Thoughts On E3; What To Look Forward To

The main event in gaming, the Electronic Entertainment Expo, E3, ended only five short days ago, unveiling many new titles and consoles that we here at OTN can’t wait to see. With all this recent buzz and new information, I’m sure many are a bit confused about what to buy this holiday season and beyond. In this post I’ll cover what you should and shouldn’t be looking forward to from E3.

Consoles

In the first section of the article I will cover the two consoles unveiled at this years E3.

Sony PS Vita

The Sony PlayStation Vita is Sony’s newest addition to its portable, handheld line. The Vita arguably gained some of the most buzz during and after the show because of its impressive specifications and graphics.

The Vita sports an ARM Cortex quad-core, front an rear cameras, a front multi touch screen and a rear multi touch pad, (both capacitive), front and rear cameras, Six-axis support, a qHD, OLED, five-inch screen with Bluetooth and Wi-Fi for $250. What a mouth full! In my opinion, this device annihilates the already-released Nintendo 3DS which is also competitively priced at $250. The PS Vita will deliver graphics similar to the PS3′s and will run off of a cartridge type media. Games announced include Uncharted, LittleBigPlanet and ModNation Racers, among others.

The aspect of release titles and games where I am currently disappointed with Sony and the Vita. It was an enormous let-down to me when only a handful of good games were released for the PSP and I am extremely worried this will happen again this time around. The fact that this system dominates the specs on any other portable device gives me some confidence that developers will allow the system to flourish. Sony has always been known to lead the industry in specifications and power, but unfortunately, not so much in the game category.

I most definitely plan on picking up this device this holiday season, and expect a full review once the device has released. The question is should you get it? The argument goes either way. I am hoping on receiving this one as a gift, so I will not have to shell out the $250 but if you are not, I would still pick this one up. Sony always delivers a good experience with their products overall, and the device is sure to be a hit. If you don’t have the dough or you are unsure about the upcoming titles, I would wait it out to see what the device has in store.

Wii U

Before E3, pictures and information on Nintendo’s Project Cafe, the successor to the Wii, surfaced. So on the second day of E3, Nintendo unveiled the Wii U controller during its press conference. The interesting thing is that they did not unveil the system, only the new controller that is used with the system. You may be thinking to yourself, why the Wii U? Well, according to Nintendo, the name Wii U, symbolizes the fact that this console will be for everyone. The console will accommodate gamers of a hardcore nature and of a casual nature as well. The U basically means the console is for you!

The main buzz with this unveiling comes with the controller. The controller is essentially a tablet that has a touchscreen, rear and front cameras, a high resolution screen (not much is known otherwise), dual analog sticks and L and R buttons on the back. The controller has similar functionality to that of a Wii remote as well. We do know that this of course will interface with the new console and that existing controllers will as well. We also know two big things about the Wii U: The console will be able to output games at 1080p resolution, and that it will be fully backwards compatible with original Wii games. Nintendo executives have stated that the console will be released near the beginning of 2012, so it should be in line to compete with this generation as well as next generation consoles.

So far in my opinion, the console is looking very nice. Many will see the new controller as a sort of gimmick but Nintendo really has yet to let anyone down. Sure I am disappointed that my Wii is just sitting collecting dust in my room, but hope Nintendo can really pull it off for gamers like me with this next iteration. The main reason I am planning on picking this one up is Smash Bros. Super Smash Bros. was basically my childhood, and I will honestly buy the 3DS and Wii U just for Smash (as it was announced that a SSB game is in development for both consoles). If you are a big Nintendo fan like I am, I’d suggest picking up the console.

Games

In the final section I’ll cover the two biggest tittles that were unveiled at E3, and yes, both of them are FPS’s.

Modern Warfare 3

Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 is the next shooter in the Call of Duty franchise. This franchise is arguably the most successful series of first person shooters to exist. Call of Duty is sure to satisfy fans all across the world no matter what, and this upcoming game is no exception.

