E3 :: 2009

Best in Show: Mass Effect 2

Bioware’s sequel to 2008’s Mass Effect, for me, stole the show. Microsoft has established itself as the platform to enjoy “western style” rpgs. It started on the original Xbox with the two installments of Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic, Fable and the breathtaking Jade Empire. With the Xbox 360, Microsoft continued this trend with Oblivion, Mass Effect, Fable 2 and Fallout.

Now, MS seems ready to take the western RPG to a new level with Mass Effect 2. From what I have seen so far this sequel is the closest thing to an interactive film that has been seen in video games so far.

One of the biggest complaints, and something readily obvious in Fallout and Oblivion, is the wooden character animation and interaction. In previous western RPGs whenever the player engaged an NPC in conversation it was almost a chat room experience: An unmoving, static NPC with questionable facial animation and wooden modeling would appear and remain stable throughout the conversation tree.

So far, it seems that Mass Effect 2 wishes to do away with this and make the conversations much more natural and film-like, with changing camera angles and the characters interacting with the world while conversing, rather than stopping, standing still and executing the dialogue.

Nothing rips a player out of game immersion like stopping to chat for a bit with an NPC in the middle of a fight. I am also very interested in seeing how the “negotiation” dialogues are implemented throughout the game. All in all it seems that Bioware is taking great strides to really engross the player into the game’s world.

Another complaint I had with the original was the clunky shooting mechanics. Observations of demoed game play seem to indicate that the producers really wished to smooth this out. The characters now move about the game in the third person view with ease – smoothly flowing in and out of cover, sprinting and then firing with little hiccup. Hopefully this remains true in the final form.

In the past, large games with huge worlds were expected to have to make certain graphical sacrifices so they could run these large worlds – not so in Mass Effect 2. The original was very graphically impressive and the sequel seems to have just built on this strength by making the character movements more fluid and lifelike and their interaction with the environment liquid. The character models are breathtaking and the game engine itself looks to be on par with many CGI films.

One thing that I loved about the original Mass Effect was the soundtrack and if the music in the video demos is any indication, the sequel will maintain the evocative and dramatic score that helped carry the emotion of the first game.

Of course there is the big game play impacter: Your actions in the previous iteration will carry over to the sequel. This was an idea originally planned to be used in the failed Advent Rising franchise on the first Xbox. It was a great idea that was, unfortunately, halted due to mediocre reviews and mediocre sales, not to mention that whole million dollar sweepstakes that ended up completely blowing up in Majesco’s face. Thankfully, the idea resurfaced in a much more deserving property, and will probably result in a lot of re-purchases of Mass Effect by players wishing to affect different aspects in the sequel.

All in all, I feel that Bioware really showed the most exciting property. Mass Effect was a fantastic game and will be a tough act to follow, but it seems that Bioware is well on their way to improving their flagship in every way.

Most Surprising: Metroid: Other M

Holy. Crap. I do not think anyone saw this coming. As one of Nintendo’s flagship properties, the announcement of another Metroid property, in and of itself, is not that surprising. But, the fact that it is going to be made by Team Ninja of Ninja Gaiden and Dead or Alive fame is extremely surprising. Firstly because I have not really known Team Ninja to really mess around with anything other than their very own projects and even more because, well I don’t know – it’s Metroid… being made by Team Ninja!

The video is extremely impressive. Watching Samus leap about dispatching enemies in a hyper active way, utilizing physical attacks with simultaneous gun attacks is, I think, a desire all Metroid fans had, whether they were aware of it or not.

Although very surprising, it seems almost natural for the franchise to evolve into this form. Metroid seems to be one of the most evolving properties that Nintendo has. Another first person affair, I have no doubt, been very well done, but old hat – Just as Retro Studios did with Metroid Prime, I think Team Ninja will be pumping new life into an ever growing franchise. But, hey, Nintendo – we still want a side-scroller for the DS. You know it will sell, what’s holding you back?

