Just thought I'd throw some of this out. (I'm just sitting around waiting for friends to wake up so we can LAN.) There are 2 previews that I wanted to point out and then an article on E3 (including my commentary on it. It's probably worth your time to read it. If you're uninterested in a particular title, skip over it. That's what I did
)
Inside New Gamepro Mag:
Viewtiful Joe 2: GC, PS2
p. 40 of August, 2004 issue of Gamepro. That's all you need to know. (This is for you, Raz.)
Fullmetal Alchemist and the Broken Angel: PS2
p. 48. Thought I'd list this for all you Alchemist fans.
E3 2004 Showstoppers:
1) Nintendo DS/Sony PSP
--DS will be backwards compatable with GBA games (I'm also assuming GB Color and regular GB games as well.) PSP will introduce a new disc format (no backwards compatability--though it does have built-in wireless LAN, USB 2.0, and an IR reciever)
2) Resident Evil 4
--Not to excited, but it can't be bad. They asy it's pretty and... well, I didn't read the rest of it, so I don't know. GC
3) Final Fantasy XII (twelve)
--They changed the battle system. It's real-time, you position your characters at will, and all enemies are visible on the main "world" screen. Speaking of which, there are no battle screens. The fight takes place right where you encounter the enemy. Also, there will be no sphere system (thank God) but they will move to a new color-group system (???). Probably buying it. PS2
4) Halo 2
--Wasn't a fan of Halo 1. It was overrated (as I compared it to Half-Life/CS). What I saw of the single player wasn't nearly as compelling as Half Life was years beforehand. Multiplayer: Xbox--Needs mouse and keyboard. Computer--Needs LESS FUCKING LAG; FIX YOUR SHIT, MICROSOFT. Xbox
5) The Lord of the Rings: The Battle For Middle-Earth
--LOTR Warcraft... I played the demo or beta or something a while back. It wasn't too bad, but... why the fuck is this in front of Half-Life 2? PC
6) Half-Life 2
--Pwn. Nothing you don't already know except maybe that CS, DoD, and Team Fortress are all "being ported to Source, meaning you'll be able to play all your old faves in shiny new clothes the day the game ships. Whenever that is." Buying it. PC
7) The Movies
--Make your own movies... I can't really say how I feel about this game. It could be awesome, and it could blow. - PC
8) Killzone
--FPS; nothing special as far as I'm concerned. PS2
9) Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater
--I've never really played any of the previous MGS games. I'm sure I'm missing out. This should be fun, though. PS2
10) God of War
--This may be pretty sweet. "Greek mythology gets the bloody, gory treatment with this action/adventure title... Playing as ex-Spartan soldier, Kratos, your task is to find Pandora's Box--the only thing that can destroy the titular Ares...hazards and enemies that range from booby traps and puzzles to battles with minotaurs and stone-gazing Medusa (whose trophy head you an use to petrify enemies.)" Mythology needs more exposure in games. I'll probably rent this one. PS2
11) Metroid Prime 2: Echoes
--Metroid with some new gears. "With stunning visuals, dimensional travel, and new Light and Dark weapon mechanics, don't expect the standard hackneyed sequel." This one'll also have split-screen multiplayer consisting of deathmatch and coin-motivated-deathmatch. Rent or Buy: Undecided. GC
12) Doom 3
--"the game just sizzled." I'm buying it. (The magazine says Xbox... That's it... Why the fuck does it not say PC? Fuck them. I saw the leaked beta for the PC at a LAN. Gamepro's missing a dot.)
13) Pikmin 2
--Damnit. I meant to rent this game's predecessor, but I forgot. Doesn't seem very different from the first one except that there will be two-player competitive and co-op modes. GC
14) Call of Duty: Finest Hour
--All FPS games (other than Doom 3) can go straight to hell when HL2:CS comes out. PS2, Xbox
15) Mortal Kombat: Deception
--"with two Fatalities per character, multitiered fighting stages, melee weapons, and online play," the new Mortal Kombat is here. I never really liked the weapons... They just seemed out of place in a fighting game to me. Two Fatalities seems a bit low to me. I remember playing MK Trillogy for the N64 and looking up like... 2 Fatalities, an Anamality, a Babality, a Friendship, and a... um... one other finishing move which simply equated to a Beat-the-shit-out-of-the-guy-even-after-he-is-dead-ity. There will be new mini-games. Konquest: "lets you build up a character through training and exploration" (Sounds good to me.) Chess Kombat: This will fall through. Anybody remember Battle Chess? It was a fun chess game. It was fun, because it had good visuals... In MK Chess, however, pieces fight it out... The winner isn't predetermined. So, for you chess fans, pass on this mini game. For you MK fans, pass on this mini game and just PLAY THE REGULAR GAME. Puzzle Kombat: Eh... I'm tired of talking about MK. PS2, Xbox
16) Destroy All Humans
--Um... wow... This looks pretty sweet. Check it out for yourself. It's from Pandemic Studios. PS2, Xbox
17) Paper Mario 2
--"On the show floor, the game played great and looked absolutely stuning...Nintendo's got the markings of yet another classic." Not looking forward to this particularly. GC
18) Burnout 3
--This is a racing game that is not GT4. Therefore... we'll just move on. PS2, Xbox
19) Tom Clancy's Splinter Cell 3
--Innovative multiplayer, knife attacks, and... um... some other stuff, make this better than the previous Splinter Cell games. PC, GC, PS2, Xbox
20) 25 to Life
--"Imagine SOCOM with police and gangs in place of soldiers..." This may be a good game. It includes 16-player multiplayer. PS2, Xbox
So, there's 2 new handhelds. I'll probably end up getting Nintendo's product and telling Sony to fuck off. It'll all depend on the games. There's also one game for PS2, one game for PC, and one game listed for Xbox that is also coming out on PC that I am going to buy.