Taking place in America and elsewhere, MW3 depicts the Russian invasion of America and Europe directly after the events in MW2. The gameplay shown at E3 looks impressive, with much improvement over the last game. The engine has been effectively tweaked to offer more realistic environments in a urban landscape. The game looks good for existing fans but for me, there isn’t anything that compels me to buy the game. I’ve been fairly disappointed with the Call of Duty games after the first Modern Warfare and don’t think this game will change my mind. If you’re a CoD fan, this one’s a no brainer right? But in my opinion, EA has some big things coming over the horizon.

Battlefield 3

The long awaited sequel to EA and DICE’s Battlefield 2 was fully and finally announced during this years E3. EA and DICE are looking to make this game the shooter that everyone has always wanted and it looks like they will definitely complete that goal. Battlefield 3 improves on the previous Battlefield game, Bad Company 2, while continuing the crucial and strategic multiplayer elements of Battlefield 2. While we do not know too much information on BF3′s single player campaign, I’ll share the rudimentary facts that we do indeed know about the game.

Battlefield 3 is a modern shooter that mainly takes place in the Middle East, with trailers indicating sites such as Paris, Tehran, Sarajevo, Sulaymaniyah and even other locations, such as New York and Wake Island. The game will feature urban and metropolitan landscapes, as well as lush and environments such as the mountains and deserts of the Middle East. The game will allow for fully destructible environments with the Frostbite 2.0 engine, with the capability to destroy entire buildings or . The game will also feature the ANT animation system. The team that is currently developing the realistic animations in FIFA series of soccer games will also be working on BF3. We do know that BF3 will follow Staff Sergeant Henry ‘Black’ Blackburn as well as Corporal Jonathan "Jono" Miller, both Marines on their campaign to neutralize the PLR, a newly-found terrorist threat. We also know that on PC, multiplayer will be one of the main focuses, allowing 64 players to play simultaneously. Xbox and PS3 numbers are unconfirmed but we can assume it will be similar to BFBC, with 24 total players. Battlefield is known for its generous inclusion of vehicles, and this game is no exception. BF3 will have tanks, jets, helicopters, you name it, it’s most likely included. Battlefield 3 also includes a free stat tracking service, with friend integration all completely free. This is a must for a game of this scale on PC.

In my opinion, BF3 will dominate the FPS genre upon its release because of its lifelike presentation, and amazing multiplayer. I am personally not a CoD fan, but I think they are very good games. I enjoy the run and gun gameplay with my friends, but when I want a real sit-down war-like experience I will ultimately choose BF3. The main difference in my opinion, that separates the two series is multiplayer. Each series has delivered a great story, and that’s where CoD shines! But the multiplayer is where it’s at for me and millions of other gamers. I would define CoD multiplayer as cheap. It is possible to become very good at the game but unfortunately the game is riddled with hackers and modders and a terrible spawning system. If Infinity Ward and Treyarch would go back to the days of CoD 3 all would be solved! I would describe BF multiplayer as difficult, at times terribly difficult. But the difficulty doesn’t come from hackers or spawn-killers but rather developing your own strategies to help your squad and your faction achieve victory. This is where Battlefield innovates and why I am excited about the game. I am by no means a BF fanboy, I have fun with CoD! However, we will have to see whether CoD or Battlefield prevails in the end. Pick ‘em up on 10/25 (BF3) and 11/8 (MW3) respectively.

The Verdict

This years Electronic Entertainment Expo was very successful, delivering new consoles and games. In this article I only covered a taste of what is to come, but in my opinion the things covered are the most important of the show. Within the coming months check back for some more content on the up-comings of E3 as we will have some awesome reviews of new tech and games headed your way. Be sure to leave a comment below and tell me what you think!

More Info
Here are some links to check out the information covered in this article

http://www.e3expo.com/
http://e3.nintendo.com/
http://us.playstation.com/psvita/
http://www.callofduty.com/mw3/
www.battlefield.com/Battlefield3