All in all, this years conference highlights that E3 is a marketing spectacle more than a reflection on gaming that the Games Developer Conference offers. It is an exciting occasion nonetheless.
Most of the games featured in the conferences were either sequels, prequels, or reboots of existing properties. There is nothing wrong with this if these extensions offer something different from before. One of the more notable announcements was the remake of Twisted Metal, a franchise that hasn’t been updated in nine years. X-Com, however, only resembles its precursors in name only.
Also, there was a glut of similar looking first person shooters with cliches such as the red liquid overtaking the screen and non-player characters barking orders.
Below are the overall personal highlights for the conference.
- Gameplay of Deus Ex: Human Revolution
This game has a lot to live up to. Its precursor, Deus Ex, is likely one of the most acclaimed games of all time. The game mechanics combine First-Person Shooter and Role-Playing gaming. The mission options and moral choices throughout the game, including the multiple endings, were groundbreaking at the time. The plot was globe-trotting cyberpunk with doses of conspiracy theory, politics, and post-humanism. The plot also dealt with terrorism before it became global canon after 9/11. In fact, the setting’s futuristic New York skyline was missing the World Trade Center towers (the game was released in 2000). A sequel, Invisible War, disappointed fans of the original when it shedded the complex RPG mechanics. As a result, divergent features in Human Revolutionn worry fans of the original. The trailer, released a few weeks ago, is evocative to say the least.
[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BbAvf3vQm6Q&hl=en_US&fs=1&]
- screenshots of Shogun 2
- A trailer for a Warhammer 40,000 MMO
- Trailer for a game called Mindjack
[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m1yKDRsQBq8&hl=en_US&fs=1&]
This upcoming character-swapping, third-person action game brings to mind the obscure game with a similar concept, Messiah.
Superhero massively-multiplayer game DC Universe Online