ZeroAX wrote:How the fuck did this E3 suck so much?
It doesn't. Here's an in-progress write up I am doing (not sure for where yet). Hopefully this turns the mood a bit
Why E3 2012 Doesn’t Actually Suck (Especially if You Like 2D Games)
A lot of the talk amongst people here at E3 – both on the show floor and in the media room – echoes the comments found across message boards and social networking sites: E3 sucks this year. The majority of the complaints point to very lackluster press conferences by the “big three,” the lack of new IP or new hardware announcements by Sony or Microsoft, the relatively weak showing for the Wii U, the absence of price cuts, or just an overall sense of disinterest in the direction the industry is or isn’t moving. There’s discontent and fickleness.
But if there’s one thing I’ve quickly learned at my first E3, it is that this convention is not put on for “core” gamers, “retro” gamers, “competitive” gamers, or, really, anyone who might consider themselves to be a gaming enthusiast of any type. This show isn’t put on for folks who read gaming news regularly, post on messageboards about their experiences in games, travel to cons, or otherwise participate in this thing we sometimes call “gaming culture.” It is very much put on for people who are financially invested in the industry, who buy and sell studios and IPs, who place product orders and sell advertising, who are looking for industry jobs, and who cover one or two stories a year about gaming for major news organizations.
But fear not, gaming enthusiast, there are many things here to get excited about. For one, there is a lot of excellent gameplay and imagination taking place in titles that didn’t make it into the major press conferences. A lot of that is taking place in 2D games, several of which I had a chance to play yesterday and today:
- The Cave - Ron Gilbert of Maniac Mansion and Monkey Island fame is working with Double Fine Studios and Sega to create a game that is reminiscent of the long-ago neglected Blizzard franchise Lost Vikings. Not only does it feature multiple playable characters, but it has adventure game/puzzle elements (find and combine, use this on that, etc.) and a signature and compelling sense of style and wit. This is an early contender for game of show for me, and I can’t imagine anyone who enjoys 2D games wouldn’t enjoy this.
- Hell Yeah, Wrath of the Dead Rabbit – This is one of the most fluid 2D games I’ve seen this generation outside of a Cave title. A blending of genres (metroidvania crossed with run-n-gun crossed with speed-based platformer crossed with RPG etc.), it is beautifully bizarre and overflowingly creative, giving you something different to do every few minutes and a bizzare world in which to do it. The game seems to be at least partially inspired by something like the classic early flash animation classic Radiskull and Devil Doll shorts (which is a very high compliment!) and some of the Life in Hell style of humor found in Matt Groening’s series.
- Persona 4 Arena – This is clearly the best fighter at the show, as it brings together a lot of visually compelling ideas into a fast and responsive fighter. It is hard to get a full sense of the gameplay mechanics from a quick demo, but it seems to be a solid “new” IP that borrows the right elements from BlazBlue/Guilty Gear.
- Little Big Planet Vita (and Little Big Planet Kart Racer) – There’s no major surprises with either of these titles, but having had a chance to play both confirmed that the series is still going strong. The Vita game plays exactly like the PS3 titles but adds a few well-placed touch controls (that are used sparingly and intuitively) and the Kart Racer offers the possibility for lots of interesting tracks and battle arenas to be created by the development team and by players.
- Retro City Rampage – This game has been in development for a while and on the radar of most retro gamers for some time, and I am happy to say that it looks and plays like an 8-bit dream. The gameplay is excellent, the music is grooving, and the game is packed with 1980s/1990s pop-culture references (I saw Bill & Ted, Dr. Emmitt Brown, and at least one “Toasty!” in my time with the game). This one is a 2D game created by people who have a love of 2D games that (especially the classic GTA titles)
Almost all of these titles are being relegated to sideline status by the likes of Black Ops 2, God of War Vengeance, or other big titles. There’s also some less publicized 3D stuff that is worth getting excited about…
- WarioWare Wii U – If there’s one thing the WarioWare series has done well, it is to use Nintendo’s hardware features in ways that make you enjoy their uniqueness. Moreso than Nintendo Land or any of the various Wii U apps intended to “teach” people how to use the controller, this game had me enjoying and understanding the possibilities of the hardware in ways that I didn’t think I would. It looks to be a great new addition to a consistently strong series, and Nintendo should include this as a pack-in game.
- Project P-100 – Who knew that the Vanquish/Bayonetta crew was working on a Wii U game? This one is hard to describe but a blast to play. Think Pikmin crossed with a family-friendly 3D hack n’ slash and you are getting close. The environments and artwork on this are some of the most distinct I’ve seen on the new hardware, and show that there’s a lot of room to do creative things on the Wii U.
- Papo and Yo – An adventure/puzzle game that just oozes “artistic gameplay” for the PS3. This one looks like it has the potential to stir emotion and create a sense of awe the way that the titles for thatgamecompany have over the past few years.
- Dyad – Think Tempest 2000 crossed with Wipeout and blended with Rez-style visuals and you are just about there. A fast, furious, and fantastic visual treat.
I’ve also had a chance to try out Jet Set Radio for the Vita (which is even more gorgeous on that screen than it is on a Dreamcast through VGA), Doom 3 for the 360/PS3 (which is a criminally underrated FPS that looks stellar in this enhanced port), PS1 Classics on the Vita, and several other titles that will appeal to retro gamers….
I’ll leave this here for now, as the show is about to open for the final day. In any case, there’s more going on here than you might be led to believe if you don’t dig a little deeper….
