E3 2014

[BrianC]

I was surprised Nintendo actually announced a new IP for Wii U with Splatoon, a multiplayer focused third person battle game. It looks like it could be fun. Yoshi's Wooly World, Mario Maker, and the new Wii U Kirby Canvas Curse sequel also look promising.

edit: I thought the Kirby game was 3DS, but it's Wii U. It has a name too. Kirby and the Rainbow Curse.

[iconoclast]

I didn't think it looked that bad. It definitely had a Tarantino vibe to it and it looks pretty intense even if it doesn't look as crisp as say.. ninja giaden.

I think the Devil's Third concept has some potential. It would be great if they could make a fast-paced TPS with precise melee combat and design the stages in a way that lets the player take advantage of their agility, but I didn't see much of that in the demo. The TPS sections looked like any run of the mill cover shooter (with first person Call of Duty snap-aiming) and the melee combat looked as simple as mashing attack for a quick combo. Enemy variety will also be really important, but I don't think they showed anything but generic soldiers with machine guns. Everything about it just looked so meh.

edit: actually, it looked like a worse version of WET (which I kinda liked).

[UnscathedFlyingObject]

Here's hoping the Grim Fandango Remaster is more than a glorified "HD remix." I'm thinking something like a Resident Evil Remake quality job. C'mon, Grim Fandango deserves at least that much respect. I don't see it happening, tho. Good thing Grim Fandango is an incredible game to begin with.

Also, Bloodborne and Scalebound. I'll have to see more gameplay footage to make a "buy" decision.

Oh, and why is everything coming friggin' next year? I guess I'll wait for 2016 before I get into current gen. You know, wait until the games come and go down in price and all the "ultimate" versions come out. Yeah, too burned last gen.

[President_Obama]

This gen I will be waiting until it's over and grabbing all three of the consoles and all the games I like the look of, dirt cheap.
I'm still getting through last gen's backlog.

[Some-Mist]

I didn't think it looked that bad. It definitely had a Tarantino vibe to it and it looks pretty intense even if it doesn't look as crisp as say.. ninja giaden.

I think the Devil's Third concept has some potential. It would be great if they could make a fast-paced TPS with precise melee combat and design the stages in a way that lets the player take advantage of their agility, but I didn't see much of that in the demo. The TPS sections looked like any run of the mill cover shooter (with first person Call of Duty snap-aiming) and the melee combat looked as simple as mashing attack for a quick combo. Enemy variety will also be really important, but I don't think they showed anything but generic soldiers with machine guns. Everything about it just looked so meh.

edit: actually, it looked like a worse version of WET (which I kinda liked).

you know... the look of the game actually reminded me of neverdead which isn't worth checking out and was one of the worst purchases I made last gen, however, in itagaki we trust. It has to turn out decent. It just has to ._.

even Kamiya's new game looks pretty mediocre when compared to the rest of his developer backlog.. but both directors have such a huge backlog that I refuse to think their next game(s) will be trash. that could possibly burn me.

-----

also I think I played the game right last gen since I didn't get a PS3 until 2008, a 360 until 2010, and a wii until 2011..
with the exception of the Wii U which I bought kind of early for the wonderful 101 and bayo 2... I plan on playing it the same way.

[BulletMagnet]

I sort of hope Half Life 3 is announced in some form.....

If Valve is wise they'll never release it, at this point it can never live up to the legend that's been built up around it.

Either that, or release it, take in the heaps of money from said release, and immediately board the hidden rocket to their secret moon base to continue operations under assumed names before the inevitable backlash arrives.

[broken harbour]

Woah 'Mario Maker'.

I've been wanting something like that since I was 5 years old.

Wii U is looking more and more like a necessary purchase.

[TransatlanticFoe]

Woah, Wii U finally has some games coming. Xenoblade sequel looks amazing, Mario Maker a stroke of genius with both Zelda and StarFox on the way. Bayonetta 2 including the first game too. Yeah, probably going to end up getting one of these later in the year when the price drops a bit and I've run my 360 backlog dry. Running out of space for consoles though!

