Thinky stuff: post-E3 commentary, lots of the number "2"

Hello my good readers. How be you all? A lot has been happening in the world of games, so I best get started in getting up to speed with everything.

First, is a look at a few games that piqued my interest from the E3 this year.

I was tempted to really just go all out and spam Youtube vids of the various upcoming games, but that would be lazy and not at all interesting. Plus, not everyone's going to be bothered to sit through a sea of videos. So you're stuck with my commentary instead.

I just realized that there are a lot of sequels. Be prepared for a lot of the number "2". Oh and, this is by no means the complete set list of games announced at E3. I've missed out some pretty big ones other people might be interested in, but if you ask me, these games below are where it's at.

Assassin's Creed 2

This one's a no-brainer for Ubisoft. Seriously. Just taking all the feedback about the first game: repetition, lack of open gameplay, or interesting combat dynamics, blah blah, and then just change that for AC2. Which is apparently what they have done. The graphics look positively cooler, the setting is Venice, and the environment is more sandbox-y. More moves in Firenze's (the dude to come after Altair, although I don't see how an Italian European is descended from an Arab from the Middle East?) arsenal of deadly assassin-ness and the ability to disarm and use enemies' weapons against them. Oh and swimming.

It is exciting for most, but to me, having watched a gameplay vid, it looks a lot like Assassin's Creed 1. Sure, it promises a much more open world, but the world was pretty "open" in the first game too. The combat is exactly the same, and seriously, which assassin goes swimming with all their equipment? Realistic much?

But there was a very cool feature where players get to use a flying contraption built by Leonardo da Vinci, and you get to actually fly anywhere, using rising heat sources to keep yourself in the air. All in all, probably a fun new title to get into, but it doesn't look as innovative in gameplay as all the hype has made it out to be. Here's to hoping the storyline and such other elements are more interesting.

Splinter Cell: Conviction

Yeahhhh, this is the Ubisoft game I am looking forward to. A few years into development, Splinter Cell has undergone some changes. Gone is the old Sam Fisher, bearded hobo look, in exchange for his clean shaven professionalism that would seriously do bad things to you if you got on his wrong side. It's become a lot grittier and less reliant on gadgets.

If you've watched the movie Taken with Liam Neeson, Splinter Cell: Conviction is that, in video game form. And not just in the "modern thriler-like style" but also cause the story's about Sam Fisher finding and taking down the people who killed his daughter. I have to say, when Double Agent (the game before Conviction) came out a few years back, Ubisoft's decision to kill off his daughter to make Sam Fisher appear more hardcore was a heart-wrenching affair. I don't know about you, but I feel for Fisher. I mean the guy may be an ultimate-killing machine, but he's a good guy, and no good guy deserves to lose a loved one like that.

Anyway, from the gameplay vid that's floating around, I can totally see how this game is being developed parallel to Assassin's Creed 2. The technology appears very similar, and the setlist of moves that Sam Fisher can do are most likely modified versions of Firenze's in AC2. It's not totally bad a thing if they manage to mask this well. Also, it's cool how the sneak-fest of Splinter Cell makes a return, except more realistic. It's more about how Sam Fisher employs his cunning and physical skills to take down enemies, as opposed to technology.

So definitely a game to look out for.

Mafia 2

The original Mafia was genius and I have no doubt that the second is going to top that. The graphics are top-notch, the animations look super realistic, and it's GTA in the 1950s. What's not to love about that?


Undoubtedly, technology gets better as the years go on, so just a couple of years ago, we had GTA 4 stunning us with the large scale playground and places we can visit. Mafia 2 promises a bigger take on that; hundreds more of interiors, and dynamic AI that go about their daily lives until some stupid player comes around and screws it all up.

The story is just as important, and it was one of the reasons why Mafia 1 was a huge success. 2K Czech promises this one will just be as much a heavyweight as the first.

Star Wars: Old Republic

This will be interesting to watch to see if it can actually steal crowd away from the titan that is World of Warcraft. Of course, the Star Wars universe is a lot geekier and less accessible than the Warcraft lore, but still, come on, its STAR WARS!

Of course, you can get to be a Jedi or a Sith from the outset, instead of having to go do some obscure special missions like in the first MMO, Star Wars: Galaxies. Having specialized missions separated the wheat from the chaff, or the Jedis from the n00bs, but you know how it is, games need to make money, so they need to let people "have fun". Geeze.

What's interesting to note that unlike other MMOs, this one has a very individual-player-centric focus. This means that although there is a grand story unfolding in the universe (i.e. Siths vs Jedi), each player will have his own story to tell. Group up with other players or play it entirely on your own, both are possible. And either way will still let you have a cool storyline based on the class you choose, and it will lead to bigger things. So you can really feel like a hero, instead of just being another cog in the WoW machine.

The environments are all hand-crafted and all the planets have a distinct look to them. But the best part about this whole game, is that you can be a Han Solo-like Smuggler, or a Bobba Fett-like Bounty Hunter. Jet packs and blaster pistols FTW!!!

