Welcome to The Doctor's Prognosis! I am your humble host, Dr. C-LOS. Here, I will let you know my thoughts on various forms of entertainment including film, TV, and video games. Enjoy!
Microsoft has finally announced their first slate of original TV programs, dubbed "Xbox Originals." Like Netflix, they are putting a lot of money and effort into their programming, such as with the previously announced Halo TV series, with Steven Spielberg as executive producer. Meanwhile, Ridley Scott is producing a separate Halo project, a "digital feature," which is to be released later this year.
Other video game properties are being looked at for possible development as well, including Fable, Age of Empires, Forza Motorsport, State of Decay, and Gears of War.
Could we see a Gears of War program in development soon?
Microsoft is not only looking at video games for ideas, such as with Every Street United, an unscripted series that is focused on searching the globe for gifted soccer players. The program is slated for eight thirty-minute episodes, with a one-hour finale in July, around the same time as the World Cup.
The plan is to build more value for the Xbox brand with premium, interactive content that includes dramas, comedies, documentaries, animation, unscripted shows, and live events. For more information and a more complete list of programs in development, check out Xbox Wire.
Xbox Originals launches this June and will be exclusive to Xbox 360, Xbox One, and other Microsoft devices.
Welcome to another edition of The Doctor's Prognosis! E3 is done and it's time to contemplate what we've seen once again.
Microsoft
Why is the Xbox my most used console, yet Miscrosoft continues to disappoint every year with their conferences? The gist of it was this, Microsoft wants the Xbox to be your primary media hub. You can play games, watch movies and ESPN, and now link up with your iOS, Android, and/or Windows Mobile devices with what they call Xbox SmartGlass.
I like the idea of being able to watch almost anything on my Xbox. I wouldn't need cable or satellite any longer so it would save me money. But unfortunately, I want to see games from E3. And they focused almost entirely on how the Xbox is going to rule the world. Not to mention the overly long Usher sing and dance routine.
So what did I like? Halo 4 looks ok. Nice graphics but I'm not excited for it. I like Gears of War but it feels a little early for a new one to be announced. Though I do like that it's supposed to be VERY difficult. Resident Evil 6 looks like fun too. But what I like best from the MS conference was the South Park RPG!
They made fun of Microsoft and made me excited for their game all at the same time. I love me some South Park, and The Stick of Truth could be a hilarious good time.
Sony
I was actually impressed with Sony's press conference. That's saying a lot since I tend to use my PS3 primarily as a BD player. Sony focused on games for the most part, faulting mainly with that Wonderbook demo thing. I guess that's good for the kids.
First, I was very impressed with Beyond: Two Souls. It looks amazing. The story has me intrigued and I want to see what happens to the main character, played by Ellen Page. In fact the in-game character looks exactly like Ellen Page!
The other game that impressed me was The Last of Us.
The gameplay looks so visceral. I see myself playing this when it comes out. And I'm actually looking forward to using my PS3 as more than just a BD player. Playstation All-Stars Battle Royale looks like a fun game as well. It's basically a Smash Bros rip-off, which isn't necessarily a bad thing. The new God of War could be fun too.
Bravo Sony on a good conference overall.
Nintendo
With the exception of the WiiFit stuff, I think Nintendo did a good job overall with showing off games. Nothing too exciting, though I like Pikmin 3 a lot.
I like how Miyamoto teases giving away the red Pikmin before being all, "Haha no. It's mine!" I can see myself buying that along with maybe Ubisoft's ZombiU.
On that note, Ubisoft looks to be very gung-ho on the WiiU tablet controller, which can only be a good thing. It has the potential for innovation. There were also a lot of 3rd party games shown, but many of them are older games. Arkham City: Armored Edition adds some tablet functionality, but it's unlikely to make you want to buy the game again.
Thankfully, Nintendo also showed off New Super Mario Bros. U and a new Paper Mario. Good stuff but nothing terribly exciting. I want to see a true next-gen Mario, Zelda, Metroid, etc.
They closed off their show with NintendoLand, which is a game based in a theme park filled with minigames. These minigames are supposed to show off what the tablet can do. This should really be a pack-in game with the WiiU. I just can't see anybody clamoring to buy this thing. Even worse, the graphics look like a vanilla Wii game. They're still using the same Miis. Beef the graphics up a bit! Show off what your console can do!
Overall a good show but could have been better. I'm still excited to see what else they have up the pipeline.
Bonus!
What else got my attention?
Watch Dogs looks like it has an interesting premise.
Dishonored also caught my attention. I'm getting a Bioshock meets Assassin's Creed vibe from it.
And anything from PlatinumGames is going to be on my radar. Project P-100 for the WiiU looks like one to watch.
Now if I had to pick a winner of E3, I'd have to say Sony pulled it off this year with their conference. I can't believe I just typed that. I think Nintendo and MS have good things going for them, but Sony actually got me excited to play some games. And in the end, that's what is most important coming from the biggest game show of the year.
So what did YOU think? Which games got you most excited? What did you feel was lackluster? Let me know your thoughts on E3!
Actually, there are now only 10 days remaining for this demo.
Sonic Generations is the newest iteration of the long-running series (20 year anniversary) from Sega and the the Sonic Team. The story goes something like this: today's Sonic somehow gets blasted back in time and meets his younger self. Now both Sonics must fight whatever evil started this mess in the first place and set things right.
Past meets present in Sonic Generations!
Whatever. The point main is, the classic feel of Sonic is back! The demo lets you play the first zone in the game (Green Hill Zone), which is very similar to the first zone in the original Sonic game. Sonic can spin-dash his way through this familiar environment with loops and corkscrews, all while collecting rings. However, the graphics are much improved and there are some neat camera effects added in as a bonus. It is also worth mentioning that this game is compatible with stereoscopic television sets. Furthermore, this is definitely not a cut-and-paste job despite the similarities to the original Sonic. There is enough new to make it feel like a new game.
Old school Sonic goodness!
It's just too bad that the demo is over so quickly. You're having fun, speeding and bouncing around, when it's suddenly over. But that small amount of gameplay is a blast, and leaves you wanting more like a good demo should. And most importantly, unlike Sonic 4, the physics feel like Sonic should. I can see myself buying this game just based on that. The big question is, how good will the 3D modern Sonic levels play? Hopefully we get a chance to try out modern Sonic at some point before the game's release.
Prognosis: Great graphics and classic gameplay means you should keep an eye on this one. Definitely download this demo and try it out for yourself. But hurry up! This demo is a timed demo and will only be available to play for 10 more days! That means the demo will be disabled on July 12th! Sonic Generations will be available late in 2011 for the XBox 360, PS3, and 3DS.
