I wrote a bunch of crap here about how Other M is going to be talked about for years and that people will write ridiculous essays about it because it's so different and yet so samey. But none of that really matters because Metroid: Other M is freaking fun. It's got a few rough spots, but the good outweighs the bad and there's a furry animal in it that reminds me of Gizmo. Only this Gizmo is a "man with no name" kind of Gizmo that can speak volumes at you with just a stare.
After spending a couple hours with the title I can say that environment navigation is going to take some getting used to when I'm not following the game's "go here" beacon. So far that's my only real quabble. Playing Metroid game that is sometimes 2D, sometimes over the shoulder, and sometimes first person really causes you to lose your bearings fast. The maps seem to flow very well together, though, so I haven't had much of a problem with running in circles. We'll see how the game progresses on that front.
Nintendo's new Wii party games were not only announced at the same press conference – they were right next to each other on the E3 show floor. On one hand you have "Wii Party," the Mii-filled heir apparent to the now-dormant "Mario Party franchise. On the other, "Mario Sports Mix," the Square Enix-developed expansion of their "Mario Hoops" title on the DS, now with volleyball, hockey, and more. Mr. Face say read more »
3D TVs - Upon meandering into the Sony booth, working my way through myriad screens showing Playstation Movers and shakers, waggling away at casual games with a visual edge, I found a section dedicated to the ever growing and expanding 3D television craze. Sony, being a company that makes all kinds of electronic marvels, of course would be touting their new line of TVs and glasses that support the technology. As you might already know, the Playstation 3 is now able to display 3D games so long as you have all the necessary equipment. So why wouldn’t Sony be showing this all off? There’s games here, guys. Games in THREEE DEEEE!
I waited a moment or two for a strapping young gentlemen to put down the glasses that were tethered to a glowing white table. Once he moved, I pushed my way in and girded myself for the onslaught of this 3D phenomenon. On the screen in front of me was a demo of a racing game that will end up on the PS3 that will also be in 3D. I put on the glasses. Before me the screen went from two fuzzy images to one slightly better, depth filled image.
Garret: As the only one of us who actually had a chance to play Metroid: Other M, I figured I'd write up a little something something about it.
The demo that I played involved some backstory, so just know they didn't take any of that business out of anything they showed. If you've been dreading the day when you actually have to learn something about Samus via something other than context clues or scanning environments, in a couple of months you'll have to endure a new type of storytelling for a Metroid. Get yourself into the mindset of getting over it. That's the new direction.
The demo was basically the one you may have read of before, the one they've been showing press for the last couple of months. Samus is sent to a scary derelict space station. As she enters, she is shot at by some crazy space marines. As Samus ninja-dodges out of the way, a cutscene enters. You learn a few things via the cutscene that we might not have known before. And how do you know that this information is something you might not know? Well, Samus says, "This is something that you might not know about me…" So there you go.
"Kirby: Epic Yarn" is the wonderful surprise of the show, even beating out the joy spread by "Donkey Kong Country Returns." This is not to say that Kirby is a better game, because even based on the demos it's clear that it's not. However, the Donkey Kong/Retro relationship had previously been rumored. It was on everyone's minds. Kirby came out of nowhere. AND HE'S SO DIFFERENT!
This Kirby is made out of a couple strings of yarn. He doesn't inhale enemies, he turns into a car and parachute on a whim, he moves through a world of cloth and zippers! This game is so weird and delightfully cute. And it's two players! The game isn't super hard based on the demo, and I have a feeling it won't ever be anything ridiculously challenging, but it's such a peaceful and relaxing little 2D platformer with some creative ideas.
"But music games are dead! What else can they do? All they need is new songs. What a cash grab!"
Not so, dear reader. Firstly, "Rock Band 3" works with all your old music and gear, and includes a variety of interface and structure changes to smooth out the flow of things. Secondly, there's a keyboard controller. Thirdly, you can use it, a fancy new guitar, and the drums you already own to learn to actually play real instruments.