Metal Gear Solid: Rising

MGS as a series was never popular with the PC crowd, for the very fact that it was an exclusive console IP. Sucks butt indeed, just like Final Fantasy was, but Hideo Kojima can't alienate us forever. Hence, apparently, Rising will be the new multi-platform title, and continues the story where MGS4 left off, except Solid Snake is really gone, and replaced by part-cyborg ninja cool-guy Raiden.


There isn't much seen of the game other than a very ominous teaser thingy with a shot of Raiden looking all gloomy and cybernetic. I'd be very interested in playing this, but I wonder if not having played the other games and not knowing the story is going to have a detriment to the experience.

Bioshock 2

This was a strange new announcement for me. It felt like Bioshock the original had a larger hype than this one does. Probably because Bioshock as a concept was fresh and new. This one treads old ground, except you're now in the boots of a Big Daddy, and explores an even more run-down Rapture.

Nothing spectacular, although getting to use the Big Daddy's drill-hand, chill with a Little Sister, and take on the Big Sister is rather fun-sounding. The gameplay vid I watched awhile back showed some interesting footage of the Big Sister. A more menacing, intelligent and powerful adversary than the Big Daddy ever was. I read somewhere that Splicers have also evolved over time in the destroyed Rapture, and whilst they remain disfigured, their offspring are more human-like. But still crazy.

Graphics look the same. But there is multiplayer. And that does look fun. Playing as ugly splicers just as the war in Rapture broke out (before the first game's protagonist's arrival), you get to throw spells and shoot at the same time. And just like the new trend of persistent player stats and rank tracking (thanks to CoD 4), players will get to upgrade their special abilities arsenal, and will have a "home/apartment unit" area where you'll get to customize your loadout.

Mass Effect 2

I didn't really like Mass Effect. There was a big hype about how great it was as an RPG-shooter, and that Bioware had outdone themselves. But there were a lot of flaws too. Combat was too finnicky, as compared to Knights of the Old Republic, and there were pointless side planets to visit, as well as the worst driving parts on the face of the earth.

But it had an epic space operatic storyline that was also a commentary for the significance of the human race in the grand scheme of things. And I most likely missed out on it thanks to not having played the first all the way through.

The second picks up from where the first one left off, and for those who did play the first one, yes, SPOILER ALERT! Shephard did not die. It means you can load up your old save game and carry over your high level and uber-powered hero into the new story. I didn't really pay attention to what it's about, but I can imagine it's more save-the-world sort of stuff.

Improved combat dynamics and A.I. friends control. Which was pretty shit in the first one, I have to say. They kept running straight into the enemies instead of taking cover.

Left 4 Dead 2

No one can deny the inevitable global takedown from Valve with Left 4 Dead. That game literally took the world by storm, it's in LAN shops worldwide now, and everyone who doesn't play games would've probably played Left 4 Dead. It's that awesome.

And I am pretty proud that I was there the day the game first got announced that it was under development. Saw it step by step through its changes and reiterations. And grew frustrated and desperate the longer the game took to release, the delays, until it finally came out in December '08. And then the rest of the world took it up.

Everytime someone goes "Hey man, I just found out about this cool game, Left 4 Dead! So amazing!", I think back to the time when it was still relatively unknown, and just a handful of us faithfuls followed the development of the game patiently.

Okay, enough with the self fan-service. But yes, Left 4 Dead 2. There has been a lot of controversy around this title. A lot of other fans (not including myself) have taken it upon themselves to make a petition to abolish this new title, and make all the new content its supposed to bring, as part of the first game's DLC.

Apparently, they aren't happy that Valve has been making a new game instead of concentrating on bringing out new DLC for the first one as they had promised awhile back. Their frustration is well deserved if you ask me. If you look at TF2, that had a long list of DLCs and patches to ensure that the game is still popular to this day. Left 4 Dead only has had one DLC, and that was to just bring the game up to speed with the remainder of the missing Versus maps. Survival doesn't really do anything new either. They really should have more stuff coming out.

But Left 4 Dead 2 does look to be a bigger and much cooler game. I can see why it would have to be released as a new title, there is just a tonne of new content. I won't talk about that here, cause I've ranted for a long time about it before.

However, I will leave you with a very awesome developer walkthrough with the new game. The graphics look positively delectable.

Modern Warfare 2

Last but not least, Modern Warfare 2. I quite enjoyed the first one, but in the back of my mind, I always thought it was an overly stylized take on modern warfare. And the second one makes no apologies about that.

Explosions going off left, right and centre, a squad of elite dudes jumping and running about to defuse bombs and shoot super mega-villains in the face.

The latest gameplay vid from E3 does look amazing though. You have to climb a snowy peaked mountain someplace remote with Captain "Soap" (the original protagonist in CoD 4) and infiltrate an enemy HQ in a snowy blizzard. Then it's off to the racetracks by nicking a snowmobile and driving down a steep slope very fast all the while shooting at enemies chasing you. Not very realistic but pretty exciting. Graphics also have upgraded, as the CoD 4 vanilla engine is too outdated in comparison to heavyweight Unreal. People's faces up close look almost photo-realistic.

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All in all, it's a good year for games. Other special mentions include Alan Wake although I'll talk about that when more info comes out, and also Dragon Age, Bioware's fantasy RPG epic-dom. Oh and Prototype, which should be out soon, and I shall get my hands on. Mmmm.