Can't say much on the next gen consoles looks all that impressive besides No Man's Sky (which I'm not even sure if the universe will be generated locally or server side - online only would totally turn me off) and Arkham Knight. Though it's nice to see Xbone doing last year's Wii U and hyping people up over a remastering package!

[Some-Mist]

Woah 'Mario Maker'.

I've been wanting something like that since I was 5 years old.

Wii U is looking more and more like a necessary purchase.

kinda off topic but reminds me of a game I just kickstarted for PC/3DS which is said to be a surreal psychological rpg-maker (also referred to as eathbound on drugs). though I think a platformer-maker would probably be more fun than an rpg-maker..

Spoiler

[Lord Satori]

More fun to make, yes, but it seems like it would get boring quickly.

Also, a few of the smaller non-AAA games for the Xbone are sort of interesting, but there's no way I'm ever going to purchase a console that tried to disown it's market. I'm probably going to wait until Kingdom Hearts 3 or Final Fantasy XV (whichever comes first) comes out to get a PS4. In Nintendo's digital event video, I was mildly surprised when both Mother and Starfox were mentioned, which is the same as acknowledging that they existed. Perhaps one day...

[BryanM]

For anyone's who's tried making Super Mario World levels (something very easy to do; you could even distribute the task across multiple people and toss all their levels together as a group project hack) knows... making interesting levels is very hard without having the ability to make discrete objects. Custom bosses, custom power ups, custom terrain, custom monsters...

[broken harbour]

I think, the main draw, at least for myself, is to make some impossible deathtrap levels to share with your friends when they come over and drink a few beers, kind of super meat boy style.

My friends would be into that.

[Lord Satori]

I understand that, but I get the feeling that it would get watered down by tons of shitty levels very quickly.

[50Hz]

Splatoon is probably the nicest surprise I've seen this year. I've been watching a ton of games on the Treehouse stream and it definitely looks to be a welcome breath of fresh air for the Arena Shooter genre, the squid surfing and hiding mechanics are pretty neat too.
I hope the multiplayer doesn't die after a month, also was surprised when I checked out /v/ and they received it well (though the threads are brimming with loli squid porn )

[Lord Satori]

Smash tournament starts in less than 2 minutes! Tune in!

[Some-Mist]

I understand that, but I get the feeling that it would get watered down by tons of shitty levels very quickly.

I think the problem for me would be creating a level with perfect difficulty - nothing too hard that it's impossible but not easy enough to one shot. I'd love to create super meat boy quality levels, but I don't think I'm good enough to do it.

[BrianC]

In Nintendo's digital event video, I was mildly surprised when both Mother and Starfox were mentioned, which is the same as acknowledging that they existed. Perhaps one day...

While they didn't have much to say about it, it has been pretty much confirmed that a new Star Fox is coming to Wii U in 2015.

[Lord Satori]

Yeah, it was mentioned in the Smash tournament (which is over now) and I was surprised.

[broken harbour]

One of the most demanded franchises is actually coming to Wii U, but promises to be a rather different take on the series.
As part of Shigeru Miyamoto's brief to focus on the GamePad, this title will utilise the motion controls and physical inputs to control the ship — it's a spaceship shooter, with motion used for aiming and sticks used for controlling speed and moves such as barrel rolls. You can transform your Arwing into a Land Tank, while a Helicopter mode for two players that will include controlling both the chopper and a mini robot.

No.

Why the hell does nintendo choose to experiment with Star Fox?

Fly an Arwing.

Shoot things.

The end.

Starfox Assault was.... decent at best, and SF Adventures was just a tedious Zelda clone. I don't want to be jaded but Miyamoto has a habit of abusing that particular IP and I hate that.

[EmperorIng]

After the press conference, I think I might actually end up owning a Wii U, by the end of the year, during a holiday price-drop. Well done, Nintendo. That's what I call confidence!

