Out of the tendentious triumvirate that make up the avant-garde experience I perhaps stand as the most recreational in gaming endeavours – I’d argue that I’m equally as passionate but I just can’t clock the hours nor gamer scores of Fanciful Dandy or Nefarious Ne’er-do-well. (One day I’ll catch up – one day) So what does this casual gamer look forward to from the E3 conference?
Well for a start Capcom have a phenomenal line up of
confirmed games due to feature. I know some releases may not be to every gamers
taste but there can be no denying that they are definitely bringing the big
hitters, from some of their longest running series, to the plate.
Resident Evil 6
Words…cannot…describe…just how much I want this game. It
wasn’t that surprising that this was confirmed to showcase as we know it’s due
for release in autumn this year – reportedly in October after it was brought
forward from a November release date (anyone else heard of a release date
coming forward instead of back?) We get a new mutagen virus, a bio-terrorist
attack of global proportions, the son of Albert Wesker, the return of Sherry
Birkin (From Resi 2) and a tag team combo of both Chris and Leon! There is a
lot of expectation from new and old fans alike for this games plot development
and style. Capcom itself predicts a high sales forecast and from what we’ve
seen so far the game doesn’t disappoint. This is gonna be big.
DMC
The fifth in the series, but now officially abbreviated to
DMC, the new Devil May Cry appears to be as tongue-in-cheek as its lead
character. It’s been in the pipeline for a while what with a badass trailer
released way back in 2010 which threw a lot of new content our way - who’s that
kid with black hair? – is that Dante? – is this a prequel or sequel? – just
what the heck is going on?!? But with a new game play demo and teaseful trailer,
this latest instalment screams slick demon slaying satisfaction. A younger
Dante with more attitude than this gamer thought possible, hunted down and
continuously being pulled into an ever chasing Limbo world, the use of Angel
and Demon weapons and the return of kickass combos – what’s not to love? Expect
a new demo, possibly with a boss battle, for E3 this year and an official
release date. Considering we’ve just had the Devil May Cry HD collection hit
our shelves expect the latest in Dante’s saga to follow very soon.
Lost Planet 3
Ever the marmite of the gaming community (Though anyone who
doesn’t like 1 & 2 is just plain silly – there I said it – let controversy
ensue) some have predicted that Lost Planet will be one of the biggest
surprises at E3 this year. Set before the first two games this instalment
appears a lot more plot point heavy and character based. We follow lead
engineer Jim as he explores the icy and painfully harsh tundra and unearths its
secrets. Watching the trailer we get a real sense of just how relentless this
new ‘undiscovered’ world can be and I hope this can effectively be transferred
into the game play to really push players into survival mode. Lost Planet was
always a bit niched in its target group but I think this game has a LOT of potential to really appeal to a much wider
audience who have a real ardour for survival horror. When this game makes its
debut at E3 I think a lot of people who weren’t expecting too much from this
will infact be blown away - expect game play content and ‘chilling’ new
scenes.
Kingdom Hearts 3D Dream Drop Distance
Ok, I don’t own a 3DS but Dream Drop Distance is
quite possibly THE reason to own one and if it comes bundled at my local games
retailer you can bet your ass I’m gonna be there buying it. The Kingdom Hearts
franchise is pure genius, bringing together the worlds of Square Enix and
Disney to create a game set apart from all others it keeps going from strength
to strength namely due to the love and design continuously put in from the
games developers. This latest instalment is no exception; take the “Reality
shift” concept on the DS that incorporates actions on the DS’s bottom screen
giving new moves to Sora and Riku beyond the typical button tapping – Expect
some demos of this at E3.
I’m not letting myself know too much as I don’t
want to inadvertently come across any spoilers until I get to experience them
as I play (sad I know) but news has been released that we will get new worlds
from Tron Legacy, Hunchback of Notre Dame and The Three Musketeers. Further The
Independent quotes the games director Tetsuya Nomura: “With the tenth anniversary of the series on the horizon, the current Kingdom
Hearts saga is approaching its climactic conclusion…The story of this game
will serve as the opening chapter of the final conflict”!!!!! Release date due
on 20th July 2012 - Methinks I’m gonna have to start saving for a 3DS.
FINAL FANTASY
We all want it, my god we want it, but Final Fantasy
Versus XIII is not making an appearance this year…again (unless they are doing
a double bluff – we can live in hope).
However I predict its appearance next year – the reason?
Because what Square Enix is showcasing this year is Theatrhythm Final Fantasy
on the 3DS due to feature music from the elusive XIII versus game, amongst
others.
I’m not quite sure what to make of Theatrhythm, it’s unlike
any other Final Fantasy game that I know of except that it features cutesy
versions of the most famous characters, a few noticeable backdrops and
obviously some of the more recognised tunes in the saga. It feels a bit like a
Final Fantasy version of Elite Beat Agents but I will reserve any judgement
until I get to experience it first hand. Quirky but cute.
TECMO KOEI
Dead or Alive 5
I like Dead or Alive and am thrilled to see its appearance
at E3 this year. Its last incarnation was way back as a XB360 release title and
though I can hear opponents and critics cry “It’s not a real 3D fighter” and
the inevitable “all the game has is bounce graphics”, I’m still looking forward
to it. Dead or Alive 5 just looks great; beautiful visuals, breath taking and
interactive environments and a host of awesome characters that look better than
ever. For the casual gamer, who doesn’t have the time to spend 8 hours a day
memorising and perfecting combos DOA is the perfect choice. Smooth and sexy, it
relies on fluid game play where even a straight punch looks good. Plus who doesn’t like boobs?
Probability of DOA showcasing fights, an intro video and
more characters at E3 – 90%
Probability of cute cosplayers dressed up as DOA characters–
an ever optimistic 51%
The games above are simply the ones that I’m most excited to
see this year at E3. If you do want to see more IGN have a list of all the
games that have been confirmed to show which should be added to as we approach
the start date:
There seems to be a general consensus that E3 won’t feature
any of the new ‘next-gen’ consoles except the WiiU this year. Microsoft and Sony
it seems will battle it out for worldwide gaming dominance by pushing their
systems online and all-encompassing capabilities, so expect a few new features
from both to be pitched this year.
That said E3 always throws something new and unexpected our
way so still expect lots of gaming innovations and surprises.
Angelic Rogue
Credit
for Tetsuya Nomura’s quote goes to Michael Plant and his article with The
Independent, please follow link to see full article:
Full
credit for pictures go to these guys and girls listed below, as they were from
Google image search and not my own (and obviously credit to to the very fine
people responsible for making the games in the first place)
E3
logo – gamernode.com
Capcom
logo – Capcom-europe.com
Lost
planet – gamerlimit.com
Resi
6 Logo – internationalreporter.com
Resi
6 Leon – gamersxtreme.org
DMC
– devilmaycry.wikia.com
Square
Enix Logo – gamerbc.com
Kingdom
hearts 1 – en.wikipedia.org
Kingdom
hearts 2 – rpgreporter.com
FFXIII
versus – fromherostoicons.com/blog // IGN
FF
Theatrhythm – multiplayerblog.mtv.com
Tecmo
Koei icon – playstationlifestyle.net
DOA
5 – g4tv.com
No comments:
Post a Comment