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PC impressions: Crysis
We first got a sneak peek at Crytek's Crysis during Microsoft's keynote address earlier in the week. The demo level looked gorgeous, but on the show floor, I got to see something that almost looked better. Beautiful outdoor scenery was incredibly dynamic and encompassed everything.
Wii impressions: the E3 experience
Due to how the Joystiq staff divided the Wii games' coverage, I ended up posting about a game that needs a lot of work (Madden), a game that needs a little (Metroid Prime 3), a couple of games that show promise (WarioWare & Elebits), and a game that is simply a gimmick (Final Furlong). I also played: Super Mario Galaxy, RedSteel, Twilight Princess, and Tennis. I'm not convinced that, at this stage, the Wiimote and nunchaku add-on are superior to a gamepad. Miyamoto, speaking last night at a developer's event, said that after becoming comfortable with the Wiimote, it's now impossible for him to go back. I'm not there yet, and I know I'm not alone. It's gonna take a lot of work to rewire how we, longtime gamers, play video games. It's important for Nintendo to understand this, and I believe they do.
Sandio's Game O' 3D gaming mouse
Serious gamers are always looking for an edge, so any product that promises to transfer to a mouse the movement commands that were formerly restricted to the keyboard is bound to draw some interest. Sandio Technology is showing off one such mouse, the Game O', at E3 this year, calling it "the first and the only six degrees-of-freedom 3D mouse in the IT industry." From what we can tell, the 2000 dpi laser mouse seems to allow players to move in around in 3D space by translating mouse motions into 3D in-game movement, as opposed to just aiming a weapon's crosshair's, when the button above the scroll wheel is depressed. Sandio will be releasing the Game O' "soon," for the not-unreasonable price of $80.Update: Although all the details are still unclear, Ars Technica got a brief hands-on with the Game O', and states that 3D movement is actually accomplished by a joypad on the left side of the mouse that's controlled with your thumb (they say that the top button, or perhaps second joypad, didn't even work in the demo). Oh, and AT doesn't seem all that thrilled with the whole concept, either.[Via MobileWhack, picture courtesy of 4Gamer]
PC impressions: Battlefield 2142
Any FPS gamer on the PC knows that Battlefield has a reputation. In this latest title, Battlefield 2142 tries to build upon that reputation and set itself apart as a wide-scale futuristic title focusing on team play.
Spectator sports: competitive MMOs
NCsoft is trying to establish Guild Wars as a competitive game as well as a more casual MMO, but appealing to such a diverse audience isn't easy. However, the crowds gathering at NCsoft's booth to watch two hardcore Guild Wars PvP teams duke it out seemed to enjoy the show.At this particular event, Team EvIL and Team PnH were going head to head. The commentator did an excellent job of both explaining the game and getting enthusiastic about the action. We're somewhat familiar with the Guild Wars mechanics, but the action was incomprehensible -- while it's fun to watch the truly skilled ply their trade, it's hard to follow the intricacies of MMO as a spectator.Guild Wars introduced an observer mode last December, but we'd have to spend a lot of time watching before tournaments like this became easily accessible. On the other hand, watching the pretty colours flash by is relaxing amidst the buzz of E3.
Hands on with Quake Wars: Enemy Territory
Activision had a huge LAN set up on their floor space showing off Quake Wars: Enemy Territory that let attendees get a taste of the multiplayer mayhem. Players assume the role of either the devious Strogg or the GDF. The campaign we played involved the Strogg going on the defensive and the GDF attempting to re-take the region that they've been contaminating.
Overheard at E3: Japanese don't accept first-person shooters
While waiting impatiently to try out Metroid Prime 3: Corruption at the Nintendo booth, I eavesdropped on overheard a Japanese developer explaining to a friend how first-person shooters aren't too hot in Japan."This Metroid game is a first-person shooter. They're very popular in America, but not in Japan. We don't accept these kinds of games because you cannot see your character on the screen."The spectacular failure of the Xbox brand in Japan would seem to lend this line of thought some credence, but there are several other factors worthy of consideration, pontification and other things that you do with your brain. It's odd that Metroid Prime would be the game to spur on the man's comments, as the series has always emphasized exploration and platforming over frantic shooting. Is it really just the perspective that causes Japanese gamers to shake their heads in disgust, or do first-person shooters merely have a bad reputation? Why is it important to constantly view your character on the screen? And, if this is such a prominent issue amongst Japanese gamers, why would Nintendo present one of their cherished franchises in a way that would be the least popular?
Hands on with Huxley
Webzen's upcoming MMOFPS Huxley, to be released on both Xbox 360 and PC, combines both fast-paced shooter action with massively multiplayer gameplay. It's essentially a FPS with levels and questing added -- the gameplay is very much the fast, in-your-face style seen in Quake 4 and Painkiller. However, it allows for tactical play too, with territorial defence missions.The game felt more like a standard FPS multiplayer match with a larger number of players than usual than an MMO. It plays like a FPS -- no skill buttons or floating exclamation marks. The game's setting is a fairly standard post-apocalyptic nuclear-mutation scenario. The 360 version will feature a single-player component as well as the massively-multiplayer part, though Webzen are working on the inevitable issue of keyboard-and-mouse versus controller balancing.
