stunning first level of the game. We now know that this game will allow for four-player co-operative play over Xbox Live, which is reason enough to be excited.
Mass Effect (Microsoft Game Studios; Xbox 360) is a science fiction roll-playing game from Edmonton’s BioWare. Set in a vast universe, it promises to be one of the most comprehensive stories ever created for video games. “The choices you make have a material impact on your character, your squad and the universe,” Ryan Bidan, first party games product manager for Xbox Canada, explained. The game will give you a chance to truly explore the moral implications of your decisions and your actions.
Fallout 3 (Bethesda Softworks; PC, PS3, Xbox 360) is coming from the creators of The Elder Scrolls: Oblivion. Todd Howard, executive producer, suggested while demonstrating Fallout 3 that, “Oblivion was a freshman effort,” which should give you a sense of how deep and rich Fallout 3 could be. You can play from either a first-person or third-person perspective, as opposed to the top-down view of the first two games. The post-apocalyptic world of nuclear mutants and humanity scrabbling to eke out an existence has been maintained, as has the ironic humour and affinity for pop-culture references that the earlier games had.
Age of Conan: Hyborian Adventures (Eidos; PC, Xbox 360) is a massively multiplayer online game set in the world of Conan. In this game, you play a story that ties into the storyline created by Robert E. Howard and weaves in and out of the Conan arc. It includes crazy, no-holds-barred melee combat as well as strategic invasion scenarios, which scales to the number of players involved.
Legendary: The Box (Gamecock; PC, PS3, Xbox 360) was inspired by mythology in the same way as games like Prince of Persia and God of War. In this one, though, you are an art thief who ends up with Pandora’s Box. You know nothing good can come of that.
Assassin’s Creed (Ubisoft; Xbox 360) is set in 1191 AD during the Third Crusade. The demonstration I witnessed showed a historically accurate Jerusalem, and the environments created by its Montreal development studio are simply breathtaking. With a unique movement and combat system, this game could change the way some action-adventure titles are built in the future.
Bioshock (2K Games; PC, Xbox 360) is a frantic, frenetic, futuristic thriller in which you need to put a stop to the diabolical plans of a megalomaniacal rich genius. It's a first-person action game with whacked-out weapons, the walking dead and psychokinetic powers.
Timeshift (Sierra Entertainment; PC, PS3, Xbox 360) is a first-person shooter, but not like any you’ve played before. In it, you have control over the passage of time, but unlike other games, you’ve got complete control over time. You can run forward while time is reversing. “First-person shooters needed a little kick in the ass,” said Kyle Peschel, senior producer.
Stranglehold (Midway; PC, PS3, Xbox 360) is being developed in conjunction with John Woo, and stars Chow Yun-Fat, who reprises his role as the hard-nosed Hong Kong cop Tequila. As you’d expect with a Woo project, there is no reload mechanic; your guns are always full of bullets. The special edition PS3 version of the game includes the film Hard Boiled. That’s the one for me.
Super Mario Galaxy (Nintendo; Wii) has the popular plumber chasing through space to rescue Princess Peach. Mario. In space. Need I say more?
EA Playground (Electronic Arts; Wii) is an intriguing title in which schoolyard games like volleyball and dodgeball have been mashed up and reinvented. It looks to have the charm of Wii Sports with the attitude of Bratz. Dave McCarthy, at the Electronic Arts press conference, explained it as, “A game for kids and for the kid inside all of us.”
Little Big Planet (Sony; PS3) is one of the titles I’m most anticipating, as it exudes a charm I’ve never before seen in a video game. It’s a platform game, in which you (and friends) run, jump and swing around to get to the end of various obstacle courses. The cute characters seem to be made of pieces of felt, and the environment in which they exist can be completely customized by using only a couple of buttons to work the uncanny contextual controls. Players can become their own game designer without having to become programmers. Little Big Planet is limited only by the imagination of those who play it.