I'm not going to say much about this. Partially because I wrote a lot about it last year, but also because I'm as tired as a sleepy guy.
The game is a lot more refined after a year. There are cutscenes now! The levels look less barren! The Gandalf co-op mechanics seem drastically improved in that player two can move around freely as opposed to the previous iteration which involved a Super Mario Galaxy style co-op mechanism! It's Tolkien stuff!
Combat doesn't feel any different, which is no biggie even if it could stand to be improved, but the real crime is the lack of camera controls. It's really easy to get spun around by your fighting and not be able to see what's happening behind you.
It's a fun little game that's perfect for a divorced father to play with his estranged son on the weekends. I do like that the game goes all the way through The Lord of the Rings trilogy. You'll see everything from The Shire to Minas Tirith. The scope of the game and theme are really great. It's just a shame that the actual mechanics leave much to be desired.
Garret: I didn't hate it, but it could stand to be more fun.
Garret: Alright, jerks, I've played this 3DS business and it's both amazing and then also confusingly odd(?). I don't know what the best word would be.
Amazing: The screen. When you hit the "sweet spot" (more on that in a second), it's sooo great. I played a demo of Pilotwings Resort and it was fantastic. The top screen is so crisp and the graphics are easily superior to PSP (but Wii/360/etc? mmmm no. Not with these games at this moment). There was flying-through-rings plane demo and a jetpack demo. They were both really great. The interesting thing about Pilotwings is that I ended up forgetting to focus on the 3D and just played the demo, and I like that. The effect is definitely there, but it's not so glaring that it's omnipresent above all else. With that said, though, when you turn the slider to "off," you literally think "what the fuck is this shit?" It definitely adds enough to make you miss it, even if you don't pay attention to it the entire time.
There's a new NBA Jam, you guys! It's not made by Midway or Acclaim. It's made by Electronic Arts and it's totally awesome. If I wanted to complain I could say things like "other than improved graphics and updated rosters this doesn't really feel diferent from old Jams," but you know what? That's a good thing. Sonic Team could learn a lot from these guys. Make a new Sonic game that's like the old ones, you guys! Seriously.
Right, so NAMBO JAM is going to have extra modes other than exhibition games. I don't know what they are (reporting! yeah!) and I have no idea if this game is online, but man. Four player NBA Jam on a game console where such a thing is convenient. You couldn't do that on your Genesis or SNES. And don't get me started on the ill fated NBA Jam '99 which was so bad that it single handedly put Acclaim out of business.
Here, watch this video. It'll put things so much more succinctly than I can. It made me so happy. Not the video, the game. Though the video is pretty fun too. One of my favorite things is Garret and I being filled with glee and Kevin and Cory's, by comparison, stone cold faces.
Last year, we managed to cover a game right before a wave of buzz hit it, and we rode that wave. We rode it hard. Scribblenauts, by developer 5th Cell, was all people could talk about at both at the show and online at E3 2009. You can type anything and it would appear! Anything you want! Tucked into the back of one of the halls, it was the definition of a sleeper hit.
When the game came out, we realized that nothing could ever live up to that much hype. The game was still fun, and the core mechanic was brilliant and adorable, but unfortunately, control issues and frustrating action stages kept it from being a truly great game. This was disappointing, specifically for me. I wanted to love the game so, so much. My heart shrank a little on the day I stopped playing the game.
When I heard that 5th Cell was responding to the criticism of the first game with a sequel, Super Scribblenauts, though...well, hope started to course through my veins. Maybe, just maybe...5th Cell would read their criticism, smile, rush to their executive whiteboards and make this game perfect. Maybe Maxwell would be controllable via the D-Pad. Maybe the puzzles would take center stage. Maybe they would find some new clever mechanic to add to the variety of the game.
From my short time with the game on the show floor, I believe they have done that. Mr. Face say read more »