Halo 3 trailer: See it again for the first time
Here's the Halo 3 trailer again, embedded for your puny viewing pleasure. If you want more pixels and have no luck with XBLM, try Xboxyde's 720p torrent or Bungie's large Quicktime version. Oh yeah, Bungie reminds the world this baby is real time with an appropriately sarcastic announcement: Nobody saw it coming. Halo 3! Who knew? For the last year or two, people have speculated about what our next project was and surprisingly, in all that time, not a single person guessed that it would be Halo 3. Not one. We declare it the best kept secret ever. ...We won't ruin the content of our short presentation by describing it frame by frame, but we will note that everything you're seeing here is being rendered in real-time on the Xbox 360, using the current version of our Halo 3 game engine. The HDR lighting, self-shadowing, GPU-run particle system and many other effects should make it intact (and more) to our final game. Worth repeat viewing.
Halo 3 trailer blows up XBLM
All hail Master Chief. As you probably already know, the trailer for a little game called Halo 3 is now available for download on XBLM. The pic above is from the MS keynote. I hear the Marketplace is slammed, but you can check it out here as well. Does this first glimpse meet your high Halo expectations?
F.E.A.R. confirmed for 360 this fall
We already knew it was coming, but Vivendi finally let us know that they know that we know and officially confirmed Monolith's spooky FPS. The port was originally anticipated due to developer Monolith's other creepy FPS, the Xbox 360's Condemned: Criminal Origins, having a similar code base to F.E.A.R. When Condemned was ported to PCs, the logical assumption was that F.E.A.R. could be ported to the 360. The port is being handled by "Chicago-based Day 1 Studios, who worked on both MechAssault and MechAssault 2: Lone Wolf" and is due out this fall and will be on display at E3 next week. We'll let you know if the graphically demanding title appears to be making the transition smoothly.
Nunchuck hides a secret?
According to AMN, the recent rumor that hit the net regarding the Revolution's nunchuck attachment is true and the add-on contains an acellerometer, a device which measures the speed at which the attachment moves and its direction of tilt. What does this mean? Well, if this is true, the nunchuck attachment will act much like free looking in FPS games does on the PC. With the recent revealing of Red Steel, should this rumor be true, it would be a perfect fit for the title. Actually, it would be a great fit for just about any other first-person (Metroid Prime 3?!) or third-person title as well, allowing the player to easily control the camera through a flick of the rest. [Via Revolution Report]
Confirmed: F.E.A.R. coming to Xbox 360
The rumors were true: F.E.A.R. is coming to the Xbox 360. A scan from the contents page of a future edition of OXM reveals that the next issue will feature the first shots of "the most destructive shooter ever made" running on the Xbox 360. Now lets hope Monolith sweetens the deal by adding some extra content and improving the multiplayer mode, 'cause a clone of the PC game's multiplayer section just ain't gonna cut it on Xbox Live.[Via Xbox 360 Fanboy]
F.E.A.R confirmed for Xbox 360
F.E.A.R-mongers have long suspected that the frightenly good PC title is a logical port to to the Xbox 360 due to the system-crushing game's technological kinship with Condemned: Criminal Origins. Fear no more. The contents page from a future issue of OXM (scanned and posted in the Gamespot forums) is touting the first screenshots of the 360 version. The headline says "The most destructive shooter ever made tears up the Xbox 360." Hell yeah! Now let's hope Monolith scares up some new content.Not to be confused with nameless F.E.A.R sequel also being developed for next-gen consoles.[via Sengo, thanks Barry]
Duke Nukem for never!
If you're anything like us, you're at least five years past caring about what 3D Realms has to say regarding its Duke Nukem Forever project. Even 3D Realms' George Broussard knows this: in the company's latest statement on the subject of the definition of vaporware, George says that "the problem is that when we show it, people are going to be like, 'Yeah, whatever'." George can hardly blame "people" for not caring about a game that's been in development for nearly ten years, but at least he's being realistic about the situation. At the moment the game's publisher, Take Two, seems to be the only group at all interested in the game. The company has paid out a total of US$4.25 million in the hope that they may see some sort of return. Good luck to them (and their dwindling stock) we say!
ZOMG: Ubisoft announces "Red Steel"
From the didn't-see-this-one-coming department is a new Ubisoft press release which reveals a brand new, totally unheard of FPS for the Revolution called Red Steel. The game sees players wielding the Revolution's magic wanger like a gun or a sword, either blasting opponents in the face with superb accuracy or slicing them up with unbridled malice. It all sounds very exciting."We’re honored to announce this exciting new franchise and we’re confident that Red Steel will be the must-have title for the Revolution when it launches,” says Serge Hascoet, chief creative officer at Ubisoft. Nintendo's very own Reggie Fils-Aime adds that, "Nintendo is excited to have Ubisoft bring Red Steel to the Revolution launch lineup."Amidst all the excitement, you may spot the official confirmation that Red Steel will be an exclusive Revolution launch title (one down, nineteen to go). Mr. Hascoet states that, "We have been working closely with Nintendo to take full advantage of the innovative controller to create a thrilling experience that can only exist on the Revolution.” That's certainly excellent news, since having a familiar and creaky genre such as the first-person shooter around will definitely help with easing sceptics into the new control system. Let's just hope developers don't dwell on the familiar for too long.