[evil_ash_xero]

Whoa...Devil's Third does look quite disappointing. Ivan's design is awful, and him playing the drums just looked silly. Also, the graphics look like early Xbox 360.

You can hope for the best, but it's pretty underwhelming looking.

But Bloodborne...oh yeah!

However, I'm pissed that Kamiya's next game is XBone exclusive, and Bloodborne is PS4 exclusive. And of course Bayonetta 2 is Wii U exclusive. At this rate, it'll take 10 years for a system to have like 5 or 6 games I want. I had no intention of getting a Xbone. I wonder why Platinum chose to go that route? Japanese games tend to sell way better on Sony consoles. People that buy Xbox tend to go for the FPS and whathaveyou.

[Jonathan Ingram]

I wonder why Platinum chose to go that route?

They don't get the benefit of choosing. They are not in that position. They will work for whoever throws some money their way. Evidently, third-party publishers don't want to bankroll their endeavors anymore which leaves them at the mercy of console manufacturers.

And of course Bayonetta 2 is Wii U exclusive.

And Wonderful 101, too. It's positively wunderbar.

[Some-Mist]

I wonder why Platinum chose to go that route?

They don't get the benefit of choosing. They are not in that position. They will work for whoever throws some money their way. Evidently, third-party publishers don't want to bankroll their endeavors anymore which leaves them at the mercy of console manufacturers.

And of course Bayonetta 2 is Wii U exclusive.

And Wonderful 101, too. It's positively wunderbar.

yup ^ I bought a Wii U earlier in the year for Bayo 2, super mario 3d world, mario kart 8, project x, and tw101... and tw101 is one of my favorite games of the past few years. It's very reminiscent of the old viewtiful joe formula spiced up with some touch screen controls. kamiya is god.

[Despatche]

yay, people actually want a wii u now, whoo.

stop asking for mother 4 already, there is noone to make it. it'd turn out like indiana jones 4 and halo 4, and do you really want that?

(oh god, mario maker... we are about to enter a hell that transcends anything the rom kiddies have shown us)

Starfox Assault was.... decent at best, and SF Adventures was just a tedious Zelda clone. I don't want to be jaded but Miyamoto has a habit of abusing that particular IP and I hate that.

you say you want a thing to be new, you say you want the same thing to just be old... for whom is the line drawn, really?

btw, starfox adventures had nothing to do with miyamoto, it was all rare. they were already dangerously close to ripping off fox mccloud so nintendo decided that the license was best.

[Some-Mist]

stop asking for mother 4 already, there is noone to make it. it'd turn out like indiana jones 4 and halo 4, and do you really want that?

what about 1-UP Studio and HAL Labratory? Mother 3 was one of the best JRPGs I've played in the past 5 years and I would gladly take a mother 4 release from them. I absolutely loved the music-based battle combo timing system and the story is definitely one to rival Mother 2..

I do really want that.

[broken harbour]

you say you want a thing to be new, you say you want the same thing to just be old... for whom is the line drawn, really?

btw, starfox adventures had nothing to do with miyamoto, it was all rare. they were already dangerously close to ripping off fox mccloud so nintendo decided that the license was best.

Ha no, I would love a more traditional Starfox game, like the first or SF64, it seems like Nintendo doesn't know what to do with the IP, and having them state that it's a 'new' take on the series, with what sounds like ropey motion controls makes me scared, having said that, I try not to be jaded, I hope it's great and restores the series to former glory.

I remember reading that Miyamoto meddled with 'Dinosaur Planet' late in it's dev cycle, and basically slapped the Star Fox characters on it, which is why it went from an N64 game to GC. I forget where I read that, prob IGN or something.

[ZellSF]

Thoughts:

Microsoft: Boring. Predictable. Too much exclusive DLC. Have to give them credit for not going on about kinect or TV features. Ori and the Blind Forest looked amazing (coming to PC too). No excitement for Scalebound until they actually show us the game. Halo series in 60 FPS sounds nice, hoping the PC rumors are true.

