Thoughts on E3's Biggest Announcements - Day 1
by Jake Weston, posted on 07 June 2011 / 2,225 Views
Since I am not as lucky as some of my fellow contributors here at gamrFeed and am not able to attend this year's E3, I don't really have a chance to report all of the breaking news and big announcements. What I CAN do, however, is catalog all of today's biggest reveals into one nifty article, and offer my commentary on them. So, without further ado, here's the recap of today's biggest announcements.
Halo: Combat Evolved Anniversary
It looks like Microsoft is finally getting in on the HD re-release trend, and what better to start with the original Halo, the game that singlehandedly turned the Xbox brand into the juggernaut it is today. Halo: CE Anniversary looks more than just a simple HD upscale though, with all new environment textures, upgraded gameplay mechanics, and online multiplayer. What worries me though, is it looks like this remake is getting Halo: Reach's gameplay mechanics. I loved Halo: Reach, but I wonder if the mechanics will carry over to the first game well. We shall see this holiday.
Halo 4
Arguably the biggest announcement today was the reveal of Halo 4. As much as I hate to see the franchise continue on without Bungie Studios, it's hard not to get excited seeing Master Chief back in action. Of course, it's the quality of the game, not the brand, that matters. Game series tend to suffer once they switch developers, so 343 Studios is going to have to step it up if they want this franchise to stay fresh.
Kinect...Kinect Everywhere...
Microsoft has primarily focused its show on Kinect for the last two years in a row, and this year's E3 continues the trend. Microsoft focused on casual games such as Dance Central 2 and Kinect Fun Labs, all of which look mediocre to say the least. I'm fairly convinced that the Kinect brand is going to die out in a year or two from now, but there were a couple announcements that churned my interest; Mass Effect 3 on Kinect looks really promising, and Ryse looks sweet (of course I'll buy anything from Crytek).
Click here for more of our thoughts on Microsoft's E3 conference.
Overstrike and Furious Four Look Incredibly Similar
I can't be the only one who noticed this, right? Both games are shooters that feature four colorful characters teaming up to take down bad guys? I don't know when this trend became popular, but it seems to be showing up all over the place, although it makes sense since both the PS3 and 360 feature four-player splitscreen. It's great to see Insomniac with a new I.P., and the Brothers in Arms series has its moments of greatness, but both games just seem to be shamelessly copying Left 4 Dead's and Borderland's formula. I dunno, maybe it's just me.
Sly Cooper: Thieves in Time
While I've never played any of the Sly games myself, it's cool seeing Sucker Punch going back to the franchise that put them on the map. If anything, this gives me a reason to finally pick up the The Sly Collection. With both Sly Cooper and Ratchet & Clank now on the PS3, let's hope that Naughty Dog decides to come back to Jak & Daxter once they're done with Uncharted.
*Update: It appears that Sucker Punch is not working on Sly 4, which is instead being developed by Sanzaru Games, who ported The Sly Collection to PS3. That's really too bad, but I can't say anything since I've yet to play the Sly games.
PSP Vita
I was never a fan of the original PSP, and now that most of the PSP's best games are heading to the PS3 I don't really see a reason to get into it. That being said, I'm intrigued by the PSP Vita. Uncharted and Bioshock look great, and the new "Transfarring" system looks very innovative. Of course, it'll take more than a couple of games to completely sell me on the system, so I guess we'll just have to wait and see.
Clich here for more of our thoughts on the PSP Vita.
So, there you have it, my thoughts on today's E3 proceedings. Check back tomorrow for my thoughts on day two.
What about you guys? What did you think of the first day of E3 2011? Let us know in the comments!