Buyer's Guide: Graphics cards compared
Choosing a new graphics card can involve a difficult and lengthy hunt for comparative benchmarks to work out where to put your cash. Fortunately, Tom's Hardware Guide have put together a handy interactive comparison chart which can help reduce this problem to the simple act of staring at a few graphs. It may be reasonably old, but it's useful, with a few caveats; not all of the cards were tested on identical systems, so some of the results are a little surprising -- clicking on the individual bars of the results reveals the relevant system specs. Also, although it is "updated on a regular basis", several cards are missing from the list. Still, if you're in the market for a new graphics card, this should help simplify your search. [via digg]
Even more Red Steel info unsheathed
Moz La Punk has obtained some substantial information from Game Informer's article on Red Steel, the Ubisoft first-person Revolution extravaganza which exploded onto the Internet this weekend. It's a lengthy read, but I've captured some of the highlights for those that have little in the ways of time, energy or attention span (see also: modern human being). Ubisoft is working closely with Nintendo on the project. They pitched it to Iwata and Miyamoto who liked the idea enough to not have the French team of designers executed. In the initial stages of the game, you're a reckless killing machine. By the end of it, you'll be an efficient and graceful murderer. The game clearly encourages you to better yourself. "The goal...is to use five bullets to kill five enemies". That is, if you ignore how much fun it is to kill one enemy with 45 bullets. Look at that ragdoll convulse! The game has bullet time. Cheer ecstatically or roll eyes as you feel appropriate. Accuracy is your friend: Shooting the gun out of an enemy's hand may prove to be more useful than shooting him in the face. Disarming him allows you to get nice and close with your sword. [Insert additional "disarming" joke here.] Depending on your performance and action, in-game characters will either loathe or respect you. It's easier to get your way with those that respect you. Especially the ladies. "Flailing your sword isn't a smart idea." Instead, specific motions will initiate deadly special attacks and combos. (It is not mentioned whether flailing your gun is smart or not.) Missions in the game can be completed in any order and are given out by either a sword master or a gun master. You need to show them both respect, or they'll treat you worse than Uma Thurman. You'll attempt to sway gang leaders to your cause. If that doesn't work, you'll have to sway them to an early and painful death. Aside from the usual split-screen gameplay, Ubisoft is working on secret, original multiplayer modes. Given their track record with the Splinter Cell series, I'd expect these to be very good indeed. "Aiming with the controller is as simple as using a laser pointer. You point your hand at a target and hit the trigger on the underside of the controller to fire." AI characters focus on "risk management", a term which apparently includes jumping over tables. "You signal "yes/no" answers by nodding the controller up or down or shaking it from side to side." Read that again. You nod your head with the controller as a form of communication with in-game characters. That is the single greatest thing ever. Red Steel is looking to be something very special. I always thought it would be a first-party Nintendo title that would really get the Revolution excitement rolling, but this is the game that finds itself in the enviable position of not only promoting its own concepts, but those of the Revolution itself. It's fair to say that a lot more people "get" the Revolution now than before this game surfaced. Whether or not this FPS lives up to its ideals is yet to be decided, but its value as an iillustrative example of the Revolution's potential is clear.[Thanks fischju! Color enhanced image courtesy of Kellan.]
Red Steel revealed: First Revolution screenshots [Update 1]
Some shots from the May issue of Game Informer have found their way onto the internet, ready for us to awkwardly gawk at them and marvel at the Revolution game they spectacularly reveal. Developed by Ubisoft and packed with explosive gunplay (and swordplay), Red Steel looks set to take full advantage of the Revmote, albeit in an unsurprising way. After all, it doesn't require much thought to make the connection between pointing a remote and pointing a gun. I look forward to Jack Thompson quoting that sentence soon.On the obvious matter of graphics, it seems like the Revolution can produce some very capable images, at least if one assumes that these aren't concept renders and are actually running off an official development kit. It's impossible to make out any of the text, barring the note on the bottom right which points out that your in-game character will tilt his gun as you tilt the controller. I suspect this also means that you can easily bash people in the face with the butt of your gun by performing a swift arm motion. And really, isn't bashing people in the face what the Revolution is all about?Hit the "Read" link for more images.[Thanks el moco!]
Windows on an Intel Mac: WoW, what a difference
We've already seen WoW on an Intel Mac thanks to our resident Mac-user, but he's managed to go one better. Previously we saw the OS X Universal Binary version running at 50-60fps; running WoW under Windows on the same hardware, maximising all the graphics settings, there's actually a gain in framerate to the tune of 6fps.Those of us with PCs creaking along on the default settings are justified in being envious. While keeping up with the vast succession of new PC games requires regular upgrades and a killer gaming rig, if your free time is taken over by WoW then you obviate the need to upgrade -- but miss out on the fantastic framerates such upgrades can afford.
