I find it hard to believe that a whole year has gone by, and I will be on my way back to Los Angeles for E3. While I prefer to wait for the big event to see what will be coming out, I just finished watching the official launch of the Xbox 360, and what can I say but holy @*%^! I know I had a taste of next gen gaming during the NFL Draft with the Madden Next Gen teaser, but the final result is too good to wait for. Nonetheless, this Wednesday is when the magic happens, and as always I have a bunch of questions that I hope to get answered:
1. WILL THE XBOX 360 DELIVER WHAT WAS SHOWN LAST THURSDAY?
MTV jumped the gun on E3 tradition and displayed the Xbox 360 for the first time. While it did not go into hardware specs or the price and launch date, the initial impressions are high. The first thing you will notice is that the system is now tower based, similar to the PlayStation 2. In addition, there are no controller ports at all; it is now all wireless!
Launch titles all look impressive as well, but the cream of the crop in visual quality had to go with EA's titles. I will get to that later.
Obviously some stuff had to be left for E3, and that includes the price and launch date. Hopefully it will not be too much, probably in the standard launch range of $300. As a side note, retailers such as GameStop are now taking 360 preorders at a $50 down payment.
2. WILL THE PS3 AND NINTENDO REVOLUTION BE ON DISPLAY?
Sony is known to be competitive, and since Microsoft is coming out full swing with the 360, Sony will have no choice but to fight back. But to this day, we have not seen a true mock up of the PlayStation 3. On the same note, we have not seen anything from Nintendo regarding the Revolution. All that I have heard is how the controllers will use touch screen technology made popular on the DS. If Nintendo and Sony want to take away from Microsoft's hype, they NEED to show off their systems, and not behind some opaque bullet proof glass, guarded by a stupid rent-a-cop whose only vocabulary consists of the words "appointment only!"
3. WILL PERFECT DARK ZERO COME OUT, AND IF SO, WILL IT BE A HALO 2 KILLER?
Perfect Dark Zero was FINALLY on display during the MTV special. From what I can tell, the game looks impressive. Early reports talk about up to 50 players at one time (overkill) and fully destructible environments, but just like every title that Rare has coming out, it has taken way too long to come out.
Remember this title, as well as Kameo, was originally scheduled for the Nintendo GameCube, then slated for the Xbox. Aside from the dismal Grabbed by the Ghoulies, the only Rare title available for Xbox 1 was the yet to be released Conker: Live and Reloaded. I am tired of waiting for Rare to get off their lazy butts. Remember how I criticized Perfect Dark 1 for taking forever to come out, and I feel the same way about Zero. I will be shocked if Rare releases it by the end of the year, let alone as an Xbox 360 launch title.
4. WILL THE MMO-VERKILL EVER COME TO AN END?
Does every company in the world have to come out with an MMO? Evercrack and World of Warcraft are to blame for bringing this overburdened genre to us. How many hours do we have to spend beating up on wimpy NPCs to level up, and taking away our quality time? It got worse last year when Sega announced this major announcement, and it turned out to be that they are co-published the Matrix Online. BIG DEAL! MMOs are overrated, and they need to stop now.
5.WILL WE SEE METAL GEAR SOLID 4?
Though Kojima said that he would not be as involved with MGS4 has he has in the past titles, the word that MGS4 will be coming is enough to bring any MGS fan to his knees. After all, we still have many questions to ask. Who are the Patriots/Philosophers? Is Olga's child still alive? Will we have to suffer the wrath of Raiden? I want answers, but I'll settle with one of those killer trailers!
6.WILL PSP TAKE ADVANTAGE OF WI-FI?
Sony has really impressed me with the PSP. However my biggest concern is the lack of Wi-Fi based games that take advantage of the Internet (infrastructure mode). Only Twisted Metal Black seems to take advantage of this, as well as the little Web Browser hack found in Wipeout Pure. I'm hoping that Sony will unleash their PSP Online strategy, and even offer a true browser that takes advantage of the PSP's Infrastructure Mode.
7.WILL THE DS ACUTALLY HAVE ANY GOOD TITLES?
I've not been a big fan of the Nintendo DS. No titles have really caught my eye, and I found that the touch screen has been more like a gimmick. Seems every title that comes out for it needs to add a touch screen feature (i.e. Castlevania drawing lines to capture souls?). Use of the Wi-Fi feature has been limited as well compared to the PSP. Hopefully new titles will take advantage of the Wi-Fi, and might include a web browser.
8.WILL EA TAKE OVER E3 LIKE IN YEARS PAST?
Anyone who enters South Hall is immediately struck by EA's monster video wall. They always have the most dominant display at E3, and I wouldn't be surprised if this tradition keeps up. One thing is for sure, EA will truly take advantage of the next gen hardware, and if early indications of Need for Speed: Most Wanted and Madden 06 are true, 2005 will be another EA dominant year.
9.WILL ANY NEXT-GEN TITLES BE PLAYABLE (ESPECIALLY ON XBOX 360?)
With the exception of Perfect Dark Zero, none of the titles were played on the MTV special. This doesn't mean that they won't be playable in some way. As far as the PS3 and Revolution are concerned, I doubt we'll see anything from them, especially if Mr. "Appointments Only" Rent-A-Cop makes a guest appearance.
10.WILL ALL THE GOOD STUFF BE BEHIND CLOSED DOORS?
It seems every E3 all the good games are hidden behind closed doors, or in a special theater that takes HOURS to see, which makes waiting in line a waste of valuable time. I know it will happen again this year, as I already know that Rockstar will be showing off some of their titles behind closed doors, which upsets me because they would not schedule an appointment with me, and I thought I was close with them?
BONUS QUESTION: WILL EPISODE III SUCK?
Although this is not an E3 question per se, the fact that Episode III comes out this Thursday, and since our staff will be watching it in Santa Monica that night, I had to bring it up. Expectations are high for Episode III, especially after the disaster that was Episode I (dang you Jar Jar!). Episode II wasn't as bad, but the slow romantic scenes with Anakin and Padme (despite Natalie Portman looking so hot) bogged the film down. At least Ewan MacGregor's performance as Obi Wan (did he channel the ghost of Sir Alec?), not to mention a digital Yoda kicking total ass in the end were saving graces.
But this is where the plot comes full circle, and despite us knowing the big secret (Anakin becomes Darth Vader), I can already tell that Episode III will not suck, and the lightsaber duel between Obi Wan and Anakin will rank up there with Darth saying "I am your father" or the aforementioned Yoda butt kicking ranking up there as one of the best "holy #@*&" moments in Star Wars history.
Hopefully I will be able to answer all these questions by the time I get home Saturday morning. As always, I will provide day-by-day accounts of the insanity that is E3.
CURRENTLY PLAYING WHILE WAITING FOR E3: Forza Motorsport (Xbox)
MOST WANTED: XBOX 360!