I think the only apprehension with Metroid: Other M is the same that everyone would have had about Team Ninja’s first endeavor without the legendary Itagaki: What affect will his absence have on the production? The teaser trailer seems to indicate that Team Ninja will continue to add to its reputation for the visceral, extreme action they have become so well known for.

Biggest Commercial Success: Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2

This is going to be the game to beat for sales this holiday season. Even though it is launching in November it would not surprise me one bit if this is the highest grossing property of 2009. Yeah, Bungie is dropping Halo: ODST at the same time, but I think the excitement for MW2 is much bigger and will likely move more games.

Most likely to be delayed until 2010: Halo:ODST

Bungie and Microsoft have already made it clear that ODST is no longer being seen or promoted as an “expansion” to Halo 3 and now is a full-fledged stand alone title. The original bargain price point has been dropped and ODST will debut at the regular full MSRP for 360 games.

Bungie has delayed games plenty of times before. With this increase in stature of the title will come increased expectations and increased investment. Furthermore, I do not think that MS and Bungie will want to go head to head with Modern Warfare 2, after all they are not used to sharing the limelight when it comes to the release of triple-A shooters. Expect to see ODST delayed to first quarter 2010.

Biggest problem with the industry: Sequelitis

Video game entertainment is now out of the nerd’s basements and into the mainstream. Along with that came vast amounts of money. With games like Final Fantasy XIII and Metal Gear Solid 4 boasting development budgets on par with Hollywood blockbusters, companies are going to want to see guaranteed returns on their monster investments.

This trend, it seems, is now leading corporations to act conservatively and desire a dedication to proven IPs. All of the big boys at E3 on all consoles this year were sequels to well established franchises: Mass Effect 2, Halo:ODST, Assassin’s Creed II, Mario Galaxy II, Super Mario World Wii and the list goes on, but you get the idea.

This does not bode well for the industry as a whole and I fear that, like Hollywood, the gaming industry is about to succumb to the demands of corporate brass who want to push out highly polished, highly expensive, highly formulaic IPs. In the next few years I feel that gamers will see a drastic decrease in the innovation of games and indie developers who simply do not have the funds to compete, will get swallowed up or destroyed by corporate demands.

The next biggest problem with the industry: Motion Controls

Project Natal is neat. Sony’s new motion control is impressive. Nintendo’s refinement of motion controls is notable. The question remains: Are motion controls the future of gaming? I submit that they are not. The idea that motion controls will solely change how we play games seems to be rapidly declining. The fact is that motion controls are not innovatively changing how we play the games they are simply replacing how we provide inputs. Instead of pushing a button you wiggle the controller.

This is, in no way, more immersive or really innovative – it is simply a new way to “press a button.” Taking the Wii as an example, which it is the only example that has been tested to any degree, the most successful and efficient way to implement motion controls is a mix of motion and traditional analog inputs.

The hard hitters on the Wii; Mario Galaxy, Metroid Prime 3: Corruption, Twilight Princess, etc are all mixtures of using the analog stick on the nunchuck in conjunction with the motion wand. The hardcore crowd, which is the base of video game sales, is more and more moving away from motion controls. They are seen more as a gimmick than a valid way to play a game. Motion controls are great for casual games and gamers, as evidenced by the glut of horrendous third party software present on the Wii.

Speaking of which, Nintendo you really need to get some QA going for the games you are allowing on your system. This is so much the fact that I am already very worried that MS is going to try to implement Natal where it need not be. Peter Molyneux’s love for the Natal has me terrified that Fable 3 will implement the peripheral in a way critical to game play that will overshadow the game itself and push the player base away. Sony’s already shown with Lair, that motion controls improperly implanted can destroy an otherwise exciting and promising property.

So, my advice to developers: Beware. Motion controls look to me like the subprime loan catastrophe – everything looks awesome, until it just stops being awesome. Motion controls are already hitting walls and reaching limitations. I do not mean to suggest that motion controls have no future in gaming, but they must not be confused for being THE future of gaming.