MICROSOFT
I had been a little under the weather last week, but I was able to keep up with news thanks to Gamespot.com and G4TV. I watched all the big keynotes, and Microsoft disappointed me with their conference. I thought it focused just a little too much on casual gamers. From a business standpoint, it makes a lot of sense. The Wii did extremely well with this demographic, and both Sony and MS are looking to capitalize as well.
I have to say, nothing about Kinect excites me. But then again, I'm not the demographic for games like Kinectimals. Hopefully, they can come out with something core gamers will like as well.
Now despite this casual gamer showing, MS did show some quality games.
Gears of War 3 looked amazing. Not a revolutionary game by any means but it looks to improve on the formula we have come to expect. What has me excited is the ability to play as the different types of Locusts such as Tickers, Wretches, and Berserkers. This is called Beast Mode. It will be a lot like Horde Mode, except you are Locusts protecting yourselves from waves of humans. This should add a fun twist to gameplay.
I admit, Metal Gear Solid Uprising did not have my attention when it was first announced. But the trailer shown at E3 won me over. It just looks so awesome to be able to cut through just about anything in the game. And with so much precision too. I hope it turns out well. I will definitely be keeping my eye on this one.
SONY
I have to admit, I don't remember much about Sony's conference. Not much I liked anyway. That can't be a good thing.
Killzone 3 looked pretty good if you like that series. It will be in 3D, which is kind of cool. I still think 3D is a bad gimmick for TV and console gaming. The fact that it requires special glasses and an expensive new TV means very few people will be taking advantage of it.
Gran Turismo looked good too if you are into racing sims. I'm not but I can see the appeal. Maybe one day they will release it?
Oh wait! This was epic.....
NINTENDO
Here we have a company who seemingly forgot about the core gamer, to focus on the casual gamer. Even Sony and MS are shifting gears towards casual gamers to get a piece of that pie. But Nintendo came out full force and gave us all what we wanted: core games.
New Legend of Zelda? Sold! Seriously though, the new Zelda game looks great. The art style seems to mix both Wind Waker's cell-shaded/cartoony look with Twilight Princess' more adult look. The one thing I am a little worried about is the shift to making the Wii motion controls more involved with the gameplay. I was fine with the way it was with Twilight Princess. Let's hope it comes together well. But this is Nintendo, and I can't remember a bad Zelda game outside of the Philips CD-i. And Nintendo did not make those bad games anyway.
I was very surprised to see a new GoldenEye game. This was the first FPS I ever enjoyed. I always got motion sickness from games like Doom and Wolfenstein. But further than that, GoldenEye on the N64 introduced a great multiplayer game. I would say it set the bar at that time. I would have friends come over with their N64 controllers so we could have GoldenEye parties. Since there were always much more than four of us, we would alternate so everyone could have a turn. Needless to say, the new GoldenEye has huge shoes to fill. Here's hoping it turns out well.
THIS was what won E3 for Nintendo for me. Sure they had a lot of great games to show, but the 3DS is looking like a great little handheld. 3D without glasses? And a new Kid Icarus after so many years? Yes please! the graphics on the games are looking great so far. Can't wait to see what the 3D looks like. I need to get my hands on one of these. And I cannot wait for this new Kid Icarus. I just hope it ends up playing well after waiting all these years.
Nintendo also showed a new Donkey Kong Country for the Wii, as well as the new Metroid game from Team Ninja. They also announced several older games for the 3DS such as Star Fox and Zelda: Ocarina of Time. Let's hope Nintendo can keep it up with the good news. By focusing on the core gamer, Nintendo came out of E3 with the best buzz, and for me, the winner of E3.
I hope you all enjoyed the return of The Doctor's Prognosis. Hopefully I can keep it up more often than I have been this year so far. Don't forget to make a future appointment with the lady at the front desk on your way out. See you next time! :-)
