My E3 from home (almost LIVE)
-- MICROSOFT --
HALO 4
the trailer immersed the viewer into the gaming world straightaway. I especially loved the intricate and lush jungle, it was beautiful, rich in colours, it felt very large and gave the feeling of a lot of exciting exploring ahead. The enemies look is very cool, they jumped on the trees, cloaked and attacked you viciously (although they didn't feel particularly sturdy, I wonder what difficulty it was set, probably low). The weapons looked impressive, reconstructing themselves between your hands. Really an excellent and engaging mood and environment, looked like a very intense experience!
SPLINTER CELL, BLACKLIST (see Ubisoft)
Nice to have the Kinect-dependent voice feature, guess it could be done with any microphone? (more below)
FIFA 13 & MADDEN voice feature
I don't know anything about either sport but definitely seem to add a meaningful layer of interaction. I think it can really fit in well with this kind of games, one can definitely feel more like the coach and the game can feel smoother if you don't have to "tamper" with buttons to shout instructions.
FABLE JOURNEY
It's called Fable but it's hard to see it as a Fable; it seems you just have to stand in front of your Kinect and move your hands to shot spells at foes... didn't show any story, any character/environment development as it's typical of Fable so, definitely not interested, unless they make my hands shine with magical special effects as in the presentation (I'd buy it to become a real wizard for a while)!
GEARS OF WAR, JUDGMENT
Too little to say something, I'm hopeful this will be as enjoyable as Gears 2, which I really liked. Baird is a cool guy, easily the smartest of the bunch, I think he can make a great main character!
FORZA HORIZON
Didn't really show us much but cars racing freely, probably a must-have for the lovers of the genre. Looks just like the latest Forza outside a circuit (not that it's a bad thing)!
NIKE+
I've played EA Active 2 and it's a nice fitness tool, I think this can be a very good fitness game, it's showed potential and seemed quite solid, but I'd also like the holographic interface to be real, guess we are not there yet!
SMARTGLASS
I don't really know what to say. The concept is cool but, well, when I watch a movie I want to focus on the movie, not on info about the actors that are playing it! May be more intriguing for sport fans or the like, I'm sure it will have some interesting application, I still can't see it as something absolutely unmissable though.
TOMB RAIDER
Very frantic action, and I love how Lara has evolved. She feels and looks more real to me, and I think the voice active is spot-on, makes you hear the pain! They haven't shown much exploring so we'll have to see if this is still classic Tom Raider or sports a more Uncharted-like approach (not that I'd complain). Truth be told, if you want some spectacular things to happen you have to plan and script them!
MATTER
The slick and futuristic look and the Portal-like drone immediately sparkled my attention. After all it's a video from a movie director, so I guess they know how to suck you in and I definitely was. Absolutely promising, so let's see what kind of game they come up with, the style is all there already!
SOUTH PARK, THE STICK OF TRUTH
developed in perfect South Park style I have a feeling this is gonna be totally politically non-correct and fun! The idea of the player joining the SP gang as the new member and hero of the group is a nice move and since it seems the author were deeply involved in the making of the game, this will likely be the first time everyone can actually play a role in a SP episode: nice!
DANCE CENTRAL 3
I'm not into dancing games and, I don't know, the performances on the floor always look quite nice, of course, they're good dancers. But the moves I see on the video always look a bit too much like gym exercises, well, of course, since everyone must be able to do it. Still, I don't get the feeling that I'm going to learn how to dance, lol. Well, perhaps just as I'm not going to learn how to use real weapons playing shooter games!
BLACK OPS 2
well, it's the yearly COD... but I hope they've spent a bit more time on the multiplayer and create some brand new, nice maps and not recycle too much, as it's happened with MW2 (I know it's different developers, but it's the same publisher and pattern, you see). I won't keep my hopes up on that though. Announcing a co-op main campaign would have made for an interesting piece of news!
-- EA --
DEAD SPACE 3
I love live gameplay demo and this was impressive: in a matter of minuted they passed through different environments and shooting styles. From running around a crazy drill in a sort of lab, to going into cover in open mountain and then inside a monster (that felt claustrophobic). The use of lights and restricted color palettes to create the perfect mood for the scene and kind of action is very well executed and engaging. The co-op seems really well implemented, voice acting felt natural and spontaneous and the characters really felt like co-opting and sharing the experience: can't wait to have my hands on 2 copies of it ;)!
MADDEN 13
The new engine really looks advanced as far as collisions are concerned and I have to say it looked very realistic. To not have to see the same actions over and over will really make every game look and feel fresh, something that's a must for a sport game, excellent innovation!
SIMCITY
great looking, with such a nice simulation feel. The addition of multiplayer can definitely refresh the experience, especially if the online challenges are interesting!
BATTLEFIELD 3 PREMIUM
Games are shifting from the concept of product to that of service and games such Battlefield 3 are definitely living the moment. Regardless the additional maps and tidbits (such as camos, dogtags etc.) they basically presented 4 brand new gamestyles set in the battlefield world. Infantry only and motorcycle particularly got my attention and I really feel they can turn Battlefield into something fresh and different but as deep and great looking as Battlefield is. I'm not sure if I'll get this package or will just opt for the content I find most interesting. I also wonder if that's a move the extend Battlefield 3 because we won't have a new battlefield this winter, or will we?
SWTOR, OLD REPUBLIC
I quit playing SWTOR after a couple of months (first MMORPG I played seriously) although it seems the game has evolved quite a bit in the last few months. I think it's a good game but was definitely too repetitive for my taste as a gamer. The new content looks interesting although I wonder if it can have a meaningful impact on gameplay or just expands upon what is there (more likely since it's especially created for the long-time players that should be enjoying the game as is). Definitely a welcome addition for SWTOR players but it won't make me play the game again.
MEDAL OF HONOR, WARFIGHTER
They're using Frostbite 2 so the game obviously looks great: great depth, effects (for example all the dust after a building collapse) and realism. The earth-toned, a bit desaturated palette yet with good colors contrast add to this feel. I like how they focused on different special forces and will bring you around the world, even though I'm all for peace and love! This can definitely be Fall's shooter for those that like a multiplayer with a strategic component and not too run and gun. I'm glad they also introduced some environment destruction, it looked absolutely wonderful.
FIFA 13
I know nothing about football but the new physics engine and the possibility to be more creative about how you control your players sound like killer features for all the wannabe football coaches out there!
NEED FOR SPEED, MOST WANTED
I'm hoping for a Burnout: Paradise successor. It seems to focus a lot on friends connection, I'm especially looking forward to exploring and competing in races though. The city looks really great and I like the interaction with the world: lots of debris in the air and very "good" looking damage on the cars themselves.
CRYSIS 3
graphic are absolutely stunning, a large and complex environment with lot to see on the scene, that's what particularly impressed me: the scale and complexity of the scenarios. Crysis' are also probably the best-looking and most detailed weapons when seen up-close and let's be frank, in a shooter you look them closely all the time! I really love the nanosuit "voice", is so very futuristic, in a Matrix-style kind of way. They didn't mention any multiplayer, I wonder if that will be included.
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Nice article and useful recap :)
I really can't wait to play almost all game of this list :)