Thoughts on E3 2013

I don't write all that much about video games on here, although they pop up briefly from time to time. However, with E3 just over and done with and two new consoles being released later this year I thought it might be fun to talk about some of the cool new games heading our way!

Of course there were a bunch of sequals being shown and I'm quite looking forward to several of them, but right now I think it would be more interesting to have a look at the new IPs being developed for the Xbox One and PS4. I'll make one exception, as you'll see later. The three games I most like the look of are Titanfall, Destiny and The Division. They are all shooters but come with a varying degree of multiplayer, co-op and roleplaying as well. Because I love big mechs, let's have a look at Titanfall first.


Titanfall

This game was made by the guys who made the original Call of Duty: Modern Warfare after they got fired from Infinity Ward by Activision (although I think that might be an oversimplification), and it certainly shows. The setting is completely new, modern warfare has been replaced by future warfare, but the look and feel of the action feels familiar in a good way.

It's sci-fi and besides the usual stuff like high tech weaponry and equipment (jet packs!) there are also the titans from the title: roughly eight meter tall mechs of the VOTOMS/Heavy Gear variety. That is to say, they are quite nimble and bring all kinds of mecha sized weaponry to the battlefield. Awesome! The game also features AI "popcorn" enemies to fill out the ranks of both sides fighting which I actually think sounds pretty cool. At the moment it's exclusively for the Xbox One, but I wouldn't be surprised to see it turn up on the PS4 during 2014 or so.

Take a look on the gameplay trailer below and tell me you don't want a piece of that! The dual layer of pilot (infantry) combat combined with mecha combat looks great! There's a good article on Titanfall over at Polygon.com.

Destiny

Alright, if Titanfall was pure shooter (although there is a singleplayer campaign in there) we're entering rpg territory with Destiny. It's the new game from Bungie, you know, the guys who've been stuck doing Halo for... forever! It must feel so good being able to do something else.

Anyway, as far as I can tell Destiny basically takes the basic idea of Borderlands and runs with it. Four(?) player co-operative gameplay in the form of a first-person shooter in a sprawling post-apocalyptic world. Of course everything has been taken to the next level and although I love Borderlands I can't wait to play a similar game from a company who really knows how to do a shooter!

The gameplay looks good although there's nothing really revolutionary in the makeup of it. You explore the world, kill enemies and gather loot and XP to further customize your character. What is new though are the MMO-esque components. The world is constantly changing and new quests and events will be held post launch. During some of these (or always? I don't know) several groups of players (fireteams) can team up to fight an overwhelming force. Overall it looks pretty damn nifty, and the world Bungie have created is beautiful!

It's being released for all the platforms, including PS3 and Xbox 360 as far as I can tell, although I can swear I read somewhere about Destiny being Sony's baby. Not rightly sure. Check out this gameplay:

The Division 

The Division snuck right by me and I didn't discover it until after E3 was over, but I think this might be the big surprise winner of the show. What we have here is another co-op roleplaying experience, but instead of going to the far fantastic future we see in Destiny this is simply the near future after a global pandemic has caused the collapse of the civilized world. You work for the (remnants of) the US government trying to get back into control. Looking at the gameplay below it kind of feels like what you'd get by crossing Borderlands with Rainbow Six, set in the world of Cormac McCarthy's The Road.

Ubisoft have done a great job in capturing a dilapidated New York with refuse and debris everywhere and some scared civilians scurrying away as gunshots are heard in the distance. Again you play as a small team who take on missions as well as go on sidequests or simply explore the city. A pretty neat feature is the way you can join from a smartphone or tablet and help out as a drone. Toward the end of the video we also get to see a tiny bit of player vs player combat so there's that opportunity as well.

As far as gameplay is concerned it's third person and seems reminiscent of other Tom Clancy games like GRAW but with a bit more "grit" to it. I think The Division might be a nice alternative after the crazy hijinks of Titanfall and Destiny. A bit more down to Earth. A small detail I quite enjoyed is how they talk in the clip below - they are talking as three friends playing a game, but for an outsider listening it might as well (almost) be what their characters are saying. Of course, no-one really talks like this, but it's close enough. I like games where what you say actually reflect the actions you take in the game. EVE Online is another great example of this and, I think, Netrunner (the card game) might be as well. I like that, makes it feel more real in a sense.

Also it's being made right here in Sweden. Woo! If the above teaser trailer left you feeling meh, check out this gameplay trailer. It's looking great!