Ubisoft: Valiant Hearts still look nice I guess? Really was struggling to keep awake during this conference they make so generic games and then sequels to those games. Don't get me wrong, Ubisoft does a lot of good stuff, just a ton of shit to finance it.

EA: Well credits for showing the games even when they're rough rather than CGI trailers like everyone else seems to be doing, but EA aren't doing anything exciting either. Except Mirror's Edge 2 but that looked very early in development.

Nintendo: Showing the most gameplay of everyone. Nothing I care about though, I don't want more Kirby or Yoshi. I want 2(.5)D Metroid, F-Zero, Star Fox and Wario Land. I want SMTxFire Emblem. I want another 3D Excite game by Monster Games. I want some serious improvements to Virtual Console and Nintendo's account system. I want a 3DS revision that doesn't feel cheaply built. Splatoon looks like a nice inspired idea, but I don't think it will work and it has flaws other than being reliant on a good online infrastructure. Mario Maker is also reliant entirely on a good online structure for finding levels and games and I have no doubt Nintendo will fail very hard at that. Bayonetta being included with Bayonetta 2 and at 60 FPS at that is nice news of course.

Sony: Sony's my favorite but they're a major disappointment this year. No jabs at the competition, when did they decide to be so professional? No talking about the PlayStation family, 10 year plans and all that. It was PS4 time, screw everything else. No The Last Guardian and no Square Enix games. No PS+ surprises. At least we get the PS Vita TV but them renaming it PlayStation TV makes me think they're not going to work on getting titles by US developers compatible. My feelings about Bloodborne is the same as they are about Scalebound. Getting a up to date Grim Fandango will be nice.

Other: Well at least we get confirmation that Doom 4 isn't cancelled and a teaser telling us they'll actually show us stuff at Quakecon. Final Fantasy Type-0 is coming to PS4/Xbone so I don't need to have a modded PSP/Vita for whenever I want to play that.

[Lord Satori]

Haven't watched everything yet. I just finished watching Sony's press conference, but I had a huge caffeine crash about two thirds into it so most of it is a blur. Some of the games did catch my interest though, and the graphics are phenomenal. I'm fucking sick of that Nathan Drake douchebag, though.

edit: just checked out the Nintendo E3 site and there are a few new vids up. Apparently Pacman is joining the fight, as well as Mr. Game and watch returning (though he wasn't formally announced on the smash site, he made an appearance in the vid, which is safe to say that he's returning)

[Moniker]

Splatoon looks interesting, but also looks like one of those F2P shooters they have on Steam. Doesn't seem to have much depth; I think the skill cap will max out pretty early.

Super stoked about anything Smash Bros. related, and the new stuff looks good. New Zelda... well, we'll see. Making things more open world isn't really the point. Well, I guess it's part of the point. But it's more about a vibrant populated world that you can't wait to explore, while having plenty of those magic linear moments (jumping over the fence with Epona in OoT is probably the flagship in that regard).

Yarn Yoshi and Kirby Rainbow Curse look interesting. W/ Yoshi, it's all a matter of level design, so maybe maybe not. I liked Canvas Curse but I always felt I was fighting the control scheme. Some refinements, hopefully.

Played enough romhacks to not really care about Mario Maker. Bayonetta 1+2 is obviously a win anyway you look at it. Disappointed there's no Metroid news. I'll take anything from that franchise.. 2 or 3D. Obviously I want more care than was shown with Other M. Not a bad game, but easily the worst in the entire franchise... maybe excepting Hunters.

Didn't really bother looking at XB1 or PS4, since I won't be getting either for quite some time. Money, and all that. Hopefully Bloodborne will be ported to PC.

[Jonathan Ingram]

Hopefully Bloodborne will be ported to PC.

It's a SCEI-owned IP, same as Demon's Souls. Zero chance, basically.