Early Christmas AKA E3 Roundup

Ahhhh the Electronic Entertainment Expo.  More commonly known as E3, this event held yearly in the LA Convention Center plays host to all of the biggest names in the gaming industry as they announce and demo loads of new games.  This particular year was extra special, as with a new console generation looming, many of the games were for the next generation consoles.  I'll get to the consoles in a second, but right now I want to highlight the games that caught my eye at the show.

The Last of Us - (PS3)

Naughty Dog is arguably one of the greatest game developers in the business, and The Last of Us is just another excellent addition to their pedigree.  The game actually comes out on Friday and has received universal acclaim.  I'm really excited to get my hands on it later this week.

Star Wars Battlefront

Star Wars Battlefront II is one of my all time favorite games.  I can't even begin to imagine the number of hours I've spent playing it on PS2 and more recently PC.  People have been clamoring for a sequel since 2005, but for various reasons it was never produced.  Until now.  Obviously this is just a teaser announcing that the game is in development, so nothing is really known about it yet, but hopefully it remains faithful to the older games.

Kingdom Hearts III - (PS4)

Back when I was in middle school, Kingdom Hearts was the bee's knees.  Since the release of Kingdom Hearts II in 2006, they've released a ton of spinoffs on various handhelds that only served to convolute the plot even further.  I said that if they made a true third entry that I wouldn't be interested.  I lied.  I'm actually really hope this ends up being as good as the previous games, and now that Disney owns Star Wars, Marvel, and Pixar, I really, really hope they can be incorporated into the game.

Battlefield 4 - (PS4, XB1, PS3, 360, PC)

I'm pretty burned out on Battlefield 3 for various reason, but Battlefield 4 is going to allow for a whopping 64 players per match on next gen consoles, compared to a meager 24 in the PS3 and 360 versions of Battlefield 3.  Despite the game looking very similar, the larger scale battles and the new destruction and maps features give me enough of a reason to give it a shot.

more after the break

inFAMOUS: Second Son - (PS4)

The previous inFamous games on PS3 were pretty decent so I see no reason this wouldn't be.  You play as an average Joe who get superpowers.  Whether you use them for the greater good or for yourself is up to you.

Destiny - (PS4, XB1, PS3, 360, PC)

From the creators of Halo, Destiny looks pretty impressive.  It's an open world shooter where other players populate the same world as you and allows you to team up and compete with them.  I can't wait to see more.

Tom Clancy's The Division - (PS4, XB1)

Not really sure what to make of this yet but it looks promising.  It looks to be going for the same persistent world with human players interacting in the same massive environment idea as Destiny.  I'm interested to see how these types of games work.  The idea sounds really promising.

Batman: Arkham Origins - (PS3, 360, PC)

The Batman: Arkham games are some of the best of this console generation.  They truly make you feel as if you are the Dark Knight.  I expect no less from this prequel.  And Deathstroke's in it so that's pretty neat.

Titanfall - (XB1, 360, PC)

This is actually the game that blew me away the most during the show.  Respawn Entertainment, the developer, is made up mostly of former members of Infinity Ward, the studio that originally created the Call of Duty franchise, including the original heads of the company.  This also means they were responsible for Modern Warfare 2, which I consider to be one of the worst games I've ever played, but now isn't the time for that.  I've always wanted a multiplayer experience that was as cinematic as a single player game, and the gameplay Respawn showed off today looked like it pulled off the exact feel I was looking for.  Unfortunately, it won't be available for the PlayStation 4, which leaves me with a bit of a dilemma.  For reasons I will explain shortly, I have decided that the PS4 will be the first next generation console I purchase this fall.  I could see if my computer is capable of running it at launch (doubtful) or settle for the inferior Xbox 360 version.  Ultimately, this and the next game on the list may lead me to buy an Xbox One when they both become available next year.

Halo - (XB1)

I enjoy Halo.  They aren't my favorite games of all time by any means but I enjoy playing them.  This likely won't be any different.  I originally bought my Xbox 360 to play Halo 3 because I bought into the hype that it was the best game ever at the time.  Looking back on it today, I really feel like it was so-so, at least compared to the Halo games released since.  When this and Titanfall release, I may consider getting an Xbox One.  Until then, I am all about the PlayStation 4.

Metal Gear Soild V: The Phantom Pain - (PS4, XB1)

The Metal Gear Solid series has always been phenomenal at story-telling, and I expect more of the same from The Phantom Pain.   The open world and the fact that Keifer Sutherland is voicing Snake just help keep things more interesting. 

Watch_Dogs - (PS4, XB1, PS3, 360, PC)

I'm going to leave the live action trailer here instead of gameplay just because of how amazing it is.  Plus it does give a fairly accurate interpretation of how the game will play.  Use technology to hack your way through a recreation of Chicago and enact vigilante justice?  Sounds neat to me.

PS4 Wins.  FATALITY.

I mentioned before that the Xbox One is kind of a mess.  It basically prevents you from doing anything that you've been able to do with your games from the very beginning, such as being able to rent them, trade them in, or lend them to friends.  With the Xbox One, you have to jump through hoops to do any of that.  With questions surrounding the PS4 and whether or not it would suffer the same restrictions, Sony responded very bluntly:

The crowd went nuts.

Basically, nothing would change from the way it is now.  The console also does not need a constant internet connection to be used like the Xbox One, and is also $399 to the One's $499.  The onyl minor caveat is that online is no longer free, but considering that Sonyt's service gives you free games to keep as long as you are a member each week the subscription will quickly pay for itself.  The initial choice for many, including myself, became obvious.  As such, tomorrow I am going out and preordering my PS4.

And the best part of the whole presentation was that Sony just wouldn't let stop taking shot at the issues with the Xbox One, even releasing this instructional video on how to lend games to your friends:

It's sad that we even have to have this discussion, but it's good to know that Sony knows that we as consumers have no desire to have all of these restrictions thrown in our faces.

That about wraps up my thoughts on Early Christmas E3.  If anything else the rest of the week blows me away, I'll be sure to let my adoring fanbase know.  Until next time, signing off.