So those are the three new IPs that really made me sit up and pay attention. Of course there were a bunch of other new stuff as well, looking more or less interesting. Some things that looked cool but that I need to see more of to decide were The Order: 1886 (steampunk action-horror), Quantum Break (time travel/manipulation), Mad Max (MAD MAX!!!), Star Wars Battlefront (awesome teaser!) and Beyond: Two Souls (action game from the makers of Heavy Rain).



Of course, the best announcement during the entire show was this...

Yepp, after many years of rumours and teases we finally have confirmation of a new Mirror's Edge! Wooo! The first was was a solely unique gaming experience that punished the casual player but greatly rewarded the ones who persevered and got it to 'click'. An amazing gaming experience!

The new one seems to be a reboot of sorts, where you get to play through Faith's origin story. It has also been touted as more of an open world action adventure. Sounds intersting. Not entirely sure what to think of Faith's new appearance though, as I quite like her old self.

So yeah... some good stuff to look forward to!

Read More

4 comments

EVE mon amour

My first contact with the world of MMORPGs was Star Wars Galaxies from SOE. And although it had some major flaws, it nevertheless managed to convey a great sense of freedom, exploration and adventure. The planets were absolutely huge and in the early days before space ships and speeders were introduced going to far away locations was a major undertaking. I remember gathering a bunch of people together to make the trek to Jabba's palace out in the Dune Sea. None of us had ever been there and we only had a vague idea of where it was, pieced together from local rumours in Mos Eisley. Arming ourselves as best we could with low level blaster rifles and pistols we headed out...

As we made our way across the desert we lost a few people to attacks from the local fauna (that's why we needed a group in the first place. I'd never have survived alone!) and the journey itself probably took about an hour, but then when we suddenly saw the giant structure in the distance and with Tatoo I and II setting everyone just stopped and stared. It was a beautiful sight!

This was before the dark times... before That Other Game...

To be honest though, I've played a lot of World of Warcraft and had great fun with it, but the kind of sandbox world that was popular about ten years ago, has pretty much disappeared. MMO's these days are very "gamey" and I think that the term has gone from MMORPG to simply MMO is not only a matter of pronounciation difficulty. Honestly, how can you roleplay in WoW? I fail to see how it's even possible beyond its most shallow and meaningless form: overuse of thou and adding the letter E to the end of each and every word! Although I've never actually roleplayed in an MMO I do like when it feels like you could if you wanted to. SWG managed that and it was really cool to have all these different people eking out a living as everything from bounty hunters to clothes designers to mining tycoons!

There is one other game that manages to capture that feeling, and that is EVE Online from Icelandic developers (and publishers) CCP. EVE is a space based game where you take the role of a pilot for one of the four great factions. You get your little starter ship and then you can do... anything! The entire game is player driven and although you can take on missions from NPC agents that is just a small small part of the whole.

A newly minted Minmatar pilot in his Reaper starter ship.

You can do more or less anything you can imagine being possible in a space based game. Want to shoot some pirates? Blast away! Want to be a pirate? Here's an eye-patch for ya! Want to be a CEO of a major corporation? Just start working on your social skills. Gun for hire? Plenty of miners who need protection. Business mogul? Start researching the market fluctuations. Asteroid mining? There's always a demand for more ore! I could go on and on.

An Amarr Prophecy battlecruiser firing at my Minmatar Hurricane. I'm returning fire with an artillery barrage. Oh, and just to be clear, I'm the little dot in the distance...

And since practically all of it is player driven it feels like a real universe with real people and real consequences. If you want to be a pirate there's no NPC traders that you can go after, you need to find some poor unfortunate victim to rob! Or if you advertise your corporation (guild) as mercenaries you'll have to show your strength or no one will hire you. Or if you're in a mining corp you might want to consider hiring some mercs to protect you when you mount mining expeditions into low security sectors. etc etc.

Me hauling some ore in my Mammoth. Did I mention that EVE is also absolutely gorgeous?!

It's basically the opposite of games like WoW. Unfortunately it's the opposite when it comes to new player friendliness and learning curve as well. Although they've improved the new player experience in recent years it's still a very dense game and the sheer mass of information you need to assimilate when you start out can be staggering and I can only imagine the hordes of players who've been scared off by this. However, once you get past the inital shock the galaxy is your oyster!

I'm not really sure where I'm going with this. Hmm...

Well, if you like space, if you are reasonably patient and the opportunity to carve out your little niche, be it as a wealthy trader or a feared pirate, appeals to you then give EVE a try. There's really nothing else like it out there. You can even try it for free for two weeks!

In this trailer, called The Butterly Effect, CCP tries to show you what I've been trying to tell you in this post. Maybe they're better at it than I. Have a look:

Read More

No comments